As Christians, We Need Community--Don't Navigate Life Alone! (Ecc. 4:7-12)

Image courtesy of facultyfocus.com

Ecclesiastes 4:7-12

7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Application

I remember when I was heading to South Korea for what I thought would be an experience of teaching and living in my own apartment for one year. Once I arrived and moved into my apartment, I was really excited. It was the first time I had ever lived by myself. The funny thing is that the school that I was going to work for hadn't been finished being built yet! I was in limbo for two weeks and living next door to an American guy who would be my coworker. However, after one week I was alone because I didn't have my family there and I didn't have a church yet. I was living in the city of Ulsan in 2003, where few people spoke English. I found out that my friend was raised a Christian, although he seemed like a nominal one at the time. I told him that if we don't find a church soon, then I am going to go crazy just because I feel so alone without any friends or a community. Thankfully, he went to a Korean church and found someone that spoke English and she told us there was an English service in the city! We started going to that church and the loneliness was gone!

Some people think they are street-smart and have the survival skills to endure the wilderness, go camping, and handle all of the wildlife. However, separating ourselves from the community is a sure way to fail. The wise author of Ecclesiastes (Solomon) said, "Two are better than one, because...one can help the other up" (4:9-10). Even with all of the messiness of sinners in the community, a Christ-honoring community is essential to thrive in life. We don't stand a chance against the trials and tribulations in this world if we try to tackle all of our problems on our own. Solomon said that someone who toils alone toils in vain (verse 8). Without community, we're more susceptible to danger (verses 11-12). The gift of a loving, Christ-focused community is one that not only provides encouragement but also gives us strength to thrive despite challenging situations. We need each other!

Reflect 

How can you commit to spending time with the family of believers? Who around you is isolated and in need? 

Pray

Father, thank you for the gift of community. We know that are are made to edify and encourage each other and not navigate this life alone.  Put it on my heart and let me know if there's someone that needs care right now. Maybe it's a phone call, a text, or asking if they need to get together for dinner. Please put this person in my heart. In your name, I pray, Amen.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

View from Gateway Seminary after Huge Rainstorm

One week after a huge rainstorm that battered Southern California, which included 14 inches in the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys as well as 475 mudslides, the weather is beautiful and the mountains are dusted with snow.

If you want to go to the mountains and head for Lake Arrowhead or Big Bear, you will need chains this week. But most of us will just enjoy the sun and seeing the snow from a distance!

Scott Worden (The L.A. Seoul/Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Uber Riders: If you Smell like Weed, Don't Expect a 5-Star Rating

 Listen to my story of when I had three people in my car between the ages of 19-25 get into my car smelling like they spent the whole day at a marijuana dispensary. I also have advice to both Uber drivers and Uber riders when this stuff happens:

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Uber Drivers: Watch out for scammers!

I have been an Uber driver for over a year and most of my riders are pretty cool. But there are times when I thought to myself, "Wow, I really should've _____ " or "I really shouldn't have _______." One of those times happened recently when a rider wanted me to take them back to their home because he was too lazy to call another Uber. This required him to pay me upfront via cash or via Zelle or Venmo. Listen to my story on YouTube as to what mistake I made even though I was very careful:

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Laguna Beach: My Favorite Beach in Southern California

 

Yes, Laguna Beach can get very congested on weekends and yes, trying to find parking can be quite the chore if you happen to arrive there at one in the afternoon on Saturday. But if you get there early enough, you will find a few good reasons to stay. There are some great art galleries that will inspire your creative side, good places to eat at in the heart of Laguna Beach, and some walking trails that are near the coastline just north of the center of Laguna.

 But the best part of Laguna Beach is the sunsets!

My wife and I arrived at 4:30pm on Sunday when most people were going home. We parked on a side street and walked two blocks down to the beach and we weren’t disappointed! God is an amazing artist!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Devotional: Proverbs 2:1-11

 

Store up God’s word in your heart

Do you long to know God better? Would you like to be wiser, more skillful and to have more knowledge and understanding?

Make a lifelong, daily habit of reading God’s word. The writer of Proverbs urges, ‘store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding… For wisdom will enter your heart’ (vv.1–2,10).

1. What do you need to do?
   ‘Store up’ God’s words within you (v.1). You need to ‘accept’ (v.1), listen and apply (v.2), ‘call out’ (v.3) and ‘search’ (v.4). ‘Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt’ (v.4, MSG). This takes time and commitment. Don’t just prioritise your schedule; schedule your priorities. Set aside a regular time to read the Bible and schedule it as a top priority.

2. What does God promise if you do this?
   You will ‘find the knowledge of God’ (v.5). ‘God gives out Wisdom free’ (v.6, MSG). Because of God’s character he ‘gives wisdom’ and ‘understanding’ (v.6), ‘victory’ (v.7), protection (v.8) and ‘discretion’ (v.11). He promises that God will ‘keep his eye on’ you (v.8, MSG) and ‘protect you, and… guard you’ (vv.8,11).

Lord, help me to continue to spend time with you each day and to apply the teachings of the Bible to my life.

Devotional Courtesy of: YouVerse Bible App

Photo Credit: David Mathis of desiringGod.org

Scott Worden

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

A Gateway Seminary Student's Take on Pride Month

 

Photo Courtesy: Flickr: Caro Wallis, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Where do you stand on the issue of Pride Month as a Christian? I go to a Southern Baptist seminary and all of my friends and professors from my seminary (Gateway Seminary in Ontario, California) claim that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters. They all disagree that the LGBTQ+ lifestyle is something to take pride in. I have a few friends that attend an American Baptist church and agree with the mantra that "love is love" and God loves everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. They are ultra-Arminians and believe God will not judge them for how they love others. Well, here is my take:

First, you have to establish whether the LGBTQ+ lifestyle is a sin. As mentioned earlier, I have a few Christian friends that don’t hold the Bible as the ultimate authority and agree with their lifestyle and promote it. Of course, we should always welcome everyone to church and have them come as they are. God loves everyone! And the church should always welcome anyone regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or social status. 

However, once you get to church, the truth has to be spoken! The Bible is clear that there are only two genders and marriage is between a man and a woman. Jesus even quotes Genesis in Matthew 19:5 on the issue. 

What about homosexuality? We don’t even have to go back to Leviticus to realize that it’s a sin. You can read Romans 1:26, 1 Cor. 19:6, and Jude 7. It’s still a sin in the NEW covenant.

But wait. Aren’t we all sinners? Yes! We say God’s name in vain. We might disrespect our spouses when we get into arguments. We might have said something about someone behind their backs. I don’t condemn homosexuals to hell. That is between God and them. My job is to point them to the truth.

However, if you agree that we all sin and we need Jesus, then why would you promote a certain kind of sin and criticize me if I don’t agree with something that is contrary to Scripture? 

Why do I have to watch the news and see the glorification so blatant that if I disagree with it then there’s something wrong with me? Why are businesses such as Starbucks, Target, Bud Light, and professional sports teams caving to the 1%? They are afraid of losing money if they express disagreement and the media will destroy them. How is that fair in a country that honors freedom of speech and expression? You can express your beliefs but I can’t?

Why am I a bigot if I don’t want my baseball team showing an LGBTQ flag, an ideology I don’t stand for? If you believe the slogan “love is love” then where is the boundary of love? Just two days ago, a woman married her AI partner because she was in love with “him.” Love is love, right? That definition is subjective and dangerous. Do you notice how many pronouns there are now? Where does it end? If we keep letting ultra-liberals define what "love" is, then it'll be scary to see what society's blurred definition of it will be in 5 years?

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

I Quit Twitter and I Don't Regret it!

 Courtesy of musically.com

 I already spend too much time on social media (mostly on Facebook and sometimes on Instagram) that I needed to get rid of one kind of outlet that was a complete time waster. After thinking, praying, and debating about it, I finally decided to get rid of Twitter. Here are some of my reasons.

1. Out of all the social media platforms that I have used (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linked In), Twitter seemed to be the most narcissistic. People don't really care about others on there. They are just trying to get as many "likes" and "retweets" as possible. Of course, that's not saying people don't want to get "likes" and comments on Facebook, but you usually do anyway since your family and friends are the ones to comment. On Twitter, most people are complete strangers, so you rely on complete strangers for affirmation.

2. Sometimes you will tweet something that you think people will like and many times you will get absolutely no retweets or "likes." If you're not extremely popular or slightly famous on Twitter, you will have this problem often.

3. If you are following someone, you see accounts that they follow since Twitter suggests them to you. But if those accounts don't appeal to you, you still see them because the person tweeted something from it or liked it. It's extremely annoying.

4. You see almost too much of what's wrong with the world on Twitter in REAL TIME. You can easily become negative and hate the world when you see all of the junk happening minute-by-minute and this is the main reason I jumped off Twitter.

Don't get me wrong. Twitter is very addictive and I see a lot of things I like about it (sports, weather, and up-to-date news is great to follow on Twitter), but for me personally, I am too busy and I don't want to get caught up in the negative aspects of Twitter. Facebook takes up too much of my time already and I want to use the rest of my free time on more useful things. 

So why don't I get rid of Facebook? As much as Facebook is a time waster (and it really can be sometimes), I just recently found two advantages that Facebook has more than any other social media outlet. 

1. Last week, I visited my high school alma mater to get my vaccination records and I ran into my old art teacher (who I was already keeping in touch with on Facebook). We hugged and although she was helping students and in a bit of a hurry, I posted on her timeline when I got home. She responded and asked why I stopped by and apologized that she didn't have more time to talk to me. And to add to this, my Bible teacher from the same high school (who I have also kept in contact with) commented in the thread that it must have been very special for us to see each other. That's one huge benefit of Facebook.

2. I recently got a message from an old friend who I went to church with in Seoul. She said she is coming out to L.A. in July and is trying to get together with some people and have a church reunion with friends living in L.A. that went to the same church as her in Seoul. She remarked that the pastor who married my wife and I is going to be there at the reunion as well. She told one of my close friends on Facebook as well and I think there will be a total of 10-11 people at the reunion. This is the power of Facebook. 

So there you go. Facebook has a lot of disadvantages, but these two reasons are pretty much why I keep Facebook. Twitter, on the other hand, doesn't have a whole lot of advantages except being informed early on the news. But since I can get my news elsewhere without being triggered, I don't really need Twitter.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

4 Important Lessons From the Book of Genesis

 

I found this really great article about the 4 Important Lessons from the Book of Genesis by Alex Lago on medium.com. I really like it because it's easy to understand, biblically sound, and perfect for understanding what's going on in today's society. Let me know what you think below!

1. We are All Created In God’s Image

At the beginning of the world, God created heaven and Earth. God then created light and divided it into night and day. Throughout a series of six days, God went to make the firmament, waters, dry land, plants, animals, and finally, man.

Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle and over all the earth (Genesis 1:26 KJV).

This should be comforting to everyone because our Lord created us to be like him. While it could be debated whether we were created in the likeness of the soul and body, there is no doubt that our ability to think rationally is something that no other being on the planet possesses. This rational thinking is most definitely a divine spark that brings us closer to our creator.

Whenever I have the option between sinning and doing the right thing, I remind myself of this message — that I can choose to be closer to my creator or I can dishonor him.

Also, when I do not think I am good enough to do something, I find comfort in the fact that I have been created in the image of my great Father — which means nothing is out of my reach.

In addition, this section also teaches us that humans have dominion over all other animals. But this should not give us the license to act recklessly, rather, it should remind us about the beautiful gifts we were given and our responsibility to care for these gifts. In the same way that God loves us, we should love our Earth and its inhabitants.

2. We Are Inherent Sinners

As a result of original sin, all humans have the tendency to do evil. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and listened to the serpent, it solidified our imperfect nature. Humans now know good and evil and we were sent out of the Garden of Eden and stripped of our immortality.

Adam’s sons, Cain and Abel, also exemplify the imperfection of man. Cain gave the Lord fruit from the ground while Abel gave the Lord an offering from his animals. God respected Abel’s offering more, so out of jealousy, Cain killed Abel. As a result, sin has affected man from the beginning.

My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh (Genesis 6:3 KJV).

After a few generations, humans start populating the Earth. It is during this time, that God notices that humans have grown especially wicked and only thought evil thoughts — all except for Noah. Noah is a good man and God recognizes this. He decides to flood the Earth to rid it of its corruption, but he spares Noah by telling him to build an arc for his family and animals.

This story shows that even though everyone around you may be sinning, you always have the option to please God and act differently. As a Christian, this is a duty that I am held responsible for. I know the scriptures and the teachings, so the punishment is worse if I do not follow them.

God is forgiving, however, and decides that:

Man’s heart is evil from its youth (Genesis 8:21 KJV).

God decides to establish a covenant with Noah and promises to never cut off the waters or flood all of humanity again.

The lesson here is that God knows what man is capable of and can forgive us. Establishing this covenant with Noah means that although we may sin, God will be understanding.

3. Trust God

Many generations after Noah, Abraham was born. Abraham heard a call from God to leave his country — Modern-day Iraq — and to go to a place where God would make a great nation for him — what is now Israel.

The Lord appeared unto Abraham, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him (Genesis 12:7 KJV).

Many people may wonder why God chooses Abraham. Unlike Noah, there is no mention of his righteousness or good character.

But there is a clear answer.

Abraham hears the call of God and follows it. How many people would leave the comfort of their homes and drop everything they know to follow in their faith?

Abraham immediately leaves for the unknown and trusts in God’s plan for him. When he gets to the new land, he also builds altars and honors God. His faith and devotion are so strong and apparent that God rewards him.

Many people feel the calling of God but they second guess it because they have work, family, or something else to tend to. Abraham ignored all his problems and just trusted in God and in turn, he was given a great blessing.

4. Don’t Lose Faith

There is another lesson about faith in the story of Abraham — but this time it is about his lack of faith.

The Lord promises Abraham generations that would be as abundant as the stars. Sarah, his wife, however, could not get pregnant. Instead of obeying trusting in God, Abraham listens to Sarah when she tells him to use her servant Ha’gar as a handmaid. Abraham gets her pregnant and has his first son, Ishmael.

God has different plans for Abraham. He specifically wants Abraham to have a child with Sarah. He wants to establish a covenant with that child. But Sarah is old and it is believed that she was barren. To everyone’s surprise, Sarah has a son and they called him Isaac.

God establishes his covenant with Isaac — but Abraham is upset over his other son Ishmael. He wants Ishmael to be blessed also. God is generous, and he gives Ishmael his blessing and promises to establish a great nation through him. But ultimately, Isaac receives the covenant of God.

This story shows how people may sometimes cut themselves short of their true greatness. God knows how special you are and he has a plan for you. Sometimes people do not think they are good enough and take an opportunity that is not their true calling. People must be patient and follow God’s will because he has so much more in store for them.

Just like Abraham lost faith in God and had Ishmael, many people do not have confidence in God’s plan and take a route in life that is beneath their greatness. If they trust in God, there is an Isaac waiting for them. God is generous, and still blesses Ishmael — but Isaac was destined for more greatness.

Conclusion

There are many valuable stories in Genesis that many Christians may have forgotten. While on the surface some of these stories appear unfair, if they are analyzed, they reveal the same loving God of Jesus.

I encourage everyone to look for the deeper meaning in these stories and discover them again for yourselves. 

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Life at Gateway Seminary In-Person

 

I first enrolled at Gateway Seminary as an online student while teaching English in South Korea in August 2019. I remember my first week and studying so hard for my Old Testament Introduction 1 class and I got 6/10 on my first quiz. I was so upset about it and kept telling my wife that if I couldn't handle it, I might have to drop out of seminary. I talked about it for two days resulting in an argument with my wife. Week 2 turned out much better and from then on I have gotten the hang of studying at seminary and enjoying it. Up until now, I have had a 3.61 GPA. Thank you, Lord, for your mercies and for helping me persevere!

When my wife and I arrived in California on December 20, 2020, I kept studying online and it was fine for the time being until I took Hebrew 1 in Fall 2021. During the first week, it was so overwhelming and I had no idea how to handle that class online since the homework was about learning all of the vowels and consonants during the first week! My wife thought that I had better take Hebrew in person, so then we decided to look into student housing. I dropped the online Hebrew class and did well in my other two classes for that semester. 

We moved into student housing from my dad's home on December 19, 2021 (almost exactly a year later), I enrolled in Spring 2022 classes in person. Wow! What a difference it makes to take classes in person compared to online. It's just a much more enjoyable experience. I can interact with the professor and hear other students engage with the professor, ask questions during the lectures, go to the library, and even get coffee or snacks on campus. It's 10 times better being at school in person rather than learning online. 

Side note: Just imagine all of those poor kids having to go to school on Zoom rather than in-person and imagine the horrors that the teacher had to engage with 25 students on Zoom. I applaud those teachers that endured through it and pray that we never have to ask kids to take classes on Zoom again. 

To make a long story short, I have loved being on campus at Gateway Seminary. My wife and I have a nice apartment (Just $920/month for now until it goes up a bit in August) just big enough for us and the apartment is only 3 miles away from school. We're in an area with many choices of restaurants and I'm a caregiver of a patient that is only 4.7 miles away. I'm very thankful that the Lord has put us together in a good spot. The only negative is that our church is still in Santa Paula (2 hours away). I really don't know how that's going to work out once I start doing more church-related work next year for my practicum course. But Jesus is looking out for us and I'm certain that it will all come together somehow. 

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

A Hidden Gem of a City in California: Ojai

 

The city of Ojai, California is 12 miles north of Ventura and 63 miles northwest of Los Angeles and has a population of 7,613 people. It was named after a Native American term meaning "moon" when the Chumash tribe originally inhabited it. It was originally named Nordoff, but was changed to Ojai in 1917 and became incorporated as a city in 1921. 

When my wife and I lived in Santa Paula, which is 16 miles northwest of Ojai, my wife and I would take a drive through Highway 150 and enjoy the peaceful drive through Ojai. There aren't a lot of things to do in the city of Ojai itself, but it does have some small clothing stores, a book store, a few restaurants, an ice cream shop, and a small park in the center of the city. One time we took a drive at sunset and we took a few shots of the rural area of Ojai before eating dinner.

Then we stopped off at Boccalli's Pizza, which is a family-run place. The people that work there are really friendly, so we stayed and ordered a pizza there. We were in the mood for a Hawaiian pizza, so we got one of those. Although they used canned pineapple on the pizza, it was still good and the service was excellent. I'd go back and try the pasta or another kind of pizza next time.

After that, we took a drive back to Santa Paula and we arrived at the most famous area of Ojai that looks over Ojai Valley. It was night time already, but the views were really nice and had to check out the stars that illuminated.

The drive from Santa Paula to Ojai has some curves as you go through the mountains, but on Friday or Saturday evenings, there is very little traffic. From Fillmore, you take the 126 West to Santa Paula and get off at 10th Street (Highway 150). Then you head east for 16 miles until you get to Ojai. If you drive from Ventura to Ojai, you can take the 101 north to the 33 before you hit Highway 150. You will then drive through a couple of small towns Casitas Springs (hometown of Johnny Cash) and Oak View before getting to Ojai. 

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Be A Rock For Jesus! (Matthew 26:69-75)

Sermon: November 29, 2021

On the license plate frame of my car I have the saying "Smile, Jesus Loves You." Now, most of the time I'm a patient driver and I follow the traffic laws. However, I do occasionally get really annoyed and upset if I am driving behind a really slow driver as I'm trying to get to work on time. Then when I arrive at work 15 minutes early, I think to myself, "Why did I get upset?"

Not only am I setting a bad example as a Christian with that frame on my car, I'm also showing the Lord that I can't handle small inconveniences in life, which is bad if I'm supposed to become a missionary in the future!

Well today, I'm going to tell you how every Christian can become a ROCK for Jesus by avoiding THREE pitfalls.

In your Bibles, please turn to Matthew 26:69-75. Once again, Matthew 26:69-75.

This is a very well-known story of how Peter denied Jesus after Jesus had predicted it beforehand. This was the same night as the Last Supper and Jesus was arrested just before Peter denied him.

What's the first pitfall we do as Christians that caused Peter to deny Jesus?

1. We act impulsively and don't think before we act. Peter is well known for acting before thinking and also not praying before making wise decisions. Just prior to this, a high priest by the name of Malchus came to arrest Jesus. Jesus even refers to the man as "friend", so Jesus was calm despite the circumstances. What did Peter do? He took out his sword and cut the man's ear off. Jesus heals the ear of the high priest and tells Peter in the book of John, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" Jesus was following the will of the Father, but Peter didn't realize it because he acted impulsively and didn't understand the bigger plan. He also thought impulsively when he denied Jesus. He didn't think or pray about what he should do.

- In my past relationships, I rarely prayed about how to handle conflicts with girlfriends and if we argued, I would just give up. I'm still a person that hates confrontations and arguing especially if it's over petty things. I'm thankful to the Lord that He matured me, or I would be an easy candidate for divorce especially with divorce so rampant in my family.

- When I lived in South Korea, I lived in a smaller town in my first year and I was so desperate to get out of that smaller town to move to the capital of Korea (Seoul). What did I do? I took the first job opportunity that came my way and it was one of the worst jobs I had ever had. I worked at two different schools, had 6 classes a day with no breaks, the books were bad, and the school was disorganized. I was miserable. But why did I go through all of that? I didn't pray before taking the job and made a quick decision with my own effort.

When was the last time you were in a desperate situation but acted impulsively without taking it to God first?

What's the second pitfall we do that caused Peter to deny Jesus?

2. We underestimate our weaknesses. Earlier that night, Jesus asked his disciples to pray for him in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew the hour was coming for Him to die on the cross and while Jesus was praying to the Father, He expected his disciples to pray for Him. Going back to verse 40 it says, "Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. 'Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?" Who was he talking to? PETER. He continues. "Watch and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Peter underestimated his weakness and we all do that sometimes.

- Maybe you think you're a forgiving person, but maybe there's that one coworker or family member that you just can't forgive because you don't think they're worthy of it.

- It could be anger. Just as I have occasional road rage, how easily do you get upset over trivial things or how often do you get upset with your spouses when you're annoyed over something small?

We all have a weakness that we underestimate. What do you think is yours?

What's the third pitfall that caused Peter to deny Jesus?

3. We give into our fears. Not only did Peter deny Jesus three times, but each denial got stronger and stronger. Why? He knew Jesus was in trouble and he had a fear of getting arrested and being put into prison for knowing who Jesus was.

How do we give into our fears?

- We might have fear of failure. This is true for me. I want to do well in my Hebrew and Greek classes in seminary. I have fear that I won't be able to get past them!

- We might have a fear of the future. After attending the missionary conference, I immediately started wondering if I could handle being a missionary in the future!

What is one thing you're worried about in your own life because you're trying to manage it on your own strength and not giving it to the Lord?

But let me give you some hope. In Matthew 26, we see Peter denying Jesus, but what did Jesus say to Peter in 10 chapters before this in Matthew 16? He said, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this ROCK, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." At this point, Jesus knew Peter would deny Him three times, yet he makes this bold statement knowing that Peter would be the pillar for the church. Why? Because He knew Peter had a repentant heart and would come back to Him.

So for us to be a ROCK for Jesus, let's #1- Pray before we make an important decision. #2- Humble ourselves and not overestimate our weaknesses. and #3- Not give into our fears.

I know many of us are going through some difficult circumstances in our lives. My challenge for you today is to think of something that is really worrying you and put it into the hands of the Lord. He understands what you're going through, He loves you, and He wants you to surrender that fear and worry to Him.

Eunhee and I are moving to Ontario, California (not Canada) in a couple of weeks. We're excited, but concerned because it's another transition moment in our lives. Just as I challenge you to surrender your fears and worries to Him, we must also do the same. We're all in the same boat together!

Scott Worden

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

My Wife Is Still Getting Acquainted With Food in America

Not my wife by the way!

Something cute and funny happened today. Eunhee and I went out to breakfast my with my dad. She felt like getting soup and salad instead of her usual oatmeal (believe it or not she LOVES oatmeal!). The soup of the day was salmon bisque. Later, the server brings out the soup with garlic bread. After that, I didn't realize what Eunhee was doing until it was too late. To my astonishment, she was spreading jelly on her garlic bread. I told Eunhee that there was garlic on the bread, so it wasn't going to taste good. She tried it and she said that it didn't taste that bad. The kicker is when my dad asked her to try the garlic bread that didn't have jelly on it. After trying it, my dad asked her, "Does it taste better?" She responded, "I'm not sure!" Haha!

Scott Worden

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Life as a Caregiver

Picture courtesy of Ford County Health Department

Life as a caregiver is challenging but rewarding! It's challenging because the pay is very low. If you're a new caregiver, expect to get paid minimum wage. You also don't get paid to drive from one home to the next, but that is California law. Secondly, being a caregiver means you are vulnerable to the problems of your patient and your patient's spouse. The more difficult the patient is having, the more challenges you will have as a caregiver from an emotional standpoint. Not only will the patient be struggling, but you will hear the stresses relayed to you from the patien'ts spouse as well. It's also very unpredictable. Some patients and their spouses have other worries besides the patient's health that you are exposed to because you are at their home on a consistent basis. But that's what also makes the job interesting. If it was the same every day, you would get bored.

As a caregiver, your job is to listen and give your patient comfort as well as their spouse, and that's why I find it rewarding. When you're dependable, friendly, and helpful, you are greatly appreciated. Just make sure you set your boundaries. Don't run a ton of errands unless you get gas money or just say "no" if it's too much for you. You need to remember that you are a professional and you cannot be their friend. There's a fine line, but make sure you keep it professional and DO NOT give out your phone number. Your company will make sure that you don't do that. If you DO give out your phone number, you're going to open yourself up to more drama. 

I recommend this job for people just out of college or people that are retired and want to do something rewarding because they don't want to stay home all of the time. It's a great job as a part time position, but might be extremely overwhelming if you were to do it full time.

Scott Worden

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

6 Things I Miss About Living in South Korea

 

As promised, I said I would write a post about 6 things that I miss about South Korea. I mentioned in my previous blog post about 6 things I don't miss about South Korea compared to living in the United States. Therefore, I need to be fair and talk about the things that I wish I could bring back from the Republic of Korea to America.

1. Excellent public transportation. Don't get me wrong. I love driving in Southern California, but there are a few things about driving in SoCal that can be annoying. First, traffic can be bad and the freeway near where I live has a lot of road work happening in order to widen freeways because the traffic is so bad. Secondly, gas prices are crazy. Thankfully, my wife has a hybrid and she doesn't drive very far to work, so she gasses up once every two weeks. I still need to use my car on weekends, since we commute 2 hours a week to go to church, use it to drive to my part-time job, and to school full time. I gas up about once a week. That comes to about $200 per month. Finally, car maintenance doesn't happen often, but you have to get oil changes every 5,000-6,000 miles, which is about $70-$75.

2. Reasonably priced and delicious Korean food. My wife and I have found excellent Korean restaurants although not exactly close to the area where we live now. But we found an excellent restaurant in Irvine and a few good ones in Koreatown. However, for two people, you're going to easily spend $50-$60 and for 4 people, you can end up spending close to $150 if you're not carefully looking at the prices. I miss going to a Korean restaurant in Seoul, where the food is delicious, the prices are reasonable, and you don't have to tip.

3. Safety. My wife and I moved to Ontario, California in student housing near my seminary. Thankfully, there are 4 people that patrol our apartment complex at night and there are two gates that keep unwanted guests out. But outside our neighborhood at night, you see homeless people and on occasion, you see people that could possibly be on drugs. You can also thank the governor of California for not dealing with homelessness properly When we lived with my dad, Santa Paula was much safer, but I still miss the safety of Seoul. You never had to worry about walking home alone at night since the city never slept.

4. Health insurance. It's ridiculous how much of a pain it is to get health insurance in the United States. We got Medi-Cal, which is a very low cost health insurance, but I made one doctor's visit because I had an ingrown toenail and the amount of time I had to wait to see a doctor was ridiculous. The medicine was cheap (thankfully), but if you have a low income, you're going to get poor healthcare. My wife will get a full time job in an international trading company, so she will get excellent health insurance after 90 days, but it won't include me. I will still need to rely on Medi-Cal.

5. Teaching ESL. To get a proper ESL teaching job in California, you need a Master's degree. Well, I'm already working on a Master's degree to become a missionary, so that option went out the window. In South Korea, I made a decent amount of money ($3,200/month) teaching in small group class settings, while my wife and I paid $500/month in rent. The job wasn't too hard and it was rewarding. As much as I didn't want to teach the rest of my life, I still enjoyed meeting friendly Korean students and doing my best to be a great teacher. I had some good memories teaching in South Korea.

6. Traveling around South Korea. South Korea is a beautiful country. I miss Haeundae Beach in Busan, traveling to Gangwon province and visiting cities such as Gapyeong, Sokcho, and Gangneung, and miss just taking day trips outside of Seoul to Chuncheon, Incheon, or Paju. I love visiting various gardens, palaces, temples, and seeing the historical aspect of Koren culture. 

Scott Worden

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

6 Things I Don't Miss About South Korea after Moving Back to the U.S.

 

Since moving back to the United States, I have to say that there are certain things that I don't miss about my life back in South Korea. I do miss some aspects of South Korea and I will mention them in my next blog. Today, I will list things that I enjoy more in the United States compared to South Korea:

1. I love being able to drive anywhere I need to go. I could not go to Costco in Seoul unless I had a car. But because of the traffic, lack of parking available, good public transportation, and crazy drivers, I never bought a car in Seoul. Not having a car also prevented me from seeing more of South Korea.

2. I love the multicultural aspect of Southern California. You have Caucasians, Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and people who interact well with each other here. The media may make America out to be a racist country (yes, there are times where racism is a problem here), but in Southern California, no one sticks out because everyone is different.

3. The convenience stores have much better stuff than in Korea. You can get 100% juice, salty snacks, a huge selection of chocolate bars, and a huge assortment of gum. 

4. The laidback life has been missed. It's not a rat race here except during rush hour on the freeways. You don't feel guilty for not being busy. Sometimes that can tend to make you a bit lazy here, but it's nice not to feel like your competing as you're walking fast in a subway station on your way to work.

5. The food is outstanding! You can get great Italian food, Mexican food, Middle Eastern food, and great hamburgers. My wife would totally disagree about the food though. She thinks the food isn't spicy enough here, except a burrito containing especially hot sauce.

6. People are friendlier. You never feel shy to speak to strangers at a store, people say "excuse me" and "thank you", and you will probably get a "hi" as you pass a stranger on the street.

Scott Worden

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

January 2021: Got a job and then.....QUIT.

In the second week of the new year, I applied for a behavior technician position on Indeed. The company was called Behavior Frontiers. Since I had experience working with autistic kids, I thought I would try and see what this company had to offer.

The recruiter from the company responded back and we had a short conversation on the phone. Things went pretty smoothly. Then he said he would like to go to the next step and have someone conduct a remote interview with me. I was excited and a week later, the guy contacted me via Google Meet. The app wasn't working very well on my computer, so he called me via video chat on his phone. 

The interview wasn't that difficult and the guy was really energetic and positive. I got hired! It was my first job in America since 2003! I had a good impression of the company and went through the typical pre-hiring process of filling out and signing documents. 

However, the next step was a bit rough. The new hires (including myself) had to watch 5-6 hours of training videos per day in one week. On top of that, the four of us had to meet with our trainer via video call. It seemed fairly useful, but it definitely wasn't as effective as having the training done in person. Nevertheless, the training was helpful and I was ready to get started with field training.

My first day of field training was planned by my scheduling coordinator. I was to go to a home in Simi Valley (24 miles and about 40 minutes from Santa Paula) and a trainer would conduct the first lesson. While she was doing the lesson, I would watch the trainer and take notes. I would also check off to see what was being done and ask questions if I had any. I was supposed to be at the home by 9:00am to begin my field training.

I overestimated the time a bit because I left at 7:30am and arrived at a shopping center near the home at 8:15am. I prayed, tried to get myself to relax, and played a game on my phone. Then when it was about 8:45am, I drove to the home. Then it got a bit confusing. The home was an apartment, but it looked like only tenants could park in the parking lot of the apartment complex. I couldn't find where guests could park, so I parked across the street from the apartment complex. When it was all said and done, it was 8:55am when I was on my way to the front door of the home.

After I rang the doorbell, a woman peeked out and looked very surprised. A Vietnamese woman opened the door and she told me that she had canceled the lesson because her daughter went to the doctor's office. At that point, I didn't know what to do because it was my first day and it was totally unexpected. I told the mother that I would figure it out and that she didn't need to worry. I called my training coordinator while outside the mother's front door, but she didn't answer the phone. I called the main office, and the man from the main office said that I was indeed scheduled to be there by 9:00am. He said he would call me back in a few minutes. A few minutes passed while I was outside the home, and he finally called me back. He said that the mother DID call and cancel the session and he apologized. I realized that I had driven all the way to Simi Valley for nothing.

The shocking thing for me was that the scheduling coordinator didn't call me back even after I arrived back home at 12:00pm. I got the hint that this company wasn't the best fit for me. In fact, it was probably more suitable for younger people that are looking for experience and will do anything to get a paycheck. Think about it: You get paid $20/hour (not horrible) but have to drive to 1-2 homes to teach an autistic child for 2-3 hours. Not only do you have to teach that child, but you have to correct their behaviors, take data (behavior and learning data), and you have to do it with the parent watching you or at least in the home with you. I came to the conclusion that I needed to quit and sent in my resignation letter. And of course, the scheduling coordinator immediately responded back. It was ironic, to say the least.

Scott Worden

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

December 2020- Moving back to the United States

 

The last day (December 17) in Korea was tough. We had to get rid of our mattress, clean up our tiny apartment, go to the phone company to disconnect our lines, and then wait for my friend Erik to pick us up to go to the airport. Eunhee's sister, mother, and brother-in-law came and they said they would follow Erik to the airport to say goodbye. Unfortunately, Erik was stuck in traffic and he was about an hour late. Thankfully, we left early enough to still make it on time. We said goodbye to Erik and he drove away. Eunhee's sister, mother, brother-in-law, and our nephew came into the airport and waited for us to check-in. Then we said goodbye to them and it felt a bit strange because we knew we wouldn't see them for a very long time since Eunhee would be in the green card process. Then we got in line to get though security before arriving at the immigration desk. For the first time in 17 years, I gave up my alien registration card for good. Bye bye, South Korea....

Since Incheon Airport was fairly quiet, we didn't have any major problems getting to our gate. The weird thing was seeing most of the restaurants closed, and less than 20 people on our way to our gate when we got through immigration. Observing an airport that empty was a little surreal and a bit sad. Once we got on the plane, the plane was HALF full. California was in its peak period for the pandemic, so this worked out really well for us. Eunhee was able to lay down and sleep from Incheon to LAX. I was too energetic, so I watched a few movies. Sadly I can't remember what I watched at the moment. 

When we arrived at LAX, it was a ghost town, but not quite as bad as Incheon Airport. That also worked to our advantage since Eunhee and I were able to stand in the same line in the immigration line (Normally they separate US citizens from non-US citizens as most countries do). Eunhee went ahead of me and talked to the immigration officer. He asked her who I was with and she said "my husband" and he asked where I was and she pointed to me. He then asked me to come over and he asked where we were staying and I told him we were staying with my dad. Apparently, he asked Eunhee the same question and when I confirmed it, we both passed through immigration without any issues. The Lord was right there with us guiding us back to the U.S.! 

Scott Worden

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy