tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58231402011-12-18T11:08:41.689-08:00Tracks from a pilgrim's journey.chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.comBlogger691100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1146302628216020642006-04-29T02:16:00.000-07:002006-04-29T02:23:48.216-07:00

If you travel on airplanes frequently, SeatGuru.com will be useful to you. You can see what aircraft each airline has, and which are the best seats in each aircraft. It also details what amenities each airline puts in a particular airplane (audio, inflight entertainment, meals, etc.). I'm glad I chose Air New Zealand for my honeymoon flight, as I can be sure I'll have my own TV screen. Not

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1146302139922434572006-04-29T02:10:00.000-07:002006-04-29T02:15:39.923-07:00

While looking into buying and selling a car, I came across this revealing article about the life of a car salesman. Apparently this writer on edmunds.com was asked to go undercover and become a new and used car salesman for a few weeks to see what it was like. The results will definitely make you think differently about car salesmen, car dealership managers, and car dealership owners.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1142158612351045122006-03-12T02:08:00.000-08:002006-03-12T02:16:52.363-08:00

Another example: sacrament.Before: things in church rituals that we go through, not really sure whyAfter: a (the?) manner in which God's grace is given to us, usually through the bread (wafer) and the wine (grape juice) that we receive in communion and also baptism. Not limited to this, as I think it's any way that God gives us his grace; our lives can be sacraments to each other, for instance.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1141814964802480532006-03-08T02:39:00.000-08:002006-03-08T02:49:24.813-08:00

One of the things that seminary has done to me is to cause me to redefine some of my vocabulary. An example: liturgy.Before: something done in a Catholic church (or similar), very structured, in Latin, boringAfter: singing, any kind, but in worship to God and for God. When people sing benediction to each other at my old church in San Jose, that is liturgy to me. It is singing that we incorporate

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1141681780525391802006-03-06T13:43:00.000-08:002006-03-06T13:49:40.566-08:00

An interesting excerpt about marriage I read today:I've never forgotten a nervous bride-to-be asking an older friend, "I love Richard with all my heart. But how do I know that later on I won't meet some man who has lots of qualities that Richard does not have?" Her friend replied, "Undoubtedly you will--lots of them! But the point is that they won't be Richard!"Perhaps a slightly different spin

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1140317180144930802006-02-18T18:09:00.000-08:002006-02-18T18:46:20.273-08:00

How interesting it is to learn Greek as a reader of the New Testament.τετελεσται:τε - reduplication prefix, done in the Greek perfect tenseτελεσ - Greek perfect tense stem of τελεω (which means "I finish, fulfill"; the noun version is τελος, which means "end, goal"); perfect tense is translated in English using "has been (done)"ται - 3rd person singular ending, or "he/she/it", depending on

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1140140684379792552006-02-16T17:16:00.000-08:002006-02-16T17:44:44.420-08:00

I heard the news the other day that a friend I knew from college had recently passed away. He died from a heart attack; he was 31. I didn't know him all that well and hadn't talked to him since college, but I knew he was a good man. A man of God who truly passionately loved the Lord and longed to bring His kingdom to this world.The thing is I always imagined him to be the type of guy to die in a

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1139909777098219862006-02-14T01:29:00.000-08:002006-02-14T01:36:17.620-08:00

This post would probably be more appropriate during MLK day, but I overheard this today, so I decided it was worth mentioning. It's interesting how we associate MLK only with combating racism, when he was about much more than that. Case in point: he refers to racism, militarism and materialism as the "Giant Triplets". Americans certainly don't believe that the last two are as bad as the first one.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1139900264074151062006-02-13T22:56:00.000-08:002006-02-13T22:57:44.076-08:00

Over the weekend, I saw someone I knew from high school. I probably hadn't seen her in over 10 years. I didn't recognize her initially because she looked quite different than back in high school, but she seemed to recognize me. We talked a little bit about people we mutually knew and also about the upcoming 10-year reunion. I'm actually planning on attending my 10-year reunion, which is unusual

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1139641671431146332006-02-10T22:53:00.000-08:002006-02-11T01:15:46.643-08:00

So I'm planning on buying a Mac for my next laptop because I've heard it makes me more productive. I heard it's easier to learn and there aren't as many annoying things about it compared to Windows, but my housemate doesn't think so. So I decided to find a website that compares the two operating systems. Some interesting UI (user interface) issues: It's interesting how dialog boxes in OS X have

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1139444322266208942006-02-08T15:43:00.000-08:002006-02-08T16:18:42.396-08:00

Part of my reading for my CTC (Christian Thought & Culture) class is on philosophy, particularly modern philosophy. So I've read a little about Nietzsche and it seems that he thought humanity would either turn into the Over-man (one who is able to will to power/overpower others and himself), or something called the "Last Man". The Last Man seems to be described as such (particularly by

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1139385529203047362006-02-07T23:50:00.000-08:002006-02-07T23:58:49.213-08:00

A good quote I heard attributed to Jim Houston:The best resume a pastor can have is the look on his wife's face.That's what I'm aiming for.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1139261176510771882006-02-06T13:18:00.000-08:002006-02-06T13:27:49.080-08:00

Was just reading Exodus 23:28-30 today and I come across this:I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1138948014356077392006-02-02T22:14:00.000-08:002006-02-02T22:26:54.366-08:00

On Monday at my Spiritual Discernment class, my professor gave an interesting theory about perhaps an example of bad spiritual discernment in the Bible. He talked about Acts 1:12-26, where Matthias is chosen to replace Judas as the new 12th disciple. And how do they choose him? By casting lots. He also mentioned that after Matthias was chosen, we never hear from him again. But we do hear about

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1138700508416726022006-01-31T01:37:00.000-08:002006-01-31T01:41:51.096-08:00

Now that I've gotten your attention with the title, it's kind of interesting how language reflects a culture. In Greek, the word "artos" means "bread", but it also means "food". I guess bread was a staple for the Greeks. Compare this to Korean, where the word "bap" means "rice", but it also means "food", reflecting the influence rice has upon Korean culture.The things that go through my mind as I

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1138689818752330202006-01-30T22:39:00.000-08:002006-01-30T22:43:38.763-08:00

Some interesting discussion today at tutorial group. Somewhat of a discussion on if we thought the Reformation was good or bad. Hard to really be objective since we all spoke from a distinctly Protestant perspective. But what I thought was interesting is that we seem to be on the eve of the next Reformation, one that focuses on trying to bring unity to the Church, between Catholic and Protestant

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1138430627447218322006-01-27T22:15:00.000-08:002006-01-27T22:43:47.506-08:00

Well, after doing some "research" (essentially just reading a couple of articles/excerpts), it seems the whole "abba" meaning "daddy" debate could still be unresolved.The whole thing generally started from someone named Joachim Jeremias who did a study back in the 1960s and found out that "abba" was what young children called their fathers, hence the idea that it means "daddy". Since then, it's

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1138249784202665892006-01-25T20:21:00.000-08:002006-01-25T20:29:44.213-08:00

This was brought up in my New Testament class today. I came from a church which teaches that the word "Abba" in the Bible means "Daddy". My New Testament professor doesn't seem to think so. He says it simply means "Father". Looking online, there seems to be some debate as to if "Abba" does mean "Daddy", or if it's just a myth perpetuated in evangelical circles. It seems that Jewish children

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1138174877553395752006-01-24T23:31:00.000-08:002006-01-24T23:41:17.556-08:00

Some things I've learned from my classes as I TRY to get back to blogging... Despite what you may have heard, the world at the time of Christopher Columbus did NOT think that the world was flat. They'd known the world was spherical ever since the time of the Greeks and Romans. The greatest threat to an individual's fulfillment of his vocation is his PARENTS. This given by my Spiritual

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1135385767824725102005-12-23T16:53:00.000-08:002005-12-23T16:56:07.826-08:00

Finished finals and the first semester of Regent College. It was (and still is) challenging and I'm glad to be done. I do feel like I've learned and grown a lot in the past few months. It's good to have learned the benefit to knowledge, wisdom and the study of God.I am currently at the in-laws. Definitely doing a lot of learning here too... Humility and patience is the name of the game.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1134279846942165682005-12-10T21:41:00.000-08:002005-12-10T21:44:06.953-08:00

Just finished reading 550 chapters of the Old Testament in the last 6 days. I definitely don't recommend it.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1130486897697868142005-10-28T01:05:00.000-07:002005-10-28T01:08:17.700-07:00

Here's an update from my fiancée on what is happening in her life.Dear Friends, I am somewhat afraid to send this e-mail, for fear you will judge me and my decisions. But, I am learning to fear God, not man, as in Matthew 10:28. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” I am sending this message knowing that my decisions may sound foolish because “the message of the

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1127979529095427742005-09-29T00:38:00.000-07:002005-09-29T00:38:49.623-07:00

Last weekend, I met a fellow first year student who explained to me a bit about the situation of Mexico missions trips. He's actually been working in Mexico (Tijuana) on and off for the last three years and knows a bit about the mission work that goes on there. He essentially said that Mexico missions is a mess, and it's a reflection of the brokenness of the church in America. There is a ton of

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1127877836404584772005-09-27T20:23:00.000-07:002005-09-27T20:23:56.433-07:00

In my Christian Thought & Culture class, we've been discussing the ideas of Annihiliationism and Double Predestination, which I just recently have learned about.A couple questions I've been pondering related to Annihilationism: Does the Bible say anything about us having an immortal soul, or even a soul at all, or is that just something we got from Greek thought? What happens to us after we

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1126574545790627232005-09-12T18:15:00.000-07:002005-09-12T18:22:25.796-07:00

Taking Introductory Greek. Some interesting tidbits about Greek: There are two O's in Greek: omicron (literally "little O") and omega (literally "big O"). When the Bible was originally transcribed, there were no punctuation marks or spaces.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1125389370679888572005-08-30T01:04:00.000-07:002005-08-30T01:09:30.683-07:00

It's shinier; there's a limitation from my camera.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1125387325393097762005-08-30T00:33:00.000-07:002005-08-30T00:35:26.223-07:00

Thanks to my friend Phong, I now have the expansion set, Cities and Knights of Catan. Thanks Phong, it's one of the best gifts I've ever had. Not sure what that means.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1125128188988239112005-08-27T00:36:00.000-07:002005-08-27T00:37:04.583-07:00

I attended fellowship on Friday night at church. It was not a typical Bible study night, but instead various people who have gone on missions (or are going to go on missions) this summer, shared about their experiences. We also got to pray for the countries and people to which they ministered. It was good to hear stories of God's work. As life goes on, God's work continues.I couldn't help but

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1124960748322563112005-08-25T02:19:00.000-07:002005-08-25T02:20:33.126-07:00

I've been going through my boxes, sorting them to figure out what to keep and what to dump. In the process, I've found a lot of stuff that's years old and it's brought back memories. I was reading my old high school senior yearbook; was crazy to remember those times. Interesting to note that my 10-year high school reunion is coming up next year and I'm debating whether to go. What will it be like

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1124780448257012762005-08-22T23:59:00.000-07:002005-08-23T00:00:48.263-07:00

One of the main reasons why I find it so difficult to update is timing. When I have time to blog, I can't think of anything to write. When I feel like writing, I'm nowhere near a computer.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1124747464898267872005-08-22T14:50:00.000-07:002005-08-22T14:51:04.956-07:00

So yesterday was my going away party, the Tchau-B-Q. It was great; the best party I've ever had. I'm amazed at all the people who came to wish me blessings on my journey to Vancouver. The planning for it was a bit stressful, from wondering if we'd have enough food, if we'd be able to get folding tables, enough grills, enough coolers, etc.. But everything turned out fine; nothing to really worry

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1124533926733570242005-08-20T03:32:00.000-07:002005-08-20T03:32:06.733-07:00

I'm up late tonight because I felt frustrated that I haven't had any time to do any sorting of my belongings. Everything is in boxes, but I have to consolidate them. Need to sort my textbooks and figure out which to sell and which to keep. Need to sort my papers and figure out which to keep and which to shred. Tomorrow will be spent getting ready for the going-away party. Sunday is packed with

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1124533437572611812005-08-20T03:23:00.000-07:002005-08-20T03:23:57.580-07:00

Been on a reading binge of the Civil Rights Movement the last couple of days. It's interesting to realize that the Montgomery Bus Boycott wasn't just a random chance event caused by the refusal of Rosa Parks to give her seat, but that it was carefully and deliberately planned by the NAACP. They had planned a boycott for a while, but just needed the right person to mobilize the black community and

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1124532710860284662005-08-20T03:11:00.000-07:002005-08-20T03:11:50.866-07:00

The other day I was talking to a co-worker and I think we were talking about something related to faith (since I was going to seminary). His father is a Methodist minister and his wife and kids are Mormon. So he and his father had a discussion a long time ago about his kids being raised Mormon and his father asked him once, "You know they don't believe in the Trinity, right?" And he answered

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1124165637352276642005-08-15T21:09:00.000-07:002005-08-15T21:13:57.360-07:00

I'm trying to sell my furniture and posted my stuff onto Craigslist. It actually seems to work; I got like 10 responses in two days for my stuff. Unfortunately, it all went to my junk mail folder and I replied back late to all my prospective buyers. Now I'm not sure I have any buyers anymore.If you're interested in looking at the posting, it's here for now.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1123879532656809512005-08-12T13:45:00.000-07:002005-08-12T13:45:32.663-07:00

I've been going through my boxes, trying to cut down on the things I will be transporting in my car. A couple of boxes are filled with records and receipts. While trying to figure out what to keep, I came across this article that talks about how long to keep receipts and statements. Very helpful.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1123661653521022932005-08-10T15:54:00.000-07:002005-08-10T15:55:08.470-07:00

So it happened on Monday, August 8th, 2005. We decided we would celebrate our 17-month "anniversary" that day (since we started dating on March 8th, 2004). I decided to take her to the same places that we went on the day we started dating.For dinner, we went to a Japanese restaurant called Nijo Castle, in Newark. It was the first time we'd gone there since that fateful day, and the experience was

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1123564051173005652005-08-08T22:06:00.000-07:002005-08-08T22:07:31.180-07:00

Laura and I are engaged. Details to follow.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1123402704119126842005-08-07T01:18:00.000-07:002005-08-07T01:18:24.146-07:00

So my trip to Seattle and Vancouver is almost over. I've been quite productive at home; more productive than I usually am. Don't get me wrong; I've been able to play a couple of games of Settlers with my family (it's become our family game). But I've also been able to: Do some research about cell phone plans that include Canada as a local call area Do some research about external hard drives

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1122925811753115022005-08-01T12:50:00.000-07:002005-08-01T12:50:11.766-07:00

The goodbyes have started to come. On Sunday, I was helping my pastor and his family move most of their stuff out of their old house (which has been sold since they are moving to China to serve at our church's orphanage there) to another place. He will be leaving this Thursday. His son (whom I discipled for a time) isn't moving to China, but will be staying there for the summer and won't be back

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1122712531465170172005-07-30T01:35:00.000-07:002005-07-30T01:37:38.906-07:00

For some reason, this Frederick Buechner quote has been sloshing around in my head:The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.I guess I've been thinking about my future and what God will want me to do with this life. The more I think about this quote, the more it seems to make sense. It makes sense that if God wants me to do something, he

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1122580554650754792005-07-28T12:55:00.000-07:002005-07-28T12:55:54.690-07:00

I think I realized something about myself yesterday. The way in which I am able to connect and commune with God is from the exchange of thoughts and ideas. This is generally the way in which God "speaks" to me. It's not that we exchange audible words, but that I'm able to tell him my thoughts and he tells me his. His thoughts come from places like books, heartfelt conversations with people and

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1122492149566934812005-07-27T12:22:00.000-07:002005-07-27T12:30:22.603-07:00

Just to note, both Laura and I have been watching Korean dramas, so she's been learning a little Korean too, which is good. Unfortunately, the only Korean song she knows is "Saeng-il chook-ka hap-ne-dah" ("Happy Birthday" in Korean), so everyday's been my birthday.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1122313424495060862005-07-25T10:43:00.000-07:002005-07-25T10:43:44.503-07:00

Lately, I've been watching this Korean drama (if you can believe it) called "Summer Scent". I won't bore you with the details, but it has actually given me a desire to learn more Korean again. I can follow some of the dialogue, but for a good portion of it, I have to read the subtitles.Learning Korean has made me think of my ethnic identity. I was born in Korea, so I guess that makes me Korean,

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1121800669043313392005-07-19T12:17:00.000-07:002005-07-19T12:17:49.073-07:00

At Upper Room on Sunday, Laura and I ate with this couple from Vancouver, one of whom graduated from Regent College a couple years ago. She gave me some very helpful advice that I think I wouldn't have known to do. She said to take advantage of the faculty there. To sign up for time with them and meet with them and talk with them and get to know them. To learn from them from just getting to know

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1121721335955133312005-07-18T14:15:00.000-07:002005-07-18T14:15:35.963-07:00

The weekend was busy, and there seemed to be a running theme going on throughout.Friday and Saturday was packed with the annual senior trip; essentially a trip where some of us youth counselors went on a road trip with the high school seniors before they go off to college in the fall. It was a lot of fun; spent a lot of time at the beach, playing games in our hotel rooms, and singing along to

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1121413864024406162005-07-15T00:48:00.000-07:002005-07-15T00:53:34.076-07:00

I met up today with a family that I've known for years. They're making their annual trip up to Northern California to visit the kids' grandparents. They stopped by near my work on their way up, and we were able to meet up at Starbucks to catch up for an hour. On a side note; I find it strange that coffee shops have become the de facto place for me to meet up with people. I can't seem to think of

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1121285484378795732005-07-13T13:11:00.000-07:002005-07-13T13:11:24.403-07:00

Last night I was looking over registration for classes for Regent this fall and a wave of panic came over me momentarily. My train of thought went something like this:What classes should I take? There seem to be some basic classes that I definitely should take, but what should I take for electives? To know that, I need to know what I'm going for. I know I'm enrolled in the MCS (two-year program),

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1121067493326417972005-07-11T00:38:00.000-07:002005-07-11T00:38:13.326-07:00

Spent just about the entire day Saturday going to Seacliff State Beach near Santa Cruz. We took the youth there for a nice summer beach trip. It was alright. The food was great (love those spicy chicken wings), and the beach was beautiful, but I wonder why I was there. Is it just to drive them, have fun with them, provide food for them, babysit them? Is this what my ministry has become? Sure,

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1121067029374816642005-07-11T00:28:00.000-07:002005-07-11T00:30:29.373-07:00

I attended a bachelor party on Friday and had a great time. After dinner, we had some fun with the bachelors by having them answer questions that their fiancées answered in advance. If they answered differently, they would be punished. We had them wear dresses, do their hair, sing songs, perform skits, etc.. The best part of the evening for me though, was when we shared how they had touched our

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1121066532718722312005-07-11T00:22:00.000-07:002005-07-11T00:22:12.726-07:00

The other day, I watched a reshowing of the Craig-Atkins debate on TV. Dr. Craig gave the typical Christian arguments for the existence of God (intelligent design, historicity of Jesus, etc.), but I was particularly interested in hearing the arguments made by Peter Atkins, who is one of the foremost advocates of atheism. I believe his main argument was something of the nature of Occam's Razor,

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1120766824532864052005-07-07T13:06:00.000-07:002005-07-07T13:08:47.330-07:00

Came across someone who was mentioning the book How to Get a Date Worth Keeping. Seems very interesting, with some ideas that Christians I know wouldn't agree with. Some excerpts from the editorial review from Publishers Weekly (emphasis mine):He also asserts that dating is not just a precursor to marriage, disagreeing with those Christians who refuse to date unless they glimpse a tiered wedding

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1120759466240662172005-07-07T11:04:00.000-07:002005-07-07T11:04:26.246-07:00

Something happened yesterday evening. I was talking with one of my pastors and sharing about my struggles with trying to live the "normal Christian life", and I started to cry. I was crying because I was so tired of feeling guilty of trying to live holy, and I just wanted to cry out to God, "Help me! Save me!" I was also crying because I felt the love of God in a very intense and intimate way I

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1120635898909743472005-07-06T00:44:00.000-07:002005-07-06T00:44:58.946-07:00

I have started following the Tour de France in recent years. Not sure why, but I found it fascinating once I discovered there was more to it than just riding a bike for long distances at great speeds. Like discovering what a peloton is, or what it means to "attack" the peloton, and why people do it. Or the strategies involved in winning a long, grueling event like the Tour. Lance Armstrong has

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1120546247302274332005-07-04T23:50:00.000-07:002005-07-04T23:50:47.306-07:00

I went to my church's young adult retreat (they call it a summit) this past weekend. It was good; I feel like I received some good "spiritual food". The theme particularly spoke to me: Dare to be Free. I probably don't need to tell you that, despite me living in a country that has given me freedom, I still feel chained. Chained to other people's expectations of me; chained to hurts in my past,

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1120247566879416982005-07-01T12:52:00.000-07:002005-07-01T12:52:46.886-07:00

Here is an excerpt from the Litany of Humility (yes, it's a Catholic thing):From the fear of being forgotten,Deliver me, Jesus.andThat others may be praised and I unnoticed,Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.I think a significant portion of my fight against pride is the fight against wanting to be noticed, to be praised, and not be forgotten. Since my physical attributes and personality are

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1120198234688483662005-06-30T23:10:00.000-07:002005-07-01T12:21:50.666-07:00

It looks like we will find out the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games (on July 6). Paris and London seem to be out in front, while New York City almost was out of the race because NY's Olympic stadium plan was rejected. Still 7 years away, but interesting to think about.Edit: BBC's website about the 2012 Summer Olympic Games bid is here.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1120032308048190952005-06-29T01:04:00.000-07:002005-06-29T01:05:08.056-07:00

So I got my annual contact lens/glasses exam today. The big surprise during this exam is that he found I was beginning to develop an allergic reaction to wearing contacts. Apparently he discovered this while checking the insides of my upper eyelids. The problem may be because I don't clean my contacts thoroughly enough. If you wear contacts, you may have noticed that a lot of the contact lens

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1119920758265290052005-06-27T18:05:00.000-07:002005-06-27T18:05:58.270-07:00

My laptop shipped today. Interesting that the tracking says shipment type is UPS Ground, but it is being sent from Kowloon Bay, HK. Also just goes to show you that Thinkpads are no longer IBM.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1119908082085254232005-06-27T14:34:00.000-07:002005-06-27T14:34:42.123-07:00

This summer looks to be filled with BBQs, parties, weddings and beach trips. California's weather lends itself to such events in this particular season.Saturday, Laura and I went to a friend's (Dave) "surprise" birthday party. I say "surprise" because he wasn't surprised at all, as his girlfriend left the Evite logged on on his computer, so he found out way in advance. The only unusual

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1119646765257298732005-06-24T13:59:00.000-07:002005-06-24T13:59:25.263-07:00

While reading about the history of the International Church of Christ at REVEAL, I came across a section where this doctor used the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) test to determine if the Boston Church of Christ (now ICC) movement was cultic or not. This section is particularly interesting:Upon the request of Al Baird, who had studied at his college, Abilene Christian College, in 1986, a

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1119590898101316442005-06-23T22:26:00.000-07:002005-06-23T22:28:18.106-07:00

Since I'll be leaving IBM soon, I'm going to have to return my work laptop. Which will leave me laptop-less, and since I "need" a laptop for school, I've been doing some research in buying a new one.For a while, I was seriously considering an Apple iBook, but then once the announcement came out that they would be switching to Intel chips, I was warned to stay away from them until the ones with

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1119423547714874632005-06-21T23:58:00.000-07:002005-06-21T23:59:18.063-07:00

Been really hooked on this game the last few weeks. So much that I bought my own copy. It's a very well-made game. I'm one of those strange people who can see a certain beauty in things like this game. There's a certain amount of luck to it so that each play has not already been predetermined, but enough strategy that if you're good at it, you can win on a consistent basis. The board

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1119382668489022532005-06-21T12:37:00.000-07:002005-06-21T12:38:29.996-07:00

The other day, Laura and I were having dinner with one of our pastors and his wife, and they were asking about our relationship. And he mentioned something he heard from a Korean soap opera "Winter Sonata". It went something like this:When you truly love someone, you can't explain why.He was saying that as he thought more and more about, he believed it to be very true. And I think there is at

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1119342436223584872005-06-21T01:27:00.000-07:002005-06-21T01:27:16.550-07:00

Been reading this book, and it's really helped me to see things in the right perspective. Pornography destroys lives.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1119249801995581532005-06-19T23:43:00.000-07:002005-06-20T14:13:09.970-07:00

A very inspiring true story about a man doing work "worthy of God". Found the link here.Edit: Not sure if it's actually true; seems to be a parable instead.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1119249294761726202005-06-19T23:34:00.000-07:002005-06-19T23:45:18.213-07:00

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1119248285553520642005-06-19T23:17:00.000-07:002005-06-19T23:18:05.560-07:00

I remember watching the Rich Mullins video "Homeless Man" and one of the people was talking about a quote which went something like this:You can tell a saint, not by how much he shows you, but by how little he conceals.I went to prayer meeting about a week and a half ago (the 8th), and the pastor's wife was sharing about preparations for Blue Jean Sunday. Now Blue Jean Sunday is an annual event

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823140.post-1063773665436487472005-06-19T21:54:00.000-07:002005-06-19T21:54:47.140-07:00

Started a new blog here, as I am no longer using freeshell.org actively.

chongsunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06686515050649383660noreply@blogger.com1