Audition

Last night, I watched this movie thinking that it was about romance.  Can you imagine how scared I got when I saw that phone call scene with the bag?  After that scene, I had to turn the lights on and fastforward through all the scary parts because I couldn't handle them.  I used to love horror movies as a child and especially as a teenager.  I'd done all the Freddys, Jasons, and Chuckys.  Then The 6th Sense came out.  Then The Ring.  Then The Grudge.  Then Saw.  I used to love the thrill and excitement of anticipating the monsters and ghosts popping out when you least expected them.  It's funny how I matured into a coward though.  Now whenever I watch the really scary parts, I just get stress.  It's not worth it.  It's not enjoyable.

Here's another movie that looks awful scary:


At the same time, I do know the joy of being able to scare someone.  The priceless looks on people's faces.  The incomprehensible sounds that they utter.  The involuntary movements in their reaction.  It's all so funny when it's not you.


Thought of the Day:  2 Corinthians 12:14 
Song of the Day:  Kim Tae Woo-사랑비

Happy Thanksgiving

Jae asked me for an update on 종성, so here it is:

Thanksgiving is the saddest day of the year for me in Korea, but God gave me a special reason to rejoice this year.  Although 종성 is two years older than me, I consider him my closest KOREAN friend.  He is the only person I know who never received hakwon or tutoring but was still able to get into Seoul National University right out of high school.  He took time off for a couple of years to study for one of the most difficult and competitive tests that Korea has to offer.  I have seen him go through many internal and external struggles as he studied and prepared for hundreds of hours for a couple of years.  I would always text him to see if had passed his first test.  I would always text him to see if he had passed his second test.  Tonight, I was privileged to celebrate his passing of the final round of tests.  김종성 is now a 공무원!!!  We prayed and we prayed and we prayed...not for success in his test but that God would lead him in the future that God had already ordained.  Join in me thanking our God who used all of 종성's efforts in coming closer to fulfilling his dream that God had given to him.  As 종성 said, "All glory to God."

Thought of the Day:  Thanksgiving
Song of the Day:  CL & Minzy-Please Don't Go

Dawkins: Evangelist an 'idiot' on evolution

"Hunches aren't interesting, hunches aren't valuable. What's important is scientific evidence. It doesn't matter what mister whatever his name is, Comfort ... what his opinion is. It doesn't matter what my opinion is. What matters is evidence. And the evidence is clear. The evidence is in favor of evolution."
-Richard Dawkins

You guys heard him.  It doesn't matter what his opinion is.  So you can go ahead and disregard what Mr. Dawkins just said.

Thought of the Day: 조선호텔
Song of the Day:  Shane & Shane-My Hope Is Built

Laughter is the best medicine

I think laughter is one of the greatest gifts from God.  Humor.  Comedy.  Jokes.  YouTube has many cool videos, but I think the ones that bring us laughter are praiseworthy.  Here's a video clip that my brother and I used to crack up at all the time when we were young:

MadTV had it's very few moments with its very few talented comedians.  One of those actors was the talented Aries Spears:

Finally, we got some old school fellas like Cedric The Entertainer talking about some recent events in history:

"Kiss my ass, that's funny."
-Steve Harvey

Thought of the Day:  Glossolalia
Song of the Day:  CL & Minzy-Please Don't Go

"I want a perfect body I want a perfect soul"

CNNGo: Where is the pressure coming from, that causes men to be embarrassed by their appearance?

"Sakura": The media. All of the celebrities on TV have plastic surgery -- constantly trying to morph into an unattainable ideal. In Japan, if there's one example, it applies to all, so if you fall through the cracks, you stand out and internalize that difference.

I've always thought about plastic surgery and the many reasons why people choose to get it.  Living in Korea, I find myself being surrounded by people who highly value appearance and beauty.   You'll find mirrors in subway stations, elevators, and even church hallways!  But the funny thing is, even I find myself caring more about the way I look or what people think of me.  The scary thing is, I've even had times where plastic surgery crossed my mind!

But as for my current stance, I believe that Psalm 139 teaches against cosmetic surgery.  If God intended to make us with the exact features and characteristics that we have, then shouldn't we be content with our appearance no matter what society says or looks like?  When we put our faces or bodies under the knife, aren't we practically telling God that His work and creation were faulty or insufficient?  "You didn't make this good, so let me fix it for you.  Let me improve your work!"

If you've gotten an operation done before, I don't condemn you.  I can understand the pressures that surround us, perhaps even in the church.  Nevertheless, I personally will seek to be content with the way God has made me and even ages me as time goes on.  I will seek to encourage others to find their beauty and glory in God and not their own temporary bodies that will one day be glorious and perfect.  Media, stop burning garbage into our brains!

Thought of the Day:  했긴 했죠
Song of the Day:  Misty Blue-한밤의 꿈

Why join a church?

As an active member of my church, I think a lot about our ministry and the people who are involved.  One major phenomenon that we have been experiencing is a decline in numbers.  People have left.  People have left to other churches.  People are planning to leave to other churches.  I can understand how people may have been disappointed or discouraged.  Some may have different visions or goals with ministry and worship.  A few may simply leave because their visa, job, or program is coming to an end.  Whatever the situation is, I hope that every believer will join a church.

Why join a church?

"Here's the problem with modern Americans.  Most of the reasons why you should join a church are not what you get out of it.  That's the biggest problem.  There are definitely advantages to being members if you really know your own heart.  The main advantage to being a member actually is an increased sense of accountability.  Almost all of the reasons for being members is not what you're getting out of it but what you give to the church and what you're giving to God.  You join the church because everything the Bible's done is in covenant.  Everything is vows and covenants because you don't trust your own heart.  Another reason why to join is so that you can vote.  You can take part in the major decisions.  Another reason to join is so that you can serve possibly in some leadership positions where you have to be a member in order to serve.  Almost all of the reasons for joining are not 'What do I get out of it?'  They're almost all 'What does the church get out of me joining it?' and the church gets a whole lot out of you joining it.  We live in a consumer culture and because we live in a consumer culture, I think a lot of people aren't going to join cause they're saying, 'I don't see what I get out of it.'"
-Tim Keller from Q&A

Love and join the church because Christ loves and joins the church. 

Thought of the Day:   Praying Our Tears
Song of the Day:  Jaurim-미안해 널 미워해

Food & Cartoons

Yesterday, my aunt made me so much kimchee that my dad had to buy a 700,000won kimchee refrigerator. Many of my aunts on my mom's side know that I am a kimchee killer.  Even natives look at me and go, "Dang, that boy loves his kimchee."  But one secret 반찬 that many people do not know about is my love for raw garlic.  My dad always comments that we're the only family in Korea that eats raw garlic as a side dish.  I devour that junk up.  Every meal.  Remember that one episode from the Super Mario Bros. cartoon when they had to eat garlic?

I don't care if you should eat garlic to maintain your health or to beat King Koopa.  I eat it because it's wonderful!  Here's another very old cartoon that I watched SO MANY times as a child:

It's actually pretty hilarious watching it now.  It's funny to realize now that the girl was going through rehab!  Here is another very old cartoon that was in the same video:

Man, I used to get so pissed whenever I saw that scene where the kids threw their soup away.  I used to fantasize how good it would taste, and that scene would just kill me as a child.  

It's funny thinking back on my young childhood days when I used to watch the same videos and work on the same puzzles over and over and over again.  Although life was so simple and easy, I now realize that even as a child, I would always be fantasizing or coveting something new or fun.  I guess I'm still that same child but in a bigger body.

Notice how all the cartoons relate to food?  Maybe that's where it all started...

Thought of the Day:  Haokip
Song of the Day:  Shane & Shane-My Hope Is Built

This week's persecuted church: Columbia
The indigenous Kogui community in Columbia has a population of 11,000 with only 120 of them being Christian.  Kogui governors have repeatedly threatened to expel them from their land, and a group of Christians were forced to leave the reserve a few years ago.  At a recent meeting called by the governor, 16 Christians were taken prisoner and the leaders verbally abused them throughout the night.  They took the group to a more remote area where they would be held prisoners until they renounced their faith.  Two of the infants being held are now seriously ill.  The Kogui Christians are not protected by the Columbian government and have no guarantee of religious freedom.

Ghetto fabulous!


Thought of the Day:  Hebrews 10:14
Song of the Day:  Shane & Shane-My Hope Is Built

Some of you may be surprised to know that I still play Go/Stop with my dad late at night.  We average about three days a week, so we've played hundreds of games together.  But of all the games we've played, I had the craziest game tonight.

5광
피박
5Go

Homeboy owed me 99,200won.  Fortunately for him, our limit is 10,000won.  As my dad put it, I hit a royal straight flush!

Thought of the Day:  Mongolian vowels
Song of the Day:  Rainbow-Gossip Girl

Today, I had this crazy dream that my parents were going to have another son and daughter. I even remember their names: Anthony and Cecilia. I remember being so happy that I was going to have a younger sister to take care of. I have a special heart for younger girls, probably because I'm the older sibling and grew up only having Simon. In fact, I specifically remember not giving a hay about Anthony. I was so happy in the dream that I also remember specifically saying, "Please don't let this be a dream!" Bah.

Joey Tribiani was once asked what he would choose between sex and food. I've heard others pose a similar question but between food and sleep. My question to you is, "Why WOULDN'T you choose food?!"

Saturday - 순대국
Sunday - 돼지갈비 (+오겹살 for dessert)
Monday - leftover 오겹살
Tuesday - 김치찌개 with 삼겹살 (leftover 오겹살 for dinner)
Wednesday - leftover 오겹살
Thursday - probably leftover 오겹살

If I had lived in the Old Testament times, I probably would have been the first one to get stoned for eating my favorite unclean animal.

I wonder if I have raging cholesterol.

I don't care much for soccer or Star King, but this crap was amazing.


Thought of the Day: Pepero Day
Song of the Day: Supreme Team-Supermagic

Media

I recently watched "500 Days of Summer." I've gone through my share of Summers, so it was easy for me to enjoy. Plus, like it says, "You should know upfront, this is not a love story."

2NE1 vs. SNSD

Girl groups have exploded in Korea lately. But of all the groups that are out there, I'd have to say 2NE1 wins my vote. They're not very pretty and aren't particularly talented singers, but they've got charisma on top of the catchy songs. Now, their polar opposite would have to be SNSD. Mad pretty. Great vocals. And lots of fake smiles. Girls' Generation represents everything that I dislike about Korean TV. It's all one big beauty magazine brought to life. You watch them perform, covet their attractiveness, and feel ugly. But with 2NE1, you merely enjoy the song and dance, which is the intention of music. If I've offended any SNSD fans (that means you, Jae), "I don't care...eh eh eh eh eh."

After watching the first three seasons of The Wire, I've come to realize that the main message that they're trying to get across is that every level of society is corrupt.  Politicians are corrupt.  Lawyers are corrupt.  Drug dealers are corrupt.  Even the homeless are corrupt!  And through all of this, the police detectives who are seeking to find evidence for their corruption are no better if not worse.  There is an apparent absence of integrity as everyone is trying to get ahead in life.  Everyone has different goals, but they're all doing the same thing:  trying to find meaning in their life.  But even if they reach one goal, they make another goal to reach.  And another and another...until they end up dead or get sent to prison.  The mayor is driven by respect.  Drug dealers fight for power.  Police want recognition.  The homeless search for drugs.  America really has become the Devil's playground. But yeah, Sopranos wins.

Thought of the Day: Preaching heresies
Song of the Day: TLC-Creep

A New Look

I've had the same template for nearly 6 years. After wasting so much time on this today, I remembered why I had kept the same template for so long. Stupid blog.

On Sunday, Min asked me how long I had been in Korea. When I told him it had been three years, he nonchalantly replied, "Why does your Korean still suck?" What a way to kick a guy while he's already down. Three years really is a long time though, and these days I often find myself asking what I have to show for it. Still single. Still poor. And yeah, still suck at Korean.

I just finished watching "Tokyo!" and particularly liked the third segment of the movie about hikikomoris or shut-ins. Although they say this phenomenon occurs mainly in Japan, I think we all have our seasons of hikikomori in our own hearts. Any time you find yourself in a slump or self-pity, you are, in a sense, isolating yourself from everyone else. You lose contact with the world and create your own reality that is often times scary and very lonely.

There was a scene in the movie where there was a violent earthquake that caused many hikikomoris to come out of their homes after staying indoors alone for so many years. Don't we all need a little shake in our lives from time to time? Sometimes, we need that incredible force that reminds us of what really matters to us in order for us to "snap out of it," right? If our heart and mind are hikikomoris, then Christ is our earthquake. Please feel free to shake me all the time. I'm always trying to run back into the house.

Thought of the Day: Life testimony
Song of the Day: Park Bom-You And I

We found a family spot to kick it
Where we can drink liquor and no one bickers over trick sh*t
A spot where we can smoke in peace, and even though we G's
We still visualize places, that we can roll in peace
And in my mind's eye I see this place, the players go in fast
I got a spot for us all, so we can ball, at thug's mansion
-2pac

Imagine smoking weed in the streets without cops harassin
Imagine going to court with no trial
Lifestyle cruising blue behind my waters
No welfare supporters more conscious of the way we raise our daughters...
Imagine everybody flashin, fashion
Designer clothes, lacing your click up with diamond vogues
Your people holdin dough, no parole
No rubbers, go in raw imagine law with no undercovers
-Nas

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
-John Lennon

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side...
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine...
I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son...
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
-MercyMe

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here so far away from home
I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
-MercyMe

¹Then I saw^A)">(A) a new heaven and a new earth, for^B)">(B) the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ²And I saw^C)">(C) the holy city,^D)">(D) new Jerusalem,^E)">(E) coming down out of heaven from God,^F)">(F) prepared^G)">(G) as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold,^H)">(H) the dwelling place^a]">[a] of God is with man. He will^I)">(I) dwell with them, and they will be his people,^b]">[b] and God himself will be with them as their God.^c]">[c] ⁴^J)">(J) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and^K)">(K) death shall be no more,^L)">(L) neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." ⁵And^M)">(M) he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I^N)">(N) am making all things new."
-Apostle John

People get ready Jesus is comin
Soon we'll be going home
People get ready Jesus is coming
To take from the world His own
-Crystal Lewis

Thought of the Day: Happy Birthday, Zen!
Song of the Day: Elvis Presley-Hound Dog

I always brush my teeth before I take a shower in the morning and evening. Tonight, as I began to brush my teeth, I couldn't help but notice that my toothbrush was already wet before I had even started the first few brushes. Just to make sure, I asked my dad which toothbrush he used-clear or purple. So it turns out that my dad and I had been sharing the same toothbrush for the past couple of weeks. My dad's teeth are nasty too. Dangit.

Thought of the Day: Keys
Song of the Day: Buzz-나에게로 떠나는 여행

This week's persecuted church: India
Hindutva extremists dragged a pastor to the police station where they lodged a false compliant against the pastor alleging that he urinated on the idols of a nearby temple. It is suspected that these men are activists who earlier had warned the pastors against having any prayer meetings in the area. They even threatened the pastors saying if they conducted any worship services there would be a repeat of an incident where pastors were beaten, women were abused (including pregnant women), and Christian literature was destroyed. phones, among other items.
On October 25, 1955, Park Chong Boon entered the world. She came to know the Lord in her elementary school years at her mission school. Despite the persecution she faced from her Buddhist family, she still snuck out of the house to attend church services and activities. In 1978, she met her non-Christian husband, Chung Im Chul, through an army friend of his. Upon hearing her sing the hymn, "How Great Thou Art," the unbelieving man began to go to church to listen to the choir. In 1980, the couple was married. In 1982, they immigrated to the United States. In 1984, their first son was born. In 1989, their second son was born. Both sons know the Lord. The husband knows the Lord as well. Amazing what one birth can bring about. Happy Birthday, 마!

Thought of the Day: 노량진
Song of the Day: Sweetpea-Kiss Kiss

A good friend of mine recently told me that I used to be a heartbreaker in college. Of course, I was completely oblivious to this and still find it to be rather incredible. We made a joke about how the friend would change their Facebook profile to "Phil is really sorry" since I don't have Facebook. But for the record, if I ever broke your heart, I am very sorry. And if it makes you feel any better, my heart has been ripped into pieces all throughout my time in Korea.

Last week, I was going through some of my oldest emails in my inbox and was surprised to find one from Lisa Crawford. In the email, she had reminded me that I was supposed to find a wife in Korea because if I didn't, then that meant that I had to go on missions for life. I had TOTALLY forgotten about that pact that I had made in college. And apparently, I had totally forgotten to ever write back to her for the past 2.5 years. What in the world is wrong with me?

So the original reason why I had gone through some of my oldest emails was because I was searching for the link to free Tim Keller sermons that Jae had sent to me. (http://sermons.redeemer.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=11&CFID=1263022&CFTOKEN=48593258) I was very surprised and happy to find that they had added so many more sermons within the past two years. One reason that sparked this sudden interest was because I had run out of sermons to listen to on my ipod and remembered thinking that I had to go back and relisten to a lot of the Tim Keller ones because I had slept through most of them on the way to my church in 산본. Anyway, that link that is a freakin' gold mine. Almost every sermon causes me to sigh and repent in my heart as I'm walking to my students' homes. I also realized that I'd been wasting so much time just listening to music while I could have been listening to some stuff really worth listening to. Just in case you don't plan to listen to any of his sermons, I just want to let you know that I was particularly happy to find on the website the one sermon that ever brought me to tears when I was in high school entitled "Praying Our Tears."
I played with these twins so much that I'm now having withdrawal. I'll see you when I see you.

Thought of the Day: Ginseng
Song of the Day: Plingmin-今, 君へ

This week's persecuted church: Pakistan
A bedridden 11-year-old was severely beaten by her teacher for saying that she was a Pakistani Christian. She says, " Our teacher was teaching us about the culture of Pakistan and Pakistani people and quoted a sentence from the text book saying 'We are Pakistani and all of us are Muslims.' At this point, I interrupted and said: "Madam, I am also a Pakistani, but not a Muslim. Instead I am a Christian. [The teacher] got furious and grabbed a bamboo stick and started thrashing in a barbarian way and kept saying all Pakistanis are Muslim, you are not a Pakistani but a Christian. Your home land is some where in Europe or America." Classmates said the girl briefly became unconscious, but was eventually brought home. The girl's father said he did not go to local police and stated, "I am an impoverished Christian man and am busy working for a daily wage to feed my family. However I have taken her to the doctor and we believe that her injuries will be healed and she will be able to return to her school."

I teach seven classes tomorrow. Never been done.

Thought of the Day: 가을남자
Song of the Day: 가을방학-가을방학

"During the night a change awakened him and he lay with his eyes open in the dark until he realized that a breeze had come up and that the temperature was rising and the hard-bite cold was gone and there would probably be some snow coming. He didn't care. He missed summer and the short fall that had followed but in some ways he liked winter better. He hadn't, he thought, smiling as he went to sleep, seen a mosquito in months..."
-Brian's Winter

I usually hate winter. I don't like how my skin dries up and itches all over. I don't like how my ipod turns off because the battery gets too cold while I'm waiting for the bus. I hate how stiff my neck gets from hunching my shoulders for so long while walking to my next student's house. I hate how I can't ball anymore. I usually hate winter, but this year, I look forward to having NO MOSQUITOES!

I think this year was an all time worst. These days, I literally wake up at least two times in the middle of the night because I have AT LEAST two mosquitoes that take turns feeding on me. Last night, one little monster turned my face into Rocky Balboa. Seriously, can somebody turn the 모기 machine off already?!

One of the best things about living in Korea for me has been the many travels that I've been on. Every summer or winter, I manage to go somewhere new.

Winter '07-태백 with dad
Summer '07-all over the south with dad
Winter '08-China to visit Dinko
Summer '08-제주 with dad
Winter '09-Thailand to visit Brian
Summer '09-Mongolia with church
Winter '10-???

Where will the Lord send me this time?

I'm rewatching Pulp Fiction these days. After not watching it for so long, I was reminded of why I considered it to be my favorite movie.

It's not for everyone, but it's certainly for me!

By the way, Brian's Winter wasn't that great.

Thought of the Day: Wrestling
Song of the Day: Epik High-Wannabe

This week's persecuted church: China
On September 13, around 400 uniformed police and civilians carrying shovels, batons, bricks, iron hooks, and other weapons beat members of the church who were sleeping at the nearly finished factory building used as a worship site. China Aid President said, "Military police now guard the building and the surrounding areas around the clock. More than 30 daughter churches in nearby townships have been prohibited from gathering to worship in their churches and homes." Nine church leaders were arrested without a warrant and held in a secret location. Other church leaders and members have been placed under house arrest and are now under constant surveillance. Local authorities confiscated all church computers, TVs and other valuables as "illegal materials." Government-led mobs attacked and took money, Bibles, clothes, and cell phones, among other items.This morning, North Korea took over South Korea in the middle of a baseball game. All South Koreans were required to wear orange jumpsuits in the prison camps. We all lined up to get either our throats or wrists slit. My executioner didn't slit my wrists deep enough, and I found myself running. At this point, I ran out to an opening where other prisoners were held. There was some disruption and many started running frantically. I saw the front gate and saw one young boy following right behind me. I held out my hand to help him run faster but decided against it fearing that he would slow me down. I climbed over the wooden fence but never saw the boy make it over. At this point, the dream turned black and white. I can't believe I didn't help the boy escape with me. So this is what it must feel like to be a North Korean. Intense.Yesterday, I started receiving free counseling from a seminary student who is under training. Whenever I watched scenes of movies or television shows where people went into to talk to a therapist or counselor, I thought it would be so cool to be able to talk about all of your problems and have someone analyze your issues. But as soon as we started our session, I didn't know what to say. It's all so one-sided. I talk. She listens. She asks questions. I talk some more. The focus is all on me. I'm so used to having reciprocation or just listening to other people talk. But these counseling sessions are all just for me and about me. I wonder what my counselor thinks of me. If anyone wants free counseling, I can hook you up with that. It's pretty cool actually.Lately, I've been thinking a lot about church. I go through different seasons with our ministry. These days, church feels like a wasteland. An utterly dry desert. I hear about five people singing. About two or three people clapping. The sermons feel long. 75% of the congregation disappears right after the benediction. I can't remember the last time we had small groups. A handful of regulars are no longer regular. In a nutshell, our church is blatantly imperfect. If I were a newcomer, I'd say that this church sucks.

But today, we unexpectedly had communion. And as I was partaking in the elements, I was reminded that Christ lived and died for this imperfect church. Even though the people are half-hearted and have little or no joy in the benefits of our salvation, Christ still really loves and delights in his church. Some day, the bride will be pure and blameless. But when, God, when?
On the ground floor of my building, sometimes I can hear a band playing music when I'm in the bathroom. They sound like your typical garage band with their own unique vocals and songs. Last night, I downloaded this one album by an indie group called Wounded Fly. And would you believe it? It turns out that Wounded Fly practices in my building!
"I spend most of my time with non-christians..."
-Tseggy

Looks like Joe and I are going back to Mongolia this winter!

Thought of the Day: Argentina
Song of the Day: Wounded Fly-So Sad Song