The Backdrop
When considering names for this website and blog, I wanted to reflect a purpose that is far beyond myself. Through this purpose, it is my hope that you will be able to connect with my personal experiences, and therefore will never feel alone in your struggles or your triumphs. Just like anybody, I have a story to tell and a past that has shaped who I am today. Yet, I do not want my own story or my own past to be the main focus. The main focus should be the light at the end of the tunnel, and not merely the tunnel itself.
You know that feeling when you have a reality check? Well, that is the feeling I used to have all of the time. I engaged myself with the typical activities of a young adult, but the fog was always there. Some days it was heavy, and other days it was light. Nonetheless, it seemed that it was always there. I, like many others, am purpose-driven. Yet, I always felt like I was falling short. What was I missing? I needed a purpose for my purposes. Maybe you do, too.
Gradually, the fog started to lift. Was it really foggy though? No, my eyes were just covered with lenses of self-deception. By God’s amazing grace, the lenses were removed, and I could see! It wasn’t about just going to work anymore. It wasn’t about just going to the gym. It wasn’t about just getting a good education and striving for a career path that was motivating. I finally realized that there is a greater purpose undergirding all of the efforts that we take part in.
Life used to feel like it was separated into categories. There was the Davin at church, the Davin at work, the Davin at the gym, the Davin in class, the Davin at home, the people-pleasing Davin, the Davin-pleasing Davin, and every other type of Davin. This inevitably led to a crisis of identity. That is why the first goal of Apologia Athlete is to help you to realize your identity. When we are wholly and completely ourselves, we do not feel scattered and disassembled by the winds that blow throughout life. When we don’t separate ourselves out, we can focus on the big questions of life, instead of scooting around them while we focus on the mundane:
Why do we exist? To glorify and enjoy God forever (Psalm 73:25-26, and Romans 11:36).
What is truth? Jesus Christ Himself (John 14:6).
What is the grand story of The Bible? Redemption (Colossians 1:19-23).
When we understand that we are fallen image bearers of God, we can properly understand our place in the world. That’s what changes nothing mattering . . . to absolutely everything mattering. Through being born again, there was a much more vibrant understanding and calling. Reading the Bible once felt like a chore, but eventually, I could not get enough. As C.S. Lewis famously said: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else” (1). So, the logos is necessary (John 1:1). If at any time in eternity past there was nothing at all, there would be nothing now; not even the logic to follow what I am saying.
Therefore, since there is something now, namely, us and creation, God has necessarily existed through all of eternity. There is something rather than nothing. In other words, there has never been a time where there was utterly nothing, because God has always existed. This is why in Exodus 3:14, God answers Moses by declaring, “I AM WHO I AM.” Only because of God’s unchanging, necessary attributes and existence do we exist. God doesn’t need us, but we need God. Therefore, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). We need God in order to ask the questions, and we need God in order to care about the answers. The questions march on:
Why take good care of your dog? To be a good steward (Proverbs 12:10).
Why do chores? To honor your mother and your father (Colossians 3:20).
Why work? To reflect God’s work in creating the universe. Even before the Fall, God instated Adam in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it (Genesis 2:15).
Why love? God IS love and He is the ultimate good that our hearts desperately long for (1 John 4:7-21).
As I hope you can see, there are answers to every question, and reasons for doing literally everything that we do; from the smallest things to the largest. For these answers, we must read the Word, be led by the Holy Spirit, trust in the Lord Jesus, who was sent by the Father on behalf of us, and know that God is God. Always remember, it is He who created us, and not we ourselves (Psalm 100:3).
“WE NEED GOD IN ORDER TO ASK THE QUESTIONS, AND WE NEED GOD IN ORDER TO CARE ABOUT THE ANSWERS.”
Through all of this, I have to remember that it was through facing the fog that once felt like it surrounded my life that my own gifts and passions were realized. These passions relating to the scopes of apologetics and physical fitness.
Apologia?
I have been interested in the subject of apologetics for quite some time. In alignment with Protestant Christian tenets, I believe in the ultimate authority, infallibility, and sufficiency of the Word of God (The Bible- from the Greek word Biblos (Βίβλος), meaning “book”). The Bible is so called because it has historically been referred to as “The Book.” To quote Dr. Voddie Baucham, the Bible is a “reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in the fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed that their writings are divine rather than human in origin” (2). Accordingly, I believe it is vital for us as Christians to take apologetics, which is the defense of the doctrine of the Christian faith, seriously (3). No, apologetics does not mean being sorry for our faith. On the contrary, apologetics is the defense of the teachings of the Christian faith. It is important both because God’s Word commands it (1 Peter 3:15) and because there is a cloud of misunderstanding present within our culture. This significance should become even more apparent when considering that Christian apologetics has taken place in a multitude of places and forms for around two thousand years by faithful men and women who have been kept by God. From the Apostle Paul reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue in 1st century Palestine to a modern-day debate in the United States, the defense of the Christian faith has been steadfast.
Apologetics, of course, comes from the Greek word Apologia, thus the name. One of the main goals of this resource is to help facilitate purposeful living and conversation. To do this, I want to encourage every individual to think about what they believe, why they believe it, and how their views can be justified in light of the world around us. All of this, dear friends, I want to conduct in a God-revering way in accordance with 2 Timothy 3:16, and 1 Peter 3:15. I pray this is fulfilled!
In this effort, I am by no means claiming the theological expertise of an R.C. Sproul or the wit of a C.S. Lewis. I am interested, however, in raising theological and philosophical matters that intersect with faith, fitness, and daily life. As such, we must be willing to engage in these matters, despite not having every issue and all of life figured out. After all, we do not need to have an exhaustive knowledge of the digestive system to know that eating an apple is better for us than eating a cupcake. So, through it all, it must be remembered that I am fallible. God is not fallible, and His Word is not fallible, but I am. As the Scriptures attest, let every man be a liar, and only God be true (Romans 3:4).
Athlete?
Exercising is something that I have always enjoyed. Confessedly, I have been too obsessed with it at times. I know idols take many forms, and the last thing I want to do is have a body image or a weightlifting goal take priority in my life. At the same time, I think we should seek to glorify God in the way that we take care of our bodies. As Christians, our bodies are Temples and we are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19). So, let’s take care of our bodies; but please, dear friends, don’t obsess and make idols of them. After all, we will have renewed ones in the Resurrection at the last day (John 6:40). Therefore, we must account for both a temporal and eternal perspective (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
Moreover, I believe exercise, if we are able to engage with it, gives us an opportunity to glorify God in the unique traits He has given us. As a man, I see the engagement in a form of exercise like weightlifting as a way to honor the traits that He has given me; both in terms of ability and preference. I have a passion for physical fitness, but I also realize that spiritual fitness is even more important. This may look different from person to person, and there are different circumstances, but the precepts are the same: we ought to take care of our bodies, honor God with the attributes that He has blessed us with, and not forget that godliness should be our ultimate pursuit (1 Timothy 4:8). Therefore, if you are a man, be a man to the glory of God! If you are a woman, be a woman to the glory of God! Finally, since there is an athletic spirit inside each one of us, be an athlete to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31)!
