At the end of the year, we enjoyed a couple of inspiring musical events. Our Christmas Cantata and Christmas Eve services helped us celebrate the birth of our Savior. We also had our annual New Year's Eve concert with concert organist, Isabelle Demers. She played masterfully, and the event was well attended. In early January 2024, we welcomed the Dordt University Chamber Orchestra. Another successful event in our lovely sanctuary! Preparing for and hosting these events requires much preparati... Continue reading ...
Take Note - Winter 2022
When I was younger, I would become a bit arrogant after I directed
successful church concerts. I had to tell myself, “Taemin, you should remember
this wasn’t possible without the help of everyone around you.”
Nowadays? I was surprised when, rather than thinking that way, I
just felt and realized that this wasn’t possible without the help of many
others, no matter how much I worked hard and prepared for the event. Yes, the
Festival Organ Concert on Sunday, October 23, was a success, an...
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Take Note - Fall 2022
Posted by Taemin Han on Sunday, September 11, 2022,
The
new choir year, 2022-2023, will begin soon, and our music committee and I plan
to prepare for it by cleaning our choir room and music library. We
welcomed a new member, Kathy VanderLaan, to the committee in August, adding to
our existing members: Jodi MacLean, Tim Elzinga, Diane Kersjes, and Helen
Phillips. Paul Bukaweski has retired from the committee at this time in order
to focus on other areas of church commitment. I would like to express my
gratitude to this group of people who have...
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Take Note - Spring 2022
Throughout
the challenging years of the COVID pandemic, we have tried to be flexible and
creative in fulfilling our ministries in glorifying God while faithfully
serving our congregation and community. Easier said than done!
In Central's
music ministry, a small number of talented singers and instrumental players-and
loyal members of the adult bell choir-have served as the backbone for our
musical offerings during services. As I write this article in late February, I
have heard the good news...
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Take Note - Christmas 2021
More
than any other time of year, I am aware during Advent of what it means to
"wait," though without the benefit of a timetable for that
"waiting." Advent means "coming" and it is derived
from the Latin in adventus. With every arrival, there is a period
of waiting beforehand.
I cannot even imagine the patience required by the
Israelites as they waited some thousands of years for their Messiah to arrive.
Patience is still required of us, believers in Jesus Christ, as we study his
earthly l...
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Take Note - Spring 2021
Around each
New Year's Eve, many people make a couple of resolutions for the coming new
year. I, too, did exactly that this year. Even though there are plenty of
possibilities that I can't even remember, some of them forgotten not long
after, it is much better to start the year with new plans rather than to start
without any plans.
First, for
my physical health, I bought two things: golf clubs and an indoor exercise
bike. During the wintertime, the best thing I can do for golfing inside is ...
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Take Note - Winter 2020
About a week after election day, the weather in Michigan was like early spring, sunny with temperatures sometimes over 70 degrees. During my first year as an international student in Michigan in 1997, I experienced this strange weather in early November. One of my friends told me it's called "Indian Summer." I thought this was God's great gift at the beginning of a harsh and gloomy winter in Michigan.
I hope we can have this kind of relief moment when encounter difficult times in our lives ...
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Take Note - Fall 2020
Time
flies and the end of summer suddenly came up to us. Even with an unclear
forecast for our choir year schedule, I decided to clean up our choir room and
choir members' folders. While emptying their folders, I could see what
happened in the middle of March this year. Most folders have the same
titles of music from months ago, and it reminded me that our choir had to stop
singing for service without enough time for warning. They didn't have time to
return their music. It looked like a scene...
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Take Note - Summer 2020
Proverbs 16:9 (New International Version)
In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
Ever since the coronavirus crisis struck the United States in mid-March, the first impression I had felt was that all the plans we set up wouldn't be possible without God's permission. Even before this unprecedented situation, it was true that we prayed for good weather and other routine factors for every event we planned and for successful results. But now, with an inte...
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Take Note - August 2019
It has been half a year since I
started serving as director of music ministries
at Central. I have been happy with all the people in our musical groups and the
congregation of Central Reformed Church as a whole. I have enjoyed the
excellent musicians in this area too. With these wonderful relationships, I
started my musical activities smoothly, with meaningful and graceful rehearsals
and services.
During summer time, our
musical offerings during services have been fruitful with solo and e...
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Newsletter for Chidren at Central
Dear Central
Families with Children,
I started
music time with little children on Sunday, January 13th ( from 11:30 a.m. to
noon) and it will continue for most Sundays from now on. For the 3rd to 5th grade group of children
(456er Stargazers), Sunday, Feb 3rd is the first day to have fun with me from
11:00 to 11:25 a.m. after service.
My plan for
each different age group of children will be slightly different. For the
younger group of children, music time with me is more like having f...
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Take Note - December 2018
For
Christmas Music Sunday in 2011, our Sanctuary Choir sang two choir pieces
written by D. Buxtehude and J.S. Bach. These great composers are important
musicians to me for two reasons. J.S. Bach is the greatest composer in western
music history, as many people may agree, and Buxtehude may be the most
important one Bach learned a lot from. He once traveled 300 miles to listen to
Buxtehude’s music on a couple of weeks of vacation and stayed there for some
months instead! This was very unusua...
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Take Note - November 2018
When I
played for funeral services, sometimes I heard Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 read, which
is about a time for everything. Whenever I listened to these verses, it let me
think about where I stand at the moment, and it gave me a kind of mysterious
comfort. According to this message, we don’t have to be too sad and hopeless
when we are in trouble. On the other hand, we should not be arrogant when we
are successful.
When I
started serving First Presbyterian Church in 2011, I was in a difficult tim...
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Take Note - October 2018
Music is
around us all the time. We celebrate our birthdays with music and send our
people to heaven with music. We sing and play instruments when we are happy and
we do the same thing when we are sad. God wants us to praise Him with music and
God wants to communicate with us through music as well.
While
writing this article, I am looking forward to Music Dedication Sunday on
September 23. Our Celebration Ringers and Sanctuary Choir will play and sing
during service. We will also introduce ...
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Take Note - September 2018
While letting
a fun summer go, another fruitful autumn is ahead of us! Are we ready to enjoy
this beginning of the new church year?
Our first choir rehearsal will be on
Wednesday, September 5. I am in the middle of selecting music for both Celebration and Sanctuary
Choirs. Planning is a time-consuming job, but it’s a most happy and
imagination-filled job for me. Actually, the good results of our music ministry
usually starts with this planning process. Without careful and sincere
planning...
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Take Note - August 2018
Summer seems
to be divided into three parts to me: exciting entrance in June, peak of
enjoyment in July, and closing the season in August. Now, we are entering the
phase of closing and preparing for coming seasons of school, work, and church
year.
I have enjoyed
some out-of-state activities in June and July this year: Handbell Festival in
Rochester, MN with our bell choir members, and American Guild of Organists
National Convention in Kansas City, MO with Miah. As a non-musical activity, I
...
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Take Note - July 2018
I was in
Rochester, MN June 22-24 with our Celebration Ringers participating in the Area
7 Handbell Festival Conference. This event happens every other year, and our
ringers’ enthusiasm for this event has always been strong. After 2014, this
year is my second time going to the event, and I enjoyed it again with our
ringers. Learning some new things about the instrument and technique may be
important, but personally, learning to be a player in a group, in this case a
BIG group of about 400, ...
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Take Note - June 2018
When I think
of a break, there are two types in my mind. One is productive and voluntary.
The other one is wasting and passive. In the scriptures, we can find these two
examples. Jesus often took breaks in between his very busy ministries during
his last years on earth. When he withdrew from his disciples and the people, he
took time to pray and rest to recharge Himself for the next steps in teaching
and leading the people around Him. The other case of break I found is when all
of Jesus’ di...
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Take Note - May 2018
Last Sunday
(April 22), our choirs and I finally gave our annual Spring Concert. More than
any other year, we encountered some unexpected obstacles during our preparation
for the concert. The most shocking one was that our beloved Skinner pipe organ
suddenly stopped working a few weeks before the concert. Luckily, I had planned
a way to have the concert without using the main pieces that greatly needed the
organ this year. But, we still needed our organ for Bach’s cantata and some
other pie...
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Take Note - April 2018
It was a
cold and snowy day when I was alone playing the piano in our sanctuary, working
on J.C. Bach’s piano quartet in G major, one of the pieces for our 2018 Spring
Concert. Johann Christian Bach is one of Johann Sebastian’s sons. I was so
happy when I found this piece while preparing this year’s Spring Concert. This
piece is like an amazing combination of his father’s Baroque style and the
style of the next generation, the Classical period.
I
recognized, in the middle of playing...
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Take Note - March 2018
Posted by Taemin Han on Thursday, March 15, 2018,
The time
around late February and early March is always hard to pass by. Maybe it feels
that way because it’s the end of winter and it’s also usually during the Lenten
period in the Christian year.
This year
has not been that much different. Harsh winter weather has been hurting the
entire nation from the east to west coasts and a lot of difficult news has been
reported inside and outside of this country; from gun shooting tragedies to
ongoing violence in the Middle East and elsewhere t...
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Take Note - February 2018
This is a
puppy doll I gave Miah as a gift for our anniversary last week, and I put it
next to a turtle doll I gave Miah for her birthday a couple years ago to take a
good picture. They look like good friends with each other, and I felt like they
were talking about how they ended up living here with us. It seems amazing that
we feel affection for these dolls even if they aren’t alive.
This year,
Ash Wednesday is on February 14, which happens to be Valentine’s Day. Ash
Wednesday is foll...
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Take Note - January 2018
Posted by Taemin Han on Thursday, January 11, 2018,
It’s only
natural for us to look back and evaluate what has happened in the past year
when we approach the end of it. This year of 2017 seems to me to have been one
of the most meaningful, comfortable, and exciting years.
First of
all, this year will be remembered as a historical year, when all my family here
became US citizens. The Han family has been pursuing and celebrating our
citizenships throughout the whole year. Solomon was born here in the USA, but I
hope he has had a chance to f...
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Take Note - December 2017
Posted by Taemin Han on Thursday, January 11, 2018,
Concluding
some event or time always gives us a chance to look back and re-evaluate what
we have done and what we have experienced. Based on that, we will also be able
to plan for the next step. This year, 2017, has been a special and meaningful
year for me and my family. It’s our 20th anniversary living in the USA and it’s
also the year when all our family members have become US citizens.
For this
reason, Miah and I have had many opportunities to celebrate this year with our
fellow chu...
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Take Note - November 2017
It seems
like the changing of the seasons always comes to us suddenly before we can
accept them. From last week in the middle of October, continuously rainy days
started and the temperature suddenly dropped. Now I am worried about the baby
grass that started growing after a week or so after I put seeds on the damaged
spots on the side of my yard. When I look around, many houses were in the
process of remodeling or maintaining. People are also cleaning up their garages
and gardening equipment....
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Take Note - October 2017
Again, the season of fall is coming back. Fall
is supposed to be a harvesting season, and it seems to be especially true in
Iowa.
When I eat my favorite, pork belly or fresh
side pork, the Korean perilla (perilla leaf) is essential with lettuce. The
strong aroma from the leaf goes wonderfully with oily pork meat. But, it’s not
available at any nearby stores. So, I decided to grow it myself four years ago.
I bought the seeds for this plant but they failed to grow. The next year, I put the s...
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Take Note - September 2017
We recently
had our staff retreat, which was Thursday through Friday, August 17-18. This
was my first overnight church staff activity out of town. We had a very
exciting, fun, and meaningful time together thanks to Amy’s well-planned
program, everyone’s active participation, great location, the wonderful
facility of the retreat center, and our new staff member Stephanie, who joined
us this year.
On the
return trip, I was thinking about the retreat. What was the most important
lesson I l...
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Take Note - August 2017
A long time
ago, I was chattering with a lady who was a school music teacher as well as church
musician. She said one of her school
band students quit band recently, and she asked me if I could guess why. On my puzzled face, she said the student's
mom said she valued her family time, and her son's practicing took away from
it. After a brief pause, we laughed out
loud together for a while. The
conversation, though, didn't seem like just a light joke to me after I thought
about it more deepl...
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Take Note - July 2017
Our trip to
Bremen, Germany was a great experience for many reasons. First of all, it was
the first time I put my feet on the soil of a foreign country, except for when
I came to the USA from Korea 20 years ago. Miah and I were part of the
delegation that represented Americans after becoming US citizens just six weeks
before the trip!
During the three-day conference and the closing worship with three different
languages (German, English, and an African) on the third day of the trip, Miah
an...
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Take Note - June 2017
Doing our
best to make our life worth each day and every day should be our goal. After a while, though, we should also have a
pause and look back, to remind us where we are from, and look forward, where we
will walk onward. This will help us see the big picture so that we will not
lose our identity and can set the right direction to keep going in our long life
journey.
I had a
great chance to review the history and the current situation of Korean
Christian churches at First Congregational ...
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Take Note - May 2017
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians
5:16—NIV)
On a Friday
afternoon after finishing my work, I was leaving the church using our new
elevator. Right before opening the door going outside, I suddenly wanted to
recall the old building structure around the current entrance doors and the
elevator. I walked around the fire doors and looked around the stairs going to
the kitchen area. I tried harder to picture the ...
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Take Note - April 2017
The day I
am writing this article is the first official day of spring on the
calendar. During the last Spring Concert in May, I proudly announced that
we were going to have a new elevator to welcome more people to this
church. Now we have it and our musical groups with some guest musicians
are preparing our 6th Annual Spring Concert on Sunday, April 30 at 3 p.m.
The
concert will be performed by both Celebration Ringers and Sanctuary Choir with
some guest vocalists with brass, percussion, d...
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Take Note - March 2017
With
witnessing the ongoing struggles and debates among people around the
presidential campaign of 2016, I have been thinking about how hard it is to
understand other people’s thoughts and to be in their shoes to see the world.
As a
musician, my efforts to understand others has involved pursuing a variety of
music for our services and concerts. For the last several years since 2012, our
choir has sung repertories from the time of the Renaissance to contemporary
music. Language-wise, we ha...
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Take Note - February 2017
The year of
2017 should be a memorable point in my life in many ways. I started my 50’s
this year in January, this is my 20th year since I came to the USA, and I am
almost completely sure that I will become an American citizen this year.
Whether others recognize it or not, many things have changed inside and outside
of me. But, there are things that will not change; God and me, and the
relationship between us and God.
There is a movie, among many, that I will remember my entire life: “C...
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Take Note - January 2017
A few days
ago, I found an interesting YouTube page provided by a young American man who
is currently teaching English in Korea. His name is Oliver and first of all,
his amazingly fluent Korean was so impressive. His many fun clips should be
very helpful to many Koreans who want to learn English and more about America.
While enjoying them, one video stood out to me strongly.
It was about the reality of America (literally interpreted as “the real face
[without makeup] of America”), and h...
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Take Note - December 2016
I am writing
this article after watching a movie with some of our church children within our
choir and chaperones. I showed a picture of our group I took there to one of my
sisters in Korea. She said, “Wow, various races are in this picture!” Yes, we
all may be different in color, but we are all the same as children of God. We
had a fun time together that evening.
Now we are going to have Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. During
this wonderful time of year, I again think ab...
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Take Note - November 2016
Miah and I
had another “Miah and Friends” concert last Sunday, October 23. It has been
five years since 2012, and we have had lots of fun with many musician friends
through these annual events. After this exciting concert, I thought I was going
to get some rest for at least a few days.
On Monday morning, though, I realized that I couldn’t do so. Just look at all
the fallen leaves in front and back yard! To make things worse, the weather
forecast said we were going to have some rain fr...
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Take Note - October 2016
Posted by Taemin Han on Thursday, October 27, 2016,
The
beginning of fall this year has been so difficult because of the flooded
conditions in many places. Because I didn’t see the 2008 flood in Iowa, it’s
the most serious flood situation I have ever witnessed At this moment while I
am writing this article, I am preparing for two musical events: Music
Dedication Sunday at our church and Miah’s organ recital in Clermont. Both
events are scheduled for the same day, Sunday, September 25.
With the uncertain weather for tomorrow,
I have been ...
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Take Note - September 2016
This summer,
I spent many more days traveling than I have any other year. It’s been three
years since I visited Korea with my family in 2013, and I spent time with my
family again because my father passed away pretty suddenly and unexpectedly.
Since then I got to see my old church families in Ann Arbor, Michigan again
after 15 years and in Mt. Clemens after six years.
I still appreciated the precious moments I had when I saw old friends and my
own family after so many years, and that’s ...
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Take Note - August 2016
Last week, I
drove about 2,000 miles for a four-night, 5 day-vacation with my family. Our
first destination was Niagara Falls, and we went through the states of
Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. On the road coming back home we visited
two locations, Ann Arbor and Mt. Clements in Michigan, to meet our Hope Korean
Church family and our First Presbyterian Church family. As time goes,
relationships with people in the past become more and more precious and the
desire to go back and visit them w...
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Take Note - July 2016
What a month
I have had in June! On June 2, I took a quick trip to Korea for my family, who
mourned and comforted each other after my father passed away after 10 days in a
hospital with two surgeries. He went back to heaven without too much pain or
worry, and I believe that he had a pretty enjoyable life too. On the second day
of my return from Korea, I had a last rehearsal with our ringers before the
Handbell Festival in Sioux Falls and they left for the event two days later
without me due t...
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Take Note - June 2016
Posted by Taemin Han on Tuesday, June 28, 2016,
There is a
story I heard a long time ago that comes back to me often when I think about
the blessings we can share from generation to generation beyond time. There was
a man who ran a family winery handed down through many generations. One day he
was asked by a reporter when he would sell the wine he was putting in storage
at that moment. He said, “ about 30 years from now.” The astonished reporter
asked, “When did you store the wine you will sell this year then?” The winery
owner sai...
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Take Note - May 2016
The annual Spring Concert this year in May at First
Presbyterian Church will be the fifth one since 2012. In my own history of
music ministry in the USA, it has been 16 years. I started this annual concert
at St. John’s Episcopal Church of Westland, Michigan in 2000, and I have not
skipped a single year. I believe it benefits church music ministry in various
ways. First of all, it gives us an opportunity to maintain and develop our
musical skills, and also shows us musical goals to achieve....
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Take Note - April 2016
There is a great movie that reminds me about the
importance of the dreams of young people. “Cinema Paradiso” is a story about a
young boy who develops a friendship with the fatherly projectionist in a small
town in Italy. Eventually, he became a famous film director, and there’s no
doubt that the time he spent in the movie theater with the projectionist
affected his success as a film maker.
When I recall my life’s path, the first person who gave me the dream of
becoming a musician w... Continue reading ...
Take Note - March 2016
Recently I have witnessed so many musical events
that have been taking place in our community. Among them, the Cedar Valley
chapter of the American Guild of Organists hosted “January Jubilee” last month. The event was mainly to encourage and support part-time church musicians,
including our local musicians. Over 40 people, including some people from
nearby cities and other states, participated. The organization will have
another big event, “Pipe Organ Encounter”, in June. This tim...
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Take Note - February 2016
If you have ever spent time on the phone, answering
numerous recorded questions, and finally get the chance to hear a real human voice
to talk with, you know how important it is for us to spend time with real
people instead of machines.
One day, I made a mistake and responded to a
suspicious email message regarding one of my bank accounts. I recognized that it was a scam email right
away and I called the number on the back of my bank card. After spending a long time with the recorded
voice, ...
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Take Note - January 2016
When
the time of letting the old year go and opening a new year came around, I spent
some time thinking about what really matters in our lives. What can
really make our lives fruitful, enjoyable, and meaningful to ourselves and to
others as well?
Right
after the Christmas eve service, which was the last service I prepared this year, I enjoyed several days of vacation. During these days, I
could have my favorite kind of time, which was to explore potential music
for next year. While doing...
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Take Note - December 2015
"I am not lost. I am
exploring."
This is from a bump sticker message I
saw this morning on someone's car. This car was in the parking
lot of Creighton University in Omaha, so the car was probably
a student's. Grace is applying to a couple of pharmacy schools, so they are pretty good
words she needs to keep in mind too.
In the journey of life, we sometimes
have no clear idea where we are or what step we should take next. During that kind of situation, people's advice or
our trust on God...
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Take Note - November 2015
In 8th century Korea, there was a monk who wrote "Song in Memory of a Deceased Sister." The poem starts with this sentence, "Here are the ways of life and death, and you happened to leave even without being able to say 'I am leaving.' Like leaves, falling down here and there from the wind in early Autumn , we don't know where we go even though we were born on the same branch...." He was a Buddhist monk, so he might see life after death a little differently to our beliefs as Christians. ...
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Take Note - October 2015
In Korea, there are two big holidays when families get together to celebrate: the beginning of Fall (super moon day)and lunar new year. As an immigrant family from Korea, my family and I happen to enjoy these holidays along with Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. It depends on how Miah and I take these holidays. It can be double the excitement or double the loneliness for us because we don't have our parents and siblings here in the USA.
This evening Miah talked with her parents over the p...
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Take Note - September 2015
Posted by Taemin Han on Wednesday, September 16, 2015,
Dear First
Presbyterian Church Families, how have you been during this summer? I have
enjoyed fellowship with many of you on Sundays and through some church events
such as Tapestry, Ice Cream Social, and the pool party. But, many of us,
including me, enjoyed time out of town and even out of state , so we have
missed each other more often than other seasons.
Now, it’s almost the time when
we resume our regular church activities, and that includes our music program.
During summer, when I had ...
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Take Note - August 2015
A couple of
weeks ago, I started driving lessons with Solomon. It reminded me of the early
years of my driving. I remember that small differences between each car seemed
huge, such as size of the cars and the sensitivity of brake and engine. After
some years of driving, I recognized that those differences do not affect my
driving that much.
During the American Guild of Organists convention in
Indianapolis I attended with Miah in July, I enjoyed many concerts performed by
excellent organists w...
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Take Note - July 2015
From late spring to early summer, I
usually see many houses open their yards for garage sales. Warm weather conditions may make
people want to clean their houses and get more space to relax and breathe more
air. Cleaning up and
organizing are activities
we should never stop throughout our lives, but this is the season when we do
them more.
I think this is the season we need to
clean up our minds and spirits too. This
is the time when we reflect on our past and reconnect our relationships wi...
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Take Note - June 2015
The season of sowing
has come back, and I put some seeds of my favorite vegetable, green perilla, in
a pot. It is not a well-known vegetable to most Americans but is a
necessity on Koreans’ dining tables, especially for pork dishes. Its
smell is so attractive and also helps get rid of the bad smell of pork. Because
it’s available only at Korean grocery stores and the nearest town I can go to
is Iowa City, I decided to grow it myself. Last
year, I tried and got only weeds. This year, I...
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Take Note - May 2015
May is the last month
of the church choir year. After our
annual Spring Concert on May 3, we will start to get ready to close this choir
year. As I recall our year of 2014-2015,
many good memories make me smile. Among them, I especially feel happy about our
children’s choir group, Praise Ringers. The children have sung and played bells
regularly throughout this year. On
Sunday, April 12, they played bells and showed us the signs of important words
of the song, while Sanctuary Choir suppo...
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Take Note - April 2015
Posted by Taemin Han on Thursday, April 2, 2015,
At
this moment, as I write this article, I am preparing two musical events:
"Jerusalem Journey - drama and music" on Palm Sunday, and our
annual "Spring Concert" on May 3. At the same time, I need to
work on our Palm Sunday service, morning services in Holy Week, Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter services.
If I didn't have to write this article, I might not have had the chance to stop and
think about the meaning of this period of time and reflect on God's plan to
save us by the sa...
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Take Note - March 2015
If
someone asked me what the most important task and consistent challenge for my
work as a music conductor is, I would say "listening" during each
rehearsal and performance. There are many things to learn and equip
myself with to be a better music director, such as working hard on copies of
music, developing communication skills, and finding more and more repertories
of fine music. But, if there's one most important fact, which
distinguishes ordinary music directors from excellent ones, it'...
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Take Note - February 2015
I
once read a report saying that elderly people were more optimistic about the
future than younger people were. Maybe part of the reason is there
will be less time left for old people than for younger. But that
does not explain it fully. I believe that experiences we have
throughout our lives prove that most of the difficulties we have in our lives
are not that bad compared to what we usually predict beforehand, and
there have been ways to overcome those troubles beyond our expectations.
...
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Take Note - January 2015
During the
Christmas holidays, I watched a movie, "A Christmas without Snow" on cable. These days I watch movies mostly
on Netflix and Amazon. This way, I can more effectively search and find movies
according to my interests. So, finding and watching this movie on television
felt a bit old-fashioned.
The setting
of this movie was a church and its choir. One of the most memorable scenes happened
right after the audition to select soloists for the Handel's Messiah concert. One soprano, who th...
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Take Note - December 2014
The last month of
the year 2014 is coming soon . Around Thanksgiving and Christmas it's the
time to remind ourselves of the importance of family because of the
fact that we will gather with our families during this season more than any
other time of the year. Why is family so important to us?
Good relationships
with people, especially with our families, give us confidence and courage in
challenging times and comfort in difficult times, and they generally allow us
to be ourselves in most s...
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Take Note - November 2014
When
I see falling leaves around this time of year, I can't avoid thinking about the
span of our lives. We have a few steps or elements in our lives; birth,
learning, working, marriage (skipping this stage has became more common these
days though), and death.
The
season of fall reminds us about death. And
even though fall itself can be categorized as a harvest, full of grace and
thanksgiving, and the peak of happiness in our lives, falling leaves and
cooling temperature give us the idea ...
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Take Note - October 2014
"Praise
the Lord. How good it is to sing praises
to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him! - Pslam 147:1 NIV) "
In the year
of 1997, I came to the United States in April, 7 months earlier than Grace and
Miah for Miah's remaining classes and final exam to achieve her master's degree
in organ performance. During those 7 months I missed
them a lot, especially it made me feel so painful not to witness the quick
growing up moments of 3 year old Grace at the time.
One day, she
left h...
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Take Note - September 2014
"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them.'" - Ecclesiastes 12:1 (NIV)
When I was young, I mean I was in my 20's I thought the word "youth" in this context meant people in their teens and 20's at least. Now in this 21st century, the concept of young has been expanded dramatically. If we consider youth as not only biologically but also spiritual, the concept of youth can seen in even ... Continue reading ...
Take Note - August 2014
Posted by Taemin Han on Monday, August 11, 2014,
One Saturday
morning, I finished my practice at
church. When I got out of church and
made sure the side door was locked, there was a man getting out of his car in the
church parking lot. He was not familiar
to me, so I paid attention to him and what
he would do around the church. I noticed
that he had some containers and disappeared soon.
When I was about to get into my car, he showed up again and approached me this
time! Before I could say something like
"May I help you?", he said "...
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Take Note - July 2014
Posted by Taemin Han on Monday, August 11, 2014,
Take Note -
July 2014
I enjoyed
the Area 7 Handbell Festival Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin on June
19-22. This handbell festival has been a bi-annual event presented by the national organization,
Handbell Musicians of America. I have
seen how enthusiastically many of our church ringers have participated in this
event. Fund raising events and much
preparation made this event so meaningful and fruitful for them, and I
experienced it last week with them.
Personally
it was a great tim...
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Take Note - June 2014
After Sunday
morning service on May 25, many people approached me and said my piano
offertory was so touching. Among them,
three ladies had said the same comment, "It was my mother's
favorite!" That was
"Whispering Hope", arranged by Kohlmann. I got his music book of arrangement
collections for the piano, printed in 1944, while digging in a bunch of old
music books that a retiring music professor put beside his office for students. I have played these old hymn tunes for our
senior church ...
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Take Note - May 2014
I am wring
this article on the evening of Easter.
We had a great Easter morning service with guest organist Dr. Karen Black of Wartburg
college. Before the Easter service, I
had good experiences and many thoughts throughout holy week morning services at
7:30 a.m. With a few people who
attended, I had chances to talk with them after each service and we shared our
own life stories, issues about our education to the immigration system and many
other things happening around us. I have
not ha...
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Take Note - April 2014
"Rejoice
in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" - Philippians 4:4: (KJV)
In a way of
participating in the church's endeavor as staff through new vision planning, we
are having book discussions on Tuesdays with a book, titled "Memories, Hopes,
and Conversations" by Mark Lau Branson.
This week we are reading the 3rd chapter, and it's about our
thanksgiving and gratitude of what God
has given us. Many writers in the Bible
such as David and Paul show us that they thanked God and praised ...
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Take Note - March 2014
When
preparing musical concerts, music directors usually spend a significant portion
of preparation time in finding good copies of music for the program. Especially if it is old, historical music,
finding a good edition for an authentic interpretation will be important. An accurate copy of music without errors also
saves a lot of rehearsal time and performers' energy too.
English
Baroque composer Henry Purcell's anthem, "Rejoice in the Lord alway"
is one of the pieces for the upcoming Spring...
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Take Note - January 2014
During the last
Christmas Eve service, we again fully enjoyed graceful music with many talented
musicians. Especially during the
pre-service music, our beginner's bell choir group, Praise Ringers, played two
Christmas pieces, and our young singer Megan Wheelock sang "Gentle Mary,
Tender Mary." beautifully. Grace Han
and Alix Wimberley played their instruments wonderfully too.
When I plan to include these young musicians for musical events, it usually
needs much more preparation time than...
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Take Note - December 2013
It is time to close the year of 2013. Around this time of year, many people will try to recall what they have achieved and what they have lost. There are things that can be measured easily, like changes in someone’s financial situation or social status. In contrast, there are subtle things in our lives that can’t be recognized clearly. Are you happier this year than last year? This kind of question should be answered with various standards and concepts of measurement.
When I recall the mu...
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Take Note - November 2013
The talent
show we had on Sunday, October 13, was successful. We enjoyed many people's talents in music,
dance, and many jokes our children and youth group presented made the whole
show go smoothly. So, I would like to
start my "Take Note" with some jokes for this month.
A man was
complaining to God, "Oh my God. I have kept praying to give myself a
chance to win the lottery. Why didn't you give me that luck?" God's answer, "Son, why don't you buy a ticket
yourself first and pray?" Here'...
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Take Note - October 2013
There’s an interesting and unique
piece written by American experimental composer John Cage (1912-1992). The
title is 4’33” (four minutes, thirty-three seconds). It’s for any instrument or
combination of instruments, but the performers will not play anything during the total duration of the
piece. John Cage said that, in his opinion, it is his most important work. I think
the composer’s idea of this piece shows us one of the many aspects of live
performances.
In regard to convenie...
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Take Note - September 2013
During one
of the days when Grace was in her early years of elementary school, Miah and I
found her doing an interesting job around a potted plant. She held a radio and
played some music for the plant. When we asked what she was doing, she
explained that this music would help the plant grow well. We didn’t know where she
got the idea, but it seemed quite impressive. Music is also recommended for our
pets. Many veterinarians recommend music for our dogs when they get stressed or
too excite...
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Take Note - August 2013
On Sunday, July 21, our Summer Choir sang an anthem, “Bind Us Together” for service, and I added the flute and trombone parts for Grace and Solomon to join us. During the rehearsal before the service, one of the choir members told me that the sound of the flute was not noticeable because of its low range. I told her that you will hear more towards the end of the piece. I arranged the flute part to play the melody line in the beginning, some counter-melody (descant) for the middle, and the...
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Take Note - July 2013
“Big boys
don’t cry.” It seems like an old-fashioned statement meaning that to control
your emotions in public is a virtue. The equivalent for girls may be “Big girls
don’t frown.”
After 16
years in the USA, my family had a good time with our family in Korea. Most of
them met Solomon for the first time and Grace was three years old when they
last saw her. Even with this circumstance, we saw only laughter and smiles we
shared together.
When the
time came to say our last good-bye ...
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Take Note - June 2013
Summer is a
season when we get out of closed spaces to a widely open world. We enjoy
catching up with our neighbors and friends and making new friends during the
summer. Busy school and church schedules get more relaxed and we can take a
deep breath until Fall.
Around the
time you are reading this article, I will be in Korea with my family. There’s a
Korean proverb, that says, “The time of a decade can change even the shape of
mountains and rivers.” I want to check how much sense thi...
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Take Note - May 2013
During the
winter of 2009, three days before New Year’s eve, my family and I moved to
Waterloo from Michigan where we spent 12 years. One of the choir members I shared six years
with gave us a bowl as a farewell gift. The bowl had a line of words printed which
read “Home Is Where the Heart Is.” That
short sentence comforted me amazingly.
The first
time I stepped on the land of the USA, New York and New Jersey area, for
visiting my friend for a week, I felt like Alice in Wonderland. ...
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Take Note - April 2013
Can you think of our lives without music? Music is everywhere around us. When we celebrate our birthdays and when we send off our beloved ones at their funerals, there is music. We need music when we are happy, and music will comfort us when we are sad.
I read an article about a cellist, Vedran Smailović, who played his cello in unusual places during the siege of Sarajevo. He played mostly Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor in ruined buildings. In his honor, composer David Wilde wrote a solo piec...
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Take Note - March 2013
Sometimes we spend time finding out how we can be the best person to our important people. Making more money looks like one of the many ways to make this wish come true. Spending more time with them will be another way. These two ways, however, don’t go along with each other easily. There may be some more answers we can think of, but I would like to say that my answer for this question is being where we should be for them.
There was a conversation with a mother, who lost her daughter to an a...
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Take Note - February 2013
Missions-Impractical: that was the title of the devotion, based on the story of five loaves and two fish in Mat-thew 14:16-17, I read to our Sanctuary Choir members during our second Wednesday rehearsal this year. The question I had after reading it was who will determine whether God’s a mission is impractical. If we determine some mission and try to figure out if it’s impractical or practical, will that decision be reliable? If the mission is given by God and led by His plan and will, it...
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Take Note - January 2013
The Messiah concert on Sunday, December
9, that First Presbyterian and First Congregational presented in our church
sanctuary was well received and successful. More than 400 people sat in the pews and
about 50 people on the stage made a beautiful atmosphere while we glorified God
in unison. The power of music is really
a gift from God!
After the concert, I started thinking of
the many other ways we can serve the people around us. Music is one of many tools we can use to lead
people to Chr...
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Take Note - December 2012
If someone asks you which is more
important, the beginning or the end of
each year, what would be your answer?
You might answer that the beginning is more important because a good
start will more likely lead you to good results. Or, you will say that the end is more important,
because good results are your final goal even if you start badly.
However, it is not easy to identify
the clear points of beginning and ending in our life. The concept of the beginning and ending of
each year is on...
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Take Note - November 2012
Many people make resolutions
for the New Year, in preparation for what’s to come. But how often do we take the time to review
the previous year in order to see how far we’ve come? It’s good to look back over our past to see
what we have accomplished and examine how we can build in the future.
When the temperature gets
cooler and the leaves begin to change color, I start thinking back to the early
days of each year. At the beginning of
2012, I was so appreciative of my new calling at...
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Take Note - October 2012
I heard a story of a farmer who had a winery from his ancestors. Someone asked him why he was working so hard to make new wine even when he was so old and might not get a bottle good enough to sell in his lifetime. The answer from him was that it was because he had gotten those good old wines that his father and grandfather put in storage a long time ago. When we work hard, sometimes it's not just for ourselves but for the future of our children and grandchildren. Without those efforts of...
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Take Note - September 2012
My daughter, Grace, left home for college last Wednesday. I thank God for this opportunity and the new chapter of life for her. While getting back from Iowa City after dropping her off at the University of Iowa, I recalled all 18 years that I have shared with Grace. The question that returned to me again and again was "What would be the most helpful thing I can give her as a parent for her life?"
As church musicians and an immigrant family, we have not enjoyed a financially rich life. But,...
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Take Note - August 2012
In the middle of summer, I had
a good chance to refresh my body and spirit by attending a conference for church
musicians at St. Olaf College. It was a heart-touching moment to see Dr. John
Ferguson playing the organ during the worship service for the last time in his
tenure at the college. Everyone gave him respect by clapping for a long time.
He was a well-known organist, composer and music educator. Dr. Anton Armstrong,
choral director at St. Olaf College, also gave us many thing...
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Take Note - July 2012
One word
that can have very opposite meanings in different situations is "contagious." If it is used with the name of a disease, it will
mean making the situation more serious, and we want to prevent it from
happening. But sometimes it can mean
passing our emotions and feelings to other people. In this case, contagious can make either
positive or negative results depending on what is conveyed.
The second
Sunday of June was the first day our Summer Choir sang for service during this
summ...
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Take Note - June 2012
Whoa! This choir year is almost over! When I started serving in the middle of the church choir year here at First Presbyterian, I started without much preparation. My previous experiences as a church musician helped me out a bit. Without the patience and warm-hearted team spirit of our choir members, and encouragement from church members, however, I couldn't have survived up to this point. I thank the God for you! (This was the anthem we sang on Mother's Day Sunday.)
Now we enjoy the outdoors ...
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Take Note - May 2012
Posted by Taemin Han on Saturday, May 5, 2012,
As I am writing this article, I have a
few days left in preparing for the Eastertide Concert. One of the pieces of the
program is J.S. Bach's cantata No. 166, and the title of the first movement of
the cantata is "Where are you going?", from John 16:5, Jesus' questions for his
disciples: "but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, 'Where
are you going?'"
During the last Lent period, Grace and I
had a chance to watch the movie "The Passion of Christ", directed by Mel ...
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Take Note - April 2012
Throughout about
20 years of my music ministry at many churches, I have insisted that my church
choirs have at least one or two public
concerts during a church year. There are
two important reasons: one is we should have experience to some suitable degree
of difficult projects regularly to maintain our interest in music and develop
our musical skills further. It might be
similar to the case that students need to take exams on a regular basis to
check if their learning process has been succ...
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Take Note - March 2012
Two weeks
ago, my whole family and I visited Michigan State University for Grace, who was
participating in the MSU alumni distinguished scholarship competition. Regardless of the results which will come
later, we decided to focus the value of the time we enjoyed on visiting our old
home town and finding fond memories at the campus during the stay in East
Lansing.
While
participating in the events, I could not hide my pride as an alumni of the
school because of how organized they were in p...
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Take Note - February 2012
Someone said that there are three things that the longer you have kept them, the better they will be : those are the violin, wine and friend. I am not able to explain the reason for violin and wine well enough even though I am sure that's true. But I would like to think more about the friendships we want to achieve through our lives.
True friendships are like a tree with deep roots that have stood the test of time. Good friends don't need to get together that often to make sure their relat... Continue reading ...
Take Note - January 2012
What a year I have spent in 2011! It has been one of most challenging years for me and it has been another blessed year in return indeed with God's guidance. Around the time of closing this year of 2011, I try to recall all the memories and experiences, and I recognize that the most important blessing among all others I should thank God for is my family.
If I had not had my wife and my children, who did not lose trust in me and kept living their lives without missing a beat, I would have g... Continue reading ...
Take Note - December 2011
Do you have a role model ? If we find a good one, our lives can be in better shape.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is considered to be one of the greatest composers in western music history. He was more popular as an organist than a composer in his time. After then, many historical composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin admired his keyboard works. After F. Mendelssohn discovered a copy of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in his family library and reintroduced this piece to th...
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Take Note - First Article at FPC, Waterloo
It is my honor to serve First Presbyterian Church as an Interim Music Director/Organist. The rich history of this church and equally extended history of strong music ministry at First Presbyterian Church have contributed tremendously to the life of church members as well as this community. I have enjoyed the concert program and special musical events at this church during the last two years since I moved to Waterloo with my family in December 2009.
Even with my short time of serving as subst...
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Take Note - June/July 2011
What a year I have spent with the Westminster family! I have enjoyed all the musical activities and relationships with people around me through this season. Many memories of this year will be with me for a long time, including; the Animal Public Concert; Messiah Sunday; Children's Christmas Musical "King Wenceslas"; Westminster Chimes Talent Show; Music Recognition Sunday and Hymn Singing Sunday.
Now, we are into the Summer! Energy will abound and we will enjoy this exciting season! Bu...
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Take Note - May 2011
How amazing it is to see the life of nature! After many months of hiding, leaves and grasses are showing green out of drab braches and ground of a long winter. New leaves and flowers are so soft -- like a new-born baby's skin. But, they are so strong! God's wondrous creation of Genesis continues - on-going -everyday around us.
As spring is a time of new beginning, May is a month full of the celebrating ceremonies of the church and school year’s closing. Many will venture to highe...
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Take Note - April 2011
In my memory, most Lenten periods were in the end of winter. But, this year we experience this solemn time at the beginning of spring. We need to remind ourselves of the meaning of Jesus' sacrifice and set our minds away from earthly desire as we fill our hearts with spiritual hunger.
However, even in Lent we still celebrate God’s great love for us through our Sunday services. This is why the 40 days of Lent following Ash Wednesday excludes the Sundays. I am happy that it falls int...
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Take Note - March 2011
One Sunday, Pastor Tricia gave a children’s sermon with two football teams' uniforms. The conclusion was that we are followers of Jesus, so our behaviors and beliefs should reflect the image of God to the world. It sounded like one of the most basic sermon themes we commonly hear. But, the more I think of this matter, the heavier responsibility I feel as a Christian.
We represent our God to people around us and we hope to do well. Often we don’t. Who will represent us most in hum...
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Take Note - February 2011
We often recognize that we are weak and sinful in nature. Even with Jesus' sacrifice and God's endless guidance, we stumble and disobey God. Apostle Peter was rebuked as a Satan by Jesus right after hearing that he would be a rock of the church (Matthew 16: 16-23). Our battle with our sinful nature will continue, until we stand before our God and join the eternal life in heaven.
During Lent, some people decide to sacrifice a favorite part of life to get a step closer to God. It can be ...
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Take Note - January 2011
It was after just 2 months of dating that I asked Miah to marry me. The answer from her parents for us was to spend at least a year to get to know each other. People in Korea generally say that you need to spend 4 seasons (one year) with people in order to know them well.
It has been 4 seasons for me and my family since we joined the Westminster family. We have shared times of joy, sorrow, and many other emotions with Westminster families and the people of the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area....
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Take Note - December 2010
As it gets closer to the end of the year, we will be adopting a new directory. While updating the addresses and phone numbers of members, we sometimes need to eliminate certain names because there is no longer a reason to contact them. In other cases, we call someone to say "hello" after a long absence. This time of year, we recognize the importance of the relationships and realize that it needs continuing efforts to maintain.
This is true to the relationship between Jesus Christ and u...
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Take Note - November 2010
While living in the United States since 1997, I have encountered various cultural differences between South Korea and the U.S.A. Sometimes it's amazing to find that opposite expressions are used for the same situations.
For example, when Koreans leave work before their co-workers they tell them "work hard." What do we say here in this case? We will say "don't work too hard." I don't think that these different sayings will make people work any differently. It has been a "custom" in greet...
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Take Note - October 2010
During the first couple weeks in this choir year, we have been blessed to see many returning and new members in each group. The reason we need to move in to the new choir rooms for bigger space and renovated facilities became clear with the increased number of children and youth choir members in the current choir room. Not only with numbers, but the plans we have with our church choirs will even demand more room. We need to encourage our musical groups to grow in numbers and quality, but a...
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Take Note - September 2010
“(Elijah:) I am the only one left... (God:)Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel-all whose knees not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him...” (1 Kings 19:10 and 19:18)
This conversation happened between Elijah and God when Elijah fled with fear for Jezebel's threat right after his unbelievable victory with God's help against the prophets of Baal. Sometimes we think that we are alone in certain situations. It's caused by our arrogance or lack of confidence. But i...
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Take Note - August 2010
Having children enjoy vegetables for a healthy diet has been always challenging. One day at a picnic in the church back yard a few years ago, I was a little surprised to see a mom pick all the vegetables out of her hamburger: tomatoes, lettuces, and so on. When she had only the meat and cheese left, she became finally satisfied. When found me looking at her, she smiled and said, "I cannot ask my kids to try vegetables because I am not a good eater as you see."
One day, I picked up a CD...
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Take Note - June/July 2010
We did not plan to move this soon. But, it happens that we need to pack our stuff to move out of the house we have been in for only five and a half months.
While packing some books and music, I came upon a journal I had written in around the time Solomon was born in the year 2000. The importance of recording is somehow equally important from national events to personal diaries.
According to the journal, Grace lost her first tooth on June 9, 2000, and Solomon tasted somethin...
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Take Note - May 2010
When we see the trees blooming and green grass growing in the early spring, we wonder where all this life came from.
During the winter, the lifeless trees and grass seem to have stopped breathing. But, they have just been resting and recharging. As the temperature rises, the snow disappears, daylight gets longer, and they are all back. Their thriving show of life shows us how they have prepared for the new season!
Our musical activities will take a rest during the summer months. Ou...
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Take Note - April 2010
I remember a saying that I first heard a long time ago; "If you want to be happy for a week, have your hair cut. For 6 months of happiness, get a brand new car."
How do we bring happiness to our whole life?
Answers vary from person to person, but most agree that the people around us are more important than material things. We need a certain level of financial stability to maintain our happiness, but it is only one of the factors that make our life meaningful.
Dr. Albert Schw...
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Take Note - March 2010
Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night.
(1 chronicles 9:33)
When I found this verse in the Bible, it took me by surprise. All the duties in God's temple are equally important. Why are musicians specially excluded from other work because they work day and night?
The legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) said, "If I don't practice one day,...
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Take Note - February 2010
Leaving one's comfort zone is never easy, but it is worth doing when we finally get the confidence for the adventure and the reward that comes from it. Moving during the winter and in the middle of church choir season was not an easy decision. I moved from Michigan to Waterloo with my family because I saw active musical groups with big potential supported by ambitious church families at Westminster Presbyterian Church. The Casavant organ with 46 ranks recently built in and the decent si...
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Take Note - January 2010 (Farewell Message to FPC)
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
For the past 13 years Miah and I have made a life for our family in the United States. During this time, as always in our lives, God’s gentle guidance led us from church to church in His time. As we moved, each church provided just the right size, character and circumstances we needed at that time.
There was a church in Westland that nurtured us and provided unconditional love as we b...
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Take Note - December 2009
In the 13th century, many parts of the world were shocked by the attacks of an unbeatable rising empire. The sudden and unexpected methods used by this new power left countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe helpless against invasion. The Mongol army, led by Genghis Kahn and his sons, was horrifying for the people of the time. Today, this empire which was once the strongest in history is no longer recognized as a dominant force. Historians believe one reason the strength of the ...
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Take Note - November 2009
If someone should ask me to describe our lives in a few words, I would say life is “The process of continuous waiting.” A popular Korean actress once said the success of actors and actresses is achieved through 30% talent, 30% effort, and 40% patient waiting. No matter where these percentages came from in her life, I agree that patience and waiting is a large part of our lives.
We will soon enter the Advent season. The word “Advent” is from the Latin word “Adventus” which me...
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Take Note - October 2009
Posted by Taemin Han on Friday, September 18, 2009,
It’s always amazing to see the seasons changing. Green leaves change their color, and bees are busy collecting honey. We are also trying to get back to life with our children’s school, church, and other activity schedules.
Our church music program also started in September and anticipates another exciting and meaningful year. Praising God within our church families alone won't be enough to fulfill God’s demand for our music ministry, though, and we have had a good tool to reach the p...
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Take Note - September 2009
“Do you love me?” I often ask Grace and Solomon this question. I don't ask this question unsure of the answer. This question is asked based on my trust that they do love me, and with confidence that our relationship will always be valuable.
Jesus also took the same approach before giving Peter the historical mission to lead all Christians after His resurrection and ascension. Jesus asked Peter the same question three times (John 21:15-17), and I am sure this action changed Peter entire...
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Take Note - August 2009
With the continuing development of computer technology, the ways people communicate have changed. It seems the days of face-to-face contact, handwritten letters, and phone calls are all but gone. Instead of meeting in person, people talk to each through e-mail, texting, or chatting online. Social networks like "myspace”, “facebook” and “twitter” have become popular places to connect with friends. Even though these new ways of communication are fun and convenient, we still feel thir...
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Take Note - June/July 2009
As the end of the 2008-2009 choir season approaches, I've spent time reflecting on it. The first big event of the year, the Fine Arts concert in November, was a big success. People enjoyed the variety of music programs, including our children’s choir singing “Everyone’s Favorite Melody- Chopsticks” with kazoos. Our worship services and musical concerts were blessed with the dedication of musical group members, and we all felt God’s presence with us time after time through the musi...
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Take Note - May 2009
Everyone has a favorite season; mine is spring. As I write this, we are in the week following Easter and May is just a couple of weeks away. I enjoy the temperature this time of year with the balance of cool mornings and warm afternoons. In my view, there is no better month in Michigan than the month of May. Ah! But there is one more reason this is such as special month. We will begin the month with the “Music Festival” on Sunday, May 3rd and end with “Hymn Sing” on Sunday, May 31st. ...
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Take Note - April 2009
Posted by Taemin Han on Wednesday, March 25, 2009,
On Thursdays during the choir season, I enjoy dinnertime alone in the church kitchen; a few relaxing moments between preparing music for Handbell and Chancel choir and actual rehearsal. Usually, the dinner is prepared by me or Miah, but sometimes we are so busy that neither of us has had enough time to prepare dinner. At these times I bring a popular instant food called “ramen.” This food is not only convenient but also has many memories for Koreans, just like pizza or chili has for Ameri...
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Take Note- March 2009
During our family trip to Grand Rapids and Ypsilanti last month, I experienced many joyful musical moments. Once we arrived in Grand Rapids, the Michigan All State High School Band overwhelmed the audience with their youthful energy and unlimited potential. My heart, mind and soul were filled with extreme happiness because of the top quality of this youth group. The following Sunday we visited First Presbyterian Church in Ypsilanti. The church was having a special worship and Organ Festival C...
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Take Note - February 2009
Everyone sees life differently, remembering life’s experiences through their own eyes. I remember guests who attended my first piano recital better than those who attended my wedding. For me a wedding ceremony is more than just a moment in time, it is the beginning of a wonderful life long journey. But a successful concert is an event resulting from long, hard work. When I look back on a concert in which I was involved I remember the event vividly, and the memory brings with it all the exc...
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Take Note - January 2009
When rehearsing with the church musical groups and my piano students I will often ask them to read music without singing or touching the keyboard. This practice helps them look more closely at the music and discover things they did not see before. When people sing or play instruments, they become so involved in the technical complexity of making music they sometimes miss the message that the composers wanted revealed through their music.
I believe that we need the same approach to communi...
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Take Note - September 2008
Do you love the high price of gas? I read an interesting article in a recent edition of Newsweek written by Jennifer Perrow. She explains that she loves the high price of gas because it’s helped her family stop being so dependent on their cars. I believe that she is not alone in discovering the hidden happiness due to high gas prices these days. If we ride bikes, arrange to carpool with neighbors, borrow books from friends instead of traveling to the bookstore or the library in a car, we ...
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Take Note - December 2007
If you think about the last month of every year, what image comes to mind first? Most likely, the majority would say, “Christmas!” For both Christians and Non-Christians, Christmas Day is one of the most enjoyable days of the year. Many people think Christmas is a time of family gathering; children look forward to Christmas and anticipate many presents. Stores take advantage of this big holiday and start advertising their products extremely early to boost their businesses. We get used...
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