Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Defying Gravity. (yes, I was kind of inspired by the musical “Wicked” and Glee)


An emptiness scorches my soul.

I watched this movie on Sunday night, a Korean movie called "Good morning Mr. President." Although there were a lot of hard Korean words that I didn't quite understand-- it still kind of hit me.

Yes… I’ve been meditating on this movie for the past few days.. why? Good question.

The movie basically told the life story of three different presidents.

From country boys to movie stars, we all put presidents on a pedestal; as if they’re a superior race of people, meant to be bred specifically for leadership, political matters and all that grown-up stuff. Ha. Of course the movie exalted these distinguished individuals, but interestingly enough, they also shared another facet about the life of a president that we’re not naturally exposed to.

The notion that they are simply mere men and women. Like you and me.

Instead of the lofty platform we put them on; they are small individuals warily living, quite sacrificially, for the sake of their beloved citizens. In the movie, all three presidents after their term, talked about their selfish desires and wants that were stifled for the sake of the nation and the people. The sacrifices these presidents made were hidden, unannounced and concealed from the public- Buried beyond the political madness; veiled from even their loved ones. For the sake of a whole nation, a leader, set apart from the rest of the country lived an inimitable life focused on serving the people. A simple servant. Hardly a complaint, with joy, living with PURPOSE- and- oh snap

And there I was, sitting with maybe five other people in the enormous theatre… and all I could think about were the martyrs of the past, the apostles and the faithful disciples who followed Jesus until the glorious end. The persecution, the sacrifices, and their hardships unknown. Their suffering and affliction curbed, while simultaneously doused with the Word, running with the eternal perspective.

Sometimes out here, I feel like I’m fighting by myself. Like a small child just looking, looking to lay her head, looking for comfort.

And… I laugh, because sometimes, I feel like a broken child; who is trampled and walked over on. There are those vulnerable moments you didn’t know could exist. And then, I remember Paul and John, such faithful men of God. And then what about Peter, “the rock” so stubborn and adamant. But life catches you at your lowest moments. And the devil tries to snap you into a deceptive world, mocking truth, counterfeiting the bread of life with phony luxuries, temporary indulgences and forging the Savior’s perfect cross into a corrupt and fraudulent saving grace.

When I am reminded of these devoted and loyal servants, I am so rebuked because I know that I am so far from reaching that stamina, that devotion, that faithfulness. Must I recommit, knowing I will falter again into such faithlessness?

Maybe life is defying and submissing, fighting and surrendering, or perhaps winning and losing.

But.

Actually.

No.

The battle is already won. The cross has already won.

I just want to love you more than I did yesterday.

Defying Gravity.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Good bye James.

Stop.

I don't want to believe it.
I almost can't.
But, this is it.

Good bye.
Good bye.
Good bye.

Forever.

Why are our bodies so fragile and so quick to fail us?
Oh the intricacies of the human body-
Why did we have to say goodbye so fast?

This one, I cannot express with these pitiful words of mine.

Flash.

It's almost as if the emergency room is the step before leaving us.
A done deed. A harsh reckoning. An unglorious depart. A swift taking.

You are loved by an Almighty and Glorious God from aboveYou were loved by all your beloved friends in this temporary home called Earth.

The hole you leave us will forever ache, scar some of us, and will leave your beloveds forever changed.

I hate emergency rooms.
I hate hospitals.

I hate this Babylon.

But, we love you, a precious and loved child, made in the image of our God.

I am thankful for you.

Thank you.

RIP JAMES LEE


















Good Bye.

I will see you again.

Monday, October 19, 2009

crazy.

sometimes i feel like im going crazy.

crazy.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Enjoy Life.

The notion of escaping the mundaneness of life itself is probably the most ridiculous thing I have sought to resolve the past few days… I still seem to undertake this impossible task and shove it into a tiny little box to be experimented with, inspected and played with. I realized. Ho hum. It is time to learn what it means to be alone. Really alone. And I think it’s the profundity of that phrase that maybe freaks me out. Why do I feel like I can’t do anything alone? When… how ironic … one of the most joyous memories I have is just me, the mountain and God. But lately, what is the fear of being alone? The security blanket of friends, family, co workers, small group, church community, once stripped away really becomes a cold realization of how remote and distant this world really is.

When I came to Korea, I never realized what being alone meant. Yes of course, the mere consciousness was probably there but the maybe more insightful comprehension just wasn’t? And. Now. I think I maybe I’ve attained a tiny sliver of it. Yes, I have Julie, my roommate, whom I thank the Lord for bringing a sister in Christ to me. She has brought me great comfort. Yes, it’s true that after that incident in June, I wasn’t able to sleep more than 6 hours a night. It was usually a good 4-5 hour sleep and then sleep wouldn’t come. Maybe it was trauma. I hate to admit it? And after, simply her presence, I can, with ease, sleep 10 hours a night.

Looking at my life, being in Korea, I was stripped of comfort, friends, family, a church community I loved, and a loving small group, I realized that life is UNCOMFORTABLE. It is. And I guess I am learning to just meditate on the simplicity of life. Learning to appreciate the smiles of a 7 year old and a hidden smile of a junior high school who just despises 학원’s. I think I want to try to embrace every ray of the sun that touches the horizon, (however cliché it sounds). I want to enjoy every glimpse of joy, that is being suffocated in these children’s lives, I want to embrace every child’s hand that grazes against me, every teardrop that slides down these cheeks, every gaze of the Han River, every delicious dish in front of me, and most of all how God’s presence is JUST WITH ME. Just like a roommate’s presence has brought me comfort so that I can sleep, now, I want to just be comfortable in His Presence. He’s the same God in America. He’s the same God in Korea. He’s the same God in Africa. He’s the same God, no matter what part of the universe you’re in. And that’s the sheer magnanimity, the sheer Comfort, the sheer Omnipresence of our Great Divine Father. Isn’t it great to have a Father who’s GOD?

Snap. Brings me shivers.



o.0

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

What a funny phrase “how are you” is.

I ask my students this all the time, and its always the same mundane “okay” or “good” and if they really want to explore their English skills or impress me, they’ll pop in a “just okay” or “not very good.” People ask me that all the time with the perchance intention of a genuine desire to know how I am doing, or maybe the necessity of the phrase when starting an everyday small-talk “polite” conversation. Oh, no, I’m not saying that people shouldn’t ask me “how are you” is, but I think it’s rather funny. Ha.

I remember walking down a familiar Education Building hallway at the U of I and you see a familiar face. The name floats at the tip of your tongue, but somehow it’s not close enough to slip it out casually. So you argue in your mind that you’ll say “hi” if eyes meet, if not, why not slip by unnoticeably? Then the dreaded eyes shift up, and then of course, you feign a surprised expression with your enlarged pupils exuding a [oh gosh hi you, whatever your name is… let’s make this quick….] so you say “hey you! How are you?!” with a most enthusiastic smile. The enthusiasm diminishes into a sorta half moon- shaped sheepish smile as the guiltiness creeps in.

I ask my students all the time, not necessarily with the genuine curiosity of how their day was, but perhaps the mere demonstration of the “etiquette” of an American teacher…. Um… if there are any standards of such....
Then the small child stutters a few words he knows, in all likelihood, the first few words that comes to mind, rather than poking and prodding about the details of his day. Who even knows if the child thinks so deep? Or maybe it’s the insecurity from the child’s perspective- why would this adult want to know? Why should she care? The child isn’t stupid. The most common question that departs from the teacher’s mouth at the start of the day is “how are you.”

But then again. I had those students whose parents don’t care. And no one cares for them. So that question can really flip that child’s world upside down, even for a brief moment. And maybe it’s the purity of the child’s heart to accept the authenticity of that phrase. To feel grateful for those few seconds where it IS about him or her and not about the 6 brothers and sisters, the alcohol problem at home and the mother working 3 jobs.

But. I realize. I really love and detest that question. Maybe because it’s said out of propriety. Or perhaps because it’s simply an expected custom. Or maybe even in the slightest, there is a sense of decorum in the room or conversation. But as I was scrutinizing and dissecting my own responses and my heart, I feel just like that small student who is desperately looking for the right words, while her tiny heart is ticking before it detonates into the frightful mush of emotions, tears and defeat. The words that fail to even evoke the feelings and emotions of this wild human heart are maybe…. conceivably only… expressed by the simplicity and starkness of “Fine. Good. Okay.” Maybe those few words are used to encompass the wildness of the human heart, shun, envelop, conceal, disguise, protect, and defend the nakedness of the human heart. Or maybe, it’s because you really feel that way. Who knows.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The greatest job in the world: a cleaning lady



A conversation between one of my students:

Mary 샘: What is the best job in the whole wide world?

Student: A cleaning lady!

Mary 샘: A cleaning lady? Do you know what that is?

Student: Yes, of course, teacher! A cleaning lady is someone who cleans!

Mary 샘:Uh, why?

Student: A cleaning lady is so nice. No one wants to touch disgusting stuff and clean dirty things, but they do what people don't want to do. They make dirty things clean again! They're always smiling and always so nice. So that is why I think that is the best job in the whole wide world.


Speechless and dumbfounded, I stood. Yes, in a completely corrupt world, there was one little girl who saw an unrespectable job as respectable one. An unwanted job suddenly became a coveted one. Wow. In that moment, I saw a purity I thought had disappeared....

Other kids might say "doctor," "lawyer," "teacher" or some other job imposed by their parents, but no, she said "cleaning lady." Such secularized thoughts such as "poor family, poor education, low status, an unrespectable job" never even crossed her mind. She only saw a simple lady, serving another person.

At that moment, a gentle breeze of hope became an unexpressable joy. Her glistening eyes and bright smile revitalized my dull spirit and ignited my excitement for teaching once again.

Today, I saw Tim Rhee's Teacher's Trip video to Kenya. A chicken crossed the front of a barn-like classroom, while the dusty dark room kept only a few essentials necessary in a classroom. Yet, the next scene showed a beautiful teacher with a small easel chalkboard outside, while it looked like 50 children, sat outside bustling about, excited to learn.

Then I looked at every single Kenya picture from the CFC Africa Team 2009 and just by looking at those pictures, I am SO STRENGTHENED.

Lately, I felt like I was living each day, just passing each day by... just passing.... p a s s i n g .....

And, I feel renewed. It's so strange. I feel alive. I feel JESUS IS GOOD. It's so hard to explain. My complicated rush of emotions, swirling with the Spirit's energy and prayers, My heart started to realize Mary is here to serve.

Looking at the Africa pictures and seeing that there are real people out there in need of love. And the people without anything have the most love. the most! There is love in Christ. There is love in Jesus. People need this love.

NO matter what country I am in.
NO matter what age.
NO matter what background.
NO matter what past.
It's time to share this love.

Just like that unnoticed cleaning lady, serving the lowest of the lowest people. I too. Me too. There's nothing I'd rather do than serve You.

There's nothing I'd rather do than serve You.



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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

예배합니다



완전하신 나의 주 의의 길로 날 인도하소서
행하신 모든 일 주님의 영광 다 경배합니다
완전하신 나의 주 의의 길로 날 인도하소서
행하신 모든 일 주님의 영광 다 경배합니다

예배합니다 찬양합니다 주님만 날 다스리소서
예배합니다 찬양합니다 주님 홀로 높임 받으소서

완전하신 나의 주 의의 길로 날 인도하소서
행하신 모든 일 주님의 영광 다 경배합니다

예배합니다 찬양합니다 주님만 날 다스리소서
예배합니다 찬양합니다 주님 홀로 높임 받으소서


let this be the cry of my heart.


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