I’m So Excited and I Just Can’t Hide It… Ceramics Festival?

The largest ceramics piece in the whole world.

A week ago tomorrow, Justin, Dan, and I went to a ceramics festival in Icheon.  Now, in South Korea, there is a Ichon, Incheon, and Icheon.  We thought the festival was in Ichon, which is a half hour from us on the subway.  It was not until Saturday morning that we discovered that Icheon and Ichon are two very different things.  Icheon ended up being an hour subway trip followed by an hour and fifteen minute bus trip away from us.

The festival itself was quite nice.  They had award winning ceramics from around the world, including Africa, Europe, USA, Japan, China, Korea, etc.  They had exhibits of traditional, master-made Korean ceramics.  There was a video room to watch different people worldwide making traditional ceramics.  We got to witness people making ceramics that you could take and have fired in a kiln.  I didn’t understand what most of the ceramics were, but it was still neat to see.

This one glowed in the dark.

I took a bunch of pictures and was told a half dozen times by security not to take pictures, but sue me.  If I traveled so far, I want evidence that I was actually there.

The largest ceramics piece in all the world was located on the grounds that the festival is held each year.  It is a tree made entirely of ceramics, including bells that are suppose to be the tree leaves.

Dan had to leave early, but Justin and I stayed for a bit longer and found the food court.  There, we found a tent area that served AMAZING sweet and sour pork.  The best I have had in my entire life, without exaggeration.

Then, we took the trip all the way home.  On the way back, we somehow got dropped off at a different subway/bus terminal and were on the subway for an extra half hour or so.

A full day of beauty.  Enough ceramics to last me a lifetime.

Reminded me of home.

School’s Out…For Another School and Other Neat Shtuff

Yesterday, I transferred to Avalon schools, yet another hogwan.  This hogwan seems slightly more organized curriculum-wise, but from what I heard from a few of the teachers in the 5 hours that I was there yesterday, it’s just as unorganized as the hogwan I was working at, LangCon.

For instance, after living in an apartment for 5 1/2 months, one of the teacher’s was told he must move out by the next day to another apartment because another teacher was coming to Korea.  The teacher that took his room over just happened to be Dan, who lives on the 11th floor of my building.  Imagine getting that call,  “Oh hey, sorry but even though you have been living in that apartment for 5 1/2 months, you will have to move your crap within 24 hours to an apartment that is smaller and definitely not as good.”

Anyways, my now former supervisor dropped me off and didn’t say goodbye.  She left without saying anything at all.  Good riddance!

I shadowed three teachers.  One of them was a very bodacious babe from Australia named Clara.  Come to find out, all three of the teachers that I shadowed are leaving Korea on Saturday permanently.  No more Clara.  ;’(

It was a testing day and is the end of the quarter.  So, I literally just sat there in the class and read over 100 pages of the new books I’ve received for Bible study material.  On a different note, I am now reading 5 books at once.  Too much?  Definitely.

The teachers seem nice, but I only met 5-6 of them out of the over 30 teachers on staff at Avalon.  I hope some of them will eventually come to the Bible study, but of the few I met, three of them have the mouths of sailors.  During one of their conversations, I heard like 30 expletives in a matter of 60 seconds.  I never get why people feel the need to cuss every other word like Brad Pitt in the movie Snatch, especially while at their job AND even more importantly, in a school full of 12 year olds.

Today, I shadow some other teachers and work a full day.  My shift is now 2:30-9:30pm.  It blows chunks hard, but what is a man to do?  Justin and Dan will be getting done with work at 8:30 and I will always be showing up an hour later to everything that they have planned.

I also found out the hard way that this new school is not located anywhere near the subway system.  In order to get to the subway, I have to take either a taxi or wait for a bus that takes me all the way back to in front of my apartment where there is a subway station.  This is an inconvenience because at LangCon, I could both get on a bus that went directly to E-Mart or simply go to Beomgye subway station and take that home or to E-Mart.  Now, in order to do my shopping at E-Mart, I must take a 4,000 won taxi cab right before having to pay another 1,000 won to get on the subway to lug my groceries back home.

By the way, E-Mart started selling a new brand of wood chips.  They totally suck.  They are like shards of pine wood.  They do not absorb the rabbit’s urine at all, so 72 hours later, my apartment reeks of ammonia.  I nearly ralfed this morning when I cleaned out the rabbit cage.  No joke, so much ammonia in it that my eyes were watering as if I was slicing a hellfire onion.  My plan:  Find someone that can tell the lady at E-Mart that their new brand of wood chips suck majorally.  The last brand was made of very finely ground wood chips of a different kind of tree (I don’t remember what kind).  I could change the wood chips once a week and it still didn’t smell.  What the crap, E-Mart?  What the crap.

Work? What work?

I put off getting the stumbleupon application on my computer at home or at work for the last 2 years since Justin told me I should get it.  Basically, you get to chose what you want it to search for, click “stumble” and it continually brings things to your computer screen that interest you.  I receive humor pages only and it keeps me busy for hours.  HOURS!!!  HOURS PEOPLE!!!  I said hours.  Did you catch that?

Who needs work when you have stumbleupon?

Sense the Heartbreak

• At one time, I thought of giving this away (excuse the bullets, but it the only way I can get WordPress to allow me to have stanzas.  Each bullet constitutes the beginning of a new stanza):

Sense the Heartbreak

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

By: Tim Young

• On the verge of never

And to the sunset we go

On the edge of forever

We chose to star in the big show

• We can be one of a kind

Or drop our life savings

In a pool of wishes

Made by those who are a dime a dozen

• I can feel the passion

And sense the heartbreak

Only three words separate

A lifetime of happiness

And our life’s biggest mistake

• “I love you” or

“It is over”

Is our life together

In front of us

Or back over our shoulders?

• I can feel the passion

I can sense the heartbreak

Without you, I’d come undone

You’re a risk I’m willing to take

• Maybe someday

I will give these words to you

But now I think

It would be too soon

• So until then

I will look into your eyes

Until the time when

Time stops ticking

And uncertainty dies

Bible Study: In This World, Not of It

Café Study

In this world, not of it

• Key verses:

Matthew 5:13-16

1. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”   — NIV

• Questions to ponder:

1)      What does it mean to “lose our saltiness”?

2)    What “good deeds” is Jesus talking about?

-         James 2:14-19

-         Luke 10:27:  What does it mean to love?

• Some people will talk about how Christianity is just a list of things that we can’t do.  That it hinders their “fun”.

1)      What do you think constitutes fun?

2)    Why do you think people would say this about Christianity?

3)    What do you think people that say this think is fun?

• Yes, there is a list of sins and yes, we are not suppose to do them but remember that God loves us and wants only the best for us.

Galatians 5: 16-21:  “19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like…”  — NIV

Application to our lives:

SEX-

We all want to have sex right?  But, what happens when we have sex outside of marriage?

We all are attracted to the opposite sex right?  What happens when we lust?

IDOLS-

An idol is anything that we put before God in our life, meaning anything we focus more on than God.

What things do we focus on more than God and how can that be changed?

DRUNKENNESS:

What’s so fun about getting drunk?

Has anything good ever come out of being drunk, ever?  This one is huge in our lives as 20-somethings.  It is something that is easy to do and I, myself, still fall into on occasion.

• Other thoughts on Galatians 5:19-21???
• However, look at the verses right after the Apostle Paul lists some of the sins in Galatians 5:22-22.  These are the things we gain by living a Christ-led lifestyle, or in other words, continuing to be salty:

Galatians 5:22-23  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self control…”  —NIV

-         Who doesn’t want these things?

• God doesn’t want to take away all our fun.  In fact, he promises justification, eternal life, and being free of any condemnation.

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace through God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”  —NIV

Romans 8:1-2 “1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

• You see, as those who have faith in Jesus, we no longer have to worry about what happens when we die or sin.  We have been set free from those things.

However, we must remember that once we believe, this does not mean we should hide our faith and continue living the life we had lived before becoming faithful.

Let’s go back to Matthew 5:13:16 and think of those ideas…

1)      Just because we are forgiven, justified, and no longer condemned does not in any way mean we can do whatever we want, continue living sinfully, and expect that that is something that is ok to do.

We were bought with a price:

1 Corinthians 6:10-20 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; 20 you were bought with a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.”  —NIV

-         Think about it:  There is no greater price to pay that dying for a cause/other people.

By dying for us, Jesus paid the ultimate cost.  He forgave all of our sins past, present, and future.  In Webster’s dictionary, it says that grace is “divine assistance”.  By dying for our sins, Jesus is assisting/equipping us with the ability to literally live forever.  What better gift can one possibly receive?

• So, I beg the question.  Should we contemplate Christianity, claim we are Christian, or actually be a Christian and continue on living sinful lifestyles, acting like everyone around us does, and think that is ok do to?  The answer is an obvious one:  OF COURSE NOT!  The Apostle Paul tells us why in Romans 6:11-18.

Romans 6:11-18  “11 …count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires…14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.  15 What then?  Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?  By no means!… 17  But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.  18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” —NIV

—-Remember what grace means:  We are being assisted by Jesus himself to live this life according to the Word of God.  We are equipped by the Holy Spirit to fend off sin.

—-Thank God for his teaching and for being set free from sin by living faithfully.  Not be living in vein and continuing to sin.

• Thoughts to ponder:

Have you ever noticed that if you claim that you are a Christian, people will instantaneously hold you to a higher standard and call you a hypocrite if you do something wrong?

It’s like, up until that point, they didn’t know what right or wrong was, but they all of a sudden can remember every swear word you ever spoke, every drink you ever had, or every “bad thing” you ever did.

Why do you think this happens?

• Versus to check out for later:

Revelation 12:10 “…for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

—-Satan accuses us of our sin and will continue until the end of the earth.  Those who accuse us have no ground to stand on because we are beyond condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1-2).

John 3:19-20 “19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

—-The world hates to be called out and likes to accuse us of our wrongdoings so that we don’t notice theirs.  They like to keep their lives hidden, like hiding in a closet or under a bed.

• We should be IN the world, but not OF the world

John 15:19 “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you.” —NIV

—-The world hates you.  You will never find true happiness in the any worldly thing.  You can try, but try and be honest with yourself and you will be miserable.  True happiness only comes through Christ.

1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him.” —NIV

—-Blunt words, right?  What do you think of them?

In closing of this discussion:

What do you think living for Christ means?  How do you show it?

—-Remember, people may not be able to see through half-truths and dishonesty, but God knows the REAL answer to this question.  So, try giving the real answer, even if it means you have to say you don’t do a very good job at it.

Our walk with God never quits:

Philippians 3:12-12 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  —NIV

Adventure Teaching Teacher’s Party

Last Saturday, Justin, Charlene, and I headed into Itaewan.  Itaewan is purely a foreigners market.  There is an Islamic sector, an American sector, a Canadian sector, an African sector, and a homosexual sector.  There is a Muslim mosk, an international market with kosher food, American cereals and snacks, and spices from around the world.  There is an English bookstore called “What the Book” that I have ordered a dozen books from already.

The best thing about Itaewan is definitely a small Mexican food restaurant run by an American named Wayne.  Wayne is full of information about Korea, as he has lived here since 1997.  The food is great, as you can’t find Mexican food or spices anywhere but in Itaewan.  Apparently, Taco Bell did try to expand in Korea, but Koreans don’t like beans and hamburger meat too much, so it failed miserably.

Just like going shopping anywhere, it isn’t a very fun place to unless you have mucho bucks to spend.  As I had already bought a Nintendo Wii, furniture, and other things for my room this month, I had no money.

So, Justin, Dan, Charlene, and I showed our new friend Near (yes, that is his name) around.  Near found Justin on Couchsurfing.com.  Justin had used the website to find places to stay on his European trip last year.  Near is going to be staying in Korea for 3 months and is living in Suwon, a suburb about a half hour from us and wanted to get to know some people in Korea and what there is to do here.  We showed him the ropes as far as we know them to be.

After going through all the spots I named above in Itaewan, which took about 2 hours, it was about 5pm.  Justin, Dan, and I planned on going to a party that was being put on by my agency that brought me to Korea, Adventure Teaching, but it didn’t start until 8pm.  So, we went to Starbucks and sat there for THREE HOURS.  I was literally passing out while at Starbucks.  So boring.

Finally, 8pm came around and we went to the party.  It was in a place called “The Macaroni Club”.  Weird name, but extremely awesome club bar.  It was brand new and super posh.  Because my agency was putting on the party, the drinks were half price.  We met a lot of other teachers, of which none of them we will talk to ever again because foreign teachers don’t ever stay in contact with each other here in Korea for some reason, and chatted them up.

At one point, we were told to pick a card from a deck of cards and hold onto it for later.  I picked the ace of diamonds.  Later on, it was explained to us that we were playing a game of human Texas Hold ‘Em.  We had to find people with cards that made the best hand.  I ended up being a part of the winning group along with dan.  We had a royal flush and I was the highest card of all the 75 teachers there with the ace of diamonds.  Dan had the jack of diamonds.  The prize was a free drink of our choice.

The highest card in the bunch and my amazing White Russian drink (with amaretto).

I ordered a White Russian.  It was like a $15 drink for free.  They used Grey Goose vodka, Kahlua, Baileys, and milk.  Then the bartender asked if we would like amaretto in the mix.  Dan saw what I ordered and asked for the same and we both said “sure” to the amaretto, even though it isn’t usually in a white russian.  It tasted amazing!  Like alcoholic candy.

At the end of the night, there was a dance off.  One of the girls actually pulled down her pants and mooned the rest of us.  Another guy was hilarious and did interpretive dancing.  I couldn’t not laugh at this scene.

Super Tim Rescues Girl-In-Distress Anna

Super Tim to the rescue!

Anna: "Help me! My feet hurt my feet hurt too much to walk because my stiletto shoes."

"I will save you! Tim Teacher to the rescue!"

I thought I would entertain my students in the last class of the day last Friday.  This is what I came up with.  (Remember, read the captions.)

P.S.  Yes, I know that I spelled ’stiletto’ wrong in the story.

Don’t Scratch or a Devil Fugus Will Attack You

Definitely read the captions in this one…

In this picture, it explains to not scratch your genitals or else the devil will attack your big toes, then your foot will attack a family of feet, and then your foot will have to stay home from work. So, don't scratch yourself... down there.

A few weeks ago now when I went to see the Ear Throat and Nose specialist, I had to sit in the waiting room for a half hour.  Sitting next to me was the most hysterical medical sign that I have ever seen.

Seriously, don't scratch yourself... down there. (Oh, and apparently grown men look like babies and wear diapers.)

Bible Study

My first Korean Bible study went well.  Justin, Dan, and I met with our Korean co-teacher Taylor and her friend Sophie.  We walked to a coffee shop and talked about ourselves for a good amount of time and had some coffee and fruit drinks.

Then began the study.  Sophie had no religion at all, but leaned towards Buddhism.  The conversation was a good one and veered into places I hadn’t forseen the study going.   She had a lot of questions and I hope a seed was planted.  She may not be able to come back to the studies, as she has a lot of work to do on Sundays.  However, I offered to give her a book answering the questions she had and invited her back whenever she can make it.

I was happy to see Taylor as it was the first time she had hung out with us outside of work.  I was happy to hear she has been a Christian for a decade now, as I did not know this about her before.

My new friend, Josh, that I met last week at LifeChurch in Suwon was unable to make it, as he had the flu and was very ill.  He plans to come next weekend.

I have decided to go ahead and read the book “More Than a Carpenter” by McDowell in the following weeks as a guide for the study.  I chose this book as I was suggested it by my friend Benson as a good book for new believers or those who have no belief.  I forsee this class having some people that fit this description, as Sophie did.

Sadly, Justin has decided to not attend the study as long as we cover the book More Than a Carpenter because he does not believe in the Trinity.  I wish I knew how to convince him of God in Three Persons, but it is beyond me right now.  This is a blow to the study as Justin could be a resource in inviting others to the study, as he has been taking a Korean language class on Tuesday nights for two months now and knows many Koreans and foreigners from the class alike.  I have been unable to attend the class because my work schedule does not permit me to do so.

Continue to pray that the group begins to take root and grow and people are used to further God’s kingdom through this study and that God steadily gives me the wisdom and guidance I need as this is the first study that I have ever began.  Pray that differences in theology can be forgotten or fixed and God blesses this group with new believers and strong Christians willing to run the race on the narrow path that we are called to run on.

Something Is Changing

First of all:  I LOVE FRUIT LOOPS.

More importantly:  Faith is dead without a life lived out for Christ.  There is no happiness to be found, no joy to be had without a life lived for Christ, especially after you truly let him into your heart and welcome Him as your Lord and Savior.

And that is why for the last few years, my life has sucked.  It’s that simple.  I am really good at complaining.  It’s like my thing.

I am also really good at faking faith.  I have been pretty good at tricking people into thinking that I am “living for Jesus”.   This is a laugh.

I may not be one to get wasted drunk.  I don’t use drugs.  I don’t use much foul language.  I am not inherently bad in the eyes of other people, including Christians.

But what about my struggle with lust and pornography?  What about my keen ability to be judgmental of others when behind closed doors, I am no better than anyone else?

Maybe I was being tested by God or tempted by satan when I was booted out of the Salvation Army, Camp Timber-Lee, and Faith Community Church without, in all honesty, doing none of the things they accused me of doing.  But, I was not living wholly and faithfully.  I wasn’t in the Word.  I simply rehashed the things other people taught me.  God was not my teacher.

In what can only be described as bitterness, I ceased reading the Bible last September altogether after faithfully reading it every day for 12 weeks.  I would wake up an hour before everyone else did and pray and read the Word.  I was never happier than at those times.  But, life isn’t easy when you follow God and when the going got touch, I got going.  I abondoned God as He sat patiently waiting at the door of my heart.

It is time that I grew up.  That I used my potential for God.  That I am a light, not a black hole.  It is time.  Now.

Tonight, I begin a new, scary chapter in my life as the catalyst for a new Bible study here in South Korea.  The group that has been invited is a wide range of Christians, Christian-by-name-but-not-by-lifestyle, non-Christians, and Koreans/Americans alike.  I have been thinking to myself for 2 weeks now, “Where do I even begin?”  But, God is the beginning and he is the end.  If I let Him work through me and put any effort into this at all, it will flourish.

Here is hoping…no!  here is praying that I do not fail.

Pray and then pray again.