So my first perm wasn't very curly, and after a week, it was basically straight again. So we called the lady who permed it, and she very graciously offered to do it again for free. I practiced a lot of Korean while she was perming it too, and even though my Korean's really bad, it gave me a little confidence that I can carry a barely comprehensible conversation^^. I think this one is better, and it's definitely more curly. You can decide for yourself ^_^
So today I saw Kung Fu Panda, and I got to tell you, it was really good. It was everything I could have hoped it to be. I wasn't really expecting that much, so I got a lot more than I bargained for. It was funny, incredibly entertaining, gripping, and filled with so many great and hillarious action scenes. Overall, definitely an A movie that's great for the whole family. I definitely recommend it.
But really the only reason I felt it blog worthy to discuss, is because of how much God showed me through this seemingly paper-thin comedy. The whole movie is about this Panda who loves Kung Fu, but is by far the least likely candidate for Kung Fu greatness. Well, there's supposed to be a "chosen one" (like every Western take on a martial arts film), who will become the Dragon Master. And "Po", the Panda, by a sheer accident, or so it seems, is prophecied to be the chosen Dragon Master. Everyone, including his own master, doubts him, and everyone at the Temple tries to make him quit.
And worst of all, a seemingly unbeatable foe is headed their way to take the dragon scroll that can only be read by the Dragon Master. Well, I won't ruin the whole film for those who haven't seen it, but you can guess where it goes. And on the surface, it doesn't seem like much maybe, but about 3/4 of the way through the film I felt a great emotional surge, and I felt like the Spirit was working in my heart.
I realized, that just like Po, God chooses the weak to lead the strong. God uses the most unlikely candidates, to do the most powerful things for the Kingdom. Po in the film, was really helpless on his own. There were five other Kung Fu masters who despised him, and yet they could not do what he did, because they weren't the chosen one.
In the same way, even though there are many many people out their so much more skilled than us, we are still a royal priesthood. We are children of God. We are a "chosen" people. And for that reason, we are meant for great things. And watching the film, I got really choked up thinking about how much love God has for me, that he would choose me.
You know I'm sure everyone walked out of that theater wishing that they had some special "destiny" for themselves, where they would be the "chosen one." Christians and non-Christians alike. And it's sad that non-Christians don't realize that greatness awaits them if they accept Christ. And it's also sad that many people who are Christians don't realize the significance of their lives.
I hope and pray that God would continue to reveal his purpose for my life. Whether it's to become a Kung Fu master (which I highly doubt), a film-maker, stay an English teacher for 20 more years ^__^, or something else; I am desperately seeking guidance in my life at this point, and Kung Fu Panda gave me hope that in due time, God will reveal the next step for me.
On another note, last Monday I got my hair permed. I think it looks pretty good, but it's not very "permy." In fact, almost nobody even noticed it. I'm thinking to get it done again, and I think they won't charge me since it didn't really do much the first time. We'll see, but anyway, here's a picture of it anyway. I think it looks pretty good, but can you tell it's a perm??^__^
I've been listening to a lot of David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) recently, and he's such an amazing artist, and such a complex one as well. Back on my xanga site, I wrote a big post, that was somewhat critical of Bazan, even though I hadn't heard much of him. But it seemed like he wasn't exactly the best role model of what a Christian singer should be.
Then I saw him in concert, and I changed a lot of my views. First of all, I liked his music. My friend Jeff had played his CDs in the car sometimes on the way to and from Geneva, but I didn't really like it that much. But when I saw him in concert at Geneva, I really liked him a lot. He was also so friendly and funny. And his songs just had so much spirit in the way he sung them. I could tell there was a lot to this man.
Now, I like his music more and more I listen to it, but I still don't know what I make of it all. It's definitely not the happiest music, and he's got some pretty heavy stuff in his songs. He also is very obtuse in his thoughts on Christianity. He says a lot of contradictory things it seems, and it seems like he still has a lot of stuff that he's working out. He definitely isn't church friendly in his choice of language, that's for sure, and after reading a bunch of his interviews, I get the sense that he's a very jaded guy in general.
But with all of that said, I love his music right now, and he's just a very veyr interesting person to me. I wish I could sit down and chat with this guy, and know what the deal is. I want to know what God has done in his life, because I'm sure it's a lot, but it's hard to know how Bazan percieves it all.
Well, without further introduction, here's a couple links to youtube songs that I think are a good representation of him:
I was really hit hard by this story, and it really makes you re-evaluate how you view God, time, and your perception of life. This is a powerful example of Holy Spirit doing some amazing work in people's lives. I personally don't know how they did it: (picture added by me. And soon, some great pictures of some great trips are coming up ^__^)
In his book, Passion, Karl Olsson tells a story of incredible patience among the early French Protestants called Huguenots. In the late Seventeenth Century in… southern France, a girl named Marie Durant was brought before the authorities, charged with the Huguenot heresy. She was fourteen years old, bright, attractive, marriageable. She was asked to abjure the Huguenot faith. She was not asked to commit an immoral act, to become a criminal, or even to change the day-to-day quality of her behavior. She was only asked to say, “J’abjure.” No more, no less. She did not comply. Together with thirty other Huguenot women she was put into a tower by the sea…. For thirty-eight years she continued…. And instead of the hated word J’abjure she, together with her fellow martyrs, scratched on the wall of the prison tower the single word Resistez, resist! The word is still seen and gaped at by tourists on the stone wall at Aigues-Mortes…. We do not understand the terrifying simplicity of a religious commitment which asks nothing of time and gets nothing from time. We can understand a religion which enhances time…. but we cannot understand a faith which is not nourished by the temporal hope that tomorrow things will be better. To sit in a prison room with thirty others and to see the day change into night and summer into autumn, to feel the slow systemic changes within one’s flesh: the drying and wrinkling of the skin, the loss of muscle tone, the stiffening of the joints, the slow stupefaction of the senses—to feel all this and still to persevere seems almost idiotic to a generation which has no capacity to wait and to endure. (116-117)
Ok so there's a lot I need to update people about. Mainly just by putting up a lot of sweet pictures, because I've been going to a lot of sweet places recently:)
But quickly I just wanted to say goodbye for a while to my friend Hyun Gyu (he's the one on the right of the picture. Hyun Seok's on the left). I met maybe 2 months after I came to South Korea, and he's been a great friend to me. I met him at church, and he's been going to the English ministry with me. He's taken me to a lot of cool places. We went to Jeon Ju together, where he attended college. We also went to Gyeongbok palace and Seonyudo. He's been one of many guides to Korea, and I've been very greatful for his friendship.
On Tuesday, he's going into the Army. Every male in Korea has to go to the army at some point, and now Hyun Gyu's going. It's definitely sad to have a good friend leave, but he's actually excited to go, so I'm happy for him. And hopefully I'll see him again someday.
This reminds me of how much God has blessed me with so many great friends here. People like Angela, Hyun Gyu, Hyun Seok, Song Gu, and so many others have really been great blessings in my life, and I'm so greatful that God has put them in my life.
Coming soon updates: My mountain trip and one also one of the best Saturdays I've had here ( a bus tour to three great spots with friends!! (complete with pictures :) )
I think it's important for Christians to know what people are saying against us. There are a lot of voices out there that are criticizing Christians. But they are in a bigger sense, criticizing all religions, but they tend to single out Christianity since it's the dominant religion in our society.
Figures such as Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Bill Maher, and George Carlin are all very outspoken in their disdain for religion. Both Dawkins and Hitchens have written best-selling books that try to convince people that atheism is right, while Maher and Carlin use comedy to try and prove why they think religion is so stupid. These guys are voices for a lot of people these days, and I think there's a lot of hostility right now towards conservative evangelicals in the U.S. I find it very interesting and troubling at the same time listening to these guys speak. There whole life seems centered around trying to disprove God, and we should be aware of it. Just as Paul argued with the philosophers of his day, we should also be able to give good reasons for the hope that is within us.
The thing I find very interesting, is that all of these men rehash the same arguments over and over again, and most of them are pretty weak arguments in my opinion, and they show a clear lack of true understanding of the Bible. For being so smart, these men have failed to properly analyze the data properly. As Christians, we should know the arguments being launched against us.
First, Dawkins and Hitchens try to pit science against religion. They are convinced that God has no place in the "age of reason and science." Even though anyone with a pair of eyes can attest to the majesty of God in creation, these men are convinced that all of this beautiful creation is the result of a pointless accident.
Many of them also have a catholic background, and it's clear that they hold a very big grudge. Both Carlin and Maher have said identical things, somewhere along the lines of, "I used to be Catholic until I reached the age of reason or logic." They all boil religion down to praying to a "space daddy." And they are very angry about what they think religion does to society. Maher goes so far as to say that every person who has a religion has mental problems. But I'd say these two men are more agnostics than atheists.
And one of the big things these men love to do is to take the Bible completely out of context. They love taking random verses out of the Bible and judging them in a totally out of context fashion. Maher complains about how violent the Bible is, and how it shouldn't be a moral guide, and yet, in the next breath, he'll admit that Jesus is the best role model of all time. He's not even consistent in his arguments.
They also all look at sin in the world, and blame God, instead of blaming humans, which they should do. They are right in assessing that the world is messed up, but their cause and solution to the problem is totally off-based.
These men are all very intelligent people, I can't deny that. And yet, their intelligence faulters in so many ways. They have complex and ironic arguments, but in the end, their foundation is clearly off, and everything they build it upon crumbles. I find that these people are only preaching to the choir. They love trapping jaded, angry agnostics into the same propoganda over and over again. I've heard a lot of what they say, and it's the same thing over and over again, and it's not well-thought out.
And all of these men have a god. It's first of all, themselves, and secondly, reason. The worship their own abilities to think. And yet, all of their energy and efforts fail to bring them any real joy or hope. They have no answers for the big questions of life. They only have complaints. They have no solutions, only questions. And they fail to recognize all of the glory of God that is right before their eyes.
My prayer is that some serious Christian thinkers would start becoming as big public figures as these other men are. My prayer is that God would take the scales off of their eyes, and show them their errors. My prayer is that loving Christians would show Jesus to these men, and that they would stop using their efforts to try and bring down the Kingdom, but instead, use it to glorify God.
