“The Ugliest Building in the World“

July 31, 2008

~~~~~ONTHISDATE~~~~

the educational part of F4F 

904- Thessolonica falls to the Arabs, who destroy the city.
 (...maybe that's where second Thessalonians came from...)

1930- The radio mystery program The Shadow is aired for the first time.

1961- At Fenway Park in Boston,the first All Star game tie in major
league baseball history occurs when the game is stopped in the 9th
inning because of rain.
(...can't blame this one on Bud Selig...)      

~~~~WISEWORDS~~~~

“The question should be, is it worth trying to do, not can it be done” – Allard Lowenstein

~~~~Chuckles&Chortles~~~~

You are no longer a kid when:

Your back goes out more than you do.

You know what the word, “equity” means.

You send money to PBS.

You enjoy hearing about other peoples operations.

You get cable for the weather channel.

You are proud of your lawn mower.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I read an article recently about a structure in Seoul , North Korea that some call the ugliest building in the world. It has sat dormant for years – and now – new construction is attempting to resuscitate it. Esquire magazine has called it “the worst building in the history of mankind.” But once again, activity is swirling around the 105-story Ryugyong Hotel after a 16-year respite in the capital of one of the world’s most impoverished countries. The ugliest building in the world – that’s today’s Fuel4theFire.

Apparently, a contingent from Egypt has recently begun refurbishing the top floors of the three-sided pyramid shaped hotel whose 1,083 foot presence dominates the Pyongyang skyline. The firm has put glass panels into the concrete shell and installed telecommunications antennas, even though government prohibits its citizens from owning cell phones.

The structure consists of three wings, each ascending at 75 degree angles capped by several floors arranged in rings that will potentially hold five revolving restaurants and an observation deck. “It is not a beautiful design. It carries little iconic or monumental significance, but sheer muscular and massive presence,” said Lee Sang Jun, a professor of architecture at Yonsei University in Seoul .

The communist North started construction in 1987, some maintain out of jealousy because South Korea was about to host the 1988 Summer Olympics. According to F4F sources, then North Korean leader Kim Il-sung saw the hotel as a symbol of his vision and plan for North Korea . But, it was a struggle from the outset and by 1992, work on the albatross had ceased.

As the North Korea ’s economy continued to worsen the empty shell became a symbol of failure, earning the monikers “Hotel of Doom” and “Phantom Hotel.” The ugliest building in the world … or is it?

Religion has a bad name in most of the world. There are so many false religions, violent religions and posers out there, that precious few even understand what religion is or isn’t. Here’s how I look at it; religion is man’s attempt to reach God.

So how do people try to reach God? They try to be good, they attend church, they hope their good deeds somehow outweigh their bad deeds. They give to charity and when times are desperate enough – they pray. By the time they have lived a life attempting to reach God they have actually constructed the ugliest building in the world.

One reason it is an ugly building is that we have used our blueprint instead of the plan of the master architect Himself. He knew from the very beginning that our hearts were deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). He knew that our righteousness was like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

Another reason that religion turns out to be an ugly building is that any measure of success we have in the construction of a righteous life does not produce closeness to God – instead it results in self-righteousness and pride, and God resists the proud (James 4:6). Talk about counter-productive!

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified“ (Galatians 2:16). Any attempt to produce our own righteousness can only result in the ugliest building in the world.

Even in religious circles we revert back to erecting towers of self-righteousness. We come up with a mix of Bible and religious humanism that we hope will be pleasing to God. In that we fail miserably – we merely have resumed construction on the ugliest building in the world.

Jesus was telling us that we cannot mix God’s plan for our salvation with man’s idea of religion when He said, “And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.” (Luke 5:37-38).

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” (2 Timothy 1:9)

Our attempt to reach God will be the ugliest building in the world. But God’s attempt to reach man is the wonder of all wonders! Religion is man’s attempt to reach God and Christianity is God’s attempt to reach man. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)

That’s today’s Fuel4theFire. And remember … I love you guys.

Tom