What You See

What You See         by Peter Innes
 
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
 -1 Peter 4:8

Here’s a test. You’ve heard of tongue-twisters . . . well here’s an eye-twister (which may be difficult for those whose primary language isn’t English). See if you can read the following:

“Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deosn’t raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?”

(Now I know why I am such a poor proof reader—especially of my own writing.)

The mind does a similar thing in other areas of life. That is, we see things not the way they are, but the way we are. For instance, if I am a negative person, I will see negative things in what others do—things that may not even be there—and be critical about them. If I am a supersensitive person, I will read into what others say or do and overreact—not on the basis of what they have said or done, but on the basis of who and what I am. On the other hand, if I am a loving person, I will overlook the petty faults in others and be accepting and forgiving of them, for love does “cover a multitude of sins.”

Indeed, what we see is who we are or who we are is what we will see.

…hmmm kinda makes you think huh?

Citizenship Has Its Privileges

A few weeks ago, I heard a preacher talk about how we, as God’s children, are royalty and that we have royal blood flowing through our veins. While this representation wasn’t new to me (because I’ve heard it many times before) but for some reason it really struck a chord within me this time.

It reminded me of Apostle Paul in Acts when he went back to Jerusalem after spending some time in Asia Minor spreading the Gospel. While in a temple in Jerusalem, some Jews from the region where Paul preached recognized him and ‘they stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place.’ (Acts 21:27-28)

Next thing you know, the whole city is stirred up and in an uproar. People from all over the place come to drag Paul out of the temple and onto the street and they’re beating him up, intent on killing him. Things are getting worse as it’s turning into a riot scene.

Word gets to a Roman commander of what’s happening, so he shows up at the scene with his soldiers because the last thing any Roman commander wants is any type of civil unrest. He’s trying to get to the bottom of this fiasco and starts asking what Paul did that riled up the crowd. Different people from the crowd are saying different things, Paul says his thing and they’re going back and forth. The commander can’t tell who’s telling the truth and who’s not, so he just orders Paul to be flogged.

And here’s the crux of this story…As Paul is stretched out to be flogged he asks the centurion who was right next to him “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” (For formality’s sake, it was a big No No!)

Paul was not an idiot. He knew who he was and he knew his rights and privileges as a Roman citizen. I loved how Paul whipped out his “passport” and used it to his advantage. He was milking his citizenship for all it’s worth. How awesome is that!

I remember an old American Express commercial that had a tagline “Membership has its privileges”. Their message was that by being an American Express card member, you have special privileges. In the kingdom of God, we are not just members but royal citizens. And our royal citizenship has its privileges.

For me, with the beatings I would take from the world and from Satan, there were times when I forgot or simply was not aware of my rights. My survival mode was to just crouch into a fetal position using “this too shall pass” excuse.

But, by reading the Bible, hearing my favorites preachers, sharing with my brothers and sisters in Christ and by praying I have learned who I am in Christ and what my rights are. And I’m still learning. I don’t want to cry over spilled milk but how many times could I have avoided a “flogging” by knowing and exercising my rights.

As you finish reading this story in Acts, you see that because Paul knew and exercised his rights, he avoided a severe flogging. We, just like Paul, have rights and privileges in the Kingdom of God and the full authority to utilize them to the max!

Do you know what your rights and privileges are as royal citizens in the Kingdom of God? Are you exercising them?

Looking for Help on a Research

I friend of ours, Rok, is research help from Korean-Americans to participate in a survey for his doctoral studies. It will be great if you can help out. As an incentive, you will be entered in a raffle for one of two $25 VISA gift cards. See below for more details.

Recruiting Volunteers, aged 18 and older, to participate in a study on Ethnic Identity

Dear friends,

As you may know, I am conducting research as part of my doctoral studies that will be looking at ethnic identity in a population of people ages 18 and older who identify themselves as being Korean-American. The purpose of this study is to examine how people identify themselves as belonging to the mainstream culture vs. their ethnic group of origin.

All those who identify themselves as being Korean American may participate as long as the volunteer is between the ages of 18 and older.

All information provided will be completely confidential and will not be linked to you in any way except for research purposes in which your name will not be attached to any of the information you share, nor will you be identified in any way.

If you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire and a picture/word association test.

This study will be given in two parts.

In the first part, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire. The Questionnaire may take up to 15 minutes to complete.

At the end of this survey, you will be redirected to complete a computer-based word association task that will require you to classify and discriminate the words you provided in addition to pictures associated with Korean and American culture as they are paired. Please note that you must be of full Korean descent to participate.

Participation in this study is completely voluntary and you are free to stop at any point, even before you have finished the tasks, without consequences.  Participants will be entered in a raffle for one of two (2) $25 VISA gift cards. Two participants will be randomly chosen through the anonymous Subject ID’s provided in the study and will be contacted to receive the gift cards once data collection has been completed. In the case that the participant cannot be contacted within two weeks, another participant will be chosen through the same method.

If you would like to participate in this study, please go to the following website:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7GTGDN5

You will be asked to read and complete an informed consent form and then be directed to the survey.  Consent and survey information is collected separately to ensure anonymity.

Thank you for your time and participation in this project.

Best Regards,
Jung Rok Shin
Ph.D. Candidate
Adelphi University
Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies

Canon by Pachelbel

One of my favorite music is Canon by Pachelbel. I’ve never heard a version of it that I didn’t like. It’s like how Bubba from Forest Gump describes the many different ways to cook a shrimp – whether it’s barbequed, boiled, broiled, sautéed etc., it’s all great!

In the spirit of Christmas, here’s one of my favorites…Feel free to submit your favorite versions.

I Need A Day Like Thanksgiving

It’s funny how I need a day like Thanksgiving for me to pause from the rat race to reflect and to remember all the things that I’m grateful for.

Though I’m thankful that we have a Thanksgiving Day, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds me that every day should be a Thanksgiving Day…

1 Thessalonians 5:18  (NIV) “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I’m thankful for what Jesus did on the cross for me, my precious wife, my friends’ support, my health (lost 16 pounds & can run for 4 miles), and the doors that will open from my current (crummy) circumstances. But many times, I focus on the arguments with my wife, people who irk me, the things I don’t have, my aching lower back, my finances, my unemployment…ok let me stop here before I get all riled up…

Note to self  “give thanks in all circumstances”, “give thanks in all circumstances”, “give thanks in all circumstances”…

Best Chinese To-Go in Queens!

It is so hard to find a good Chinese take-out and I usually get disappointed whenever I try a new one somewhere. But I finally found a decent one in Little Neck, Queens. The place is called “Yummy Kitchen” (252-20 Northern Blvd). The dishes that me and my wife have tried so far are not so greasy and I don’t think they use tons of msg, either. One thing I really like is their egg fried rice!

Whenever I go to a Chinese take-out, I have to choose b/w pork fried rice or white rice. I love fried rice a lot but hate the “red” sliced pork in it, and white rice is just too plain. So, this egg fried rice gives the middle ground and I love it! It is brilliant and goes with every dish.

The prices are reasonable and the open kitchen looks very clean. Until I find something better, this is my favorite Chinese take-out restaurant! They even have a website! www.yummykitchen.us

me not Him

Ever read something and have the mesmerizing truth of it hit you like a freight truck?  Check this out…

“God’s revelation of Himself to me is determined by my character, not by God’s character.” – Oswald Chambers. 

It’s my character and how I react to a given circumstance/struggle that  determines His revealing Himself to me. 

Uh-boy, have I had a few of those… reactions that I look back at now and say “ma’an I know better than that”.

I wonder what God would have shown me and how.  But it turns out He couldn’t or rather didn’t because by my response, I showed I wasn’t ready… me not Him

Why does evil exist?

This is an excerpt from pastor John Piper’s book, “Spectacular Sins”.  There are too many things to ponder/question about in our lives but once we acknowledge God’ sovereignty, the questions we have will be answered. I stuggle with many WHY questions  but this book helped me so much in finding some of the answers. 

 You can download this book for free from www.desiringgod.org.

For the Glory of Jesus Christ
So where do these evil supernatural powers come from and why do they exist? Colossians 1:16 gives a decisive part of the answer. Not the whole answer, but the part we need to know. They come from Christ. “By him [by Christ, the Son of God!] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. . . .” That’s where they came from. They were created by Christ. And why do they exist? Verse 16b: “All things were created through him and for him.” They exist for Christ. They exist to make his glories known—to display his infinite beauty and immeasurable worth.
Christ Sovereign over All Hostile Powers 35
It doesn’t say he created them evil. In fact, the little New Testament book of Jude speaks of “angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling”
(Jude 6). They were created good, and they rebelled against God.
Paul knows this. He knows what they once were and what they have become. And we will see in the chapters to come that Paul knows something else. He knows that Christ knew they would fall before they fell. Christ knew that there would be sin and rebellion and evil. And with infinite wisdom he and his Father took it all into account as they planned the history of salvation
and the triumphs of grace at Calvary.
Therefore, when Paul says, “rulers [and] authorities” were created by Christ and for Christ, he means that they were created knowing what they would become and how it is that precisely in that evil role they would glorify Christ—knowing everything they would become, they were created for the glory of Christ.

Setting my priority or realizing my priority

For the last few weeks, I’ve been so busy with moving and unpacking that I haven’t really spent time with God. In the back of my mind, I was thinking that it was ok to be like that and God would understand how busy I have been. However, a thought hit me today. I usually place God on the bottom of my priority list whenever I’m busy and I’m busy with lots of things (2 kids, father with Alzheimer, WORK, church, etc) and many times.  So, I realized today that I need to break this pattern otherwise I’ll repeat the same pattern whenever I’m busy. 

When I don’t spend time with God, I realize that my life gets more hectic, and I’m nervous about many small things. Negative thoughts as well as ungodly behaviors develop while satan works through my brain and heart. Now, I praise God for revealing this to me so that I can get back on the right PATH. For me, reading the BIBLE works really well and I’m thankful that He speaks to me a lot through the holy book.  I will continue to pray that I will pay close attention to what He says. Is there anyone who may be in the similar situation and would like to pray with me?

Proverbs 4:20-21

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;
       listen closely to my words.

 ²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
       keep them within your heart;

A Little Glimpse of what God must have Felt

The other week, my wife, Michelle and I went out to dinner with another couple from our church. During our lovely meal and conversation, the other wife was sharing with us about how one day her daughter came back from school, and just out of the blue, her child said that she didn’t like her own eyes because it’s too small. Hmm…

Now as a Korean, I am allowed to admit that there may be some Koreans out there who has small eyes (including myself), but let me assure you that this gorgeous, full-blown Korean child does not have small eyes. In fact, her eyes are big (and beautiful), even for a Korean.

We concluded that the daughter said what she said, because a kid from her school teased her for being an Asian and said something to the effect that “all Asians have small eyes”. And I’m sure there were two fingers pulling on the corner of each eye as this was being said to her. So cruel…

We came to this conclusion because at her age, we asked, how did she know that she had “small” eyes? After all, it is not natural for a child in the 2nd or 3rd grade, (who has big eyes, mind you) to conclude that they have “small” eyes on their own. It just doesn’t happen like that. Somebody must have said it to her.

It was a little glimpse of what God must have felt with Adam and Eve. Just as it was not natural for the daughter to conclude that she had “small eyes” -  all on her own; it was not natural for Adam and Eve to realize that they were naked – all on their own. As adults, all four of us knew that something caused the daughter to say, what she said and I was reminded how God too, realized that something caused Adam and Eve to realize that they were naked. Because God knew what He knew, He was able to ask them, “Who told you you were naked?”

The only difference was that unlike Adam and Eve, this child didn’t commit any sin and has nothing to be ashamed of especially her eyes and being an Asian.

Many times, I am like this daughter because I believe what the world tells me who I am – even though it may be false. And when this happens, God asks me, “Who told you, you were like that?”.