75 Words

Day 5 - Teaching and A Portrait of a Student (Video)

We started teaching yesterday and in 2 hours made it through the introduction and the first 5 verses of 1st Peter. 

Only 99 more verses to go in 8 hours.

Meet Betsy, one of our Taiwanese students here at WOLBI Jeju Island.

 

Day 4 - A Visit To A Buddhist Temple (Phideo)

Spent some time sight seeing on the island today.

One of our stops was a Korean Buddhist temple still very active.

 

This is the Chief Buddha

These are 'prayer requests' that hang from the ceiling.

Some of our students enjoying the temple brooms.

 

Pray for South Korea.

Day 3 - Church (Video)

 

Day 2 - Cheju Island, South Korea (Video)

We've arrived to the Word of Life Bible Institute on Cheju Island, South Korea. 

The B.I. is nestled among trees and rock outcrops about 4500 feet up on a mountainside.

The campus is beautiful, the staff welcoming, and the students energetic.

It's going to be a great week.

 

Day 1 - 환영 Korea! (Video)

 

Yes, that is Jay Chou. 

Yes, that is Novembers Chopin.

Yes, you just flew to Korea with us in 2.5 minutes.

No beverage service needed.

Day 1 - 환영 Korea!

 It was a long, long flight.

These pictures capture the mood pretty well.

At some point early on, there was a push for productivity.

That push gave way to this Korean airplane food (sounds like bimbimbob).

And at some point over Canada (go ahead and insert your own favorite Canadian joke here), it became apparent I had turned the corner from sane to delirious. (this was only like 4 hours into the flight.)

Delirious enough to play the computer at Yahtzee until I won…which I didn’t. It took me many, many games to realize the computer was cheating. (perhaps delirium setting in?)(or maybe a transcontinental conspiracy?)

Things had deteriorated so much that I was actually explaining to the bear how a seatbelt really isn’t going to help in the event of something crazy. We had a one way conversation for a while and it was only when I realized that I had been bested by a bear (a cuddly white one at that) that I quietly retreated and put my seatbelt back on.

 

 Eventually, we landed, cleared customs, and made it to the hotel.

It's 3:57 A.M. here in Seoul, so sleep has been scant.

On the upside?

A video is forthcoming.

Stay Tuned.

 

T-Minus 29.5 Hours

Whenever I'm about to leave on a long plane flight, I watch this video.

 

Mostly because I love it when Michael Clark Duncan and Steve Buscemi's characters get in on the harmony. 

Tomorrow I leave for a 2 week long trip that goes a little something like this:

 

If you substitute all the locations in this song with:

Dallas, Incheon, Jeju Island, and Dalian...it sounds like Johnny Cash wrote this song for my trip. (not to mention I laugh when I think about Johnny Cash trying to say Dalian in his country voice)

Throughout the trip I'll be updating this site with pictures and video. (mostly of the food I'll be eating and maybe some cats (gotta go viral right?))

Time to go pack.

Mark, Out!

P.S. Be checking out www.keepbelieving.com for trip updates as well.

 

Condo Gardening - Going Roma

It's been a while since my last garden post and things have gotten a little out of hand.

My 3 Roma Tomato bushes have taken over.

(though the Basil is still hangin in there)

They've began to sprout numerous flowers.

Which are starting to turn into lil' tomatoes.

So, assuming the weather holds out and we stay reasonably warm for the next few weeks, looks like we'll have a whole mess of Roma's. 

Life is good.

You Decided, I Wrote - Again

This time we ended up with a 2-2-2 tie.

And like baseball, tie goes to the runner (writer). 

I chose:

 Expositional Study:  Write an exposition on the Book of Haggai. The exposition should include: a statement of the overall message, an outline of the book based on the overall message, and a brief explanation of each paragraph as the message is developed in the argument of the text. Obviously comments cannot be made on every verse in the book but all significant statements should be dealt with in your brief explanations.

You can download it here ---> Download BookofHaggai

The book is a great reminder of how obedience to God brings his presence and with it, his blessings. 

 

Mormonism and Evangelicalism

Honestly, I knew Fuller trends to a more progressive view of theology and culture than I could align myself with. 

This article written by their president shows that progression.

"Those of us who have made the effort to engage Mormons in friendly and sustained give-and-take conversations have come to see them as good citizens whose life of faith often exhibits qualities that are worthy of the Christian label, even as we continue to engage in friendly arguments with them about crucial theological issues."

1. There are plenty of Atheists, "whose life of faith often exhibits qualities that are worthy of the Christian label..." Thankfully, they won't be taking that label, no matter how broad and culturally savvy Mouw wants to make it. They're not taking the label because they don't follow Christ. Neither do Mormons...at least not the same Christ the Bible teaches.

2. One of the biggest problems with this article is that it makes Christ somehow trans-belief, trans-religion figure that can be found in equal amounts of truth in religions other than Orthodox Christianity. For example: Matt 5:17-19. If what Jesus is saying is true of the Bible, then what the Mormons believe about Joseph Smith, their continuing revelation of their elders, and the Book of Mormon being supreme above the Bible isn't compatible with Jesus says about the Bible and what the Bible says about Jesus.

Mormons aren't Christians.

And, it's ok.

It's cheap to score political points at the expense of ones religious beliefs.

And,

It's theologically irresponsible to try and syncretize Christianity and Mormonism for the sake of Evangelicalism.

It only ends up as a disservice to Evangelicalism.