Academy Action.....

We are less than 1 month from Christmas! It's been a productive last few weeks for me, most notably in that my TESOL course is now finished! This strengthens my resume in the future, and has provided me with some great training and ideas on how to strengthen all aspects of my ESL teaching.

I have been looking for ways to incorporate the Bible into my oldest (most advanced) class whenever I can (at least, for the last class). Simultaneously, I have realized the power of hiding God's word in my own heart through scripture memory. This week, I was blessed with an idea of how to merge the two: I would have my students memorize scripture with me!

On Monday, I gave them 2 verses of Proverbs and we had at it. By Wednesday, several could already say it perfectly. They seemed to enjoy it as well, as it provides them with a good way to learn English, as well as the Bible. These kids are sharp as tacks, from all their studying. There going to keep me on my toes. But hey, that's what I wanted.

Then came today, and the arrival of the letters from America. My youngest sister Joanna (Junior in high school) and her class responded to my classes letters. My students were very excited, and seemed to greatly appreciate them. It was rather funny for Alvin especially. He wrote his letter to Alex, (whom he and I thought was a boy) only to find out her name was short for Alexandria.....woops! She seemed to get a kick out of it on her end, from what my sister said. And I've never seen Alvin laugh so hard either.

Teaching in Korea has really showed me that I while I can teach students of all ages, my long term calling is not with 5-7 graders. I love teaching the little kids, because their love is so pure-- and I really enjoy the older kids here because they are fairly respectful and really interesting. For all of you upper elementary and middle school teachers, more power to you. What a difficult age! They will push me about as far as I will let them. Today, one of them pushed a little too far....and was promptly lead to the director. All in a days work.....


This job (and overall experience) has taught me a lot....in more ways than I can count. Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving. We don't really celebrate it here, but are certainly thankful none the less.

Jay

Spiritual thoughts: repentence

Much of Jesus ministry and the ministry of the Apostles in Acts involved commanding men to repent--or "turn" from the sin in their lives (Luke 13:3). Why? Hell was at stake. Those that failed to repent of sin would perish. This is still true today, and will be as long as the world goes on.


Repentence is a command of Jesus to us for us to do, but at the same time, it is an amazing, miraculous gift of God (Acts 30,31; Acts 11:17, 2 Timothy 2:24-26). This may seem paradoxical, but is true according to scripture. God both commands and grants repentence. I'm fine leaving the rest to mystery.

What is our take home message then? For ourselves? For those we preach too?

First, earnest prayer for repentence is absolutely essential. I think of King David's prayer of repentence in Psalm 51. I looked closer at this prayer in a recent Bible study. David sought God with a broken and contrite heart as he asked God to do a number of things for him. Listen to all the requests he made to God:

"Have mercy on me, blot out my transgressions, wash me, cleanse me, purge me, wash me, let me hear joy and gladness, let the bones that you have broken rejoice, hide your face from my sins, blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, cast me not away from your presence, take not your Holy Spirit from me, restore to me the joy of your salvation, uphold me with a willing spirit, deliver me from bloodguiltiness, open my lips."

Wow. Enough said.

Second, that we would be willing to "put off" whatever God would ask us. As Jesus told us to "pluck out our eyes" or "cut off our hand" if they cause us to sin, I pray we would be willing to do the same in whatever area of our life that might cause us to stumble.

Third, that we would understand we need to constantly be searching our hearts and seeking God and following the Holy Spirit as he leads us. This is not just a "one and done" experience.....this is a fight till the end.... a spiritual war that gets mighty intense at times. Thankfully, we are and will be triumphant in Christ, who is there for us to pull us along even when we stumble when we seek him with our whole hearts. Pride commeth before the fall. I pray we would all stay humble and realize whoever we are, no matter how "spiritual" or how "solid", we will only stay on the straight and narrow through the strength from God.

Finally, that repentence would be preached in evangelism. It may not be the most popular message, but it is the only medicine that works. We do no one any favors when we avoid it. Let's preach it boldly, but in love with a spirit of gentleness and compassion, whenever we get the opportunities.

Peace to you,

Jay

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I'm a week early.....but it seems only appropriate to take an opportunity to express thanks for this past year. It has been a year that I will never forget, to say the least!

One year ago today, I was sitting in an office, working on a research project at a temporary job at South Dakota State University. I was really unsure as to where the future would have me be, and had no idea I would end up in Korea. It just goes to show that sometimes, life will surprise you. The path I was on veared sharply to the West, so far to the West, that I'm now in the far East!

I've been here just over 7 months now. There are moments where it still feels very foreign, but most of the time, it feels very real. This world is this world, wherever you are. People may have different cultures and different ways of life, but they are in many ways, the same. Hand someone your money, you get what you pay for; give a student a hug, they'll hug you back; go for a long jog, you start sweating. Seek the Lord with all your heart, and you understand your life.

The growth I have experienced here is something that I can't measure myself, but I know it has been tremendous and in a number of ways. I am very thankful for this year. It was not in my plans, but I'm ok with that.

I don't have a whole lot of words, as I'm tired and it's late. But I just want to say thankyou.....to all of you for helping me in my life over the years and for being supportive of me here in Korea. And most of all to my Lord, who went before me to prepare a place for me here in Korea and who goes before each of us at this very moment. May we always look to Him and his gentle guidence for us along the railroad track that is our lives....even when our track takes us far out of our comfort zone....or time zone! To him be the glory and thanksgiving!

Game Time

One of the more interesting parts of my job is game time. Game time is the final 15 minutes on Friday of each class I have. I have played a variety of games with my students, depending on their age. "Bingo", (using either pictures or words, depending on the level) is a common choice for the very young students. "Simon Says" and "Bipity Bipity Bop" are also fun games I like to play with students of all ages, though the younger students really seem to enjoy it. "Heads up Seven Up, or "The Thumb Game" as they call it here is a popular choice as well with mid to high elementry students. Then there is "The Spelling Game", which consists of two teams of students with a representative from each team racing on the board to spell a word correctly and earn a point for their team. This is fun, but sometimes the highly competitive nature of the students makes it a little tiring for me.

Recently, I learned that the games didn't have to necessarily be English focused, especially with the older students that have studied hard all week. I have played "Mophia," a card game that many of you are familiar with with my oldest students. Also, when I am in the big classroom, I have played "Red Light Green Light," which is fun, but the boys almost kill each other in my 7:00 class. I began taking them outside a couple of weeks ago and playing "Tag" with them. This was great, as they loved to run around.....although I will say I picked the wrong day to wear the shoes I wore....

Then, there is the last class. We started playing "Pack Sardines," since the students are all middle or high school age and more responsible. This game is like hide and go seek, only you hide with the person when you find them. I have been very impressed with the students as we played this. It has been a lot of fun for me and for them. I will say I got some odd looks from some Koreans when they saw me hiding last week....but hey, It's not like that is the first time that has happened.

I am always up for new games. If you can think of any that would be good, even games you played as a child, let me know. Most of them need to be appropriate to play in a classroom, but the last two classes are fine to go outside when the weather cooperates.

Time to make tests. Stay tuned.

~Jay

Recent sites

It CAN get "cold" in Korea.....

Saturday was one of the nicest days since I have been in Korea. I went on a church picnic in Hwasun, a nearby city where several folks from church are from. We did old fashioned games: 3 legged races, sack races, egg toss, etc. and had a great time. It was a little breezy, but it was in the mid 70s are gorgeous.

Then came Sunday...and with it cooler weather. I noticed how I felt very tired by Sunday night, as often happens when a cold front comes through. By Monday, it was sleeting! Yikes! I thought I'd left South Dakota, what is this? I heard it was -3 (Celsius) in Seoul (so probably about 30 here). I would use the word "cold," but after all the winters I have endured in the states, I cannot bring myself to call 30 "cold" (unless I use quotes)....

Luckily, it has warmed back up again. I thought it was funny yesterday when I asked Johnny, one of my younger students, "How are you today?" He responded, "Angry." When I asked him why, he responded, "Mother,...here, many many..."(then he showed me the 5 layers he had on, from coat to sweatshirt to sweater, to shirt, to undershirt). All I could think was, what would these people do if it was 40 below?

I have some pictures of leaves, and some various other things I'll be posting at some point soon. Prayers are welcomed as well as I begin to think about next year and employment possibilities and follow God as he leads me onward.

Over and out---

Jay

This N That

Things have gone well here lately. I am recovering from a sinus infection, but feel considerably better this week. The church I attend offers a free clinic in the early afternoons. The medical people from the greater Korean church (I attend the English side) offer free healthcare and free meds as a service to the community. My doctor was great and he spoke great English. Plus, the meds he gave me have helped a lot.

In other news.........The weather is still quite pleasant, though I have begun wearing a jacket in the evenings after work. The leaves are beautiful!.......My apartment is as clean as it has been since I got here, thanks to some Saturday afternoon motivation..............I am 8 units away from finishing my TESOL course, which is nice. It has been very helpful for me in my present job and may prove valuable for future employment as well...........I had a nice time at Chonnam University yesterday afternoon, as I was able to follow up with a friend I had discussed Christianity with a few weeks before. The hospitality of these people is amazing! He bought me supper, and a smoothy for dessert, refusing to let me pay. It didn't seem to matter to him that I was in the workforce and he was a college student (though he was older than me). "Next time, I told him." .........I had my oldest two classes write letters to American students last week and will be sending them to America soon. Mrs. Schillerstrom from West Lyon, (where I went to highschool) has kindly agreed to have her students correspond with mine. It should be interesting!

I have many things to be thankful for. It's been a great year so far.

Over and out!

Jay

Religion....or Christianity?

Religion....or Christianity? What is the difference? I talked to a Buddhist recently, and he talked about Karma. Do good things, and you are a good person and have good Karma. I asked him, "How do you know when you've done enough good? And what if your motives are impure?" I don't recall his answer.....Islam is focused on obediently following what is in the Koran---which will result in favor with Allah. Yet again I ask the question, "How do you know if you have done enough?" Every organized religion sees people as either good or bad. Every religion that is, except Christianty.........or does it???

I tried Christianity, but "I'm not good enough to be a Christian...." These were the words I heard from a young man's mouth back in early August when I began to talk with him about Christianity. I had all I could do to not throw over the table we were sitting at and holler, "NEITHER AM I, BUT JESUS LIVED THE LIFE YOU AND I COULD'T LIVE! Few things in life upset me as much as people thinking they aren't "good enough" to be Christians.

Carefully read Matthew 23. Was Jesus upset? WHY was Jesus upset (assuming you answered correctly to the previous question)? His condemnation of the Pharisees was shocking---considering the religious "prestige" they carried in those days. Their life was religion, and to call them "sons of the devil" cut to the heart and only stirred up trouble.

Jesus was angry, because the Pharisees were taking the Bible and their obedience to the law and trying to use it as evidence for their "righteousness." In the Pharisees eyes, there were good people and bad. The good people tithed 10% of everything--even their spices (mint, dill, cummin, etc) and followed the law to the T. The bad people fell somewhere short of this, and were "lesser thans." No wonder why they hated Jesus, when he told them that lusting in the heart was committing adultery. All of a sudden, their so called righeousness looked like nothing more than an external mask!

How does this look in Century 21 of Christianity? The world is so liberal, that this isn't an issue, right? Sadly, I would have to disagree. Let's go back to the young man I talked to. He didn't go into a lot of details, but it sounded like he had labored a few years, trying to prove himself good enough for the church people. Yet his level of perceived "righteousness" was somewhat short of others. They knew it and so did he. Due to a misunderstanding of the gospel, he was tired and wore out. He had enough of Christianity. It was time to move on in his eyes.

I had a similar experience in my life when I felt pressure to join a particular church. Doing so would result in finding the favor of many people whose opinions I greatly valued. Yet I just didn't feel like I was quite good enough.....so for a while, I just pursued more sin that left me empty and unsatisified. Like my friend, I saw Christianity as only a list of does and don'ts. I could not figure out how to change my actions to measure up. That was where I was until God shone the light of his saving grace through faith in Christ into my heart and began changing me in 2006.....from the inside out, which is the only way change can last.

As I read scripture, all people are sinners.....thus all bad. But there are still two types of people: repentant and unrepantant. If you don't agree with me, find a good person in scripture: Moses, Noah, David, Paul, Peter. Study their life, and you'll find quite a list of sins. Yet all of these men were lead to repentance by God.....many times in their life. About the time we thought they had it together, they'd botch it. I have heard individuals, who hold a different interpretation than I say, "well, those were all before pentecost." A careful reading of Galations 2 and the story of the hypocrisy of Peter and other Christians regarding circumcision proves this interpretation incorrect and potentially very self righteous. The flesh is still their fighting us. Just because we live after pentecost and have been given the Holy Spirit doesn't mean we are now all sin-free for life. Our perfection is still in Christ alone. In him, we walk triumphantly, in spite of our daily fight with sin.

Another illustration is the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Both went down to pray.......but their prayers sounded quite differently. Let's listen in on Luke 18:9-14:

9He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

It seems to me this is the Pharisees attitude: "God, I'm doing pretty good and I thank you for that. I'm becoming more sanctified all the time, much better than others around me. Take note please!" The tax collector, on the other hand, understands that he is nothing before God at all. And he is the one that is justified.

In reality, even on our best days, our righteousness is of filthy rags before God. Remember, it is Christ alone that saves......Not Christ plus perfect obedience. Viewing obedience as a way to earn favor results in either pride or despair (the latter of which is what my friend felt and certianly I felt). We compare to someone else to see how good we are. And when we compare, we lose....every time. Jesus is the standard: he is perfect. We need to believe his sacrifice was enough.

Obedience out of love is pleasing to God and will accompany all Christians. It will lead us to continually see how far we have fallen short in sin, but through it God will constantly draw us closer and reveal more of our impure hearts as we submit to him and turn from our sinful ways. These are the joys of sanctification, which is a lifelong process for all Christians.

When "good people who know it" run churches, the church begins to smell like a pile of dung and becomes as dead as grass in the winter time. When sinners made righteous through Christ run the church out of humility, with the love of Christ, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, Christianity spreads. People like my friend and I can come boldly to the thrown of grace, without fear of condemnation....even if it means coming looking more like a someone from the hood than a church goer.

Pray for my friend and others that are blinded in the view of self righteous "religion" and cannot understand Christianity. What clever tactics the enemy has used to blind these people. Luckily, our God is big enough to shine his light through. Let's all pray he continues to do that.....and that Christians would be willing to be telescopes for people to see that light. May we remember to boast not in ourselves, but to daily humble ourselves like the tax collector when we come before God. Praise God for his grace. Grace be with you...

~Jay
P.S. Grace does not cancel out repentence....it just enables it.
P.P.S. These words are as much for me as anyone else.

My friend Sean and I above the street in Itaewon (a district of Seoul).

Koreans weeding the River bank outside my house.