Just sitting here in 수원 with some time to kill before meeting up with a friend for lunch so I decided to put some thoughts to words. Several things have happened since I got back this week, including jet lag. What the hell is up with jet lag?! I thought I might have finally beaten it last night, but nope, 4:00AM this morning I was bright eyed and bushy tailed. My intensive Korean class is becoming just that: intensive. From what my teacher tells me, upon graduating level 2 of Yonsei's KLI program students will know about 50% of what the "average" Korean knows with regards to the language and grammer. Now while that might sound very impressive at first, let's remember that the majority of Americans have somewhere around a 5th grade reading level.. (a little less impressive huh?). I'm also taking three online classes through ASU so I can ensure my timely gradution prior to entering law school. (probably a good thing)

I got to see several of my relatives last night, including grandparents, cousins, and uncles/aunts. Also found out that my cousin Benny and his wife Jinny (whom I mentioned previously here) are expecting a baby in about 7 months... wow, that was quick.

On the law school front, still waiting...

Other than that, perhaps a couple of intersting things to talk about after next weekend, but until then, I'll just be studying korean, intercultural communication, technical writing, geology, and reading one of the many books I brought.

Oh yea.. and of course I can't finish the blog without a picture of the all new macbook air... (now that's sexy!) I'm willing to bet the good doctor gets one soon ;)

It's been a few days since I got back to Korea and things are going.. School is going to be intense this semester, but what did I expect? I have to leave for school in a few minutes but I thought I'd throw out one of the goals I've set for myself this new year, READ MORE BOOKS. So here's a quick list of books that I've got lined up and even a couple that I've finished:

Smith Wigglesworth on Power To Serve
Sacred Pathways
The Art of Possibility
Seeking the Face of God
Rules for Revolutionaries
Einstein: The Life and Times
The Screwtape Letters
Mere Christianity
Cries of the Heart
Desiring God
Waking the Dead
Manifest Destiny
Classical Apologetics
Blue Like Jazz
I, Isaac take Thee Rebecca
Come Thirsty
In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day
The Knowledge of the Holy
My Utmost for His Highest
Practicing the Presence, The Letters of Brother Lawrence
The Five Love Languages for Men
The Five Love Languages for Singles
Intercultural Communication in Contexts
Technical Communication Today
and...
The Bible...

Now these are just the books I brought with me to Korea... I figure I've got about 6 months to knock out this list ;) I've keep you updated on how it goes and you can check out http://worthitswords.blogspot.com for periodic updates and info about the books my friends and I are reading...

Well, its that time again, the much anticipated 12 hour flight back to
Seoul. As I sit here at San Francisco Intl awaitng the arrival of my
food, I can't help but look back at the past three weeks through a
sort of weird haze. It seems like I experienced so much, from
Christmas to the road trip, from many mornings at Parsons restaurant
to jamming out on Rock Band with rockstar, big love and the kids. Any
regrets? Sure, there several people I didnt get to spend any time with
and others I wish I could have spent more time with. I wish I could
have had some substantive advice for rockstar, or some more comforting
words for Julie. But in the end I enjoyed the overall experience.
Last night I ended up dropping by my grandmas house and taking her
some fruit (kind of a Korean thing) a couple bags of carmel coffee
flavored candies, and a small potted flower. As we sit there and
chatted (well for the most part she talked and I listened as best I
could) I couldn't help buy think about the short instance of time in
we we have to live our lives. In the short span of 75 or so years,
we're born, grow up, attempt to find and cling to meaningful
relationships, born little ones of our own, and try to leave a
meaningful impact on a broken world.
We end up messing up... A lot, and me probably more than most. But
somewhere along the way, by grace, we meet amazing people that pour
into our lives, we slow down long enough to have some wisdom imparted
and often without our knowing it and generally to no credit of out
own, we positively touch the live of others.
So here's to pouring, touching, learning and living... To the next six
months and all the changes they will bring.

"oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day..." so 2008 is
here and what a way to start it off. Through a strange set of
circumstances we've lost the keys to our beloved "dusty butt" (as BIG
love has so affectionately named the seibring). Can't say its not
easy to be totally frustrated and disappointed at re situation; but
what good does that do? Sure its going to cost a few more dollars
than we expected but on the other hand we havent had to pay cash for a
hotel on our entire trip, we got the last available room at the hotel
we're staying at, and we even got lunch and dinner on the house
courtesy of Brian's folks... Some of the nicest people I've had the
pleasure of meeting.

I'm my last blog, I wrote that 2008 is going to be a phenominal year,
and it only makes sense that when we're ready to take a huge step,
when we're excited and chomping at the bit, stupid little things try
to ruin it, buy in the words of the once great rapper "puff" -- "caint
nobody hold me down, oh no, I gots to keep on movin"

Or in the words of James... "count it all joy when you enter various
trials..."

See you in Phoenix,

Tim

Blogging for the new year.

Today is December 31, 2007, it’s a Monday and I woke up at 7:30AM. I must say that I feel particularly different about this new year, different than I’ve ever felt. Over the past two days, especially yesterday after hitting up Dr. Fredrick K. C. Price’s church with Elliott, I had an intense urge for solitude. I was slightly torn because I feel like I have a commitment to the guys (rockstar, big love, and bradly) to stay engaged and interact with them during this road trip. At the same time, I feel an unprecedented desire to plan, reflect, and consider. This morning rockstar and I woke up early and headed to the beach. It was a the nicest of mornings, the weather was perfect, the beach was virtually empty, except the dedicated surfers out catching the occasional ridable waves, and the sky was blue. (At least as blue as it can be in Los Angeles) I’ve been dealing with two major issues this year in my personal life: the Sovereignty of God, and change. The first, which I started blogging on before, is something that goes hand in hand with the second.

As we sat on the beach, eating our bagels and drinking our respective favorite Starbucks concoctions and talking; the topic of our futures and the current moment and places in our lives saturated the conversation.

I can’t help feeling like so much has happened this year. As I sit here now in our room, big love, rockstar and I, all blogging while bradly is fighting off his cold, I can’t help but seeing a year full of very high highs and heart wrenching lows. The roller coaster of events, I could not have predicted in my most wildest of imaginations; not just me, but even within the “circle of trust” that I consider those dearest to me, we were all taken for a ride. ... For the first time in my life as I look at this past year, I can say that I feel a sense of movement. My first choice of words was “accomplishment” but I’m a bit hesitant because I don’t know that I feel like I’ve necessarily accomplished anything. But I am quite certain that I have started. For those of you who know me, I’ve always been the mover and shaker. Always doing, moving, working. Isn’t it strange that with everything I’ve done and always seem to be doing, that everything we all seem to be doing, so often we don’t make any headway, no achievement, no advance. We seem to accomplish so many things and yet can’t say that we’ve made any progress of worth. 2007, while by many standards I haven’t accomplished much if anything, I feel like I’ve made movement.

The second area I’m dealing with, change, is the area in which I see the most movement. I’ve been dealing with a lot of change this year. Applying to law schools, two and a half months in DC, mending broken friendships, changes in family, four months in Korea, and immense change within the “circle of trust.” I can’t say exactly when I started feeling it, but it seems like one day I looked up and there it was: CHANGE. As rockstar and I were talking at the beach, we couldn’t help but chuckle at some of the situations we’ve been involved in this past year, and while many were and are still very difficult to close, they seem to be necessary to teach us. For me, the biggest lesson I learned this year, might be simply: I need to change. I wish I could say that many years ago I had this realization, but I can’t. No, it was only in the past 12 months, through a number of unpredictable events that I found myself accepting of, perhaps even longing to be changed. Having just realized this at the age of nearly 27 (or 28 if if we’re discussing my Korean age) I realize I have so far to go, and while my movement in 2007 has been measurable the distance that lies ahead seems just the opposite.

Another first, I can say with all certainty, that I am uncertain of what 2008 holds for me. And at the same time, I am more confident of 2008 than I have ever been of any upcoming year. The “ifs” of 2008 seem daunting so I’ll begin this new year with one of my resolutions and areas of development... WORRY LESS, TRUST MORE...

Happy New Year... God Bless