Shoeshine Robot

Saw this strange "shoeshine robot" machine at Seoul Station and my shoes were pretty scuffed up so I gave it a try. (1,000 won which is about $1US) You should have seen all the curious Koreans flock around to see what the silly foreigner was up to...After much observation, most wanted to try this unusual contraption out for themselves! As this machine roughly polished my shoes, I could just imagine the headlines, "Foreigner gets his foot hacked off in novelty machine in Seoul..." Thank God I walked away with both legs!

Clear or Cloudy?

Looking out of the train at the magnificence of God's creation made me recall a conversation I had with a good friend recently. She thinks clear blue skies are gorgeous. I happen to think having clouds in the sky (as in this photo) gives the view more character and is much more beautiful. What do you think?

Are you a Christian Interested in Teaching at a Korean Christian University?

The Department of Language Education is currently recruiting assistant professors for the 2006 school year. (Starting March, 2006) Should you wish to be considered for this 1 year contract position, please follow the link and download the DLE faculty application.
http://teachenglish.handong.edu
All requirements are listed in the download at the link.
Compensation:
Salary
Shared Office in DLE building
Korea National medical insurance
1 RT ticket from home
Free guest housing (excludes maintenance fee and utilities)
(Large families are difficult to accomodate and must find their own housing. Guest housing is a two bedroom apartment with a single bathroom, and kitchen. Telephone, satellite TV, and internet provided at all facilites.)
For more information, please contact
Kirk Turnmire: kturnmire@handong.edu
DLE Faculty Recruitment Coordinator
personal note - I am finishing up my 2nd year here at the end of February and so far, I'm loving it! We'd love to have you!

It's rice harvesting time in Korea as you can see from this photo I took on the "KTX bullet train" from Seoul to Taegu on Sunday afternoon. (which travels up to speeds of 300 km/h!) They say that the fields of rice, when ready for harvest, look like gold in the eyes of farmers who rely on a good crop to provide their needs throughout the year.

Damascus, Davinci Code & Doomsday

I wonder if my Christian brothers are careful about what they are reading/watching in the media these days.

"evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." (II Timothy 3:13)
"Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and and the antichrist.." (II John 1:7)
"he (Satan) deceived the inhabitants of the earth..." (Revelation 13:14)
"...that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." (II Cor. 2:11)

Sometimes I am able to catch a small glimpse of how Satan uses the media to deceive the nations. A few days ago an interview on CNN was one such example. In discussing possible Syrian involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, one news announcer stated,
"There are more traces of the Syrian involvement than there are clues in the Davinci Code."
The reporter was strongly implying that Dan Brown's novel, which Brown himself stated to be a factitious story, was "gospel truth". He was basically asserting that the Bible was not only in error but a large fabrication of the life, death and resurrection of our Lord and yet... he did it so quickly, subtlely and without debate.
By the way, keep your eye on Damascus. (And the Middle East as a whole)
Many bible scholars feel that the destruction of Damascus prophesized in Isaiah 17 has yet to occur and will happen in our day...Damascus is known as one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world and apart from a few battles has never really seen the destruction the Bible clearly reveals. (Some of you may not even own a Bible, so I'll quote it here for you now:)
"An oracle concerning Damascus: "See Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins." (Isaiah 17:1)
Many feel that America is slowly making her case (as she did with Afghanistan and Iraq, whether you agree with those actions or not) for military intervention there. First, Americans tried to show that weapons very possibly could have been brought to Syria from Iraq. Then, they tried to suggest that many former Iraqi commanders and illegal funds were diverted there. Now, they are strongly demanding Syrian cooperation in detaining Syrian officials or individuals suspected of involvement of the assassination.
We are certainly living in exciting times. It will be interesting to see how it all ties in with the unchanging Word of God!!!

The Korean National Assembly

A passing shot of the Korean National Assembly building. Mr. Chun (our church custodian) took me on a tour there about a year ago just before he retired from working there. If you ever get a chance to visit, it's worth the trip.

"63 Building"

Another shot of Seoul, Korea along the Han River. The tall building on the left is "The 63 building" (because there are 63 floors). This building, I believe, is still the tallest in Korea (correct me if I'm wrong) and is still a popular place to visit.

Speaking of C.N.N., do you think CNN knows about this unauthorized restaurant/pub in Seoul bearing their name/logo?! Copyright infringement laws upheld in Korea?! WHATEVER! You would be amazed at how many "Snoopy Language Institutes" and other such things are openly copied here without any legal repercussions.

Vitamin M

Was watching C.N.N. (which has rightfully been referred to as The Communist News Network...) yesterday and there was a gentleman involved in the aidwork in Pakistan due to the recent earthquake. The news reporter asked him what was the ONE thing they needed most of all right now...
The guy responded, "More than anything, we need Vitamin M...MONEY!"
I thought about that statement in light of Matthew 6:24.
OF COURSE money is needed now (don't get me wrong) and yes, we must do all that is possible to give real physical help NOW but it is NOT the #1 thing needed. The Vitamin M that is needed by all is "MERCY". God's unearned, undeserved, unmerited GRACE. That grace comes only through faith in God through the finished work of Christ on the cross. (& even then we still struggle through the challenges of this sin infested world until called home to glory!) The biggest ultimate help we can give to anyone is the hope that is found only in the gospel!
Let us keep our Christian brothers/sisters who are now in such tragic locations around the world in fervent prayer that God would bring healing and reconciliation to the world through THE truth they reveal and the love of Christ they share!

"Konglish"

KOrean thinking + attempt to put in eNGLISH = "KONGLISH" This ad from SamSung is a good example of how some things sound a little strange and just don't work when attempting to translate into English.

"He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, by His wounds we are healed" [Isaiah 53:5].

Pastoral Letter (Oct. 25,2005)

Dear Friends!

When you look around at the people who are here at Handong, what do you see? Do you see impressive people, dressed in fine clothes, who have it all together?
Or do you see hurting people in need of comfort; troubled people in need of peace; sick people who need healing?

At the pool of Bethesda, there was a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years. He had been a burden to people. He probably had little sense of self-worth. Jesus had pity on him & healed him. And it's one of the few times the Scripture records Jesus healing someone when He was not asked to do so.How wonderful a person Jesus was to the man! Jesus saw the whole man, not just a fragment. He saw his possibilities, not just his handicap. He was concerned about his soul, not just his body. Jesus made him completely whole.

We are all handicapped by sin. We can't heal ourselves. All the suggested cures of this world are futile. But the blood-stained hands of Jesus reached out to us. "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, by His wounds we are healed" [Isaiah 53:5].

There is healing power in the touch of Jesus. He is reaching out to you. Do you want to get well?