The Words of In Jin Moon from 2010
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The Words of In Jin Moon from 2010 |
1) In Jin Nim began by speaking about the Little Angels performance this past week at the Manhattan Center -- they are true ambassadors for peace, founded by our True Parents in 1962. They came to America to give thanks for what the Americans did to liberate Korea and her father from the N Korean prison camp. It is because of the young men and women who fought against communism and who gave their lives that today Korea has its freedoms and its democratic system. She told her children that their mother would not be here if not for those old veterans who were on stage at the Little Angels performance -- some who can now barely stand without a cane. How indebted we need to be to them and this great country of America that allowed us to have a life, to have a family.
2) In Jin Nim shared about the Korean style of dancing. Japanese dance is very delicate with minimal movement, but Korean dancing is full of movement and leaping and banging on the drums. In Jin Nim thought -- no wonder Korea is so attractive -- Japan and China kept coming to take Korean women. She could see why the Korean woman were attractive -- in the Victorian age in which women did not even show their ankles -- Korean dance had such free and dynamic movement.
3) True Father has said you can tell a lot about a culture by their dance -- Latin America dance is very sensual. Korean dance is passionate and dynamic.
4) Korean women respect their elders and are mindful of tradition -- but they are very passionate and dynamic. In Jin Nim could see why the True Mother of humankind came from Korea. She looks like an elegant wallflower, but underneath there is a volcano. She looks like she does not have a lot to say, but when she says what she wants to say she has a lot to say -- and it is quite profound.
5) The youth who were dragged here by their parents -- must wonder about True Parents -- what is so special about them -- two old oriental people? But it is through True Parents that our youth exist, it is because of True Parents that we have the Blessing -- that which enabled your parents to graft onto the original olive branch and have such wonderful children. It is because of True Parents that we have this opportunity to become a part of one family under God.
6) As a mother, when In Jin Nim looks into her children's eyes -- she has lots of expectation and longings for her children -- to be great people. The parents of our kids are the same -- they want them to be great, to not have to go through what they went through, to have a better life. When they bring our youth to church to honor our HP and our True Parents -- our youth wonder -- what is so important about this?
7) When we come together to celebrate as a community it reminds us of why we are here -- that we are eternal sons and daughters of God. Just as the Little Angels are ambassadors representing Korea, our youth can be ambassadors representing our Heavenly Parent and our True Parents.
8) When In Jin Nim was watching the Little Angels she was reminded of the passage Zachariah 4:6 -- "not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit" The Little Angels have become beautiful ambassadors for peace, not by power or might, but by bringing an expression of love, truth, and beauty.
9) When you, growing up, think about your life -- this time of going through middle school is one of the most difficult. Your body is changing, growing taller, attacked by acne -- you are wondering "Am I beautiful, am I strong or weak, what are my passions, what kind of a person will I be?"
10) Middle school is a time when there is a lot of static in the air. In Jin Nim's older brother always listened to music -- and in the car they would listen to the radio. When they traveled long distances and passed through different counties and states, her brother would frantically try to find a station with clear reception -- then static would start to come and he would quickly try to find another station that was clear, without static.
11) In middle school your life is kind of like that, you're constantly being attacked by the "static" in the air. Static is electrical discharge -- you are trying to be a receptacle getting the "clear music into your system." But there is static -- saying "you need to be cool. You need to hang out with only certain kinds of people."
12) In Jin Nim shared her experience of talking with a friend -- and then being told by the other girls that she should not be with that person because she does not dress right. She can't be seen with her because then she would not be cool. In Jin Nim asked why -- and was told that they were her friends because they were cool. That person was not wearing clothing that was cool.
13) This was a huge static in the air for In Jin Nim. She had to think about what she was going to do. Was being cool so important, or being with this person with whom she had such stimulating conversations? In Jin Nim opted for sitting with the person.
14) Many times In Jin Nim's friends would pressure her to do things -- but she would tell them she can't do that because her parents told her not to do that. But there would be static in the air -- others telling her "be your own person, be an adult, make your own decision, do what I am telling you to do" This is the pressure friends put on each other. For young people trying to figure out who and what they are and what they will become -- friends wield a lot of power. Friends say -- "come on, don't be a baby, don't follow your parents, that's not cool, disobey your parents, rebel -- that's cool."
15) There is this huge pressure, to disobey your parents because they are your parents, but to obey your friends, because they are your friends and they are going to tell you what is cool and what is not cool. Think about it, our friends, in a sense, are doing what our parents do -- telling us to obey them, listen to them and follow them -- the very things we are told not to do with our parents.
16) As we grow older, with the wisdom of hindsight we look back and realize that our friends become like our god, our peer group becomes like our god, and we end up obeying and listening to them, doing what they encourage us to do. Really the cool thing to do in life, then and always, is to be your own person, to be who you really are. And who you are is eternal sons and daughters of God, our Heavenly Parent -- and this Heavenly Parent gave us this wonderful life, this opportunity to practice living for the sake of others. Living for the sake of others starts with understanding God as our Heavenly Parent and our physical parents as God on earth. In a way, when we love our parents we are loving God up in heaven. What we hope for is to have conversations with, be embraced and hugged by our Heavenly Parent. But the wonderful thing about having parents is that through them we can have that conversation, we can be embraced and hugged and loved and nurtured by our parents if we allow them to. To allow our parents to love us is the coolest thing -- because then you are not allowing the static in the air to influence you.
17) In Jin Nim and her son talk almost like boy friend and girl friend. They say "hello my love" to one another over the phone. When Krista heard this -- she must have wondered who is this love he is talking to? That love is his mother. In Jin Nim loves him, adores him like a celebrity -- like god. Her children are like gods to her -- through them she experiences God every day.
18) We can articulate this love within the family. Many times True Father and True Mother would hold hands while walking and True Father would lean over and kiss True Mother because she sings so lovely -- for their generation, in the Asian community, this was unheard of. True Father loves In Jin Nim's mother and he shows us how to love a wife, and that is a beautiful thing.
19) In our community, the parents expect a lot from the children, but the children also expect a lot from their parents. The parents want their children to be perfect, problem free, almost like robots -- go to elementary school, get all As, have passion, be great in art, go onto the best universities, never fight with siblings, always respect parents, clean the room, put the vacuum away for the mother, do the dishes, take out the trash, get a job, and work hard. This is what we expect from our children. We don't expect our children to have emotional issues, to experience bumps on the road to self discovery, to fall and scrape their knees physically and spiritually. There are a whole lot of expectations going on from both sides.
20) In Jin Nim then shared in depth about the movie "Little Miss Sunshine." It is about a dysfunctional family. The mother is trying her best, very busy, to get everything done. The father is a motivational speaker -- with his PowerPoint presentation and his 9 point motivational speech. Like him, we have our Divine Principle points that we always present to our children, not always being sensitive to our children's needs. His intention is good -- wanting to do well and to support his family. Everyone is busy, but no one is in tune to the needs of the children. The son is going through his Niche period -- making impact by never speaking, wearing Gothic, dark clothing. He is like adolescents who go through this period in which everything is black and white. The little girl, wins a beauty contest -- and the family decides to go together to the finals of the beauty competition. The journey to this contest is full of challenges -- the van has problems and there are many funny episodes. As you watch the film you begin to bond with the family -- they're weird, but have pockets of resemblance to our own lives. At the contest -- all the girls are thin and glamorous, but our girl is different. Her act was choreographed by her grandfather (who died along their journey). Instead of a pretty dress she wears a man's suit. She is unsure of herself, but regains her confidence when she makes eye contact with her family in the audience. To everyone's shock and surprise the dance her grandfather taught her is a strip-tease dance. The audience and judges are horrified. But this is what she was taught and she is going to do it properly. Her father, who is all about being proper -- gets on stage and eventually with all the family makes a fool of himself -- dancing with her.
21) There is a common denominator -- that they are a family -- and they are not going to let their child go through this alone -- they are going to go through it together. It is humorous - but for the family -- in that moment they discover how much they need and love each other. In one scene the boy, in his anger explodes into cursing his parents and runs off. The mother follows him, tries to talk to him but has no success. Then the little girl goes and sits next to him and lays her head on his shoulder -- he did not need words or to be taught or educated, what he, and all adolescent kids are asking for, is the healing touch of a parent, of a loved one. The touch of his sister -- melted away all his anger, more than any words could. This scene demonstrated how parents struggle to reach their teenage children, we assault them with a barrage of words, not always well chosen, not "I love you, I need you," but a huge Niagara Falls amount of what we want to convey and we wonder why nothing goes in.
22) This movie portrays a message to parents -- that words are incredibly important, vehicles of emotion, but many times we put our words in overdrive and nothing can go in. When we have "over-driven" our kids, sometimes the most effective way to reach out is a simple touch, or walking up behind them and giving them a hug without saying anything -- or just holding their hands to let them know we are there -- we are going to love them and be there for them no matter what. And just as we ourselves, when we were young -- trying to get the static out or our lives so that we can hear that clear music -- we need to give our children the space to do the same.
23) The most important message we can give our children -- it does not matter how many states you go through, how much static you encounter -- your parents will always be there for you, will never go away. As a family, even if we go in different directions and do different things, we are always there for you.
24) As children go through their growth period they may not realize how beautiful and great they are, like a butterfly that one day will fly. They might be so unsure, unconfident in themselves, their bodies are going through changes -- in strange ways they do not understand and they may feel confused, but if they maintain a channel with God and True Parents they will help them to be that great person. They have to be patient with themselves, there is no need to be an adult when your are 12 or 13. Enjoy, being 12, 13, 14, 15 , 16 -- that time will never come again. You have a life a head of you to do all you want to do -- you don't have to have it all now. There is beauty in waiting for something wonderful.
25) Part of the reason your family brought you here is for the Il Shim ceremony which is part of your preparation for Blessing. Blessing is so beautiful -- in that there is nothing more romantic. Who is going to love you as a daughter or a son of God, not as a body part, not just wanting to be with you because you are cool, but because you have something to offer? That person is making a commitment to God and humanity and you, because they realize how incredibly valuable you and we are. You are like the rough cut diamonds that need time to be made into a beautiful ring, set in a ring symbolizing eternity. There is something beautiful about something eternal and the word "forever."
26) Those who are master daters -- coming out of high school - they can never have a meaningful relationships, to be a great husband or wife, because they have been trained to be great daters. They have not been trained to be great parents -- and we wonder why the world has so many problems.
27) The Il Shim ceremony is preparation for a wonderful gift you will have in the future -- the Blessing from God. Having this permission and blessing from God, to love someone eternally, is a beautiful romantic thing.
28) As we move forward as a community, to the future generations to come -- we need to be vigilant about celebrating what we believe in and do what we are talking about. So don't come to church to just hear In Jin Nim speak. You know what you need to do. In Jin Nim is not hear to speak, but to remind us of how precious and awesome we are, that we are God's eternal sons and daughters and that we possess infinite value. The greatest gift we can give to each other is the gift of love -- and how wonderful if we can save this love for someone special. This is what your parents are encouraging you to do. They have lived and experienced a little bit more than you. They have gone through a lot of heartaches and they want you to have a life that is better, more beautiful and meaningful.
29) Love your parents, give them do respect. It is through them, their sacrifice, their finding True Parents that you are who you are. We must live our lives in honor of them. And parents, be a great backbone and support system, and please give your children a little room to grow, to explore, to ask questions, while they have you to guide them. And do not be too hard on them, because life is not that easy for kids. We dealt with our difficulties, but now, (even more) it is pretty tough out there for our kids -- perhaps we can listen more and practice more the healing art of touching. And as we articulate how much we care, and guide them through difficult periods in life, perhaps the movie "Little Miss Sunshine" can remind us that sometimes a lot more can be said by our gestures and actions. If we can keep these things in mind -- and allow each of us, young and old to find ourselves as special people, we can become a really awesome movement.
30) We are incredibly lucky to have our True Parents here. As our True Parents continue onward, trying to bring this one family under God, our movement is going through a lot of transitional phases and difficulties and points of confusion, but the most important thing we need to realize is the importance and centrality of our True Parents, and of how our True Parents have passed on the baton to the youngest son of the family, Hyung Jin Nim, as the spiritual head of the movement.
31) We need to understand that our True Parents are not being taken over by a younger True Parents, Hyung Jin Nim's couple. We need to understand that the concept of True Parents is eternal, just like the concept of God is eternal. It is the job of the children of the True Family to live our lives in honor of True Parents -- and become parents of our own, but there is one and only one True Parents.
32) We need to understand very clearly -- that when True Parents talk about creating one family under God, it will not be accomplished by any of the service organizations that exist in our church. It will not be done by CARP, Women's Federation, UPF, GPF, or ACLC, because these are all service organizations that seek to practice living for the sake of others -- but we will not save the world through service alone. The way our True Parents are going to save the world is through the process and gift of the Holy Blessing. Only our True Parents have the right and privilege and honor of administrating the Holy Blessing and that is why for the first time in our lives we can have True Love, True Life, and True Lineage. That is why our True Parents are incredibly important -- and that is why we are not just a service movement.
33) The sacrament of marriage belongs to the church. A lot of people are saying we don't need a church, all we need is a service organization. We don't need anything, we don't need tradition -- but our tradition is a heavenly tradition, the tradition of True Parents -- in that here we are to substantiate true love, true life, and true lineage. It's the lineage thing that was missing when Jesus was crucified 2,000 years ago. It is the lineage that True Parents have come to share with the rest of the world -- and it is through the lineage that we become one family under God. We don't become one family through service, but through marriage. Krista became a member of In Jin Nim's family, not just because she was a volunteer, but through marriage. The beauty of the Holy Blessing, and the reason the international Blessing is such an integral part of the process -- is because that is how we become one family under God. It is all the diverse cultures and religions -- through the digestive power of love -- that allows the world to exist as one family. That is why we need our True Parents. As much, and as important as it is to develop our own relationship with God in heaven, it is only the original olive branch that allows us the opportunity to substantiate true lineage. That is why we cannot do without our True Parents. That is why True Parents anointed the younger son -- to continue to make this True Holy Blessing available to the world. It has to be someone from a religious background, someone from the church, who represents the church, the tradition, who is going to administer the Blessing continuously even when our True Parents are not here. That is the wisdom -- why True Father has chosen the younger son as the center of the family and the spiritual head. He comes with seven years of spiritual dedication and the foundation of being the kind of minister, the representative who is going to usher in the new millennium of peace. His administration, his character is not one of might or power, but one of spirit, that speaks about truth, love, and beauty. That is what we need in order to have a peaceful world.
34) We need to understand that our True Parents will guide us until their last breath -- and guide us even more effectively from the other world. Through their representative, who is the youngest son of the family, we will come to substantiate the true world of peace we are talking about.
35) Do not be confused. Be clear that as we continue to do great work, ACLC with ministers, UPF and GPF through service, and CARP does great work on campuses -- becoming ambassadors for what our True Parents really are about -- living for the sake of others. Lets not be confused as to why our True Parents, being a part of our church, and being a Unificationist is probably the coolest thing around -- because for the first time in history we have a chance, the breaking news, that we can make flesh and experience what it is like to have a wonderful family that God wanted all along.
36) Be patient -- give room to grow, look forward to the day that you will become that beautiful butterfly, but in the mean time lets all work on ourselves -- and instead of being a community that picks on what we are doing wrong -- be a community that looks around and compliments each other's strengths and we talk about how wonderful it is to have the other in our lives -- because there is nothing greater than having won the lottery of being able to live at the same time as our True Parents
37) Do not be afraid or confused. The future is in great hands. We need to know that we have an awesome future, we need to be proud Unificationist and we need to know why -- because we are part of a movement and tradition that is really cool.
38) God Bless and have a wonderful Sunday.
Rev. Kevin Thompson
Bay Area Family
Church
1: And the angel who talked with me came again, and waked me, like a man that is wakened out of his sleep.
2: And he said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps which are on the top of it.
3: And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left."
4: And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"
5: Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
6: Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerub'babel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
7: What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerub'babel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of `Grace, grace to it!'"
8: Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
9: "The hands of Zerub'babel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
10: For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerub'babel. "These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth."
11: Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?"
12: And a second time I said to him, "What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the oil is poured out?"
13: He said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
14: Then he said, "These are the two anointed who stand by the Lord of the whole earth."