Faith Statement

            I believe in one God, who is the parent to all of humanity and nature. God created humans in God’s own image, to be in relationship with God. God is neither male nor female but humans were created as such as a reflection of God. God created the world and universe out of nothing, called it good and because of this all of God’s creations are good and God is infinitely powerful. I believe that God is present in the suffering of humanity, not as the oppressor, but as the comforter to those that suffer at the hands of others and at the hands of evil. God is one of the three in the Holy Trinity.

           I believe in Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God; fully human and fully divine at the same time. I believe that Christ is the direct link between humans and God for salvation through Christ’s death on the cross, his descent into hell, and his resurrection. Christ gives salvation for men and women, equally. I believe that in his life and in his death, Christ stands for the oppressed, sick and mistreated by humanity and at the same time, stands for the oppressors of humanity because Christ does not offer redemption to just a select few, but to all of God’s creation. Christ is one of three in the Holy Trinity.

            I believe in the Holy Spirit, which is the breath of God that moves among humans, empowers humans to act and to do God’s work, is what holds the community of believers together along with God and Christ, and challenges humans daily through the mysteriousness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is one of three in the Holy Trinity.

            I believe that the church is the body of believers, which represents the body of Christ in community. I believe that the church is life-giving and supports those that are outcasts and sick and living on the margins of humanity.

            I believe Scripture to be the divinely inspired word of God and a revelation from God as to how humans should live in relationship with God and in relationship with one another.

            Through worship, humans rejoice in God, Christ and the Holy Spirit and are in communion with the Holy Trinity and with each other.

            We partake in the Eucharist as an outward physical sign of Christ’s death, resurrection, and overcoming of evil in our world. By partaking in the Eucharist, we proclaim Jesus Christ as God’s Son, humanity’s Savior and humanity’s Redeemer.

            Baptism is a symbol that humanity uses to claim us as God’s children and is an outward sign of our claim on every Child of God, into the community of believers. I believe in infant baptism as well as believer’s baptism; both forms represent God’s claim over humans and God’s Children. Through baptism, our sins are washed away and we are made new through God’s abundant and infinite grace.

            I believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ and that it has yet to be fulfilled. At that time, we will be reunited with Christ, to live an eternal life with God.

~Spring 2010

Padded Seats

Have you ever sat in a classroom or in a lecture and felt the urge? You know the one; the one my grandmother still refers to as "breaking wind." We all have had that moment at one time or another, some of us more than others. Maybe it depends on the day, maybe it's a usual thing for you. What do you do? I once had a family friend tell me that if you are sitting in a padded chair, "just let it out." Theoretically, the padding of the chair should absorb the sound and hopefully the smell. I'm not going to lie, it's worked for me. It can be a lifesaver if you have the urge, can't hold it in and/or might be in a situation where it is more than inappropriate. I don't ever take the padding of my chair seriously or appreciate it until it's not there.

This is exactly what we do in everyday life, we take things for granted until they are not there. Taking things for granted is one of the most basic human errors, I think. We don't appreciate people until they're gone or until something spurs us on to miss them, and many times, it's too late. We take our own lives for granted. It's just so easy!

I take my fortunes for granted every day. I try not to, but again, it's natural human error. Whether we're programmed that way or not, we do it. Recently our housing costs were raised more than 11% by our school. Needless to say, the students (I being one of them), were outraged. But this was all put into perspective by three other students that live in my building; Wonduk, Nayoung, and Ji-Tae. They found themselves in my apartment explaining their fears to me about this rent increase. As American students, we can take out additional loans to help us pay for our school, but these students cannot do such a thing. Being from Korea, they cannot take out loans from our government. They and their families that are over here working on their degrees, learning in a new language, are supported by other families in their churches back in Korea. They depend on these other people to help them in their education and in their ministries.

A rent increase of 11% is huge for these students. First, they have to ask for these funds from families back home who do not have much to begin with. Second, their money is worth far less than ours, less than half of what our American dollar is worth. So, for them, this isn't just about $100 extra a month, it's several hundred for them.

All this being said, I can't take what I have for granted. I'm not happy to pay more money in such a tough economy, but who is? In the end, it's only money. Only cotton and paper and fibers, dyed green to represent what someone has. I don't have more than $15 in my bank account at the moment, but I have so much more than many who have thousands of dollars in their accounts.