The Prides and Prejudices of 2010

New year's eve, that is today. It's good to reflect upon the past year, something I actually haven't had the leisure to do very often in my past.

This year we are spending this celebration with Maria's family, having been with my family during the Christmas time. It's good to quiet down, eat well, pray together, and reflect. God is so good.

The year of 2010, went by very fast. I've had the blessing of learning a lot of new things about myself and the world around me during this year. Here are some prides and prejudices I learned:

- At the beginning of 2010, I looked forward to a year of interest at work. I was uncertain as to my abilities to perform well in my professional role, and I was eager to find the pride in myself regarding my profession. I wanted to become a professional at what I do.

- During the Autumn of 2010, I have gained a lot of confidence in myself and my professional skills. I have found the pride, but it startled me. Professional pride sounds like a healthy kind of pride, one should have or aim to obtain. But I have come to know that it is pride anyways, and it ruins me unless I take note and deal with it properly. My attitude towards the professional pride has changed. One prejudice broken: I am not as humble as I thought I would be, when success arrives in my professional career.

- At the end of 2010, I have been extremely busy at work, partially due to job well done, partially due to the "coincidence" of extremely busy projects. The pride is acutely present, when others recognized my abilities. I have not yet learned to deal with it correctly. Practically I haven't had time to really go through the issue. Hopefully I won't be forming any prejudices too early.

- My only visit to China this year toke place during the first week of May. It was a trip less than one week long, during which I visited a cousin's wedding, my grandma, and some friends. It was a very special trip, eye-opening. One of my prejudice was broken: I started to see life in China in a different light than before. This was partially due to the idea of possible migration there, but certainly, I have thought of no problem of living in China for me, but I learned that I actually haven't thought about it really. God started to speak to me about various aspects in living in China, the challenges and uncertainties. He is preparing my heart.

- The greatest gift for us in 2010 arrived on the 12th of August. Viivi Lilja Enjuan Liu (刘恩娟) was born, and she changed our lives. The ex-prejudice of I don't know how to change diapers has fortunately expired without any pain. Other prejudices regarding caring for a baby were also corrected or proved along the way. I have gained to pride myself of being a father. I have also learned about the anxiety of a father, at least some of it. Life will never be same anymore, the responsibilities have increased, but so far we have done well, PTL! The arrival and stay of Viivi with us have opened new aspects into life, into future, into our hearts.

- One pride has been recognized: I have thought I could handle the future well. Now I know I am not sure, and that I should rely on God and God alone. Proverbs 3:5-6 says it well: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." This realization has changed me, or has started to change. I'm thankful that there are some ways in 2011 I can actually live out the change, and I pray we as a family could grow in this area.

- The latest learnings and broken prejudices: I have earlier (student times) experienced minor stress and done well at some very stressful points. I have learned at those times that I am quite a stress-free person, able to deal with things as they come. Towards the end of 2010 I have learned that I was not right, it's just that I haven't encountered the real stress caused by work and lack of time. In my previous posts I've marked down some points about this topic, here is the summary: I realize that many many people around the world are under stress, and I should not overlook it and judge them as weak-minded and pitiful. The only way to get out of unnecessary stress is a change of values: world view, values of life, and set the importances in right order. I want to highlight the free will God has given to everyone. Regardless what you might loose in life, the world and people can take away your everything, even your freedom, but nobody can take away your free will to choose for yourself. Even if tied in unbreakable chains, we can still have our own will, be it cursing God or praising Him, we can choose!

I wish everyone a good new year of 2011, a year of free will, good choices, and balanced life. The knowledge of right and wrong is available at hand, inspired by the Holy Spirit, confirmed by Jesus Christ, and acted out by the Trinity. I wish myself humility and eagerness to approach God. Strength to act upon the knowledge of good, and perseverance to overcome the evil. Wish you also. :)

Psst. I've had this book but gave it away, now I'd like to have it again. Recommended reading for 2011:
Royal Insignia by Edwin and Lillian Harvey.

Life Forever

It's been ages, I've wanted to post some thoughts here, but never had time. This past two months have been the busiest of my life, working life. I am amazed how work can affect my life, taking the time, energy, thoughts, and peace away. I know it is affecting millions of other people in the similar way at the same time, and I wonder.

Now it's Christmas eve, finally some peace and quietness, no need to go anywhere, no need to do anything. Actually I do have couple of tasks waiting on my laptop to be done, but I deliberately let them wait, for two more days. Now it's time to relax and rest, enjoy time with family and friends. Enjoy the time with Jesus, especially.

For Christmas, we don't do gifts or trees or santa or reindeer stuff, phew. It makes everything much simpler than otherwise. I actually didn't go to downtown shops or even Hervanta DUO shop whole December! I have unintentionally avoided all the hassle and whistle of Christmas shopping, thank goodness. In addition, my dear wife has been doing all our Christmas -card things, in addition to buying the few gifts and packaging them. I've managed to do none of those, happy me. :)

Hopefully this is not going to continue very long, I mean the busy times at work. It's interesting to note how my sights have been blinded by the busy schedule, not able to think about the future in a colorful manner, just to make it through each day. Human life is not meant to be spent like this. Still, millions of people in many countries (China especially) are living just like this, year in and year out, having all the pressure and stress on them, without hope for better, without time to think about eternity.

Thus, maybe as a conclusion for this post, life should be defined clearly, otherwise it might be quickly wasted away. I'd define life like this: "The unique time span of each individual, to be cherished, spent with other people (not machines), enjoyed to the fullest, honored with happiness, built upon a solid foundation (the divine nature of God), and consumed to its fullest potential."

Life forever, if not well lead, might become a real torture.
I wish everyone a good life, a true life, a merry life. :)

Growth and Pride

Growth has continued, more visibly in Viivi but hopefully also in our lives.

Recently I've noticed something new in myself. It was a conference call at work, there were participants from all over the world (figuratively speaking) and I happened to be one of the guys participating actively, meaning that I actually talked and had an opinion. The novel thing was that there was another guy, who also talked quite much, and he held an opposite opinion, or actually we didn't even manage to reach same understanding about the issues under discussion. Anyhow, I noticed how I over-reacted to the attitude of the other guy and started to raise my voice, in the teleconference. Perhaps some of my colleagues were surprised at the new side found in me, I was surprised. At the end the discussion was over and I felt frustrated, partially because I over-reacted and partially because the other person was annoying to me.

I didn't know the other person, and usually I won't react like this. Or earlier I wouldn't, but now I did. I started to think about the reason for my attitude and sudden (outward) eruption of annoyance and bad temper. Surprisingly, I noticed that the root cause was the growth I've had in my professional skills and knowledge! I have grown as a professional in my field of expertise and I have become aware of it, acknowledging my "superior" knowledge base about certain topic and automatically counting everyone else less knowledgeable than myself. I call this pride, a new addition to my existing array of prides.

I was surprised because I never experienced this kind of pride. Ok, I've been proud over things I've managed to do well, but at work and at studies I've always had an attitude of learning. Nowadays I've gained experience at work, allowing myself to feel good about what I do, but at the same time producing the feeling that I know what I am doing, adding weight to every word I say about my field. This is something I don't like in other people, and now I find it in myself.

Pride comes in a sneaky way, when one is not expecting it. The devil fell prey to the trap of pride, when he didn't realize that he was losing the real ideal of his position vs. his Creator. Same pride is sneaking upon all of us every day. Each time I see myself in the light of God and recognize the pride in me, I eagerly shake it off and want to start anew. Then when time passes by it sneaks back in through different ways and paths, and I really need constant "check-in" with God to stay awake and keep shaking it off. Living in the Holy Spirit might also blind us from seeing the real-self that we are, because pride enters e.g. through the knowledge of "I'm doing great!" Paradox, another one.

I tend to think that this pride is what changes people, often unnoticed. So many stories of honest and just people, who become greedy and unjust after gaining position and power. It doesn't happen in a moment, but little by little pride takes ground in human heart, blinding the views and guiding into wrong direction. At some point one cannot even recognize the situation he is in, unless miraculously Holy Spirit opens his eyes through some accident or sickness. Paradox.

What is the learning? Growth brings pain but produces quality, this is the spiritual growth. Growth also adds responsibility, because the higher you climb the harder you fall, thus one needs to constantly be aware to not fall into the trap of pride. Growth in areas of material and skills, especially when bringing praises and adoration from other people, is leading into even more temptations towards pride. Human nature is so inclined to pride that it needs only a scent of self-sufficiency to start the engines of pride, and this engine has constant inflow of fuel and motivation to keep itself going and growing forever. The only cure is honesty and holy illumination, where the true nature of man is revealed and recognized, then the restoration can begin and fight against pride gets its chance. And this fight brings growth, adds pain, and produces quality.

Paradox. The paradox spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 8 and verses 34-37: "If anyone wants to come after me, he must say 'no' to himself. He must pick up his cross and follow me. If he wants to save his life, he will lose it. But if he loses his life for me and for the good news, he will save it. What good is it if someone gains the whole world but loses his soul? Or what can anyone trade for his soul?"

... weigh the options and calculate the costs, despise the temporary pleasure for the gain of eternal reward. I need to think about how to deal with this new pride in my life... :)

Growth Story

Lack of time, lack of sleep, lack of food (sometimes), and lack of exercise. Scary, but just a period in human life. Now we are experiencing this time, a time of growth.

For sure, everybody knows that babies grow, with amazing speed and still keeping it very natural. The growth of the parents is a topic not so often discussed. Maybe not all parents grow? We are certainly having room for growth, and experiencing it.

What, then, is the growth of parents? When everything is going well, everybody is happy and satisfied. When baby is crying relentlessly and seemingly without reason, the true nature of parents is tested. This is only the beginning, I understand. When the baby grows into a child having his/her opinions and own will, it will be totally another "fight".

This all leads me to ponder one thing: what kind of persons we really are? Are our habits and self-awareness ever challenged? Have we allowed other people or events to challenge what we are? To grow, by definition, means to change and leave something behind to gain something new. Thus if we are not willing even to admit the true status of the current, we can never even really want to progress with growth into the next.

In the cell conference our church arranged yesterday, there were many pearls said and discussed. One of the pearl is this statement: "True spiritual growth happens only in the interactions with people". The conclusions from this statement: one cannot grow spiritually only by watching sermons and services from internet; one cannot grow spiritually only by studying the Bible and praying; one cannot grow spiritually only by meditating and trying to change oneself. The only growth comes from the relationships with people, the good and bad within normal human relationships. Being open to communicate, to care for others and let others care for us, helps to see the current and to strive for the better.

Growth, thus, implicitly brings pain. Growth pain was a topic more common some years ago with some friends, but it's good to feel it all over, again and again. Only this way one can know life is moving on, new things are coming and growth is happening. By experiencing growth one should be able to understand others better, and also be able to bless other people with deeper understanding and accurate help.

Growth of Christians is truly possible only in the fellowship, congregation, cell groups. The Bible tells us about the importance of this: Letter to Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 25: " Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope. Let us do it all the more as you see the day coming when Christ will return."

To be afraid of pain is normal, but it does not need to prohibit us from choosing the right thing, taking the more challenging road instead of just sitting on the comfort of living room sofa. At the end, when looking back, one can certainly see what kind of life has been worth living.

Pain is a gift from God to help us know ourselves better. I don't pray for pain to come, I pray to endure the pain that will be.

Cheers! :)

Quick link to more baby pics

Unfortunately I'm not going to flood this blog with more pictures of Viivi, though I do reserve the right to post some pics here occasionally. :)

There are some more pics in MSN Photos, simply the main reason of choosing that place is that it is visible to China, where many friends and family also want to see the baby... So, sorry for the location if you are not a fan of MSN.

Enjoy the pics by clicking HERE.

Btw. Baby's name is Viivi Lilja Enjuan Liu, Viivi (Vivien) and Lilja (Lilya) are Finnish names which we liked very much, EnJuan (恩娟) is Chinese name referring to the care of grace of God in her life. We hope she will live under the merciful care of our heavenly Father. We know Father is watching over her. :)

First Two Days

They say that babies take your breath (life) away. Maybe that's happening to me (us). Maybe not. I feel it's normal, babies are wonderful! (I'm saying this first time in my life, from all my heart!)

Baby is sleeping a lot and eating little, crying little and causing a lot of diaper changes. Today I've changed a diaper for her, full service, including taking off the clothes, removing the diaper (and properly disposing it), washing the poo, drying her, putting a new diaper on her, and dressing her up again. Phew. Clumpy as I am, she didn't cry that much during the operation...

I've also held her quite a lot, trying to do it correctly. I think I'll need a lot of practice. I think I'll get a lot of practice.

I've also taken some pictures. Now I understand why the parents of new born babies take a lot of pictures: not because they are so cute, but because they don't pose for the camera --> only by taking many pictures can one get some good shots... Well, ok, they are cute, and very picturesque. :)

Here are few pics from those two days:
Drooling after, hmm, food? :)


"Why is it so bright here??"


"Hmm, what do I get to eat next?" Ok, maybe she isn't thinking about food?


"I want that thingy!" How can I be prepared for such looks in the future?


"Ouh I'm tired..." and then she gave the next expression:


"What are you looking at???"


What a beautiful and abundant hair. :)


Okey okay, I know know. I won't be posting more baby pics here, they are too private to share this openly. But, as I commented already in IRC: it seems that our baby is the cutest baby in the whole world! Now I understand the prejudice that lie in the hearts of new parents. Also recommended for you. :)

One good prerequisite is a loving marriage with a loving spouse, resting in the Love of the Almighty God. Source of true happiness is God, accessed in the Holy Spirit through the blood of Jesus. Absurd, paradoxical, but real.

Wanna shout: Hallelujah!

Amazing Life

I am writing this entry from hospital room, waiting for baby to be born. Actually there isn't much I can say, this happening is such an unique event and also such a miracle. The pain that Maria is enduring, the beauty of the rising sun, and the irregular but constant sound of baby's heart beat, life is so amazing!

I've experienced many times the difference between presumed feeling and the actual feeling, thus I've learned not to presume "how it feels", but just take in whatever comes, and live in the moment. Living this moment, everything so far has been very well, smooth transitions, professional skill of the hospital faculty, advanced medical tools, and the peaceful period right before the final labor. How does it feel? Maybe the only word I can think of is: Life. It doesn't feel grandeous, nor extra exciting. It's just life, seeing some blood, hearing the heavy breathing, expecting the first cry of the newborn, feeling the hunger in my stomach... :) It's life, a good one.

Conclusion: Life is not something you see from TV, not even the books you read. Life is not in the theories and talks of other people, not even your own philosophies or speeches. Life is unique, continuous, splendid, vivid, and special. It should be treasured, cherished, it must be lived to experience it! I challenge you: watch less TV and surf less Internet, get more involved in Life, in the lives of people surrounding you. It is worth it!

The essence of Life is in its creator, the Self-Existent God. Glory and honor to Him, the Author and Sustainer of all life on earth.

---------

Now the labor is over, our baby girl is born! The last moments were stunning. I stopped breathing when Maria didn't breath, my stomach was tense when Maria had contractions, and I sweated when she sweated. And tears were lingering in my eyes when the baby finally came out. Speechless, amazed, excited. I concur with the comments of all other fathers: this was a life changing experience.



Life is amazing! :)

Christian and Politics

This topic is probably not the easiest ones to write satisfactorily about, but I will give it a go anyways. The reason for this short endeavour is multifold: Finnish parliament elections are upcoming and some friends are enlisted in this "contest"; I have recently encountered several people and issues that have awaken my sense of (in)justice, partly due to Finnish social system; and the last one: my secret craving to make everything right in this society.

I think I would make a good politician. Yeah, maybe that's the reason I shouldn't get involved, other than voting itself. I have the basic will to correct the wrongs in this society and to change the dooming direction of this nation. Still, I am afraid of the reality: power often corrupts even the ones with good will and sound motivation. Celebrity, even in the form of a political career, takes away the opportunity to have a "normal" life. There is a price to pay to get involved in politics. Another issue is the ever-present question of each sincere heart: can I make a difference? Putting this question into political domain, democracy is not the best place to make a difference: stupidity is multiplied in masses.

In addition to those practical questions, I want to present a question to all confessing Christian politicians: are you a Christian politician, or are you a Christian who practises politics? The difference is the weight of the words: A Christian politician is mostly a politician, who has Christian values and norms, but puts politics before religion/faith. This kind of politician has good will towards the society and its people, but their efforts are mainly concentrated in social and legal issues. A Christian who practises politics is a person who primarily views him/herself as a follower and deisciple of Jesus Christ, who then wants to use political tools to glorify the Triune God and share His love/mercy, His personality, to the whole nation. This kind of "politician" will not easily be successful in politics, because he/she tend to be too concerned with spiritual things that are not so tightly connected to political issues. One can argue for a balanced approach, but I think practically every Christian who wants to get involved in politics will conform to one or another. There is a profound difference, because the latter attitude is uncompromising in many aspects, but the prior attitude is compromising in almost all aspects.

What is my point in this short post? I want to put things into perspective, primarily for myself, but if it helps you, that's a bonus. First of all, as a Christian, my sole aim in life should be to lead a life that is pleasing to my God and glorifies Him. In such a life I would find my utmost satisfaction. Secondly, if I am a true disciple of Jesus, I would certainly want to make a difference in people around me, including the society I live in. This implies active attitude and participation in the lives of those people, but the first thing should be held at first place to keep perspective. Thirdly, if I feel more urgency and worry about the situation of my society and state, compared to the urgency and worry I feel for the individuals in my life, perhaps I should aim for a political "career" to make a difference. Still keeping the perspective and first thing first. Then again, if I see the urgent need of many individuals around me to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, I can't leave them for others to be cared for, but should do all I can to tell, teach, guide, be an example, empower, and surrender them to God's caring hands. I can't find my self doing both things effectively, thus a choice must be made.

Life needs balance, but I'm afraid life also means choices. It is wise to choose well, according to the calling of God and His will. It is also wise to stop every once a while and perform a status check, where I am, where am I heading, and should I do something to tune my direction according to God's guidance. And then do it! Without holding back, without intimidation, without fear, without looking back. It is a life worth living for!

So, as a conclusion, quite a pessimistic but I believe a realistic one: this world is a sinking ship. As a sinking ship, the speed it is going down is increasing along the time passing by. Jesus is coming back, the final judgement is looming for the godless people and rewarding the awaiting ones. Politics cannot save anybody, it cannot necessarily even change anyone's life, but the Word of God spoken through His Holy Spirit CAN make a difference, and will make a difference. Whether being spoken in a church pulpit or riverside garden, whether declared in the parliament house or the business street, whether whispered in the quiet hospital room or at the ear of a repenting friend, the Word of God is what counts. This world is in the desperate need for sincere Christians who are involved in all fields of life (incl. politics), and who boldly proclaims the good news. Acting and living according to the Word, thus saving him/herself, and those who hear Him and believe.

"I consider everything else worthless because I'm much better off knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. It's because of Him that I think of everything as worthless. I threw it all away in order to gain Christ and to have a relationship with Him." - Paul of Tarsus to Phillipians, 3:8

And thinking about the last days of my life, whenever or wherever or however it will be, I want to be able to say:
"I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. The prize that shows I have God's approval is now waiting for me. The Lord, who is a fair judge, will give me that prize on that day. He will give it not only to me but also to everyone who is eagerly waiting for Him to come again." - Paul of Tarsus to Timothy, second letter, 4:7-8

"Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" - John the Beloved Disciple, Revelations 22:20

Vacation!

Today was my first day of Summer vacation, what a day! Finland is "suffering" an all-time heat streak, so we easily managed to stay couple of hours on the beach...

This wonderful day consisted of at least:
- Baby's health check (heart monitoring, cause baby isn't born yet)
- Meeting friends!
- wonderful grill food at Jankan Vanha Grilli (see picture below)
- Simple and nice beach moment
- peaceful time studying at home
- Got a haircut!

Wellawella, holidays are nice, thank God for this priviledge. :)

Additional pics from May-trip in China

Time is flying. The saying is probably most repeated one on this blog. The whole May just passed by without much stopping, and now June is already in its latter part.

The worst thing about the speed of life is not that there isn't enough time, but the worst thing is the lack of enthusiasm. In the midst of busy schedule and sometimes overloading of work, it basically kills any enthusiasm toward life (spiritual or material) and produces spiritual scum in the form of laziness, pessimism, sarcasm, and even hypocrisy. Be aware.

Anyhow, Finnish Summer time is relaxing. As the co-workers are going for holidays, the workload hopefully decreases a bit. Also the wonderful weather (rain and cold) calms the busy mind. The traditional mid-Summer conference in Keuruu Iso Kirja also inspires, the theme of the conference this year is "The Touch of the Holy One". May His touch inspire me and revive this weary soul.

This Summer is the first Summer in ten years I'm staying inside the Finnish borders. God has a plan, and this is good time to rest. I can't image how I could've dealt with possible outreach outside Finland this year... And the upcoming birth of our first child will certainly bring joy, excitement, and of course a lot of work. :) Babies are sure treasures. Yeah...

Here are the pictures I promised earlier, from my trip in China in the beginning of May. The saying is still true: "whatever is said about China, it's true somewhere in China." China arouses passion in me, it also arouses anxiety and fear. This May I was in China, I tried to look at the beloved country from the point of view: What it would be like to live here? The result: scary, messy, busy, no peace, challenging. Still, if there is a plan for us to migrate there, it's good to recognize beforehand, what will be awaiting us there. God knows, and He cares, and He enables, and He involves Himself in our lives. Hallelujah, Emmanuel.

And the pics, enjoy. :)


Peaceful home street of my aunt and her family. It's not unusual to see some major family quarrel on such streets. Neighbors care for each other, some times too much... :) Asian life.


Fried noodles. Best one in long time. Nam! :D (price: less than 1 euro)


Tofu in special format (Do Fu Lao). The traditional food of my home home. Delicious... Ah. (Price: less than 1 euro)


The place and the way old grandma's and grandpa's spend their time, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, until they die. It's sad. My grandma also goes here, this is her only "hobby" or interest. The program? Playing cards. playing cards. playing cards.
I pray these old ladies and gentlemen could be turned from these vanities into the light of true Life and Vine. It could be SO different!


Same story as above pic. Here people gather to sing and listen to local Chinese opera. Interesting.


Xi An Western bus station. May day, huge amount of people travelling. Me too.


Xi An railway station. Xi An (my home city) has the only fully preserved city wall in the whole China.


Beijing central railway station. Famous place. I just happened to pass by. Trains to Xi An leave and arrive at Western station of BJ.


Bags packed. Again. Last time for a while... Always so charming task. :)


Yeah, leaving from China, once again. God bless China, its people!

Cousin's Wedding

(This post contains only one part of my latest trip back to the Middle Kingdom. More thoughts and pics later, soon.)

In China, young couples want to get married on special days, such as 1st of May and 1st of October. The first one is world-famous Labour day, the latter one is Chinese-famous National day.

My cousin decided to get married on the 1st of May this year, and I had a chance to participate in his wedding. That's my first Chinese wedding, so I really wanted to be there. After I missed my connection flight (first time in my life) from BJ to XiAn on the 30th, I had to stay in BJ one night and fly on the early morning of 1st of May. It was ok, God had everything settled. The wedding itself was not as solemn nor as orderly as I've gotten used to in Finland. Chinese weddings seem to be filled with people, noise, sounds, hassle, and all these combined creates the atmosphere of Re Nao (热闹), which means "hot noisy". This Re Nao is a must in China and especially weddings, so it was rather enjoyable after all! In addition, wedding food is excellent! :D

Pictures tell more than many thousands of words, so here come some glimpses:

There was a traffic jam on my way from airport to the wedding place. Fortunately the wedding ceremony started after 12, so I managed to get there on time.

The front door of my aunt's home is different than before...

Fire crackers are signaling the arrival of the new couple, and those ones were really loud! The smell they create and the atmosphere, yeah, Re Nao! :D

Decorations make wonders. The arrival was very festival with loud music and the smell of gunpowder still in the air.

The place was crowded with people. Normal thing in China. :) Fortunately this was only beginning of May, can't imagine how sweaty it would be if in July or August.

The wedding feast, yeah, it was delicious! There was more than 15 dishes, probably up to 20! I could sit there forever...

So, I think about the wedding feast mentioned in the Bible, where Jesus and His church gather to celebrate the new heaven and earth. I guess it will be Chinese buffet! :D

Last Glimpses of Korea, for Now

It's been over a week since I left Korea, but the rest of time there was so busy that I didn't have time nor energy to upload any pics or text here. Business trip are literally busyness trip, and I adapted too well into Asian working life, I guess. :) Short nights and long days, fortunately it's over, for now.

Food in Korea was rewarding, comparing to Finnish food I have to enjoy normally. Despite many other experiences and after-thoughts, I'll just put some food-pics here from Korea. One statement though: that country is certainly much more than only food, so don't let my simple description deceive you.

Korean BBQ, Bullgogi (?). With all salad-like little dishes, nam!

The most spicy Korean food I had, some kind of bibibam (fried rice). Basically it had octopussy, onions, bean sprout, seaweed, and rice. All the added stuff (kimchi, chili pepper, chili sauce) were extremely spicy. Nam! :D

The beginning dish of the best French meal I've ever had.

The last dish of the same French meal. Was it good? Yeah! Was it enough? Well... :)

The S(e)oul of Asia

The topic is very challenging, if I drop the second letter 'e' from it. Maybe I won't, for now. :)

As it turned out, I'm visiting Seoul again, for work. This time the trip will go on to China, where I'll visit a cousin's wedding and also visit my grandma. She is over 80 and getting older, so every time I see her is one time less. The biggest issue is that I want to tell her the good news in a way that she understands, and hopefully she'll also accept it. This is not my first try, so much prayer is needed.

For now, I'm in Seoul and the working week is ahead. I've already met up with some friends and enjoyed their hospitality, thank you! :) According to my habbit, here will be some pics of the food and places over here. One picture says a thousand words, thus I shall not need to write more in this post. However, the Soul of Asia would be a good topic to write about, there are plenty of details to be stared at and tasted. :)


Ancient and new; peace and hurry; handmade and machinemade; which one is better or can it be compared?


Hämy = cousy. ;)


Kimchijim. It was go-o-o-o-ood!


Soup nuddle breakfast. Asia!


We happened to pass by the memorial event for Korean navy soldiers who died in the tragedy last month. Life is valuable, it should be valued more when living rather than at death. Hats off...


Korean fried rice (bibimbap). Good stuff, and with that chili... Nam!

Easter Passion

Holiday season is here, or actually it's almost over, but have you known the Passion of Easter? Some hints: it's not just a good reson to get two days off work; it's not the bunnies and chocolate eggs you find in the stores, not even the all disgusting (but healthy and tasty) mämmi...

Have you seen or heard about the movie The Passion of the Christ? There is the word "passion". What does passion have to do with Easter?



Easter is actually an ancient Jewish festival celebrated with the name Passover. The festival is celebrated annually to remember the historical happenings of Jewish people leaving from Egypt. The story is best described in the Bible under the section/book of Exodus. You can catch it there.

In short, Passover signified a change, a new life totally separated from the old life. This change was brought about by God the creator in a supernatural manner. Every Hebrew who chose to believe in God and follow His instructions were delivered from the bondage and lead into this new life. The meaning of this new life was to spend it with God, be a testimony of Him to all the people and enjoy His blessings; the destination of this new life was the Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey.

There was joy and anticipation in Passover, but I'm not sure was there any passion, perhaps more of awe and fear?

Jesus, the main character of Easter, had passion, but nothing that we could comprehend and understand. Jesus was born a carpenter's son, but claimed himself to be a king; Jesus performed miracles of many kinds, but did not utter a word when He was condemned and punished; Jesus had the right to call if off any time, but He suffered till the painful end. The stories about Jesus and Easter, they are openly available in the four books of the Bible: Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Also one finds traces of Jesus all over through the Old Testament, especially Isaiah 53 relates strongly to Easter.



So, what is this passion? I watched the movie The Passion of the Christ, partially on Friday (the long day), and wholly today (the resurrection Sunday). I cried a bit, deeply touched by the passion Jesus had. It's not a feeling or mood that he experienced, nor was it temporary or a climax of his life. Jesus has always had passion, and I dare say He still has! Though I've seen the movie several times alreay, this Easter I experienced more than before.

The passion that Jesus showed, it is first of all an attitude rather than an experience. It is a passion of love (agape), of humility, of faithfulness, of obedience, of justice, of tenderness, of goodness, of endurance, of power, of commitment, and of truth. Jesus craved for all those properties and much more, He also practised them in His everyday life with passion and dedication. Every moment is true to Him, and He does not overlook one single detail. Jesus had passion, practised passion, lived a life full of passion, and is still doing so.

In contrary, I am easily swayed, easily tired and fall into the state of "don't care". I also lose my motivation and passion every once a while, at least. I also grow tired of obedience and humility, evry so often. But Jesus, oh wonderful Jesus, He has passion never ending. The Easter portrays His passion in a memorable way: the drops/pools of blood that He shed, the inhuman torture He suffered, the disgusting mocking He received, the vast amount of pain he endured. And He did not need to go through any of those, but because He had and still has passion for each one of us, He gave Himself into the events of Easter, and went through it.

Because Jesus lived out His passion, He conquered the death and started a new chapter in history. He was and is the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Him. His passion burns to have us with him, the choice is ours. I have chosen to surrender my unworthy life to Jesus, I want to share the passion He has. There lies abundance of life and a wealth of promises. What would you do?

The message of Easter, the way to enter into the passion of the Christ: humble yourself, confess your sins, believe in Jesus and what He has done for you, ask Him to become your Lord and Saviour by surrending yourself to Him, and receive the forgiveness of sins. Let the blood of Jesus, which He shed for you in His painful passion, purify you. Then you will learn to appreciate the most precious thing one can have: a new life in Jesus Christ, new purpose and value of life, and the passion to live.

The Bible: "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Amen. (Isaiah 53:5)

Viimeiset veneet - Part 5 (The End)

And it's been quite a while, again. Particularly long time since the Part 4 of the topic. This last stanza of my favourite (funeral) song has been in my mind quite often, just never managed to finish this blog series. It's been busy times.

Mom's cooking

All my little life, I've enjoyed many kinds of food. Still, mom's cooking is always special, there tends to be a feeling of home, childhood memories, golden times... Today I came home-home for a quick visit, and enjoyed a lunch a la mom. :) Of course dad also makes good food, but this time it's mom's cooking that satisfied my hungry stomach:

Nam!

Thank you mom!

Touristing and, more food!

Yesterday, Sunday, I visited the Yoido Full Gospel church, and it was certainly an experience. In many ways! The size, the sincerity, the joy, the sermon, the atmosphere, the interpretation, the treatment of us foreigners, the bookstore, the buildings... Amazing things God can do. At the same time so much more to be done. Well, here are two pics from the church:


The main sanctuary after the 11am service...


The main entrance...

Then more food, yeah, it's like all I did was eat. ;)


A quick lunch on the Yoido -island.


Dinner at Insadong area.


Business lunch at Chinese restaurant, tasty starters were eaten by this phase so not visible..


Business dinner, Korean BBQ again. Nice! And Korean Sprite, heh I knew to order it... It looks just like soju, too... ;)