It is funny how hard choosing a career can be. I know I want to do something but I just don't know what it is that I want to do. It is also funny how it is much easier to decide what one does not want to do as opposed to deciding what one wants to do. I am going on my fifth month as an English teacher and I know one thing...I do not want to teach English for the rest of my life. Now, along with the definite "no's" comes many "maybe's." I can't decide if I would like to teach or not. The only thing I know is that I do not want to teach English as a second language.
My schedule is very conducive to thinking and so I do a lot of it. When I figured out that I do not want to teach English, I began the very pain staking task of deciding what I want to do. Should I teach math? If so, where? Do I want to go into Engineering? If so, what kind? Maybe I want to be a contractor. Is that a waste of my time at Erskine? These are just a few of the questions that seem to continuously race through my head.
Along with the question of career, I start to think of life in general. What is God's purpose for my life? Should I seek out an active role in ministry? Is God calling me to do this or that? Or are these just my desires? I guess this is not a unique problem. I have been told that almost all young graduates go through this. Now I have the question "does being abroad make these questions harder?"

Recently, I have finished reading "Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller. I really enjoyed the book. Sometimes I got distracted by his writing style but overall, it is a very good book. The message is a very practical and well needed message. I think Miller accurately points out what so many young Christians and maybe even older Christians are searching for. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has the conviction that there is more to Christianity than simple feel good messages.

New places and New friends

I know this is a topic that I have already mentioned but I think it necessary to revisit. I am reminded that I am very fortunate to have come to ECC Ansan and not some other Hogwon (I don't know the correct spelling). ECC is a great organization and even though I had to go to another boring teacher refresher course this month, I can't complain.
We went hiking Thursday as a group of co-workers but it felt more like a group of friends than anything else. The group was made up of our boss Mr. Kim, most of the foreign teachers and one Korean teacher. It seemed somewhat like an odd group and yet there wasn't any kind of awkwardness apart from the usual; sometimes the language barrier is very evident even when everyone present speaks English.
The hike was quite difficult and we all had a wide range of skill level. I think the difficulty of the hike gave us a common bond (I know that sounds terribly cheesy but that is life). I found it very interesting that the conversation shifted so easily not only with regards to topic but also with people. A lot of times one finds themselves sticking with fellow hikers of similar ability and thus the same conversation but this did not seem the case. I do confess that some of us, myself included, found ourselves lagging far behind but we always seemed to catch up.
To get to the point, I find it very interesting that a group of almost strangers would enjoy each other's company so much. I am not the kind of person who can have conversations with people very easily. Those of you who have met me probably noticed that. My point is that most co-workers will talk only to past time at work but it seems like, dare I say it, the ECC Ansan family is different. I don't just mean among the foreign teachers either. Even though the Korean teachers have their own separate lives outside of ECC, they do find time to do things with the foreign teachers off the clock.
This may just be the innocent ramblings of a young man new to the work force but I think that ECC Ansan is not your usual work environment.
For those of you who have made it to the end of this post, I congratulate you. Go in peace.

It is official. Fall has swooped down and smacked me in the face. I don't know if this is usual for South Korea or not but one day it was hot and very much summer and then the next it is definitely fall. I attributed the cool weather to the rain at first but today was clear and very much cool. I'm glad that it is fall and I hope that Korean falls are as nice as American falls. That is all I have for now. Later.

Well, I'm back. I don't have very much to say. I'm starting to get in the groove of teaching. I am, however, still very self-conscious about how well I'm teaching. Most of my classes consist of fairly rowdy children. Most of them will calm down and participate but I still don't know if they are actually learning any English or if they are just repeating the sounds that I make. So far, I have encountered two problems in my classes. Either the students talk too much, in Korean, or they do not talk at all. That is enough about work.
We have done some traveling but there is still much more to see. We have made two trips into Seoul and both have been quite enjoyable. We have found that the best way to learn about a city is to walk around. On our last trip to Seoul, we discovered an awesome market that I think is called Namdaemun or something of that sort. It was impressive because of how much stuff was there. There was a wide range of nice things to some very cheap products. To get a better idea of our travels, visit www.humzoo.com/Lee_and_Nicki .
We have also started trying to learn Korean. This is proving very difficult especially for me. Not only are the written characters very different from the English language but there are also some very subtle differences in sounds that my southern ear and twang just can't quite distinguish.
Well, after reading over this post I have realized that I am rambling. It is time for me to go now. Until next time, An nyawng hee kye se yo

We have finally started teaching at ECC Ansan. The first day was quite overwhelming. Teaching would be intimidating enough but we are teaching kids who primarily speak a different language. We do have to confess that God has blessed us beyond measure. We are constantly reminded of His goodness when we meet a new friend or find out how great our experience has been thus far. Our flight was very nice. We also have had more of an orientation than many of the other foreign teachers at ECC. Also, our apartment is way beyond what we could have hoped for (three bed and two bath). Even when we feel desperately out of place, we realize that God will provide.
We have already experienced some cultural difficulties. We have come to find out that there is a lot less English than I had expected. I admit that I probably expected too much English. Despite the language barrier, we have managed fairly well so far. Pointing and grunting seems to work in many shops and we are able to "play it safe" on things like rice and pasta in the grocery store. This is all I have for now but there are and will be plenty more adventures to tell of. Later.

We finally made it to Korea and what an adventure. More will be coming soon.

I am about to embark on a once in a life time journey. I am going to South Korea to teach English; yes, English. I may be a Math major but you do what you have to to get a job. I will probably use this blog to log my experiences but I will also probably use it for the same old boring stuff. Until next time.

I've come to the end of the semester and it seems like this week will never be over. I had dreamed of a light last semester but unfortunately I had not planned accordingly. The thing that is keeping me the busiest is Senior Seminar. This wouldn't have been such a bad project if I had just figured out what I needed to do before I started. Now that I have started I find more and more things that I should have done. Sometimes I wish that I could just get it over with even if I'm not quite ready. My advice to anyone who may read this post is to always do thorough planning before you start an important project. A little bit of planning, real planning, goes a long ways. Go in peace.

This is not a real big complaint but I do find it somewhat ironic. I find it funny that people continue to complain about the Mirror and about things like the mission statement and yet the Erskine Mirror blog is hardly used at all. I also find it funny that the student forum isn't used either. I know that these blogs may not post the issues that we want to discuss but that is one of the best things about blogs; they are two way. You may say "the author of the Mirror blog has to approve comments before they are posted so I don't even bother." It is true that comments must first be approved. My suggestion is to try anyways and let me know if you are rejected. Save your post and if it is respectful, I will be glad to fight for your right to post on a school run blog. I don't know if any of this is actually relevant but I thought I would post it anyways.

here are some sites to look at:
http://erskinemirrorblog.blogspot.com/
http://ishmael.typepad.com/sf/

Question: Is Capitalism compatible with Christianity?

I have had a revelation; I am not meant to be a life long student. I may continually learn but I am not meant to study and seek out academic knowledge. I'm still not sure what my calling is. I think that it is one of these two options: teach or live by the sweat of my brow. The first choice may seem contradictory because I have said that I am not meant to live an academic life. What I mean is that I don't think I am called to pursue anymore formal education. I do think that I am being called to teach in some form. I don't know if this is being a math teacher or something like a Sunday school teacher but I do think that I have a calling to teach in some way. The reason I think I'm being called to live by the sweat of my brow is because that is what I get enjoyment out of. I know this sounds ridiculous but that is how it is. I love to work hard and see a job complete. I have been given a strong work ethic and I think that is what God wants me to do. This may be as simple as volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity or just maintaining my own home. Whatever career God leads me to, I believe that it will involve hard work and instruction. That is all I have for now. Peace be with you.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about worship. It seems to me that for many churches, we come not to worship the Father but to get something out of it. Sure we may shed a few tears or be somewhat convicted but how much glory does God get from these worship services. This may not be the case for everybody's church but I think it is a widespread problem. I would like to get some feed back from anybody who looks at this blog; What is missing from worship services?

Faith in Action

The scary thing about being alone is that you get a chance to see yourself. This is not always a pretty sight. Matter of fact, it rarely is. One thing that I've learned is that sometimes you need to just sit down and let God just speak. This is very hard. I often find myself doing all the talking and not letting God say anything. The few times when I do shut up, He really tells me something important. It isn't always clear that He is the one speaking but He always gets His point across. Tonight as I sat down with my cigar and some ideas running through my head, He spoke to me. Of course I ended up with more questions than answers but that is a lot better than thinking that I don't have any questions at all. I refuse to put every detail of my personal life on this blog even though I am probably the only person who looks at this site. However, I do think that I need to mention at least something about what God is telling me.

Our faith, the Christian faith, is an active faith. No matter where we are in life, we are called to do something. I look at the news and I hear the statistics and my heart breaks. There is so much I can do to help the poor and needy. I feel guilty as I smoke my cigar and think about all those who can't even afford a hamburger. I know that I can't save the world but our God can. Fortunately He has chosen to use us. There is so much more we can do but we are too busy making plans and enjoying the good life to see these oppurtunities. I don't know where God is calling me. Maybe He wants me to have a nice job, nice house, nice family and all that other nice American stuff but maybe He is calling me to "sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old..." (Lk 12:33) God alone knows what our future holds. Let us open our ears, minds, and hearts to what He has to say.

NDF

I like to party and have a drink every now and then just as much as the next guy but come on.

"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit." Eph. 5:18

"Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy." Rom. 13:13

"...Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." 1 Cor. 6:13

Go in peace and God bless.

This is a work in progress titled Christian Accountability. I hope to add more to it but I don't know if I will. I hope you enjoy.

“Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.”[1] It is time to stop talking and give an account for ourselves. “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”[2] What have we done to promote the Christian faith on this campus? What have we done to obtain a higher education? If you are truly concerned about Erskine, STOP WHINNING! Now is the time to take action and be responsible for what we want. Charles Darwin said “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”[3] If we want change to happen we, not anyone else, must act. The foundation of true change is not based in legislations or institutions but rather in the people. Let our actions speak louder than our words. “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.”[4] If we want Erskine to be a community of Christian commitment and academic excellence, the students must make it that way. According to Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."[5] Instead of complaining and grumbling amongst ourselves, let us change for the betterment of the student body. Let us each rise up and be a leader by example. We must also be patient with one another and Erskine because no one is perfect. “Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.”[6] -Thomas A. Kempis. By the grace of God, let us move together as one body toward the expectation which we hold so highly of Erskine College and of ourselves. “Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.”[7]
[1] Job 38:2-3
[2] Romans 14:12
[3] http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_changegrowth.html
[4] 1 Peter 2:15
[5] http://www.leadershipnow.com/changequotes.html
[6] http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_changegrowth.html
[7] Ephesians 6:23-24

I don't know why blogs are such a big deal but I have degraded myself enough to use one so I guess I'll try to say something "important." I just want to say that I am tired of all the crap and drama going on at Erskine. I think things would be better if people would just stop taking things so personal. I guess I can say that because no one notices me and I like it that way. I may or may not build up the nerve to comment on the mirror article "nemo gutted" but for right now I will hold off on that. This will probably be my last post for some time. Until next time, don't stop questioning but don't be a jerk with your questions.

This is a post because I can put it here.