A Journey Into, and Out of One's Self

It has been about 3 weeks since I've had to go to the office for work. Schools here in South Korea have been closed, and businesses experienced lulls. There has been a little panic buying but mostly in the mask department. Nothing I wanted to buy except masks has been in short supply. I was even able to receive relatively efficient and careful health care from my doctors who all had screening for people before they were examined to see if they had a fever etc. Almost  suspected cases of covid-19 have be routed to designated testing centers separate from general practice hospitals, and then carefully quarantined. Despite the availability of goods and services some social isolation was requested by the government. Many churches here in South Korea have obeyed the government's suggestions and have gone to online streaming. In my home country of Canada too, many churches are going to online streaming to help with social distancing. Being somewhat isolated from my brothers and sis...

These days I've been thinking a lot about God and creativity.  Above are some interesting interpretations of old hymns. This music is probably an acquired taste but it seems to be a taste I've acquired. When I see these new interpretations of old things I am always reminded we are to "sing to God a new song." These new songs can capture our imagination afresh with the depth and creativity God has given people to produce such a variety of things to bring Him glory. If you're a creative person, I hope you are encouraged and challenged by people around you to create a "new song". When the psalmist writes "Sing to the LORD a new song. There will be a lot of people who say no. There will be a lot of people who don't get it. Search the scriptures and before God ask yourself what is right, and what honors God, what new thing can you create to capture our hearts, minds, emotions, desires and all our spiritual faculties? Every generation ha...

Don't listen to the skeptics, and haters, play the game the way you play it and you just might make it. Be as innocent as a dove and as wise as a serpent.

These days I'm spending a lot of time trying to figure out what I should do with my life. While I don't have a lot of defining moments in my life from mentor or authority figures as to what I should do, I distinctly remember two critical events that could have, did, or will perhaps change my life. The first event was when I wanted to join the military. My parents were pretty open minded when it came to choosing a path for my life. They said if it was something I really wanted to do I should do that. They had only one exception for that. It was when I wanted to join the military. They both strongly persuaded me not to do it. Instead of joining the military I ended up where I live now in South Korea. The second event (which happened to come before my choice to come to Korea), was when I basically gave up on trying to perform all my scales and modes for my music teacher and got a very low grade. When my parents had a parent teacher conference with her she said she was so up...

Having a brief conversation with a new friend of mine she asked me a lot of questions about my life and my future. In the midst of preparing to move next month I suddenly realized that I don't have much space amidst all the things I am currently trying to accomplish to think much more than a few weeks, or even a day into the future. The prospects of my future seem so banal, and bleak at times. The emotional effect of pondering an uncertain future is scary, and unsettling. This is sometimes, and especially for me, at this time, unwise. What the Bible says about the future is that God is sovereign and we are to consider today enough trouble to figure out what we need to do. As the existentialist would point out it is always "now".  We only have now. As someone who thinks a lot it's easy to get lost in the soon, or the earlier so long I neglect now. This train of thought has made me consider what I really ought to do with my life in an ironic way. In thinking about...

Today I learned that my apartment will be sold and my landlady wants me to move out at the end of the contract term. I feel somewhat sad to leave the apartment I have made my home for the past 3 years. I have a lot of potential choices as to where I can live, but at the moment I'm just overwhelmed with the thought of moving. Sad to think I might leave my neighbourhood, and yet somewhat excited to potentially move to a place that will accommodate my future plans and other things. I will certainly miss the view and the convenience of where I live, but I could just move into another room in the same building. That would be interesting, although I have an opportunity reconsider other possibly better options. I really hope and pray to find a place I can welcome friends into and share meals with them at. That would be amazing. One thing this sudden turn of events has caused me to think I need to be more active in planning for my future, and just active in doing things with my life ...

After reading numerous Facebook posts and comments about how religion is bad, and coronavirus proves it, they have dealt relatively little with the facts of the situation. So here's some things to think about before you go on an anti-religion tirade about how the coronavirus would not be spreading as much if it weren't for religion in general. First cult is not the same as religion. Although some may argue there is a sliding scale between cult and religion there are generally accepted ideas about what defines a cult versus a religion. 1. A cult strongly discourages association with anyone outside that cult. It seeks to use its ideas as a means of social control on its members in ways that affect not just their time at spiritual gatherings, but who they interact with, when, and for how long. Both Scientology, and Shincheonji practice this kind of social control. 2. They require/demand large sums of money from their constituents as a basis for participation in the cult. ...