Lucas Garden

What does it mean to follow Jesus Christ? It does not mean just to attend the Sunday service with Eucharist. It does not mean just to read the bible. It does not mean just to spend much time for preaching and volunteering. It does not mean just to pray for others. Rather we all Christians know that it means to do all the above with LOVE , as Paul wrote in the First Epistle to the Corinthians,  If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. ( 1 Corinthians 13.1-3 ) It sounds natural, but let us take a closer look at what these words exactly mean. We would then discern how shocking it is. It implies that Jesus w...

Deep learning is no longer groundbreaking in the field of medical imaging. As outstanding developers have publicly released their source codes in public, it has been widely exploited not only for segmentation of tumor and brain injuries but also for clinical diagnostic services assisted by artificial intelligence. Pediatric radiologists have also kept their eyes on the applicability of deep learning technologies. In  in  utero   magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of pregnant women, brain segmentation is an important step to accurately assess the volumetric growth of the fetal brain, but technically challenging due to fetal and maternal motion and other physiological artifacts. Excellent scientists in Harvard Medical School began to demonstrate the feasibility of automatic segmentation of fetal brain using convolutional neural network (CNN) which is one of major deep learning technologies for image analyses [1]. Since last year, I have initiated a new...

Even though I have never been to Russia, since my youth age, I have been a little familiar with Russian values, culture, and music. There were several opportunities to learn more about Russia. My friend's cousin studying Russian literature looked very intelligent. In his studying room, there were lots of classic books on Russian literature, philosophy and history which marked a new era in the world. Especially I was utterly obsessed with Leo Tolstoy . His novels were not only sort of romantic or historic fictions but also a monumental philosophy that let me think of the true meaning of human lives in the rapidly changing world. I could realize later, through his literary works, how he had fiercely struggled to find out the true Christian faith. I also loved the novel " Doctor Zhivago " by Boris Pasternak . I was fascinated with the poignant romance between Yuri and Lara in the age of Russian revolution and World War. I dreamed to be a simple poet who fell in love ...

We are not entitled to pain-free, trouble-free life. Embracing this will ease the collision between expectation and reality. Rev. John Piper's word inspires me with realizing that living with Jesus Christ does not mean living without pain. The Christian life might be more bitter and harsh than the worldly life, yet we are full of joy! Bearing my own cross is not a kind of self-atonement for my sins as all my sins were completely forgiven by Jesus' Atonement. Rather we know all the pains from my cross are given since "We Are Following Jesus away from the World." Hence, all my pains are the glorious evidence that demonstrates my discipleship in Jesus Christ. How could it be understood without God's amazing grace?

I was drinking a soda at the metro train. A beggar black woman murmured something to me, and I guessed that she was asking me cash. I habitually replied "Sorry. I have no money." She made a disappointing look on her face, but she said again with a much clear tone, "Soda." I then realized that she wanted to have my soda. I said, "I already touched it. Is that ok?" She reached out her hand to me. I finally handed over my soda to her, and she quickly grabbed it and started to drink in a flurry. I was inwardly thankful to God for giving me this opportunity to help the poor woman. This episode gave me a great lesson about how I can figure out my long-term troubles with God's perspective. I previously thought I am one of the most miserable with unbearable psychological sufferings compared to other ordinary people. On the other hand, the biggest problem for her life was just to eat some food and taste a soda. I had what she is eager to have while she had w...

An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. ( Matthew 1:1 ) The Gospel of Matthew starts from the genealogical statement that Jesus is the son of David and Abraham. We mainstream Christians know Jesus is the Son of God. Yet why did Matthew emphasize that Jesus is the son of David and Abraham? Historically Jesus' ancestry goes back to David, Abraha, and Adam. This genealogy demonstrates that Jesus was a complete human being as a pure Israelite. Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ( Matthew 1:18 ) However, it does not mean Jesus was born to be innately sinful. Jesus was also the Son of God as Mary conceived him from the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not only the son of David and Abraham but also the Son of God, who was born ' without sins '. This Jesus' mysterious dual ide...

One of my favorite music is Symphony No. 5 Movement 4: Adagietto by Gustav Mahler . It is really romantic appealing to feminine sensitivity as known to be composed for his ardent love toward his wife, as he wrote a love poem for her. How much I love you, you my sun, I cannot tell you that with words. I can only lament to you my longing and my love, my bliss! I always feel reading a God's love letter for me whenever listening to this movement. It is also reminiscent of my dreamlike memory of walking alone along the lakeside of Bodensee surrounded by a placid lake, peaceful but giant Alpine mountains, and old houses of medieval style. This music lets me imagine strolling down such a beautiful lakeside path with my bridegroom who I madly love. He is my bliss!