Korea-shaped bread!

I hesitate to post this one.

It was not as shocking as the Korean beef

And yet, it was still interesting

So, here's Korean bread

which appeared on the breakfast

after I just carelessly bite a piece of bread

of a whole wheat toast

It came out on July 27, 2010

around 9am (EST)

We'll see later what happened in Korea around that time...

a loser?

Don't worry, nobody can make you a loser...
...but YOURSELF.

So, YOU are the most or the only fearful enemy.

Now, you know what?

Practice "Love your enemies."

...and see how it goes...

Needless to say, it is so important to experience how losers might feel
so that you can be of help to many people around you...

Thank God for headache--an Alarm

A Chinese doctor said, "Headache is not head's problem, but it is an alarm."
"What kind of alarm is it?"
"Sometimes your liver has problem and it cannot send enough energy to head, so you will have a headache. The problem is your liver and not a head."

Then he said, "But the Western medicine try to fix the headache itself by giving a painkiller medicine. Then what will happen to the liver which is the real problem?"

"Hmm... the problem will not be fixed..."
"Right, it will not even be noticed, then it will just grow bigger unnoticed."

He said, "alarm". I think it's a good metaphor. Imagine someone broke into your house and tried to steal something, then alarm goes off! Now, if you think, "Oh, alarm is so noisy and annoying, let's try to stop it, then use all kinds of possible methods to stop the alarm. When alarm got stopped, you feel relieved. Ok, it's fixed. And continue what you do. Then what will happen? The real problem--somebody broke in and tried to steal something (maybe stolen already)--will not be solved and not even noticed.

Ok, so, who would react to the alarm that way? You think nobody will be that ignorant to do that way. Yes, you got it right. You will react to the alarm that way only if you are "ignorant."

So, if you are taking a painkiller when you have a headache, you may be "ignorant", thus real problem may grow bigger...

Put God first? CHANCE?

One important aspect of religion is that it encourages us to put the first priority in God.

1. Do you live according to what you think is right? or,
2. Do you live according to what you think God wants you to do?

In case of (1), you are the center, while in case of (2), God is the center
My conscience seems to tell me to choose (2) at this point.

(1) might include: "habitual" life, "secular" life, self-satisfaction, fear, lack of confidence and conviction, following people and not God, worrying about people's eyes, all other "worries", frustration, anxiety, anger, following emotion, self-righteous, judging people, think and strategize by your thinking, not realizing that you are putting yourself first/forgetting about God, and thus not being serious about this point, and thus not making effort to change that direction,

(2) might include: true humility, deep consideration, deep confidence and conviction, basic peace, experience God's presence and his involvement, heart of sympathy and compassion, gratitude, seek for God's guidance, give enemy the benefit of doubt, try to see the bigger picture, deep commitment based on love,

It is so easy to get into the mode (1), but my conscience tells me to choose (2) no matter how challenging it is.

If everything is fine, it is so easy to automatically choose (1).
If something unexpected comes up, then that would provide us a very precious chance to take the option (2) But this is not automatic. It requires us to decide to choose (2).

First, report everything (with honesty and detail) to God
Then, ask him what he would want to say
Then, listen to what he says
And follow what you believe he wants you to do

It is still a CHANCE!

Thank God for unhappiness!

Are you happy?
This is another checkpoint.
You are supposed to be happy
If you are not happy, then something is wrong
Immediately, speak to your conscience, and figure out what is the problem

It is good, in a way
It is like a sickness
Sickness is the sign to tell you that you should take care of your body
If your body needs care and if you don't know, then you will collapse
Therefore, God has to give you a sign so that you can take care of your body
That is sickness.

It is the same as why God made poo poo to smell very bad
If it smells very good, then maybe people may eat it and get sick
That's why out of love and care, it is made bad smell (I just guess, I don't know if it's true or not)

Therefore, being unhappy is also a sign given by God
so that you can take care of something internal about you

Don't get too external...

When you become so serious about accomplishing the goal, sometimes you become too external oriented, and forget about internal aspect
Then, things will not happen as you expected
and you may get so tired and exhausted
or maybe insecure or frustrated

That is a good chance to learn something different
You adjust your focus on internal aspect more, and try again

If you rely on external aspect, such as external capability, your accomplishment will be limited
You need to learn how to use your internal capability, which may include your ability to mobilize (or connect to) the "heavenly fortune"

You will work hard for a while to accomplish your goal.
But if you are too externally focused, then what will stay with you after everything is over
You are meant to accomplish something invisible, but something which you will be able to carry with you even after the period is over

Always be humble, be thankful, and be sincere
Let God be with you all the time!

Don't underestimate your potential

You tend to say, "I am not good at..."

Be careful.

If it's what God is telling you, then listen humbly
then repent and change
But if it's what the devil is telling you, do not listen
Tell him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' " (Matt 4:7)

It is not you who put you in where you are
asking you to do the task
It is GOD who did it
because he knows you can do it
That's how he is giving you a chance for you to discover what amazing potential he has given to you

Who are you to dare to challenge God by tempting you
telling you that you cannot do it
That's how you should deal with that voice from the devil
And that's how you will experience that living God right next to you

Labeling blinds you anyway

Labeling someone is not good because that would blind you and your ability to identify the real enemy might be affected.
Then if you cannot see the enemy clearly, you may have the false picture of who your enemy is. Or, maybe that is what your real enemy would want you to do.

Therefore, no matter how evil your enemy looks like, try to refrain from labeling him, but always try to see from real objective view. Also, remember, he has his own parents, spouse, and children who love him and need him not only as the financial source but also as a moral guide.

What do you think? You might win a battle, but what good is it if you lose the war?

frame up

Framing up someone to be a criminal also appears again and again in Korean dramas.

Not only framing up someone as a traitor, but they somehow managed to persuade the king to believe that successfully--knowing that they are lying. In the drama, it is usually the way the hero has to go through.

Eventually when the hero overcomes everything, then the hero appears in public as someone who everybody welcomes.

Those evil close aids of the king usually dies later with heavy punishment. Isn't it a huge crime to persuade the king to believe a righteous person as a traitor by using all kinds of lies? Always the history will be on the side of righteous, so is God.

We are living in the real history; we need to choose which role to play.

Shim Chung and Yi Soon Shin

I think it is very important that Shim Chung and Yi Soon Shin are mentioned as the great example of filial piety and loyalty.

Look carefully.

Shim Chung didn't follow what her father said (or wished) in order to save her father. What if she just obeyed what father said, then eventually father dies.

Yi Soon Shin did not obey the King because he knew that would mean the defeat. What if he just obeyed what the King said, then his country would be defeated.

But, I don't think they made the decision very easily. They must have struggled a lot; whether to take a temporal satisfaction of following their subject, or to risk losing their trust for the moment in order to eventually truly contribute to them.
There must be a lot of unspoken pain and tears involved in their decision.

The level of their filial piety and loyalty was beyond just obeying their parent/king. Their level was for the sake of the benefit of the whole (father's purpose, King's purpose), they were willing to even lose their pride or being temporarily misunderstood (and considered unfilial or a traitor)

The amazing thing is that they didn't stop in the middle, but they went all the way to the end. They didn't receive the recognition for their filial/loyal act during their life in this world.

Today (7/17) in the Bible and the fortune cookies again...

...and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat. (Gen. 8:4)

Again we had a Chinese dinner and we got two fortune cookies, which read:

1. Never fear! The end of something marks the start of something new.

2. The truth is always bearable when told with compassion.

I do believe God can work even through fortune cookies...

Facts reliable?

We are very proud of our knowledge.
Of course there is nothing wrong in having a knowledge about many things
However, if the knowledge is used for a wrong purpose, or with a wrong motivation, then that knowledge has no value, or even has minus value.

I heard that even with the same sets of the "facts", human being has an ability to draw the two totally opposite conclusions.

So, what's the point of having a big knowledge?
Knowledge itself has no value if it's not used for a right purpose and with a right motivation.
It is not nice to be proud of your big knowledge, but in fact, knowing more requires more responsibility for what you know.

Therefore, knowing sometimes is very scary
because it comes with responsibility and expectation
So, why not put your focus on building right purpose and right motivation,
instead of cultivating knowledge for your pride or to hurt people?

Thank God for the pressure

Who loves pressure?
I wish I could say, "Thank you, God, for the pressure!"
To be honest, I don't like pressure
Or, I don't like stressful things

But that means I still have some room to grow (if you say it in a negative way, it means I am still "immature")
I don't know if I can grow that area within my limited lifetime
Anyway, God is not unfair, we all uniquely have something to dislike, but whatever it is...

As long as you are sincere and honest in dealing with life's challenges,
I believe you will find God, or find some connection with God in many different moments of your life
Once you lose sincerity and honesty, your life is no longer exciting
Once you learn how to lie, to others and to yourself
It will be so hard to even think about God
But some people will praise you saying you have grown up to be a "mature adult"
And you will start loving such life, but it will not be exciting anymore

I say this maybe because I am still too young (in a negative way, "immature")

Lie and God

If a leader thinks he can control his members by lies, then that kind of team will perish. So sad are the members under such leaders.

But how can they complain? They could have realized that manipulation, and could have done something about it. They are also collectively responsible.

How hard it is, though, in the real world for general members to detect those lies! We live in such a difficult world, and yet, we cannot blame anyone, we are collectively responsible.

It seems that history is seriously seeking for a truly true people, because if you are not truly true, you may not be able to survive this period.

Of course, we should not forget that God is behind all these happenings. He has a clear purpose and clear way to guide us. We just need to cling to that true God.

My reflection and his wrongdoing

My self-reflection (internal growth) is one thing, someone's wrongdoing is another.
Of course, first I need to look into my internal part when something happens.
But then, if you identify someone's wrongdoing, then you may need to do something about it.
Your internal victory will surely help at least indirectly to influence someone's wrongdoing.

If you are falsely accused and beaten up, but if you never complain, never hate the accuser, gladly take the blow (and pray for your enemy), then after a while people and that enemy's conscience might feel something and eventually they may change, enemy may surrender to you
However, it may take so long and it may not be over before you die.

Is there any other way to influence enemy's conscience, and somehow put him into the situation to voluntarily change? --instead of just getting beaten up while you pray for him?
There must be a way which offensively appeal to his conscience, or at least the conscience of certain group of people who would have power to put a pressure on him to surrender voluntarily.

You cannot use cheating even though your enemy uses it. You need to follow the right path to at least get support from the people and many invisible guys out there, even including God himself.

God's words center? or I center?

When you come to judge someone and especially with some religious fervor (in the name of God...), then you will start to use God's words for the sake of supporting your judgment
That time, you may not be aware what you are doing with God's words

Look at yourself
What is the expected way of how I deal with God's words?
I will humble myself before God's words
and through God's words, all my problems will be exposed
and I humbly repent and with God's grace I determined to overcome my problems
then through God's words there will be a process of healing, and renewal
Anyway the point is God's words are the center and I humbly surrender to God's words

But now what are you doing?
I am trying to push my agenda (such as judging someone, blame him, condemn him...) even to utilize God's words for that purpose. ("See, according to this word, he is absolutely wrong..." etc.)
Now I am the center and I am using God's words for my agenda.
So, religion is so scary. Without knowing we find ourselves doing this at times
One day we have to overcome this problem
if we are to live in the world where everybody can live as a family member with no need of even religion

Therefore, don't judge easily

Therefore, do not hasten to pronounce your judgment
according to your own idea
But, go talk to God, asking what he is planning to accomplish through this
You've got to tackle God to find your answer
The more you find even tears in communicating with him
by being touched by his heart,
the shorter the period of the tribulation
I think God needs many people to cry out in tears
pledging that his will be done

Your arrogance is exposed

And if you think I'm wrong, then just look around
Look and listen carefully what people are saying and doing

If you know Mr. A as a good loving person, then why today is he judging so much?
(***Judging--labeling--having decided somebody is wrong without qualified information but somehow thinking you have qualified information for some reason--such as arrogance=means, you think you know when you don't)
That doesn't mean he just became judgmental/arrogant recently. His hidden arrogance is just getting exposed by what's happening
So all of our hidden problem will be exposed because of the situation.
This is the process of getting cleansed

Therefore, when you see any problem getting exposed on someone, be careful...
Now is your turn, your hidden judgmental heart will now be exposed
So, if you think you see some problem in others, the safe way is to thank God for letting you know your hidden problem exposed through that person, so that you can work on it on yourself
So, it's safe to be internally focused, and based on that
externally seriously seek what God really wants you to do in today's world around you

HE KNOWS EVERYTHING!

I believe that he knows everything.
He is just watching carefully how each of us act.
His only concern is how to raise each of us to be ready to live in the next world (we are not ready, in general...)
The next world of peace and happiness cannot come by any kind of force
nor by punishments; nor by threatening; nor by hypocrisy; nor by political manipulation
nor by LIES
That means every one of us must become true and genuine and free
That means he might need to provide us that chance to obtain all these
Isn't that what's happening today?
So he knows and he cares; his only concern is each of our precious life
Why don't we just believe in him
Then with peace in mind, we can go with his plan
And what if he didn't know?
That's fine, too, but it is a bit less exciting and dramatic
But for you, it is already dramatic enough, so it doesn't matter because...
You are ... of ... and your ... is ...!

God's plan and strategy upon you

I think God is pretty desperate, or, very desperate.
He needs a lot of capable people who can contribute to making this world much better.
Even though it seems that he doesn't have so much manpower, he still have a plan.
He has an ability to completely transform one person just in one month, or even one week.
But, he absolutely needs your cooperation to make it happen. (without you, it's just a joke)
Here's some possible cooperation you could offer:

* First, you believe God can change you within one month. (imagine what kind of change he would want to make upon you--as concrete as you can)
* Second, you put yourself in his shoes, thinking then how much drastic operation he may have to give to you to really make that change happen.
* Third, prepare yourself for his plan #1 approaching anytime to you to change you (means, just get ready to say "yes!" to his next challenge)
* Forth, with the coming of his challenge, just say "yes!" and accept the challenge.
* Fifth, just go through the process together with him.
* Sixth, look at what's happening to you objectively, and recognize his involvement.
* Seventh, keep record (journal, etc.) of his activities at every moment
* Eighth, after one week, reflect the whole week to see more about what his training plan upon you must look like, then make any necessary adjustment to accomplish the goal.
* Ninth, do this reflection every week
* Tenth, Congratulations! Now look at yourself. You are totally different person than one month ago!

Note: no guarantee, though...

Don't wait for someone to come and tell you what to do

Come on, young man! It's YOUR life.
Don't wait someone to come and tell you what to do.
You have to believe in what you do.
Don't let someone dictate your life.
You are much more worthy than a zombie.
And by the way,
Do exercise daily. Strong physical body is so important in whatever you want to accomplish. And when you get into your 30s, it's too late to build your basic health.

Wow! Did you notice that I am telling you to do so many things? Ha ha....

When you feel scary and lonely...

You received some mandate from Heaven.
But you cannot share this feeling--kind of intense, kind of scary, kind of heavy, kind of awesome...
You cannot share this feeling with anyone for some reason...
That's a kind of "lonely" situation and some part of you would want to run away from it
Kind of uncomfortable, and in a way, you feel like crying

Yes, that's where God can step in
and you will have an unforgettable encounter with him
Well, of course no guarantee, though...

A sad thing

Anyway the sad thing is that that was the very final decision which the best of the best people have come up with. I don't know enough, but I wonder if they could have come up with the better decision based on what they know. It is very disappointing...

Scapegoat

"But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all; you do not understand that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they took counsel how to put him to death. Jesus therefore no longer went about openly among the Jews, but went from there to the country near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim; and there he stayed with the disciples. "(John 11: 49-54)

When the powerful leadership has made a decision to sacrifice one person for the sake of the whole (scapegoat theory?), everything started to be done to accomplish that goal. Was that decision truly God's will? There's always justifiable argument to make something as God's will anyway.

Knowing many different situations and arguments, the powerful leaders anyway decided to make up one person as the cause of the problem, and decided to denounce him all the way to the end, for the sake of the unity of the whole. I don't know how much they seriously consider the consequences involved and to me, it sounds so crazy, but religion has a power to do such things.

Are you a blind believer?

If your church is treating you like a blind believer, don't get angry. Don't feel insulted, or don't be disappointed about them. Maybe that is the best thing they believe they could do.

More important question to ask is, "Are you doing what you believe is the best thing?"

Don't waste your time. Life is very short.

Intentional hiding

You know some critical information A and B. But you also know if you share both A and B, then that wouldn't fulfill your purpose. So, you decided to only share A and intentionally hide B. Then surely you will accomplish your purpose.

But, be advised. That is making you a liar.
And your becoming a liar not only would give you its consequence, but the whole people would be at stake, as well as God's will.

For those who have no idea about both A and B, then your explanation might be found to be so helpful. Then you might be appreciated as their savior. But be aware that you are fooling the history.

In case if you are so clear about A and no B, then you might regret one day asking yourself why you did not give B a benefit of doubt.

I am right and you are wrong

Is it possible for human being to get rid of the mentality of "I am right and you are wrong."? This mentality seems to be the core of the problem. As long as we keep this mentality, we have to expect communication breakdown. Especially, religion seems to be encouraging this attitude. Is this something we cannot avoid as human being? --like destiny? or fate?

Can't we see each other as someone who has such tendency as a human being, and try to embrace him knowing this tendency?

In other words, can't we be more humble to God who is living with each person, knowing his situation? In a way, what I am saying may be the same thing as having the heart of a parent in looking at each person.

To be honest, I feel sometimes toward my child, "I am right and you are wrong." But, right after feeling that, I feel my conscience laughing at me, or maybe looking at me with some telling look. In a way, it is like a spitting towards sky (you will soon be spitted upon by your own spit) So, what if we could carry such heart as a parent to everyone?

Self-justification

Whatever we do, we need to believe what we do is right.
We do need to justify what we do.
The challenge is that we should keep our focus on what we do, and not too much on justifying what we do. Sometimes we forget this balance.

What we do give value to people, more than what we say (includes justifying what we do)