The Voice of Truth

On Sunday the sermon was about hearing God's voice. I made a friend when the guy speaking (Ken - really nice guy, loves the KJV (c: ) asked us to define the verb 'to know' and then called on a really sweet older Korean guy named Huang. My new friend talked about knowing the character and characteristics of something, and warmed up to me when I helped him with a couple of words along the way. (He talked to me afterwards, it was awesome.)

Ken talked about us expecting that the Lord speak to us the way we speak to each other. And I realized that I feel like God does. I feel like He speaks through body language (He speaks through His body) and through His art (Creation) and through His words. I see Him - His character, His fundamentals, clearly. I know that I see but dimly, but I believe I see Him still - I am sure of Him in ways that I'm not even sure of myself.

That's all.

*Sigh* Pictures

As pretty much anyone who knows me well enough to be reading my blog knows, I have a strict no picture policy. However, having somewhat relented about having my picture taken, I have decided to gain points both with Heather and my mother by allowing you to view some pictures taken by others. These were taken right before Steve left for his new job in Seoul. The first is Jesse, me and Molly. The second, left to right: Molly, Steve, Luke, me, Jesse.

*Sigh* You're both welcome. I love you, I hope you know how much. :cP

Episodic

I met a woman yesterday on the train. I have no idea what she was saying, but after I finished drinking my 2 liter bottle of water on my way back from my walk she took the empty bottle from me. She seemed pretty excited to get to keep it. (?)

I went hiking this morning at Munyang (문양). It's so beautiful! My knees are tired from all the downhill though. I think I might've pushed it a little hard since I only had three hours to get there, do the hike and get back, if I wanted a shower before work (which . . . I did - and everyone else wanted for me). Munyang is so differently beautiful than Alaska. Alaskan mountains are . . . indifferent. They are so many, and so tall and remote and, in many ways, unapproachable. Korean mountains are nothing like that. They seem old, like they've seen too much and are tired of it.

Things that count as mountains here in Korea would be considered hills where I'm from, and not even particularly large ones. I would love to be able to make you understand how they're still enough though, but I can't. I can't explain how worthwhile they seem after so much dingy gray and brown in the city. I came outside yesterday and this man stared at me as I walked past him urinating on a garbage pile. This is a first-world country, everything is paved, sanitation is very important to them . . . and there was an available bathroom about 30 feet away. *Sigh* I guess what I feel is a strange dichotomy. People talk about how lush and green Korea is, but in the long, grey-brown winter it's hard to imagine why.

And then you take the subway to Munyang . . . and just before the stop you come above-ground, you see a pond, and valleys full of rice paddies, and the tired mountains looking down. Somehow just wandering through the mountains and adding your weariness of the landscape to their own is refreshing like sitting and talking about everything that's wrong with a friend. Even if nothing gets solved, you're not the only one who sees it, someone else knows.

I also love the people I meet as I wander. Today on the trail I passed two Korean women going the opposite way. One of them wordlessly (this is actually inaccurate, she was speaking in Korean the whole time) managed to tell me she had seen me there the other day with Molly and ask if I was alone today. I also met a man on the subway going back who commented (they almost all do) on my footwear (gourmet sandals are where it is at) and ask me in motions where I had gone walking today. People can say what they want about the world being a dark and lonely place, I felt like God's face shone on me today. People are such a delight to Him, and I am thankful for being blessed by finding delight in them as well.

"Money can change a person's hobby and wives."

I've been grading a lot of essays lately. On the whole it's been alright. Reading college application essays, though somewhat nerve wracking as I feel the immensity of it all, is really fun. I have one student who is a very skilled writer, so skilled that when he gets tangled up, it's in metaphor - which is really hard to unravel! (c: But a delight nonetheless.

Today I also had the unspeakable joy of going to the doctor with Jesse! Since I know I never would have imagined what I would see there, I will assume your imaginations are similarly limited (please take no offense) and come out and say that I have never seen live video feed of a stranger's nasal cavity while sitting in the waiting area at a doctor's office. Indeed, I knew not that nose-cams existed. (I probably could've imagined that far, but let me tell you, the ridges on the inside are difficult to express quite so vividly in words.)

Take care.

Each and All

". . .
As I spoke, beneath my feet
The ground pine curled it's pretty wreath,
Running over the club-moss burrs;
I inhaled the violet's breath;
Around me stood the oaks and firs;
Pine-cones and acorns lay on the ground;
Over me soared the eternal sky,
Full of light and of deity;
Again I saw, again I heard,
The rolling river, the morning bird;
Beauty through my senses stole;
I yielded myself to the perfect whole."

R.W. Emerson

The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason.
John Cage
US composer of avant-garde music (1912 - 1992)

Sunday Dinner

Yesterday I went on a long hike. It was so good. I found this recreation area that looked like it would be awesome for picnics, and there was a river (read "stream") running down from the mountains you could wade in. Very nice.

I (praise God) had an epiphany for making rice pudding instead of French toast for my cooking class this week, so I tried out my recipe today, it was incredible (I thought). I'm going to try adding raisins and cinnamon next time I think, but it was very orangey. I like.

Jesse and I also made breakfast for dinner for everyone. Things I learned: Chocolate pancakes are the man, and you want to start before dark if you're cooking outside. (c: Next time. I think we may do it again next week. It'll be byob - bring your own bacon, and we'll have fried potatoes and eggs. I think we'll do meatloaf and potatoes some night too, but Leo's going out of town the next couple of weekends to get things ready for his wedding and I'd feel really bad about making something he'd enjoy so much while he was gone. It was really fun though, and I look forward to doing it again.

Hmm . . . what else? I've taken to binge reading (and book-buying). I bought SEVEN books a couple of weeks ago (not all at once . . . but still). I'm about half-way through them and I'm making excellent progress on Les Misérables, so I've decided not to be that upset with myself for spending so much money.

In two weeks "summer intensives" will end and my schedule will get another overhaul. There are also several teachers leaving this month, including Alex and Steve. I'm not sure if they're being replaced, or if they're just going to give more classes to everyone else. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Sorry this is so episodic, but that's how life feels right now - like it happens in brief spurts between sleeping and doing dishes. (c:

God keep you.