Building Bridges.....

  Salty, sweet, spicy, hot, well the Korean food has it all. Many tourists coming to Korea tasting the food for the first time say the food is Hot, red and lots of garlic! The red tone in the food is from the red pepper. Red pepper is a very common ingredience in Korean cuisine but it is not originated from Korea. It was the Portuguese who took it to China and Korea during the 1500 and 1600 and it is in Korea to stay! The garlic though is much older and no one really knows why the Koreans eat that much garlic. The Japanese usually call the Koreans “garlic eater”, they use that name in disrespect, but I personally salute the Koreans using that much garlic. A typical Korean meal contains three main ingredience, Rice (pap), soup (guk) and Kimchi. Everything else you see at the table is named Panchan, side dishes, and they are placed in small nice plates all over the table. The more of these panchan you get, the better it is. Kimchi, what’s they? Well it is perhaps the most typical Kor...

  Around 400 BC different tribes came together in the north part of the peninsula and created the kingdom named “Choson”. Choson is a Chinese word that means “The land of the morning calm” Around 200 years after this Choson was divided into three kingdoms. It was Koguryo in the north, Silla in the southeast and Paeche in the southwest. China was influencing them all and because of this powerful influence it was hard to develop in its own way. Koguryo tried to break free from China and war broke out. They won against China in the year 313, but pretty soon China took over again. During these wars against Koguryo and China, Paeche had the possibility to strengthen just as Silla had. Buddhism came from China to Koguryo in the year 372 and in the year 384 Buddhism came to Paeche. In order for Buddhism to reach the Kingdom of Silla it took almost 150 years more. In the year 528 Buddhism came to Silla and the three kingdoms now developed in to strong and powerful kingdoms. They competed a...

  There are always legends and myths in all cultures and so even in Korea. The story of Tan-gun is something every Korean seams to know. If you have never heard of this Tan-gun don’t worry. To be very honest I did not hear about this before I started to get more interested in the history of Korea, and some things have I already forgot about, since I last wrote it down, and now reading it through I get reminded. Once upon a time there was a king named Hwang-ung. He was the son of the heavenly God. Hwang-ung wanted to help the people on earth and asked his father for advice and together with 3000 helpers he step down on earth on the mountain of “Taebeack”. He renamed himself as Chonwang, “God of Heaven”, and established a city named Shin-si. He founded 3 leaders who were responsible for the wind, rain and the clouds. He thought the people different professions and even thought the people what was good and evil. He created laws and made sure that people lived by them. In these days th...

  Korea has four distinct seasons. During summer which starts in the beginning of  June to the end of September, winds from the Pacific Ocean is sweeping in,  making the air hot and very humid. Summer is the rainy season in Korea and  Korea get the most of the rain during this period. This is not the best time to visit  Korea. Most of the time, people are indoors enjoying the cool air-condition. Winter in Korea is cold. Winds from Siberia are affecting the peninsula and it is not rare that the capital Seoul gets lots of snow. During winter it is very sunny compared to northern Europe, and the white snow is beautiful on the rooftops at the old palaces around the cities. During my time in Korea I have never experienced real winter. In 2018, my son went to visit his grandmother and grandfather and he catched a cold. Very cold outside and strangely even indoors. Animal life A lot of the big animals have unfortunately disappeared from Korea because of all the felling...

I have heard it from the media, read it in newspapers that Sweden is a secular nation, that Christianity is on decline in Sweden and that many churches, more or less, are empty. Well, it is true in one way but false in another. The nation is perhaps secular but not the people. Many Swedish Lutheran churches are empty but some are not.   Like, St Clara church in Stockholm that is doing so much for the homeless and the outcast. The church is full with needy people, celebrating together.   During winter, people are  sleeping and eating there, so the church serves as a shelter.   Another church in Malmo city was in great need of restoration, too expensive they said, so instead of fixing it, they built a new much smaller church. For years, that was fine but now that church is too small. A whole new generation is now coming to church with small children etc., so now they are in desperate need of renovating that old and bigger church.     In a ...

  SOUTH KOREA Many people know something about South Korea. It can be around Its food, K-pop, make-up, films and series, the nobel prize winner in literature Han kang, or perhaps the last mess within the parliament. But I would like to show you more about this rather tiny country in Asia. I wrote down for many years ago my thoughts and my knowing of Korea's history and culture, but it's just been there in a file and nothing happened to it. I do not say that I know everything, and I am not a resident of South Korea, but I have been there some times and my wife is from Korea. So Hopefully on a weekly basis I will be able to write down something from this old country, but young democracy in the far east. What is also a bit interesting is that to build bridges is necessary to reach people, but South Korea's northern neighbor has tear down them all. Korea, as I see it.   What do I really know about Korea? How would I best describe “The land of the morning calm”?   I ha...

An aquentence said one morning that he is not an atheist more than a agnostic, but more and more he he is thankful for what Christians has done to this nation and to the western world.  He said he is aware that a lot to be thankful for is for what the Christians has done. He then told me a story that he thought was so emotional and I will recite it for you. Perhaps you heard it as well. "There’s a story of how the Cherokee would perform a right of passage for all boys before they were considered men.  To become a man, the boy would be led into the woods at night. His father would sit him on a stump, blindfold Him and then leave him. He was told that he had to sit there all night, but he couldn’t make a sound. When he saw the sun rays through the blindfold, he could take it off and find his way back to camp. It was tough to sit there silently. With their eyes covered, their sense of hearing was enhanced. They heard ever twig break as an animal stepped on it. They could hear th...

Many people park in handicap parking without being handicapped. Usually we don’t say anything but this time my wife just asked the couple if they were handicapped. If not it would be inappropriate to park there. The woman got very angry. She said her husband had cancer in all his body and she hoped that my wife would get cancer too.    We both told her that, that was not a nice thing to say. They were Muslims and very angry.  I told them to stop cursing and just listen.  I told them that we were Christians and that we felt there pain.  He then shifted his angry approach and started to telling us his story and we asked if we could pray for him and he said yes please.   We both prayed in English and when Sarah prayed out laud in the name of Jesus, his damaged leg started to shiver.   I dont know what will happen to him, only god knows, but we prayed that he would get to know him, the God that heals. He was thankful for us praying, ...

 Today I did what is perhaps the most forbidden thing in Sweden, I wore a hat even though it was sunny and about 15C outside.  Yep, that's right. Swedes generally believe that you should dress how you want. If you want, you can wear a t-shirt when it's cold outside, that's OK.  If you want to wear a skirt if you are a man, that's OK. But beware of wearing winter clothes when the Swedes consider its warm. Giggles, laughter are quickly replaced by a questioning, a little aggressive. What should you wear when it gets cold? But my God, it's hot outside! Many people who come here as students etc. have opinions about the weather and that is what it is.  A girl from England commented that it was cold and windy. She was scored at:  it's nothing compared to England, what are you complaining about? So if you travel to Sweden, don't complain about the weather. For your own sake...

  Christmas is, first and foremost, about Love, God's Love. How much does God love us? God loves us so much that God gave us the most precious gift imaginable, Jesus, God's own Son. That's the heart of Christmas. (John 3:16) Christmas is a time of renewal, of fresh starts and coming together. I hope that this Christmas will bring you joy and peace. I hope that if you are travelling that you will stay safe and enjoy your days of travel. I pray for all of you who are staying, at home,  that you will enjoy the light of Christmas in your own place, that you belongs to a community of believers and that you can meet and have a great time together. May Jesus fill your existence with adoration and may you be honored with unlimited motivations to grin and cheer.  Happy Christmas.

  Celebrating Advent involves spending time in spiritual preparation. The word advent comes from the Latin word adventus meaning "arrival" or "coming," particularly the coming of something of great importance. No one is really sure when Advent was first celebrated but it dates back to at least 567 when monks were ordered to fast during December leading up to Christmas. Not all denominations celebrate Advent, however, more and more Protestant and Evangelical Christians are recognising the spiritual significance of Advent. Advent is NOT: ▪ Shopping ▪ Parties ▪ Stressing Advent is: ▪ Waiting ▪ Preparing ▪ Expecting ▪ Praying ▪ Hoping Not waiting for Christ to be born but for Christ to be back. When we prepare for Christmas it is a very likely that we think of Luke. Luke helps us to see the whole picture of history. From creation all the way to the "new" creation. Jesus is the center of it all. Luke help us to see what it was like in the very first century. Lu...

  For many years, the number of small birds in our residential areas declined.  Nobody really knows why. Could be pesticides, habitats for the birds, etc. But then a few years ago the small birds came back.  Last year we had a record number of nesting pairs of tawny owls, blue tits, chaffinch and house sparrows. Also a lot of robins. Last winter these flocked around our bird tables. Great fun and useful for biodiversity. For many years, our condominium association has not done much about the vegetation in our area. It has looked messy but these little birds have benefited from it. But this year, replanting has been started. Most bushes and small trees have been dug up. It looks neat, maybe a bit spartan, but the small birds has disappeared.  This is also true for rabbits and hedgehogs. I don't know what to say but the clearing has gone into overdrive. There is a lot of talk about the environment and climate and that is good, but how about well-being for the wildlife....

I don't want to be snarky, but even more shootings. The title is shootings 4, but it's not at all shooting no 4 in Sweden. The number is way higher. I don't have the exact number but I think 47 people are shot dead this year so far. Every day when you open your ipad to read the news, you are met with terrible images. Yesterday, a mother and her five-year-old son were shot while they were out playing. Damaged by bullets not intended for them. when you scroll, you read about an explosion outside a medical center. Knife fight at a school etc... It's election year this year, politicians don't talk anymore, act!

Now it has happened again. Another person shot dead in my town. Unfortunately, it happens daily in Sweden, but this time it was unfortunately a step further. A man was shot dead, on a Friday afternoon in a crowded shopping center. The perpetrator was only 15 years old. A passing tourist was hit and is seriously injured. 100's of people became witnesses and many of them are shaken. Many need therapy. Where is our once peaceful and safe country heading? Even though our government has said that they are doing everything they can, they want to break down the gangs, nothing seems to be happening. What everyone needs is Jesus.

Nobody is knocking at my door. When I was a child, the doorbell rang often. Neighbors who needed to borrow sugar or flour. Friends who wanted to go out and play hockey or football.  Often it could be salespeople. Vacuum cleaners, insurance, art, etc.  It also happened that Jehovah's witnesses knocked, and once there were two well-dressed guys who spoke bad Swedish but who wondered if we believed in the Bible and if we wanted to go to heaven. But today nobody is knocking at my door.Nowadays we have door codes, etc., but there are perhaps changes in our behavior. A week or so ago the doorbell rang. My dog ​​was barking like crazy and wouldn't stop even when I opened the door.  Outside stood two women who wanted to hand over some information and it turned out that they were election workers for the Socialists. They very much wanted to talk politics, and they were very clear that they were indeed the only option and the others were not a good pic...

  I love old churches. The history, the architecture, the art and the people behind the church itself and the society there and then.   In Sweden and Skåne county we have many medieval churches. Many have unfortunately been demolished or rebuilt to accommodate a growing congregation. This happened especially in the 19th century. Unfortunately, the Reformation also meant a lot of changes.    Much of the medieval art has been destroyed. Paintings were burned or painted over. Many wooden sculptures have been burned or used for other purposes.   Still, there are many interesting churches in our vicinity. Lund Cathedral, Dalby Church, which is the oldest building in Sweden, built in 1060. and many, many others.   Relatively recently, we visited the Nordics' oldest brick church in Gumlösa. built in 1192. A purely architectural masterpiece.   Churches are very special buildings and they often do not leave people unaffected. In Genesis 28:16 we read...

When I went to school, just like now, we had religion teaching, not Christian teaching like when my parents went to school. In the relatively few hours during a school year, today's students will devote these hours to all the major religions. I have noticed when talking to younger people that they lack basic knowledge of what Christianity stands for, what the Bible says and it is not so strange.  Unfortunately, these people are negatively affected as much of the history of Christianity in Sweden has laid the foundation for much of the Sweden we see today. I read an article some time ago that addressed the teaching in school and how incorrect the teaching was, especially when Christianity was to be reported. Among other things, it said that Evangelical groups are considered radical, some of the sacraments so sacred that no one really understands them, and that it could be that Jesus married with Mary Magdalene. Some of these views are completely incorrect as well as some mere specul...