Justin Kim

Archive for the ‘Virtues’ Category

The Secret of Silence

In Bible Study, Morality, Virtues on December 2, 2011 at 10:24 pm

Two patriarchs were beloved by God.

Two patriarchs were rich with crops and livestock galore.

Two patriarchs lived in the same region and in the same period of earth’s history.

Two patriarchs had deep, profound relationships with the Divine and heard His very voice.

Yet one was the father of many, who eventually became alone.  Another was a father of one, who would eventually become many.  One had a whole book ascribed to him.  The other was mentioned relatively shortly, but his descendants become the main characters of the Bible.  One was called perfect and made an example in front of the universe.  The other was called a friend of God and made a blessing before all the nations.

But in the end, both were asked to sacrifice and suffer.

Job

Job was a man that feared God, perfect, upright, and eschewed evil.  Yet when his children, household, goods, and health were taken away, he grieves and mourns for two chapters, seeking death.  His three friends come to argue incorrectly that Job had done something wrong, making false metaphysical and ethical statements about good and evil.  After rebuking each friend in a cycle of three debates, God finally spoke to him.

Between chapters 38 and 39, God conclusively proved that man could not understand everything and sought obedience from humanity.  There is no personal advantage in obedience.  There is no understandable rationale in obedience.  Reason and rationale have limitations.  Obedience does not.

Abraham

Abraham was a man that also feared God and called the friend of God.  He was to be the father of God’s people, protecting and guarding of the sacred law.  To him were promised more descendants that the night stars and the sands of the sea.  But in chapter 22 of Genesis, God also asked to take his child away.

Though one child, the wages were more circumstantial than the situation of Job.  Though Job had seven sons, three daughters, 7000 sheep, 300 camels, 500 oxen, 500 donkeys, and a large staff, more promises were encapsulated in the person of Isaac.  Isaac was the child of promise, the child of impossibilities, the progenitor of a people numbering more than the night stars and sands of the sea.  This child was birthed from his parents’ laughter, prematurely caused the birth of a rival nation, and the object of anxiety and hope for more than 20 tired and elderly years.

Taking the life of this child should have caused more mourning than Job’s loss.  This was an action that was highly un-understandable.  Abraham should have been asking questions, grieving, mourning, seeking death, escape, alternatives, and answers.

Silence

Yet what is so disturbing about chapter 22 is that there is no indication of these signs.  Whereas Job has more than thirty chapters devoted to complaining and discussion, there is not even one verse attributed for this avenue.  Rather, we see a methodical step-by-step journey to the top of Moriah, only to worship.  We hear a silent hike up the mountain.  We only smell the fire burning on top of the altar.  We do not see any rationalization, cursing God, hint of bitterness, seeking of alternatives, discussions, questionings of misunderstanding.  We see obedience.  This unrational (not irrational) obedience is so disturbing that the violence of a son’s murder by his father does not phase us.  Maybe Abraham knew something about faith that Job did not.

You see, Christians do not sacrifice and suffer.  We serve a Lord that owns all and does not know material loss.  Christians do not sacrifice and suffer; Christians merely obey.  We may either mourn for 30+ chapters or walk silently up a mountain, but the outcome is the same.  Obedience never needs to be understood, just done.  The world calls this foolishness, but there is no personal advantage in obedience.  Even though we may not understand ourselves, we must keep walking and say, “I will follow thee, my Savior.”  This is what Jesus did every hour of His life.

You see, there is a secret that every Christ-follower knows:  Christ Himself.  And when you know Him, you’ll love Him.  And when you love Him, you don’t think about obeying Him…you just do.

Original Post:  http://www.englishcompass.org/articles/the_secret_of_silence/

Time Tested Beauty Tips

In Poetry, Virtues on November 8, 2011 at 11:33 am

by Sam Levenson

(A favorite poem of Audrey Hepburn)

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone…

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived,
reclaimed and redeemed and redeemed …

Never throw out anybody. Remember, if you ever need a
helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands.
One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,
because that is the doorway to her heart,
the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives,
the passion that she shows,
and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

South Korea: Economic and Religion Facts

In Korean Culture, Virtues on January 13, 2009 at 9:40 pm

Korean Economy

Before its economic success of the latter half of the twentieth century, the South Korean GDP was the equivalent of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ravaged by war, colonial conquest of the Russians, Chinese, Japanese, and Americans, the country was left to riots, assassinations, dictators, and robber baron economics.

Through reform and implementation of a certain “can-do” spirit, today South Korea has become the only nation in the world to increase 200% in its economy. It is currently the 4th largest economy in Asia and the 13th in the world. Life expectancy is higher than the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany, while the average Korean has more financial opportunities than the French, Italians, and other Europeans.

As evidenced by Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book, the mathematical ability of Koreans, second only to Japan, stems not from a genetic predisposition, but discipline and perseverance; in other words, the spirit of diligence. In the realm of scientific literacy, they are first in the world, resulting in being the most wired, most economically intelligent, most technologically cutting-edge, and with the most number of patents of technology (more than United States, Germany, and France combined).

South Korea is the world’s largest shipbuilder and has exported more goods than all of Central Asia and South American put together. The four top Korean companies make more than Apple, BMW, Coca-cola, Google, Intel, McDonalds, Microsoft, Nike, Sony, Starbucks, and Disney put together (LG itself is three times larger than Apple).

Korean Christianity

This same boom in the Korean economy is found also in realm of religion.

As of 2008, South Korea has become the country where the second most number of Christian missionaries are deployed throughout the world. Though it is second to the United States, it is closing the gap quickly. Just a couple years ago, South Korea was third, catching up to the United Kingdom. But now, there are 16,616 Korean full-time missionaries in 173 countries.

By 2030, missions strategists hope to dispatch a total of 100,000 missionaries.

It seems this burst of missionary activity stems from the same “can do” spirit found in South Koreans. The largest church in the world is the Yoido Full Gospel church in Seoul, Korea with about 830,000 members. The senior pastor has 171 associate pastors and 356 lay pastors. Though they speak in tongues and have shamanistic elements in a Pentecostal framework, the church was started by 20 families years ago who practiced and implemented this certain spirit of not-giving up.

On a wider perspective, Korean Christianity is on the cutting edge of politics, entertainment, the arts, and educational systems. Church organizations are on the front-lines to provide repatriation for North Korean refugees. Talks are in the works for reunification with Korean Christianity providing private funding and resources. Intricate food networks have been created to allocate and distribute the donations given by the South to the North.

Currently pastors and administrators have been stragetizing for the evangelization of North Korea in multi-staged campaigns, planning for construction resources for intrastructure design and repair, the organization of districts and territories for ministry/evangelism, and even renting out large amount of storage space near the border for miscellaneous goods. The second the borders are released, personnel and plans have been pre-established so that every individual already knows what, how, when, and where to accomplish their duties.

Hebrews 6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Watching Happy People

In Creativity, Virtues on November 20, 2008 at 2:13 pm

Dr. John Robinson, University of Maryland sociology, researched 45,000 Americans over 35 years to find a correlation between watching television and happy people; that is, they don’t.  Though happy people were found to have watched TV, it wasn’t one of their top pasttimes.  Rather, going to church, visiting friends, and reading the news were their favorite activities.

This isn’t to say that if you stop watching TV that you are guaranteed happiness and that watching TV will make you unhappy.  But make you own conclusions about this.  Seeing as your reading this and not watching TV shows you’re one step closer…

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/health/research/20happy.html?em

Incessancy

In Reflections, Virtues on July 4, 2008 at 9:48 am

Of the many voids in my life, there is one of particular of annoyance: incessancy. Though quite obstinate, even unreasonably at other times, I lack this specific virtue in the little things and events that constitute normal everydayness.

How many books have I started and not finished? My library is a testament to the volumes of information that I once desired to seek. There are myriads of books with bookmarks in them about halfway through chapter two.

Books

How many CD’s and MP3′s have I bought and never listened to? Alas, I even have cassette tapes that still have shrinkwrap!

How many photographs have I taken and never developed/printed/framed? Thanks to digitalization, this can now take place on my screen, but my walls are still white and bare.

How many cans of exotic vegetables, bottles of rare spices, and boxes of healthy carbohydrates have I been inspired to transform into Food Network-worthy masterpieces? Nevertheless, they sit still processed in my geriatrically-scented cupboard.

How many projects have been started, but abandoned as “pending further research?” How many journals and logs have been left undated all except the first two pages? How many?

Indeed, incessancy is a virtue. For even the ancient Greeks held a special race during their Olympics. We all know about races of long distance, speed, and endurance. But there was one where the victory was not bestowed based on these terms. But rather, the victor was one who finished the race with his torch still lit. Undoubtedly, the torchrunners for this year’s Olympics would have lost in ancient Greece.

Basically, finish what you start.

232 years later, the American econopolitical experiment is still lit today. As this blog also starts on this fourth of July, my prayer is that this virtue of incessancy does not retrovert next to my tapedeck and Kodak, but rather manifests itself into also the bigger things and events of normal everydayness, even this blog.

“…I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do…” – Jesus (John 17:4)

“…I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…” – Paul (2 Tim 4:7)

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” Luke 14:28-30

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