Well, my life for the next six months in Europe is all packed in two suitcases. Packing for spring and summer and at least six countries with varied terrain is difficult; hopefully, I won’t freeze or melt or, worse, lose one of the two suitcases. There was a surprising amount of Koreans on my flightContinue reading “Parting from Seoul”
Author Archives: Sooho Lee
“Nice While It Lasted”
BoJack Horseman is one of the best TV series ever created, and that’s my personal opinion. I’ll admit that it’s not a show for everyone. It’s anthropomorphic animation touching on depression, drug and alcohol abuse, sex and misogyny, the entertainment industry, toxicity, friendship and unhealthy relationships, growth and relapse. It’s raw, and much like digestingContinue reading ““Nice While It Lasted””
A Gift of Love // Martin Luther King, Jr.
An orator with few peers, Martin Luther King, Jr. towers as a shining example of speech and homiletics (the art of preaching). What I would give to hear him speak in the flesh! I remember in elementary school watching a recording of his famous “I Have A Dream” speech before MLK holiday. Despite my barelyContinue reading “A Gift of Love // Martin Luther King, Jr.”
That Hideous Strength // C.S. Lewis.
When I first read That Hideous Strength I was bored by its slow and uneventful pace: it lacks the brevity of Out of the Silent Planet and poetic depth of Perelandra. Or so I thought. This second reading brought out so much more. Though I would still rank it third out of the trilogy, itContinue reading “That Hideous Strength // C.S. Lewis.”
Fourth Moon in Seoul
Originally, a fourth month in Seoul was not planned. But things happen, and they mess plans. One of the reasons why I extended my time in Korea was because I got LASEK at the end of last year. LASEK is a less-invasive procedure than LASIK, but its recovery time is much longer. To comply withContinue reading “Fourth Moon in Seoul”
Perelandra // C.S. Lewis.
I’m embarrassed to admit that the first time I read Perelandra I did not enjoy it. I would like to fully recant my previous sentiment with wholehearted repentance: Perelandra is a brilliant stroke of theological rumination. I think before I was on the heels of Out of the Silent Planet‘s more adventurous narrative that IContinue reading “Perelandra // C.S. Lewis.”
Fifty Famous Stories Retold // James Baldwin.
Time to time I break away from theology to read fiction, but I was already too preoccupied with many other books. So, this short collection was the perfect choice with short stories not much longer than a few-minutes read. I’m not sure how famous these are since I probably only heard about 10 of theContinue reading “Fifty Famous Stories Retold // James Baldwin.”
Third Moon in Seoul
This post is coming late due to recovery from LASEK surgery at the end of December. The surgery went well; I am still in wonder with my new 20-20 vision—it’s a whole new world. Forgive thy sinner for I have been indulging on my guilty pleasure: starting too many books at once. At one pointContinue reading “Third Moon in Seoul”
A Little History of the World // E.H. Gombrich.
Art historian by training, E.H. Gombrich is not the obvious choice for writing a children’s book on the history of the world. He sort of stumbled onto it and wrote marvelously, entertaining children and adults for decades. While a doctoral student at University of Vienna in 1935, a friend in publishing approached Gombrich to skimContinue reading “A Little History of the World // E.H. Gombrich.”
Love, Henri // Henri Nouwen.
It took a long time to finish this index, but I’m grateful I did. Henri Nouwen was a gem of humanity, and his precious letters show that. I’ve always wondered how Nouwen and his books were incredibly in touch with humanity. Was it because he was a modern-day mystic? Was it because he studied psychology?Continue reading “Love, Henri // Henri Nouwen.”
Top Reads of 2019
Being the year when I finished seminary and started Parish Pulpit Fellowship, I’m pleased to say that this year’s readings are very assorted: theology, philosophy, mysticism/spiritual, fiction, sci-fi, high fantasy, dyspotian, letters, and even punctuation! It seems, more than previous years, there was a high number of gems and goldmines—as evidenced by the many differentContinue reading “Top Reads of 2019”
Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism // Kathryn Tanner.
What has Wall Street to do with Jerusalem? What has the stock exchange to do with the Great Exchange? What has economics, specifically finance-dominated capitalism (FDC), to do with Christianity? Well, when the stakes are this high, a whole lot. Lives and the very fabrics of societies are being undone at the seams by theContinue reading “Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism // Kathryn Tanner.”
The Handmaid’s Tale // Margaret Atwood.
It’s been about 10 years since I first read Margaret Atwood’s masterful The Handmaid’s Tale (1985). It’s one of the earliest books I’ve read that left a memorable mark during a time when I loathed reading — yes, there was a time when I loathed reading. At the tail end of high school, I readContinue reading “The Handmaid’s Tale // Margaret Atwood.”
Eats, Shoots and Leaves // Lynne Truss.
Here’s a book about cringing at misplaced apostrophes and commas, about being sticklers, about Aldus Manutius the Elder (1449-1515) and his innovative printing standards, about raw potential energies of semicolons and colons, about the high duty of a writer to her audience, about itches and sensibilities — in short, a book about punctuation. I bet,Continue reading “Eats, Shoots and Leaves // Lynne Truss.”
Second Moon in Seoul
It’s cold! My SoCal body can barely handle it. Thank God for heat-tech, layers, down jackets, and 온돌 (“ondol”) or heated floors. Can’t believe it’s already December. The day I write this, December 3rd, was the first snow of the year; it lasted a pretty hour. I’m reminded of my first snow in college. ItContinue reading “Second Moon in Seoul”
Telling the Truth // Frederick Buechner.
How is it that I only just read Frederick Buechner? What captivating prose! I must read more by him. Telling the Truth is a short work on the art of preaching. It’s a sort of manual, but it reads like literary time-travel that highlights critical points of telling the truth. We muse with Pilate andContinue reading “Telling the Truth // Frederick Buechner.”
Deuteronomy: The Torah of Life.
Deuteronomy is the only Pentateuchal book fully narrated from Moses’s perspective. We hear Moses — his successes as well as his failures and frustrations — in his own voice. We must hear his pastoral and vulnerable voice. Instead of the timid Moses at the Burning Bush, Moses thunders life, blessing, warnings, and even threats inContinue reading “Deuteronomy: The Torah of Life.”
Andong (2019)
AJ and I were, by no means, strangers when we first planned our trip.
The Well of Ascension (Mistborn 2) // Brandon Sanderson.
I went into the second book of the first Mistborn series with some hesitation—I was pretty disappointed by Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, the sequel to Dune. Brandon Sanderson did not, however, disappoint. The impossible is done: the Lord Ruler—a god—is defeated! But his last words to Vin and her crew are chilling: “You don’t knowContinue reading “The Well of Ascension (Mistborn 2) // Brandon Sanderson.”
Out of the Silent Planet // C.S. Lewis.
After Till We Have Faces, I’ve been feeling… C.S.Lewis-y. Poor Ransom! Caught up in an interstellar mission without training or consent! Is a philologist or linguist even an acceptable person for the job? Apparently, he is. What happens when a philologist is taken captive by a mad physicists and an old, forgotten nemesis to Malacandra?Continue reading “Out of the Silent Planet // C.S. Lewis.”
God, Sexuality, and the Self // Sarah Coakley.
After a lifetime of ground-breaking and ground-laying systematics and philosophical theology, Sarah Coakley returns to one of her earliest theological itches with the theological courage to write and publish on tabooed subjects—the messy entanglement of sexuality, gender, desire, the Spirit, and the trinity. The product, God, Sexuality, and the Self, opens her ambitious four-part systematicContinue reading “God, Sexuality, and the Self // Sarah Coakley.”
Systematic Theology Volume 1 // Katherine Sonderegger.
Many theology books are instructive, some delightful, and a few inspiring, but precious rare ones set a fire so deep within that it both burns me thoroughly and is impossible put out. Katherine Sonderegger’s Systematic Theology Volume 1 is such fire. “Theology awakens a grateful heart.” (vii) This is particularly true of Katherine Sonderegger’s firstContinue reading “Systematic Theology Volume 1 // Katherine Sonderegger.”
Theology and the End of Doctrine // Christine Helmer.
In 1984, George Lindbeck, professor of theology at Yale University, published The Nature of Doctrine, a short manifesto that succinctly summarized a new way of doing theology: the so called “postliberal theology.” The proposal is simple: theological formation is best modeled after cultural-linguistic development. In other words, learning theology is like learning a language: oneContinue reading “Theology and the End of Doctrine // Christine Helmer.”
First Moon in Seoul
I find myself gravitating, more frequently now, towards the familiar and comfortable, usually in small forms. I enjoy fresh, clean sheets. I sip on warm coffee, either at home or at one of Seoul’s many fine cafes. I warm myself up with tea at night, usually after an exceptionally large meal. I watch the sameContinue reading “First Moon in Seoul”
The Final Empire (Mistborn 1) // Brandon Sanderson.
That’s it. I’m sold. I am a fan: Mistborn is simply… amazing. Thank you, Brandon Sanderson. Thank you, Michael Kramer (Audible voice). In this epic fantasy or high fantasy, Sanderson fills a world full of magic, metal, politics, and the age-old struggle between the oppressors and the oppressed. There is the underdog, Vin the streetContinue reading “The Final Empire (Mistborn 1) // Brandon Sanderson.”
lee, sooho 