I didn’t really have anything in mind, but as I too began to scan the books near the floor, I found something I needed: a book on world history from a global perspective. It covered the 1500s to the present, precisely what I needed to read. I’m working on a church history project that begins in the late 19th century to the present. The book was published by McGraw-Hill, was beautifully laid out and printed. It had timelines, maps, pictures, all in full color and glossy pages. And how much did it cost? P25! I was shocked. What the heck is wrong with the world? Who would give away a book like that and why did Book Sale price it so low? Isn’t anyone interested in history anymore?

I hurriedly picked it up and brought it to the cashier, paying for it with all my worldly wealth at that moment. As I went out the door I realized I still had a few cents in my pocket. I wasn’t broke at all, and there I was, having exactly what I needed.

God is so good! We don’t need to be a multi-millionaire to have what we need. He provides everything just at the right time. Now I have a road map and don’t need to be surfing the internet all the time. I can begin writing without having to wonder if there’s something I’m missing because I haven’t seen the whole picture. It’s like I have a teacher, a guide to point me to the right direction. The Holy Spirit is like that.

In Unleashed, Jet Li plays Danny, raised as a “dog” by a gangster and trained to kill this man’s enemies. He is ferocious when unleashed from his collar but is as gentle as a child when not. He is rescued by a blind piano tuner and his daughter, a pianist. In Hero, before Jet Li’s character battles with Sky, he asks an old musician to continue playing his instrument as they fight to the death. And the old man obliges, plucking haunting notes from his strings as the battle ensues in the rain. In Forbidden Kingdom, it is said that a musician also has gong fu, in that he also tries to attain that perfection of uniting the mind with the body and the soul.

Martial arts and music share a common ground in this: the unity of mind, body, and spirit. I long to attain the same goal through both streams (as well as others) but, although I have found my music, I have not found my martial art.

There is something in me that longs to reach the heavens. I think that journey will begin by mastering the body and will end with mastering my music.

“The Archangel loved heights. Standing on the summit of the tower that crowned his church, wings upspread, sword uplifted, the devil crawling beneath, and the cock, symbol of eternal vigilance, perched on his mailed foot, Saint Michael held a place of his own in heaven and on earth… The Archangel stands for Church and State, and both militant. He is the conqueror of Satan, the mightiest of all created spirits; the nearest to God. His place was where the danger was greatest….”

I stumbled on the first paperback edition of this 1905 work of Henry Adams. Although I have never been in Normandy, I feel that, in the coming days, I will know more about it because of this book. The building of a church, let alone a cathedral, is always a matter of faith. But here Adams narrates that it is also a matter of political will, the determination of both church and state – at a time when these two were still one.

We are building a church also, the Cathedral of the King. But we are building this church first in our hearts. Before we can finally see a manifestation of our grand cathedral, we will probably be a changed people first.

 Adams also says, “Religious art is the measure of human depth and sincerity; any triviality, any weakness, cries aloud.” More on this book later on…