Buddha's Birthday

it’s rainy and it’s buddha’s birthday. the morning was spent making my own drip coffee and last minute curriculum changes...as always.

this break was so needed. yet i still find myself restless. sleep has yet to come well to me in this land. but let me back track.

chapter one.
the beginning of this break takes place at a campground in seoul. every Saemmul student and teacher took a three day retreat to play games, hike mountains, visit traditional seoul and every thing else play and not school.

on monday, lorie and i taught two english outdoor activity classes. that was our cover. we just played games. i recall my 5th grade year where the only thing i remember was my teacher Ms. Malan and the game at recess we played religiously: elimination, a free-for-all rendition of dodgeball (dodgeball variations). the koreans dug it, but not quite as much as the next game.

again, i recall middle school. the teachers, my horrible hair, pimples, braces, and capture the flag. so so so many hours of playing capture the flag. i remember hiding with val coleman and katie luster and running to our border as fast as we could always getting caught and taken to jail. and then there was david cartier and jeremiah jones always taking the flag and us cheering them on as they take it across the border.
my students loved it just as much. sharon and i have the battle scars on our hands and knees to prove it. patrick was the best sneaky guardian, and lorie a cunning opponent. my team would have won if time had not run out though. i’m sure of it.
i think i may try to implement some kind of Bible capture the flag in my class. maybe like, capture the ark of the covenant, or capture the amalekite? ha. any ideas?


tuesday a few of us teachers hiked a mountain with 7th and 9th graders for 6 hours. it was a blast. on my team was Mr. Peter Pan, Cindy, Jaina, and some great, caring boys. we rocked that mountain (while singing ‘we will rock you.’)


both nights we prayed. the whole school. we prayed a lot korean style. boldly, loudly, emotionally. prayer in this country blows my enlightened theologically based mindset out of the water.

in the words of augustine, “the church is a whore but its also my mother.” where in one place we focus too much on one discipline of grace (like theology for example), we may focus too much on another somewhere else (like prayer). we both end up in the same both. neither will save us.

Jesus‘ blood has carried us into our Father’s arms. we did nothing and gained absolutely everything. consider this: can Jesus take back his bloodshed? of course not, you’d say. that’s an utterly foolish thought.
now consider this: if it is utterly foolish that Jesus would take back the blood he shed, wouldn’t it be just as foolish to ACT like he could?
of course it is good to pray. of course it is good to study. but neither can maintain or ‘bring us closer’ shall we say into our Father’s arms. we are already there and we are there to stay. so rest, church. korean and american.

i say this because i saw my students pray fervently and loudly. i wonder what they’re thinking about and what their hearts are really towards God. do they know how much he loves them no matter how much or how loudly they pray?
i think about how sensitive the time of adolescence is. how easy it is to believe lies and to fall into a trap of feeling so inadequate and willing to do anything to feel adequate. and in this culture, you have to be pretty close to damn perfect to be good enough.

i see that their hearts and mine are alike in so many ways. we really are one in the Spirit and i feel him bonding my heart to theirs slowly. this is the Kingdom.

the Kingdom comes through games and laughter.
through nature and discipline.
through prayer and knowledge, lips and hearts.
and it all comes through blood and grace.

happy birthday, buddha. i enjoyed my affagato, brennan manning book, and musings on Jesus today.