Wish I knew more Korean

So I wrote a remix to Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus its super cheesy but my co-workers thought it was funny so here it is. Put on the music and try to sing along

Hop off the plane at ICN with my passport and carry-on

Like where the heck is baggage claim, I need to get some won

Look for someone with my name written on a sign

Really hoping that they're here on time

This is all so crazy, everybody here is so Asian

My tummy's hurting and I'm feeling kind of homesick

Not quite sure if that was chicken

Then the driver took all of my luggage

and I got into the car, I GOT into the Carrrrr, I GOT INTO THE CAR

Then he asked me a question but it wasnt in english

I was nodding my head like yeah

moving my lips like yeah

Then he asked me the question again

and I said "I dont understand"

Yeaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh I wish i knew more Korean

YYYYEeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaHHHHHHH I wish i knew more Korean

moving on

So I have had a day here in Korea and I have been able to process some things. First thing is how extremely blessed i am to have the people in my life that I do. The last week although exhausting was so good for my heart. I already knew that I was loved but to be able to tangibly see it did wonders for my heart and made me realize how much God has used all of the people in my life to show me His love and grace.

Second thing that I realized by actually being here is how much peace i have about the decision I have made. Even yesterday when I was just walking around my apartment and I was so lost and it seemed like there were millions of people around me and I had no clue what was going on. All I could think was how cool this is and all the things I am going to learn. Not once did I go "what did I get myself into" or "I have made a huge mistake" So those have been the last couple of thoughts that I had on this journey so far.

Now......

time for some of the things I have learned in little more than 24 hours in Korea. I'll give you the top five

1. Do not ever and I mean ever cross the street without the green walk signal. Just when you think it is safe a big green bus will come out of nowhere and make your life flash before your eyes and not even slow down. Also on that note do not think just because the light turned green that you shouldn't wait a second in case a bus decides that they need to get to their destination before you or you might be squished

2. Being Black in Korea means you will get a lot of looks. This I have noticed is not always a bad thing. There have been so many people that will be looking at me and when i catch them they just smile and bow or say hello. Kind of different from what I expected.

3. Koreans are horrible drivers. I kind of eluded to this with number 1 but I have never seen so much chaos on a street. There are people driving scooters and motorcycles on the sidewalk, there are like 7 lanes on the street and there are hundreds of people walking around everywhere and everybody keeps going it doesnt matter if you get bumped or pushed on accident by time you see who did it they are already halfway down the block so you cant take it personal. Drivers cut each other off all of the time and no one honks at each other. I have figured out that Koreans are aggressive drivers just not aggressive people.

4. Everything about Korean culture is different from America. For example if you are shaking someone's hand that is older than you Firm is not good(actually disrespectful Doh) a nice handshake and a bow shows respect not the mano y mano handshake. And if you are going to pour some water make sure to pour for everyone else first and yourself last. Koreans are very big on giving and respecting others but they dont take things serious like holding a door open or letting a lady sit down. Comparing things to America will just drive you nuts so dont do it.

5. Last for now make sure to have a group of people with you when you go out to eat because you are going to get a lot of food and it will be awesome. So make sure you have people to enjoy it with. Luckily I somehow managed to meet people and have enjoyed meals with many different people. (i know thats a real surprise)

Honorable mention- dont have smelly feet because your shoes are coming off everytime you go somewhere, if you are going to buy something do it in the subway its a little cheaper, and the best snack in the world is a waffle folded with honey and whipped cream in the middle.

Thats just a little of what Korea has shown me so far. This is going to be a wild ride

the other voice

So I was having lunch with one of my dearest friends Annie yesterday and she said something that has been coming up more and more the last couple of weeks in my life. She says to me that we are made to get our identity from an outside voice. Now let me say that I have some really smart friends. I have friends that are book smart but have no common sense, friends that can hustle their way out of anything but couldn't pass a college class to save their soul. I have friends that own businesses, who hear the Lord and who are very discerning.

So when Annie said that to me i really took it to heart as one of the smartest things I have heard for a couple of reasons.
1. Annie is really smart
2. That thought has been going on in my mind for a while
3. I just read something like that in a book that is kicking my butt. (thats for another post)

But I started to process that with her and what that means and why we not only want to hear who we are from the outside but need it. A very fun and deep conversation that I have grown to love and expect from Annie. After I left Annie I thought about this even more and really pieced together what the Lord has been saying to me lately and that is "I want to go on an adventure with you", that voice that has been speaking to me is one of a Father that desires to talk to me all of the time.

I have been reading Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller and it is a really good book. Very fresh and unique in the points and questions Miller raises. One of the biggest points he makes is,

"Man is wired so he gets his glory (his security, his understanding of value, his feeling of purpose, his feeling of rightness with his Maker, his security for eternity) from God. This relationship is so strong and Gods love is so pure, that Adam and Eve felt no insecurity at all, so much so that they walked around naked and didnt even realize they were naked. But when that relationship was broken, they knew it instantly. All of their glory, the glory that came from God, was gone."

This little passage has really been speaking to me so you can see why when Annie said what she said yesterday it was like a kick in the face. I mean I have literally read this same passage everyday for a week straight. But I think Miller brings up a point that I never thought about and that point is it's impossible to give yourself your identity. I mean you can do things and act a certain way but until someone else notices and validates the action it is not an identity. The next thought that came up to me is that it must have really sucked to be Adam and Eve. They were able to be completely in the presence of the Lord with nothing separating them and then in an instant they realized they were naked. Miller goes on to equate it to being in love and the person just not being there. I think it is even crazier than that. I mean we were born knowing we are naked and we need to be covered and we are searching for that voice to tell us who we are and our importance. They had that voice and lost it, gave it away, weren't satisfied with it, wanted more. Only to find nothing can replace it.

So the adventure that I am embarking on is to hear the quiet voice through the noise. The one that can actually suffice. The voice that spoke Greg Buckman into existence and the one that not only wants to but has the authority to tell me who I am.

So the question is.........

What voice are you listening to?????

thankful

you ever have one of those days where you wake up so overwhelmed with emotion? I had that today. I was so excited today for so many reasons. The main one being one of my favorite people in the world was coming into town another being that two of my dearest friends were announcing the sex of their baby and also because no matter how shallow it may seem i was going to get to just sit around and watch basketball.

Today was such a great day of reflection for me though and there are so many things that I am truly grateful for and no matter what I have going on in my life good or bad there are always a lot of constants in my life that remind me of the grace and goodness of God. So here are a few....

Family- I mean i have the funniest and goofiest family in the world we laugh, we talk and we really are genuinely in love with each other. My mother is my rock and my hero I dont even want to imagine where I would be without her. My little sisters are the coolest and they keep me on my toes partly because they laugh at every single thing i do and it kind of makes me self conscious. At the same time they are the most gracious and loving people you will find. They know how to make an old man like me feel important and wanted and I am grateful for the way the Lord has grasped their heart at such an early age.

Second Families- I am also very blessed to have so many people in my life that have adopted me and treat me as one of their own. Its great to be loved by so many people and to be trusted and respected by such a wide group of people.

Friends- I have the best friends whether it be new friends, friends i have had for a while or friends that I will be hanging out with when I am 60. God has put so many people in my life that have challenged me, kicked my but and loved on me that I dont even know what to do. The best thing about my friends is that they not only are ok with who i am they get pissed when I am not ok with who I am. For that I am grateful. My pastor always talks about the mirror that we have showing us ourselves and I cant think of any other people or situations that show me the real Greg more than my friends.

There are so many more things for me to be thankful for. These three things were really heavy on my heart today and I wanted to express that. I love all of you that are in these three categories. You know who you are and how you have fit in my life. Thank you and continue to be glimpes into the heart of God that you already are and have been.

So now I go to bed thankful and challenge you to think about the things you are thankful for and dont forget to express it.

Seasons pt. 1

I have had a very interesting week. First off I have a job and its really weird to have this job because this will be the biggest change in my life. I am actually going to Korea. That is so weird for me to even say. But back to this week, I have had such a peace for the last week. The weeks leading up to this one I was dealing with so much anxiety and impatience. I wanted to know so desperately the future and what is in store for this next season. This week i decided to throw that all away and just rely on the Lord. Its crazy to me that no matter what season we are in there is always the overlooming thought that it will end soon. That thought has been carrying me in the last month or so during this season of anxiety and unanswered questions, it will soon be over and now the thought is this season of peace will soon be over. I guess that is what makes life so interesting that no matter what season we are in there is always something around the corner.

James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

But how is it possible to count ALLLLLL things joy? When we are in the season of loneliness how is that joyful? When we are in a season of grieving a loss how can we be joyful? joy is defined as: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation. How is it possible to find joy in all things by that definition? Not ALL things will be satisfying so are we off of the hook when things are bad? Or did James mess it up? NEITHER I think it is deeper than that. I dont believe joy is an emotion. I believe Joy is a choice. We choose to Find Jesus in every season He is the only one that makes anything joyful. Happiness is an emotion, many things can make us happy. The chiefs picking Eric Berry made me happy, seeing the Jonsi concert last night made me happy, even eating Popeyes tonight for dinner makes me happy. But happiness is so flighty it is so wishy/washy. Happiness is something that we have control over we can control if something makes us happy. But joy...true joy is whether we are in a good season or a bad season, one in which we are anxious or one in which there is peace we find Jesus and grace that comes along with finding Him. So going back to what James says have we been spending our lives and time counting all things happy instead of joy. I know i have. But only by choosing to find joy will we be able to live a life that James calls us too.

So may we find Jesus in everything and in turn find Joy.

Tiger Woods

So this weekend I was watching some of the masters and i was struck with intrigue and amazement. The intrigue came from the play of golfers such as Mickelson, Westwood, Choi, Woods and even Watson. The amazement came from how much people were talking about the stories off the course on the radio and the sports shows instead of the golf itself. I was honestly shocked that Tiger didnt win the Master's but that's not the point of this story. For weeks leading up to the Master's i am sure every one has heard the stories and know the situation surrounding Tiger and his infidelity and stupid decisions off the golf course. What has struck me most is the infatuation that we have with the disaster which is someone elses life. In our society we embrace, thrive and even live off of what is happening in others lives. We live so vicariously through celebrities and athletes that we trick ourselves into thinking that it is our business and right to not only know what is going on in their lives but judge and determine what's best for their life. It is quite sickening to me the more i am aware of it.

This weekend I was watching my little sisters over at my moms house and i got myself wrapped up in the mess that is American cable television. Now i am no stranger to cable I grew up with it and enjoyed it growing up actually. But for the past five years i have not had cable in my life on a regular basis. The only thing I really miss about cable is the extensive sports coverage and watching different sporting events. As I was watching t.v. this weekend I was really shocked and disgusted by the amount of reality shows on t.v. and I started to get pissed. I kept thinking why are there so many stupid reality shows; real world, the hills, real housewives of orange county, real housewives of atlanta, basketball wives and on and on. So many lives that we are getting exposed to in an unhealthy way. Why are there so many? Because they are constantly being watched. This reality has me thinking, why is our society so wrapped up in other peoples lives? what is so fascinating about a bunch of rich spoiled brats? how is this reality for some people?

The answer is simple because we are so frustrated,disgusted,and dissappointed with our lives that we get satisfaction out of either living through someone elses life or looking at someone elses life and feeling better about ours. That answer is very sad to me. As a whole we would rather live in someone elses reality than live in our own. Like I said earlier there are so many of these shows because there are so many people that watch them.

So I will leave with these thoughts, as we sit, judge and even mock a Ben Roethlisburger or a Tiger Woods just think what would people say about you if every mistake you made was broadcast around the world. These celebrities and athletes are actually no different than any of us. They make mistakes, we make mistakes. They have trials and triumphs and so do we. The only difference is everything they do is done with millions of eyes on them. Sorry this really isn't a post about Tiger Woods or what I think I just wanted to get that off of my chest. So before we throw out how horrible someone else is celebrity or not evaluate yourself and ask God to put the mirror infront of you to see your flaws and instead of judgement lets try to find GRACE for others and ourselves.

stinking lemons

I have been thinking about two different things lately...

Ever since i was a little kid I have always heard this saying "when life gives you lemons make lemonade". The last few weeks has made me think about this saying in a whole new way. What this means to me is that when things come your way that are hard or not necessarily convenient you make a way for it to be convenient and make the best out of it. In theory this is great. You always make the best out of everything and you make every situation productive for you.

To my second thought... I have really been contemplating the thought of the branch and the vine in the New Testament. That we cannot bear any fruit except for through the vine. The only way to produce fruit is to be completely dependant on the substance that the vine produces. The branch doesnt tell the vine what to do or how to do it the branch just sits there and soaks in what the vine has.

Back to the lemons...when thinking about making lemonade and abiding in the vine is it always best to make lemonade out of lemons. What if we are supposed to hold the lemons for later, what if we are supposed to use the lemon for a blvd. wheat or for a cake or lemon meringue pie. What if in our haste to make lemonade we misuse the lemons that God has given us.

I have learned after many times of making useless lemonade that when you make lemonade when it is not needed it is just a waste. When i am not in the mood for lemonade but still make it because i am "supposed to" it just goes to waste. So the challenge is not necessarily making lemonade out of lemons. It's using the lemons the way God wants us to at the time. Nothing is worse than needing lemons for lemon chicken and not having any because of some lemonade that wasnt even enjoyed. So use your lemons wisely let God take them and make the best use for them because sometimes lemons alone are just what we need.