Blast From the Past, UA, and Adoption

These past two weeks have been pretty crazy. I've been meeting up with some old old old friends from NorCal who I haven't seen since my sophomore year of high school. One of my friends named Chris Moon came to visit. This guy was the gayest and happiest person I knew. His voice was all high and he couldn't stop smiling (hence the nickname: Joker). But now, he is a 6+ feet tall stud who goes to West Point. His voice is deep, he talks about more serious things (he used to talk about starcraft and counterstrike like all the time), but he still smiles a lot. Then today, I met up with one of my other friends named Byron Chionh. He is one of my favorite Chinese people. He was born in Australia and is crazy at basketball and tennis. I always joked about how he was half Chinese half kangaroo because he could jump so high. It's always fun to see old friends and reminisce about good ol' times.

Last night was the last KCM Upperclassmen Accountability. These were probably one of my highlights of the week, along with small group and the weekends. Especially being a transfer, it was so hard to meet KCM and other campus ministry people. But I feel like because UA was so small (roughly ranging from 7-15 people) and they were all my age group (juniors and seniors), it was so easy to interact with them. Devotions, prayer & praise, Sawtelle, games.. I'm gonna miss it all.

I particularly enjoyed the last UA (last night's). We all sat on the couches after prayer & praise, and we just chilled and talked. We talked about homeless people, adoption, abortion. This is where my whole perspective on adoption changed. I've never really been asked the question "would you adopt?" and honestly, I think before the night, I wasn't really open to it. I'm not sure, I didn't think much about it. I just wanted a "normal" family with all the comfortable luxuries. But hearing about Cho's passion for adoption, it just got me thinking. If I'm so for pro-life and against abortion, why do I feel so indifferent about adoption? In a sense, don't they go hand-in-hand? As Christians, we're all so passionate about pro-life and how cruel it is to murder a baby and our solution is usually "just give it up for adoption". But who actually adopts? I think right now, the gay community have the highest adoption rates because of obvious reasons, they can't have a baby. I don't know, all of this adoption business came all at once at me just these past two days and it got me thinking a lot about it. I mean, even before UA, I saw Blind Side the night before which also stirred some thoughts about adoption. But all I know is, there are millions of testimonies out there where adoption was a huge blessing to the family, and just looking at the Christian faith, we are all adopted as His sons and daughters. Everything about spouses, kids, and adoption points to Christ and the Father because through it, we are able to, in a way, empathize and thus, imitate His love.

I don't know if any of this made sense. But, adoption is good. God is good, always.

-Simon

Ultimate Goal

If our highest goal in life is the good of our family, then we will tend to care less for other families. If our highest goal is the good of our nation, tribe, or race, then we will tend to be racist or nationalistic. If our ultimate goal in life is our own individual happiness, then we will put our own economic and power interests ahead of those of others. It's only when God is our ultimate good and life center where we will find our heart drawn out not only to people of all families, races, and classes, but to the whole world in general.

Once again, the wise words of Tim Keller.

-Simon

Funny Quotes

Funny Quote #1:

(In Sammy's car going to church on Friday. In the car is Me, Sammy, Yoejin, Sarah, and Woohyun)

Me: Hey, do you prefer girls with big eyes or small eyes?

Sammy: Small eyes like Brock?

Me: Hahahaha Brock has REALLY small eyes.

Sammy: I know, I wouldn't even be able to tell if she's awake or not.

Yoejin: What? Barack Obama?

Funny Quote #2:

(Studying in the lounge, Ed comes up behind me and gives me a massage)

Ed: Woah Simon, you're not very knotty! (sounded like naughty)

5 seconds of silence...

Both of Us: HAHAHAHAHAHAAH!

Funny Quote #3:

(Driving to church in James' car with James, me, Yoejin, Sarah, and Patrick. We were talking about a scenario "what would you do if you realized there was no toilet paper left after you were finished doing your business")

Me: Hmm.. I think I'd use my socks.

Sarah: Dude. Just use the toilet seat!

Me and James exchange disgusted face expressions...

Sarah: NO! I MEANT THE TOILET SEAT COVERS!

Everyone: HAHAHAHA!

Funny Quote #4:

(Richard (Chung) and I are walking towards church and it really smells like fish.)

Richard: Dude... I smell like... fish.

Simon: Did you just say you smell like fish?

Yeah... study break.

-Simon

Almost Over

As the school year comes close to an end, I've begun to reflect more and more about my time here at UCLA. It all seems so fast and yet slow at the same time. I think I've become more antisocial, yet more sociable at the same time. I've grown more pessimistic, yet optimistic at the same time. I've gotten smarter, yet dumber at the same time. I am just full of contradictions aren't I?

I'm sitting here, 11:30pm, with lack of motivation to study. There are just so many things that are occupying my mind these days; everything has just become a blur in my head. So what can I do? I just need to take one step at a time, right? I think I took a big step today though.

I was watching some old 2002 FIFA WorldCup videos from my brother's blog. Multitudes of Koreans crowding the streets wearing red, deafening chants in unison, hugs, high-fives, dancing. Korea is one small country, but we are one loud nation. The clip showed the end of the match between Korean and Spain during the sudden death. For some reason, every time we made a goal and the whole nation cheered, I couldn't help but choke. Especially when our goalie stopped one of their goals, seeing a nation celebrate altogether as one brought chills down my spine. What is it about that clip that made me choke? Maybe it was because everyone was just so happy together. Maybe it's because I can identify with them just because I'm Korean. Maybe it's because it was so beautiful to see such a large body of people chanting the same thing, rejoicing over the same thing. I'm really excited for this summer.

Haha, after every entry, even when I don't mean to, somehow I can always tie it in with theology, Christianity, Christ, or anything relating to those subjects. But seriously, it just reminded me of my true identity: my identity in Christ. Just imagine. Heaven. The multitudes will be incomprehensible, the praises will be beyond deafening, the hugs, high-fives, the dancing, rejoicing, all of that as one body being united with Our God. Now THAT brings chills down my spine. I long for the day when Christ comes.

-Simon

Clue of God

St. Augustine in his Confessions reasoned that these unfulfillable desires are clues to the reality of God. How so? Indeed (as it was just objected) just because we feel the desire for a steak dinner doesn't mean we will get it. However, while hunger doesn't prove that the particular meal desired will be procured, doesn't the appetite for food in us mean that food exists? Isn't it true that innate desires correspond to real objects that can satisfy them, such as sexual desire (corresponding to sex), physical appetite (corresponding to food), tiredness (corresponding to sleep), and relational desires (corresponding to friendship)?

Doesn't the unfulfillable longing evoked by beauty qualify as an innate desire? We have a longing for joy, love, and beauty that no amount or quality of food, sex, friendship, or success can satisfy. We want something that nothing in this world can fulfill. Isn't that at least a clue that this "something" that we want exists? This unfulfillable longing, then, qualifies as a deep, innate human desire, and that makes it a major clue that God is there.

Wise words from Tim Keller's book, The Reason for God.

-Simon

It's the Little Things

Warm water in the shower, a good parking spot, a smile... it's the little things that are often forgotten that help me appreciate life. Culturally we are told to be efficient, busy, and successful. So much is happening, so much to do, so many wants, so many worries, so many uncertainties, so much doubt, so many blessings. While we live with this long list of "so many's and so much's", try to just take a deep breath and reflect on the beauty of this world.

I remember I had such a huge appreciation for color after I watched Pleasantville. Especially in Southern California, the perfect sunny weather truly brings out the radiant colors of the trees, buildings, and everything else. Even something as beautiful and common as color, we so take it for granted. I know it's cliche to say we take everything for granted, but sometimes we need a little bit of it in our lives to help us remember the beauty around us that we forget so easily.

(Dedicated to those struggling out there a.k.a everyone)

-Simon