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GideonChoi
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Name: Gideon
Birthday: 2/28/1979
Gender: Male
Interests: playing piano, songwriting, board games, soccer, singing, hiking, writing, reading, analyzing and more analyzing, sharing grace with others
Message: message me
Member Since:
8/20/2004
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| Hello Hockey FansOk, let's see if this works...
My friend Danprime was the first to tell me about this contest called the "CBC Hockey Anthem Challenge". He told me the contest stems from CBC not being able to buy back the rights to the classic Hockey Night in Canada Theme (because CTV bought the rights for their hockey broadcast, or something like that). Since that time, I've seen the TV commercials and some friends here have also done some composing of their own to try to win "Bragging rights" and "$100 000".
So here's my first submission into the world of Hockey Anthems. Post comments on the Hockey Anthem Website if you like it!
Hello Hockey Fans
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| Did the Apostle Paul Enjoy Working?Thank you Jonny and Michelle for a wonderful conversation on Thursday. It is such a blessing to come across kindred spirits like you two. I am grateful for your friendship. I am also thankful to God that He brought you home to London safely.
Michelle gave me some new perspective on the topic of work satisfaction. For a little while, I’ve suspected that my vocation should be something that I love, so if I feel like I’m dieing in my job, then I’m in the wrong profession. However, Michelle pointed out that the New Testament talks very little about work. Peter never mentions his fishing livelihood and Paul talks very little about the tent-making business he uses to support his missionary journeys. Perhaps even the super-apostles Peter and Paul themselves went about the drudgery of a “9 to 5” job even though their true passion was for apostleship and evangelism. Did they find their calling? I believe they did. Did they work in the area of their calling? Maybe not.
I won’t go so far as to say that God does not want us to enjoy the work He’s given us to do. The first task God gave to Adam was the work of tending the garden (Gen 2:5, 2:15). God made us to work. The writer of Ecclesiastes, in all his wisdom, proclaims that there’s nothing better for a man to do but rejoice in his work – his heritage (Ecc 3:22, 5:18-19). And Paul teaches that whatever we do (for work), do it as if you were doing it for God (Col 3:23). (However, Paul is talking about slaves in this context. Perhaps Paul doesn’t promote work-life satisfaction because how satisfying could being a slave really be? Hmm…)
One more interesting tidbit from our conversation was Jonny’s comment about fulfillment. God is glorified when His servants fulfill their earthly potential, but God can also be glorified when His servants don’t fulfill their earthly potential. If we take the example of writing, some people become famous (earthly standard) by writing a best-seller book. God is glorified because this author used his gift to bless the masses. However, sometimes there are equally intelligent and gifted people who choose not to become published and choose only to impact their smaller circle of influence. God is also glorified in the non-fulfillment of this person’s earthly potential because this person has chosen to remain in obscurity (again, an earthly standard). Jonny, am I representing your idea correctly?
I’m still contractless for September. But waiting on the Lord is not a bad place to be, I realize. I’m grateful for a chance to trust in His perfect provision (even though I have a tendency to be an anxious person). “Thank You Lord for giving me a summer where I don’t have to worry about class preparations. Instead, You’ve given me this time to read and grow in the art of teaching and in classroom management.” | | |
| At the BoundaryI had a fascinating conversation with Hobes2888 on Sunday about the nature of decision making for Christians. He referred to our lives being lived on the "boundary between the physical and the spiritual". For every big decision in our lives, there is a certain amount of spiritual discernment needed to find the "will of God", yet at the same time, there is personal effort necessary to carry out a decision. I often fear that my spiritual eyes aren't focussed very well and I miss my chance to partake of God's perfect leading in my life. However, maybe I have misunderstood God's permissive will. Perhaps He sometimes allows us to have the blessed privelege of choosing between multiple (good) options and allows us to act on them with using the reasoning He has blessed us with.
I'm readying myself for this struggle of ideas when and if I am offered a teaching contract for September. If I have reservations about the school, do I take the job or wait for another oppurtunity to come by? If I like the school, do I evaluate whether I really want to be a high school teacher in the first place? If no schools offer me a contract, does that invariably mean that God is leading me to walk away from high school teaching altogether? (Perhaps it means He is leading me to apply for music school...??) "Lord, I know that I lack discernment and that my spritual eyes can not always see what Your best will for my life is. Teach me Lord to listen to Your Spirit placed in me and to trust that Your Spirit has dominion (Rom 8:26-28) over my deceitful heart (Jer 17:9-10). Help me to know when to act according to the reason You have blessed me with and when to wait on Your specific leading in my life."
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| Thou Shalt Not Covet (Thine Own Raspberries)We have a raspberry bush at my house that is producing quite a nice
crop this year. I haven't eaten raspberries from this bush for a
number of years - but that's becuase no one has bothered picking
them. But there was a change of heart last Thursday and it was a
result of a covetous human nature - here's how the story goes. My
mom was pulling up to the driveway on Thursday and lo and behold, our
next door nieghbour standing at the side driveway by one of our
bushes. As my mom stepped out of the car, the neighbour said,
"Oh, hello!" and then walked away with his hand cupped (probably full
of raspberries - but she didn't get a good look at them).
Slightly peeved, my mom thought to herself, "I'm not going to sit back
and let my neighbour enjoy all my raspberries".
On Saturday, my mom served me some (sour) raspberries with vanilla ice
cream. I like the combination. My mom doesn't care much for
it. ("There's too many little seeds and they get stuck in your
teeth"). On Saturday, I was outside picking raspberries.
("I'm not gonna let my neighbour enjoy all my raspberries")
Actually though, I don't mind if the neighbour takes some raspberries - there's definitely more than we can finish...
This story reminds me a bit about our "wrethchedness"
because my sinful nature becomes so evident when I see how easy it is
to begin to covet (my own stuff!). What I find interesting too is
this equally strong opposite thought that says, I don't need to worry
about the neighbour taking the berries because there's enough for him
too. If I'm not already convinced that I am a sinner needing
forgiveness , then these raspberries will help to convince me
more. (Romans 7:7-21).
By the way, here's a really good dessert: raspberries mixed with
vanilla ice cream and served with a slightly warmed up brownie from
Safeway - mm-mm, so good! Warm with cold, sour wth sweet.
Simple delights that make life sweet.
All this learnin' from a few sour raspberries.
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| Tonight, I'm indoorsSun's low in the sky, shadows are long, wind is non-existent, there is only a slight chill in the air. And here I am indoors - doing work. Sigh... I love lazy spring evenings like this. I was outside for only a moment and I wished I could linger, just linger for another moment more. There was peace from anxiety there. If only I could bottle that moment and experience that moment later.
But the moment's about to fade away.
I should be outside just enjoying the spring evening for a while. But I already made up my mind much before that tonight is reserved for doing work. Wednesday I have parent-teacher interviews, and Thursday, I have small groups. Tonight (unfortunately) was the only evening for doing work. So I'm here enjoying the sunshine indoors. It's true that these types of evenings will come again, but that doesn't mask the sadness of seeing this evening passing away. It reminds me that I do need to have the discipline to not have activities happening every day of the week. Because what if an evening like this comes and then goes and I am only left with regret?
Sun's low in the sky. What a wonderfully lazy spring evening. It was a wonderful spring evening. | | |
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