It's not easy being green

Some of you (whoever you are) may read this blog and wonder what my political beliefs are. Of course, I don't ponder the political beliefs of others that often, but that's just me. And I admit I'm weird.

That is the answer, albeit a vague one, but I'll clarify a bit. I can't assign my convictions to one party or the other, so I call myself Independant. Too often I feel like quoting a judge in an excellent movie: "You're both right, and you're both wrong." So choosing the donkey or the elephant becomes problematic. In the end, I know we won't find our Savior in either party, so I don't waste too much time on it.

So if I congratulate one candidate, it's because there's too much slander out there, and it's about time we recognize positives when we see them. If Mccain does a good thing, I'll mention it. The same goes for Obama or Palin or even (gasp) a Clinton who's not even running.

Politically I'm not that liberal. But there's one problem anyone who knows me can spot; my heart bleeds green. I care about the environment and want to take good care of the natural resources around me. That makes me a sizeable blip on the "bleeding heart liberal" radar. Oops.

I grow tired of the arguments and intended mockery of global warming. I believe the flood promise, and that we don't need to fear worldwide flooding. But the argument is beside the point. We don't have any excuse to flush the world around us down the crapper. Living simply and living green is not unreasonable. If anyone presses us on it, we can say that God wants us to take care of what He's given us. Of course we're not driven by fear of global warming or anything else. God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but of love. I know the reference, but I won't tell you so you can look it up. Yeah, that's it.

In the end, I'm still deciding who to vote for.

I wish recycling was a realistic option in Korea.

Game What?

Setting: Int. ELD classroom

Teacher: What shape is this?
Students: a circle.
Teacher: Can you find something shaped like a circle in this classroom? (students point) No, that's not a circle. What shape is that?
Older student: Oval!
First grader: Game oval.

Brief newsy stuff

If you ever start to question if you are living in a mission field, move into a ground floor apartment. A couple of months ago some friendly locksmiths unsuccessfully tried to help themselves to our stuff. Recently, they were more successful in our friends' place across the hall. We sat with them as police dusted for prints.

I think these things happen to show us our own ugliness. I feel nothing but anger when it happens.

The point is, someone went to a lot of trouble to do this. They seemed to know when the four of us would be out. Someone who is so skilled at something that wicked is either extrememly desperate or deceived.

So we pray.

It's about time

I usually don't get into politics, but the story below gives a good example of politics vs. actual leadership. Sometimes they intersect, and when they do, it's nice to see somebody doing the right thing. I still consider myself Independent, but in this matter, way to go rich white guy.

#!&$*@, it hurts to say that.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080924/ap_on_el_pr/mccain

One more thing. The best argument for this debate may be to not show up. I'd consider that the most effective debate ever.

Modern Life

Modern life, especially in the workplace, requires one to be A.D.D. At the very least, it strongly encourages it.

I blame technology. Blogging is okay, though.

Rain, Food, and Music

We started our day, activity-wise, at a church. Twenty adults met and loaded up vehicles with food for a barbecue. It was drizzling out, and we were hoping that wouldn't last long. Some of us brought umbrellas, others had left the house before it started raining and were unarmed. Yes, I was in the second group.

We talked about the orphanage we were going to host, and the plan for doing so. We would take the kids from the orphanage to a nearby park for the barbecue with games to follow. People were assigned games, and we loaded a canopy to cover the food for the light rain. We prayed, and then we were off.

Once we got to the park, the rain was not so light. We went through plans from A to C, until we lost track of what plan we were on. We set up the canopy, unloaded the food, and awaited orders.

The rain didn't light up.

We finally went with plan whatever letter of the alphabet which involved having the cookout and games at the church. We reloaded everything, broke down the canopy and went back to where we started.

We found a gym in the basement of one of the buildings and played games while some prepared the food. Some of the adults rounded up the children to play dodge ball. I scooped up the soccer and basketballs and kept them safely out of the way. I joined the kids who didn't want to play, and we switched between playing catch and watching others play dodge ball.

I asked one young man if he wanted to play dodge ball in Korean. He said no, then in perfect English, "I'm hungry." Me, too, I tried to answer in Korean. He was not impressed.

That was around 1:00. We had started out around 12:00, and I'm sure we weren't the only two who were hungry.

The food was ready around 2. We gave thanks, served the kids hamburgers and hot dogs, then helped ourselves. Watermelon (what else?) was for dessert.

The pastor noted how much these children had grown since we last saw them. They are growing, and seeming more familiar each time we visit. I wish I could remember their names.

Later we got home, dried off, and then I farted around online a bit. I discovered a tour that continued to answer one of my struggles with Christian music. I sampled the music, which was okay, but not great. I doubt that part matters much.

The tour is called art, music and justice. It features artists I don't usually listen to, even though one song entitled "I Never Met a Savior on Capital Hill" may be one of my new favorites for the title alone. It reflects my frustration with much of what is going on nowadays.

The point of the tour is to encourage Christians to see the importance of social justice issues. It challenges us to get out there, and I can't argue with that.

Getting out and serving. Why does it seem so hard for us to do?

On Caring

Caring can be a black hole. The more I care about something, the less effective I feel. I finally see teaching as a ministry, then I feel like the worst teacher ever.

It's actually more like a hamster wheel than a black hole. My mistake.

I guess I should see it as a small victory when they start saying "I don't know" in English. Then again, maybe I shouldn't. I don't want to seem over confident. No one likes a show off.