When fact is fiction and TV reality ...

... Sunday Lovely Sunday. I love Sundays because they're a time of shallom shabbat (peaceful rest), church and fellowship with other Christians. In times past I've often been over-critical of Christians and in doing so haven't been godly toward them. But God's showing me how mch I need them and need to serve them and how to love with patient longsuffering.

A lot of my change in perspective has come about by Mark Driscoll, who's rebuked be in so many ways and shown me how to live better as a Christian. I've been listening to many of his sermons on Nehemiah and they've shown me how I need to work on specific areas of my life that I'd previously thought were going well. I must admit that I often wish God had never shown me those things because they're SO hard to confront and no one wants to confront their disappointments, demons, and sins. But I know that God's good and will get me through them.

I've been getting back into prayer and Bible reading over the last couple of weeks, although this week I didn't do much of either (much to my chagrin). I've been making scattered attempts to read the Bible and pray with JH and O but I haven't been doing it as much as I should (my average is 1 day or less A WEEK). I'm surprised at how easy it is get into good habits regularly ... I'm sure that my sins of omission (passive sins of laziness and not doing my job) are just as numerous as my sins of comission (active choices to do something I shouldn't) The only consolation is that it's getting better gradually and God's answering my prayers in this regard.

JH's struggling though with sins of omission... Being busy with O all day and the cultural problem that many people here have of being work-obsessed (often to the point that they have no time for God) and doesn't hear from God. She speaks to Him but doesn't hear very much from Him which is a shame. I'm thinking of buying here an audio Bible so she can listen to it as she works about the house.

Recently God's answered many prayers. The 원장 (Director of Studies) at my next academy is really enthusaistic for me to teach ASAP because we see eye-to-eye on so many issues. He's tickled pink that I want to learn Korean and the school doesn everything by the book like not keeping the students past 10pm. Today God gave us a fantastic apartment to live in that we can put money down for soon (oh yeah the crazy rental system here is a subject for another post!!!). So it looks like all systems are go!!!! THANKS, GOD! You are good indeed. 많이고맙스비다!




But yeah I'm really into Mark Driscoll right now. I really like his emphasis on family (many pastors avoid that today because they don't want to offend singles) and his consistent emphasis for Christians to be responsible and stop living like adult children. He understands his culture very well and isn't afraid to all a spade a spade, exactly what I like in a pastor. His passion for the Word and Jesus is inspiring and he never gives a dull sermon, except when he's talking about the buildings of his church. What I love most about him though is how much he points bak to Jesus... Others like Joel Osteen point to wordly idols and others point back to themselves but Driscoll, like the minister at my home church Christians in the Media, points back to Christ. I've seen SO many pastors both here in Korea, on Korean TV, and on the Internet point to something other than Christ and it's really disappointing; Pastor Mark on the other hand is an island in the stream. He ain't Jesus but a faithful servant of Him and that's the best thing that a pastor can be!
But things are definately on the way up for JH, O, and I even in spite of our sin and the difficult people in our life (like friends and work colleagues) who are trying to trip us up and sabotage our godliness and the hope we have in Christ. But God is good and triumphing in spite of the challenges which is why we still cling to Him :)