The Bible

A few weeks, I came to realize that I finally read the entire Bible front to back. Pretty much everyone who has an access to this blog, are Christian. And they all grew up in a Christian community. So I'm sure most of them have read the entire Bible a few times, or at least once very early on in their life.

I finally got to finish it at the age of 23. You might wonder why I took so much time? Well, I think that's a legitimate question. I probably should've finished it a long time ago. I wish I have. But the thing is, I got a totally different childhood background compared to you. Not only, I was born and raised in Japan, but I grew up in a non-Christian community. Of course, neither of my parents were Christian. To this day, they remain non-Christian. I was exactly the same way when I was younger.

If you have a taken a theology class or two, you might have heard that, only 1% of entire Japanese population is Christian. Majority of them are atheists or Buddhists. In the fast-paced life, Japanese people do not consider much about giving up time for God. As a former resident, I know exactly how it is like, and what they go through everyday. Life in Japan is very stressful. Work, social life, family, everything over there can be very draining.

Having said that, I came to realize how blessed I am. Not only, I got to be the 1%, but I got to learn what Jesus Christ exactly have done for us. There are thousands of Japanese people end their life without knowing how awesome our God is.

In both good and bad ways, we tend to get used to things we already have: Faith, friends, and education to name a few. But the reality is, we need to appreciate God for giving us everything we have. Because outside our own small world, people may be questioning their purpose of living.

I have been a Christian for about 8 years now. And I feel slightly embarrsed that I hadn't read the entire Bible a long time ago. Although, at the same, I'm grateful that I finally came to realize how great this accomplishment is.

Tools

Ever since I can remember, I always had a book in my hand. It's probably a shocker to some of you, but I like to read. I've always have. Looking back, it was my mom that always encouraged me to read. Plus, the fact that I'm an only child played a role in finding activities that I can do alone.

My love for reading never faded away even when I came to the states. I didn't know English then, but I still tried to read. Ironic, I know. But I still tried to read.

Personally, I think you can learn so many things from books. One of my favorite authors, Tony Dungy, who was a former NFL head coach, has written several books. In one of his books, Mr Dungy mentions that everything is passionate about something. It might be sports. It might be schooling, or it might be something else. He writes that God gave us an ability to love. In other words, a passion is a gift from God. His point was that the gift can be seen as a tool. A tool is something that will make you become who you want to be. So you should fully take an advantage of that. That was his whole point.

Today, there are so many teenagers putting focus on wrong things. Some of them are legitimately good at what they do. But they always need to keep in mind that the gift is from God, and the gift can be seen a tool.

Perhaps a bit weird post, but I just needed to get this off my mind

Miracles

The first Dordt dance tonight. Everyone is out having a great time. And here I am, in my room. Sitting in front of my Mac (yes, Mac rocks) and thinking about life.

This might sound funny, but I never thought I will get this far. I never thought I will come so close to the college graduation. Sure, I have 2 more months left to go. Still, I think I can almost see the goal. I'm almost there. To be honest, I didn't even think I would pursue more education after high school. I never even thought I would finish high school. Well, not from a school in a different country for sure. But somehow I have managed to handle them.

If I were to describe my parents, there is no word better than "ordinary". My mom had some health issue after giving birth to me, so I never got to have siblings. Bummer. So I was pretty much her "only shot". Both my dad and mom had really high expectations as all parents do for their children. I never really knew why. I still don't know why. I mean, that's something parents should do. But other than that, why really?

Growing up in Japan was probably one of the most unique things about my life. I was a good student both iniside and outside the classroom. I always got good grades. I never had to try. Then, one day, I started playing sports. Mainly, basketball. It took a lot of time away from me and I slowly walked away from studying too. Not that I started disliking it, but sports were just much more enjoyable. I'm sure everyone can relate to that.

Once I got to Junior High. Everything literally fell apart. I was a decent basketball player in town but I had problems with my teammates. So I hated basketball. My grades dropped dramatically. During the 3 years of Junior High(we go to junior high for 3 years in Japan), nothing went right. I have never shared this story with anyone, and I don't think that many people will read this so I'm just gonna throw it out, but those 3 years the time I want to forget and erase more than anything.

I still don't know why I had to go through those three years. Heck, I don't know most of the things I go through in my life. I'm kind of the guy who follows instincts. Risky, I know. But it's just the way I have been living my life.

I don't know how I got here. I don't know how I know you. I don't know how I'm gonna make my plan after college.

But one thing I do know for sure, is that there is God. He is somehow leading where I should be going. Why? well, I guess that's something what he does. Because I sure don't deserve anything from him. Ironic.

God, what's next?

Pause

Hello everyone.

I was using this blog for one of my online classes

and that's why past couple posts didn't make any sense.

But now that I'm done with the class,

the blog will resume like old times.

Anyway,

it is just passed midnight and I just finished one of my assignment.

Yay, right?

Well, not really.

of course, I'm very excited that I finished the assignment, don't get me wrong.

The problem is..... actually I'm not really sure.

But there is something on my mind.

That needs to be said.

What is it? I don't know.

Let's think for a sec.

Pause.

Lately, I have come to realize how much I have grown as a Christian

since the first day I stepped on Dordt campus.

I had never lived in a Christian community till 16, the first time I came to the U.S.

I sure was blessed with people. I feel like God put some of the finest people in the world into my life and told them to guide me become a Christian man. Even today, I feel like God keeps putting great people into my life.

There are so many people who have touched my life.

High school buddies, college friends, their families........

I can't thank them enough. I can never thank them enough.

Pause.

All the years, I feel like all I did was receiving.

People kept giving, so I kept receiving.

Personally, I've always understood that being in a Christian relationship is a two-way street.

You give, and you receive.

I think I've done enough receiving.

The table has turned.

It is my turn to give.

So what can I do?

Pause.

This is where I get stuck.

This is where I need extra help from God.

I know life is not about me. It doesn't matter what I do or think.

Also,

I know life is not about you. It doesn't matter what you do or think.

But it is about others, how you influence others matter.

Touching lives, if there is anything you can learn from Christ,

that would be it.

So how do I touch people?

Think for a sec.

Pause.

Again, I get stuck.

One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 27:17 where it says

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another".

I love the verse.

It is a proof that you can greatly influence others.

Ironically, it doesn't really say how you can influence others.

Pause.

Maybe, I'm thinking about too much.

Maybe, I just need to be who I am and live Christ-life, and hope that people can see something good with in me.

I hope someday, I can be "the guy".

I hope right now, by writing post, I'm touching someone's life even though, I understand that the chance is slim, I really hope so.

Stay tuned.

Love,

Hiro

Unit 10 blog

Hiro Yamada

Creating Wellness

Unit 10: blog

Surprisingly, I did better than I thought I was going to do. My progress was much higher than my prediction. In week 3, which is about a month and half ago, I was already working out somewhat intensely and was in the process of getting back in shape. Yet, I was not losing that much losing weight at that point, so physically I would give myself 6. Spiritually, I was doing above the average. I was very stable both mentally and physically, but I could not attend any religious events because I had to work on weeknights and also Sundays. So despite the fact I was able to maintain the mental peacefulness, I was not so happy with how I was spending the time during the summer. Because of that, I would rate my spiritual part 5. Lastly, my psychological has never been an issue. I would rate it 8.

Once I came back to school, I have been staying healthy. In fact, to support my physical health, not I have been working out, but I started taking supplements to intake adequate nutrients. Also, I don't work much when I'm in school, so I sleep really well, which helps me in multiple ways. Spiritually, I started participating religious activities again, so I feel much more comfortable with myself and how I am living my life.

Throughout the course, I really think I did well. I usually make positive comments in last unit just to give positive feedbacks, but for this course, I have set reasonable goals and I met the goals successfully. Activities wise, I didn't really have any problems. I love trying out new things and I love improvements. So I didn't have any problems regarding the activities. If I were to pick any difficulties, that would be making a powerpoint slide in Unit 5. My powerpoint sort of broke down and I could not use it for weeks till I fixed it. So it was really frustrating. But overall, I had a really great time in this course and I learned to improve my health status in different ways.

Unit 9 final project

Hiro Yamada

Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of healing

Unit 9: Project

Introduction

As a health and wellness professional, it is essential to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically. Once you are entitled as a professional, it is your responsible to comprehend what you practice and preach. God has created a beautiful world for human. Although, the human have fallen tendencies, and known as imperfect unlike God. Yet, he has given each person he created a gift, or in this sense ability to make contributions to others and even the world. For health and wellness professionals, their gift is to help those who are in need. Thus, not only you save your dignity, but by working hard, you will be working to glorify the one who has blessed you.

Personally, my strength is the spiritual aspect. Ever since I gave my life to Christ, I have been successfully influencing others and their health. On the other hand, if I were to pick one weakness, that would be the psychological aspect. I may have great appreciation to God for everything he has done for me, but that does not mean everyone else has the same attitude towards God, nor they may not even be Christian. Over the years, I have come to realize that I tend to struggle filling the gaps.

Assessment

Each of the three aspects: psychological, spiritual, and physical are very unique, yet different from each other. The diverse characteristics come together to define one's wellness. Because they are so different, I have used different methods for each of them.

First of all, I used meditation to asses my psychological wellness. I meditated in a quiet room and timed how much it would take to calm myself. There were some days I was overly emotional and took more time to find peace. On average, I found out that it took me about 10-15 minutes to calm myself down. During each meditation, I managed both positive and negative thoughts, and tried to interpret as life experiences God has given me.

Secondary, I have assessed my spiritual wellness. I am a proud Christian and I live by what the Bible says. Nonetheless, I am not close to a perfect human being. In fact, oftentimes I fail to follow what the Bible says and engage in sinful actions. My spiritual health appears to be based on how faithfully I act. For example, I noticed that I felt much better after participating in religious activities such as Sunday services, chapel, and the Bible study sessions. Therefore, I concluded that staying faithful is the key to the spiritual health.

Lastly, physical wellness was the easiest, yet the most important part of the three. The lack of physical wellness greatly affects one's overall wellness, thus it can be very harmful. Another important factor is that physical wellness is important to everybody regardless the states of other two areas. Personally, I focused on three things: amount of sleep, eating habits, and exercise. More sleeps I get, I feel more energetic and feel peaceful. Then, proper eating habits would help preventing health issues such as obesity, diabetes and others. Lastly, exercise plays a role in the combination of what sleeps and eating habits would do. Exercise reduces anxiety and stress, not only that but it also contribute to control body weight. I timed how much time I spent on each of the three and compared how I felt each day.

Goal Development

In order to improve my own wellness, I have set a goal for myself in each area of psychological, spiritual, and physical. For the psychological part, I would challenge myself to be more patient, and act slowly. By doing this, I can give myself more time to think and react properly. Spiritually, it would be beneficial to get to know what God has to say about life. Thus, I would read at least one verse on the Bible every night. Physically, I would challenge myself to constantly exercise and stay in shape.

Practices for personal health

One thing that came to mind to foster growth in all the areas of wellness is that, I make a routine and live accordingly. Lack of discipline correlates with laziness and sloppiness. Thus, I think it is important that I would make a routine or schedule and follow it. Also, I think it would be more enjoyable to do it with friends and family. Social support can contribute to maintain motivation, and keep positive attitudes. So I think it would be a great idea to practice with others.

Commitment

Since the goals I have set for myself are for my own health and not for others. I would first emphasize that this is not a competition, meaning that nobody wins or loses. Thus, I would try to enjoy working on my health. After all, it will come back to me eventually. Harder I try, better the progress it would be. In order to make a commitment, I would take journal everyday and write what I did each day so that I can actually see how I am doing. I used to take journal before and it helped me keeping my mind positive and healthy. So I believe that this is a great idea for myself. Overall, it would be challenging to make a dramatic progress within six months. Although, it is possible to do something everyday to make a small difference and that can possibly turn out to be a great change in future. Therefore, I would stay humble and do the small things people would usually fail to care.

Unit 8 redo

Ever since I can remember, I have been playing sports. Among all the sports I have participated, basketball is by far the most enjoyable sport to me. Now that I am a senior at college, I don't play basketball as much as I used to. Honestly, I miss playing a lot.

I was never the best player the best player on the team. But i can proudly say that I cared much more than other players did. I did so many extra works to be the best player I can become. Visualization is one of the methods I found it very useful and beneficial. I understand that for this week's assignment, visualization was used to bring peace in one's mind. For me, the mental practice helped me prepare every single day. Typically, I just closed my eyes and visualized how I want to move my body in the game. Personally, I believe that the mental exercise increased my awareness and preparedness. I think this exercise is very useful for those who tend be panicky. Also, everyone can do this exercise and you can do this by yourself with no money needed. So this is a great exercise.

Loving-Kindness exercise is another exercise I find it valuable. As obvious as it sounds, we have been involved in so many other people's lives as have they ours. Oftentimes, people tend to forget that they are supported by others and can't live alone. Thus, it is very helpful to remind them how people have been good to them. I have already mentioned the implement strategy, but it is simply to have participants think of people whom they think valuable.

Unit 8

For this week, I read a few chapters about being a pet owner and how animals can create positive influences in human life. Personally, I have only had hamsters and a few other small animals. So I don't quite now how it is like to own a dog or other big animals. One of my close friends own a dairy and he's gotten all kinds of animals. Dogs, cows, cats, you name it. Just comparing Joey(my friend) and I, it is very apparent that he can handle the flow of life much better than I can. Of course, there are some other variables that contribute to the tendency such as personality, family structure, and relationships with others. But he is definitely better at loving others and show his feelings.

As a nutritionist or even psychologist, I don't think I can recommend my client to have a pet. Because it just doesn't seem very ethical. But I think it would be reasonable to bring it up and mention to clients. Especially, for older clients, they might be able to finically afford for one but they don't really think about it. Once kids move away and start living on their own, having pets is definitely a good option to maintain healthy life

Unit 7

- The execise was very interesting to me. I'm a huge sports guy and I love playing sports. So I had never tried to sit still and think about stuff. Whenever I had something on my mind, I just went to the gym and played basketball with guys. That's always been my way to cope with stress and conflicts. So it was definitely a new approach to me. One thing I thought I could was that every time I get done working out, I usually sit, and try to catch my breath. I usually just talk to people and kill some time. But instead, I can do the meditation and correct my thoughts at the same time.

- It means that you have to actually experience what you preach. You can recommend people to do things to improve their heath, but they may not believe the effeteness of the exercise if you have never done it before. Personally, I feel obligated to be developing my health because I'm supposed to be a healthy figure for them, so I feel like it is my responsibility to stay in shape. Typically, I go to the gym several times a week, and go to church every Sunday. And as simply as it seems, that's how I take care of myself.

Unit 6

After participating in the practice, I came to reaize that te univesal loving kindness exercise is a lot like what the Bible teaches us; Love your enemy as yourself". It is not the most appealing thought you would ever have, but God loves everyone and he never abandons his creatures. I think that is the kind of understanding that we need to keep in mind. Personally, I found it somewhat helpful. I probably wont see a drastic change unless I practice it for awhile

The integral assessment discussed in chapter 11 is very helpful. In fact, I have been a similar exercise for years. Im not really sure if it is a good thing or not, but I have been told that Im an ambitious guy. As a matter of fact, every time I hit the wal, I always do a little self reflection to make sure where I am at the point in life. I feel like I always have something to improve and also something to work on. So this probably was one of my fovorite exercise so far in this class.

I have come to realize that Im not a huge fan of closing eyes to implement some thoughts that other people tell me to do so. I found it kind of stressful. On the other hand, I really like self reflection based exercises. It gives me more freedom in thoughts and I can face myself more easily

The First Marriage

On August 14th 2010, one of my best friends got married with his high school sweetheart. They dated since high school, so in a way, it was about time and we knew that was going to happen. But when they actually got married, I felt very gracious.

I have been telling my close friends that God has put some great people in my life, and I make sure to thank them for being a part of my life. Ever since I came to the states, I have gotten so many helps. Without the generous offers, I don't think I would have been able to become who I am today. Sometimes I wonder why God has been so great to me and got to know all the people I love. But I guess that is what it means to be a Christian. You get what you do not deserve to get.

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous. It was the very first wedding I have attended. For some reason, I had never gone to a wedding before, so I was pretty nervous that I was actually in the wedding. To be honest, time flied and I do not really remember anything except I talked to lots of people. I really wish I could have talked more, simply because I may not see half of the people there for a long time. Sure that is a part of life. People come and go. Despite the fact, there was a part of me wishing that we could stop time for once.

I was honored to be a part of the wedding. I love the couple so much and I would do anything for them. So I was very gracious that I was able to be there.

Meanwhile, I knew that was the point of life where I realized that people are growing up, and moving on to the next stage of their life. I understand that it was going to come sooner or later, but I will definetely miss having all of my friends around. My life would have been nothing without friends, and now that they are leaving out of my life, I am not sure how my life will turn out in near future.

But again, God is good and I hope he has great plans for me. I have faith in him

Anyway, congratulations to Joey and Monica. I have loved you guys since I can remember. Wish you guys the best!!

Shoot for the Moon So That You Will Land Among Stars

When I was a sophomore in high school, one of my close friends' dad told him to "aim high".

Honestly, the advise is nothing special.

I grew up in Japan and my parents told me the same thing. So I kinda think it is a universal thing to tell kids to have a huge expectation from themselves.

It has been 7 years every since I heard the advise. I turned 23 a few month ago. I'm officially an adult, having only one semester in college left.

Where am I going?

Where is the path leading to?

What does God expect me to do?

Well, the answer is still uncertain. But lots of people have been telling me I will do something great. Nobody knows what I will exactly do. I'm neither smart nor clever. I'm really an ordinary kid. If there is anything that makes me different from other people, it would be the fact I'm very ambitious. Even though I have no plans in future, I'm very ambitious to do something great, not because people told me that I can, but I think I can do something unordinary once I find out what it is.

Life is great. God gave each of us a great life.

A great thing about is, you can make it greater if you care.

I wanna be a great person.

Knowing myself, I have a long way to go.

But I'm aiming high.

I think I can do it.

I think I can.........

Unit 5

Loving Kindness exercise focuses on someone you are close with, such as a family member and friends, then bring positive thoughts and images from outside your own brain. Subtle mind exercise focuses on breathing and its technique. Those who practice subtle mind exercise believes that if calming breathing technique helps calm one's mind.

In a way, these two exercises are very similar regarding calming nerves, and simply relaxing. But they are both very different styles. Loving Kindness exercise need participants to think of someone they care about. On the other hand, subtle mind exercise just wants them to think of the way they breath.

I use both exercises. When I want to pray and read the Bible, I would like to use Loving Kindness exercises so that I can think of what God has done for me very sincerely. But when I play sports or work out, I tend to use the breathing skills to settle my breath. So I use both exercises depending on the situation.

Secondly, spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness are deeply connected. Simply because the mind and the body are connected. Human has this routine of "think and act". We think to act. We act to think. So they can't be separated. As I write this post, I'm thinking what to write next or how to convey the message that I want to emphasize. Thus, they are both deeply connected.

Peacing out to be Peace

I think the whole calming practice has been beneficial. But the concept itself wasn't really anything new to me. Ever since I turned my life to Christ, I take a small time for praying everyday. Some days the prayer is more effective than others. But I still knew the meaning and purpose of the activity. Personally, I like it. It's been helping me coping with stress and calm my nerves.

Mental workout is a mental exercise that requires you to face your true self. It helps you stay calm and have wider views on people. Personally, this exercise was nothing new. I've been doing a similar mental workout. But I still admit that this kind of mental workout is essential for everyone especially, teenagers. When I was in junior high, someone suggested me to write journal, and give myself a time do a small reflection everyday. That small suggestion turned out to be a big advice. It helped me dealing with stress greatly. So I knew what it would do.

Heaven and Hell

As we get older, health issues are more concerned than anything else. When I was a kid, I struggled with child obesity. Luckily, my bones grew and I am no longer obesed. Well, I may be slightly overweighted but it happens. Anyway, I'm sort of thankful that I used to be big. Because that gave me a chance to see what I was eating at the time. I was also pretty serious about basketball and tried to do everything I could do in order to become the best basketball player. Therefore, to make that happen, studying nutrition was very essential. In fact, I learned the importance of fiber and water. Once I got that down, I dropped about 20 lbs fast. I was 14 years old. When I went through. I may not have as much nutrition related knowledge than I should, but that was definitely what got me started. Since then, I have been able to watch my calorie intake and nutrition needs better than majority of people, which is very cool. On the scale of 7-10, I think I would give myself 7 or 7.5. I'm not a perfectionist type so I like to slack off every once in awhile and give myself a break but I'm always aware of what I'm doing to my body, so I think 7 is appropriate.

Spritually, I think I'm doing pretty good. I'm a proud Christian and I love living by what the Bible says. Faith gives me a great comfort and assurance. I'm originally from Japan, and there are hardly any Christians in Japan. So I feel privileged to know that God has blessed my life. It really has been a great journey with him. Spiritually, I think I would give myself a 8. I make mistakes sometimes, but I'd like to think that I'm doing fairly well.

I've never really concerned about my psychological health. Simply because I'm a happy person. I love my life. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm always over-energetic. I get tired or even sad like everybody else. I'm just somehow highly capable of staying optimistic and see the world positively. I was never like this when I was a kid. But I got to travel the world when I was a junior in college and it really opened up my mind. Life can be worse, or better sometimes. I would rate myself 8.5.

If I were to set any goals for the three things above, that would be sharing. There is a competitive part of me that is always pushing myself to reach the high excellence. Contrary, I don't rub that in other people's face or even explain the importance of taking care of self. Self-maintainance is always an individual thing. So it seems none of my business, and I kind of think that it is rude to butt in. But if I can find a way to effectively encourage others, I don't why I wouldn't do it. So that would be my goal: become an encourager.

I think it would be a bit challenging to implement an exercise for becoming an effective motivator. I try to go out whenever I have a free time and talk to people so that they would know that there are people like me who is a lot of time optimistic and see things positively. But other than that, I can't really think of any exercise that i can do.

Lastly, on The Crime of the Century, I don't really know what to say. I knew before it started that it was a relaxation exercise and nothing more. But I actually found the exercise a bit annoying. I think everyone has a different way to relax and calm down. For me, when I get stressed, I either go for a run, lift weight, or play basketball. So I really didn't think the exercise was meant for me. Still, I can see it becoming very effective on other people.

Before I end this post, I would like to say a few words for one of my friends, Brandon Oldenkamp, who passed away a few days ago.

Brandon,

I'm still having a hard time to understand that you are gone. You had an optimistic perspective on life and seem to be enjoying the life everyday. You were just one of the guys. So special. Even though it's been only a few days since you passed away, I already miss you, and can't wait to see you in the heaven when I go up there. Love you, man

Chilaxing

One of my high school friends made up a word back in 10th or 11th grade.

"Chilaxing"

It is simply a mix up of relaxing and chilling

but I love the word, I like to chilax.

Anyway for this week's assignment,

I believe we are supposed to talk about past experiences with relaxation exercises.

To be honest, I don't really have much.

Because I assume when we say "relaxation exercises", we are referring to exercises that are relaxing.

Ever since I was a kid, I was all about sports.

I played soccer, basketball, and did some track and field.

I focused on pushing myself rather than cherishing it.

Thankfully, my mental strength is pretty high

but I didn't get to do anything like yoga and zen during my childhood.

I really wish I have though

A few months ago, one of my buddies got a exercise program online called "P90X".

It was a pretty typical exercise program focusing on core work outs.

I'm not saying that it was bad. I'm just saying that it was typical.

Anyway, one of the exercise was yoga

and my friends and I tried it first time in our lives.

And oh my goodness! that was one of the best work outs I have ever done in my life.

I'm not the most flexible guy in the world, so it was very challenging.

Also, even though I did it with my friends, it was basically against me vs me.

The self challenge thing was awesome.

I really wish I had done it when I was playing basketball intensely.

it would've helped me quite a bit.

Oh well, anyway this was my only experience with the exercise

Hope ya'll are doing well

Later

Hiro

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