More Wise Words 2

"Everything is necessary that he sends; nothing can be necessary that he withholds."

-John Newton

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in the world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

-C.S. Lewis

"Everything is simple when you are alone, or at home, but as soon as you meet other people you are in difficulties."

-Laura Ingalls Wilder

Thought of the Day: Islands

Song of the Day: Mariah Carey-Fantasy

This week's persecuted church: Eritrea

On 12 February 2011 Eyob Mussie was arrested in Saudi Arabia for proselytising, an offence which carries the death penalty. After psychiatric tests conducted 15 days after his arrest confirmed Mr Mussie’s sanity, there were reports that he would receive the death penalty. However, it appears that the Saudi authorities have decided instead to deport him.

CSW’s Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston said, “We commend the Saudi government for sparing Mr Mussie’s life. However, deporting him to Eritrea means he has effectively been granted only a brief reprieve from danger since the Eritrean authorities will certainly subject him to cruel and inhumane treatment. As a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), we urge Saudi Arabia not to return Mr Mussie to a country where there is a strong likelihood he will face severe mistreatment, and appeal to the Saudi authorities to consider alternative countries of asylum for Mr Mussie.”

Thought of the Day: 과자 마을

Song of the Day: 2NE1-Hate You

B

Here's a very poor picture I took of B and his new wife. I found out that he was going to law school while she was going to med school in New York. Power couple. I found out that she grew to be attracted to him because of his knowledge in theology. Holy couple. I found out that God seriously orchestrated every little event to bring them to marriage. God-dependent couple. Sorry for the crappy picture, guys. Congratulations again!

Thought of the Day: ?

Song of the Day: Ray Charles-You Don't Know Me

A Wrinkle in Time

I finally read A Wrinkle in Time for the first time in my life. I had always seen this book's title in many book lists and people's libraries, so I had assumed it was another children's classic like The Phantom Tollbooth or The Cricket in Times Square. It turns out that it's actually a book for young adults filled with a number of Christian themes and controversial references. One quote that really resonated with me was:

"She had found her father and he had not made everything all right. Everything kept getting worse and worse. If the long search for her father was ended, and he wasn't able to overcome all difficulties, there was nothing to guarantee that it would all come out right in the end. There was nothing left to hope for."

We pursue so many things that convince us that they will be the answer to all of our problems and desires, only to find out that they aren't "able to overcome all difficulties." I hate how I know this but still continue my "long search for father."

I didn't like this book.

Thought of the Day: Slippers

Song of the Day: After School-밤 하늘에

Summer Retreat '11

I feel like most youth and college group retreats were predictable with the typical retreat sites, games, and schedules. But every single retreat I've gone on in Korea has been unique and special in their own way.

A few of us started the retreat off at church and stayed up playing spades for the first time.

I've been to a number of pensions, but this was probably the best one I've ever seen.

The kids were very excited about catching tadpoles.

I LOVED this swinging chair!

Pretty nice weather

that didn't last for too long.

Real Kentucky

Fried

Chicken

Here's Nate loosening up for the big event.

Naked Taboo

Tower of Babel

This team had the highest tower, but I got so excited and accidentally knocked it down.

Bitter smiles. Haha.

Pentecost

Body of Christ

I think this was the first retreat I went on where we didn't take a group picture at the end.

But I guess these pictures show more of who we really are.

There were many moments where I could have left PCL in the past, but I'm so glad that God has kept me here. We truly are WORKS IN PROGRESS.

Thought of the Day: Week 38

Song of the Day: Michael W. Smith-The Stand

This week's persecuted church: Laos

Officials marched 11 Christian families, totaling 48 people, out of a village at gunpoint last year in January after they repeatedly refused to give up their faith. The officials left them to find shelter about six kilometers outside the village and confiscated the Christians' homes, livestock, and essential registration documents. Another seven families, totaling 15 people, were forced to leave the village last December.

Villagers then thwarted the Christians' efforts to plant rice on commonly-owned village and and warned people in neighboring villages not to assist the Christians as they were "breaking the law" by following Christ - even though provincial-level authorities had told the Christians they had the right to worship as they chose.

Thought of the Day: Retreat

Song of the Day: Third Day-Medley

Sex Talk

5th Grader: I don't know what S-E-X is, but I know it's a bad thing.

Me: =)

I never had the sex talk with my parents. I remember learning what sex was in 5th grade by looking it up in my encyclopedia britannica. I was so scared and confused by the idea and wondered if there was any other way to make babies. Why would a man do such a thing to a woman, and why would a woman let him? My student may not know much, but at least he knows that sex is a bad thing.

Thought of the Day: North Korea

Song of the Day: 브로콜리 너마저-보편적인 노래

Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous

-Many of my students struggle with recognizing big numbers in English like million or billion. A few weeks ago, I had this conversation during a lesson on numbers:

Student: Teacher, is one million a lot?

Me: Yeah. $1,000,000 is similar to 1,000,000,000won.

Student: That's not a lot.

Me: Yeah, it is. Why don't you think so?

Student: My family has a billion won.

Me: No, you don't.

Student: Really! I checked my parent's 통장, but I don't know why we still live in this house.

Me: ...

-You think that's rich? One of my previous students has parents that have not worked in decades because they don't need to. They're the richest people I know personally in my life. But before leading their job-less lifestyle, the mother used to be a stewardess. She totally looks like one too. Pretty pretty for her age.

-Another pretty lady I know is one of my adult students. A mother of three, married to a doctor. It's not that she's strikingly beautiful or anything, but I noticed that she has an attractive face and figure, especially for her age. Turns out that she used to be a news reporter.

And then, there's me. Haha.

Thought of the Day: 어학연수

Song of the Day: Weezer-Pork and Beans

I feel dehydrated.

Thought of the Day: Summer Schedule

Song of the Day: Keane-She Has No Time

This week's persecuted church: India

About 20 Hindu fundamentalists belonging to the RSS and Bajrang Dal stormed into Pastor Bhaskar John Poojappa’s house and beat him up alleging that he was involved in forceful conversions.

The extremists “ruthlessly beat up all the members of the family, slapped them and kicked them all over the body, and didn’t even spare the two year old little child”.

They dragged Pastor Poojappa to the Rajenkunte Police Station and made cooked up charges against the pastor and his ministry.

Thought of the Day: Sadness

Song of the Day: Hillsong-Still

Refined Taste

Last night, I was at Bar 다, and one of the bartenders came over and handed this to me. At first, I thought it was a pretty crappy coaster or something cause it was just a piece of paper. Then my friend pointed out that the picture was me! Haha.

I think it's really interesting how I actually enjoy beer now. I was truly a beer nazi whenever I hung out with friends, but it is now my choice beverage at bars (minus Korean beer b/c all it really is is water with beer flavoring). I like how it's relatively low in alcohol and good for socializing, but it can easily shrink the wallet and grow the gut too. Always gotta be moderate.

Another sign of maturity is how I can now appreciate coffee too. I'm not talking about sugary lattes or macchiatos; I'm talking about straight black Americano. I can even tell if it's good or not! The stuff that my student's mom used to give to me is gooood. The stuff that my adult student, Cynthia, gives me is gooood. The stuff that 행복 Cafe gives me tastes like swamp.

So now that I know how to enjoy these adult things, I can finally be friends with Enoch and Dinko, my two beer+donut lovers. Ironically, my two favorite beers happen to be Becks and Stella Artois, which are their favorite beers respectively. I wonder what took me so long.

What's next? Freaking golf?

Thought of the Day: X-men: The Last Stand

Song of the Day: Keane-Somewhere Only We Know

Apology for Apologetics

"If there is no God, then why is there so much good?"

-St. Augustine

"We do not speak like Paul because we do not feel like Paul because we do not see like Paul."

-John Stott

"When was the last time you walked into a church and heard a sermon on why the Bible is true? This is our problem. Our young people want to believe this, but they are not getting answers on why this is true. We tell people they are framing their lives by a lie. We have followed the truth, and the biggest question in our churches today is, 'Why is this the truth?' Why have you traded your life for what's 'Genesis 1-12 says here' and the rest of it? If this is true, then we'd better tell our young people why it is true because they can't go into their colleges and universities and just say, "The Bible says..." We tell them they are living by a lie, and we tell them we are living by the truth, and they want to know who says so. The biggest failure we are doing as Christian leaders today to our young people is we have not taught them how to defend this."

-Ravi Zacharias

I love good preaching and apologetics, but I RARELY see the two together. Reading through Acts these days, I'm seeing how evident apologetics was in Paul's teachings. As for today's preachers, I can only think of Tim and Ravi who do an excellent job in presenting the Gospel in a relevant manner yet with many reasons to believe it too. I think Ravi put it very well when he said that apologetics is the appetizer while the Gospel is the main course. Preachers, give us reason to believe what you're preaching!

Thought of the Day: 부성이네

Song of the Day: Keane-Everybody's Changing

This week's persecuted church: Nigeria

Churches in predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria are now being fitted with metal detectors because of threats of bomb attacks. Worshippers in Christian churches are also having their bags and persons searched over fears of explosives being smuggled inside. Nigerians, who give gifts frequently, are being warned that the gifts, too, can be rigged to explode. The unusual measures were precipitated by several bombing attacks against churches in the region attributed to the radical Islamic group Boko Haram. Last Christmas Eve, more than 80 people were killed in numerous attacks in the region. Just last weekend, Boko Haram killed 25 people during attacks on several beer gardens in the city of Maidugur. A week prior to that, eight people were killed when Boko Haram attacked police headquarters in the capital Abuja.

Thought of the Day: 비밀

Song of the Day: Beastie Boys-Super Disco Breakin'