Seminary

   So, after a few years of theological librarianship, I have decided to get a seminary degree. This month I will be Master in Theological Studies Program at SWBTS. The seminary will be paying  for the degree (which is an amazing benefit). This will hopefully make me into to a more affective librarian. I will be taking Hermeneutics and Church History II this semester.
    To be completely honest, I am a little nervous. Seminary classes have a reputation for being extremely challenging (as they should be). Please be in prayer for me to be wise in how I manage my time over the next few months. I am hoping that since I have already finished reading three of the textbooks along with completing one assignment, that I will start out on the right foot. Also, please be in prayer that I will retain the information that I learn over the course of my studies.

Why I left Gotham...

   

    This past Spring, I was delighted to find out that FOX was coming out with a T.V. show about Batman. The show, Gotham, is about a young Jim Gordon who is a GCPD detective who investigates the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne. In the show you get to see villains and heroes of DC universe before Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. The WB/CW did something similar a few years ago with Smallville, which was a show about Clark Kent before he became Superman. I really enjoy. the acting and overarching story of the show.

    Although, I was excited about the show at first, I became very convicted about watching the show. Over the years, I have tried to watch less violent movies and T.V. shows. I found the show was too violent. There was a lot of blood and death. There were a lot of sexual situations in the show that I was very uncomfortable with. At some point, I had to give up on the show. I did not want images that I was seeing to impact my spiritual life. As Christians we need to be careful about the kinds of books that we watch and books that we read so that they do not hurt our relationship with the Lord by causing us to sin.

   I am not saying that if you watch this show, that you are a bad person. However, I was personally convicted about the show. It was not a show that I felt that I could watch with my friends or family. I need constant prayer that the entertainment that I choose to indulge is clean and does not ultimately cause me to struggle.

"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell." Matthew 5:29

"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" Matthew 6:22-23

Into The West

    This summer has been very eventful for me. I presented with my boss, Dr. Craig Kubic, and reference librarian, Judy Howie, at the MOBIUS conference on our personal librarian and research coach programs. I also got to present the same research with Dr. K at the Association of Christian Librarians Conference. I also presented my research and findings on posting for the Spurgeon Library Twitter account at the Association of Christian Librarians and the American Theological Librarians Association. These were amazing opportunities to connect with people and share ideas.

Mobius Program Picture by Robert Burgess

     I also got a new job. Dr. Kubic got a job as Dean of Libraries at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. He brought me down with him to be the Digital Resources Librarian at SWBTS. SWBTS is one of the largest seminaries in the world. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to grow professionally and learn more skills. I have been working at SWBTS for two weeks. It has been a wonderful experience.

One "small"  part of campus. Picture by Robert Burgess

  Sadly, I have had to leave Kansas City. KC has been my home for two years. Antioch Bible Baptist Church is by far the best church that I have been a part of. Those people really invested into me. They were some of the best friends that I have ever had. These past two years have been a whirlwind. Over this time  I got my heart broken by a charismatic, went to my first comic con, volunteered at the WWI museum, and ate some great BBQ.  Kansas City allowed me to develop as a librarian and attain great experience. I can now add Kansas City as a place that I can call home.

Church Christmas Party. From Left Neal Goodpasture,Cody Luckenbach, Jeff Hayes, and me. Picture by Matthew Luckenbach

My Goodbye Party. From Left Bill Robbins, Justin Taylor (Cardboard), Neal Goodpasture, me, Mickey, Matt Luckenbach, Cody Luckenbach, Stanley, Adam Lopez, and Jonathan Murphy. Picture by Alyson Luckenbach

Geneva, Neal, and my birthday celebration. From Left: Justin Taylor (Cardboard) and Me. Picture by Daniel West

My friend from the MBTS,John Inman, and me holding friendship cups. Picture by John Inman.

 When I left Alabama, I chose Where My Heart Will Take Me from Star Trek: Enterprise as my song to describe me leaving for Kansas City. For this move, I choose Into The West from The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King. This song was played after Frodo left Middle Earth to depart to the Gray Havens. Although, I intend on returning to KC several more times, my journey in KC has ended. Now I am in a place that will give me more chances to grow professionally and "get my name out there".  I thank God every day for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Please me in prayer for me as I seek to find a church in Ft. Worth that will minister to me and where I can serve to make an impact in the Lord's kingdom.

"Into The West"

Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is falling
You’ve come to journey's end
Sleep now
And dream of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across the distant shore

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away
Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping

[Chorus]
What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come to carry you home

And all will turn
To silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass

Hope fades
Into the world of night
Through shadows falling
Out of memory and time
Don't say: «We have come now to the end»
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again

And you'll be here in my arms
Just sleeping

[Chorus]

And all will turn
To silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the West

Valentine's Day

  

     Well, another Valentine's Day has gone by. Honestly, I have never really understood how we got from celebrating the life of a man who lived his life in Christlike manner became associated with a day in which we celebrate love and give each other chocolate. I mean yes I understand the significance of the letter he wrote and the bestowing of his sainthood by the Catholic Church. Basically, "the patron saint of love" replaced the Cupid and Aphrodite (Venus) as the symbol of love in the Western world. But it all seems a little silly to me.

"Don't make fun of my diaper! My dad is the god of War!"

     Since we are more or less stuck with this day of the celebration of love for rest of Western Civilization, I would like to talk about what it means to me. For most of my life, I have really hated this day. I am too one of those who have referred to V-Day as S.A.D. (Singles Awareness Day). I also resent that this day is so close to my birthday. After all, I have had some pretty horrible V-Days. One time in high school, I asked a girl out to prom by giving her a rose and stuffed animal. I got a maybe which turned into her never getting back to me. Another time in college, I received a Veggie Tales V-Day card you give to kids from a couple girls that I barely knew at my church (who were both in relationships) indicating that they wanted to give cards to everyone who they knew wouldn't get a card. Ouch! It is fair to point out that I was the only one to receive said condescending card. The only "good" V-Day in which I actually spent time with a woman who would tell me a few months later that I was nothing more than a spiritual and emotional distraction.

    However, recently I have come to realize that there can be a whole lot more to this day then just going on an expensive date. There is also no reason to worry if you don't have a "special someone" in your life. I mean do you have friends? Family? Take sometime to spend with your friends. I have known several guys who do a Brointines or Manintines. It usually consists of watching some manly movie with explosions and playing video games.  And I have known of several women who will get together to eat ice cream and watch girl movies (with Brad Pit, Channing Tatum, or whoever they're into these days??).  This Valentine's Day I hung out with my friend Matt who wife was working. We ate Mexican food, watched The Office, and talked about what is going on in our lives. And it was one of the best V-Days I ever had. I then had a conjoined birthday/Valentine's day party with some friends from church the next night where we ate mostly chocolate and played (and argued about the rules) for several games. So if you have friends and family, why not spend time with them on the day where we celebrate those we care about?

     Also, you can always spend time with someone who is completely lonely. This week some church friends and I went to an Alzheimer unit in a retirement home. Even though we were only there for an hour I could tell that these people appreciated people coming to them to sing hymn songs glorifying the Lord and play games. So, if you don't have a loved one, spend some time with someone who is extremely lonely like a widow or someone in a retirement home.

     And these are just some tips from someone who has been emotionally and verbally abused by those I have been in relationships and friendships with. I have also included advice on friendships:

1) If you are in a friendship and that person is using you for their own ends. If they are never there for you and don't want to be around you unless you can help them with something then get out of it because you are not in a friendship. You are being their servant.
2) Don't let anyone make you feel devalued because you don't fit their standard.
3) If someone is seeking to change your beliefs or you are hoping to change someone's beliefs then you need to get out of that relationship. Nothing can change a person other than God.
4) If someone is causing you emotional distress by something they said. Or pushing your spiritual or physical boundaries then you need reevaluate or get out of the relationship. If not your heart will only be in bad condition afterwards.
5) There is a healthy way of balancing pursuing God's will and a person in a dating relationship. If a person is never interested in talking about God then it will not be an edifying relationship. If a person is always wanting to talk about God and never about you, then you need to flee faster then a comic book nerd who has just watched Batman and Robin. As someone who has experienced the later let me tell you I am still getting over being spiritually damaged after coming out of that relationship.
6) If your interested in dating someone and they are not interested in you, get over them and move on. Ignore them. I have wasted years of my life being focused on a particular people. If they are not interested in you then they are not worth your time.
7) Pursue friends who accept and care for you. Surround yourself with people who will be there for you in the good and hard times.
8) Show the love of Christ with people always. The Lord will be glorified in how you treat people.
9) You never know how much time you have with someone. One of you may move or have something tragic happen. Spend as much time with the ones you care about while you can.
10) With modern technology we can communicate faster then ever before in human history. However, do something with your loved ones then send a Facebook message and text. Humans were designed to communicate like this. Use modern technology to FaceTime or Skype. Use it to call friends all over the world. Also, if you can just meet with someone face to face.

I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day!

Healing

    I have really wanted to post more on this blog during this year. But I am afraid life just got really busy for me. These past few months have been really rough for me personally. However, I have really seen God work in some amazing ways. 

    One major thing that happened a few months ago is that my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It is very hard for me to be so far away. I was so worried about her having to go through chemo and radiation treatments. This caused me a lot emotional strain. I was worried that she would have to have her breast removed. However, her tumor was very small. In fact it was so small that the doctors could remove it easily. She also did not have to have chemo. My mom only had one week of radiation. This was such a blessing. God really took care of my mom and gave her strength through this whole procedure.

     Also, my dad has been in bad shape physically. After years of working in the coal mines, one of his knees gave out on him. He has been limping very badly for several months. He was really needing to have knee replacement surgery, but he was unable to do it until my mom could get taken care of. Last week my dad had knee surgery. He is in a lot of pain, but eventually he will get better. He has gotten stronger every day and has been actively doing his therapy.

    Also, in the midst of dealing with these issues with my parents, my girlfriend broke up with me. Honestly, it needed to happen. A few months ago she started pulling away from me. She seemed to never have time to spend with me. She never wanted to get to know my friends. She told me that her parents did not approve of me because I violated certain Korean cultural norms that I did not know about. She vanished from my life when I told her my mom had cancer. Her only words of comfort were, "I will be here for you as long as God wills me be to be here". When she broke up with me she told me that God was communicating to her through her dreams telling her that she needed to break up with me. She also said that I was a spiritual distraction to her because she was thinking too much about me and not enough time thinking about God.

    I can not tell you how much this damaged me. After spending a lot of time investing into the relationship to be relegated as being nothing more than a "distraction" has affected me a lot.  However, I have really felt the Lord healing me through this time. I still have a little ways to go.  And I am very thankful for so many things in my life.

I am thankful for my friends at Antioch Bible Baptist Church who during this time have found various ways to love and bless me. Individuals have come together to buy and cook me meals. Some have given my mother gifts. My Sunday School class came together to sign a card and poster for me. They were diligently in praying for me and my family. Some of them even go whole other groups of people that I never met to pray for my situation.  My friends at Antioch Bible Baptist have truly become my family. They have been a huge encouragement to me.

I am thankful for the community at MBTS. Not only were they the only ones who were willing to take a chance on my after graduate school but they have provided such a loving community for me. The students, faculty, and staff at MBTS are wonderful. 

I am also very thankful for my parents. They are loving and kind. I am thankful that the Lord has healed them in amazing ways. I will continue to pray for their healing. 

I am very thankful for the Lord and the great work that he has done in my life. I am thankful all his blessings over the past few months. God is wonderful. Please remember my family and me in your prayers over the next few months.

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes Part I

   

    I have not posted anything since December. Life has been really busy lately. I will give an update on my life on a later post. I just wanted to inform my readers on a book that I started yesterday. It is called Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes by E.Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'brien. This is a new book that I picked up at the seminary.  Basically this talks about how we as a Western/American culture have taken certain passages of the Bible and misinterpreted them. I do not think any of these misinterpretations that the authors mention was done with evil thoughts, it is just sometimes we read our culture, experiences, and history in to Bible. Instead we should read the Bible in the context of the culture, experiences, and history of the people that it was originally written for. This has been an incredible book and I think that every Christian should read it. I am only about 70 pages into it but it has changed the way that seen certain passage of Scripture. Here are some examples:

   The book starts off with Eugene Peterson's theology of the "Laodicean spectrum of spirituality". This comes from John's address to the church of Laodicea of the message that God has for them in Revelation 3:15-17. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth." In many sermons that I have heard, pastors describe our spiritual status as hot, cold, and lukewarm. Hot means someone has a zeal and love for the Lord. Cold means that you are lost. Lukewarm means that you are in the church, but you are not living in a way that is honoring to Christ. So basically this interpretation means that God wants us to have a zeal for him and he would prefer us to be lost than be a nominal Christian. However, this book states that the city of Laodicea had no water. There were no springs, lakes, or rivers. They received their water from two prominent cities. One of those cities was Colossae, which had fresh, cold water. The other city was Hierapolis, which had hot mineral water. The water came in through aqueducts. However, the water was lukewarm once it arrived in Laodicea. This is significant because in this context hot and cold are both good. God wants us to be either hot or good. He does not want us just to be in church, but be the Church. And he certainly does not want us to be lost. That is ridiculous.  These verses make more sense when read in the context of the the time and place that it was written.

 
Here is another example of Westerners misinterpreting Scripture. Numbers 12:1 says "Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite." Now Cush is in the Southern Nile River valley. This means that Zipporah was an black skinned African. Since Western civilization enslaved black people and thought them to be inferior, they naturally thought the Hebrew believed that the Cushites were inferior because they were a "slave race". However, the Hebrews were the "slave race". They had recently escaped bondage in Egypt. The Cushites were respected as highly skilled warriors. In fact Jethro, Moses' father in law, was extremely wealthy. So, Aaron and Miriam had tension with Zipporah not because she was in a lower social class or they believed her to be inferior. If anything they probably felt threatened and intimated by her because of her wealth. Moses had not married down. He married up.

   There are more passages of this book that I will share later. This has been an amazing read.  One thing that the professors at Midwestern stress is that context determines meaning. The only way that Scripture can be read and fully understood is if you read it in context. When you are reading the Bible, I have found it helpful to read commentaries and reference books as you go. Take some time to research what you are reading, whether you think you understand it or not. We need to be careful about how we handle God's word. We simply can not get this wrong. Misinterpreting scripture can turn people away from the Gospel. Misinterpretations of scripture have played dark parts in Christian history. Remember that Context Determines Meaning.

Why I choose Christ over Christmas

  


So, here is my official stance on Christmas. This is not a rant, but simply my opinion. A lot of Christians get upset when the world pushes "Happy Holidays" on them. I understand their frustrations. Many of them feel that the world is trying to take Christ out of Christmas. Several Christians in America consider this to be persecution. However, I would be extremely hesitant towards that claim. Christians all over the world are suffering at the hands of their government or their neighbors. Many are killed for boldly proclaiming the Gospel. The fact is that there are several holidays that occur from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. Do not get angry with the world for their rejection of Christ, instead boldy proclaim the Gospel to them. :)
   
    As far as taking the Christ out of Christmas, I think that job was achieved a long time ago. Think about how commercialized Christmas is. What do trees, ornaments, Santa Claus, snowmen, lights, and presents have anything to do with the birth of Jesus. In fact many of these Christmas traditions were around long before Christ was born. Are these things bad in and of themself? No, in fact one of my best most valued memories as child is watching The Santa Clause with my Dad every year before Christmas. Please, brothers and sisters, do not let these things distract us from the Gospel.

     Why do we exchange presents for Jesus' birthday? Some might say that we exchange presents because Jesus was presented with gifts from wiseman at the manger. But that is simply not found in Scripture. Scholars estimate that Jesus was two by the time that the wisemen found him. This estimate comes from Matthew 2:16, when Herod has all the male children in Bethlehem killed that are two and under. The most detailed account of Jesus birth comes from the book of Luke. That book makes no reference to wisemen! I personally think that it is crazy to spend so much money on gifts for each other.  All of this stuff that we value so much is going to turn to dust. It is meaningless! Do you want to even think about how many toys and appliances get thrown away every year! I find it very sad that the birth of Christ is associated with all of this materialism. Instead of spending money on gifts, donate money to organizations such as Gospel for Asia or Heifer International. Those organizations allow you to buy animals and clean water for people in need all around the world. I know that Gospel for Asia allows you to purchase Bibles that have been translated into the native language of the people that the organizations serves. Or you can donate money to your local mission to feed a meal to someone this Christmas.

    Also remember that we have no idea when Christ was born. The Gospels do not make it clear. There is simply no evidence to support that Jesus was born on December 25. It is interesting that Bible is more clear about when Jesus died and resurected, then when he was born. If Jesus had just been born, lived a good life, taught a few good teachings, and died comfortably, then we would have no hope of salvation. Only through Christ's being crucified on the cross and his resurrection are we saved. As Christians we should emphasize more on the event that saved us.

    I know that if I ever have children, I want do not want their first Christmas memories to be of some old guy who sneaks into our home and gives them gifts. Instead I want them to know of the ultimate gift of the Savior to humanity. I think it is more important for us not to forget Christ this Christmas. In fact everyday we should be thanking God for this wonderful gift.