조코파이...

"Choco Pie"...
I was sitting here talking with Pastor Paul and I tried to give him half of my Choco Pie. It's the Korean equivalent of a Moon Pie although not as big. That seems to be the common theme here. They have everything we do, just not as big. Clothes, cars, tables, portions and of course people.

However, I did see a huge dog the other day. He was loose at the train station, and his owner was yelling at him and pointing down the alley. After nosing around for a few seconds, he turned and lumbered toward home. I couldn't get my camera out in time. He looked like a Malamute, but he had to weigh at least 150 lbs. and had a huge box like head. He was one of the biggest dogs I have seen anywhere, so you can imagine the added surprise of seeing him here in a country where everything is 2 sizes smaller. I wear a XXXL t-shirt here by the way, and they don't have many of them.

Back to the Choco Pie. I tried to tear it in half. The chocolate cookie broke easily, but the chemically reinforced marshmallow would not budge. I pulled and pulled, careful not to crumble the cookie, but the only thing the marshmallow wanted to do was to separate from the cookie. With persistance and persperation, I finally succeeded only to hear Pastor Paul say, "No thanks."

Warning: Bad humor ahead!!

Times like this make me think of biblical things, and I recognized the analogy in this moment. We are often pulled in different directions. Sometimes the strain is enough to break us, but the Holy Spirit does not budge. He is the glue that holds us together. We are pulled and pulled, but he reinforces us, giving us the strength to hold on.

I told Pastor Paul I knew this was a "stretch." He only rolled his eyes and nodded.

My Vision (Part 2)...

Before you read this post, you should read "My Vision..." just below.

If you could have any wild animal as a totally domesticated, tame pet, what would it be? I'm not talking about an animal you tie up in the back yard. I'm talking about a pal, a buddy, a playmate, a companion. Someone you could talk to and who would trust you with his life. Have you decided yet? I have...

I want a hippo. Think about it. I could walk my hippo. I could play fetch with my hippo. I could rub my hippo's belly and make him kick his leg (away from furniture of course). I could lay in the grass with my hippo and use his belly as a pillow. I could convert the back yard into a hippo playground complete with mud pit. I could train him to use the newly installed car wash before he comes in the house. I could impress the ladies by taking him to the dog park. He could do tricks, and I could enter him in local agility competitions. There is just one restriction I can think of: the bed would be completely off limits.

I read in Revelation about the new heaven and the new earth. I imagine it will be what God originally intended, only better. We will enjoy full lives and relationship with Him unhindered by sin. We will tend the garden and interact with the animals free of fear or danger. And I will have a hippo friend...and maybe a lion. We'll go places together and enjoy God's new creation. You can come, too...

I was looking around on the net for some pictures and could not resist including these:

Walking your hippo...
Photogenic hippo...Swimming with your hippo...And here is the touching story of Owen & Mzee (click here)...

My Vision...

I just received a vision, and I now know exactly what heaven will be like. It was a pure moment of clarity, and it reminded me that I can still count on the future that God has promised.

Imagine with me:

You are standing at the head of a table. A looooooong table. A veeeeeerrry looooooong table. A table that stretches beyond the horizon, beyond your comprehension, for all eternity. It gives off a radiant glow much like you've seen in movies, yet with a life that is refreshing and new. You look closer and see the source of the glow. On the table are countless platters arranged end to end as far as the eye can see. And on the platters is every imaginable kind of fresh, hot, melt in your mouth....donuts. Yes, these are heavenly donuts. Each bite is more satisfying than the last, and you never get too full.

For the first 1,000 years I'm going to eat glazed. For the next 1,000 I may eat chocolate or boston creme, I haven't decided yet. OK, you think I'm crazy, but wait just a minute. God uses images that we consider precious to give us a glimpse of heaven. Streets of gold, gates of pearl, mansions. Why not an endless table of donuts? You see, all of these, while they may be truthful, are intended to show us that God Himself is more precious than anything we can imagine. These images pale in comparison to His radiance and glory, and you and I are the beneficiaries of His love and provision.

I've always marveled at God's creation. Snow capped mountains, sunrise, brilliant star filled skies. If you never have, you should go into the country on a clear evening. Find a nice open field miles away from artificial light. Put down a blanket and lay there with your eyes on the sky. You will be astounded as the light fades and the stars begin to appear. Each moment you will think there could not be more, but there will be, and you will marvel and worship. Take you children, and show them who God is.

I am awestruck by these things, and then I read that there will be no night in heaven. Sometimes, I'm puzzled by that, thinking, "Why would you not want us to see that?" But then He reminds me that these things are only a veiled glimpse of His glory. He has so much more to show us. And best of all, He will be there.

Revelation 21:22-23 "I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God's glory illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb."

You should read John's full description: Revelation 21-22

You should know how this thought process began. One of the staff member's wives brought in a box of Dunkin Donuts this morning. I'll bet she never imagined God would use her in this way. What a beautiful site! .... and she's pretty, too.

Oh, did I mention the Starbucks to the left of the donut table? They give unlimited refills, and there is never a line...

Sleepless in South Korea...

One benefit of living half-way around the world from home is that there is always a friend awake. I've got new friends with whom I share the daylight hours, but sometimes I'm a nocturnal creature. I've had several nights like this, unable to sleep, and it is always encouraging to be able to call home and talk to someone. My 2:00 a.m. is lunch time there. So, I call and catch up and receive that intangible something that makes us family.

I wondered briefly what I would do after returning, but then I remembered that I have friends here who will gladly carry on a conversation no matter the hour where I am. It reminds me of another friend I have...

Psalm 121
1 I raise my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.

4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.

Ski Trip...

Monday was a great day! I drove down with Pastor Paul and enjoyed wonderful fellowship and skiing. I had planned to come back to Daejeon that night, but they talked me into staying overnight. I got my first experience with Korean Sauna. They are made of red clay which radiates the heat really well. They say it even gives off some good things, but I'll have to study up on that. (That's Pastor Jung and me.)

I had so many good pictures of the skiing that I decided to make a video. I've always found the mountain to be a worshipful place. But this time it was extra special. Once as I was on the slope alone, the thought came to me..."I'm skiing in Korea!" Wow! The world is a much smaller place now, and God truly has it in his hand...

(I added a full screen version on Facebook: click here)

Driving in Korea...

The staff is going on a retreat Sunday thru Wednesday, and I'm joining them Monday for skiing. How you ask? I'm driving! That's right...I'm hitting the road...on my own...map in hand....

Jae Suk is setting up the navigation system and I'm going to study GoogleEarth. That with some key Korean words to look for and I should be fine. He took me on a test drive and told me I passed...that is until I got back to the church...

The Vagabond...

For my growing Korean readership (and a couple of Americans)... a "vagabond" is a wanderer or someone who moves from place to place without a fixed home.

Wednesday night another funny thing happened. After worship (which was wonderful again), we all went to the home of a Praise Team member who will be leaving for the Philippines soon. She and her husband and children will be serving there for a couple of years, so we had a big meal as a send off. We had a great time laughing and eating, and I tried to show off my proficiency with chop sticks. I keep trying to toss small objects into the air and catch them. It actually worked once. I was in the Everlove church dining room and tossed a stringy green thing up and caught it on the first try. Jae Suk (David) said, "WOWWWW!" I nodded confidently and said, "I'm a better Korean than you are." Of course you should never try to repeat beginner's luck...

Anyway, at the meal Wednesday night, Mi Jin complimented me on my pronunciation and reading of Hangeul. She said she couldn't believe I had learned so much in only 3 months, but I assured her it was merely a game to me. I began asking questions about rules and such, and we had a good time of quizzing. They would give me a word or a name, and I would try to write it down. Then someone (usually Yeon Hee or Hoo Hyeon, who were sitting on either side of me) would correct me. We continued to eat and play language games until Yeon Hee looked up at the clock and said, "Jeff! You should go to the train station!!" I had forgotten all about the time. It was 10:17 and the last train was at 10:45.

After hurried goodbyes, Geon Yeong, the 12th grader, led me to the main road to try for a taxi. We stood there and watched as several occupied taxis went by. Minutes ticked away. He was appologetic, but I assured him that is was my fault and that everything would be fine. I've learned a little about trust, and I know how hospitible these people are. While I hadn't planned it, for me it was just another part of the big adventure. Eventually we decided it was no use, so we went back to the party. We all laughed about it, and Pyeong Su worked the phone. It's an interesting feeling to sit there while others plan your future in another language. I've learned to just wait and see what I get...sort of like Christmas morning.

After some discussion I was told I would be staying with Jae Chan and Yeon Ju. Yeon Ju is also on the praise team, and you may remember her from Pizza Hut pictures in November and Christmas pictures a couple of weeks ago. Here is Jae Chan and me at Christmas.

After dropping Yeon Hee off at her appartment building nearby, Jae Chan took me to their home. Yeon Ju hopped out and, running across the parking lot, yelled back, "Jeff! Sorry! You must stay in car 5 minutes." I laughed and Jae Chan agreed that she was cleaning up the place.

We stayed up until after 2:00 a.m. talking and looking at our respective blog pages. I showed them my facebook pictures and talked about the babies. We looked at both our homes on GoogleEarth, and we talked about America. Yeon Ju reminded me that they are moving to Atlanta in April. I had repeatedly thanked them for taking this homeless man in, and she just said I could return the favor for them some day. We will definitely visit when they get there. After about 4 hours sleep and breakfast, Jae Chan went to work and I went to the train station and then home to Daejeon.

I've been thinking about how hard it will be to leave this place. I feel as though I have two homes now. I'm definitely feeling the urge to return, but it is difficult to leave the new friends I've made. It's nice to know I'll get to come back in June. And in the mean time I'll have some friends nearby in America. I guess you could say I'm bringing a little Korean home with me afterall...

WOW...

God continues to demonstrate His presence and power in my life. I'm aware some of you are worried about me after the last post. But don't miss the real message. There could be no shadow in the valley if the light of God's presence did not exist. And it is during those dark times that we see God's light the most.

As you might expect, God speaks to me most often in a language I understand...music. I wish I had counted the number of times this has happened in the past 3 months. It seems every week He uses someone else to send me a special message. It has been through the scripture passage chosen for the sermon. It has been through videos. And it has been through songs others have chosen for worship times. Last night was the latest example.

I went to Seoul again and worshiped with the Praise Team at Calvary church. I was there early and practiced with the band and Pyeong Su, the worship leader. Each week he says to me, "You are free!" which means, "Sing in English while we sing in Hangeul. We'll worship God together." He had selected 10 songs to use during the 1 hour praise time. Several of the songs were familiar, and I printed up the words ahead of time. The others were fairly easy to pick up, and I enjoyed singing the Hangeul.

As we reached the last song, a familiar feeling began to rise inside me. I hadn't taken the time to examine it beforehand, but at that moment I knew God was speaking again. The title of the song is "Still."

[Verse 1]

Hide me now
Under Your wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hand

[Chorus]

When the oceans rise
And thunders roar
I will soar with You
Above the storm
Father You are King
Over the flood
I will be still and know
You are God

[Verse 2]

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust

Now, what would you think was going on? God was sending me a clear message...again. He said, "I heard you yesterday talking about the storm in your life. I want to prove to you once again that I know exactly what is going on. You can trust me. Rely on me. Be still."

That's how it has been over here. Time after time, God has proven Himself faithful. I still don't have the answers I seek, but I'm at peace...for the most part. (Jeff still tries to handle the situation sometimes.) Just remember, peace and joy CAN exist during the storm. In fact, that's when they are the most powerful.

Here's the song again...enjoy.