Living in fast lane
I heard a comparison story of how one’s life goes faster as they age. If you are 60, you travel 60 miles, and being 70, you travel 70 miles in the speed of time. It’s a funny way of saying, but I have to agree. When I wake up to do early morning prayers and walk for about 50 minutes, it’s already close to 8AM.
Around 9AM I arrive at the office to meet with other pastors, or with staff. After the morning time passes, I read the bible and write the meditation notes down, have some phone conversation with people, send an email, and read some books or the bible. By the time I am done with those, it is already 5:30PM. Liberty Tower, which I currently reside, you have to pay the dinner fee and the monthly rent fee together. My wife and I chose the 6:15PM dinner time, so I have to leave my office at 5:30PM to have my dinner.
After dinner, I come to my room and after about 30 minutes to watch the news. For my spiritual awakening, I would read a selected book. After that I would read Reverend KyungJik Han’s collection of sermons. Sometimes I can hear the voice of Reverend Han through his sermons. Then I would read KyuTae Lee’s Column and write reflections of it. Mr. KyuTae Lee had passed away few years ago. He was the editorial commissioner of Chosun Ilbo. He wrote the worth of our country, our unique traditions, etc. in simple, yet exciting writing. I had collected about 2000 of his writings, I am reading and separating everything in each categories. The reason is to share them with younger pastors who do not know of our roots.
My wife and I pray separately in the early morning prayers, but during the evening 9PM, we pray together. We sleep around 10PM. I have to sleep around that time in order to be awake at 4AM in the morning. Once a week we would visit our daughter’s place, usually around Fridays. It’s so that she can have some breathing room, since she is raising three daughters. Only today after our early morning walk 6AM in the morning, drove diligently and arrived at 7:30 in the morning. Usually we walk there around 6:45 in the morning.
I used to go swimming in the Senior Center, but around 2 months ago I had stopped going. I think the water in the pool or the chemicals in it? But my skin started to become irritated, and have athlete’s foot. After a discussion with the doctor, I had stopped going swimming. But my wife had no problem, so she heads to the swimming pool after our walk. She loves to go swimming. I on the other hand, walk additional 50 minutes in the office around the afternoon.
About a month ago, my wife and I were walking around the neighborhood in quick pace. There was a man standing in front of a house that looks like no one was living in. We said “Good morning” and just passed for another 20meters when the man had called me back. I was surprised and curious because I didn’t drop anything, but I headed back. He said to wait, and went into his house and brought about 30 DVDs.
I watch in amazement as he says “I wanted to give this to someone and I finally have that person”. What he gave me, as a Baptist pastor was how the church has fallen from God’s words and has gone negotiating with worldly things, changing what we once stood for. Furthermore, the DVD touches briefly on the authority of God’s word, the doctrine we live for, the act of faith. There was also about the persecution of Christians who simply wanted to live by the faith, and were persecuted by the Catholics during the Dark Ages. Finally the Reformation and the executions, all explained very well.
As he gave me, he said it would be helpful for me. So I have watched the DVDs for about an hour daily up till now. The strangest thing was how did he know I was a Christian? I still am curious how he knew. I didn’t wear a necktie or dressed formally like a pastor, just a training cloth and a cap…
I think, because I didn’t want to leave my wife alone, I wasn’t able to head to any seminars so God had given these DVDs as my spiritual awakening gift. I was able to discern and see how the modern church has fallen with other religions and lost its stand in the Gospel. While living in the fast paced lanes, I give the man many thanks that I was given these great materials for me to learn. I still sometimes pass by his house and wonder if he would be standing outside. I want to thank him but I have not met him yet.
(2012.10.19)
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Epilogue: 20 Months 
Living in fast lane