John Gunter

Thoughts on Life and Living

Learning about obedience from Noah (my 3 year old friend)

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Noah with his celebratory ice cream after surviving his first day of school
Noah with his celebratory ice cream after surviving his first day of school

One of my very, very unofficial roles here in this relatively unknown city in Asia is to simply pray for, serve, and come alongside a few of the American families which are trusting God to raise a family here.  My investment and role in this process is minuscule and insignificant.  Their investment is everything. . . the health and well-being of their families.

One of the families is the LIttlepages.  Scott and Cat moved here with their son, Noah, the summer of 2011.  They have since added Addie to the mix. [Read more…]

The roles of COMFORT and FOCUS in friendship

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This post is the second of a three part series on “Encounters (and lessons) of friendship from this summer”. You might want to read this first (CLICK HERE) if you have not already.

Learning for my great friends, Sam Shin (left holding Emmy) and Tim Waddel on the far right (I am beside him) in 1998. . .
Learning for my friends, Sam Shin (left holding Emmy) and Tim Waddel on the far right (I am beside him) in 1998.

Sam Shin and I met during summer weight lifting prior to our first season of high school football. We were among the only football players at my high school which were also in advanced classes. We spent massive [Read more…]

Encounters (and lessons) of friendship from this summer

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I took this during our hike in Palm Springs, CA. . .
I took this during our hike in Palm Springs, CA. . .

As you have seen in my previous two posts, I spent the month of July on the road. Some of this time was working in America. Though I am worn out from my time (been sick the past few days from exhaustion), I was blessed by several life-giving “encounters” with dear friends during each of my stops.

One of the themes I come back to time and again in writing on this blog is that of friendship. Friendship, strong, life-giving, mutually committed friendship, is one of true beauties in life and one we rarely think about. A need for friendship is admittedly heightened in my life since I am single. However, I am confident that friendship should play a vital role in every emotionally healthy and growing person; single or married.

[Read more…]

Travels and such . . . highlights from this past month

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One of the highlights of the summer was with Sam, Young Mee, and Emmy Shin in Denver.
One of the highlights of the summer was with Sam, Young Mee, and Emmy Shin in Denver.

It’s good to be back! Though it was a needed break from writing, I am happy to be “back in the saddle” posting and checking in on this blog more regularly.

As I type this, I am back on a trans-pacific flight headed to my Asian home. In the past few weeks, I have crossed a total of 24 time zones and have slept in 11 different hotels and/or homes. There have been many very long days of work and very few times of rest and recreation. I did have some down time, but very little.

I have spent significant time in three Asian cities, as well as Los Angeles, Colorado, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. While my body is weary, my heart is full. Though I did work much, I also had significant time with a few friends and my direct family.

Here are some of my highlights from the past four weeks of travel:

[Read more…]

Mothers, continuity, and the immutability of God

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My entire family at Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary last summer
My entire family at Mom and Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary last summer

This morning, I work up, got on my motorcycle and drove to McDonald’s for a McMuffin. This is actually what I do EVERY Sunday, at least the ones in which I am in town. I come here (I’m currently typing this in the corner of McDonald’s while beyond cheesy Chinese pop music plays in the background), read the Bible, journal some, catch up on the week’s news (mainly on ESPN.com), pray, blog, and generally just decompress. It really is one of the highlights of each week.

Continuity is a wonderful thing. For me while living in a country which is growing and changing at a breakneck speed, in a working environment where the people around me are constantly shifting, this little bit of continuity of Sundays being “me and God time” has kept me afloat.

It has looked different over the past ten years, as I have shifted cities and work situations several times. At times it has been open park benches and at others it has been tea houses. Since December here, it has been McDonald’s. However, every Sunday I try to get away and just do something similar to what I have just outlined.

As I think more about this subject of continuity, I see it all over the place.

In life, we all value continuity in relationships. [Read more…]

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