What Really Makes a Woman Beautiful?

Proverbs 31: 30 reads, “Charm is deceitful and beauty does not last, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”

It is the fear of the LORD that sets us apart from the rest.. 

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to GOD; and the peace of GOD, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

We live in a society that places a high degree of importance on physical appearance. Television, movies, magazines and billboards all display attractive people. We see men and women (more women) running to plastic surgeons, having many different kinds of procedures done simply to enhance their appearance. Our society is obsessed with physical beauty, and many women are caught up in that obsession as well.


But should beauty really be that important for a woman? Is beauty something that a Christian woman should strive for? What makes a woman truly beautiful?

A woman can and should be beautiful—God designed her to be that way. Her skin, hair and other features were created to be soft and appealing, and her body was fashioned to be attractive and beautiful to men. A woman was designed to be attractive, and most women want to be beautiful. However, the physical side of beauty is just a small part of what makes a woman truly beautiful.

Our society places a high emphasis on the physical aspect of beauty and neglects the other elements that really make a woman totally beautiful. A beautiful woman is not just physically appealing; she is appealing in many different areas. Because our society so largely emphasizes the physical nature of beauty, I want to explore with you all of the areas that make up true beauty and bring out the missing dimension in beauty.

Outer beauty

A truly beautiful woman is physically appealing. Not all women are gifted with perfection of physical features, but fortunately, this is not the only prerequisite for beauty. Women tend to take a critical look at their individual features and flaws and feel this is what makes them attractive or not, whereas a man tends to look at the overall impression a woman creates. What a woman does with what she has is very important in making herself attractive. Physical beauty is really within the reach of any woman.

When a woman is healthy, she has an attractive glow about her. Good health adds more color to the face and skin and helps produce more energy.

The most influential factor in a woman’s physical beauty is her health. When a woman is healthy, she has an attractive glow about her. Good health adds more color to the face and skin and helps produce more energy. A balanced, nutritious diet and exercise plan will help a woman to have this healthy glow. It will also help to keep excess weight off and produce a more attractive physique. When a woman is striving to follow the health laws she looks and feels more beautiful.

Another key factor of womanly beauty is looking feminine. A woman should look like a woman, not a man. A woman can achieve this through her dress and hairstyle.

The Bible says women’s hair should be longer than men’s. 

This doesn’t mean she has to wear it down to her ankles, but it should be long enough to differentiate her from a man. Most women enjoy choosing different hair styles and fixing their hair. A woman’s hairstyle and length can contribute to her attractiveness.

A physically attractive woman is also one who dresses modestly. 

Our society teaches women to flaunt their physical attributes by displaying scantily clad women on billboards, magazines and most other media outlets. Many women feel they must also dress this way to be considered attractive. This is not true. A fully clothed woman dressed in a modest, feminine way is very attractive. She is not only attractive, she gains honor and respect from those who see her. A woman’s body is designed to be attractive and arousing to men, and when a woman is revealing too much of herself in public, she is stirring up the wrong kind of feelings and will attract the wrong kind of attention. A truly beautiful woman aims for respect in the way she dresses.

Inner beauty

A beautiful woman is not only admired for her physical appearance; she is admired for her inner qualities as well. There are many inner qualities that make a woman beautiful, and to cover all of them would require a separate article. However, I want to focus on three important inner qualities a woman should possess to make herself truly beautiful.

A woman should be kind—she should be gracious. Proverbs 11:16 tells us that a gracious woman retains honor. When you think of the women that you hold in high regard, they usually are ladies who are kind, gentle, thoughtful, unselfish, etc. They are the women that we look up to and remember. In Proverbs 31:26, a virtuous woman is described as having the law of kindness on her tongue.

Bradley Gerstman, Christopher Pizzo and Rich Seldes, in the book What Men Want, write, “Women are astonished when we tell them what many professional men look for in a woman on the first date—besides chemistry, of course. Are you ready to hear what men hope to find in a woman they are dating for the first time? Men like women who are nice. Men are suckers for kindness and consideration. We love women who are affable, flexible, easygoing. Most men cannot resist a sweet woman” (page 68). Women who are gracious and kind are attractive.

A woman should also have good judgment. In Proverbs 11:22, a lovely woman who lacks discretion is compared to a ring of gold in a swine’s snout. If a woman is physically attractive, but lacks discretion, it takes away from her beauty and value. Good judgment is needed in many areas of life such as moral issues, money matters, choices, decisions, dealing with others, work, etc. A woman who possesses good judgment is of great value because she can be trusted to do the right thing.

A woman should continue to grow and better her inner self. Proverbs 31 describes a woman who is competent and capable of doing many different things. A woman who continues to grow while developing her talents and abilities is a woman of value. She is one who is able to contribute to others through these abilities, and she will be of use to her family, Church, community, etc. A woman who is developing her potential is an attractive woman.

Beautiful to God

A truly beautiful woman is not only attractive on the outside and inside, she is also attractive to God. How a woman looks to God is more important than any other quality she possesses because one day her outer beauty will fade and her inner beauty will cease, but the beauty that God sees in her will be important when she stands before Him. Being beautiful to God should be top priority on every woman’s list. The Scriptures give us some clues as to what God finds attractive in women.

God values a quiet spirit in a woman. As 1 Peter 3:3-4 tells us, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” Does this mean that a woman should never say anything—that she should always be quiet? No, this is saying that a woman should not have an argumentative, contentious spirit. She should not be someone who is quick to argue and demand her way. She should be peaceable to others and respectful to her husband. There are several scriptures in the book of Proverbs that talk about women who are angry and contentious, and how difficult it is to live with them.

There is a certain attitude among some women that has its roots in the feminist movement and is still prevalent among certain segments of society. This attitude is a deep anger toward men. These women want to prove that they are just as good as their male counterparts, and that they don’t need them. Contrast this attitude to the gentle and quiet spirit that God values in women. A truly beautiful woman is not in competition with men—she understands the value and strengths that they possess and appreciates them. Women and men both possess certain qualities that are needed by one another. When a woman has a gentle and quiet spirit, she is attractive to others and to God.

A truly beautiful woman is not in competition with men—she understands the value and strengths that they possess and appreciates them. Women and men both possess certain qualities that are needed by one another.

God values a woman who is submissive. “Submissive” is not a popular word in our society today. Many people think of being submissive as being weak. Yet, God has commanded women who are married to submit themselves to their husband’s authority. This does not mean that a woman should never have an opinion or say in what takes place in the family. A wise husband will consult his wife on all important issues. A woman who submits herself to her husband is a woman that understands and is yielding to the government that God has established in the home (Ephesians 5: 22-32). It is not a sign of weakness when a woman submits to her husband, it is a sign of strength. It is a sign that she is in fact submitting herself to God and is obeying the commands that He has established. It is a sign of her faith in God. When a woman submits to her husband’s authority in marriage, she is beautiful to God.

God also values a woman who fears Him. When a woman is putting God first in her life and is striving to do what He has commanded, she is attractive to God. She should continue to deepen her relationship with Him and continue to grow spiritually. Proverbs 31: 30 reads, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”

Our society places a high value on the physical beauty of women, but it does not understand all of the elements that make a woman truly beautiful. If a woman possesses only the physical aspect of beauty without the inner and godly qualities, she is a hollow and empty shell.

It is within every woman’s reach to become the beautiful woman God intended her to be. She should be beautiful on the outside, beautiful on the inside and, most importantly, she should be beautiful to God.


The entire write-up is from the link below:


Off topic:

I have prayed for a man for more than two years already but just after GOD allowed me personally meet him, things suddenly changed. That moment instantly gave me a very clear message that he is not the one GOD would allow me to develop a Christian-relationship with.

I can say right now that the main thing concerns God's will our your life and your potential spouse. After all is said and done, just where does the will of God enter into all of this discussion? It's central, it's primary, and it's the most important aspect.

Let's consider some of the steps involved in this process. The first step is desiring the will of God for your life. In doing this it means surrendering your life to God and asking Him to be the directing agent. ...

A second step is practicing obedience to God's will in every area of life. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105, NIV).

The next step is developing relationships with believers, because marriages tend to develop out of existing relationships. This is a safeguard against marrying a non-Christian. "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another ... " (1 John 1:7, NIV).

A fourth guideline is to look for the Holy Spirit to lead you. Acknowledge your dependence on the Holy Spirit and be sensitive to His leading. Usually the Holy Spirit's prompting is quiet and gentle. "Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God" (Romans 8:14, NIV).

Another step is to watch what you allow into your heart as well as what you let out of your heart. If you indulge in fantasies or explicit sexual material, these can warp your perspective of what you are looking for. And developing relationships based on flirtations and shallow or physical involvements can keep you from finding the person you're seeking. "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23, NIV).

One of the most difficult steps is being willing to wait for God. We become impatient and take matters into our own hands. When you wait not only is your faith tested, but your motives undergo purification as well. It also builds the character quality of maturity. "The testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete ... " (James 1:3,4, NIV).

Finally, remember that it is the Lord who gives the gift of a wife or husband. Approach every situation and decision with the question, "What is going to please the Lord?" The psalmist described this in Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart." "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22, NIV).

  • The "husband verses" are the passages that lay out the job description husbands are called to. They include Ephesians 5:22-28, Colossians 3:18-19 and 1 Peter 3:1-7. 
  • They're the standard for what makes a good mate. As you read them, you'll realize men aren't the only one who needs prayer. 
  • Don't just pray for your future husband, pray for yourself—the future wife. A big part of marriage prep for women is praying through the "wife verses," especially Proverbs 31 and Titus 2, with your future calling in mind.
source <------- click here


A.C.T.S. How To Pray?

The ACTS of Prayer
By Dr. Richard J. Krejcir
How to Pray!

Mathew 7: 7-14 and Luke 11:1-4

A.C.T.S is an acronym or axiom that points us to the Lord's Prayer and other Scripture, and gives us precepts so we can divide up our time and purpose to engage in prayer with a correct devotion and attitude. "ACTS" refers to the precepts of prayer-the categories of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

Adoration, means to worship and acknowledge the majesty of God-Praise be to God!Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
  • This is about the greatness of God, His incredible omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience, His sovereign nature and rule, and His complete holiness.
  • It also indicates the incredible, wonderful privilege that He cares for us and hear us.
  • This means our prayer life is to recognize His Sovereignty so we can honor Him as LORD over all, over our lives and all that is around us.
  • This helps us trust Him and place Him first in our lives.
  • This is to be our duty and desire that comes from our gratitude for what He has done for us.
  • We can see the awesome privilege we have to know Him and to commune with Him. We come to understand His love and grace for us, so we can have a greater delight in Him, not just as a necessity, a law, or a ritual, but living our life because of who He is.
  • When we truly love the Lord, we will reverence Him and grow in our relationship to Him.
  • This transfers to us in a prayer for further dedication. We are to be dedicated to God not just by our words, deeds, and promises but also by our will, heart, and mindsets and with our whole being. 
  • Knowing that God is in charge helps us realize we belong to God and weare not our own; we are in Him, a much greater purpose.
  • This means when we pray, we should begin our time adoring and praising God.
  • Praise Him for who He is! Then, look over all that is in your life (even if you think you do not have much) and all He has done for you.
  • God delights in your praises!


Confession. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. This means we are to see our sins and agree with God about the things that we have done wrong.
  • During our prayer times, things will come to our mind that will not be pleasant to recall.
  • We will be convicted of our sins and failure, where we have not been truthful, or have exaggerated or missed His precious opportunities for doing good.
  • We will have genuine sorrow for what we have done and left undone.
  • Then, we are called to deal with it and make restitution where we can, seeking His forgiveness and going to others for forgiveness where we wronged them.
  • Keep track of these items that God brings to us, our sins.
  • Know that God will forgive me all my sins.Confess also means we are called to be accountable to one another, to state what we are going through and are struggling with to someone in confidence who will listen and help guide us by His Word.
  • It is not about going to a pastor or priest, but to God directly, in and with accountability, with another trusted person, small group, or mentor.
  • We cannot grow closer to God when we have unconfessed sin in our lives; these sins act as a barrier, cutting off our communion with Him.
  • We cannot do the Christian life by ourselves; it is not a spectator or individual sport! Christianity is not for lone rangers; it is for community (1 John 1:9)!


Thanksgiving-for Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. This means in our prayer life, we are to be grateful for what He has done for us.
  • We are to go over His mercies, all that He has done for us.
  • They are more than you know! He truly and deeply loves you beyond your ability to fathom it.
  • He provides, nurtures, and protects you and gives you hope and a purpose for life.
  • Look at your family, friends, health, home, love, work, books, fun, a night of rest.
  • In our times of prayer, we are to bring our attitude to His will.
  • Remove your pride and seek Him first and foremost in all occasions so to live your life in gratitude to God for all things.
  • Have the inward awareness that God has indeed been with you "all through the day."


Supplication, Give us today this daily bread . . . Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one is a fervent, personal petition, letting God know of our needs.
  • This is called petition, our earnest, humble request before God. It is the seeking of not only personal needs, but for the needs of others as well.
  • It is sharing our requests before God with the attitude that He does provide, but it may not be what we want or think we need.
  • We need to learn how to depend upon Him and to express and develop real, impacting faith.
  • This is only one small component of our prayer life, yet, most will spend most of their time and energies here while others, seeking to be humble, never venture here. It probably accounts for over 95% of all prayer requests. This is not to be our only aspect of prayer.
  • We are to intercede for others, seek forgiveness of our sins, seek His will, and most importantly, we are to praise and adore Him!
  • Petition is a vital component, but not the only piece.
  • Make sure you have a well-balanced prayer life that is not selfish, but that does not ignore your needs either.
  • In this component, we are also to make intercession for others-Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
  • To pray for others is intercession, the understanding of the needs of others and bringing those before God.
  • This is exercising love and kindness, and showing our unity in the Body of Christ (John 17). Start to make a prayer list.
  • Pray for others as their needs come to you; pray for your city, state and country, your leaders, missionaries, government officials, and persecuted Christians in the world, as well as God's for guidance, wisdom, and opportunities for you and your church and all that can come to you, and for you and them to grow and to serve.
  • Be specific and be real!







Daily Quiet Time

Here are 5 easy steps to begin a daily quiet time:

Place
Pick a definite place where you’ll be everyday for your quiet time. Obviously if you travel frequently this is more difficult, but the more routine you can make this the better. It should be as free of distractions as possible. This place will soon become very comfortable to you.

Schedule Time
Pick a reasonable amount of time and put it on your schedule. If you use an electronic calendar like I do, you can set it to repeat the appointment everyday. Start with 15 minutes, maybe even 10. The key at this point is consistency, so make sure you don’t burden yourself with something you will not do. By the way, it most likely will seem like a sacrifice at first, but keep the objective in mind. You need this. As you accomplish discipline in a little time it will be easier to increase the time you spend.

Format
Decide basically how you will structure your quiet time. You may ask first what you hope to achieve and base your format around that. If developing intimacy with God in prayer is your goal, then certainly choose to spend more time in prayer. If Bible knowledge is your goal, then you may want to choose to do a Bible study. You can change the format over time and do combinations of each of these.

Activities
Decide what you will specifically do in your time. Will you do a Bible study or simply read Scripture and pray? If your time is 15 minutes, for example, you could spend 6 minutes reading the Bible; 3 minutes talking to God; 2 minutes in silence, asking God to speak to you; and 4 minutes writing your thoughts at the time. If you choose the structure of a Bible study, you may need to allow more time, but again, the key is that you decide before you start what you are going to do during this time. The goal is not to be mechanical or punch a clock here, but rather to provide structure, which will lead to productivity in your building your God relationship. Don’t worry as much about what activities you are doing at this point, just do something.

Discipline
Commit to doing something consistently for at least 30 days. Every day… without exception… do it… whether you “feel” like it or not. If you miss the exact time, make it up later in the day. Again, it will require sacrifice. Habits and lifestyles form this way and you’ll need this discipline, because as soon as you attempt this dozens of obstacles will stand in your way.

Now I realize “easy” is not the best choice of words for this post, but I did want you to read it. Forming this time into your daily schedule will not be easy. Nothing of value is ever easy. The main objective for any of us, including pastors, is disciplining ourselves to do something everyday. Over time, it becomes a habit that is easily repeated. Even better, it will soon become the best and most productive part of your day.



Same thing as what the author of the article mentioned, it is a true bliss to wake up every morning or go to bed every evening doing these things with someone special. How I wish to do these wonderful things for GOD, with something called a "family of GOD". <3 praying.. 

Wars In Heaven

When I was a Sunday school kid, I learned a very interesting Bible story about "A War In Heaven". I remember how fascinated I was when I was listening to someone (a Sunday school teacher or my mother) telling the story about a great battle of Heaven's angels. I learned at that very young age who Lucifer is and how he changed to become Satan/Devil. As years passed, I began to hear a lingering eagerness in my heart that I want to know the details of what happened in that Bible story. And here they are; the modern technology humans created had brought me the information I longed to watch/hear. A group of Christians created a 2-year-in-the-making of the video of "Wars in Heaven". These are precious videos for me because they suffice my eagerness to undertand everything back again. Stories like these were memories of a Sunday School teaching and of a summer Daily Vacation Bible School (DVBS) but now, the Internet was able to bring them back. 

GOD loves His creations so much. He has foundations and created "Covenants" to show how deeply He is inlove with His wonderful creations. 

My heart, I offered to You My LORD JESUS CHRIST. I am a sinner, You forgave my inequities. I am asking You to keep the heart pure until the Judgement Day comes. Please hold my hands tight and use me as an instrument to bless others. I humble myself to You my LORD. Protect my family and friends always. Thank you for Your Grace and for Your great LOVE for all of us. Thank you for dying on the cross, our LORD JESUS CHRIST. Thank You for saving a sinner like me. 

Help me find "the one" my LORD.. I am still waiting for him.. Whom I will be with, cheerfully and joyfully.. both of us serving You. Give Your protection over me, my friends and my dear family. Thank You LORD JESUS.

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Wars in Heaven and Why GOD Created Humans
http://www.warsofgod.com/01_the_war_in_heaven.html

Have you ever wondered why God created us? Some Christians may think God was lonely and wanted to create something He could love and have a relationship with. However, before the creation of man, God already had created countless loyal angels and other celestial beings. If He already has relationships with them, why would God want to create humans? Besides, humans were created lower than the angels. Why would God spend his time guiding and teaching them? Why would He even think of giving up His life for them?

The War in Heaven (part 1)

The War in Heaven (part 3)

The War in Heaven (part 3)

The War in Heaven (part 4)

The War in Heaven (part 5)

The Secrets To Solutions

You may find that as you read a Bible verse or passage, all of a sudden it just hits you. You may have even read it several times before and it never really clicked, but this time the Holy Spirit whispers in your heart and shows how it applies to your situation, bringing it to life. "That's for me! That's the answer!" God couldn't have spoken any more emphatically if He'd yelled out the answer or screamed it in your ear. It may have been written for somebody else thousands of years ago, but all of a sudden it hits you personally. That's what is known as the VOICE OF HIS WORD.

Read and absorb His Word during peacetime, when things are going fine, and it will be there for you when you find yourself under attack and beset by problems or worries. The Holy Spirit will bring to mind just the verse or passage you need to dispel to keep away the lies of the Devil.

As you become more familiar with GOD's recorded Word in the Bible, you will become more aware of the workings of the Holy Spirit and more attuned to the LORD's voice speaking directly to your mind and heart. GOD speaks to His children of today, just as He always has in the past, and if you ask Him to speak to you, and you get quiet and listen, He will give you specific words of comfort and guidance that are tailored for your individual situation. The LORD will put His thoughts, His Words, in your mind. The Bible promises, "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." This is known as the LIVING WORD.

So the next time you feel like you just can't cope with the stress and strain of pressing problems, take some time to read GOD's Word. In the Word - the recorded Word and the living Word - you can find the solutions to all life's problems. The Word will not only give you faith in the LORD and His ability to see you through,

.. but in it you will find practical, workable solutions to every problems..

The Holy Spirit will bring you to remember a specific verse or passage, or JESUS will whisper Fresh new words into your ear as you commune (get closer) with Him in prayer.

The secret is GOD's Word! It's the secret of power and victory and overcoming and fruitfulness and fire and life and EVERYTHING.   -D.B.B.

The Devil can't stand the Word. "Resist the Enemy and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). He'll turn tail and run! Take up that white-hot sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of GOD, and cut the Devil to the heart!      -D.B.B.


10 Reasons Why Learning The Korean Language Is NOT Difficult

I have a lot to learn about my job/career. I love what I am doing right now at work and I am really enjoying the everyday learning. I always look forward to exploring new things. Learning deepens our character and makes us more inspiring to those around us.

I also believe that everyone is entitled to live your passion. Some say don't follow your passion, but follow your effort. It is the sense of fulfilling achievements. It is clear that it does not always end on gaining wealth rather on finding your full potential, satisfaction, contentment, and happiness. 

DON’T DO WHAT YOU LOVE. LEARN TO LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 
  1. When you work hard at something you become good at it. 
  2. When you become good at doing something, you will enjoy it more. 
  3. When you enjoy doing something, there is a very good chance you will become passionate or more passionate about it 
  4. When you are good at something, passionate and work even harder to excel and be the best at it, good things happen. 
Don’t follow your passions, follow your effort. It will lead you to your passions and to success, however you define it. 

Pay attention to where you spend your time, learn how to get good at what you’re doing and get much better at it. 

However, sometimes time is the hindering factor. I think it’s all up to the individual when there are so many outside forces influencing the situation towards living your passion. 

The author (who is an English native-speaker) of the re-post article below itemized several reasons why learning a new language, especially the Korean language, is not really difficult. 
  1. The alphabet can be learned in an hour or two 
  2. Korean grammar is actually very simple and straightforward 
  3. Korean phonetics are a piece of cake for English speakers 
  4. Many words are made up smaller, single-syllable words 
  5. The blessed 하다 verbs are a cinch! 
  6. Respectful forms and honorifics aren't a problem at all 
  7. Korean word order is different with English sentence structure but here’s how you can make it easy 
  8. There’s an abundance of excellent material to learn from 
  9. Konglish gives you a good head start 
  10. Korea is one of the easiest foreign countries in the world for any native English speaker to move to and live long-term to learn the language.
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Reason 1: The alphabet can be learned in an hour or two

This is an obvious point and I talked about this before so I won’t repeat myself here. 

Even though Korean newspapers do use the occasional Chinese character, Korean hangeul is an incredibly simple and easy-to-learn alphabet.

This little comic strip that’s been floating around is quite good:


Also typing in Korean is really easy to pick up too (I recommend you practise this early so you can use Naver and Daum to look things up).

The online Branah keyboard is excellent for this if you don’t have the Korean keyboard set up.


Reason 2: Korean grammar is actually very simple and straightforward

I’ve studied over 10 languages and Korean has one of the easiest grammars I’ve ever seen.

While there’s probably a lot I could say about the finer points of grammar, here are just a few in point form:

There’s no need to worry about gender or number when dealing with verbs. “He eats”, “she eats”, “you eat” are all conjugated exactly the same way (it gets only slightly different if the person’s older than you or in a position of authority which I’ll explain below).

Nouns don’t change according to case. Many languages (especially ones like Greek and Russian) often have many different noun forms depending on what the noun is or what it’s doing. In Korean this is done with a few basic suffixes called case markers that are extremely easy to learn. For example, 로is an instrumental marker (by/with/using) so if I attached it to the end of the word for the Korean language (한국말+로), it means in/using Korean. If I’m ordering ice-cream and I want my ice-cream in a cone I can attach it on the end of the word coneto mean in a cone. If you’ve never seen an agglutinative language before then it will take a little while to adjust to but overall Korean is a very simple agglutinative language.

While there is a copula verb to be (이다 – for sentences like “it is a house”), there is no auxiliary verb for action or descriptive verbs. For example, “I am happy” is simply “I happy”.

Past, future and progressive verb tenses follow an insanely simple and consistent pattern. Apart from a few minor changes that happen to some verbs, it’s usually just a case of attaching one of a few appropriate endings to a word. Once you get used to the patterns, you can spot and use them very easily.

Passive and causative verbs, adjectives and adverbs are all formed using extremely basic patterns with few irregularities.


Reason 3: Korean phonetics are a piece of cake for English speakers

For English speakers there’s nothing terribly unusual about Korean phonetics.

Unlike Arabic and Hebrew there are no guttural sounds.

There are no consonant clusters like Georgian or Polish (where you have 4 or more consonants in a row).

There are also no tones like many other East Asian languages.

For the most part Korean is usually pronounced exactly the way it’s written, unlike English which is full of words that sound nothing like the way they appear on paper.

The only exception to this is that like every language, Korean assimilates and omits sounds sometimes when combined with others.

This happens in pretty much every language though and is just an evolutionary process determined by what’s more comfortable for us to pronounce. Some letter combinations (e.g. putting n and l together) just don’t feel right when spoken.

Try saying nlion or nlight and you’ll see what I mean!

One example from Korean is 편리 which means convenience. It’s writtenpyeon-li but is pronounced pyeol-li where the n becomes an l sound. The latter is much easier to pronounce which is why these types of words evolve over time in every language.

As another example, 맞다 (to be correct) is not pronounced maj-da as it’s written because that would be too awkward to say naturally so it’s pronounced ma’-da (a glottal stop in place of the j).

Don’t let these things concern you because these basic phonetic changes are easy to adjust to after a little practise and even more so when you understand why it happens.


Reason 4: Many words are made up smaller, single-syllable words

This makes learning Korean vocab a walk in the park trust me!

Firstly I should add that there are some great lessons made by TTMIKcalled Word Builder lessons that explain this well which I highly recommend you check out.

Many compound Korean words (particularly ones that are derived from Chinese) are made up of single syllable words and you can usually take a rough guess at its meaning if you can recognise them.

For example, if you see the word 학 (hak) you can be pretty sure it’s got something to do with education or learning:

학원 – academy
학교 – school
학생 – student
언어학 – linguistics (study of language)
과학 – science (subject)

You’re miles ahead for vocab if you already know Mandarin Chinese too! 


Reason 5: The blessed 하다 verbs are a cinch (Something easy to accomplish)!

This is one thing I friggin’ love about Korean verbs.

Many Korean verbs are actually just nouns connected to the verb to do (하다).

For example, the verb 행복하다 (to be happy) is literally happiness + do =doing happiness.

What I usually do when I learn a new noun is get on Daum or Naver and search to see if there’s a corresponding 하다 verb that goes with it. It’s all about killing two birds with one stone.

So easy! 

Oh and 하다 verbs are amazing when it comes to forming adverbs, causatives and passives because they’re all identical in form.


Reason 6: Respectful forms and honorifics aren’t a problem at all

I’ve talked about this at length before so I won’t repeat it here (see this post) but I just want to say that this is nowhere near as tough as people make it out to be.

Generally it’s just a matter of adding or dropping -요 (or -야 if you want to be casual) on the end of sentences depending on who you’re talking to.

There is of course more to it than that but for most learners that’s all you need to worry about in the beginning.

Honorifics likewise follow a pretty simple pattern of using the infix -시-for verbs. Once you practise it a few times and be mindful of the people you’re talking to or about, it’s really a piece of cake.

There’s only a small amount of extra honorific vocab too but you learn those just as you would any other vocabulary.


Reason 7: Korean word order can be a son of a bitch but here’s how you can make it easy

This is the most challenging part of learning Korean in my opinion but I’ll explain how I’ve simplified it for myself.

First of all, for us Korean is backwards.

Not backwards in the ‘primitive’ sense of the word – I mean literallybackwards. English is a S-V-O language whereas Korean is S-O-V (e.g. I went to the shop in Korean is I to the shop went).

Now, this is very easy for short sentences and there’s nothing challenging about a simple sentence like I went to the shop. The problem is when you have relative clauses or longer sentences with extra information embedded in it.

For example, a sentence like “Remember that pretty girl who works at Samsung that I met yesterday?” is where an English speaker would have huge headaches.

A few months ago sentences like this were making my hair fall out! 

The trick I’ve found useful is to practise breaking it down into its smaller parts (sometimes I use what linguists call phrase tree diagrams (Google it) to help visualise it too).

I did this on paper for a while but these days I don’t need to. It comes much more naturally with practise:

“Remember that pretty girl who works at Samsung that I met yesterday?”

Subject: the pretty girl

Main verb: remember

All the extra information: who works at Samsung that I met yesterday

So if we only had to say “Remember that pretty girl?” it would be very straightforward.

The rest of the sentence describes the girl. It works like a big long adjective coming before the subject.

The reason why this is weird for us as English speakers is that in English we tend to state the person or thing we’re talking about right at the beginning in a sentence like this. Before I say anything else about where she works or when we met, you know that I’m going to talk about a pretty girl.

In Korean you say all of the descriptive stuff before you even mention the girl.

So if you’re a really slow speaker then the person you’re talking to is not going to know who you’re talking about at first, especially if it’s a long sentence.

This gets really awkward sometimes!

One thing you can do as a new learner to fake it till you make it is say the same thing by making lots of little sentences – e.g. “Remember the pretty girl? I met her yesterday. She works at Samsung.”

My other vital bit of advice for you is this: STOP THINKING IN ENGLISH!

I use caps so you realise how important this point is. 

If you’re thinking in English and trying to say sentences like the example above in the middle of a conversation then you’re going to really confuse yourself.

The sooner you start thinking in Korean, however limited it may be, the more coherent your sentences will be.


Reason 8: There’s an abundance of excellent material to learn from

There is so much good material around for learning Korean.

After popular languages like French, Spanish and German, Korean is up there as one of the languages where good quality resources are abundant and overflowing – both paid and free.

There are many free resources I’ve found amazingly useful such as My Korean from Monash University, Berkeley Intermediate College Korean, TTMIK, Matthew’s Korean Study and Reference Guide, and TOPIK Guide. YouTube also has a bazillion learning videos, talk shows and kdramas with subtitles.

This is an excellent beginner series:


As far as good quality paid resources go there are just too many!

I used Elementary Korean by Ross King and Jaehoon Yeon when starting out which is an excellent book (the audio’s not the best but the book is brilliant). I also bought Korean 2 from Seoul National University which was worth every cent.

A few months ago I reviewed the brilliant Talk To Me In Korean books that you can watch here.

Of course, italki has been my number one paid service that beats anything else I could have spent money on. The experienced Korean language teachers I’ve had on there have helped me more than anything to get where I am now with Korean.

There’s just tonnes out there for Korean. You’ll never have a problem finding resources.


Reason 9: Konglish gives you a good head start

This kind of feels like cheating but it’s not really.

Korean has actually got a lot of loan words from English.

Apart from the fact that Koreans are fanatical about learning the English language and therefore most of the people can speak at least a little, you’ll find a lot of borrowed words that have become assimilated into Korean.

An example off the top of my head is 체크하다 (check + 하다 verb). Korean of course has its own verb for to check something but this Konglish verb is as much part of the language now as anything else.

See here, here and here for some lists of a few other Konglish words.

It’s always a good idea when you’re learning any language to start with cognates and borrowed words as it’s a good way of rapidly expanding your vocab.


Reason 10: Korea is one of the easiest foreign countries in the world for any native English speaker to move to and live long-term to learn the language

This is a very important point.

Since being in the country is so crucial to learning any foreign language properly (online lessons are great but they have their limits), this is something you should take into consideration before starting anything.

The great thing about Korea is that there’s an abundance of ESL jobs here with free accommodation, free flights and very good salaries that will put you in the midst of the language you’re trying to learn (as long as you stay away from expat-magnet shit holes like Itaewon and Hongdae!). You can do this in other countries sure but very few of them offer the same perks you get here.

I live in an area surrounded by limitless ways for me to practise my Korean every single day.

It’s one of the best immersion opportunities that you could ask for – learn a language through immersion and get cashed up at the same time.


CREDITS/SOURCE:


Something To Truly Ponder Upon! A Love Letter :)

Plastic Cling Wrap

I found the title in a most funny moment where I had to use the object in something I really love so much- food. We can't live without the latter, and we must admit that. Beyond our physical body needing nourishment, exercise, happy thoughts, a heart of encouragement, hope, and a lot of things to live through a day of GOD; we need to keep ourselves alive within. Nothing can compare to the fuel which is coming from spiritual wits that sustain a human life. 

Every individual has soul and even though many times, people disregard to keep an eye to their spiritual condition or ignore to check if they need reconstruct something either with their daily habit, standard norms or what-not of what people used to live with. 

There are going to be times when you question God’s call on your life. It is during these times in which you need a spiritual check-up. However, it is encouraged not to only do spiritual check when there are rough times in our lives but to be very diligent in seeing accountability in everything.

To have sound assurance, we must understand that our salvation rests on the merit of Christ alone, which is appropriated to us when we embrace Him by genuine faith.

I am a fan of simplicity. I encourage others to eliminate the unneeded things from their lives.. but positive words cannot be on that list. Let us always check how GOD perceives us. 

You may find confidence in LORD JESUS with the Word of Wisdom bestowed on us through the reading below:



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True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

21 나더러 주여 ! 주여 ! 하는 자마다 천국에 다 들어갈 것이 아니요 다만 하늘에 계신 내 아버지의 뜻대로 행하는 자라야 들어가리라 22 그 날에 많은 사람이 나더러 이르되 주여, 주여 우리가 주의 이름으로 선지자 노릇하며 주의 이름으로 귀신을 쫓아 내며 주의 이름으로 많은 권능을 행치 아니하였나이까 하리니 

23 그 때에 내가 저희에게 밝히 말하되 내가 너희를 도무지 알지 못하니 불법을 행하는 자들아 내게서 떠나가라 하리라 

The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13)

13 "좁은 문으로 들어가라 멸망으로 인도하는 문은 크고 그 길이 넓어 그리로 들어가는 자가 많고"

John 10:14-15 
I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

14 나는 선한 목자라 ! 내가 내 양을 알고 양도 나를 아는 것이 15 아버지께서 나를 아시고 내가 아버지를 아는 것 같으니 나는 양을 위하여 목숨을 버리노라 

Several times Christ gave advice that seemingly discourages rather than encourages people to become Christians. Why did He do this?

Surprisingly, all but a relatively small number of disciples turned away from Jesus by the end of His ministry! The thousands that once chased our Savior like a celebrity apparently dwindled away to few hundred after His death (Acts 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:6). How strikingly different the true picture is from the supposedly easy path to becoming a Christian by just giving your heart to the Lord.

In Matthew 7:13-14 we read of Jesus saying, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (emphasis added throughout).

Narrow gate, difficult path

The phrase “narrow is the gate” is fairly easy to understand. A narrow gate is harder to pass through than one that is wide, and only a few people can go through a narrow gate at once. In saying “difficult is the way which leads to life,” Jesus was explaining how hard being a Christian really is.

“Difficult” is from the Greek word thlibo, which means: “To press (as grapes), press hard upon; a compressed way; narrow straitened, contracted” (New Testament Greek Lexicon, www.bibletstudytools.com).

The lexicon adds that the word can be used metaphorically to mean “trouble, afflict, distress.” If Jesus wanted to draw people to follow Him, why did He tell prospective disciples that doing so would bring them grief?

To understand what He meant, let’s examine a few of the passages where He seemingly discouraged people from following Him.

Advice to would-be followers

Luke writes of three encounters Jesus had with would-be Christians as He and His disciples were traveling. One of them made a dramatic statement of commitment, saying to Christ: “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go” (Luke 9:57).

Jesus didn’t reply, “Wonderful! Please join us!” Instead, He said something that, at the least, would have caused the man to have second thoughts and, at the most, would have turned him away completely: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (verse 58). Jesus was conveying the uncertainty that could accompany the life of a true Christian.

Luke’s narrative continues with Jesus turning to another person and telling him, “Follow Me” (verse 59). The man begged off, asking to be allowed to first bury his father. Since Jewish custom was to bury the dead as soon as possible, it is unlikely the man was out with the crowd around Christ with a dead father at home. More likely, the man was asking to spend whatever remaining time he might have with an aging or perhaps ill father—an open-ended request actually.

The blunt record of Luke has Jesus responding to this man’s excuse, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God” (verse 60). Obviously, dead people do not bury anyone. Here, Jesus was referring to those who were spiritually dead—people who had not responded to His teaching. Jesus was telling the potential Christian that his calling was infinitely more important.

Then a third man, who was committed to becoming a disciple, made a seemingly reasonable request to first return home to say goodbye to whoever was at his house, whether family or guests we do not know (verse 61). To this person, Jesus responded: “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (verse 62).

We cannot know with certainty, but this person may not have been as committed as his words make it sound. The Bible records only the essence of the exchange—what we need to know to understand the main point. All three of these responses add clarity to Christ’s teaching that “narrow is the gate.”

In this third example, the added lesson was that Christians must continue to keep their eyes on the goal—God’s Kingdom. An experienced plowman immediately recognizes the point of this analogy. When plowing, the farmer fixes his eyes on a rock, a hill or some other marker, so that he will plow straight furrows. Although modern farmers with vast fields often use GPS equipment to accomplish this, the principle remains the same!

More little-known advice
A few chapters later, we find another insightful account about what we must do to become followers of Jesus Christ. With a huge number of people crowding around to hear Jesus’ every word, He gave more examples not of how easy it is to give your heart to the Lord, but how heavy the obligation of becoming a Christian is.

“Hate” those closest to you?
In Luke 14:26 Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” This instruction seems strange until we understand the meaning of the original language.

The NKJV Study Bible explains: “To ‘hate’ one’s family and even one’s life is rhetorical. It refers to desiring something less than something else” (2007, notes on Luke 14:26). In other words, a Christian’s love for living God’s way of life has to be greater than the love he or she has for any human relationship, as well as for himself or herself.

Even clarified, the statement is rather unexpected.

Endure trials
The next example was extremely graphic. Jesus said, “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (verse 27). Just as condemned criminals were made to carry the crosses upon which they would be executed, we must be willing to endure whatever trials we may face for being Christians.

“Count the cost”
Next, Jesus spoke of a construction project. He pointed out that any responsible builder would consider the cost of the entire project from start to finish and then make sure he had the necessary funding to complete the project before he would even start. Beginning a construction project without considering funding could result in an abandoned, partially complete building—a visual symbol of the builder’s lack of judgment (verses 28-30).

This principle can also be applied to becoming a Christian. We need to understand the cost—the challenges and hardships—that are sure to come when we begin living God’s way of life.

Consider your resources
Jesus then gave an illustration about going to war. Quite simply, Jesus said that a king or general counts his troops before engaging an enemy. He wants to know in advance that victory is possible. If He doesn’t have sufficient resources to win, He makes peace instead of going to war (verses 31-32).

As for Christians, our battles are spiritual in nature. In reality, it is impossible for us to win this war by ourselves. Upon becoming a Christian, we will need the help of God’s great power—His Holy Spirit—to achieve victory against overwhelming odds.

“Forsake all”
Concluding His teaching on this occasion, Jesus said, “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (verse 33). The lesson here is that in order to truly follow Christ, this must become the most important thing in our lives.

Why would Jesus tell people that unless they met these undeniably stringent standards, they could not become His disciples, Christians? He was simply further expounding upon the principle that “narrow is the gate.”



Priceless Guitar Melodies of the Heart


Dear LORD


I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this day. I’m blessed because You are a forgiving and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. In the same way You protect me, do it unto others. (friends/families I love..I'm keeping in my heart) Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. I may not be able to see something I wanted to quest but You never cease to show that there are more to what's behind the clouds. 

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through God’s eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrong-doings and receive the forgiveness of GOD.

And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus’ example to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It’s the best response when I’m pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can’t pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can’t find their way but keep me first on track so that I may not pull others. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don’t know you intimately. I pray for those that will ignore this epistle and not taking it in their heart. I pray for those who don’t believe but I thank You that I believe.


I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers for each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye and ear that listens knows there is no problem, circumstances or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands Dear Jesus for you to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly. These I pray..

In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

..Thank You~. *^__^* <3<3<3