Waikato Kendo Club

I have been reflecting on Kendo since my first lesson in Feb 2021. On Sunday, I shared one of my reflection with my church members in my sermon and I thought, I'd share it with my fellow Kendoka too.  During my first Kendo lesson, Sensei Sam explained that Kendo is the " Way of the Sword " and not the " Way of the Knife ". This is because the sword has two cutting edges. One that cuts your opponent and a second imaginary edge that cuts at ourselves; cutting away our bad habits and traits and making us a better person.  I shared with my church that Christianity has a similar teaching. We teach that we are like a grape vine and God cuts away any branch that doesn't bear fruit. However, He does not just stop there. He also prunes the branches that bear fruit so that it (we) will become even more fruitful. As I reflect on this, it seems to me that we are not being diminished as we are "cut" away, instead that cutting away produces a fuller person, a m