![]() Well… not my dog apparently. She’s too posh to eat the crumbs off the master’s table. The Bible doesn’t know what it is talking about. Just kidding. Well, I guess not all dog’s are hardwired to eat any kind of fallen food. It is funny, because I am trying to encourage my dog to eat the crumbs or eat whatever falls off the dinner table, but she never does it. I encourage this mostly because it does help with the clean-up and it prevents me from getting on my hands and knees picking up what the kid’s messy eating. But no… she chooses not to eat the crumbs. However, she will just stand there staring at you while you eat, drooling and hoping that I hand her something off of my plate. Even if I throw some scrap of food at her to eat, once it hits the floor… forget about it… she will not touch it. What the heck kind of high class, bourgeois dog do I have? Just be a normal dog like what the Bible says, right? Shoot… Ill eat the food off the floor if you aren’t going to eat it. 5 second rule, right? Even when I trained her as a puppy, I never discouraged her from eating food falling off the table. She honestly just doesn’t know what to do. When food does fall off the table she just kind of stares at it and wait for me or someone to clean it up. What’s funny is that even when I try to give her food that did fall off the table, she will ignore it! She is a stuck-up dog man! I guess only fresh food for her. Only the best for her! And I guess that means I have to get on my hands and knees to clean up food mess off the floor. But I guess my dog Suzie trusts me to give her food. She doesn’t feel the need to beg or eat whatever. Also, Suzie is probably only looking for the best. Nothing used or fallen I guess, I don’t know what she is thinking, I am not a dog whisperer. But shouldn’t we be like Suzie? Why are we settling for crumbs of the table when it comes to how we live? We do not deserve crumbs falling from the table. We always deserve the best. And to be honest the best always comes from God. I truly believe this! I think the world only offers us little bits of “stuff.” And we somehow settle on being happy with the little bits of “stuff” that are given to us. But God always offers us abundance and better living. God isn’t giving you bits of “stuff” but God is giving you instructions on how to live your life that is based on mercy, love, and forgiveness. God is also there to tell you to never live life ashamed because through His grace you are always loved no matter what. And that should give you confidence to live life well. Never settle for crumbs off society’s table. Get the full course and dessert from God. Take what God is giving you. That is love, comfort, peace, grace, and forgiveness. Feel full and be healed so that you can live well. Leave the crumbs on the floor and eat from the table of grace. Trust in Him always.
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![]() It's been a while since I posted anything. It's just because I have been very busy, and I really haven't had the time to be any kind of reflection. But I am trying to post things on here regularly! That is my goal! Life is busy, but it is exciting. And just as I was getting stuff done, this song came on my iTunes. I haven't heard them in a while, since I was in college maybe. But one of the more influential bands in my childhood. So, it was nice. It was encouraging to hear as it caused me to reflect how this band and in particular this song really helped lift me up in times of struggle and times of struggling with low self-esteem. Anyways, here it is! “Help me, somebody help me 'cause I'm falling down again Help me, somebody help me Because I know how these stories end I've done all I can to do what's right I've done all I can and fought a good fight But still I find myself Falling, falling down again Falling, falling down again Falling, falling down again Paralyzed with fear as I descend.” Falling by Kill Your Idols Ever feel like this? I have and to be honest time and time again I felt this way and I am sure that in the future this feeling will come again and again. Doesn’t matter the cause of the feeling, it’s just there are times in our life that we just feel like we are falling. And sometimes we feel that no matter what we try or do, and all our good efforts to help ourselves seems to fall short. To be honest I am not too sure what is the background story of this song, maybe it has to do with depression, suicide, maybe drug abuse, alcohol abuse, or failed relationships. I really do not know. But the important fact is that the feel that these song lyrics speak are real. And many times, we can relate these feelings because of any sort of hardship we go through in life. The first time I heard this song, or this band was when I was in college. Went to a show and they opened with this song. The small crowd of about one hundred young people just exploded. Rushing the stage singing along, jumping on top of each other. Looks crazy, but it was all out of fun, and nobody was getting hurt. It was like organized chaos. But just hear the crowd loudly scream the lyrics, “Help me, somebody help me!” really resonated with me. It resonated with me because how often we feel like we are falling, paralyzed by fear, and feeling like our life it at the end of the rope, we rarely ask for help. We do not ask for help not because of pride, but because of the absence of pride. When we go into those dark moments in our life, we have that feeling that my life does not matter anymore, and I do not want to bother anyone with my problems. Do not ever think you are alone in whatever you feel like you are going through. There are people who will listen to you. Sometimes, we all just need to scream out, “Help me, somebody help me!” There is no shame in asking for help in your life. You are not bothering anyone by expressing the things that are happening in your life. Reach out and find help. Talk about it and share your experience. You are never alone. ![]() I wrote this blog in early April, but havent had a chance to upload it... but I think this life metaphor in the reading still applies to all of us now. Enjoy! You know why fishing isn't fun? It's because you aren't catching any fish. Fishing is fun, when you catch fish.... well... maybe you fish to enjoy the weather. But lately in central PA... the weather has been up and down. Sometimes cold... sometimes warm... sometimes rainy... mostly rainy and flooded... but sometimes clear and sunny. The erratic change in weather may make it hard to go out and catch fish.... but you can still catch fish... you just have to change your mindset and strategy. But isn't that what life is all about? It’s hard to go out there and fish when you are cold, wet, and walking around with soggy socks. But it doesn’t mean the fishing is going to be bad. Don’t listen to what other people are saying! As I approached my spots, everyone I talked to haven’t caught anything good, and telling me that it’s too flooded and the fishing is terrible. Sometimes, you just got to try and find ways to catch fish that are willing to bite. You just need the right lure… not bait… lure. Using bait, live bait… can be the best advantage to catching more fish. On most days it might be much easier to fish with live bait than artificial lures to target aggressive predator fish. But it is important to think outside of the box and out of your comfort zone. Somedays… that the water is cold, muddy, flooded, and with a lot of current… well… artificial lures can be a huge advantage. With live bait, you are depending on predator fish to see your bait in order to eat it… waiting for the big fish to come along, and see that juicy worm, and injured bait fish to trigger big bites. But again, some days… this wont be as effective because of weather and water conditions. Fish can’t see your worm or bait fish it the water it muddy, choppy, cloudy, or rainy. But using an array of artificial lures, can be helpful, if you use something that is shiny, or loud, or bigger, or giving off a bigger vibration in the water… to lure the big fish to you. Even fi you are not comfortable with using artificial lures and feel that its too difficult to use them… try… it might t=be the only way you will be catching fishing on crummy days and conditions like these. Also… even if the conditions look less than ideal to us… might be what the fish like. Maybe the flooded waters will bring the bigger fish closer to the shallows… or maybe the dark waters mean they won’t see you coming because the water has so little visibility. Hence, making a brighter, louder, shinier, vibrating artificial lure a great advantage. This is a great time to fish and try something new. Sometimes we have to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. When uncomfortable situations arise whether in fishing or life, it will force us to embrace something creative. Try something that you might not be comfortable in doing… but do it anyways. Never know what the results can be. Life is all about being comfortable in the uncomfortable. Not very often will life only give us pleasant and easy-going situations. Life is full of its ups and downs, bad situations, struggles, and hardship. Many times, we have faced being in uncomfortable situations. But instead of complaining and being mad about it… be comfortable with it and do something to embrace it. Sometimes it’s about how we must change in those uncomfortable situations, and not about how the conditions need to change for us. In boot camp… we are taught to embrace the suck…. So, embrace it… be comfortable in the uncomfortable. Change and adapt to the less tan ideal situations. Don’t wait for conditions to change for you. You change yourself, improve your odds, be successful, be mentally tough and be comfortable with the uncomfortable. ![]() Well technically for a pastor Easter isn’t quite over yet. I will be busy until about the end of April until things really start slowing down. But for most of the people in the country, Easter is done and over and all we are left with is a bunch of empty plastic eggshells. The candy that was inside of them… gone. And there is something called the after Easter depression. Sometimes we can feel like those leftovers, forgotten, empty plastic shells. We spent so much time preparing everything for Easter. Maybe some of us had family coming over, and had to prepare a lot of food, or maybe you all have a lot of activities at church that needed time and attention. We prepared ourselves well, by preparing nice clothing for yourself and your family on Easter day… and now… it is all over. Easter has passed. And initially we sigh, and say thank God, this si all over. But after the down time of relaxing and getting rest. We are left looking around wondering, now what? What are supposed to do now? Make you wonder if this is how the disciples might be feeling after Jesus has died on the cross. The disciples scattered, abandoned each other, and went into hiding. It was even after some time that some disciples heard of Jesus’ resurrection… but well... word travelled slower back then, without Instagram, social media, or even internet. But this is the problem every year we face. That is the after Easter woes. But it doesn’t have to be like that. What we felt on Easter Day, that Resurrection Day should be a feeling that continues after Easter. Christ is Risen! Right? Then why the after Easter depression? Well, maybe it’s because everything that we expected for Easter has happened. All the time and effort for what we expect on Easter is now finished. And nobody ever prepared any of us to tell us what we are supposed to do after Easter. There is no Easter after party, or nothing else “important” after Easter. It just feels over with. But there is still more to do. It is about renewal and living. Easter represents for us a resurrected life. So, we need to continue the mission that Christ set for us… well actually, that Christ is already one step, or several steps in front of us. The Gospel of John retells the resurrection story of Christ has already left he tomb and is ahead of anyone that came to see him at the tomb. Christ is gone as fast as Easter began. So, why are we still at the tomb?! What are we waiting for? Jesus isn’t there anymore! So, we better get moving! Jesus is already walking ahead of us, in front of us, showing us the way. Easter is over and done, the tomb is empty, but living does not end. The resurrection story continues. So don’t be stuck on Easter, be alive, and live a life that is worthy of resurrection. Make things happen. Keep moving. Be resilient. Be courageous. ![]() What does Easter mean to you? Well for us Christians it is about our beginning as Christians. Without Jesus’ death on the cross, and eventful resurrection from the grave, we would not have our Christian identity. But so what? What does that mean for all of us? It is just a story that we believe, or is the Easter mean something more? Now I am not talking about the family gather, good food, or Easter Egg hunt… that is not what really matters on Easter. Easter is about each and every one of us living a resurrected life. It is about knowing that there is nothing our God cannot do. He has shown us all through Jesus Christ. God has proven Himself to be a teacher, healer, companion, friend of the outcast, miracle worker, obedient to only God, and a resister to all oppression and oppressors. The resurrection is not just another miracle, but it is a message to us, a final message that shows God’s absolute love for us. Throughout life as Jesus Christ, he was all about people living their best life. Jesus was all about living in hope and giving that hope to others. God’s love has no boundaries in life and in death. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, not even death itself! There is nothing our God cannot do! So, live courageously, humbly, and confidently! God is always with you. Easter is one day ahead of us, the Day of Resurrection. So live because God is living as well! Live your best life because God has given you the opportunity to live that life better! Get yourself out of the grave because Christ has rolled away the boulder so that you can step out of the shadows and into the light of Easter morning. Live, because life demands it and the world needs more alive people. Live again because you are free some guilt, shame, and sin because God loves and forgives you! The world needs people who are living. Be the proof of resurrection to a world that is in need of seeing it. Leave your burdens in the tomb, the shackles, chains, and old clothing, leave it behind, because living in the light of resurrection means you are made new. Happy Easter everyone! ![]() One of my favorite people to visit is Orchid Huff. She is 94 years old, sharp as a tack and funny. Also, whenever I see her I either find myself laughing or learning something. She has a lot of experience and wisdom to share. So, when I came to visit her, she is always peaceful. And I do not really remember what we are talking about because we just talk about anything and everything. But the words she said hung in my brain for a while. That sentence is “Why make a fuss.” She reiterated that there are some things in this world that you can make a fuss about, but you really have to think about priorities, situations, circumstances, and other people. You must ask yourself, “why make a fuss?” It's a simple question or sentence. Often a statement we rarely ask because we often forget about it. But this statement will stop you in your tracks, teaches you patience, and contemplative thought. Ask yourself is it worth making a fuss about it? Life is precious and we only have this one chance at it. We have to make good decisions and fight the right battles. In the world right now, we have too many people wanting to make a fuss. We have too many people that feel that they deserve more. We have too many people who are just looking for a fight. And we do not have enough people asking themselves, “Is it worth causing a fuss about it?” You do not have to fight over everything in life. Sometimes it is acceptable to let things go and save yourself the trouble you will have to go through. Be wise and patient. ![]() This is not an advertisement for this mobile phone app game. I’d recommend people to stay away. But for the past few weeks I have been playing this game and do very much enjoy it. It kind of reminds me of the real world. After all it is a game built upon real people coming together forming alliances, helping each other out, and attacking other rival alliances. This game is kind of like the real world. Plenty of nice people, but also plenty of troublemakers, plenty of honorable folks, and many bullies. There is a community, there are alliances, and sometimes we have good relationships with some alliances and others not so much. There is a justice system in place in the case that a player is upsetting someone. Just like the real world, to find any kind of success, we need to work together, focus on our tasks, and achieve victory together. We all must have good communication and work together. In this game, you cannot find success alone. When people do not get along, because of alliance power, or alliance affiliation or the breaking of agreed amount rules, chaos can erupt. So… sort of like our world, right? So, this game certainly reminded me of how vital working together is to the success of a better world. Also, communication and understanding. But working together and good communication takes time and sometimes convincing of others. It is about putting in work to find a common goal. And that is the key… good communication and working together needs a reason a common goal so that all people can jump on board. What is our common goal? Well in Christianity the common goal for all Christians is to uphold the value and standard that was set by Jesus Christ. After all we owe it to Him, He is the one that died for us, sacrificing Himself for the sins on the world. But we owe it to Christ, not because He demands it, but because by following Christ and understanding what he did on earth is important to created peace and gentleness. Christ demands nothing from us because there is nothing that Christ really needs from us. The demand is on each other and that is what Christ revealed to us. We need each other. That is why it was very intentional that Christ gathered all His disciples together for the Last Supper. Calling each disciple to come together… even Judas. It doesn’t mean we will all behave well. We will make mistakes, we will falter and stumble, and even at times turn our backs on the world and on Jesus, just as Judas did. But we are the world, and we must come together. We must work towards that common goal. That goal that Christ sets and realizing that helping one another, sacrificing your time, resources, and behavior for one another is necessary to live in a world that can be harmonious, peaceful, and mindful. As Christians our common goal is coming together so we can find in each other, grace, forgiveness, love, compassion, and hope. That is our common goal. Simply because we all can use a little more grace, compassion, love, and forgiveness. SO may our actions reflect the attitude of Christ. ![]() Well, I thought I told my kids that Lent was about trying to give up something for God. But apparently, for them it isn’t giving up candy and sweets. But then again, it is Valentine’s Day. So, the question is… So how did we celebrate Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day? Well today we begin the celebration of Lent, and what better way to celebrate Lent by celebrating Valetine’s Day right? Lent is a day in which most people give up something to improve their life. But Valentine’s Day is a day that we receive more things. So maybe it isn’t a coincidence that the start of Lent and Valentine’s Day happen to be the same day. Maybe it is time we rethink how we think about Lent. Maybe, it should not be a day of giving up anything, but a day that we add something more to our life. That something is what will benefit our life for the better. So, let’s not make Lent something that we feel we must give up. It just doesn’t feel fun and exciting. Afterall the preparation of lent is our anticipation for Easter. And Easter is a time of celebration. Let’s look at Lent to be a time in which we prepare for a party… that party being Easter. So let us think about something to do, something more. Do something that is not just beneficial to ourselves, but also to others. Again, think about preparing for a party and when you prepare for a party, we think about the people coming to the party and that we are to make all the preparations and arrangements for all people to enjoy. So Lent is like Valentine’s Day. It’s like a party for giving and sharing and just having a good time. Promise yourself during Lent, you will find something you can enjoy with others. ![]() This picture is of a pie. A pie which I never had before in my life. I never even heard of the name of the pie ever in my life. I bought this pie at Martin’s grocery store. This is a Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie. To me… odd name of a pie… and not even sure if the name of the pie actually describes what kind of pie you are eating. This pie… this Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie is not wet; it does not have a “wet” bottom. In fact, I would even assume that it is closer to feeling dry, than wet. So, not too sure why they call it a “Wet Bottom.” I even wonder if there is a “Dry Bottom” Shoefly Pie. Oh, and just so you all know, I have not done any research for this pie whatsoever. I am literally writing about this pie, without any knowledge about this pie... only using the powers of my observation of this pie. So… not wet at all. Also, there seems to be no shoe or fly involved. And I have no idea what a shoefly is. Is it a type of fly? Or maybe Shoefly is the name of a city or town? Or maybe it is some kind of idiom/slang that I am not familiar with. I just know, I have never heard the term “Shoefly” in my life. My Korean parents never spoken to me about a “Shoefly.” So, the only thing about this Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie I can understand is that it is certainly a pie. But it’s not wet, and it does have shoes or included flies, or whatever. I know it’s a pie because it is in the shape of a pie. This is so interesting to me because with most pies, you know what you are getting by the name of the pie. For example, apple pie… no surprise, there are apples in it. Peach pie, you can imagine what ingredient is in a peach pie. Pumpkin pie. Yup... you guessed it, pumpkin! Now… Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie. I only have questions, and zero answers to what this thing is. What is wild to me is that I ate it. As a matter of fact, I just finished the whole pie, the picture you see was the very last slice. I ate it all… all 8 slices of the pie. And I still have questions about this pie. That is what is in a Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie. I assumed that if I kept eating more, I’d nail down what kind of pie it is. But the last slice, down the gullet, and now I am writing this blog… and I have no idea what I just ate. I ate 8 slices, the whole pie on my own… today… from 9:00am till 2:05pm. I have never eaten this much pie in my life. I have no idea what I ate, I do not even know what it tastes like. Maybe figs? I don’t know. Now what is strange, is that you think, since I ate the entire pie, I must have enjoyed the pie. To be honest, I don’t know if I like it or not. It’s not bad, nor does it get the top prize of best pie. It is a pie, I ate it, all of it, and no idea how I feel about this pie. Again, I have no idea what I ate, I do not understand the name of the pie, and I have no idea if I like it or not. It is like a Trinity of questions concerning this pie. Which is probably perfect as we move in Transfiguration Sunday this weekend. The narrative in which Jesus transfigures into Three entities… kind of like the Triune God. One person in three persons. Confusing right? I know. It’s confusing like this Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie. Trinitarian God, 1 God, 3 persons, many questions… or maybe traditionally… three questions… like this Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie. Even this pie has three words… WET BOTTOM SHOEFLY. Three words, three questions, and no answers! Yep, definitely sounds like how God operates. Oh, and if you are wondering whether I read the label of the pie… I did…many times… and yet questions still exist. The label about a Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie… just lists all cooking ingredients… but there’s no main product about the pie. It’s like flour, butter, sugar, wheat flour, molasses, canola oil and a bunch of other stuff that sounds scientific. I do not understand. Maybe the closest thing in understanding our loving Trinitarian God is all found in the Wet Bottom Shoefly pie. So, this pie is the closest thing to heaven we are ever going to get. God bless you all. ![]() You heard to straight form the groundhog’s mouth! Well… sort of… I mean… it was some dude holding a groundhog telling us a really fun poem that announced that Phil did not see his shadow therefore Spring is coming soon! Groundhog Day is officially my favorite holiday. So if Spring is coming early… let’s get my bass fishing gear ready! Time to start catching big largemouth bass! I am ready! Wait… hold on… what? Wait... are you telling me that whatever they predict on Groundhog Day may not actually be a true prophecy? Are you telling me that Punxsutawney Phil is not a real predicter of weather or seasons? Well according to the naysayers…. You know… the weather reporters… Phil might not necessarily be correct. That is that winter could be longer than we expect it. Man… I just got all my gear out because of Phil’s prediction! I don’t know… Since Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early Spiring…. The weather in the past 36 hours has been looking like Spring is creeping in! This has been the most sunlight I have seen since November! It’s sunny…I saw the sun rise at 7:00am… I can’t remember ever seeing that in this winter season in central PA. I feel like every day since December has been so cloudy in the morning. Right now… it’s February… and it looks nice outside. It’s unusually warm and sunny. It’s… quite eerie how well Phil knew what was going on! But wait… now I am confused…. So, the legend says that if Phil sees his shadow and he gets scared, then it is a longer winter. But if he doesn’t see his shadow, then hello spring. That doesn’t make sense… not the legend, but the reasoning of interpreting Phil’s action. Don’t you think it would be the opposite? You know. Phil sees his shadow because it must be sunny… and nice… hence the signs of Spring’s arrival. Who cares if he gets scared and goes hiding? I’m I right about this? I think we had it all backwards. Anyways… Phil is right! Spring is coming soon. The evidence is clear. It is sunny, surprisingly warmer than usual… the bass fishing gear is going to stay out! All jokes aside, nobody knows when Spring is really going to come to arrival. Nobody, not even the weather reporters, can truly predict when Spring weather will start its arrival. Weather patterns can change, and it’s impossible to see what the weather will be like at the end of February or the beginning of March or April! It is just too early to know anything! But I sure like preparing for spring! It will arrive sometime… hopefully earlier rather than later. So, that is it… your theological answer for today. I know… you didn’t have or ask a question… but your answer to whatever is about God and His plan in your life is all about our patience and hopefulness. I know we wish that whatever we need in our life right now, would just happen now, just as if Phil said it’s going to be Spring, and poof next 24 hours is like the magical groundhog was right... sunny and warm. But Phil just gives us a bit of hope of what will come… sometime. And God, and how God operates in our life and how God answers our prayers, wants, and needs, is all about us being patient, waiting on His clear answer. But since we don’t know when God will show us the answers to our needs, al we can do is prepare and get ready. Never know when God answers our needs, but we might as well be ready for it when it happens. And at the same time, be prepared to wait for a while. So, in the meantime… Phil… we love you and I believe you! The bass fishing gear is going to stay out but at the same time I will stay close to the snowblower. Never know what tomorrow is going to bring. |
AuthorHey this is Rev. Brian Choi's random thought throughout my week. Most of this stuff, will probably be about family, church, fishing, music, movies, food, whatever I think of, hopefully it will have some sort of theological reflection (maybe). Archives
July 2024
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