William Chong

Meet Dongdaemun, one of the city gates of 14th-century Seoul still standing today. I would imagine that to keep foreign nations and hostile invaders out, watchmen would be posted at these gates and other watchtowers along the city walls, on the lookout for any sign of enemy activity. The watchmen would need to be on the lookout particularly at night, when there’s more cover in the darkness. No doubt as the night goes on the job would be a tiring, sleep-depriving one. Dawn and the morning it brings can’t come soon enough, and so the watchmen would be waiting expectantly, with great longing for the morning, with great longing for the certainty of the sunrise.

The psalmist in Psalm 130:1-6 uses this same comparison to illustrate the depths of his faith in the Lord:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

Can you agree with the psalmist? None of us can stand with the weight of our iniquities. With Him there is forgiveness. In His Word is our hope. And a life with Him spurs a faithfulness and patience, and we can be as Christian watchmen on a night shift waiting for the Son to reappear.

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A full day of walking around, sightseeing and shopping. In the morning I checked out the Gyeongbukgung Palace, the National Palace from the Joseon era. I was there in time to catch some of the guards in full costume changing around.

In the afternoon I walked down to Namdaemun Market – it’s filled to the brim with shops ready to fleece tourists like me of our money! The old brick-based market buildings remind me of Kuching, with its narrow alleyways and a bustling atmosphere. They sell everything from genuine (and fake) designer clothing, traditional wear, shoes, toys, souvenirs and so on. I must admit that I’m terrible at haggling and probably paid too much for the things I bought!

It’s been a great day of relaxed wandering, and exploring. I’ve definitely had lots of Brooke Fraser/”Deciphering Me” moments just standing in the middle of a massive intersection, neon lights everywhere – just missing the see-through umbrella!

Next on the itinerary, I’ll be off on a guided tour to the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ), which should be a fascinating experience.

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So yesterday I left the Anglophilic bubble of the Grand Hyatt, where our conference was, and stepped out into the authentic streets of Seoul for three days of sightseeing.

I had my Googlemaps directions at the ready, and it told me to get to 9beonji Jongno2-ga, Jongno-gu by using two different subway lines. However when I got off at the directed stop (Euljiro4-ga), the hotel was nowhere to be found. The mental image to have here is of a lost-looking dude wheeling an oversize green suitcase up and down the pothole-filled lanes of a neighbourhood market, bemused stall owners looking on. After asking a few shop owners in fractured Korean (thanks, Collins phrase book and Farm Cove Intermediate Korean class), I realised that Googlemaps lied and the YMCA Hotel was actually 1.5 km further.

Lessons to learn here: Korean streets are divided into numbered sections. The same stretch of Jongno, which means Bell Road, gets divided into Jongno1-ga, Jongno2-ga, Jongno3-ga and so on. The main intersection signs tell you what division of the road lies ahead, rather than what road you’re actually on (that’s on a separate sign on top). And you have to be careful as well as an intersection sign before the intersection gives different road names to a sign that’s after the intersection.

Monday night: a quick walk around the area

This is the “Street of Youth”, off Jongno2-ga, across the road from the YMCA building. It links up with a warren of alleyways that run parallel to Jongno Road itself – my guidebook notes that these alleyways were once used by the peasant class so they wouldn’t have to keep bowing to the aristocrats that traversed on the main road.

In any case, it was a bevy of sights and smells.

Out here, it’s a fascinating mix of Korean pop music and the street vendors plying their wares. I popped into a small restaurant and ordered something familiar – deep fried pork on rice (kassudon in Korean). I think I’ll be content to have more of a shop round tomorrow, and inject some Korean won (the local currency) into the Seoul economy.

One thing I noticed was the faint smell of sewage on the streets. Seoul, like most Asian cities, must have a different method of moving water and sewage through the city that makes the smell more prevalent. Another thing here that’s different to NZ is that smoking is a lot more prevalent around here. Most restaurants have a large smoking section and so if you’re not used to it you may have to hold your breath when walking between shops. It’s definitely a good thing that the previous Government legislated against smoking inside restaurants and many public areas have smoking bans in NZ. We’re quite fortunate in that respect.

My internet connection here is quite patchy – but will promise more photos soon!

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Check out my Korean phone’s alarm clock. It literally woke me up with laughter!

Guaranteed to pick you up (imagine waking up to it) n.b.: it’s a m4a file, you’ll need Quicktime or equivalent to play.

Lots of work, will update soon. Missing you all!

Good-morning-korea

I’ve got a couple of minutes in my hotel room so thought I’d write to say I’m safe and well. 12 hour flight = read through half of Oliver Sach’s “Musicophilia” (it’s a fantastic book!)

Also thanks to body clock woke up at 5 am Korea time (9 am NZT) so got my training run in this morning, hurrah!

Here’s some preliminary observations about Seoul, Korea:

• There’s a surprising amount of signage in Chinese around here: Koreans refer to it as hanja. Perhaps its close proximity to China makes the use of Chinese beneficial for business and tourist travellers from there.
• Being in a foreign country tip #1: Don’t show off your 3-and-a-half-phrase Korean vocabulary until AFTER the person you’re talking to knows you’re a foreigner. I tried being clever by greeting the chauffeur driver with a well-pronounced “annyeong haseyo” (thanks Farm Cove Intermediate Korean classes)… but had to sheepishly shrug my shoulders and revert to English once he started asking me to fill out my hotel check-in form in rapidfire Korean! O why o why Towel of Babel….

OK off to a meeting. Will talk soon. Missing you all already!

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It’s been nice to get back into a bit of blogging recently, if you’ve noticed the last two weeks I’ve attempted to be more consistent in putting my thoughts online. However I’m flying to Seoul, Korea this morning for a work trip (we’re covering a conference over the weekend); also taking a few days to do some sightseeing afterwards, so my blogging streak will unfortunately break.

For sightseening I’ve already booked a tour to the DMZ where the North/South Korea border is (it’s surprising to learn that Seoul is actually only one hour’s drive away from this border). You guys have also recommended a number of things like trying out ginseng chicken soup, shopping in Itaewon, Myeongdong and Namdaemun, and Apgujeong to have fun. If I have time I’ll definitely try to put some pictures up while I’m away (Kim, can I borrow your camera?!)

Take care and stay safe everyone!

Most people will know the tune to “O Danny Boy” – it has a ubiquitous melody and many people have written lyrics to it, with the most famous one starting with “O Danny Boy, the pipes the pipes are calling…” It’s clearly not about a plumber being called out to a job, though the meaning is unclear – some theorise it as a message from a parent to a son going off to war or leaving as part of the Irish diaspora.

Christians through the years have also tried to put some lyrics to this tune. A couple of my favourites:

1. I Cannot Tell

These powerful words were written by William Young Fullerton, a Baptist preacher from Belfast, Ireland who was a contemporary (and friend) of Charles Spurgeon.

I cannot tell why He Whom angels worship,
Should set His love upon the sons of men,
Or why, as Shepherd, He should seek the wanderers,
To bring them back, they know not how or when.
But this I know, that He was born of Mary
When Bethlehem’s manger was His only home,
And that He lived at Nazareth and laboured,
And so the Saviour, Saviour of the world is come.

I cannot tell how silently He suffered,
As with His peace He graced this place of tears,
Or how His heart upon the cross was broken,
The crown of pain to three and thirty years.
But this I know, He heals the brokenhearted,
And stays our sin, and calms our lurking fear,
And lifts the burden from the heavy laden,
For yet the Saviour, Saviour of the world is here.

I cannot tell how He will win the nations,
How He will claim His earthly heritage,
How satisfy the needs and aspirations
Of East and West, of sinner and of sage.
But this I know, all flesh shall see His glory,
And He shall reap the harvest He has sown,
And some glad day His sun shall shine in splendour
When He the Saviour, Saviour of the world is known.

I cannot tell how all the lands shall worship,
When, at His bidding, every storm is stilled,
Or who can say how great the jubilation
When all the hearts of men with love are filled.
But this I know, the skies will thrill with rapture,
And myriad, myriad human voices sing,
And earth to Heaven, and Heaven to earth, will answer:
At last the Saviour, Saviour of the world is King

2. He Looked Beyond My Fault

Written by Dottie Rambo, described as “the Queen of gospel music”. This video was a performance by Voices of Lee, who also did the fantastic “All Rise” I swooned about last week.

Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise,
for it was grace that brought my liberty;
I do not know just why He came to love me so,
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.
I shall forever life mine eyes to Calvary,
to view the cross where Jesus died for me,
how marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul;
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.

3. What Grace is Mine (Kristyn Getty)

Features on the Gettys’s latest album, words written by Kristyn Getty herself. It’s the first half of the video (she breaks into “In Christ Alone” straight after, also a great song).

What grace is mine that He who dwells in endless light
Called through the night to find my distant soul
And from his scars poured mercy that would plead for me
That I might live and in his name be known
So I will go wherever He is calling me
I lose my life to find my life in Him
I give my all to gain the hope that never dies
I bow my heart, take up my cross and follow Him

What grace is mine to know His breath alive in me
Beneath his wings my wakened soul may soar
All fear can flee for death’s dark night is overcome
My Saviour lives and reigns forevermore
So I will go…

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In my last post I shared some of my thoughts regarding some of evangelical Christianity’s worrying obsession with the laminin molecule. I noted that firstly, laminin as described by Louie Giglio in this “How Great is our God” video differed in a number of ways to its real-life composition and mode of action. Secondly, I suggested that we shouldn’t need to draw from something outside the Bible to affirm the truth of passages like Colossians 1:17.

The following are two more reasons why more discernment would be helpful regarding laminin.

3. There are better examples of observable molecules that point to our Creator.

If Christian evangelists like Giglio really wanted more substantial candidates for purposeful design and creation, the laminin molecule is a poor choice. While the bulk of Wikipedia editors and neo-Darwinists will beg to differ, some better examples of observable molecules in the body that have been mooted to show evidence of design include:

• the blood clotting cascade – Dr Michael Behe coined the term “irreducible complexity” to describe biochemical systems that comprise of many interactive and well-matched parts that are unlikely to have evolved naturally, as “the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning”.
• DNA – the linked article gives an informed overview of the intricate nature of DNA. Even since my undergraduate studies there have already been new things discovered about DNA that show that it is far more complex and purposeful than just “a genetic zipper”. The ENCODE project published its findings in Nature, basically stating that DNA is immensely more complex than previously thought (you can read the abstract here: it’s quite technical)
• the white blood cell – check out this video by Harvard University’s Bio Visions team. It illustrates complex cellular functions such as kinesins motoring along microtubules, mitochondria doing its work as the cell’s “energy pack”, and so on – much like a finely-tuned automobile.

The problem is that it takes a lot of work to try and help someone understand the intricacies of something like DNA, which even today scientists do not fully grasp. On the other hand, any layperson can easily be told that an object is a particular shape. Perhaps the reason why laminin is so popular is not because it inherently shows more evidence of purposeful design, but because Giglio has told everyone it is cross-shaped. In this case it has become less about science and more about subjectivity.

4. A preoccupation with laminins overshadows the Bible and the Gospel.

Some people who discover this message will literally say that they have fallen in love with laminin. When this is at the expense of loving Jesus I have to say I become less enthused by the ramifications of Giglio’s message. In fact, when you think about it carefully, Giglio’s self-described “left hook” actually didn’t lead to us learning anything new about God. Sure, it made us feel that God is a big and vast creator of everything (particularly earlier in the show when he makes the comparison between the sizes of planets). But you don’t need a cross-shaped laminin to tell you that: you could have just read the Bible and got it straight from the Creator’s mouth (2 Chronicles 2:5-6, Isaiah 44:24, Revelation 4:11).

This draws the bigger question: for proponents of the laminin-gospel, is the Bible not enough to convince them of God’s greatness? Dr Georgia Purdom from AnswersinGenesis.org notes the following (emphasis mine):

The main problem with this type of argument is that it appears that something outside of Scripture (in this case, laminin) is vital to know the truthfulness of a biblical truth. Laminin is used to prove a biblical truth. However, we should never use our fallible, finite understanding of the world to judge the infallible Word of God. What we observe in the world can certainly be used to confirm God’s Word (and it does), but our finite observations are not in a position to evaluate the infinite things of God. Only if we start with the Bible as our ultimate standard can we have a worldview that is rational and makes sense of the evidence…

… certainly God can use signs to reveal things, and that is evident from Scripture. In Luke 2:12 an angel tells the shepherds, “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” However, Jesus also admonishes those that improperly seek signs (Matthew 16:4). In today’s “fast food” society, many people prefer the “drive-thru” when it comes to knowing God’s truths. A sign is much quicker than studying and reasoning from the Scriptures, taking the time to pray, and discussing God’s Word with other believers.

When folks are resorting to editing the Wikipedia article to defend their laminin-driven pareidolia, then perhaps we as Christians may have an unhealthy fixation on signs and symbols. It’s as much an indictment on our generation’s short attention spans and inability to apply discernment that we baulk at doing solid research into the Scriptures, yet readily put our weight behind spurious images of Jesus “seen” in objects from Marmite to cat’s fur. Incidentally, if you’ve been to a Chuck Missler event you will likely see the same sort of thing – an intense focus on obscure conspiracy theories fuelled by questionable Scripture interpretations.

Yet here’s the most important point: all this fixation on laminins is time-consuming and is at the expense of the gospel “of first importance” (1 Cor 15:1-4). I know some will argue that talking about laminin is a good way to then start a conversation about the gospel – but once I’m called out for using a poor argument such as laminin, why would they want to listen to anything else I tell them? If I witnessed to a science graduate and tried to pull the laminin wool over their eyes, I would be laughed off and lose the opportunity to present anything further. Therefore our integrity and witness is lost, along with the chance to evangelise to those who need to hear it.

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In closing, what we’ve learnt from delving carefully into something like laminin can prove useful for many other aspects of life. Without trusting and depending first and foremost on God’s Word to carefully inform our thinking, any one of us can get caught up in any number of “Christian” fads and misinformed truths. The Bereans in Acts got it right when they “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) My desire is that we would strive to do the same in all areas of our life.

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As a fledgling worship leader, two blogs which I read often are Bob Kauflin’s “Worship Matters“, and Jamie Brown’s “Worthily Magnify“. It’s filled with practical and spiritual counsel on how to develop more effective and God-honouring worship leading, and it comes from leaders with many years of experience.

Brown’s recent post caught my attention this morning: it was on how a worship leader could decrease his presence. He gives immensely practical tips on how worship leaders can draw less attention to themselves. An excerpt:

I’ve heard it said that the role of a worship leader is similar to that of an usher at a wedding. An usher at a wedding is prepared, kind, there to serve, shows people how to get where they need to go from where they are, and does everything he can to make the wedding go smoothly. If the usher does a good job, no one leaves the wedding talking about the usher.

If a worship leader does a good job, no one leaves the service talking about the worship leader. That’s a sign that the worship leader’s prayer was answered – that “He must increase, but I must decrease”.

Friends who knew me before I was saved will remember and affirm that I had an extremely gifted opinion (e.g.o.) of myself. My life’s ambitions and goals were ways in which I could promote myself and my fame, whether it was aiming to be a world-famous composer, or a wildly successful singer-songwriter, or just to be well-known and well-liked by everyone around me.

Even stepping up on stage on Sundays is a daunting thing: my old man wants to glorify myself and take in all the adulation and praise, whereas it should all rightfully belong to God. So that’s why John 3:30 is reverberating wildly in my head and is a great verse for any ministry teamster in a public role. I’m grateful that God’s working on me still.

Check out the full post; it’s definitely a worthwhile read.

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John [the Baptist] answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:27-30)

… for a work trip next week. The good thing is that I was able to take a couple of days of leave, so I’ve got a chance to explore the place and do some tourist stuff. So far I’ve booked myself for a demilitarized zone (DMZ) tour, and will definitely pack my running shoes to explore the city on foot. Any other sight-seeing recommendations?