When Someone Alters Your Life

On Thursday I learned that I will be starting a new chapter in my life later this year. It was a joyous day, but usually when one chapter begins, another one must end. As I begin to ink the first page of my new academic career, I might have punctuated the final period to my Christian career. I was born a Seventh-Day Adventist and I have been attending the same church for all 29-years of my life. Around the age of 21, I went on a spiritual journey that exposed me to many ups and downs. Over the last 5-years, I've grown into a comfortable atheist. I settled on being a huge skeptic about the physics of Yahweh, a lover of Jesus Christ's philosophies, and a continuing member of the church. The last remaining connective tissue between the church and I were long time members of my church and my pastor. This Saturday was my pastor's final day at the Minneapolis Korean Seventh-Day Adventist church. Pastor Kim came into my life at the perfect time. Had he not come when he did, I might have lost my connection to my church. My frustrations about religion were cooling, but hadn't completely hardened. He showed me that there is still space for love in religion and Christianity. He strengthened our youth group by opening the church doors wider than they had ever been opened, and by making his personal home, everyone's home. He never put himself above anyone, and treated everyone he interacted with like royalty. He was quick to nurture the ideas of other people (Without him A Night Back In Korea wouldn't have been possible). He embodied what Jesus Christ is to me.

With tearful goodbyes, we watched him and his wonderful family begin their new journey to Los Angeles. For every kind statement written about Pastor Kim, two equally great comments could be written about his wife. There will be an immense void at our church, but I am so happy for the church in L.A that will be adopting Pastor Kim. He will bring many great examples of love through his words and especially his actions. His children and his beautiful wife will enhance their new community exponentially. Thank you for changing my life, Kim Family, and I wish you nothing but the best.

Is Bernie Sanders Too Smart For Us?

One of the most influential books I have read in my lifetime is "Looking Forward" by Jacque Fresco (A new hardcover copy of the book is going for $448 on Amazon). The book was published in 1969 and was way ahead of its time. One would assume having that sort of foresight would be a good thing, but I think it would be burdensome (Look at what they did to Jesus Christ). Jacque Fresco was quickly deemed a fringe thinker, and I see many doing that with Bernie Sanders. I would love to see someone with a prophetic like vision drag the rest of us knuckle-draggers into a more prosperous future. Many critics claim that Sanders is clueless on foreign affairs, and that may prove to be true, but he has the right outlook on war and wasn't wrong about the Iraq War.

My New Year's Resolution

I don't usually care for New Year's Resolutions. Although I do not doubt the feeling of a "Clean Slate", January 1st is a completely arbitrary day on the Gregorian Calendar. There is nothing intrinsically important about this day other than the meaning we give it.
However, I am using this arbitrary starting line to change a habit. Not for just another revolution around the sun, but hopefully for my remaining time as a sentient being. New Year's Resolutions usually fizzle because a year is a long time from the perspective of a human being, but the circumstances of society change rapidly. What you might need to adapt to today, you may not need to tomorrow.

With all that in mind, I want to make better use of the word "Love". The word "Love" in the English language is very limited. It doesn't differentiate the sort of love like some other languages do. That could possibly contribute to why I haven't learned how to use the word properly. Words have meanings, and we need to do a good job protecting the value of words. I quit using words like "Epic" because society has tarnished its value. A hamburger with 3 patties and 3 different kinds of cheese is hardly "epic". I didn't want to contribute to the contamination of the word "Love". It's too important of a word. I think in an overcompensation, my use of the word "Love" has become too conservative. Does "Love" really lose its value if I tell my friends and family that I love them all the time? Should it matter if my use of the word is genuine? I can't think of the last time I told my friend Mitchell that I loved him, even though I love him deeply. I didn't have a chance to tell him thank you, and that I love him, before I had to say goodbye.
Is "to love more" a unique and new New Year's Resolution? Absolutely not. But you look around, and you can see world could use a bit of love.