I think Macintosh should pay me something...
It's a sad reality, but I've done more "evangelism" for Macs than I did for God.
In my year in Hawaii, I've convinced my friend's then girlfriend to get a mac. I convinced my brother to get a mac. I'm almost done convincing one of my youth workers to get a mac for her grad school career. I'm getting another leader to reconsider her position in buying a pc laptop.
Maybe I picked the wrong career.
Just kidding.
I think it's a safe bet to think that if Jesus was here today, in 2007, he'd carry around a mac.
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Finally, a Step Forward
Today I am (finally) a certified candidate.
It was kind of intimidating when I walked into the room with all the people waiting for me. They asked me all sorts of questions based on what I wrote, and I answered them as best as I could, at times, I felt I may be saying too much and that it was going to hurt me, like my Wesley Newsletter incident.
As they told me that they unanimously approved me, they gave me four affirmations.
One of them was that they enjoyed my honesty and found it refreshing and asked me to never let it water down.
I kind of thought that was funny. I told that too my wife on the drive home. She said that some of our college students like me because I'm refreshingly honest. I found that even funnier.
I never knew I was "refreshingly honest." I still don't think I am. But I do know who I am, and I like it. (I don't know if that sounds conceited). I like me. Sometimes.
And I don't like changing who I am for others just for the sake of being liked.
I don't like holding back what I have to say just for the sake of people not liking me or people getting offended. Over the years, I have gotten better at what to say and what NOT to say.
Someone is always going to get offended at what my opinion may be. But if I have to always worry about offending someone, I won't ever be able to be me. And I like being me. (sometimes).
They also suggested that I look into being appointed as a local pastor. I expressed the desire (and the need) for our students at my church to partake in Communion, but in a way they understand what it means. They have to do Communion with the adults and it's in a language they can't understand fully (Korean language with Theology sprinkled on it). So Communion to them has become something that they just go through the motions of and not understand the importance and the wonder of it all.
I'm a step closer to ordination, yet it all seems so far away.
It was kind of intimidating when I walked into the room with all the people waiting for me. They asked me all sorts of questions based on what I wrote, and I answered them as best as I could, at times, I felt I may be saying too much and that it was going to hurt me, like my Wesley Newsletter incident.
As they told me that they unanimously approved me, they gave me four affirmations.
One of them was that they enjoyed my honesty and found it refreshing and asked me to never let it water down.
I kind of thought that was funny. I told that too my wife on the drive home. She said that some of our college students like me because I'm refreshingly honest. I found that even funnier.
I never knew I was "refreshingly honest." I still don't think I am. But I do know who I am, and I like it. (I don't know if that sounds conceited). I like me. Sometimes.
And I don't like changing who I am for others just for the sake of being liked.
I don't like holding back what I have to say just for the sake of people not liking me or people getting offended. Over the years, I have gotten better at what to say and what NOT to say.
Someone is always going to get offended at what my opinion may be. But if I have to always worry about offending someone, I won't ever be able to be me. And I like being me. (sometimes).
They also suggested that I look into being appointed as a local pastor. I expressed the desire (and the need) for our students at my church to partake in Communion, but in a way they understand what it means. They have to do Communion with the adults and it's in a language they can't understand fully (Korean language with Theology sprinkled on it). So Communion to them has become something that they just go through the motions of and not understand the importance and the wonder of it all.
I'm a step closer to ordination, yet it all seems so far away.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Rules of Engagement
Okay. There are certain public bathroom etiquettes that I as a man follow, but so should every other men in the world.
1. No Talking While Peeing
What I mean by that is, when I'm on the urinal, I don't want to be talking to anyone. Especially if I do not know you. If you have something to say, you can wait a couple of seconds until we are completely out of the bathroom. If you must get it off your chest immediately, then wait a second until we are both done and washing our hands. No talking while peeing. It's just weird.
2. The Every Other Urinal Rule
So if it's just me and you in the bathroom, and there are 3 or more adult urinals, then one urinal should serve as a buffer.
If I'm already on the urinal, and you come in, and it's just me and you, you should not go and use the urinal directly next to me unless A) it's the only other urinal B) the other urinal is a child's urinal. Other than that, if it's just me and you in the bathroom, and there's more than 3 urinals, keep at least one urinal between us. Preferably, I'd want us to be in the opposite ends of the bathroom, but that's not necessary.
3. No Straying of Eyes
Your eyes should only be in 1 of the 3 positions, and there is NO other option.
You should be 1) looking down into YOUR urinal, 2) looking straight into the wall, or 3) looking straight above you.
In no way should your eyes be wandering left to right. There's no reason for it to. If you want to talk to me while peeing, please refer to rule number 1. Just down, straight or straight up. Your eyes should be no where else.
4. For the Love of God, wash your hands!
5. Oh, and flush the toilet/urinal after yourselves! Geez!
I'm sure there is more.
Ah.
this happened to me once
6. No Hand Shaking in the bathroom.
Please do not offer your hand for a shake in the bathroom at any time, ESPECIALLY, before you wash your hands. Actually, no physical contact at all would be preferred in the bathroom. There's no reason for me to hug you or shake your hand in the bathroom. None whatsoever.
That's it for now.
Yes, I don't like public bathrooms.
Care to add anymore?
1. No Talking While Peeing
What I mean by that is, when I'm on the urinal, I don't want to be talking to anyone. Especially if I do not know you. If you have something to say, you can wait a couple of seconds until we are completely out of the bathroom. If you must get it off your chest immediately, then wait a second until we are both done and washing our hands. No talking while peeing. It's just weird.
2. The Every Other Urinal Rule
So if it's just me and you in the bathroom, and there are 3 or more adult urinals, then one urinal should serve as a buffer.
If I'm already on the urinal, and you come in, and it's just me and you, you should not go and use the urinal directly next to me unless A) it's the only other urinal B) the other urinal is a child's urinal. Other than that, if it's just me and you in the bathroom, and there's more than 3 urinals, keep at least one urinal between us. Preferably, I'd want us to be in the opposite ends of the bathroom, but that's not necessary.
3. No Straying of Eyes
Your eyes should only be in 1 of the 3 positions, and there is NO other option.
You should be 1) looking down into YOUR urinal, 2) looking straight into the wall, or 3) looking straight above you.
In no way should your eyes be wandering left to right. There's no reason for it to. If you want to talk to me while peeing, please refer to rule number 1. Just down, straight or straight up. Your eyes should be no where else.
4. For the Love of God, wash your hands!
5. Oh, and flush the toilet/urinal after yourselves! Geez!
I'm sure there is more.
Ah.
this happened to me once
6. No Hand Shaking in the bathroom.
Please do not offer your hand for a shake in the bathroom at any time, ESPECIALLY, before you wash your hands. Actually, no physical contact at all would be preferred in the bathroom. There's no reason for me to hug you or shake your hand in the bathroom. None whatsoever.
That's it for now.
Yes, I don't like public bathrooms.
Care to add anymore?
Friday, May 11, 2007
I'm Never Gonna Get Certified
When I moved to Hawaii, our goal was to get me certified by this Annual Conference, since I've waited so long.
It was funny to see how many people were upset with me for putting of the process for so long.
So I took the psychological assessment, but the results never came in, which started to get me worried.
However, this week, I got a letter from the Samaritan Counseling Center in Upland, CA (yes, California) informing me that they received my assessment and they are ready to interview me.
what...?
So I called my mentor and found out that the person that does the interviews and assessments in Hawaii quit and his replacement is coming in July.
He said he'll try whatever he can for me not to fly up to Cali, because it is very inconvenient for me.
I got an email saying that I'll probably have to fly up there. So I called the counseling center back and tentatively scheduled an appointment. Turns out, there is a chance I can't do the Tier 1 and Tier 2 assessments in one day, so I'll have to stay in California at least 3 days. Which just sucks.
Not only that, I just checked flights. The airfare was at least 5oo dollars. And it'll only go up. Not to mention the hotel stay and a rental car.
My mentor said he'll see if the Board will be able to pay for my expenses because "this isn't your fault."
But a part of me feels really bad that the board would have to shell out more than 500 dollars for me.
This Candidacy thing... it's just too much.
I'm not crazy. I promise... well, define crazy first... but I'm not crazy enough to be locked up. I promise.
So here's me, waiting to see if I can go ahead and purchase my tickets OR, if i need to wait until next year. Either way, it feels like a lose-lose situation.
It was funny to see how many people were upset with me for putting of the process for so long.
So I took the psychological assessment, but the results never came in, which started to get me worried.
However, this week, I got a letter from the Samaritan Counseling Center in Upland, CA (yes, California) informing me that they received my assessment and they are ready to interview me.
what...?
So I called my mentor and found out that the person that does the interviews and assessments in Hawaii quit and his replacement is coming in July.
He said he'll try whatever he can for me not to fly up to Cali, because it is very inconvenient for me.
I got an email saying that I'll probably have to fly up there. So I called the counseling center back and tentatively scheduled an appointment. Turns out, there is a chance I can't do the Tier 1 and Tier 2 assessments in one day, so I'll have to stay in California at least 3 days. Which just sucks.
Not only that, I just checked flights. The airfare was at least 5oo dollars. And it'll only go up. Not to mention the hotel stay and a rental car.
My mentor said he'll see if the Board will be able to pay for my expenses because "this isn't your fault."
But a part of me feels really bad that the board would have to shell out more than 500 dollars for me.
This Candidacy thing... it's just too much.
I'm not crazy. I promise... well, define crazy first... but I'm not crazy enough to be locked up. I promise.
So here's me, waiting to see if I can go ahead and purchase my tickets OR, if i need to wait until next year. Either way, it feels like a lose-lose situation.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
First Love...
Sometimes, I'm so busy in pursuing what I need to do, I often forget my first love.
Recently, praise and prayer just seemed to be dry. And if it feels dry to me, I'm sure that my leaders and my students can feel it to.
When it comes to picking songs for praise, I find myself being frustrated. All the songs sounds the same, we've done these songs over and over, there is nothing new.
I never felt that way before.
When I pray in prayer groups, it takes a long time for me to actually get the words out.
Then, this morning, lying on the couch and looking out the window, it hit me, I forgot my first love.
I forgot that when we sing praise, it's singing a love song to God, for God. It shouldn't really matter that the songs sound the same or we've done it over and over. It's for God. As long as our hearts in the right place, and God focused... that's all the matters.
In the past two weeks, I've been so busy, I forgot to just spend time with the Bible and read and meditate.
It's scary how pastors are so caught up in the work of the church and helping others with their spiritual lives, that they completely ignore their own.
I'm glad that staring out the window and seeing the trees and the sky, I had this somewhat epiphany. I picked up on Jeremiah where I left off too long ago.
Came across this verse:
Although our sins testify against us, O Lord, do something for the sake of your name
Jeremiah 15:7a
It just reminded me the faithfulness of God. That God will remain faithful to me and my church, even though I have been unfaithful to Him over and over.
I laid back down on the couch, and stared out the same window.
I was reminded that I briefly lost track of my first love.
I fell asleep on the couch and woke up hearing my wife (who has a beautiful voice) and her friend (who's visiting) practicing some praise songs.
I woke up feeling rested and renewed.
God is good.
Recently, praise and prayer just seemed to be dry. And if it feels dry to me, I'm sure that my leaders and my students can feel it to.
When it comes to picking songs for praise, I find myself being frustrated. All the songs sounds the same, we've done these songs over and over, there is nothing new.
I never felt that way before.
When I pray in prayer groups, it takes a long time for me to actually get the words out.
Then, this morning, lying on the couch and looking out the window, it hit me, I forgot my first love.
I forgot that when we sing praise, it's singing a love song to God, for God. It shouldn't really matter that the songs sound the same or we've done it over and over. It's for God. As long as our hearts in the right place, and God focused... that's all the matters.
In the past two weeks, I've been so busy, I forgot to just spend time with the Bible and read and meditate.
It's scary how pastors are so caught up in the work of the church and helping others with their spiritual lives, that they completely ignore their own.
I'm glad that staring out the window and seeing the trees and the sky, I had this somewhat epiphany. I picked up on Jeremiah where I left off too long ago.
Came across this verse:
Although our sins testify against us, O Lord, do something for the sake of your name
Jeremiah 15:7a
It just reminded me the faithfulness of God. That God will remain faithful to me and my church, even though I have been unfaithful to Him over and over.
I laid back down on the couch, and stared out the same window.
I was reminded that I briefly lost track of my first love.
I fell asleep on the couch and woke up hearing my wife (who has a beautiful voice) and her friend (who's visiting) practicing some praise songs.
I woke up feeling rested and renewed.
God is good.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Co-Director of Youth
So, my name will appear on the recommended list of District leadership positions to be approved by the district on 5/16. And I'd begin my work in July. At least, that's what the letter said. But, if it needs to approved, I didn't understand "your work will begin in July." Oh well.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
I talk to the senior pastor of Aiea UMC (the church that we share a building with) because he's done this for 7 years. He said the two main things I need to do is hold a spring or summer retreat and to take kids to the Annual Conference.
That's something I think I can handle. But there are so many youths here in Hawaii who won't go to these things. Basically, there's too many of them and so little of me.
So what I was thinking of doing is just gathering all the UMC youth leaders (could I also try to reach out to non-UMC youth leaders..?) and meet once a week for a couple of months or so and equip them to reach out to their students, because they would know their students need more than I ever would.
I don't think I'd be the best teacher, but I think I have some valuable insights that I picked up during youth ministry courses in Seminary.
But I think, more than this be me teaching them, it'll be us teaching one another, supporting and affirming one another, to build healthier ministries and provide a place where kids can explore and deepen their faith. That way, when we do have big events such as retreats and stuff, we can get the youth leaders to be more involved so that it won't all be on my and Mr. Tony (the person that I'd work with).
Now, this sounds all good in my head. And looks pretty good as I am rereading what I am posting.
But will it actually work out?
The thing I'm frustrated with being in Hawaii is that people are too laid back, especially when it comes to the churches. Or ,maybe that's just me, and what I just said is a very broad and general statement.
Well, the only thing I can really do is pray, and pray, and pray.
And I intend to do that.
This is going to be hard. Especially with all the work I have to do in my own church.
But this is also going to be fun and exciting and I know that this is part of my call from God. And God promises that wherever I go, He will be with me.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
I talk to the senior pastor of Aiea UMC (the church that we share a building with) because he's done this for 7 years. He said the two main things I need to do is hold a spring or summer retreat and to take kids to the Annual Conference.
That's something I think I can handle. But there are so many youths here in Hawaii who won't go to these things. Basically, there's too many of them and so little of me.
So what I was thinking of doing is just gathering all the UMC youth leaders (could I also try to reach out to non-UMC youth leaders..?) and meet once a week for a couple of months or so and equip them to reach out to their students, because they would know their students need more than I ever would.
I don't think I'd be the best teacher, but I think I have some valuable insights that I picked up during youth ministry courses in Seminary.
But I think, more than this be me teaching them, it'll be us teaching one another, supporting and affirming one another, to build healthier ministries and provide a place where kids can explore and deepen their faith. That way, when we do have big events such as retreats and stuff, we can get the youth leaders to be more involved so that it won't all be on my and Mr. Tony (the person that I'd work with).
Now, this sounds all good in my head. And looks pretty good as I am rereading what I am posting.
But will it actually work out?
The thing I'm frustrated with being in Hawaii is that people are too laid back, especially when it comes to the churches. Or ,maybe that's just me, and what I just said is a very broad and general statement.
Well, the only thing I can really do is pray, and pray, and pray.
And I intend to do that.
This is going to be hard. Especially with all the work I have to do in my own church.
But this is also going to be fun and exciting and I know that this is part of my call from God. And God promises that wherever I go, He will be with me.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
My Two Dreams
I have two desires, wishes, prayer requests that I want God to answer. One or the other, or both.
One is that I want to be a traveling preacher. Actually traveling preacher sounds weird... I just want to go around the country (and the world, maybe) and preach the Gospel. I know I'm not the best preacher, I stutter a lot and so forth, but I have faith in God and faith in that God speaks through me and that God works through my weaknesses so that His people can hear His words through me.
The other dream... is to be a praise leader in the likes of Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. I go to events like National Youth Workers' Convention and I see how people experience God through them. And I feel that music is a powerful tool to reach the younger generation. (but music alone is not sufficient).
I can see how God can call me to do both.
But either way, I would love to just go to different churches and different events and proclaim the Word of God, whether it be through sermons, music or both.
One is that I want to be a traveling preacher. Actually traveling preacher sounds weird... I just want to go around the country (and the world, maybe) and preach the Gospel. I know I'm not the best preacher, I stutter a lot and so forth, but I have faith in God and faith in that God speaks through me and that God works through my weaknesses so that His people can hear His words through me.
The other dream... is to be a praise leader in the likes of Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. I go to events like National Youth Workers' Convention and I see how people experience God through them. And I feel that music is a powerful tool to reach the younger generation. (but music alone is not sufficient).
I can see how God can call me to do both.
But either way, I would love to just go to different churches and different events and proclaim the Word of God, whether it be through sermons, music or both.
My Father
For those that do not know, my father is a pastor.
Forgive me for saying this, and I know this is not the point, but i think I am a better pastor than he is. Sure, he has the experience. But I'm more charismatic. I'm smarter. I'm wittier. I'm handsomer.
Haha.
Where I'm going with this post is that there is something my dad does that I need to model myself after more than anything, and that's his prayer life.
My dad has always been praying and fasting as long as I could remember.
He has done 4 40 day fasting. I think if you add up all the days he fasted in his lifetime, it'll be more than 365 days. That's just crazy!
But, because my dad prays, we see God working through him and our family. When we were living in Santa Barbara, due to unnecessary (and unfair) politics, my dad had to resign from the church he was serving. I didn't know that much back then, being only 12 years old. But I'm sure my dad panicked, because he had a family to feed and no income.
I look at my financial situation, and i start getting nervous and anxious, and we ain't even have a kid yet.
So my dad did what he knows best, turn to God in prayer and fasting.
One day, my dad got a phone call from someone in Los Angeles who heard my dad preach at a revival. The person said that he feels he needs to give my father $2000 a month for the next few years.
So when I look at my spiritual life, I see that I am undisciplined and tactless.
I recently read Adam Hamilton's Unleashing the Word and it inspired me to be more prepared for my sermon preparation. And I have. I'm disciplining myself more, and it is showing in me and in our ministry.
I strongly believe that prayer needs to be the most important aspect of my ministry. And I embarrassingly admit that I just don't pray enough.
So for the next 40 days (not including Sundays), with 6 prayer requests, I am heading out to our Early Morning Prayer Service at 530am. Though everything is in Korean, they leave us at least half an hour after the brief message to pray. And in Korean style, everyone prays out loud. You have to experience this to know what I'm talking about.
I went this morning. My body is not used to getting up so early, but it will adjust.
And right now, it's 1230am. I should hurry up and go to bed so that I do not sleep in.
I think this is a good start to becoming more disciplined in my spiritual life.
Forgive me for saying this, and I know this is not the point, but i think I am a better pastor than he is. Sure, he has the experience. But I'm more charismatic. I'm smarter. I'm wittier. I'm handsomer.
Haha.
Where I'm going with this post is that there is something my dad does that I need to model myself after more than anything, and that's his prayer life.
My dad has always been praying and fasting as long as I could remember.
He has done 4 40 day fasting. I think if you add up all the days he fasted in his lifetime, it'll be more than 365 days. That's just crazy!
But, because my dad prays, we see God working through him and our family. When we were living in Santa Barbara, due to unnecessary (and unfair) politics, my dad had to resign from the church he was serving. I didn't know that much back then, being only 12 years old. But I'm sure my dad panicked, because he had a family to feed and no income.
I look at my financial situation, and i start getting nervous and anxious, and we ain't even have a kid yet.
So my dad did what he knows best, turn to God in prayer and fasting.
One day, my dad got a phone call from someone in Los Angeles who heard my dad preach at a revival. The person said that he feels he needs to give my father $2000 a month for the next few years.
So when I look at my spiritual life, I see that I am undisciplined and tactless.
I recently read Adam Hamilton's Unleashing the Word and it inspired me to be more prepared for my sermon preparation. And I have. I'm disciplining myself more, and it is showing in me and in our ministry.
I strongly believe that prayer needs to be the most important aspect of my ministry. And I embarrassingly admit that I just don't pray enough.
So for the next 40 days (not including Sundays), with 6 prayer requests, I am heading out to our Early Morning Prayer Service at 530am. Though everything is in Korean, they leave us at least half an hour after the brief message to pray. And in Korean style, everyone prays out loud. You have to experience this to know what I'm talking about.
I went this morning. My body is not used to getting up so early, but it will adjust.
And right now, it's 1230am. I should hurry up and go to bed so that I do not sleep in.
I think this is a good start to becoming more disciplined in my spiritual life.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Friends
I think one of the most frustrating things I've come across is trying to meet up with friends.
The reason it's frustrating is that I want to hang out with them, and see them, but it's just hard to.
I don't think anyone outside of being a pastor, really know how busy a pastor can get in their schedules.
You have people (ignorant ones, might I humbly add) who say, Oh, being a pastor isn't that bad, they only work one day out of the week. (insert groan here.)
I knew I was going to be busy, but I never expected to be this busy.
As soon as one big event is over, we're starting to plan for the next one.
Some times, things get so busy, I lose the sight of God. I always found that ironic, but it happens to many of us quite often.
It's also hard to meet up with people because all my friends have the weekend off, and weekends usually are busier than the rest of the week.
And on Saturdays, I'm reluctant to go out, because I need to just prepare my heart and mind for Sundays.
I'm thankful that I got married before I started full time ministry. I don't know how I'd find the time to date if I weren't.
But you know, I feel as a pastor, I need secular friends. I need friends who are not in the ministry. The friends that I do have in ministry, when we start talking, we start talking about church related things.
Some times, I just need to sit back and complain how the Redskins are screwing things up.
How do other pastors fare in this situation?
Is it because I'm still young that I try to have some life outside of ministry? And I don't mean life outside of ministry meaning that I divulge into debauchery. Although that would be cool... just kidding. I mean just hanging with good friends and not having to discuss what's going on in church. I feel at times I need something like that to keep my sanity.
If it doesn't rain today, I'm going to head out and play basketball with a few of my friends.
I haven't seen any of them for about 2 months now. I'm so paranoid since I've been injured so many times in the past 9 months. Well, 3 times. I went to the ER 3 times in the 9 months. Before that, I've been to the ER 2 in 25 years. If it's even sprinkling, I'm going to have to wait to play basketball. Anyway, I have a long week ahead of me.
Yay.
The reason it's frustrating is that I want to hang out with them, and see them, but it's just hard to.
I don't think anyone outside of being a pastor, really know how busy a pastor can get in their schedules.
You have people (ignorant ones, might I humbly add) who say, Oh, being a pastor isn't that bad, they only work one day out of the week. (insert groan here.)
I knew I was going to be busy, but I never expected to be this busy.
As soon as one big event is over, we're starting to plan for the next one.
Some times, things get so busy, I lose the sight of God. I always found that ironic, but it happens to many of us quite often.
It's also hard to meet up with people because all my friends have the weekend off, and weekends usually are busier than the rest of the week.
And on Saturdays, I'm reluctant to go out, because I need to just prepare my heart and mind for Sundays.
I'm thankful that I got married before I started full time ministry. I don't know how I'd find the time to date if I weren't.
But you know, I feel as a pastor, I need secular friends. I need friends who are not in the ministry. The friends that I do have in ministry, when we start talking, we start talking about church related things.
Some times, I just need to sit back and complain how the Redskins are screwing things up.
How do other pastors fare in this situation?
Is it because I'm still young that I try to have some life outside of ministry? And I don't mean life outside of ministry meaning that I divulge into debauchery. Although that would be cool... just kidding. I mean just hanging with good friends and not having to discuss what's going on in church. I feel at times I need something like that to keep my sanity.
If it doesn't rain today, I'm going to head out and play basketball with a few of my friends.
I haven't seen any of them for about 2 months now. I'm so paranoid since I've been injured so many times in the past 9 months. Well, 3 times. I went to the ER 3 times in the 9 months. Before that, I've been to the ER 2 in 25 years. If it's even sprinkling, I'm going to have to wait to play basketball. Anyway, I have a long week ahead of me.
Yay.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Korean News
I do not appreciate the Korean News people.
They're irresponsible in their reporting.
I just think that their ethics are different from ours.
Their news broadcast seems to run with the ethics of National Inquirer and what not.
Last night, they reported that it might be possible that the parents of the VA Tech shooter committed suicide. Giving them credit, they didn't say that it happen, but that it may be possible that they had.
The scary part of that is, it can be so true, you know with the whole honor/shame aspect of the Asian culture.
But I still don't see why they needed to throw that out there if it wasn't a confirmed report.
A part of me felt like it was a subliminal message to the parents from the Korean community to end it all.
The Koreans have a powerful way of shunning people and deeming them outcast.
Wherever they go now, the family will never receive business from ANY Korean customers.
I served at a church in that area for 3 years.
There was an instance when a cell group at the church shunned a family because that family's kid did not go to a "prestigious" school. Yes, many Koreans can be that shallow and trivial. And that wasn't an isolated instance. Things like that go on all the time.
I had a student who received a 1420 on her SATs (before the 2400 format) and was deemed by her parents a failure. They demanded that she take it again and score higher.
Anyway, here's something else that I am concerned about.
About 5 years ago, US military stationed in S. Korea accidentally ran over 2 girls with a tank. It was an accident, but there were strong protest. They picketed outside of the station daily and demanded that US leave Korea.
One could argue that the current President of Korea was elected due to his diligent presence at the picket lines. The Army and the US, i believe, paid the two families.
Now, a Korean citizen went and killed over 30 people.
Could there be any backlash?
It was a senseless tragedy. Incredibly sad.
But i hope that in the aftermath of all of this, we don't make the situation any more tragic or sadder.
They're irresponsible in their reporting.
I just think that their ethics are different from ours.
Their news broadcast seems to run with the ethics of National Inquirer and what not.
Last night, they reported that it might be possible that the parents of the VA Tech shooter committed suicide. Giving them credit, they didn't say that it happen, but that it may be possible that they had.
The scary part of that is, it can be so true, you know with the whole honor/shame aspect of the Asian culture.
But I still don't see why they needed to throw that out there if it wasn't a confirmed report.
A part of me felt like it was a subliminal message to the parents from the Korean community to end it all.
The Koreans have a powerful way of shunning people and deeming them outcast.
Wherever they go now, the family will never receive business from ANY Korean customers.
I served at a church in that area for 3 years.
There was an instance when a cell group at the church shunned a family because that family's kid did not go to a "prestigious" school. Yes, many Koreans can be that shallow and trivial. And that wasn't an isolated instance. Things like that go on all the time.
I had a student who received a 1420 on her SATs (before the 2400 format) and was deemed by her parents a failure. They demanded that she take it again and score higher.
Anyway, here's something else that I am concerned about.
About 5 years ago, US military stationed in S. Korea accidentally ran over 2 girls with a tank. It was an accident, but there were strong protest. They picketed outside of the station daily and demanded that US leave Korea.
One could argue that the current President of Korea was elected due to his diligent presence at the picket lines. The Army and the US, i believe, paid the two families.
Now, a Korean citizen went and killed over 30 people.
Could there be any backlash?
It was a senseless tragedy. Incredibly sad.
But i hope that in the aftermath of all of this, we don't make the situation any more tragic or sadder.
Monday, April 16, 2007
On the Move?
We're not happy with our home right now.
The wife has been having "allergic" reaction to the place.
I think it's partly psychological. She thinks the house is really dirty, so she's getting these weird rashes. The doctor first thought it was bird mites or scabies... then further test showed that perhaps it was some fungal infection. We still don't know, just that it's going away.
So today, i'm going to go to our realtor to see if he can shorten our lease anyhow.
I feel bad asking but we need to. And we pray that he'll let us out early.
We'll see.
The wife has been having "allergic" reaction to the place.
I think it's partly psychological. She thinks the house is really dirty, so she's getting these weird rashes. The doctor first thought it was bird mites or scabies... then further test showed that perhaps it was some fungal infection. We still don't know, just that it's going away.
So today, i'm going to go to our realtor to see if he can shorten our lease anyhow.
I feel bad asking but we need to. And we pray that he'll let us out early.
We'll see.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
In Other News...
A couple of months back, I had a conversation with the Hawaii District's youth coordinator. He was telling about things that he was planning on, but had a hard time to getting church's to commit. He asked if we could come (i think he used to be a member of the church i'm serving).
We had something that we've been planning for months, so we couldn't commit either. He felt discouraged and starting telling me how tough this position was and he think it was time to quit.
I had no idea why he was sharing this with me.
But after our conversation, a thought popped in my head.
I had this crazy notion that maybe if he did quit, i could do something with that position. I told myself that was ridiculous. How in the world could I balance that AND doing full time at AKUMC? It seemed impossible.
But the thoughts wouldn't go away. Instead, it'll be nagging at me.
For example, out of nowhere, while reading a book on youth ministry, another thought popped into my head.
What if I held some sort of workshop for the youth leaders of the UMC in Hawaii? Pass along my readings, pass along what I learned in seminary and encourage them to start going to National Youth Worker's Convention and giving them ideas and resources.
I played with that thought, and of course, I concluded with: I don't (and won't) have time for this. Which I strongly believe.
I haven't thought about any of this until today.
Out of the blue (isn't it always 'out of the blue'?) I get a call from someone at Christ UMC. She tells me that she is an elder and is part of the District Committee.
I had no idea what she wanted with me until she dropped this bomb:
The committee was discussing it, and your name came up. We want you to serve as co-director of youth for the District of Hawaii.
WHAT???
So, there you have it.
God works in funny ways.
My first gut reaction was: I don't have time to do this...
But I think the first thought was put in my head by God.
I've said earlier that I think God has big plans for the youth in Hawaii, and our little island in general.
The more I thought about it in the past hour, the more it make sense to me that this is part of my calling from God.
I don't want to do this, but the possibilities excite me.
Of course, i have to be in prayer over this.
I told the elder, I need to ask my senior pastor first, in which she replied: "Oh, we already briefly talked to him about it and he seemed very excited over it." (great.)
I then told her, please give me time to pray over it.
I'm excited about this and at the same time, scared.
But if this is truly what God wants me to do, then I have nothing to be afraid for God will go with me.
We had something that we've been planning for months, so we couldn't commit either. He felt discouraged and starting telling me how tough this position was and he think it was time to quit.
I had no idea why he was sharing this with me.
But after our conversation, a thought popped in my head.
I had this crazy notion that maybe if he did quit, i could do something with that position. I told myself that was ridiculous. How in the world could I balance that AND doing full time at AKUMC? It seemed impossible.
But the thoughts wouldn't go away. Instead, it'll be nagging at me.
For example, out of nowhere, while reading a book on youth ministry, another thought popped into my head.
What if I held some sort of workshop for the youth leaders of the UMC in Hawaii? Pass along my readings, pass along what I learned in seminary and encourage them to start going to National Youth Worker's Convention and giving them ideas and resources.
I played with that thought, and of course, I concluded with: I don't (and won't) have time for this. Which I strongly believe.
I haven't thought about any of this until today.
Out of the blue (isn't it always 'out of the blue'?) I get a call from someone at Christ UMC. She tells me that she is an elder and is part of the District Committee.
I had no idea what she wanted with me until she dropped this bomb:
The committee was discussing it, and your name came up. We want you to serve as co-director of youth for the District of Hawaii.
WHAT???
So, there you have it.
God works in funny ways.
My first gut reaction was: I don't have time to do this...
But I think the first thought was put in my head by God.
I've said earlier that I think God has big plans for the youth in Hawaii, and our little island in general.
The more I thought about it in the past hour, the more it make sense to me that this is part of my calling from God.
I don't want to do this, but the possibilities excite me.
Of course, i have to be in prayer over this.
I told the elder, I need to ask my senior pastor first, in which she replied: "Oh, we already briefly talked to him about it and he seemed very excited over it." (great.)
I then told her, please give me time to pray over it.
I'm excited about this and at the same time, scared.
But if this is truly what God wants me to do, then I have nothing to be afraid for God will go with me.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
S-S-SPIDER!
Last night, the Wife and I were watching TV.
All of a sudden, the Wife says to me, "Did you see that?" pointing to the wall behind the TV.
I didn't see anything. As I turn to tell her, "There's nothing there" I see something moving fast from the corner of my eye.
I looked back at the wall.
And there it was.
A spider. A huge spider. With its legs, it was at least 3 inches wide. That's a big spider.
And here's the dilemma.
I hate spiders. I hate them as much as I am afraid of them.
This one time in seminary, there was a spider in my room. I couldn't kill it.
So I went around the dormitory trying to find if anyone was there. The only person I could find was a female student that was in my covenant disciple group. I... had to ask her to come into my room and help me dispose of the spider.
I had no pride left.
So the Wife and I are staring at each other, while I can feel the spider burning eight holes in me with its eight eyes.
I can tell by the look in her eyes, she's expecting me to kill this spider. And she can tell from my eyes that I'm scared of this three inch monstrosity.
But being the dutiful husband, I grab my slipper and start walking toward the spider.
As I move toward the spider, the spider moves closer, on the wall, towards me.
I was three feet away from the spider, and I can't decide what to do.
I can't move towards the spider, because I'm afraid it'll jump and eat me.
So I did what I thought was the most logical at the time: I threw the slipper at the spider. I hit it. But not hard enough. It ran under the love seat.
Since the wife couldn't lift the love seat, it was now her responsibility to kill the spider, as I held up the love seat.
She missed.
The spider now crawled under the bigger couch.
Great.
So I look behind the couch, and the spider is not under the couch, but it's on the back staring straight up at me.
The wife is yelling, "Do you see it?"
And I just stare into the eyes of the spider.
It's either him or me.
Without breaking eye contact, I grab a curtain pole that was not set up, and start slamming away.
I did it!
It was dead!
I was victorious! .... Until i realized one of us had to dispose of the smashed and crunched up spider lying on the carpet.
So using that same pole, I tried to brush the spider onto the newspaper. But the newspaper was too thick for the spider to slide onto.
Eventually, the wife got frustrated at my slow pace and unintelligent method and was able to get the spider into its final destination: the toilet.
We flushed the toilet.
And I saw my former foe going in circles, deeper and deeper to his final destination.
When it was all said and done, I couldn't leave the bathroom.
Every time I flush an insect or spider down the toilet, I'm always afraid that it'll crawl back out.
I waited.
Nothing.
I flushed the toilet again, this time, just put a couple of sheets of toilet papers so that if the spider somehow came back alive and started crawling out, it'll get caught by the incoming toilet paper.
I waited again.
Nothing.
I was satisfied.
Me: 1
Spiders: 0
I hope this is the last encounter with spiders that big.
But something tells me it's not...
All of a sudden, the Wife says to me, "Did you see that?" pointing to the wall behind the TV.
I didn't see anything. As I turn to tell her, "There's nothing there" I see something moving fast from the corner of my eye.
I looked back at the wall.
And there it was.
A spider. A huge spider. With its legs, it was at least 3 inches wide. That's a big spider.
And here's the dilemma.
I hate spiders. I hate them as much as I am afraid of them.
This one time in seminary, there was a spider in my room. I couldn't kill it.
So I went around the dormitory trying to find if anyone was there. The only person I could find was a female student that was in my covenant disciple group. I... had to ask her to come into my room and help me dispose of the spider.
I had no pride left.
So the Wife and I are staring at each other, while I can feel the spider burning eight holes in me with its eight eyes.
I can tell by the look in her eyes, she's expecting me to kill this spider. And she can tell from my eyes that I'm scared of this three inch monstrosity.
But being the dutiful husband, I grab my slipper and start walking toward the spider.
As I move toward the spider, the spider moves closer, on the wall, towards me.
I was three feet away from the spider, and I can't decide what to do.
I can't move towards the spider, because I'm afraid it'll jump and eat me.
So I did what I thought was the most logical at the time: I threw the slipper at the spider. I hit it. But not hard enough. It ran under the love seat.
Since the wife couldn't lift the love seat, it was now her responsibility to kill the spider, as I held up the love seat.
She missed.
The spider now crawled under the bigger couch.
Great.
So I look behind the couch, and the spider is not under the couch, but it's on the back staring straight up at me.
The wife is yelling, "Do you see it?"
And I just stare into the eyes of the spider.
It's either him or me.
Without breaking eye contact, I grab a curtain pole that was not set up, and start slamming away.
I did it!
It was dead!
I was victorious! .... Until i realized one of us had to dispose of the smashed and crunched up spider lying on the carpet.
So using that same pole, I tried to brush the spider onto the newspaper. But the newspaper was too thick for the spider to slide onto.
Eventually, the wife got frustrated at my slow pace and unintelligent method and was able to get the spider into its final destination: the toilet.
We flushed the toilet.
And I saw my former foe going in circles, deeper and deeper to his final destination.
When it was all said and done, I couldn't leave the bathroom.
Every time I flush an insect or spider down the toilet, I'm always afraid that it'll crawl back out.
I waited.
Nothing.
I flushed the toilet again, this time, just put a couple of sheets of toilet papers so that if the spider somehow came back alive and started crawling out, it'll get caught by the incoming toilet paper.
I waited again.
Nothing.
I was satisfied.
Me: 1
Spiders: 0
I hope this is the last encounter with spiders that big.
But something tells me it's not...
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
My Court Date
Earlier this month, I received my first speeding ticket.
But it shouldn't count because it was so unnecessary and unfair.
We were going down this road, which is a downhill.
There were three cars, literally, surrounding me. It's a two lane road, so i had a car in front of me, next to me and behind me. We were ALL going the same speed, which was about 40 mph in a 25 mph zone.
Then at the bottom of the hill, we see two motorcycle cops with laser guns, so naturally all of us slowed down immediately.
As we're passing he signals me to pull over. So I did.
And when i pulled up to him, he asks his partner "Hey, is he the one?" which infuriated me.
I thought, since he wasn't sure and we were all going the same speed, he'd let me off with a warning. Nope.
He gave me a ticket for going 41 in a 25 zone and the ticket came out to 137 dollars.
Great.
So I mailed in the ticket and said I wanted to contest it in person, because i really felt that i was done wrong.
Yesterday at 9am was my court date.
And i had no idea what to expect. This is my first time at court.
It's finally 9, the judge walks in, we all stand up, blah, blah, blah.
Now i'm getting my defense ready.
I was going to tell him that the cop wasn't sure it was me, because he had to ask "Is he the one?" Not only that, but I was going with the flow of traffic.
Any good driver's ed teacher will tell you, it's safer to go with the flow of traffic than it is to obey the speed limit. Accidents happen when drivers go faster or slower than the flow of traffic. So if the flow of traffic is going 40 at a 25 zone, it's safer to go 40.
My name is called up, and I go to the front. He asks me, for the record, to state my name, i do so.
Then he goes over my file and asks, do you admit or deny the charge.
And i had to think. I did go 40, there's no doubt about that.
I told the judge, I admit the charge.
Then he just said, "Okay, since you admitted, i'll knock down you fine. Instead of 41, i'll mark it down to 30 in a 25 zone. Take a seat and wait for your papers."
I ended up paying $25 for the ticket and $47 for court fees, which is still less than 137.
But it got me thinking.
How many times do we justify and find excuses for the things we've done wrong?
I was happy with the decision.
And we should just ask for forgiveness, instead of trying to justify our actions.
But it shouldn't count because it was so unnecessary and unfair.
We were going down this road, which is a downhill.
There were three cars, literally, surrounding me. It's a two lane road, so i had a car in front of me, next to me and behind me. We were ALL going the same speed, which was about 40 mph in a 25 mph zone.
Then at the bottom of the hill, we see two motorcycle cops with laser guns, so naturally all of us slowed down immediately.
As we're passing he signals me to pull over. So I did.
And when i pulled up to him, he asks his partner "Hey, is he the one?" which infuriated me.
I thought, since he wasn't sure and we were all going the same speed, he'd let me off with a warning. Nope.
He gave me a ticket for going 41 in a 25 zone and the ticket came out to 137 dollars.
Great.
So I mailed in the ticket and said I wanted to contest it in person, because i really felt that i was done wrong.
Yesterday at 9am was my court date.
And i had no idea what to expect. This is my first time at court.
It's finally 9, the judge walks in, we all stand up, blah, blah, blah.
Now i'm getting my defense ready.
I was going to tell him that the cop wasn't sure it was me, because he had to ask "Is he the one?" Not only that, but I was going with the flow of traffic.
Any good driver's ed teacher will tell you, it's safer to go with the flow of traffic than it is to obey the speed limit. Accidents happen when drivers go faster or slower than the flow of traffic. So if the flow of traffic is going 40 at a 25 zone, it's safer to go 40.
My name is called up, and I go to the front. He asks me, for the record, to state my name, i do so.
Then he goes over my file and asks, do you admit or deny the charge.
And i had to think. I did go 40, there's no doubt about that.
I told the judge, I admit the charge.
Then he just said, "Okay, since you admitted, i'll knock down you fine. Instead of 41, i'll mark it down to 30 in a 25 zone. Take a seat and wait for your papers."
I ended up paying $25 for the ticket and $47 for court fees, which is still less than 137.
But it got me thinking.
How many times do we justify and find excuses for the things we've done wrong?
I was happy with the decision.
And we should just ask for forgiveness, instead of trying to justify our actions.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Music
I love leading praise.
There's something just moving. And when we're doing really well, when i really feel the Spirit moving through us, i don't see anyone else around me. It's the most incredible feeling i have felt in my short years of ministry. I can't see anyone else nor can i hear them. I just feel the presence of God all around us.
I've always wanted to write praise songs.
never was a good writer... words hardly come to me.
But just lately, i've had all this melodies just floating around my head. and i decided, why not?
So i laid some stuff down on my computer.
It's been a stress reliever and it's been fun.
I was messing around today, and did this: click here.
It's just a rough draft of what was in my head today...
so that's that. i think i am keeping my wife awake. so i better stop all the typing and go to bed.
=)
There's something just moving. And when we're doing really well, when i really feel the Spirit moving through us, i don't see anyone else around me. It's the most incredible feeling i have felt in my short years of ministry. I can't see anyone else nor can i hear them. I just feel the presence of God all around us.
I've always wanted to write praise songs.
never was a good writer... words hardly come to me.
But just lately, i've had all this melodies just floating around my head. and i decided, why not?
So i laid some stuff down on my computer.
It's been a stress reliever and it's been fun.
I was messing around today, and did this: click here.
It's just a rough draft of what was in my head today...
so that's that. i think i am keeping my wife awake. so i better stop all the typing and go to bed.
=)
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Faith
Do you remember the story where Peter walks on water? (or attempts to?)
People often feel that "if Peter had enough faith, he would've been able to walk on water."
Perhaps we should look at it in a different light.
If Peter had enough faith, he would've never stepped out of the boat and onto the water.
He would've believed the statement Jesus made, which was similiar to the "I AM" statement that God made to Moses.
Faith isn't doing something miraculous, or just based on miraculous things happening.
Faith isn't about walking on water, because only God can do that, (Job 9:8; Isa 43:16; 51:9-10 Hab 3:5) for example. (from commentary)
Faith is the ability to believe in the face of all evidence that God is here with me.
So have faith.
Perhaps...
you're barely making ends meet
you're contemplating a future that doesn't seem so bright
you're lost in your life and can't seem to find your way
your family isn't what it should be
your family is falling apart
you have a medical problem
We all face storms that will rock the little boats that we are riding. Some of us are in the midst of a storm, and it doesn't seem like it's going to let up any time soon.
But have faith. As Jesus was with his disciples through both storms in the sea, God is with you. God is for you. And God loves you.
I wrote that a long time ago.
Today, I came across it again.
I needed to read that.
It's amazing of how quickly I can forget that God is with me.
Do not be anxious in anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
People often feel that "if Peter had enough faith, he would've been able to walk on water."
Perhaps we should look at it in a different light.
If Peter had enough faith, he would've never stepped out of the boat and onto the water.
He would've believed the statement Jesus made, which was similiar to the "I AM" statement that God made to Moses.
Faith isn't doing something miraculous, or just based on miraculous things happening.
Faith isn't about walking on water, because only God can do that, (Job 9:8; Isa 43:16; 51:9-10 Hab 3:5) for example. (from commentary)
Faith is the ability to believe in the face of all evidence that God is here with me.
So have faith.
Perhaps...
you're barely making ends meet
you're contemplating a future that doesn't seem so bright
you're lost in your life and can't seem to find your way
your family isn't what it should be
your family is falling apart
you have a medical problem
We all face storms that will rock the little boats that we are riding. Some of us are in the midst of a storm, and it doesn't seem like it's going to let up any time soon.
But have faith. As Jesus was with his disciples through both storms in the sea, God is with you. God is for you. And God loves you.
I wrote that a long time ago.
Today, I came across it again.
I needed to read that.
It's amazing of how quickly I can forget that God is with me.
Do not be anxious in anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Are You Worth 2 Billion?
I like sports. And as many sports fans, i have favorite teams too.
In the NFL, i root for my beloved Redskins. Though many disagree that you can have 2 teams you root for, i still am a Patriots fan. Every year i want the Skins and Pats at the superbowl with the Skins taking it all. Of course, that's just never going to happen. At least for a long time.
In the NBA, no one beats Agent 0 and his "HIBACHI!" with the Washington Wizards.
For MLB, i don't like to watch baseball much... but i just felt that i needed a team to root for. I didn't want to go along with the Nationals. I don't like the Yankees, and since i like Tom Brady and the Pats, I decided to root for the Red Sox.
And there's soccer. I've been watching a lot of soccer, because there's a soccer channel available. Outside of Korea, i root for England in the world cup. And the team i've taken a liking to is Chelsea FC. Wow, this was the longest and most pointless set up to my entry.
So the owner of Chelsea FC has been married for 15 years and has 5 kids. But lately, he has been seen with this woman:
So reports have it that the owner gave his wife 2 billion (yes, 2 BILLION) dollars to divorce her so that he can be with the woman pictured above. (Daria Zhukova).
I personally don't think the new lady is worth 2 billion dollars.
Is anyone? Perhaps..
But it's almost funny (or rather, sad) of the state that we live in. I'm sure there are many out there who may now feel, "man if i had that much money, i'd buy out of my marriage too."
It's sad that marriage doesn't have the same meaning as it once did.
Just in case you're wondering,
2 billion may be just enough for me to get interested in your offer.
I'm priceless, baby, priceless.
=)
In the NFL, i root for my beloved Redskins. Though many disagree that you can have 2 teams you root for, i still am a Patriots fan. Every year i want the Skins and Pats at the superbowl with the Skins taking it all. Of course, that's just never going to happen. At least for a long time.
In the NBA, no one beats Agent 0 and his "HIBACHI!" with the Washington Wizards.
For MLB, i don't like to watch baseball much... but i just felt that i needed a team to root for. I didn't want to go along with the Nationals. I don't like the Yankees, and since i like Tom Brady and the Pats, I decided to root for the Red Sox.
And there's soccer. I've been watching a lot of soccer, because there's a soccer channel available. Outside of Korea, i root for England in the world cup. And the team i've taken a liking to is Chelsea FC. Wow, this was the longest and most pointless set up to my entry.
So the owner of Chelsea FC has been married for 15 years and has 5 kids. But lately, he has been seen with this woman:
So reports have it that the owner gave his wife 2 billion (yes, 2 BILLION) dollars to divorce her so that he can be with the woman pictured above. (Daria Zhukova).
I personally don't think the new lady is worth 2 billion dollars.
Is anyone? Perhaps..
But it's almost funny (or rather, sad) of the state that we live in. I'm sure there are many out there who may now feel, "man if i had that much money, i'd buy out of my marriage too."
It's sad that marriage doesn't have the same meaning as it once did.
Just in case you're wondering,
2 billion may be just enough for me to get interested in your offer.
I'm priceless, baby, priceless.
=)
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Monday, Monday, MONDAY
I got up early today so that i could get down to Kailua, meet my mentor and take my first psychological assessment test.
I had to answer many weird questions, but it only took me an hour to do both the booklet and the "Finish the Sentence" questions. I hope they don't think i'm crazy. At least not more than i really am.
But the drive to and back from Kailua was what i enjoyed the most.
It was just marvelous.
I know in my heart that i will not be in Hawaii forever. I'll probably leave when i get ordained... and that has at times, caused some mild island fever. But days like today tell me that Hawaii is forever my home and why i like it so much.
It wasn't a beautiful sunny day. it was cloudy and about to rain. but how the clouds just lingered right below the mountain tops.. i just loved it. Where else in the world can you see beautiful green mountains on your left and look on to your right and see a bright blue and clear ocean waters?
It's amazing.
In other news, i went to see 300 today.
It was really really good and i enjoyed it thoroughly. The visuals were fascinating and i was absorbed into the story. I didn't think the Wife would enjoy it, but she loved it, which made it even better.
(out of 5).
Good day off.
I'm ready to start my week.
I had to answer many weird questions, but it only took me an hour to do both the booklet and the "Finish the Sentence" questions. I hope they don't think i'm crazy. At least not more than i really am.
But the drive to and back from Kailua was what i enjoyed the most.
It was just marvelous.
I know in my heart that i will not be in Hawaii forever. I'll probably leave when i get ordained... and that has at times, caused some mild island fever. But days like today tell me that Hawaii is forever my home and why i like it so much.
It wasn't a beautiful sunny day. it was cloudy and about to rain. but how the clouds just lingered right below the mountain tops.. i just loved it. Where else in the world can you see beautiful green mountains on your left and look on to your right and see a bright blue and clear ocean waters?
It's amazing.
In other news, i went to see 300 today.
It was really really good and i enjoyed it thoroughly. The visuals were fascinating and i was absorbed into the story. I didn't think the Wife would enjoy it, but she loved it, which made it even better.
(out of 5).Good day off.
I'm ready to start my week.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Lack of Updates
We're in the process of moving into the new house.
I have no internet access at the new place yet. So it's getting in the way of wasting time on the internet (which is one of my favorite things to do).
i just thought i'd update the few of you.
I'm about to go down to Waipahu to pick up an armoir (i have no idea what that is, or if it even is spelled correctly). This church member is donating it to us, so we'd took him up on the offer.
It's nice getting settled in and stuff.
Can't wait til everything is set up...
I have no internet access at the new place yet. So it's getting in the way of wasting time on the internet (which is one of my favorite things to do).
i just thought i'd update the few of you.
I'm about to go down to Waipahu to pick up an armoir (i have no idea what that is, or if it even is spelled correctly). This church member is donating it to us, so we'd took him up on the offer.
It's nice getting settled in and stuff.
Can't wait til everything is set up...
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Where the Grass is Green
So every Wednesday (so far this year) i've been sitting at Starbucks getting work done before our Wednesday service begins. The Starbucks is right across the street from the church, so it's convenient. I invite the kids to come and study with me, and so far only one has taken up on that offer. It's better that way, because then i get work done. And the youth that comes in, he's quite introverted, so he just sits there and does his work. I once in a while interrupt him to see what he's working on and how he's doing. I like it better this way.
So i was reading my friend's blog and she was writing about the "Secret."
And i posted a comment, but it got me thinking.
We are very jealous and envious creatures. I guess that's why Jesus tells us to guard our hearts against all kinds of greed.
I notice how it seeps into pastors and ministries.
Too many pastors put emphasis on the size of their ministry: The size of the church building, the size of the budget, the size of the members. For a church to be successful, it seems like it has to be big. (I don't think a church should be defined as "successful" in my opinion. I like the term "effective. But that's just me.)
When the church across from you is blessed with a revival and growth, it's easy to get envious of that church and that pastor. It's easy to say, what is she doing that i'm not? What's he got that i don't? And then it's easy to think, well if i had what she has, i'd be just as effective...
I think that's why so many people just end up leaving churches for others.
We compare with other churches, and see what that church has to offer compared to the current church.
That church has a lot of people, and this one doesn't, i think i fit better with that church.
This church has some political problems, that church seems to get along, i'd better switch.
But we never realize that when we move to a different church or a different job, we switch old problems with new ones. We turn in one set of problems at the old site only to receive a whole new set at the new site.
It's sad how we can't be happy with what we have. And i speak for me too.
We always want something newer, something bigger and something faster. The problem with that is, the new gets old and there's always going to be something bigger and faster.
Too many times we count what we don't have, and we missed how blessed we truly are.
And when we have God, God is more than enough.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.
And how true are those words. When we have God in our lives, what more could we ask for?
We always think that the grass is greener on the other side.
But the truth is, the grass is greener where we water it.
(Thoughts from Max Lucado and Doug Fields are interwoven with my thoughts on this post. Just thought I'd let you know.)
So i was reading my friend's blog and she was writing about the "Secret."
And i posted a comment, but it got me thinking.
We are very jealous and envious creatures. I guess that's why Jesus tells us to guard our hearts against all kinds of greed.
I notice how it seeps into pastors and ministries.
Too many pastors put emphasis on the size of their ministry: The size of the church building, the size of the budget, the size of the members. For a church to be successful, it seems like it has to be big. (I don't think a church should be defined as "successful" in my opinion. I like the term "effective. But that's just me.)
When the church across from you is blessed with a revival and growth, it's easy to get envious of that church and that pastor. It's easy to say, what is she doing that i'm not? What's he got that i don't? And then it's easy to think, well if i had what she has, i'd be just as effective...
I think that's why so many people just end up leaving churches for others.
We compare with other churches, and see what that church has to offer compared to the current church.
That church has a lot of people, and this one doesn't, i think i fit better with that church.
This church has some political problems, that church seems to get along, i'd better switch.
But we never realize that when we move to a different church or a different job, we switch old problems with new ones. We turn in one set of problems at the old site only to receive a whole new set at the new site.
It's sad how we can't be happy with what we have. And i speak for me too.
We always want something newer, something bigger and something faster. The problem with that is, the new gets old and there's always going to be something bigger and faster.
Too many times we count what we don't have, and we missed how blessed we truly are.
And when we have God, God is more than enough.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.
And how true are those words. When we have God in our lives, what more could we ask for?
We always think that the grass is greener on the other side.
But the truth is, the grass is greener where we water it.
(Thoughts from Max Lucado and Doug Fields are interwoven with my thoughts on this post. Just thought I'd let you know.)
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