Suzie Mango, our 87lb yellow lab is now officially 1 year old.  Man, she grows up fast.  Really fast!  And apparently according to the vet she is still going to be growing more!  Makes me wonder whether she is going to be like Clifford the Big Red Dog size! 
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Well we are happy that she is now 1 year old and we celebrated her birthday is some delicious food and a pinata that was filled with doggie treats, and even had a cake that is safe for dogs to consume. 

And I learned something.  Just because the cake is dog safe, it does not mean that humans can also eat it.  Well, I guess you can…but you will be surprised by the taste.  It doesn’t taste good to the human tongue. 

I mean you could eat it, but you really don’t want to! It is definitely… for dogs only… maybe cats too…

So… all that cake went to the neighbor dogs as well.  According to Suzie, it was delicious. 

But we do have to realize that sometimes what is good for some people, or a person, is not always good for others.  And that isn’t what people have preferences or choice over “things.”  What I am talking about is about a person’s overall health.  For example, pregnant women may need certain vitamins or nutrients, or healthcare compared to other people who are not pregnant. 

We all have different needs and I think this is why God has a very complex job when it comes to providing for all individual humans.  Just as we all have different health needs, we all Also have different paths in life.  And God knows this. 

We will all have different life situations, and we will all have different circumstances.  Even though we may feel that we run into similar experiences, the outcome will vary.  We may wonder why one person has a different result to similar life experiences… and sometimes one may have a “better” result than you, and we can feel that life is unfair. 

But this is not true.  Life isn’t necessarily unfair; it is just really freaking hard!  And every individual’s life has its own plan.  Plan that we have no idea what will happen.  What is important is several factors that make our life rewarding or make it a struggle. 

First is having a trust in God.  Whatever, good or bad that happens in life, we must trust in God to be with us.  God is with us when we struggle and is there is hold us in His loving arms and God is with us when we are in joy, celebrating with us when life is beautiful. 

Secondly, when life does give us lemons, our attitude, our self-esteem, our actions, our steadfastness, and resilience is going to matter.  What we do when our backs are pushed against the wall is going to matter.  It is so important that we stay strong, mature, and never give up. 

Life isn’t unfair, its hard, and that is why God must be our foundation.  Our trust in God helps give us peace when life throws us curve balls.  Remember never to compare your life with anyone else, because everyone is different and every life has isn’t own path to success.  And it is God that is influencing and guiding us to our rightful path.  

Since the end of May I have had this issue in my mouth.  So, since May I have felt like one side of my face was hit with a baseball bat.  Tooth pain is never easy to deal with.  And the problem with me was that the earliest I could see a dentist around here was August 31st. 
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Tomorrow is that day!  Finally!  Oh man… I am so relieved that I can get some help on this tooth and hope that I can get a root canal and crown and put this thing behind me.

It’s crazy to endure pain, but I honestly couldn’t do anything about it.  Just be patient, wait, and pray.

But what’s crazy is that what if you were living in so much pain and suffering, and there was a way out of it, but you choose not to do anything about it.  That would be unheard of.  But think about it….

We have all done it before… or some of us are still doing it…

Sometimes we do not ever realize the pain and suffering kind of life we live.  It is disguised as a life without excitement, joy, and adventure.  Living a life that is the same thing repeatedly.  A life that is just draining our will because it is so mundane, boring, and lacks stimulation.

Occasionally, when I am doing pastoral counseling, I will be told by people that wish that their life was different.  That they wish that something more would be happening in their life. 

I always tell them… well it could be different, and you could be doing more… but it involves you trying to seek adventure, and to deviate from your everyday life.  And that is tough for anyone to do.

It is so easy to do the same thing repeatedly.  Things just get comfortable.  But sometimes we must realize that the patterns, routine, and comfort that we surround ourselves with may not be enough as we get older, go through change, or mature. 

Just when we were little babies, we eat mushy baby food, but as we get into adults, no longer do we eat mushy baby food.  Just like when we were little kids and we are taught about Jesus, God, the church, and the world, well that message gets more sophisticated as we get older, and sometimes feels complicated if we choose not to grow in our understanding of the Bible and how God works in the Bible so we can relate it to our life. 

Just be open that at some point in our life God might be telling us to change, or at least try or think something different.  Think about like how God called Moses to lead the Israelites.  Moses began his youth living a nice comfortable life in Pharoah’s palace.  Yet, Moses listened to God to tell him to lead the Israelites and to be their leaders.  I do not think that the young Moses would ever imagine that he’d be the future leader of the Israelites. 

So, I urge you all to be open to God’s voice.  Be mindful about how you are feeling.  And if something doesn’t feel right, and you just feel the lack of enjoyment in life, then think about the possible changes that need to be made.  Remember, God wants you to live a joyful life, and thankful life, and a life that you feel can feel peace.  

So, about a few weeks ago I went camping at the amazing Shenandoah River in Virginia.  Our campsite was right up on the river, absolutely stunning!  Kids were able to go into the clear shallow waters and have a ton of fun.  Everything was amazing.  Caught a ton of smallmouth bass on topwater.  Always amazing to see fish jump out of the water to get your fishing lure.  Such a rush of emotions!  We had some Korean pork belly for dinner, such a great evening.  It was a lot of work, setting up camp, playing with kids, making sure they are happy, getting ready for dinner, cooking, and cleaning up, just a lot of work that goes into “enjoying” camping.

Sleeping was great because it was so quiet, kids fell asleep better in the tent than in their beds at home.  Which makes me wonder if all I have to do to get the kids to sleep easily is set up the tent in the backyard and have them sleep in sleeping bags.  Or maybe they are just more comfortable sleeping without a bed mattress?  I have no idea. 

I remember praying and falling asleep praying.  Yeah… it was that comfortable of a camping experience! 

Then came very early in the morning.  And all I remember was hearing a crow yell in my ear, “HEY!!!!”  That’s what it sounds like.  It sounded like the crow was just right outside our tent.  It scared the heck out of me.  I figured, ok, that crow is gone right?  Wrong!  Once again, “HEY!!!”  By this time our dog Suzie is up, Eunkyung is up, and I am trying not to get up.  But this dang crow was relentless!  “HEY!!!”  OK! I am up! 

I quickly got dressed and opened the tent.  And I saw a glimpse of the pesky crow.  What’s his dang problem!  No need to yell right?

But to be honest, I am glad that crow rudely woke me up, because I had a chance to enjoy the river, the smell, the sun, the fog that is over the land, and again the peace and quiet.  Amazing.

It makes me wonder that sometimes to get to the point of quiet and peace in our life we need a bit of a wake me up.  Or maybe we need a loud interruption so that God can redirect our attention to something amazing.  That something amazing is the peace and quiet we sometimes need but do not know where to find it.  All we need is something to yell, “HEY!!!” to us so we can wake up from our slumber and see, feel, and sense something else; that is peace.  

This screenshot is a picture from Chris Rudella’s phone.  I do go by Pastor Brian Choi, that is my name and title.  And Carole is Chris’ wife.  SO this text of “me” is getting to Carole, through Chris’ phone number. 
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I DID NOT WRITE THIS TEXT AND THAT IS NOT MY PHONE NUMBER (ON TOP).

What is bizarre is that I do not have Chris’ number saved anywhere on my computer, email, or phone. 

So, this scammer is using me, has knowledge that I am a pastor, and knows that Carole is a congregation member, but has used Chris’ number, which I do not have.  That is so strange and also scary. 

How do they get all this information?  I have no idea.  Honestly, if they hacked my phone or email, then wouldn’t they just use Carole’s number that is saved in my contact list?  SO that is not something they did.  Somehow, they scammers figured out I am a pastor, which isn’t hard to figure out.  But they also found out that Carole is a church member and also somehow connected that Chris’ number (Carole’s spouse).

I have seen this kind of text message or email being sent around.  So be careful!

I am writing this blog to everyone.  Do not get scammed.  First off, pay attention to the number or email.  If it isn’t a number or email address you recognize, they it might be a scam, even if the message or email says the person you know and recognize, it’s still a warning. 

Also, even if it is a number or email you do recognize… but the message sounds bizarre like “a matter or request that needs to be handled discreetly” and also that “I can only be contacted through this text or email.”  And “do not call.”  These are all warning signs.

I would never make a text message like this.  And typically, whatever the matter is, and if it is serious, I always call-in person.  I never handle sensitive matters through email or text.  I would never ask anyone to just text me or just email me.  Even if I have a meeting I am going, just call, even if I can’t pick up, I can call you back as soon as I can.  It is not a big deal. 

Again…. Don’t get scammed.  I am assuming that if you respond this this text, then the person posing to be me is going to ask your help to give me money, possibly through gift cards or some other matter.  I would never ask you for money.  And even in the off chance I do need to ask you for money, I am not going to ask you in text or email!  I would ask you in person or give you a phone call!

Be careful and be alert and do not get scammed.  Honestly, if you receive any email or text from me that is asking for money.  Always call my cell number even if I insist not to call.  Always good to make sure and be careful.

Be safe everyone and God bless.

I do not think our car needs to sound like that.  So had to bring the car to the shop.  It drives well, but I think it’s going to need new brakes.  As a matter of fact, the last time I did a car inspection, they told me that I might have to look at getting new brakes soon.  So that coffee making noise is the sound of metal rubbing on metal because I need new brakes. 
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So, the new brakes are in, and the car does not sound like a coffee maker and it is back to driving smooth and quiet.  Just like new! 

Sometimes we all need some kind of repair.  Now I’m not talking about the physical repairs as we age that our body goes through wear and tear.  But I am talking more about repairs of the mind and soul.  Being a pastor, I know nothing about physical repairs of the body, but I do know repairs of the mind and soul.

Just think about a car being a great metaphor for your body.  Like any car, it needs tune up, checkups, the occasional oil change and other maintenance work.  So does your mental and spiritual health as well.  Sometimes thinking and doing the same thing over and over isn’t getting the same satisfaction and feeling it did before.  In this case maybe a change is needed.  Just a little tune up possibly, or even more bold, a replacement of thoughts and behavior. 

You know, cars are going to eventually need new brakes, new parts here and there, new tires.  Cars are going to need regular oil changes, to replace fluids, and do other things to assure optimal performance regardless of how new or old the vehicle is. 

We should think the same way for us.  If you feel that what you learned in Sunday school 20 years ago doesn’t fulfil your soul, maybe its good to go deeper in the word of God.  You have to think that what once satisfied the soul 20 years ago no longer applies because in the last 20 years you have gone through significant life changes and also society is different, and everything seems to be more challenging now. 

It is time for an oil change, or to get something new.  I encourage you to dive deep into God’s word.  Pray and never worry about what to pray about, even if you don’t know what to pray about.  In Romans 8 Apostle Paul tells us that the Spirit intercedes for us in prayer.  If you haven’t found yourself going to church in a while or just go sporadically, maybe you might need a change of environment and start going to church roe often, just to change the pattern in your life. 

You never know what God is doing in your life and the only way you will know is to get closer to Him.

Suzie Mango does not give up hope.  Every time we are eating or even standing up to go to the kitchen, she will always be one step behind us. She will always sit or lay down in front of us, hoping that she will just get a little bit of food. 
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What is funny is that she received food once on the 4th of July.  She got a hotdog and then proceeded to have diarrhea for the next 24 hours.  SO ever since that, we never give her any food.  But even prior to receiving food, she would often follow and sit in front of us whenever we were eating.  In hopes to get just a bite. 

So how did she learn this behavior?  Is it just biological in her that is thinking that maybe this one time (every time) that she will receive some kind of food?  Why does she keep doing this when it will never happen?  Why won’t she give up?  She has got to know by now, she will not receive any human food, right? 

This is hope.  I am not too sure if she will ever get something off of our plates, but she seems to be somewhat content to just lay down next to the table.

Faithful living is all about hope.  It is hoping for things we never experienced, never possessed.  This is what faith is so difficult.  We can feel like we spend our entire lives just waiting…. Just hoping.  Hoping that God would just correct all the injustice we see, correct people’s morals, and ethics, and everything else in between!  We just sit and wait and hope for God to make this world peaceful!

So, we wait, like my yellow lab, and hope for things unseen. 

Hope sounds a bit foolish.  And it is!  But it is also about being comfortable amid hope.  Just because something doesn’t go our way or that the world around us seems frustrating.  Hope is about being comfortable. 

I feel at times God has been training us humans to deal with life and always have hope.  God knows that life is unpredictable.  And I do believe that God knows this and that the whole point of life being unpredictable is to ultimately put our trust in Him.  The good and bad aspects of life situations.  Hope in never being discouraged at the curve balls in life. 

So, what can we do about this?  Hope is foolish!  But hope is about practice.  You can be hopeful, comfortable, and happy.  And sometimes we can find enjoyment in the anticipation of waiting, being patient, and being hopeful! 

To my yellow lab’s behavior.  It may seem pitiful and heartbreaking to see her continually look as us with hope filled eyes for the possibility of getting some human food, but it really isn’t.  There is too much going on in her life that gives her joy.  And even when we get done eating, she is ready for us to hang out in the living room, or play outside, or play tug of war.  For her, it is ok to have hope, even if you may not get immediate results.  She will continue to do this for the entirety of her life, whether she is able to taste human food or not. 

Just always remember, whatever you may be hoping for, there are other things in your life that are fulfilled.  Do not ignore them, and do not let your impatience and hopelessness overcome the fulfilling aspects of the rest of your life.  

I haven’t seen some people from high school, college, seminary, and grad school in ages.  How long?  Try about 12 years or longer.  That’s a long time.  Some of my good friends haven’t even met my family.  Never met my wife or children.  Might sound weird to you all that I would call them my “good” friends.  They are my “good friends” and I would put them up as my “best friends.”  (I didn't initially say "best friends" because it doesn't sound like me and makes me feel like a teenage girl talking about their BFFs.)

Now I know that normally when it comes to friendship, we are supposed to be in somewhat proximity, or at least be able to communicate, or see each other for more than 10 years.  But sometimes life takes us on a fun roller coaster ride, and you just can’t stop in the middle of the ride of life. 

In this picture, I saw my old grad buddies from Claremont this past night.  Our paths just happened to cross, and we had a great time spending the night together and they got to meet my family and my big puppy Suzie.  I am looking forward to meeting their family as well. 

Even though I haven’t been the best communicator with my friends, which I feel terrible about, when we first saw each other tonight, it’s almost like we haven’t skipped a beat.  There was no nervousness, no tension, not even talking about “where were you?” talk or “what happened?” talk.  It was just gabbing about whatever and anything. 

This to me is a sign of a lasting friendship.  I know that whatever happens in the future, and even if we find ourselves apart for an extended amount of time, they will always be my buds.  Love does not break.

To be honest in the last few months, I have been reconnecting with old friends serendipitously.  It just started happening.  For example, when talking on the phone with my friend Jack, again… it’s like we never skipped a beat.  Again, love does not break. 

Love surpasses time and beyond all circumstances in life.  So, this is the closest metaphor we can think about when it comes to our relationship with God. 

We may miss a prayer, a church service, a fellowship event, or even fail to think about God for an extended amount of time, which is somewhat normal for most of us.  But that does not mean that God forgets about you.  And it does not mean that when you take a step forward in getting closer to God you need to feel embarrassed or ashamed.  God isn’t going to ask you about “What happened,” or “Where were you,” or “Explain yourself.”  That is not what God does.  God, like the strong relationship we have with other people, will embrace you and never skipped a beat with you.  God’s love does not fail, it does not break, it does not disappoint.  It is never too late to rediscover God in your life.

“People who don’t fish think it is lazy or boring.  But it is the complete opposite.  There are a hundred little decisions to be made, variables to be considered.  And you are never quite sure what made the difference.  Did I cast too high or too far to the left, reel it in too slow or too fast?  Is the lure too shiny or too dull?  Do I stay here, or should I go over there?  You know it’s not luck, but you don’t know by how much.

People are predictable, unchanging, monotonous.  They use the same language, offer the same excuses, make the same mistakes.  People are endlessly disappointing because you hope they won’t be. 
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This is why I am fishing. Because I am never disappointed out here.  Because I don’t expect anything, because anything is possible.  I can be hopeful out here, even in failure.  Because I know that if I just go over there around that tree, it might be different, something might be different, something I do might make a difference. “ -Rowan Pope

Now this is a quote from a character from the television show “Scandal.”  And for the most part I can agree with him and his assessment of fishing.  So… here is why I fish…

I love problem solving.  I have always loved it since I was a kid.  When something is broken, I want to find a way to fix it.  When I am placed with a math problem, I want to find the right number.  I love puzzles and mind games.  Even when I had to do my ordination exams to be a pastor and we were asked to solve case scenarios, I loved those as well.  I love thinking and the struggle involved in problem solving.  I do believe fishing is the same as well. 

Like what Rowan Pope says, fishing has a lot of variables to consider.  I am not just dropping a line in the water aimlessly and just observing watching my line move.  No!  I am active.  I am always on the move, trying to put a fishing pattern together.  That is to solve what lure, what color, how fat to reel, where to fish so that I can land as on a consistent basis of fish on the bank.  When I fish, I need to be focused.  I need to consider every variable.  Those are the type of lures to use, to what color of lures, thickness of line, type of fishing line, fishing gear that is correlates to the type of lure I am fishing, casting distance, casting accuracy, water temperature, air temperature, barometric pressure, water clarity, weather, wind, location to fish, and what time of the day to fish.  Fishing is a lot of things to consider if you want to catch fish.  When I fish, there is a purpose and goal, that is to catch fish, and to catch fish there is a lot of problem solving involved, a lot of work to do, and everything in consideration. 

Our faith is as simple as fishing.  In fishing if our goal is to catch fish, then our goal in faith is to get closer to God.  Faith and fishing have a lot of variables to consider.  But simply with faith, remember as you get older, everything becomes more and more complicated, because life and the world is complicated.  The simple answers that we received in Sunday School as children may no longer give us comfort in our adult lives.  That means we have to problem solve.  We must consider time management, happiness, family, location, finances, vacation, relationships, work environment, and friend and family supportive system.  These are also all variables that can affect our faith and the ability to get closer to God.  Fishing has an aim; may your faith also have an aim and guidance as well. 

Now, not too sure how much I agree with Rowan Pope on his assessment of people.  But I do agree that the world can be disappointing.  I think we invest so much hope for the world, only to be easily disappointed by the world.  I think this is why many of Jesus, messages are all about detaching ourselves from worldly desires such as fame, popularity, dependance on people, money, material, lifestyle, and the pursuit of short-term happiness.

Because when the world can be tough, that is why I fish.  Like Rowan Pope says, I can’t be disappointed in fishing…unless I don’t catch a fish, or unless I do not make an effort to catch fish, that is ignoring all the variables in fishing.  You never know what to expect in fishing.  Because you never know what is going to be at the end of your line.  The moment you see your line jump, bobber go down, feel a tug, or tap, see your rod bend, you never know what is on the end of the line.  It can be a 6-inch bass or a 10lb bass, or a 30lb carp, or a 32-inch pike, or a turtle, or a tire. 

In fishing it’s hard to be disappointed because even if I am not catching fish, I can think that if I change, do something different, go somewhere different, change my approach, change my lure, or diameter of line, then maybe I can make a difference.  This is why I fish, it’s never boring, and always full of anticipation and hope.  

I have a big puppy dog.  Suzie Mango is almost 9-month-old and weighs over 80lbs and she still has that pup mentality.  Thankfully she is very well behaved, has a decent awareness of her surroundings, still a little clumsy and the only thing she cares about is food. 
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Very easy-going puppy, but the one thing that I didn’t realize is the amount that she sheds.  Man, oh man, it is bananas how much she sheds.  She sheds everyday but apparently right now, she is shedding like an entire dog’s worth of hair.  I seriously think I can make a miniature sculpture with the dog hair we collect.  When I get done playing with her, I am very furry because I am covered in her hair.  This requires me to take her outside to play, just so she doesn’t get a bunch of hair inside the house!

Vacuuming every day is a requirement in our household now.  So that required us to get a good vacuum that specializes in getting dog hair off from carpet and rugs.  So, I bought that really expensive Dyson cordless vacuum.  It’s probably one of the most expensive things we bought…. Item wise. 

But I must say it is well worth it!  A powerful vacuum handles Suzie’s shedding fur really easily. 

Now I am not sponsored by Dyson, but if anyone working for Dyson is reading this, I’ll advertise for you, let’s work out a contract!

But the point of me writing about dog hair and getting an expensive vacuum is simply that in life the things that can give us great joy and comfort require some hard work and investment.  Now investment is not necessarily about money, but it can be about time.

Our dog Suzie gives my family and I a great amount of joy.  Yeah, she sheds and it’s a lot of work cleaning everything up, and time consuming taking her outside so she can shed out there and needing an expensive vacuum to clean everything up.  Sounds like a lot of work and disrupts my daily routine.  But the biggest and best tradeoff is having Suzie part of our lives.

Think about your faith in the same way.  If we cherish it and it is something that should be giving us great amount of joy, then it does take our time investment, it does require us to do some work and living in faith may disrupt our daily routine, or at least having faith will require a new daily routine. 

Do not take your faith for granted.  Like my puppy dog Suzie, faith needs to be taken care of and requires us to do some work.  Afterall, all good things require us to do more work.  All good things require an investment of money and time.  So, treat your faith like any object of joy.  Invest time and money in it.  And it’s not just about praying and reading the Bible, that’s just the minimum.  Your faith is growing, and it will require you to invest more time, patience, and material that will help you give clarity in your beliefs. 

Faithful living, that is doing all we can to mimic the life of Christ and follow His commands will force us out of our daily routine.  Sometimes we have to go outside of comfort zone and experience how God is showing us something truly amazing, so don’t miss out on it!  When you choose to venture out of your comfort zone just have confidence that God is with you and is somehow guiding you so that your faithful living will continue to provide great joy and peace.

Fishing in PA is tough.  I have fished mostly Glendale Lake and Canoe Creek for specifically Largemouth Bass.  And I learned that those places can be challenging because of the pressure they receive.  I don’t ever fish private waters and often times search for hard-to-reach places because many times I am fishing with my children, and I know those places would be too dangerous for them.  So, I am fishing in a lot of easy access places.

Fishing Central PA for the last 7 years has been tough, but I usually feel quite confident that I will always catch fish.  They may not be the biggest bass out there, but still a nice size, and I feel that Glendale Lake and Canoe Creek State Park has a good population of between 1-3lb largemouth bass.  Which should never disappoint any angler.  We should be thankful that we are catching fish, right?

The problem now is that I have gotten spoiled!  You see back in April I went out and caught a 6lb largie then on a few outings I have been landing 4-5lb largies consistently.  Now I just sound like I’m bragging!  But lately, I have been catching fish but no longer pulling out this big fish.  And I feel disappointed. 

I got spoiled… The problem is that I started the fishing season landing big fish and now suddenly, I am expecting that I should always be hooking into and landing big fish.  That is a problem.  You see, I should just be happy in catching fish, because it is fun.  To catch a fish that you are targeting on a consistent basis, and finding the pattern to how to get any fish to bite is exciting. 

But now if you expect that every trip you take to go fishing to land a big one, then anything less is just disappointing. 

This is like in life.  We should never think that we are expecting the biggest, best, and greatest thing to just fall in our laps as if we are entitled to such.  I should think to myself that I am no longer catching these big fish anymore because the pattern has changed.  These fish got smarter, and they are no longer in the areas that I am fishing.  So, I shouldn’t expect to get them at this moment.  I know that if I change locations, keep trying, keep working hard at locating and figuring out the patterns to bigger fish, I will start getting them on the bank again.  But that stuff takes time.  Just like all good things in life. 

To be honest, I got extremely lucky in landing big fish in April and May.  I just happened to throw the right lure in the right places to discover what they are looking for to get them to bite.  It just happened that way.  I’ll view it as part of God’s grace. 

So, when it comes to life, don’t ever think we are entitled to receive anything.  We all need to work hard and get what we deserve.  Never expect things to fall in our laps.  Sometimes good stuff happens to fall in our laps like winning the lottery, but it doesn’t happen all the time.  So just be thankful when good fortune falls on you and give thanks to God.  In the meantime, put in hard work, keep trying, never feel entitled, and get what you deserve.  And if by chance, you putting in the hard work, doing your best, trying hard, still leaves you empty handed, then keep trying, keep grinding.  There is God up there knowing that the hard work you do here will be rewarded in heaven as well.  And that hard work will also be recognized soon. 

Don’t feel bad if you don’t get the things you think you deserve, just be grateful, and enjoy the work you put in.