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 ~Story of Philip Yancey~ A little seven year old boy went into a drug store and tried to steal some penny candy. He was unsuccessful, but instead of being reported to the was made to go home and tell his parents what he had done. this task was the most difficult he had ever faced. He had fleeting thoughts of breaking his arm on purpose, of running in front of a car, of doing anything that would relieve him of the dreadful conversation with his parents. But the conversation took place. The boy’s father had one immediate reaction: “My son is a criminal.” Those words cut to the heart. They were terrible, but they were true: seven years old-a criminal. But the boy’s weeping mother took only a few seconds to respond to that verdict: “My son is not a criminal; he’s going to be a preacher.” Philip Yancey was that boy, and his mother’s response was a lesson in love. However, it turned out that both of them were wrong. He became neither a preacher nor a criminal, but a professor. Book: "Reaching for the Invisible God by Philip Yancey" 

Philip Yancey Story

 Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was the youngest child of a large family. The father was a prosperous merchant, and the atmosphere of the home was one of comfort, strictest devotion to church and religion, and melancholic gloom. Moravian preachers had so deeply stirred up the people by religious revival that even children laboured under a sense of sin and wished they had never been born. Week after week thunders sermons of damnation had been showering upon the peasants to shock them into virtue and frighten them into heaven. As a university student Soren devoted himself at first to theology but soon turned to the study of literature and philosophy. 

Soren Kierkegaard: Philosopher

 Neitzsche was born in Roecken, the son of a Lutheran minister and grandson of two clergymen. His father baptized his own child. Neitzsche was the one who said that God has died. He said, “the Christian belief in a life after death has reduced life’s value on earth. man has put his hope in the future instead of perfecting himself here and now. Death is final, and nothing follows it... Only life matters; it is absolute, whereas death is irrelevant. Christianity has made of death nothing but a gruesome comedy, a perversion of all values. In the Christian hereafter the healthy and strong ones are punished, while inhibited, slavish ones receive the ample fulfilment of bliss because they have repressed their best natural impulses in life. They have lived in fear of life, anxious to attain heaven. 

Neitzsche: Atheist

 When the famous evangelist Sadhu Sunder Singh was first converted to Christianity, he faced a barrage of questions. Why did he leave the Sigh religion of his ancestors? He replied simply, “Jesus Christ.” What did Christianity offer that Sikhism could not? Again, his answer was simple: “Jesus Christ.” What Christian teaching did he find so compelling? “Jesus Christ.” And what reward in Christianity could ever repay the loss of his family, his friends, and his future in Indian society? His answer again was “Jesus Christ.” *From Robert Black & Ronald McClung-A Commentary for Bible Students (1 & 2Timothy, Titus, Philemon) 

Sadhu Sunder Singh: Preacher

 Francis of Assisi once invited a young priest to join him on a preaching tour. Through the city streets they walked, meeting and mingling with people, until finally they returned to the starting point. The novice was puzzled. “I thought we were going to preach,” he protested. “We have preached,” Francis replied. “We preached as we walked.” 

Francis of Assisi: Priest

 When the great pastor and evangelist Charles Spurgeon was asked, “How shall I defend the Bible?” he replied, “How would you defend a lion? Let it out of its cage and it will defend itself!” 

Charles Spurgeon: pastor

 President Abraham Lincoln was an agnostic until he reached the age of forty. Then he read Dr James Smith’s brilliant examination called The Christian’s Defence that proved the historical reality of the events in Christ’s life. The overwhelming evidence from this book convinced Lincoln with the result that he became a genuine Christian for the rest of his life. “My doubts scattered to the winds and my reason became convinced by the arguments in support of the inspired and infallible authority of the OT and NT. *From the book, "The Signature of God"-Grant R. Jeffrey 

Abraham Lincoln: President

 Nate saint, one of the missionaries, was a pilot. He wrote, “People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives… and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.” From Newsletter of INDIAN EVANGELICAL TEAM (July-August 2013) 

Nate Saint: Missionary

     

 Martin Luther’s Analogy on Faith “The person who does not have faith is like someone who has to cross the sea, but is so frightened that he does not trust the ship. And so, he stays where he is, and is never saved, because he will not get on board and cross over.” 

Luther

 Billy Graham on one occasion told of a meeting he had with German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, at one time mayor of Cologne, imprisoned by Hitler for his opposition to the Nazi regime, and later chancellor of the West German Federal Republic from 1949 to 1963. Adenauer picked up the broken pieces of his country and helped to rebuild it in a fractured world. On this occasion, he looked the evangelist in the eye and said, “Mr. Graham, do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead?” Graham, somewhat surprised by the pointedness of the question answered, “Of course I do.” To that confident reply Chancellor Adenauer said, “Mr. Graham, outside of the resurrection of Jesus, I do not know of any other hope for this world.” 

  

 About this Summer* It's the last night of my stay outside my Campus dorm dated 27 August 2019. I had a wonderful summer with my host, Uncle Yang-- We went on a trip together to Gangneung--Gyeongpo Beach--then travelled to High1, Casino at Sabuk-- rested at a motel-took a trek trip to Sabuk town and then back to Seoul. It was a memorable trip to be cherished! I significantly reduced the intake of red meat and salt this Summer (all thanks to Uncle Yang who influenced me in some ways). I went for exercise almost 3-4 times in a week and last week (Thursday, 22nd August), I pushed myself too hard and walked for about 17 km. As a result, my groin got strained. Now, if I walk for more than 5 km, there's a sharp pain on my groin (God, heal me, in Jesus name, amen). God does heal and hear prayers... Today I taught 5 students from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (Work & Eat). Then, I returned home to eat some food (Around 1:30 PM). Then, I went out with Surhozo, Pete, Mughato to Eunpyeong Community Centre for TB Test for Visa Extension... (then, we went to a shoe store, ABC MART, Yeonsinnae Exit 3). I walked from Yeonsinnae to YeokCheon, then took my bike and came back home to cook my dinner. *Today's total walking distance is 7 KM. Just when I was about to start eating, Uncle Yang stormed in and we had last meal together. I wasted some time on Facebook watching some useless videos (in the recommended section). Then, I took cold shower and I'm jotting down these lines for record. Needless to say, it was a normal day with somethings done! Probably I will be out of this home by tomorrow evening, God bless this house and my Summer Host, Uncle Yang. See you next time! (DauM-MeToBWA) 

 It's 11:54 PM Seoul Time, Sunday, December 22, 2019 It's raining outside and Mr. Kuveseto is sleeping all the way! I'm on my desk jotting down these lines for you to read. We will be leaving the dorm in one day. We have packed our stuff tonight and it's good to go... :) Just a summary of my day. I woke up about 10:00 A.M and listened to Bible audio and dozed off again. It was already 11:00 AM, and I took shower and got ready for the church. Pastor Hovika, sis. Vinokali, Mr. Masubin and myself led some Christmas praises. It was a good time of worship. Bro. Aneesh preached on the three responses of the Christmas message from Matthew 2:1-18. The sermon was on point. First Response: Intellectual Response by the scribes and teachers of the Law (Matt. 2:4-6). They knew the facts and simply left it there. It was just an "intellectual game" (in the words of the preacher). Second Response: Hypocritical Response by King Herod. His intention was duplicitous and never real (Matthew 2: 7-8). He had alternative motive in saying that he wanted to worship Jesus. Final response: Worshipful response by the wise men from the east (2:2, 10, 11). They brought the gifts which are meant for the king. They humbled themselves (2:11, "bowed down"), and worship him (2:11). They obeyed the voice of the Lord (2:12). it was a short sermon but hit the spot. After the service, we had fried chicken and drinks and I met pastor's wife and her daughter in the lobby and we walk together towards our university campus. And in the midway, we saw pastor driving toward us and I congratulated him for his newly released book on Christian Worldview and we parted. I came back to dorm without my bike. Mr. Kuveseto was cooking. I typed the Greek texts (for my final submission tomorrow) and I slept for awhile. I woke up, I ate and translated the Greek text and went out for a walk with Mr. K to give back the books to Ngane (Miss. Vesetalu). We went to Holly's Cafe and stayed for awhile discussing about the Christmas Eve celebration and I headed to dorm. I took my bike on way to dorm. I then went to the bank to pay our first rent fee (150,000 Won) for our new house and returned to dorm. After coming back, we arranged/cleaned up some few stuff that needed to be packed and I took a cold shower. I came back and I wrote something on 1 Peter 4:7 but couldn't get around the text "the end of all things is near," so I started typing here for the night. It's already 0:20 AM now and I'll have to sleep now. It's still raining... I wish it snowed! Grateful though... Good night. Be well, people! 

 Just Another Day Is this just another random day? It's 24th January 2020. The day is Friday. The time is 10:41 PM. This moment will cease to exist. That thought makes me sad. The ability to hear the sound that is coming from my neighbors' house (a sad old Korean ballad song), the sound of myself typing and myself sitting on the floor typing this note (my eyes are sleepy and heavy). I think I need rest but I just wanted to write this... I tried removing Youtube app from my phone for the whole day (I failed). Kiiveseto and myself went out for grocery in the morning and had our lunch together. And then I read a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Christian Fellowship and then, I read the Old Testament Background IVP Commentary for some few hours. I had my dinner and then read on some few Bible passages which we will be discussing tomorrow afternoon (Matthew 1:5, Joshua 2 and James 2:14-26), and then wrote a devotional on 1 Peter 4:7 (it's published up there)... I guess I need a break now.... will watch camera reviews (this thing is getting me) Anyways.... take care .... bye... 

 What I learnt Yesterday (Sunday, 26 January 2020). Pastor Jenna Kim spoke on "Rahab: God's Wondrous Salvation Plan." She highlighted from Leviticus 18:21 for the reasons why God forbade the Israelites for marrying the Canaanites and other pagan nations: 1. They worship idols and sacrifice their sons and daughters to their idol Molek. “‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord." 2. They also worship the Goddess of fertility (Ashtoreth) Leviticus 2:12-13; "It was the Lord, the God their ancestors worshiped, who had brought the Israelites out of Egypt. But they stopped following him and began to worship the false gods of the people living around them. This made the Lord angry." God came to the rescue of a woman by the name of Rahab and chose her as the lineage of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 Is it a Little too Late? Day: Wednesday, April 22, 2020. On 19th April 2020, Sunday afternoon, I went to church with Mr. K. The Churches in Korea are not formally open yet (Covid-19 issue). But there was a church meeting so we went. Pastor Jenna spoke on the Story of Jesus and Lazarus (John 11). I think she noted some few good points. Let me note down for you. 1. Crowds followed Jesus: We are in an age where we follow people for different reasons. What are you following? Why are you following Jesus and for what reason? That's something to ponder about! 2. Illustration of Korean man who became a Christian after following a Christian lady. He dated her for some time. The lady happened to be a Pastor's Kid (PK). Unfortunately, the guy went on to marry another girl later (..). That was funny! But it does have a point. 3. Illustration of an American visiting Iraq after ISIS struck down many Christian families and Churches. They were beaming with joy. The American asked them why? They responded, "We were Christians before ISIS came, but Now, we Know Christ." (hmm) It's one thing to be a Christian, it's totally another thing to know Christ and be known by Him. We had a good time singing some praise/worship songs (with JiHye and Deborah leading the songs) and on our way out, we took Kim-bab and headed home. It was a fulfilling day. Praise God! 

 I wrote this note to my family whatapp group today: Dated: May 4, 2020 Day: Monday Be joyful, Be hopeful, Be positive. Being negative is easy, isn't! We can easily get offended, feel betrayed and feel that we aren't loved and cared for. We can feel that we aren't treated better/or should've been treated better by people. And we can lose the joy in life. We can become negative and unhappy. Remember that we can't be happy all the time but we can decide to be grateful and optimistic about our life in trusting God for satisfaction and hope. *i have exam today so pray for me. thank you. *Thanking God for all our family members. *One more thing that we need to keep reminding ourselves: We will die/ we don't know when? but it's a matter of time when death will knock on our doors. So, be ready to face death with joy and confidence. i hope we be joyful until then. With love 

 Alpha of July- covid-19 is yet to go away! Date: Friday, July 3rd 2020 Time: 3:37 PM I've been listening to Acts Audio book (Message Version), it's interesting. I've always been fascinated by this book-the thrill, the adventure and the power of God. Actually, I'm sleeping early (or late) these few days. I went for exercise at around 3:30 AM today and came back home sweating at 4:20 AM. (Kuveseto was also awake..) I peeled off potatoes and washed chilies so that anyone who wakes up ahead will cook it quicker. I took bath and slept and woke up in the afternoon. Kuveseto is off to work in the Church and I'm here in my room reading some devotionals and watching youtube on editing videos. To be honest, I'm lacking self-discipline these days. Help me, Lord! I need to finish my final paper due next week. I need to read now, Bye, Take care. 

 Sunday, July 19, 2020. Time:12:28 AM I just came back from exercising. Today is Day-12 of walking for 30-days challenge. Cheondosanim Ann and one elder from our Eunpyeong Church visited our house today at around 5:30 p.m and brought a bag of rice, fruits and food. So grateful and thankful to our Church for constantly supporting us in this time of need. May God richly reward the generous givers behind all these good deeds. I was glad to receive a text from bro. Jeemin Moon, a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and God willing, I will be meeting him later during the day. I also got the news from our pastor Jenna Kim that we will be receiving scholarship from the Church for the Fall Semester 2020 and I'm really grateful to the Lord for His constant faithfulness and bountiful blessings. He is worthy to be praised! He never fails! I was also listening to my dad's sermon at Khezhakenoma and I will edit the video right after typing this journal note. I love him and I hope and pray that he will be a faithful minister of the Gospel until the Lord calls him home. I'm texting my sister Bitalu now and she's preparing the final mark sheets of her students at Mount Carmel School, Kohima, Nagaland. Thanks for reading! Prayer: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14) 

 Day: Monday Time: 6:23 AM Date: November 16, 2020. I preached yesterday on the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-5). For some reason, I did not record my audio sermon. We had a wonderful time of food fellowship after service. It was a thanksgiving Sunday! I returned home to meet Surhozo cooking meal. I took shower and Kiiveseto stormed in exhausted. We had some chats with tea in hand, i talked with dad over the phone and he's returning to Kohima with Bro. Munu (in the driving seat). I went to bed. It's still dark outside but the sound of vehicles coming from my window have already started the day. I have John's Apocalypse class at 10:00 AM so i just read a required reading for the class today with a cup of Latte. Here is the link of the article: https://politicaltheology.com/the-stubborn-invisibility-of-whiteness-in-biblical-scholarship/ It's gonna be a good day. Praise you Jesus! 

 Day: Thursday Time: 10:37 AM Date: November 19, 2020 It rained heavily this early morning (around 5:30 A.M-9:30 A.M). I woke up and took hot shower. For some minutes, i thought of going out for walking in the rain with my GoPro 9 but i decided to cook food. There was less oil for cooking so i went down to the mart to buy and it was pouring heavily. The sound of rain and the lights from vehicles tempted me to go out and capture some walk in the rain videos but i refrained and focused on reading a book after finishing cooking. I think I've made the right choice. I read today a quote from the book "How to Survive Your PhD" by Jason R. Karp, PhD "Life is the sum of all choices" Albert Camus. Thank God for this beautiful cloudy and rainy day. 

 It’s Friday, February 26, 2021 Time: 9:38 AM. I just woke up a few minutes ago. Today is warmer than yesterday (now 4° C). I took my maxim coffee with doughnuts-shaped cake. I’m drinking green tea to flush out the caffeine. I was listening to an audio story on ‘the stranger’. It has an unusual dramatic ending. If you have time, listen to it (a short interesting story). And then, I listened to Anne Frank’s diary/journal as I went into a deep sleep. I had a dream about somebody and I thought I would remember but I forgot. This is the reason why I need to jot things down. It’s going to be a good day. I called up Kiiveseto, he's in church already for work. He came home at around 12:00 mid-night and he left even before i knew. He's working hard. I need to read, write and edit videos (that’s my life for now) Thank God that I’m alive and well. Take care. 

 Date: April 28, 2021 Time: 5:32 PM I’m in a neighborhood café (Eunpyeong-gu area). I ordered iced café latte. I read a book on Ancient Judaism by Michael E. Stone (chapter 1). The author seems to be driving the point of the importance of re-looking the Second Temple Judaism literature seriously (not reading it with the lens of orthodox Christianity). The sun is about to set and the burning smell of coffee inside this coffee reminds me of home. There’s a guy behind me and he’s coughing incessantly. I’m feeling uneasy. My battery percentage is 73. I did not bring my charger. I’m grateful that I was able to read some pages for a few hours. I have to come back to this place to study again. 

 Date: May 1, 2021 Time: 7:49 AM It’s Saturday early morning. It’s drizzling outside. I went for a walk in the Bulgwang Stream. It’s a new month (Praise God). Things really fall in place when I wake up on time. I’m trying to re-arrange my thoughts. I took 3-days fasting and it ended yesterday. I think it was good for the soul. Help me, Lord! Lead me, I pray. 

 Prayer for Help A Prayer tonight Help me Lord, I need your help again. Please answer me, I am weak. Help me see beyond what my body can feel, think and see-- Beyond the fog of confusion and ideologies and arguments that sways me time and again. Help me see the limitations, even the vanity of human intellect and reasoning. Help me see beyond this earthly comfort, approval, health and wealth that the world pursues as the ultimate goal. Help me look towards the horizon of eternal joy and bliss, In your presence, I find joy and satisfaction, I need you again. In Jesus name, Amen. 

 December 2, 2021 I died in my dream last night. Actually, the dream occurred this morning. I was with my family journeying towards some place and in the middle of it, I saw what seems to be some sort of explosion in rows… I tried escaping it and unfortunately, a big iron box hit me and I was in another land. I saw my mom and talked to her about God’s goodness even in death—it was so quick that I don’t even remember the pain. Mom was explaining how she died after slipping and falling (may be from a roof or something). Then, I woke up. It was around 4:15 am. 

 EXPOSED: A Personal Confession to God and to Everyone 2 Corinthians 11: 29, 30 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. Why do I take myself so seriously? The constant seeking for approval and trying to prove myself is something that I battle every single day. The lack of self-discipline for years has led me to ineffectiveness and burnt outs in ministry. I fell into pornography time and again. I thought I gained victory for months but fell into this wretched temptation when faced with difficulty, depression and loneliness (sort of escapism, I guess). Right now, I’m sober for weeks without porn and I thank God for it. I’ve confessed to my parents when I was in my late teens about watching porn (but confession without repentance do not count). I’ve confessed to my close friends too about this porn issue yet (maybe) my confession did not necessarily spring from extreme remorse/guilt but to let my mind be at ease. So that is where the problem lies. God forbid that this bondage will cling on to me for the rest of my life, No. God, I desire to overcome it completely in Jesus name, and I openly confess to all the readers here. Help me, I pray. Help me. Another failure added: I fail to pray as I should every day (or reading the Bible). I spend excessive hours on phone and wasted time and days. There is no specific time that I set for prayer (or the Bible). I pray only when I feel the need for it. This is also another big reason why I left the leadership position in the Church for quite a while (a white-washed tomb, rotten inside, Matthew 23:27). In essence, I’m a flawed Christian (will be), but at this moment, I do not have any spiritual authority and power to be a leader (morally disqualified for any spiritual work). May God help and forgive me. Noted on: March 28, 2022. Location: SCU Library, South Korea. Time: 1:48 PM 

 My Visit to the Only Naga Library in South Korea I’ve lived in Seoul for almost five years and have never heard of a Naga library in S. Korea. It was an unexpected travel to one of the smallest villages in S. Korea nearby Jinji city. I occasionally saw pictures on social media about this particular place from one of our Rengma brother’s page. He was a staff member at the school representing Nagaland. The place looks so similar to Nagaland. I contacted him and without much forethought, my roommate and I decided to visit the place. We took a bus at Nambu Bus Terminal and journeyed towards Jinju city. It took us over three hours to reach our destination (approx. 450 km) just a few kilometers before reaching Jinju city. The place is Dandelion Community School. Although we were a bit exhausted from the journey, after meeting our Naga brother and getting some drinks, we were thrilled to explore the place. He showed us around the campus describing the intricacy of each building and their utilities. He took us to the chapel-cum-cafeteria, café, playground, animal farms, garden, paddy fields, museum, carpentry training building and the library. We were much impressed at how the place was centered on the all-round development of a community life. The school is surrounded by paddy fields, poultry farm, vegetable garden and mountain. The self-sustaining nature of the community fascinated me. The food that we ate were straight from the garden and it was extremely delicious. Then we came to a particular room where Dr. Kim (the President of the school) dedicated it to the Nagas. It has a collection of books written by prominent Naga authors, Rengma Naga shawls, traditional attires and decorations. It felt like home. Dr. Kim has been a missionary to the Rengma Nagas for more than two decades. I’d like to highlight some of the conversations that I had with him. I asked Dr. Kim why he built the Naga Museum-cum-library. Dr. Kim responded that he wanted the Koreans to know about Nagaland; it was heart-warming. I thanked him for rendering a great service to the Naga people. He seemed pleased to hear it, and he also explained the philosophy behind the Dandelion Community School. Dr. Kim emphasized the importance of building community in rural areas and making the Gospel known to the poor. The school is founded on four principles namely; Community life, Rural life, Education and Serving the Mission of the Gospel. Dr. Kim stressed the importance of rural life and commented that city life can actually extinguish the fire of mission to the poor. In a contemporary context like ours where many tend to deem manual labor as ignoble, he underscores that one should take pride in what one can make/do with one’s own hands. It was refreshing to hear a Christian leader speak on the importance of the dignity of labor. He talked about his first visit to Nagaland in the year 1997 and shared how the friendship with a Naga friend during his Seminary days sparked the interest to visit Nagaland. I asked him what practical reforms could be done in Nagaland. He suggested that Nagas should put emphasis on one’s own language and establish library in schools. He mentioned that schools should not merely provide academic tools but also offer vocational trainings in carpentry, welding, craft of styling hair, etc., to resolve unemployment issues among young population. After talking with him for almost two hours on several important topics, I asked him what he would like to be remembered for. He unhesitatingly said, ‘nothing else but a follower of Jesus Christ.’ After staying for another day and visiting Gandhi’s village and a Buddhist temple nearby, we headed back to Seoul with a desire to go again. Although it was a short visit, the experience gave us rich memories that we will cherish for a very long time. 

 It’s August 6, 2023 The time is 12:02 AM. I’m in my room, unable to sleep. My soul is burdened with so many cares that I can’t even pray. “Help me, comfort me, be merciful to me,” is my only cry to God. I’m typing these words to find some sort of relieve from these heavy spirits. “You are kind, Lord, you are!” “Release me from these dark spirits of sorrow, sadness and grief” Summary of the day I spend half of the day in Compose Café reading a book on Third Heaven by Paula R. Gooder. I came across a paragraph where it says that the means of reading Scriptures (meditation) and weeping were the ways of receiving revelations from the Divine. I found that thought stuck in my mind throughout the day. After returning home from the café, Mr. Asing and Asurho were resting in the room (NCFSK Sports Day, August 5, Saturday), I cooked a meal and had dinner around 6 PM. I cleaned up and took a shower and talked to sis. Ritu about my late maternal grandpa. We never knew but he married twice. His first wife did not bear him a child so insisted him to marry another woman so that he could have a generation of his own. The first wife saw the first-born kid as a girl (my mom) so was reluctant to leave the village until a son was born to him. It was only when a baby boy was born to my grandpa that she left the village peacefully. In their old age, both of them agreed to meet. They both met with gifts. Tears flowed as they met each other. She’s dead, I heard, and my grandpa too. If it was not for her unconditional love, my mom would have never been born and I will not be. Peace and comfort to you in Jesus’ name!