There's times when I wonder why God has placed me on this earth...today was one of them. It seems like things build up in my life and I don't diffuse it early enough, and it becomes a huge explosion that causes lots of burns in my life. Anyway, I don't think that I handled it very well today, but oh well...got to forgive, pray, and get better over the weekend.
I sometimes wonder how things would be with the people that I know if I wasn't part of their lives.
Anyway, nothing serious, just blew up today and said some things that may have caused people to not feel so good.
Learn from your experiences and don't let history repeat itself.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Didn't God die and rise again for them too?
Our bible study is going through this book called, "The Ragamuffin gospel," by Brennan Manning. I must say that I've only read the first two chapters and I find that I am agreeing a lot about what he is saying.
God loves everyone (sinners)
God loves not only the "good" people, but the "bad" people as well
God is a God of grace and Mercy and not an accountant looking to be repaid for your sins
God loves the outcasts, prostitutes, Money grubbers and IRS agents, homosexuals
Etc.
I must say this book really brought back some of the love that I felt from God when I first experienced Him at AACF. Granted not all AACF members are loving or accepting, but there were key players that played a big part in my life and I felt that I could actually be myself for once.
However, as I got out of college I found that the world is a very unforgiving and cold place to be in. I always wondered why it seemed like the youth had more fire in their bellies than the career aged people. I told myself that I'd never be like that, but I found that when I started a job and had less time, I took my eyes off of God and put it more on this world.
Anyway, a long story short, I became like everyone else in this world and not much like God's personality.
I found that in the first chapter, he hits one of the things I was struggling with which was grace from God and not judgment for my wrongs. I felt that I couldn't be forgiven for the wrongs I had done or what other people thought of me. So I'm glad we're reading this book.
Anyway, it also brings up a good point that I need to love those around me and try to at least pray for them. Because God loves everyone. And even though I'm struggling with loving my neighbors as myself, or treating people the same way I would like to be treated, I find that God loves them just as much as He loves me.
I know that in the future, what we accomplished on earth or all the money we made or things we collected or own won't be worth anything in comparison to knowing God. As Paul wrote, "I count them all rubbish in comparison to knowing God."
I guess I have things to work on in accepting people as they are. I wonder exactly what I'll be doing in God's kingdom when heaven comes. But whatever it is, I'll be happy that I'll be with the Lord. Hopefully...heh
Our bible study is going through this book called, "The Ragamuffin gospel," by Brennan Manning. I must say that I've only read the first two chapters and I find that I am agreeing a lot about what he is saying.
God loves everyone (sinners)
God loves not only the "good" people, but the "bad" people as well
God is a God of grace and Mercy and not an accountant looking to be repaid for your sins
God loves the outcasts, prostitutes, Money grubbers and IRS agents, homosexuals
Etc.
I must say this book really brought back some of the love that I felt from God when I first experienced Him at AACF. Granted not all AACF members are loving or accepting, but there were key players that played a big part in my life and I felt that I could actually be myself for once.
However, as I got out of college I found that the world is a very unforgiving and cold place to be in. I always wondered why it seemed like the youth had more fire in their bellies than the career aged people. I told myself that I'd never be like that, but I found that when I started a job and had less time, I took my eyes off of God and put it more on this world.
Anyway, a long story short, I became like everyone else in this world and not much like God's personality.
I found that in the first chapter, he hits one of the things I was struggling with which was grace from God and not judgment for my wrongs. I felt that I couldn't be forgiven for the wrongs I had done or what other people thought of me. So I'm glad we're reading this book.
Anyway, it also brings up a good point that I need to love those around me and try to at least pray for them. Because God loves everyone. And even though I'm struggling with loving my neighbors as myself, or treating people the same way I would like to be treated, I find that God loves them just as much as He loves me.
I know that in the future, what we accomplished on earth or all the money we made or things we collected or own won't be worth anything in comparison to knowing God. As Paul wrote, "I count them all rubbish in comparison to knowing God."
I guess I have things to work on in accepting people as they are. I wonder exactly what I'll be doing in God's kingdom when heaven comes. But whatever it is, I'll be happy that I'll be with the Lord. Hopefully...heh
Monday, October 12, 2009
When the Last Sword is Drawn
I watched this movie with my dad tonight. I was really impressed with this movie as I felt that it captured a lot of Japanese culture in the sense of honor and tradition of the Samurai. You can find this link to Amazon.com here.
The movie seemed to really get at the heart of the traditional samurai and a "true" samurai. One of the first scenes of the movie has the two main characters drawing swords at one another with one samurai intent to kill the other. What happens next, I will let you find out.
The heart of the movie is about the changing times from Samurai times (Tokugawa era) to Meiji era where Samurai means nothing anymore. The Shogun will lose his power and the emperor will be restored to power (basically the changing of the times at that time.) The Shogun government fights this and resists the southwestern clans raising up the emperor.
A note, in the Meiji era, it became the Meiji era because of Commodore Perry from America who blasted the land from afar with cannons on boats and showed that the power of new technology is superior to the old way of swords and bushido. Because of that event of being helpless to the western technology and will, Japan adopted a new way of life so that they could become more "modern."
Also another note, a lot of farmers moved out of Japan during the Meiji era and settled in Hawaii and the west coast of America because to fund the Meiji Restoration, middle class farmers were taxed heavily. So a lot of them moved to America because they heard stories of people coming back rich.
Anyway back to the movie...it was a great movie. I really liked it and I feel like I can relate to the main character in his stubbornness and sense of duty to his country. The main character didn't earn much and had to go to an extreme of leaving his clan for a reason explained in the latter parts of the movie. In the beginning I was perplexed as to why he left his family. They were worse off when he left and it was a mystery to me throughout the whole movie until the end. But all I can say is that he did it because he had to. There was no other choice as it seemed. And he and they sacrificed much to keep on living.
The movie does get slow at times and the story bounces back and forth through flashbacks and different points of time not in chronological order which can be confusing but understable as those points reveal plot points.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. See it on netflix if you have it. The movie is called, "When the last sword is drawn." Maybe it's because I can relate to some of it that I really liked it. It has a lot of Japanese culture in it. But maybe because I feel like so many people sacrificed much for me (a descendant) in my recent family history that I feel like I owe them more than I'm giving them right now.
A line from the movie was, "Get ahead of the times...Go wild. Bloom." I won't spoil the movie for you by telling you what that means, but it does mean a lot in the movie. Part of me wishes that I was more disciplined in my life. But wishing will never make reality happen.
In economics, we learn that money spent here is money you could have spent elsewhere. You can apply that to time. Time you spent here, could have been spent elsewhere. And that's part of what sacrifice is all about. What are you willing to sacrifice for your future and your descendants or for other people? It's not about giving something up, but creating something worthwhile in the time, money, and everything you've got to put it to good use for a common goal.
I keep on asking what I want to do with my life. But I know what I need to do first before I seek out what I want to do.
I watched this movie with my dad tonight. I was really impressed with this movie as I felt that it captured a lot of Japanese culture in the sense of honor and tradition of the Samurai. You can find this link to Amazon.com here.
The movie seemed to really get at the heart of the traditional samurai and a "true" samurai. One of the first scenes of the movie has the two main characters drawing swords at one another with one samurai intent to kill the other. What happens next, I will let you find out.
The heart of the movie is about the changing times from Samurai times (Tokugawa era) to Meiji era where Samurai means nothing anymore. The Shogun will lose his power and the emperor will be restored to power (basically the changing of the times at that time.) The Shogun government fights this and resists the southwestern clans raising up the emperor.
A note, in the Meiji era, it became the Meiji era because of Commodore Perry from America who blasted the land from afar with cannons on boats and showed that the power of new technology is superior to the old way of swords and bushido. Because of that event of being helpless to the western technology and will, Japan adopted a new way of life so that they could become more "modern."
Also another note, a lot of farmers moved out of Japan during the Meiji era and settled in Hawaii and the west coast of America because to fund the Meiji Restoration, middle class farmers were taxed heavily. So a lot of them moved to America because they heard stories of people coming back rich.
Anyway back to the movie...it was a great movie. I really liked it and I feel like I can relate to the main character in his stubbornness and sense of duty to his country. The main character didn't earn much and had to go to an extreme of leaving his clan for a reason explained in the latter parts of the movie. In the beginning I was perplexed as to why he left his family. They were worse off when he left and it was a mystery to me throughout the whole movie until the end. But all I can say is that he did it because he had to. There was no other choice as it seemed. And he and they sacrificed much to keep on living.
The movie does get slow at times and the story bounces back and forth through flashbacks and different points of time not in chronological order which can be confusing but understable as those points reveal plot points.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. See it on netflix if you have it. The movie is called, "When the last sword is drawn." Maybe it's because I can relate to some of it that I really liked it. It has a lot of Japanese culture in it. But maybe because I feel like so many people sacrificed much for me (a descendant) in my recent family history that I feel like I owe them more than I'm giving them right now.
A line from the movie was, "Get ahead of the times...Go wild. Bloom." I won't spoil the movie for you by telling you what that means, but it does mean a lot in the movie. Part of me wishes that I was more disciplined in my life. But wishing will never make reality happen.
In economics, we learn that money spent here is money you could have spent elsewhere. You can apply that to time. Time you spent here, could have been spent elsewhere. And that's part of what sacrifice is all about. What are you willing to sacrifice for your future and your descendants or for other people? It's not about giving something up, but creating something worthwhile in the time, money, and everything you've got to put it to good use for a common goal.
I keep on asking what I want to do with my life. But I know what I need to do first before I seek out what I want to do.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
The Ramen Girl reviews on Amazon
If you go to www.amazon.com, or easier by following this link, they have a great review by this person named "go fish." He/she captured what the movie was all about and reviews it a lot better than I do. Anyone who has lived in both Japan and America can relate to this movie. I really liked this movie and hope that the screenwriters will write more about Japan and America and the cultural differences in movie format. =)
If you go to www.amazon.com, or easier by following this link, they have a great review by this person named "go fish." He/she captured what the movie was all about and reviews it a lot better than I do. Anyone who has lived in both Japan and America can relate to this movie. I really liked this movie and hope that the screenwriters will write more about Japan and America and the cultural differences in movie format. =)
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