In the Heat of the Night - #75 Greatest American Movie

Sidney Poitier soars again in In the Heat of the Night.  A murder of a prominent businessman in the deep south leads the police to round up anyone who looks suspicious.  Their first victim is a northern black man at the train station.  He is assumed guilty and arrested without being allowed to speak a word.  When the police chief interrogates him, he discovers that the accused "negro" is not only innocent but is also a hot-shot homicide detective from Philadelphia. 
Poitier stays on to help solve the case, somewhat unwillingly at first, and then stubbornly and defiantly later.  His presence and obvious investigative superiority are unsettling for this small racist town.  He is continually called "boy" even as he proves his intelligence and acumen again and again.  Finally, of course, he solves the case and wins the reluctant respect of the chief.
This film was both political commentary (exposing the foolish and derogatory attitudes of racism) and motivational piece (encouraging equality and merit based work and social environments).  As such, it was extremely effective.
The Josh rating is easy on this one.  It was good through and through: JJJJJ.

Finding Forgiveness - Genesis 45:1-15

             Today, we are concluding our study of Genesis with a quick look at one of the final chapters.  We aren’t going to spend a lot of time on it because our Bangladesh team is back.  We want to have plenty of time to hear their stories, too.

             Before we read the text, you need to remember some important background info.

• Joseph’s brothers hated him and sold him into slavery in Egypt.
• God blessed Joseph with the power to interpret dreams and helped Joseph rise to a position of leadership second only to the King.
• A famine devestated the whole Middle Eastern region, and the only food anywhere was the food that Joseph helped Egypt save.
• Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt to buy food for their families, where they met Joseph.  But of course, they didn't recognize him in his role of Egyptian royalty.
• Joseph struggles to forgive them and put them through a series of tests to see if they have truly changed.  Our text begins after the final test.

Genesis 45:1-15

¹ Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was. ² Then he broke down and wept. He wept so loudly the Egyptians could hear him, and word of it quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace.

 ³ “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. ⁴ “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. ⁵ But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. ⁶ This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. ⁷ God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.  ⁸ So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.

 ⁹ “Now hurry back to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me master over all the land of Egypt. So come down to me immediately! ¹⁰ You can live in the region of Goshen, where you can be near me with all your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own. ¹¹ I will take care of you there, for there are still five years of famine ahead of us. Otherwise you, your household, and all your animals will starve.’”

 ¹² Then Joseph added, “Look! You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that I really am Joseph! ¹³ Go tell my father of my honored position here in Egypt. Describe for him everything you have seen, and then bring my father here quickly.” ¹⁴ Weeping with joy, he embraced Benjamin, and Benjamin did the same. ¹⁵ Then Joseph kissed each of his brothers and wept over them, and after that they began talking freely with him.

             Joseph’s story is one of the classic forgiveness texts in the Bible.  Joseph actually seems to struggle quite a bit in the process of forgiving his brothers.  His struggles and his eventual forgiveness show us three common barriers to forgiveness and the keys to forgiveness. 

Aimee Mullins - Absolutely Amazing

Aimee Mullins was born without her fibulae (1 of two bones in both legs).  She has harnessed engineers, scientists, artists, and fashion designers to create better prosthetic legs - some possibly even superior to flesh-and-bone legs.
Check out her website here, and watch her tell her stories below.

Here is her original TED video, where she discusses her career as a paraolympic athlete with prosthetic legs modeled after the hind legs of cheetahs.   This was the talk that totally changed her life in the direction you will see in the next videos.

Here she discusses how her life moved into a radically new direction because of the first video above.






Here, she discusses how to let adversity propel you beyond your former status quo.



Also, be sure to listen to her Moth podcast.  (Scroll down to Moth Radio Hour 404.)

Korea Tip 126: Expats and Life Abroad Series

Michael Palmer has put together a beautiful little series of posts about living abroad (mostly in Korea).  I highly recommend reading all five articles - plus the bonus.

1. Living Between the Times - Jason Veach - (a comparison of adapting to the varying time practices of the Swiss and the Spanish)
2. A Letter to Pre-Korea Me - Stacey Siebritz - (wise and witty bits of advice on living in Korea)
3. How Kimchi Changed My Life - Jolie Lee - (how living in Korea has increased her appreciation for the USA and for Korea)
4. The Beauty in Good-bye - Michael Palmer (a poignant piece about appreciating this painful but ever-present event)
5. Know Thyself - Yours Truly (how culture shock reveals our own junk)

And a bonus from Stacey's blog: What No One Tells You About Leaving South Korea.

Read, learn, and enjoy.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - Review

This was a groundbreaking, extremely controversial movie.  When it came out in 1967, interracial marriage was still illegal in 13 states of the USA.
Sidney Poitier, Katherine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy put forth stellar performances as a family wrestles with the implications of a quickly impending interracial marriage.  The story line is a bit cramped - with the parents having to make a decision of support for or against in a single night.  However, the overall story, acting, and writing are simply outstanding.  The two best parts of the movie are the internal struggles of Spencer Tracy and the father-son struggle of Sidney Poitier and his on-screen dad.
Spencer Tracy is a renowned liberal newspaper publisher - a bleeding heart, white liberal, who has supported racial reconciliation with abandon.  However, when his own daughter wants to marry a black man, he faces the secret depths of his own heart.  He discovers that deep prejudice can hide in the best of us.
Sidney Poitier's parents - who also conveniently arrive for dinner - also struggle with the shock of their son's love for a white woman.  However, one of the best lines in the movie comes in the father-son argument.  Finally, Sidney Poitier shouts one of the best movie lines in history: "You think of yourself as a colored man.  I think of myself as a man."
As someone who lives in Korea and sees many Korean families struggle with the potential marriages of their children to non-Koreans, this film still rings true.   This movie is also a wonderful demonstration of the power of art to contribute to positive change.
This is a must see.  One of the best movies I have seen in a very, very long time.  It's a shame that it fell from grace on the AFI top 100 list.  It was in their 1997 list, but not the 2007 one.  The Josh rating: hands down - JJJJJ.

My 2012 Superbowl Commercial List

#5. Doritos Dog  (Yeah, I know he topped the list for some, but it was a little slow.)




#4. Toyota Camry's Reinventions  (Gotta give it to them for extreme creativity.)




#3. Chevy's Graduation Gift  (My mom actually did something like this once.)





#2. Chevy's End-of-the-World (Best single line and best runner up.)


#1. OIKOS (Absolutely made me burst out laughing.)

My Eel

Anxiety wraps my heart
like an electric eel
with a million tentacles
tiny and splintering
burrowing every crevice
charged with pulses of fear.

I root them out
like a gardener hunting
     weeds
like a surgeon digging
     cancer.
Hoes, claws, gloved hands
Merely pop them off
     at the root
Scalpals, radiation, chemo
Merely shrink the size
     temporarily.

Hope fills the void
     temporarily
Peace pulls its moving van
     to my curb
Only to find
The old eelly occupant
     has returned.
     Again.



---- For the sake of those who might not know, this was written on a bad day, and I don't always feel like this.  I post here for the sake of those who know exactly how this feels and need the hope that mutual understanding brings. ----

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (#26 Greatest American Movie of All Time) - Review

We scored a free copy of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, the 1939 Frank Capra classic staring a very young Jimmy Stewart.  This film has been called one of the greatest whistleblower films in American history.
Due to the sudden death of a sitting senator, the state's corrupt governor appoints political novice Jefferson Smith to fill the role - expecting that he can be easily manipulated.  Smith stumbles into disrupting a plan for graft, and his lonely, innocent patriotism faces the Goliath of a well-oiled system of corruption and intimidation.
Smith's idol and senior senator from his state demonstrates the bargain that many politicians make.  Compromise your values for the sake of political productivity.  He finally admits to Smith that he has cooperated with corruption for the sake of the greater good.  Smith holds to his ideals and reminds us that some things are too sacred for compromise. 
Apparently, this movie was intended to highlight the reality of corruption in Washington, and it garnered quite a bit of criticism in the process.  Unfortunately, its naive characters and simple dialog sound overwhelmingly cheesy to 21st century ears. 
Some classics stand the test of time in terms of entertainment and maintaining interest.  We often found ourselves drifting away into conversation or out of the room for snacks or not particularly caring when the kids came chattering into the room.  Unfortunately, however meaningful this Mr. Smith was in its own time, and however important its message is for our time, its weak plot and dialog leave it a little lost in our time.
Sadly, the Josh rating is less than it could be: JJJ.

Dangerous Dreams - Genesis 37

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.


Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.
   
  In this poem, Langston Hughes portrays dreams as essential to a good and satisfying life.  But what happens when the dream itself is disruptive?  What happens when dreams collide?  What happens when the dream seems so impossible that it causes more pain than hope?
    Langston Hughes understood something of the pain of dreams since he wrote as an African American in the beginning of the 20th century in New York.  Langston Hughes would have resonated with the Joseph story.
    Last week Matt talked about God’s promise to Abraham to give him a son.  God worked a miracle, and Abraham’s wife Sarah gave birth to Isaac.  Isaac had two sons – Jacob and Esau.  After Jacob got himself two wives and two concubines, he had collected 10 sons, by three different women, but none with Rachel – his first love. 
Finally, when it seemed like all hope was lost for Rachel, she became pregnant and gave birth to Joseph.  Joseph became the golden boy, the child of his most loved wife, the child of his old age.  Let’s read the story in Genesis 37.

 1 So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.  2 This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.
3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.  4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.
 5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 6 “Listen to this dream,” he said. 7 “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”

"Good to Me" by Craig Musseau

We just discovered this song, and I think we're going to use it during Lent.  I love how it honestly admits our need for repentance and healing but also celebrates God's grace and hope.

Korea Tip 125: AppleCare Stores

Korea is not very mac-friendly, but it's getting better.  Just a few years ago most Korean websites were basically inaccessible to Safari or even Firefox.  However, with the increasing popularity of Apple products - especially Ipads and Iphones - that is changing.
One of the big problems, though, is getting reliable service for Apple products.  Until recently, you had to journey to Seoul to use your Applecare warranty.  However, Apple Service Centers are slowly moving southward and popping up in some other big cities. 
If you live in Cheonan, where I'm based, the easiest store to reach is Neptune (also known as All-In-One-Tech), which is in the AK Plaza at Suwon Station.  That is just about an hour from Cheonan via the subway.  Follow the signs within the station complex to AK Plaza.  Then keep taking the escalators upward to the 3rd or 4th floor - look for all the appliances and home-ware.  Neptune is a very sleek glass-enclosed store.
I recently brought in my MacBook because the powercord port was damaged.  The Neptune service technician, who might actually be the owner, took my mac apart and fixed the problem in about 10 minutes - no waiting in line.  To top off the positive experience, he also speaks pretty fair English.
To see the latest list of all AppleCare Service Providers in Korea, click here.

Dream Poems by Langston Hughs

Next week, I'll be preaching on Joseph's dreams and their impact (Genesis 37).  In my research, I discovered an amazing poet - Langston Hughes.  How have I missed him till now?
For your reading pleasure and edification, three Hughes poems on dreams.

Dreams

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

I Dream A World

I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn
I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom's way,
Where greed no longer saps the soul
Nor avarice blights our day.
A world I dream where black or white,
Whatever race you be,
Will share the bounties of the earth
And every man is free,
Where wretchedness will hang its head
And joy, like a pearl,
Attends the needs of all mankind-
Of such I dream, my world!

A Dream Deferred

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
 

Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus

This "spoken-word" poem has been watched nearly 17 million times since it was posted a mere 17 days ago.  That's a million viewings a day!  It has also started a firestorm of comments, likes, shares, tweets, and video responses (both for and against).
This tells me a few things.
1) The relationship between religion, church, and Jesus is a VERY hot issue in this era.
2) A very well-crafted piece now has the potential to make a huge impact in a very short amount of time, without the benefit of old-school media outlets.
3) He speaks truth - uncomfortable truth.

Me and Abel - Genesis 4:1-16

Today we skip forward in our journey through Genesis.  After the creation of humans, there was the famous “Fall,” when humans first sinned.  Chapter 4 tells us, we kept falling, farther and farther. 

Old Testament Lesson: Genesis 4:1-16

¹ Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the LORD’s help, I have produced a man!” ² Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.

   When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. ³ When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. ⁴ Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, ⁵ but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

 ⁶ “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? ⁷ You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

 ⁸ One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

The Runaway Jury - Review

Every vacation, I read at least one John Grisham book.  This year it was The Runaway Jury.  Once again, it was hard to put down.  There was more mystery than usual for the first half of the book.
The story begins with the selection of the jury for a huge tobacco lawsuit.  A widow of a man who died of cancer after smoking three packs a day for thirty years is suing the maker of his cigarets.  Drama and mystery swirl around the whole process, especially around one juror who seems to be willing to sell his vote and influence on the jury.
The ending is exciting, even if predictable.  I don't read Grisham to surprise me.  I read Grisham for the fun of the story.  However, I have to admit that after several years of vacationing with Grisham, I'm starting to wish he would shake things up a bit more.
The Josh rating: JJJ.

Korea Tip 124: Know Thyself

Know Thyself.
Plato often advised his students: “Know thyself.” But the phrase probably precedes him by many centuries. By Plato’s time, KNOW THYSELF was already etched in temple walls.
This ancient wisdom takes on contemporary significance when we start jumping on planes and flying across oceans. Landing in a foreign land with a foreign language, foreign culture, and foreign foods can be exceedingly disorienting – even if we don’t always feel the disorientation. Culture shock hits everyone who lives abroad – whether we admit it or not.
Knowing ourselves can both ease the tension and cure some of the pain. We can find a measure of healing freedom through simply being aware of where we are in the normal stages of culture shock. However, knowing ourselves goes much deeper.
As one who has lived abroad for seven years, I can testify that culture shock will reveal our darkest parts. Our old wounds will be reactivated. Our old pains and fears will resurface as new incarnations. At this time, the most tempting option will be to  blame all our frustrations and pains on the new culture in which we find ourselves.
This place is so backward.
Why do they do such crazy things?
This stuff is just stupid.
The temptation is always to project our pain outward. It’s their fault. The problem is out there – with these people, this place, this system, this culture. The problem is never in here, with me, my own darkness. It is true that all cultures have weaknesses, and it’s true that some cultures are better at some things than others. However, our greatest frustrations often reveal more about ourselves than about whatever is driving us crazy. So go deep. Ask yourself some probing questions.
What is really going on here? 
Why does this frustrate me so much?
What am I really afraid of with this? 
How does this connect with my own history?
What does God want to do in me in the midst of this situation? 
If you’re like me,you may find that living in another culture teaches you more about yourself than anyone else.

(This blog was originally posted as part of a series on living abroad at: http://michaelrpalmer.wordpress.com/).  

The Trail to Seven Pines - Review

So, I'm an addict.  I started reading this book on Thursday, and I'm finished already (Tuesday).  If it's a good story - especially with a lot of action - I get sucked in, and I try to read in every spare minute.
In The Trail to Seven Pines, Louis L'Amour doesn't do anything spectacular.  The plot is basically predictable.  The good guys beat the bad guys.  However, the twists in the details and the nearly poetic landscape descriptions keep it interesting.  Once again, I couldn't put it down.
This book was less reflective than The Ferguson Rifle, but it was still a good, fun read.  Again, he reminds me of John Grisham, only writing about a different time and place.  You pretty much know where you're going to end up, but the journey is still worth the ride.  (Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa!)
The Josh rating: JJJ.

1 : 4 : 7 - Genesis 2:1-3

             I quit.

             A few months ago, I started a sermon by restating Paul’s struggles in my own words.  Several people thought I was resigning.  Before I left for Christmas vacation, I started a sermon by claiming that I was an alcoholic and all kinds of other things. 

             But this time, I’m serious.  I quit.

             I quit because God quit.

             And you should quit, too.

             Because God quit.

             Our Old Testament Lesson for today is Genesis 2:1-3.

¹ So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. ² On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. ³ And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

            

             The word translated “rested” here is “Sabbath,” and it literally means “ceased” or “quit.”  God quit.  On the seventh day, God quit.  On the seventh day, God quit all his work.  And his blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. 

             God quit, so we quit. 

The Ferguson Rifle - Review

My grandparents love Louis L'amour.  When we visited them this winter, I asked them to recommend a few of his books.  We also listened to some short stories on tape.  (Yes, my mom's car still uses audio cassettes!)  This has been a good way for me to get a sense for my grandpa's world.  Also, L'amour is one of the best selling American authors of all time - with 101 books and around 300,000,000 total sold.  The reason for all that success is that he tells a great story.
The Ferguson Rifle tells the story of a scholar, who returned ventured westward into the North American wilderness after losing his wife and daughter in a fire.  Told in the first person, the action is quick, but also seasoned with the scholar's reflections on life and on his life in particular.  This is a good quick read.  It reminds me very much of John Grisham's writing, only set in the wild American west.
The Josh rating: JJJJ.

A Thousand Acres - Review

Jane Smiley won the Pulitzer Prize for A Thousand Acres, a novel about an Iowa farm family.  Since I was on my way to Iowa (though not to a farm family), I thought this would be a good read.  I was right.  True to form with good books, I ended up staying up late one might to finish the last 100 pages.
A Thousand Acres moves through the mundane details of farm life - cans of used nails, repairing tractors, cows in corn fields after harvest, etc, etc, etc.  But through the slow trudge through minutia, Smiley also reflects on the relationships and deeper meanings of life that find expression in these microscopic realia. 
This is a story of sin, abuse, recovery, failure, transition, selfishness, unselfishness, humilty, and even - barely - healing.  While I typically hope for more positive resolution, the final chapter of the book is one of the best I've ever read in terms of sheer poignancy. 
The Josh rating: JJJJ.

The Gospel of Restoration - Isaiah 61

             Hello.  My name is Josh, and I’m an alcoholic.

             I’m a porn addict, a compulsive gambler, a smoker, and a semi-regular crack user.

             I’m a shopaholic, workaholic, me-aholic.

             I’m the child of abusive parents, and now I’m a codependant adult.

             I beat my wife, and I’m more than $100,000 in debt.

             I am a rape victim, and I’m a sexual abuser.

             I’m grieving the loss of a loved one.

             I’m a racist, a legalist, a moralist, and a recovering hypocrite.

             I am depressed and lonely. 

Sometimes I have thoughts of suicide.  I may even have a plan.

I look like I have a lot of friends, but really I have a very hard time developing meaningful relationships.

I’m struggling with problems with my parents, and my marriage is falling apart.

I’m obsessed with my looks, and I have an eating disorder.

I’m addicted to the internet, and I am a flagrant procrastinator.  Not a good combination!

I have deep resentment and hidden anger.

I am addicted to romance.

My life is dominated by anxiety.

I use profanity often – especially when I’m not at church.

I can’t stop gossiping, no matter how many times I tell myself I’m going to stop.

I’m beginning to lose hope in God.

I am actually an athiest.

I doubt everything all the time.

I value achievement more than love.

I’m struggling to become the person God wants me to be, and I’m beginning to give up.

I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I am lost, captive, blind, despairing, mourning, helpless, and hopeless.

I am broken.  I am a sinner.

Some of these are true of me.  All of these are true for someone in this room.

Korea Tip 123: What the Book

If you want English books in Korea, you have scant options.
1) Scour the frustratingly small selections at local bookstore chains.  (However, these have improved from nothing in 2004 ... to a single shelf a few years ago ... to a genuine English book section with several book cases.)
2) Hit up some of the larger bookstores in Seoul with expanded selections.
3) Pay exorbitant international shipping rates through Amazon.com - something like $9 a book, with no discounts for multiple book orders.
4) Order from www.whatthebook.com.  What The Book has a physical location on the side streets of Itaewon (near the fire station), where you can also buy used books.  However, their real value is their online selection.
They can provide most English books in a wide variety of genres.  True, they mark up the price a bit higher than Amazon and other US based online distributors.  However, they don't charge for shipping in Korea if you spend more than 25,000 won.
Payment is relatively easy.  You can pay through credit card or bank transfer.  I do the transfers.  Just jot down the info on a post-it note, and head to your closest ATM.  In a few days or weeks, depending on whether they have your book currently in Korea, you'll be lounging on a couch with your new book.

Korea Tip 122: Fine Italian Dining in SsangYong Dong

There are some great Italian restaurants in Cheonan, and there are some Italian restaurants in SsangYong Dong (one of Cheonan's neighborhoods or districts, where KNU is located).  But there aren't many really good Italian restaurants in SsangYong Dong.  Most are semi-fast food, or they are a good try, but not quite. 
Until now.
Lieto opened several months ago, but I thought it was just a pricey coffee shop.  Sarah and I stumbled into this fine dining establishment looking for another place for our Friday night date last week.  We were pleasantly surprised!
First of all, the atmosphere is great - really classy and quiet.
Secondly, the service is very fast.  I noticed that she was already preparing the house salads as soon as she gave us the menus and confirmed that we would be ordering a meal.
Then, the house salad was hands-down the best house salad I've had in Korea.  It had a variety of fresh vegetables and a mouth-watering red wine and vinegarette dressing.
Next, out came a pumpkin soup.  Then, garlic bread.  Both of these were moderate, but I had to love the constant flow of appetizers.
The main courses were good.  Sarah's carbonara was a little bland, and my amitriciana was very spicy - even for me, but the quality was very good. 
Finally, the meal was topped off with high quality home roasted coffee. 
The only downside was the price.  For the two of us, it cost 29,000 won.  We won't be going back often, but maybe for a special occasion. 
It's located just a block east of the SsangYong Lotte Mart on the main street.

Annie Hall - #35 Greatest American Movie of All Time

Thanks to Itunes and loaners from friends, Sarah and I are slowly working our way through the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movies of All Time.  This week we watched Annie Hall, a 1977 movie, co-everything (writing, directing, staring) Woody Allen.
It's a semi-biographical, romantic comedy, telling the story of Alvi (Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) and their on-again, off-again relationship.  It has lots of flashbacks, in which the lead characters are present on the sidelines of the flashback - much like the Ghost of Christmas Past or It's a Wonderful Life.  Except that here, to great comedic effect, the present day characters are able to interact with or even interpose themselves into the flashback characters.  The whole movie has this playful disconnect with reality that allows the characters to move in and out of each others' stories and even to step toward the camera to address the audience directly.
Overall, I found it an interesting mixture of funny and sad, but not overwhelmingly good.  I was particularly disappointed that Allen's character didn't seem to make any progress in dealing with his own issues.  The Josh rating: JJJ.

Time Lapse Theology (Isaiah 40:1-11)

    That was called “Cheonan By Night,” and it is a time lapse video by our own Andy Phelps.  One of the things I love about this video is the contrast of stability and change.  If we could expand the length of this video to 24 hours, we would see even more change.  The ebb and flow of people and traffic and light would change. 
    If we could expand the video to a month, we could see more coats and scarves emerging.  We could see the huge Christmas tree being installed.
    If we could expand the time frame to a year, we would see the streets packed for a few frames with the Cheonan Dance Festival.  We would see the changing of the seasons.  We would also see Yaoori change to ShinSeGye
    If we could expand the time frame to ten years, we would see the art plaza remodeled and the addition of the flower spear.  We would see the renovation of the river, construction projects, changing fashions, and businesses moving in and out.
    If we could expand the time frame to one hundred years in the same location, we would see Cheonan arise out of the rice fields and pine forests.  We would see North Korean tanks roll in during the Battle of Cheonan.  Even earlier, we might see occupying Japanese soldiers and cars replacing horse drawn carts.
    If we could expand it to one thousand years, what would we see?  Maybe kings on their way to the OnYang springs.  Maybe invasions by the Mongols or the Manchu. 

Korea Tip 120: Cheonan at Night

Want a sneak peak of Cheonan?  Or maybe just an interesting look at a place you've seen a thousand times? 
Here's a cool time-lapse photo video of downtown Cheonan by my friend Andy Phelps, who is an outstanding photographer.

Korea Tip 119: Gmarket

Gmarket is Korea's Amazon.  Actually, it's owned by Ebay, but it's not an auction-based site. 
It has a pretty good English translation of it's website.  There's even a button for product to use google to translate product descriptions.  This translation is spotty, but the parts that are absolutely necessary for transactions are easy to understand and easy to use.
We recently purchased diapers and printer ink cartridges at about a 40% discount over local store prices.  Also, for many items, especially things over 30,000 won, shipping is free.  Our products were delivered in 2-3 days. 
If you need help directing the delivery man to your address, just have it shipped to your work place and give the Korean secretary's phone number.  Or, if you live in an apartment complex, the delivery guy (Konglish: tech bay) can drop it off at the security office and you can pick it up later.
Another helpful tip for purchasing over the internet: you don't have to pay by credit card.  You can just click the button that says something like: "bank transfer."  Then follow the instructions on the site and make the transfer at an ATM.
Happy discount shopping!

The Overload Syndrome - Review

I thought I was reading The Overload Syndrome for other people.
I realized I was wrong in the introduction.
People are stressed ... exhausted ... overloaded.  
"I feel like a minnow in a flash flood."
Margin is the space that once existed between our load and our limits.  Margin is the space between vitality and exhaustion.  It is our breathing room, our reserves, our leeway.  
We push the limits as far as possible.
We spend ten percent more than we have - and it no longer matters if one is talking about time, energy, or money.
Without margin, we are self-protective, painfully uninterested in an opportunity to serve our neighbor.  Without margin, we tread water and hang on by our fingernails, trying to survive an other day.  Without margin we are chronically exhausted, chronically late, chronically rushed.  Without margin, we are overloaded.
What about you?  Have you lost your joy and passion?  Do you suffer from work dread?  Are your relationships strained from stress?  Do you wish you could check into a hospital just to sleep?
Understand that you are not alone.
I am not alone.  You are not alone.  Many of us - if not most of us - are overloaded.  This book has been part of the beginning of my healing process.
You need to read this book.
The Josh rating: JJJJJ.

Feeling our Prayers - Isaiah 63-64

   Every single person I know has struggled with prayer at some time.  Most people I know struggle with prayer most of the time.  Praying can be hard.  Someone told me last week that he has just about given up on prayer.  Most people say they wish they had more time to pray, but most people don’t seem particularly interested in actually spending more time in prayer.  When it comes right down to it, most of us would rather do most other things.  If you have ever struggled with prayer or with not praying, you are not alone.  Most people are like you.

   We are entering the Season of Advent.  This is a season of waiting.  We are waiting in three ways. 

• We’re waiting symbolically with the people of the Old Testament for Jesus, the Messiah to come.  We’ll celebrate Jesus’ coming at Christmas time.
• We’re waiting for Jesus to come again and make our world right.
• We’re waiting for God’s coming and action to be more fully present in our world and in our lives.

    In the midst of all this waiting, prayer can be hard.  When I graduated from university, my Aunt Sue gave me a book by one of America’s greatest philosophers: Dr. Seuss.  It’s called O, the Places You’ll Go.  Dr. Seuss describes life as this long journey of ups and downs, celebrations and failures.  But one stage of life is often “The Waiting Place”:
        a most useless place … 
        … for people just waiting.
        Waiting for a train to go
        Or a bus to come, or a plane to go
        Or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
        Or waiting around for a Yes or a No
        Or waiting for their hair to grow.
        Everyone is just waiting. 

Success and Failure

Do not run to success
   For success may bring
      As much burden as blessing.

Do not run from failure
   For failure may bring
      As much blessing as burden.

Run only to God
   For God will bring
       All that we need.

The Hiding Place - Review

I grew up with my mom talking about The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boon.  She told and retold several of the stories until I felt like I had already read the book.  In my university ethics class, the professor referenced Corrie Ten Boon's ethical disagreements with her sister about whether it is ever OK to lie - even when lying might protect a human life.  Corrie Ten Boon's story has taken on the aura of a modern Christian legend.
As I picked up the book to read, I honestly had a mixture of interest and skepticism.  The interest came from the recognition that it must be a classic for a reason, and I guess the skepticism came from the postmodern distrust of easy answers from modernism.  Both my interest and my skepticism were rewarded, though not in equal measure. 
I was entranced by the story of Corrie's Dutch family's resistance to Nazism through underground work and care for the weak.  This was one of those books that I found myself reading at every spare minute at home.  Also, the way Corrie's family engages their faith in a good God while evil triumphs temporarily was fascinating and heart-warming.
A few times, though, I found myself uncomfortable with Corries sense that God was working in the tiny details of her life.  I heard the echos of my doubting friends in my head.  "If God could miraculously smuggle a Bible into her prison cell, why didn't he just eliminate the prison all together?" 
However, the co-existence of obvious tiny miracles and huge evils pushed me toward humility in determining what God should do in our world.  This juxtaposition pushed on me the realization that God can't always do what God wants to do because we humans often resist his desires. 
Also, Corrie found that even problems like fleas in their concentration camp barracks could become blessings (annoying critters that kept the even more bothersome German guards away).  Again, this pushed me toward humility - realizing that we often cannot see the total picture of what is good or bad for us at a given time.  The best response to all our circumstances is joyful trust in our Father - even if that does seem irrational or even lame at times.
This is a very good read, and although I don't agree with her perspective 100% percent, I certainly agree with and am inspired by her heart and life.
The Josh rating: JJJJ.

Sanctuary - Review

William Faulkner's Sanctuary was the best, weirdest, darkest, most difficult novel I've read in a while.  It was like reading a novel through a kaleidoscope.  The characters, settings, and times shift and turn at a dizzying pace.
Half-way through the novel, he gives information that makes sense of the opening scenes.  Even in the closing chapters, information unfolds that interprets many of the mysterious edges that haunted the whole novel.
It's almost as if Faulkner has this huge entrancing photograph that he has torn into little bits.  Then, he takes the readers through the frustratingly entrancing process of reassembling the original image.
This is not a novel for the faint at heart.  It deals with rape, murder, impotence, racism, class-ism, divorce, adultery, alcoholism, and more.  The general message seems to be that our world is a tangled up mess, where all our broken pieces are more connected to everyone else's broken pieces more than we'd like to admit.
The Josh rating: JJJJ.

Indian in the Cupboard - Review

Emma and I just finished reading Indian in the Cupboard, the classic children's novel by Lynne Reid Banks.  A boy named Omri finds a magic combination of an old cupboard and a mysterious old key that makes his plastic figurines turn to life.  In addition, to the suspenseful and and entrancing story, this book teaches the values of empathy and unselfishness.  As Omri gets to know his little people better, he learns to view the world from their perspective and to put their well-being above his own personal desires.
This is a great book for parents to read together with children.  Emma and I both enjoyed the reading and looked forward to our nights with "The Indian." The Josh rating: JJJJ.

The African Queen (Best Movie #17) - Review

The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn, ranks as the #17 best movie of all time on the American Film Institute's top 100 list.  This is one of the few older romantic comedies that we didn't find supremely cheesy.  Sure, it has its moments, but overall, this is a movie about one person coming out of her shell and two people falling in love.
Katherine Hepburn is a missionary in Africa when World War 2 breaks out.  The colonial territories of Germany and Great Britain are caught up in the conflict.  When her brother dies, she must ride to safety on the old river boat of the kind but rough Humphrey Bogart.  She slowly develops respect for him and freedom to be herself, and eventually they fall in love.  Without giving away the ending, there is an over-the-top but artistic ending that wraps the movie in a pretty bow.
One refreshing element of this movie was the modesty.  If this movie was made today, it would have been filled with nudity and sex.  However, The African Queen  has them taking dips into the river in their boxers and bloomers.  That might not be as realistic, but it was nice to be able to watch a movie without having to deal with that temptation.
The Josh rating: JJJJ.

Korea Tip 118: Getting a Teaching Job in Korea

"I'm thinking of working in Korea.  What should I do to prepare?  What advice do you have for me?"
I've been getting these questions a lot lately.  Here are my answers.

1) Work for a reliable institution.  You are usually safer with universities or public schools (or programs working with public schools).  As a general rule of thumb, the larger the institution and the older the English teaching program, the safer it is as a workplace.  Here are some I recommend:

• Korea Nazarene University
• EPIK
• Soon Chun Hyang University

2) Start early.  Korea requires more and more documentation and authentication every year.  Some of those documents can take a great deal of time to obtain.

3) Maintain healthy skepticism.  Most employers and most recruiters are pretty good people who will treat you pretty well, but there are some real scumbags out there.  Check the wages compared to other jobs with similar working hours.  Ask to speak with a current or former employee (a foreigner if possible). 

4) Check out the area.  While public transportation here is good, its quality diminishes dramatically outside major cities.  Be aware that if you live in the sticks, you may have to buy a car or suffer the randomness of buses beyond your control.  If you're a Christian, you'll want to be looking for an English speaking church within reasonable commuting distance.

5) Know your rights.  We're currently working on an English Teacher's Rights guide.  Stay tuned here for that posting coming soon.  In the meantime, make sure your potential employer plans to provide you with health insurance and pension. 

Nazarene Heritage: Unity (Snakes in a Church)

Numbers 21:4-9
 4 Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, 5 and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”
 6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.
 8 Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” 9 So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!

    Snakes on a Plane was possibly the worst movie made in the last ten years.  The basic concept is that someone releases hundreds of poisonous snakes on a plane flying over the Pacific Ocean.  They can’t land, and they can’t get the snakes out.  Just so you don’t have to watch it, let me give you the summary.  It’s a bad movie, and lots of people die.
    At the risk of extreme cheesiness and possible biblical irreverence, I want to use snakes as a theme for our talk today on unity.  You might call this sermon Snakes in a Church.   Let me give you the summary.  It’s a bad problem, and lots of people die - spiritually. 
    In Moses’ story, God sent the snakes as a punishment for Israel’s complaining and lack of faith.  In our story, the snakes are more the cause of the problems.  Our snakes are our sneaky, sneaking sins that hide in the darkness, tell us lies, and masquerade as truth.  They poison our lives, and they poison our churches.  Both stories point to Jesus as the cure. 

24/7 Video

Our church is doing our 4th session of 24/7 Prayer in a few weeks.  We'll be using this video to help promote it in our church.  It fits perfectly with our theme of unity for this week.

Friday Night Lights - Review

Four years ago, Sarah gave me the first season of Friday Night Lights for my birthday.  I absolutely loved it.  The high school football, the small town drama, the Texas setting, all brought back waves of memories for me.  That's why I started watching.  I kept watching because this show deals fearlessly with nearly every major issue of our society in mostly positive ways.  (Season 2 is a little weak and soap-opera-esque, but my friend Matt wisely advised us that it gets better.)

Relevant Magazine published several articles on Friday Night Lights which are well worth reading:

• "Saying Farewell to the Best Show on TV"
• "Still the Brightest Light on TV"
• "5 Shows Saving TV"

Some of the highlights of the show for me:

• Without a doubt, the best part of the show is the honest, loving, committed, flawed, enduring relationship of the coach and his wife.  They really love each other.  They really hurt each other.  They really find ways to forgive, to find healing, and to stay happy together.  Sarah and I often caught ourselves laughing at the familiarity of their arguments: "Do not whisper-yell at me!" 
• I love watching the coach's leadership process.  He's way different than me - way more silent and way less encouraging, but he's very honest and very good at what he does.  As a leader, I love watching a good leader lead.
• Honest struggles with friendship, faith, pain, family, failure, healing, injustice, loneliness, and nearly every other issue of life pepper the show.
• The dialog and artistry rivals that in any movie.  I rarely, rarely ended an episode feeling my cheese-alert go off.  That is a rare event in today's television market.

The Josh rating: hands down 5 Js: JJJJJ.  If you want to understand more about American culture, this is a must watch series.

Wild Blood

Wild blood climbing up a tree
Wild blood climbing up me
Thorns in the bushes
Thorns in the vines
Thorns in the rushes
Of unsettled times
Wild blood in the street
Wild blood on our feet
Forgot our shoes
Forgot how to lose
Rush out, rush in
Again and again
Thorns on the hills
Thorns on our hands
Thorns in the ills
Of unsettled lands
Wild blood roses unpreened
Wild blood roses unseen

Dying to Live

Our small group is discussing this video this week.  A medical doctor is diagnosed with terminal cancer and discusses how this effects her spiritual journey.  (Thanks for the recommendation, Pete.)

Arise and Shine - Engage Magazine Article

-- This article originally appeared at: www.engagemagazine.com.   --

 Baptism speaks of a new life, and on September 4 we witnessed this glorious sacrament in abundance as nine people rose up from the waters at KNU International English Church (at Korea Nazarene University). In golden letters on a wall overlooking the plaza, 'Arise, shine' (Isaiah 60:1) formed a fitting backdrop for Christians arising from the water aglow with sunlight.

The baptism testimonies were as different as you would expect in a group hailing from four countries and spread over three generations.

Undoubtedly, one of the most uplifting stories shared was from Mrs. Lee, a mother of two teenage sons who were also baptized. As one of her sons translated, she spoke of her life without God for 27 years and how she had slowly started experiencing the Lord in her life again. Even though she doesn't speak English well, with help from the pastors and the Holy Spirit, she has overcome the language barrier. One night she dreamed she met God in a room with a white wall and high ceiling. Later in the week she joined her sons in the church's 24/7 prayer room, and she was shocked to see the same room where she had met the Lord in her dream. She immediately broke down in tears, and soon after she gave her life to Christ.

Korea Tip 117: A Few Good Articles on North and South Korea

1. North Korea's Patchy Capitalism.  Due to the total failure of the government controlled system, North Korean citizens of all levels are resorting to gray-market capitalism.  Simply to purchase food and fuel, they must barter services and goods on the open market.  This hints at hopes and problems for unification.

2. Better Food-Aid to North Korea.  20 years of food assistance has failed to relieve chronic food-insecurity in North Korea, and hundreds of thousands have starved.  This is largely due to the governments incapacity and unwillingness to distribute the aid effectively and fairly.  Therefore, future aid programs need more stringent demands for outside involvement

3. Capitalism's Unstoppable Bubbling Up.  Once you start, you can't stop.  Capitalism is coming to North Korea, largely tainted with corruption and black markets, but still coming.  This is the crack in the communist system that will shatter it.  (This is why we should release all sanctions and invest and trade heavily with North Korea.)

4. Multiculturalism in South Korea. With increasing numbers of long-term foreign residents and multicultural marriages, South Korea is quickly losing its homogeneous make-up.  By 2020, 1/3 of all children born in South Korea may be multi-ethnic.  South Korea is still very much in the growing pains on adjusting to multiculturalism, but there are some signs of hope.

Nazarene Heritage Week 2: Wesley and Bresee (All Saints Day)

Today is All Saints Day - a day to remember people who have followed Jesus especially well. Nazarenes donʼt usually celebrate All Saints Day, but weʼre missing out.
All Saints Day is an important part of Christian tradition, and it was actually John Wesleyʼs favorite day of the church year. All Saints Day is a great opportunity for us to remember the “great cloud of witnesses” who have gone before us (Hebrews 12:1).

Listen to how John the Revelator describes this great crowd in his vision of
heaven in Revelation 7:9-17.
 9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a mighty shout,“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang,
   “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor
   and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
[3] 13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”
 14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
   Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
 15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple.   And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter.
 16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
 17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd.  He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

There will come a time, when we will stand with the saints from every tribe and language and culture and time - all those who have ever trusted in the Jesus as the Lamb of God. Together we will sing praises to God. We will be one people, healed together by his love.

All Saints Day is a day to practice this corporate worship and unity now - here on earth. We stand today with the saints of Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas. We stand today with the saints of the first humans, the first Israelites, the first Christians, the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the Industrial Age, our own time, and all times yet to come. Together, we are Godʼs people. Together, we worship him. Together, we learn what it means to follow him.

Today, as part of our study of our Nazarene Heritage, we are focusing on the two most important saints in our history: John Wesley and Phineas Bresee. As we talk about these two leaders and how God used them, my prayer is that we will catch some of their passion and let God use us in similar ways.