Tuesday, August 27, 2013

ACL Rehab - 3 Months Post-Surgery

I haven't really updated about how rehab is going for a while, so here it is.

Overall Rehab Process

I got an opposite side patellar tendon graft, meaning that they took part of the patellar tendon of my good knee (my right knee) and grafted it into my left knee as a new ACL. As a result, my right knee's patellar tendon was made very weak, and I have to rehab the tendon to cause it to grow back and be as strong as it was before. This means that my left knee, which was the knee with the torn ACL, is actually stronger than my previously uninjured right knee. However, it is still tighter than my right knee, and maintaining full flexion and extension of the knee is a top priority in my rehab, as it gets tight quite easily.

My rehab right now includes a lot of strength training, mainly for my quads, which haven't been seriously used for months. At my two month mark, my doctor told me to begin to ease back into athletics, saying that this is the point that he would clear athletes to begin things like shooting around a basketball. Right now, I neither have the confidence or physical ability to do much athletically, but I have started throwing around and doing some very light jogging on the treadmill. The biggest milestone for me so far is when I discovered last week that I can comfortably and confidently skip! I've been showing this off to everyone around me, so don't mind me if you see me publicly flaunting my ability.

Current Rehab Routine

The following is the last rehab session that I did today. I've been increasing resistance, time, and weight on each exercise as I feel my legs getting stronger.

25 Minutes Stationary Bike - Resistance 9
5 Minutes "Jogging" on Treadmill - Speed 4.8
Seated Leg Press (one leg at a time) - 3 sets of 15, 40 pounds
Leg Extensions (one leg at a time) - 3 sets of 15, 20 pounds

This was a pretty short post, so here's a treat that I've been saving.

Before: Sheepskin padding for the CPM Machine


After: Costume for Warrior Mrs.Lee


I showed the above picture to my physical therapist, who laughed and responded with amusement, "Does she know that your dirty, unwashed leg was in there for two weeks?" Good times.




Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Post-Surgery Helplessness

Maybe I'm just dumb, but I didn't realize just how helpless I would be after surgery. For the first 24 hours, I couldn't get up to use the bathroom and had to use a urinal. After that, I could barely sit down on the toilet without help, and because I couldn't bend my legs enough to stand up, I needed both of my parents to help drag me off the toilet. I basically couldn't do anything by myself, and everything I did, even with help, hurt like hell.

It was hard for me to imagine that Adrian Peterson and RG3 went through exactly what I went through. Sure, they had underwater treadmills and personal physical therapists, but their first week was probably a lot like mine. Maybe even worse, because their legs are much longer than mine and toilets are basically all the same height. It's just so hard to imagine those who I consider strong and powerful humbled to the point of helplessness. When we turn on the TV, we see pictures of D Rose taking practice jumpers and Kobe standing with crutches in Staples. We don't see the tossing and turning at night and the moaning and groaning of constant pain. We see RG3 and AP rehabbing in a weight room and we don't see them needing help to use the bathroom or scratch their back.

This all might sound obvious to you, but I just never realized just how helpless even uber-rich super-athletes can become. I guess I just assumed it was like any old ankle sprain - that they just took some time off and magically got better. I never imagined that guys like AP and Kobe would ever be brought to the low point of not even being able to use the bathroom alone (Sorry I keep mentioning the bathroom. It just really stuck with me).

It hit me one Sunday having communion at Knox (I seem to get a lot of epiphanies there) what "This is my body broken for you" really means. Jesus is infinitely more rich and powerful than AP and Kobe and was brought infinitely lower. Jesus felt the shame of being helplessly naked in front of others and the excruciating pain the body can bring. If it was so difficult to wrap my head around the fact that rich, athletic guys could be brought low, how much more difficult must it be to understand how an all-powerful self-sufficient God could be brought low! Obviously I can't claim to understand it, but I'm glad that this experience has deepened, if even slightly, my understanding (of my lack of understanding) of the magnitude of sacrifice that Christ has made on our behalf!

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
taking the very nature of a servant,
made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! 
- Philippians 2: 6-8
                


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Sleep - A Divine Gift

Thursday, August 15, 2013

32 Bold 2013 NFL Predictions

Here's my list of bold predictions for this NFL season, one for every team. Some are more bold than others, but I'm hoping to be right on at least 50% of these predictions at the end of the season! What are your bold predictions for the season? Are there any of these predictions that you disagree strongly with? I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE NFL!

TeamPredictionNotes
NFC East
Dallas CowboysTony Romo will win his second playoff game. 
NY GiantsAndre Brown will rush for more TD's than David Wilson
Philadelphia EaglesAt least 10 different players will have a receiving touchdown. 
Washington RedskinsKirk Cousins will start at least 3 games in the NFL. 
NFC West
Arizona CardinalsCarson Palmer will make the Pro Bowl.
San Francisco 49ersColin Kaepernick will have as many turnovers as passing touchdowns. 
Seattle SeahawksThe Seahawks will miss the playoffs. 
St. Louis RamsThe Rookie of the Year will be from the St. Louis Rams. 
NFC North
Chicago BearsThe Bears defense will yield more than 30.0 points per game.
Detroit LionsMatthew Stafford will throw for at least 40 TDs. 
Green Bay PackersEddie Lacy will rush for no more than 3.0 yards per carry. 
Minnesota VikingsChristian Ponder will not lose his starting job due to poor play. 
NFC South
Atlanta FalconsRoddy White will have more receiving yards AND touchdowns than Julio Jones. 
Carolina PanthersKenyon Barner will lead the team's RBs in all-purpose yards.
New Orleans SaintsThe Saints will yield the highest number of yards allowed per game. 
Tampa Bay BuccaneersGreg Schiano will win NFC Coach of the Year.
AFC East
Buffalo BillsFred Jackson will be the starting running back of the Bills for at least 3 weeks.
Miami Dolphins Ryan Tannehill will lead the division in passing yards. 
New England PatriotsTim Tebow will not be on the Patriots roster by the end of the season.
New York JetsMark Sanchez will be the starting quarterback on week 16 of the NFL season.
AFC West
Denver BroncosVon Miller will not be on the Broncos' active roster at the end of the year.
Kansas City ChiefsThe Chiefs will win the AFC West division.  
Oakland RaidersThe Raiders will have the worst record in the NFL. 
San Diego ChargersPhilip Rivers will lose his starting job at some point in the season. 
AFC North
Baltimore RavensThe Ravens will have a sub-.500 division record. 
Cincinnati BengalsJames Harrison will not be fined for any illegal hits this year. 
Cleveland BrownsTrent Richardson will rush for less than 1000 yards. 
Pittsburgh SteelersThe Steelers will average less than 250 offensive yards per game. 
AFC South
Houston TexansAndre Johnson will catch no more than 5 touchdown receptions.
Indianapolis ColtsAndrew Luck will lead the league in pass attempts. 
Jacksonville JaguarsDenard Robinson will complete a pass to Chad Henne. 
Tennessee TitansChris Johnson will rush for more than 1750 yards. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Showing Off Church

Two weeks ago, the day after Iris' wedding, I brought some of my NJ friends to Knox for Sunday Service. I had long planned to bring them to Knox that day but only told them the night before, so I was grateful that they all woke up early to get ready for church. We all checked out, fit all of our luggage in the cars and hopped in, ready to go. Because I knew where I was going, I told Eric I would lead our two-car caravan, but I still put Knox's address into my GPS, just in case. My GPS had an estimated arrival time of 9:35, which would make us five minutes late, but that was no biggie in my mind. By now, the kind people at Knox must have gotten used to large groups of Asians arriving at church just a few minutes late.

[Skip this paragraph if you have a short attention span or do not know Michigan roads.] We drove down from the hotel, and my GPS told me to take 23 South instead of 23 North, which is how we got to Knox the day before. I thought that maybe the GPS knew a faster way to church, so I decided to go with my GPS and take 23 South. After all, I had it set to "fastest route", so it must be true, right? Turns out, it was leading us to take 94 and get off the Ann Arbor-Saline exit, which does make sense, as it isn't a far drive from that exit to Scio Church. However, what my stupid Nokia Drive GPS app didn't know was that there was a section of 94 that was closed, and that it was actually impossible to get onto to the Ann Arbor-Saline exit. So after looping around a few times, we just ended up going back and taking 23 North and getting off by Carpenter Street, which is what I would have done had I not listened to my stupid GPS.

All this is to say that we got to church 30 minutes late. The entire time while driving as the clock kept ticking and the estimated arrival time kept getting pushed back, I was getting more and more frustrated. I was pissed off that everyone had made the effort to get up early, only to have that all dashed to pieces by my poor navigational decision-making. I was thinking about the things that we were going to miss at church and the embarrassingly strange looks we might get arriving half an hour early.

We arrived at church in time for the end of the last song of the worship set, and took a seat inside during the announcements time. Sitting in the pew, I found myself still upset and frustrated, and I felt the God-to-Jonah-like question prodding my heart, "Why are you so angry?". After a little bit of thinking, I realized that I was upset because I wanted my friends to experience what I believe is a great Sunday service. I wanted them to enjoy the awesome traditional/contemporary worship, to see the music director use his head to direct the brass players while playing the organ, and I was disappointed that we had arrived too late and had missed most of the worship, including the congregational and personal favorites "Be Thou My Vision" and "Christ Has Conquered All." I wanted them to be blown away be the preaching, and I was secretly disappointed that Pastor Chuck wasn't going to be speaking this Sunday. I wanted them to be impressed with the church service as they had been impressed with the university campus. I was showing off church. And it wasn't simply out of vanity or selfishness that I desired all of these things - I wanted my friends to share in a central part of my spiritual development, and I wanted them to be blessed by it.

As I continued to think about these things while ignoring the announcements, I realized how warped my thinking was. To me that morning, church was about spiritually pleasing my friends, when in fact Sunday worship is actually about pleasing God. In my self-disappointment, I was reassured that just being there, even half an hour late, is an act of worship to God. And I was reminded that ultimately, it wasn't up to me, the worship director, or the speaker to create a genuinely awesome worship experience for my friends - it was up to God. And so with divine help, I laid it all down, freeing me to enjoy and participate in the worship service without being burdened by the anxiety of gaining the approval of my friends.

I think that we as Christians often fall into the trap that I fell into that Sunday morning - when we invite friends, both Christians and non-Christians, to our Christian events, we're often so concerned with their approval and enjoyment that we ourselves lose sight of the true purpose and Provider for these events. We steal glances at our visitors, seeing if they are weirded out by the singing and are interested and attentive during the message. We internally critique the sermon, cringing at every awkward or possibly offensive statement and laboriously taking mental note of the funny or insightful remarks for future discussion. As a result, we don't truly participate in the service, insincerely singing the worship songs and allowing the words of the sermon to go in one ear and out the other. Our anxiety blinds us, causing us to forget that it is God who draws and glorifies Himself. And in worrying so much about whether or not God will work in someone else's life through the service, we actually lose the opportunity to allow God to work in us. This attitude sucks the joy out of serving God, making ministry burdensome and sharing our faith excessively emotionally taxing, eventually completely burning us out.

So the moral of the story is this: Chill out, seek to please God, and trust that He'll take care of the rest. Also, the Nokia Drive app sucks.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Evaluating my 2012 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts

I was doing some mock drafts today, and I was suddenly curious about how I did in the mock drafts that I did last year. So I dug up some of the old mock drafts I did from last year and compiled a list of what would have been the highest scoring roster for the entire year. This obviously doesn't take waiver moves into account, as only the draft is being evaluated. I've highlighted all of the very good picks and value picks and also point out what I think are the worst picks I made.

Overall Strategy

Last year, my overall strategy was to get a strong group of WR's, as it was supposedly the year of the wide receiver. So for my mocks, I tried taking a lot of wide receivers early and grabbing value backs later. I don't think that this worked out that well, as the "value" running backs usually ended up being busts. My favorite drafts out of this group of drafts is Mock #5 and my actual Joywok draft, with their only real weaknesses being their team defense, which is easily fixed via the waiver wire.

Best Moves
  • Tony Gonzalez in the 7th Round - I believed in him, and it paid off. 
  • Tom Brady in the 1st Round - I felt like it was probably a reach, but The point differential between Brady and lower tier quarterback seemed much more than touted first tier WR's and those underneath them. 
  • Taking Roddy White - Julio Jones didn't damage his value much at all. 
  • Taking Brandon Marshall in the 4th - I knew he would be good with a gunslinger, and he was indeed.
Worst Moves
  • Choosing running backs - Usually I'm pretty good with choosing running backs. I have no idea what happened in these mocks. Really goes to show how few good running backs there were last year!
  • Roy Helu - I don't think he would have been good even if he wasn't injured.
  • Overvaluing Michael Bush - After a decent 2011 season, I really thought he was going to be good...I just didn't believe in McFadden's ability to stay healthy, but he proved me wrong. Kind of. 
  • Trusting in Detroit and Philadelphia's team defenses - These were sort of homer picks, but I genuinely thought they would be better. 



14-TeamYahoo Mock #1Pts
QB(5) Philip Rivers273.24
WR(3) Steve Smith (Car)221.1
WR(4) Dwayne Bowe158.1
WR(2) Roddy White276.1
RB(1) Maurice Jones-Drew76
RB(10) Michael Bush87.4
WR/RB(12) Davone Bess146.8
TE(7) Owen Daniels169.6
DEF(8) Philadelphia74
Total1482.34
Busts: (6) Jonathan Stewart

       


14-TeamYahoo Mock #2Pts
QB(12) Sam Bradford282.78
WR(3) Steve Smith (Car)221.1
WR(4) Brandon Lloyd197.1
WR(2) Roddy White276.1
RB(1) Chris Johnson215.5
RB(14) Felix Jones119.4
WR/RB(9) Michael Crabtree254.3
TE(7) Tony Gonzalez236
DEF(10) Detroit80
Total1882.28
Busts: (3) Philip Rivers, (6) Isaac Redman



12-TeamESPN Mock #3Pts
QB(1) Tom Brady433.28
WR(2) Andre Johnson302.8
WR(4) Brandon Marshall341.6
WR(6) Percy Harvin165.3
RB(3) Michael Turner176.8
RB(5) Reggie Bush208.8
WR/RB(10) Felix Jones119.4
TE(13) Owen Daniels169.6
DEF(9) Texans171
Total2088.58
Busts: (7) Fred Davis

       

14-TeamYahoo Mock #4Pts
QB(4) Michael Vick189.68
WR(1) Calvin Johnson358.4
WR(2) Victor Cruz260.2
WR(3) Steve Smith (Car)221.1
RB(10) Donald Brown68
RB(6) Peyton Hillis51.1
WR/RB(9) Kendall Wright150
TE(7) Tony Gonzalez236
DEF(10) Seattle204
Total1738.48
Busts: (5) Roy Helu



14-TeamYahoo Mock #5Pts
QB(6) Ben Roethlisberger287.8
WR(1) Larry Fitgerald176.8
WR(5) Dwayne Bowe158.1
WR(7) Justin Blackmon168.8
RB(2) Adrian Peterson353.4
RB(3) Jamaal Charles246.5
WR/RB(10) Steven Ridley207.4
TE(4) Antonio Gates114.8
DEF(8) Philadelphia74
Total1787.6
Busts: None

       

14-TeamYahoo - JoywokPts
QB(6) Jay Cutler229.62
WR(2) Andre Johnson302.8
WR(3) Mike Wallace197.3
WR(5) Stevie Johnson221.6
RB(1) Chris Johnson215.5
RB(4) Michael Turner176.8
WR/RB(10) Danny Amendola150.4
TE(7) Tony Gonzalez236
DEF(12) Detroit80
Total1810.02
Busts: (8) Michael Bush



Tuesday, August 6, 2013

God and the Expectation of Change

[I've recently been listening to an RC Sproul lesson series called The Consequences of Ideas, which is a survey on the history of philosophy. There is a lot of thought-provoking material presented, as any good philosophy course would contain, so I might post more reflections from the lessons in the future.]

Heraclitus was a pre-Socratic philosopher who believed that whatever is is changing (universal flux) and is the original source of the common saying, "You could not step twice into the same river." RC Sproul noted that Heraclitus is often credited with being the ancient father of modern existentialism, as the denial of anything that is fixed, changeless, absolute, or eternal can be traced back to the universal flux that Heraclitus championed.

I'm not going to pretend like I'm some expert on universal flux or existentialism (this post is actually only remotely related to those ideas), but it does seem to me that we live in a day where change is idealized and sometimes even idolized. From evolutionary and progressive worldviews, change is necessary for the betterment of society and the human race as a whole, and staying still and not changing (see: conservatives) holds us back from the better potential that could be achieved. From a more personal standpoint, we (especially as young people) see both internal and external change as necessary for maturation and personal growth. Not changing is often a sign of professional or intellectual ineptitude or personal immaturity.

Thus, I believe that we, young and educated people especially, have a certain expectation of change for all aspects of life. We anticipate technological advancement, participate in social justice movements, and engage in personal development and spiritual formation efforts. This expectation of change causes tension in the way that we view religion and ultimately the way that we view God. Just like past societal problems and technology, religious views, doctrines, and "interpretations" that are obsolete and out-dated ought to be amended for the betterment of the religion and its followers. After all, in our eyes, the age of a text or a belief do not solidify its meaning and reliability - it detracts from it.

Moreover, God himself ought to change, if he indeed was the author of such antiquated beliefs. He's already changed from being the grumpy, vengeful tyrant of the Old Testament to the loving, gracious benevolent ruler in the New Testament, hasn't he? Is it not expected that God would continue to change as society advances and sheds God's old laws in search for newer, better rules that fit?

I truly believe that in our idealization of progress and change, we have found it increasingly difficult to come to terms with the fact that God and His laws do not change. We have a harder time grasping the idea of perfection (as if it was easy to begin with) and how perfection is unchanging. What does it mean that God doesn't change? What does it mean that His law doesn't change? Do we really believe that God is perfect? Do we believe that His law is perfect? Is it really true that God couldn't be a better God, and what does that mean for all of the suffering in the world? Must something be unchanging to be perfect? Or does something need to change to remain perfect? How do God's immutability and perfection relate to one another?

There are some questions that I think that we young, progressive-leaning Christians ought to spend some time meditating on, lest we be swept up in the storms of public opinion and personal doubt without having solid foundation to stand upon.

Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."


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Monday, August 5, 2013

My Toast at Iris' Wedding Reception

For those of you who missed it or want to relive the magic of my toast, here it is! If you were at the reception, you'll notice that I forgot to say the opening joke, a mistake that I am still grieving over, as it would have elevated my toast from simply awesome to legendary. I actually wrote my toast around the first and the last lines, which were the two lines that I really wanted to say, hoping to be able to honestly say "It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry". This would have been more true if I included my opening joke, but whatever! What's done is done. And it's not really that important in relation to all the more sentimental stuff about Iris and James anyways! Enjoy.

[I also want to say that I appreciate all the encouraging comments about my toast. I'm glad that I was able to say what I wanted to say and express it in such a way that it connected with you all! ...And I think the mic cut out momentarily at points where it seemed like I paused because I was choking up...at the same time that dust got into my eye. Weird.]

I would first just like to thank you all for coming out and celebrating with us. This is easily the biggest early birthday party I've ever had.

[ Introduce Family ] 
...And with that, most of my allotted 3 minutes is up. But it's okay. I only have a few things I want to say.

I've been asked a lot, "How does it feel to have your little sister engaged?" And while it did take me a little bit of time to get comfortable to the idea that my little sister was getting married, I'm so happy to be standing here today speaking at James and Iris' wedding reception. And using a few true stories, I'm going to try to explain why.

As a big brother, if I had to describe Iris with just one word, it would be gentle and kind and tender-hearted. I'm not sure how many of you know this side of her because she can tend to be more headstrong and uptight in leadership and ministry positions, as Wendy displayed at graduation banquet. But Iris has always been very gentle and kind. Growing up, whenever there was any sort of argument in the house, whether between me and my parents or my parents between themselves, she would go up to her room and pray for us. And my mom likes to say that she usually didn't have to spank Iris when she was bad, because all she needed to do was look at Iris sternly and she would start crying...while I usually got extra spanks for trying to squirm my way out of getting hit. Finally, back when we were kids at our old church building, I would skip the refreshments after church to go play soccer with my friends. Every week, Iris would go and get food, put it on a plate, and bring it all the way down to the dirt patch we were playing on for me to eat.

And it's for this gentle, sweet girl that I as a big brother want someone who can take care of Iris and love her, and I'm so glad that James is that man who Iris will now begin to fatten up. 
If I had to describe James with one word, it would be "strong." This was actually my very first impression of him, when we played pickup basketball together in the CCRB his freshman year. As an aside, I believe that I was actually friends with James before Iris was, but I've never confirmed this suspicion. Anyways, James was the one guy that when I tried fouling him to prevent him from getting an easy layup, he would still manage to get the ball up and into the hoop. As I've gotten to know James these last few years, I've found that he is not only strong physically, but also mentally and spiritually.

As a big brother, it's for all of these reasons that I'm so glad that James can be the rock for my little sister for the rest of their lives. It is somewhat like the Biblical picture of the strong lion lying down with the gentle lamb...only that I hope that hasn't happened yet... 
As alluded to previously, it did take me a little bit of time to get comfortable with the idea that Iris was getting married. This was for a lot of the expected reason, but the biggest reason was this - it took me time to come to terms with the fact that there was going to be another man who loves and adores Iris more than I do (except my dad, but he doesn't count).

But James, I want you to know that I'm so glad that that man is you, and I know that you will love and adore Iris in a greater capacity than I ever could and will love her for the rest of your life. 
And Iris, I just want you to know that I'm so glad that you found James to love you for the rest of your life, but there will be no one who will ever love you as a big brother more than I do.

So if you would, join me in raising a glass for James and Iris! Cheers!

Thanks for the great photo, Abben!

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