The First King of Israel

The First King of Israel

Is this the title of a book or movie? Because it should be. I am studying the life and times of King Saul who was Israel's first king. I started reading I Samuel about 2 weeks ago and just wanted to share a few things on here about what I've been reading. First some thoughts regarding Samuel and some questions I have raised. 

Chapter 8 of I Samuel
One thing that startled me here is Samuel's family. The prophet Samuel had sons who "walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgement."(v.3) All the elders of Israel even knew this: "...they sons walk not in thy ways..."(v.5). Yet, still Samuel appointed them judges over Israel. Firstly, why did Samuel's sons not walk in his ways? Secondly, if Samuel knew they didn't, why did he appoint them judges over Israel?

According to verse 5, the aforementioned rebelliousness of Samuel's sons is part of the reason the elders asked for a king to judge them. Obviously, this request was not entirely a reflection of Samuel's failures. Had this been the case, they would have simply cast out Samuel completely and appointed their own king. They must have had some respect for Samuel to bother asking him. The Lord spoke to Samuel and said "they have not rejected thee..."(v.7) although it may have seen like rejection to Samuel.

They wanted a king because all the other nations had one. They did not hide their reasons: "...like all the nations."(v.20). So Samuel told all the people who had asked for a king the words the Lord had spoken to him on the matter (v.10). The people's response is found in verse 19-20: "...we will have a king over us; that we may also be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles."

It seems that Israel is a reflection of the heart of people everywhere. Even Samuel, who was quite obedient to the Lord, yet failed at teaching his sons to do the same, was imperfect. And so the people of Israel had no mortal leader at this time, saw that all the other nations did, and wanted that for themselves. They were God's chosen people, but rejected what could have been in favor of their selfish desires. In essence:

They wanted someone to do for them what they didn't believe they could do themselves.

Yet, so is it in the church today. Yet, so is it in my life today. We want another to go out before us and fight our battles. So we elect our spiritual leaders and have them tell us what we should do and how to live. We have them preach to us over and over again because we can't read the Word for ourselves. We want a king, but not the one that pierces our hearts, convicts us, causes repentance and then makes us holy. That sort of king has no business meddling in my personal affairs. I want a king that is like me. One that suits my needs.

God help us.

Hear the Word of the Lord spoken to Israel through Samuel in verse 18: "And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day."

For me, the Lord is saying: There is a true King that wishes to rule in your hearts and change you into His image. Will you take the king made in your image? Or the King which will make you into his?

Feels like the Beginning (Part 2 - Beyond Busan)

Part 2

What a beautiful place Geojedo is! It is the second largest island in Korea, after one of Korea's most famous places, Jejudo. Just beyond Busan at the southern tip of Korea. We arrived at our hotel right next to the sea and checked in. We went to dinner shortly after. The atmosphere was relaxed and I felt, for the first time in a long time, at ease. It was this night that my attitude changed. What was uncomfortable became enjoyable and, though I'll never be one, I felt Korean.

For me, this trip was about taking a step of faith. Once I took that first step, the boldness began to flow. One of the teachers at another table sent me a text message during dinner: "Im worried about that you could be bored." I replied, "Bored right now or bored after work?" "both" she responded, "I feel sorry for that. i wanna talk to you everytime dont hesitate to talk to me." Beautiful 은, so sweet to think about that. I told her not to worry and that I was having a good time. 은 invited me to have dinner with her on Tuesday. (I can't Romanize her name because it's too difficult)

So dinner was a spectacle of merrymaking. Everyone jovial and lively and though most of the teachers speak little to no Korea they were not afraid (for some, thanks to the alcohol) to speak to me what they could. And me, with my ever-expanding Korean vocabulary, held one or two word dialogues with them. I learned so much from my table of English-teaching coworkers about what they thought of me when I first arrived and answered so many questions they seemed as though they had been dying to ask me for a long time.

After dinner we moved on to the 노래방 (song room) for karaoke. I know I would be asked (forced) to sing so I grabbed the enormous song book and flipped to the English section. I picked out a classic song and rocked out to a room full of screaming teachers. It was quite the experience. If you want to know the song, you'll have to send me a message. Out of all the embarrassing things I've done since I've been here, this one takes the cake.

So midnight came and we left to walk back to the hotel. Or at least, that's where I thought we were going. We wound up at another restaurant for another meal of seafood. I would have escaped back to the hotel (for as tired as I was) but 행님 would not permit that. He declared himself my older brother that night (he is actually the same age as my oldest brother) and we walked arm in arm or shoulder to shoulder for the rest of the trip. I respect the man's leadership at the school. He planned the trip and, as you know, organizing events is something I love doing as well.

The next morning we were up early for breakfast and the rest of the day was spent sightseeing around the island as well as a boat ride to another smaller island. The day also served as a historical lesson, as many areas we visited were landmarks of past wars. That day I chose to walk with many different teachers. Some were not as courageous to speak with me, but one woman in particular was receptive. She could not speak a lot of English, but she could understand me well. Later that day she asked me, "Do you miss your family?"
I said, yes, of course, but I said that meeting friendly people like her helps me live better here. After dinner that night, she handed me my shoes at the restaurant. It was a very small gesture, but its always the small things I remember.

미란 (Mirahn) is sweetest person to me at school. She is a subject teacher and speaks almost no English. We speak back and forth in simple English and Korean. Enough to squeeze by. We did this a lot on the trip. She is has a strong relationship with God. She is one of those rare people you can see the Light in their eyes. She is thirty six years old. I told her she is my 누나 (Nuna, older sister for man), but she didn't like that. It's not right to use Nuna in many cases. I told her I understand why. Later that day she told me in broken English: "I know why I am your sister." "Because Jesus" was my simple reply. It's always the small things...

Which brings me to my last passage. The bus ride home was a time for many to catch up on sleep. My bus buddy this time was 미주 (Miju). I always have a great time with Miju. She loves to laugh and is always smiling through her bright eyes. She is my 누나  but only by two years. She fell asleep soon after we left. I was left to think about the trip and thank God for pushing me to go. I told Him I was sorry for the times I ignore His voice when I want to be comfortable. I thanked him for new friends. I asked him for one thing. I miss my family and friends back home because, when I see them, I can hug them. It's sissy stuff for a man to admit this, but I did in a moment of reflection and prayer. Miju nuna's head gently rested on my shoulder. I thanked God for my Korean sister. I will always remember that moment, because it was a small thing. I thank God for those small things. I'm learning to be more bold, thankful, and appreciative of the small things.

Miju, Mirahn, Soongmin, and Yunmi (the right two are co-teachers) on 

the boat ride to 지심도.

Feels like the Beginning - Part 1

This weekend I went on a trip to 거제도 (Geoje Island) with about 30 teachers and staff from my school including the Principle and VP. Everyone from my office came except my sixth grade co-teacher. Up until we departed, I had no idea what the trip's itinerary was. Nothing new there! I rarely know whats going on or what's going to happen next. Such is how life is here.

Initially, I did not want to go on this trip. I had plenty of reservations about going and even after I committed to going, I nearly backed out....with good reason! I developed acute tonsillitis this past week and had to take a trip to the doctors office (which is another post in itself!). By Thursday I felt much better and by the end of the day I decided to suck it up and go on the trip. You might be curious why the reservations. Though I've been here two months, I would hardly call the teachers I've met acquaintances, let alone friends! So it would be like going on a tour with a bunch of strangers. On top of that, Korea has a notorious workplace drinking culture - I'm not much of a drinker! In any other case, I would've said no to this trip. Something inside said "go."

Several weeks ago Yun-mi, my fourth grade coteacher and the eldest in our office, told me "It will be a good experience for you." Those simple words stuck with me. It will be a completely uncomfortable experience for me -this is what I kept thinking. Then I remember my good friend Tim Halverson once said, "God is more concerned with the message you bear than the comfort of your setting." So, as I said, I sucked it up and went.

Flash forward to now. I am 100% the heck glad I did.

We boarded the bus Friday at 3 in the afternoon. Normally I would have a 3oclock class, but the entire school scrunched all the classes into the morning so that the teachers could leave early. To heck with the kids, right? Well, I'm sure the principle going on this trip had something to do with it. So after some delicious birthday cake after lunch (a gift from one of my 5th grade students) I got on the bus, took a seat by myself, and prepared for a boring three hour ride down beyond Busan to an island I had never heard of until a few days before. After about 20 minutes into the ride, Mr 홍, who I will now and forever refer to as 행님(hang nim) which means older brother, got on the PA and told us (in Korean of course) we would now switch seats. We all drew cards and had to listen for our match.

This is when I met Sunny. Her real name is 순미. She is a 4th grade home room teacher. We are the same age and she can speak English very well. I recall seeing her maybe once or twice before this time. In Korean, I asked her name. That began a conversation that lasted the rest of the trip to our destination. It was the only real conversation I had with Sunny for the whole trip, but as soon as we arrived, I felt better about my decision to come.

To be continued....

Learning to Live with Less

The title of this post is something I have talked about with many people over many years. I've always wanted to be able to live with less. I feel like I'm always in the struggle to get rid of things I don't need. Living in a tiny apartment in Korea makes the process of living with less more interesting. Less space means you don't have room for things anyways! Also, putting 75% of your paycheck towards your student loans means you don't have much money to spend.

So I'm learning to be very resourceful. I hope this post is helpful to others, whether you live in a tiny Korean apartment or a big house in the West, these are things I do and have done to get the most out of the cash I earn. I fail in many areas with my finances, but I have never been more serious about getting serious financially than I am right now.

I've always been one to recycle, but now I take full advantage of the fact that recycling is free. The more I can recycle, the less trash I produce, which ultimately leads to buying fewer garbage bags! I keep a bag for paper and a bag for bottles and recycle every week to keep the kitchen less cluttered. I reuse the bags I use for recycling items.

I shop at the dollar stores. A lower price does not always equal a better deal. In other words, just because its at the dollar store doesn't mean its a better deal than at the mega department store right in front of the tiny dollar store. You shouldn't always sacrifice quantity over quality, but if you take extra time to compare prices, you could save in the long run. I shop at Daiso (a big chain of dollar stores popular in Korea and Japan) and the locally owned dollar store near the train station.

I get a ridiculous amount of junk mail in Korea. It all ends up in the recycling bag. However, a lot of these ads (the menu ones for local restaurants) come magnetized to my metal apartment door. I strip the big magnets off the back and I use these to hang stuff on my fridge. All you need is some tape. My fridge is decked out with cards and photos from home thanks to these magnets!

I always make lists of things I need and things I want. It takes me a while to buy things off these lists (unless they are necessity items) as I give time to research best prices. I go through these lists periodically and review them, asking myself a very important question about each item: Will this item benefit either spiritually or financially? 
I know that seems like a ridiculous question, but think about it from a business standpoint: What do you gain from purchasing an item if it doesn't profit you spiritually (help bring you closer to God in some way) or financially (help generate more income in some way)?

These are a few ways to live a little more simply. I like simplifying my life. It's almost become a hobby in a way. If you have any more tips or suggestions for me, let me know. I welcome ideas on this topic. I will probably make another post like this in the near future as I find more ways to live more simple.

Stark Contrast #1

Unless you live in one of those mega-apartment complexes, which it seems few foreigners actually do, you likely live in a small "block-like" building consisting of not more than 4 or 5 floors. This building is likely nestled in a neighborhood of other block-like buildings, most of which have stores on the first floor accessible from the street.

That is what my apartment building is like, which leads me to my first stark contrast post. In Ulsan, Korea, (again, unless you live in one of those mega-apartment complexes that tower above any other surrounding buildings and are essentially their own neighborhood) there is no such thing as a residential area. In the Twin Ports, USA, there are residential areas divided by commercial zones (or perhaps you could say it vice versa). The lack of real residential areas means much more noise, traffic, and smells coming from all around you at almost all times the day (mornings are fairly quiet if its before 7 and there's no construction work happening!)

I realize now that I took residential areas in the Twin Ports for granted. It seems most foreigners don't have the privilege of living in those mega-complexes as they are too expensive. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about where I live, I'm only stating a contrast that exists between where I live now and where I last lived. However, I'm sure you can guess which one I prefer! Often in the States, just a little bit of noise outside was a bother. Now, here in Ulsan, if I shut my eyes and just listen, I can make out more than 8 sounds all happening at once: dishes clanging together in the restaurant down below, car horns honking, cars passing by, people talking and shouting, cars starting, kids screaming (taekwondo academy next door), and above it all, the hum of electricity power these places. There are neon lights right outside my apartment for the restaurants and studios. There are various smells wafting through the air at given points (good food smells!).

It has taken some getting used to, but I've been here 5 weeks, so much of the shock has worn off. I definitely miss the quiet of a residential area, but I'll make due with what I've been given here. I appreciate the place I currently call my dwelling place (or just "my apartment" because I cant bring myself to call it "home") and I appreciate the chance to live somewhere completely different.

Inevitable Post

This post was quite inevitable. By this I mean every foreigner who lives in Korea and keeps a blog will at some point publish a post about (what foreigners refer to as) Korean "love motels." I recently stayed in one in Seoul. You can see the outside of it in the picture on your left. It says "hotel" but in reality it was a motel. I assure you that in Korea there is a difference between motel and hotel.

I visited my dear friend Haesung in Seoul last Saturday. At the end of the day we parted ways. My destination was Gangnam (yes, THE Gangnam) and I hopped on the subway and when I exited and returned to the surface I only had to walk two blocks to find this motel. Before I give you the details of my stay, I must first explain one thing.
I mentioned to one of my Korean friends that I would likely stay in a "love motel" when I visited Seoul. This friend politely asked me why I called it a "love motel" and not simply a "motel." I asked her forgiveness as I honestly thought they were called "love motels" by foreigners and Koreans alike. In actuality, they are just called motels and from now on I will only refer to them as such. 

If you really want to know more about why they are called love motels, just ask and I will tell you. Or just figure it out for yourself.

My stay at this motel was a pleasant one except for the slight stench of cigarette in my room (actually in the whole motel). For $60 (cheap for Gangnam!) I got a nice quiet and clean room that came with all the toiletries you need (no need to bring shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, hair gel, ect, ect...). The room also had a mini fridge stocked with two bottles of water, a bottle of gatorade, and a bottle of powerade. Both checkin and checkout was noon. 


I've heard of many motels in Korea that you can get for $40 a night. I believe it too, as my first time was Gangnam, which is 'high end' as far as areas of Seoul go. I will likely never stay in a hostel again (that's a post for another time; or never) as for just ten bucks more you can get your own room and bathroom and well-stocked minifridge (as well as peace and quiet). And motels are everywhere. It wasn't until the next morning when I took a stroll down the street the way I had come the night before that I realized there were several motels closer to where I had exited the subway. Also, it wasn't until the next morning that I realized I had walked into a place called a "hotel" on the outside when it was really just a motel. 

The Korean for motel is 모텔 which sounds like motel when read. Its an English word put into Korean. 
I probably wont stay at Hotel Highland again as I would rather check out the other hotels around, see what I could find for under $60. Part of the fun is opening the door and seeing what sort of goodies are inside. Ha!

Fulfilling the Dream

North Korean mountains

Last weekend I had the honor of hosting my good friend Phil in my current country of residence. This being his first time in Korea and me only having been here for 5 weeks we had a very interesting time together. It was great he could be here. I only wish I had more to offer in terms of expertise. Thanks to my sweet Korean friends, Sunyoung and Woojeong, from Wonju, who were able to join us on our tour of the DMZ, we had a great time visiting Seoul.

And yes, by DMZ, I meant the famous (or infamous?) Demilitarized Zone that divides the North from the South.

What a unique experience it was. During the tour I was oft distracted by Phil, Sunyoung, and Woojeong as these are friends I rarely get to see. Phil lives in Japan and we saw each other about two months prior to this time, but only for a few weeks. Prior to that time, I hadnt seen him in over a year. As for the ladies, I had not seen them for three years. It was a great reunion. These are very special people to me. Phil is dear brother in Christ and a former roommate. Sunyoung is my former Korean tutor. Woojeong is a dear friend of Jacinta and mine. Both of these gals I had the privilege of driving to the airport for their flights back to Korea.

All this to tell you that while I was on the tour, I didn't fully realize where I was because I was in the midst of friends I was trying to catch up with. It wasnt until afterwards did I realize how close I was to North Korea and how for many years it was a dream of mine to visit the DMZ. Now that dream is realized.

Phil came back with me to Ulsan after our DMZ adventure. We had many late night conversations and one of the recurring themes was how blessed we are to do what we do and be where we are. I don't often think about this. It's good to take time to reflect. I thank God for where I am and what I am doing. I thank Him for the opportunity to visit the DMZ, but perhaps more importantly, spend time with friends from the other side of the world. I am a man truly blessed.