Anger: A Necessary Step
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
By Joy Wong For most of my life, anger was something I wanted to avoid — whether in others, or in myself. I loathed angry outbursts, hurtful words or threats, slamming doors, etc. It all seemed scary and destructive to me, so I never wanted the same things to happen in myself. If ever I [&#... .. read more..
Anger: Acknowledgement and Acceptance
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
By Jerrica KF Ching I believe that it goes without saying that many of us are experiencing anger, and have been processing our feelings towards the current state of the world in the midst of this global pandemic. As a mental health professional, I am finding it hard at times to manage my own emot... .. read more..
Being Accused of Syncretism for Being Nonwestern
Friday, May 15, 2020
Don’t worry, Chinese Christians, our White brethren sometimes accuse us of syncretism not because they hate us but because they don’t understand and aren’t aware of all the stuff their own Christian cultures have rightly plundered from the Ægyptians. It … Continue reading → .. read more..
Anger: Staying Safe, Staying Well
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
By Melanie Mar Chow It is a proven fact that opposites attract. It’s also proven that when opposites marry, life can be challenging. Staying safe at home” as a married couple can be oxymoronic. Work and life under quarantine have tested my marital safety the past six weeks. Each day b... .. read more..
My first IGTV (Instagram video)
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
View this post on Instagram My experience of working from home A post shared by Kenny Chee (@blogpastor) on May 10, 2020 at 6:23pm PDT As I said in my last post, the “circuit breaker” stay home stay safe season has compelled me to learn the skill of self-recording using my smartphone,... .. read more..
Learning fast
Thursday, May 7, 2020
There was no choice. I had to learn fast how to record my sermons. First, I had to buy the wireless mic, and the adapter cable for the phone. Then I had to recorded my Sunday sermons with my wife’s help and the media team leader’s advice via whatsapp video calls. My Samsung Galaxy Not... .. read more..
Anger: To Ignore or To Respond?
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
By April Yamasaki At the end of March, I wrote “Naming Anti-Asian Racism” for the Redbud Writers’ blog on Patheos.com. I started my article with a personal story, then went on to express my dismay over the increasing anti-Asian racism during this coronavirus pandemic. I introduced a response com... .. read more..
Self-Assertion: In Seasons of Uncertainty
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
By Diana Gee A few months ago, I was in conflict with my credit card company. I was taken by a fraudulent website masquerading as a well-known brand. Even though I immediately reported the mistake my credit card company still requested absurd documentation before they would reverse the charges. A... .. read more..
What Do You Want to Be?
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Me at 4: I want to be a dinosaur. Me now: I want to be a dinosaur. .. read more..
Self-Assertion: A Different View
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
By Ajung Sojwal Having been born and raised in a deeply communal culture, self-assertion was not one of the qualities we were encouraged to cultivate. Consensus building and collaborative leadership was much more the ideals espoused. So, when I started my journey toward ordination to the priestho... .. read more..
Self-Assertion: In Stages
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
By Angela Ryo Growing up, I was painfully shy. I could never make eye contact with anyone, even when they were speaking to me directly. My default position was to have my head bowed, staring at my shoes as if to burn a hole into them. Immigrating to the States from Korea when I was […] .. read more..
‘Virtual Communion’ an Invention in Place of the Lord’s Institution
Monday, April 13, 2020
‘Virtual communion’ is not the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, not even by Zwingli’s theology. But modern memorialist churches go beyond Zwingli, and they don’t see Holy Communion as the sacrament. That’s why they invent things in place of what … Continue reading → .. read more..
Easter Music, Contemporary v. Traditional: A Test
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Christ is risen, alleluia. In response to songs I have heard for Easter, I want to propose a test for a hymn’s musical quality, a test with a theological basis. The theological basis is this: just as the offering of … Continue reading → .. read more..
Holy Saturday: patient waiting
Friday, April 10, 2020
Most Protestants do not know bother meditating on Holy Saturday. Who would blame them? As a pastor I myself hardly taught about it, or even thought about it. It is exposure to contemplative spirituality that led me to discern a rich vein of golden truths hidden in the tomb. The waiting in the tom... .. read more..
Worship as An Alternate Universe
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them Acts 16:25 Wherever Jesus is worshiped, there you will find the truth. As Paul and Silas are in dank prison, they live in what everybody would agree is a horrible .. read more..
Self-Assertion: Standing Up While Sitting Down
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
By Casey Iwanaga Do I stand up and speak out? Do I sit still, stay accepted and be okay? If I don’t stand up, I lose myself If I sit, I gain nothing I worry about my image My image should reflect God Yet I’m not worried about God’s image I’m living the way I […] .. read more..
Charm: My Little Brother
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
By Sarah D. Park I’d like to share a bit about my little brother Andrew. He is someone who gives delight and inspires admiration — the most charming person I know — and because it will please me that you all will get to know him, well, we’re going to run with that for this […] .. read more..
The Gospel and the Luxury of Never Fearing Death
Monday, March 30, 2020
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace. Acts 20:24 I was reflecting on the Apostle Paul’s life and .. read more..
What the NIV Is For
Sunday, March 29, 2020
No one: Me: NIV is the anointed translation of international capitalism. .. read more..
Charm vs. Charmin: What We Seek During a Time of Uncertainty
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
By Diana Kim Though it only began a few weeks ago, the chaos amidst COVID-19 seems to have lasted much longer. While news of the virus spreading overseas was known, it didn’t become a reality for us until we witnessed our neighbors massively buying water and toilet paper, as if they were preparin... .. read more..
Being a Man in a Time of Tumult
Monday, March 16, 2020
What should’ve been a simple grocery trip for my wife and the kids turned out to be a nightmarish ordeal. People have been frantic over COVID-19 virus and decided that stockpiling their homes was the appropriate response. The result of that was an almost empty grocery store and my .. read more..
The Death or Life of the Man in Marriage
Monday, March 16, 2020
"I am afraid" This is often the sentiment I hear when asked what men think of entering into marriage. Certainly there is joy and excitement, but present also is the fear of loss. Something about living with another person in perpetuity, even with someone we love, seems to threaten our .. read more..
An Example of Dying Well: My Dad’s Final Gift to Me
Saturday, March 14, 2020
In the morning on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, after a relatively uneventful night in my dad’s hospital room in the palliative unit, I heard his breathing sharply slow. I hurried over to his bedside and gently caressed his head, watching intently. His inhales and exhales were irregular and draw... .. read more..
When Enneagram 3's Embrace Solitude
Monday, March 2, 2020
For those of us who have used productivity for self-worth, solitude is radical Jan Johnson When I take silent retreats, two things always happen First, something is deconstructed. A mark of being an enneagram 3 is our insatiable ability to produce, create, and conquer. My goals have goals and my .. read more..
The Pace of Modernity Will Waste Your Life
Monday, February 24, 2020
With almost tears in his eyes he pleaded with me. I don't remember whether this is a dream I had or real conversation. But it was with an older gentleman in his late 50's. I had just asked him what recommendations he would give to someone like me in his .. read more..
Parenting Resources
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
We get asked about book recommendations from time to time so here’s a compilation of books that have helped us as we navigate parenthood and seek to be intentional about our lives. Understanding Calling Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer Personality Quiet by Susan Cain The Highly Sensitiv... .. read more..
Sexual Wholeness and Our Authority Over the Nations
Sunday, February 16, 2020
The one who conquers…to him I will give authority over the nations. Revelation 2:27 Twice Twice out of seven is the number of times Jesus, in his letters to the churches, mentions sexual immorality as the subject of correction for the churches. In the letter to Perganum, he .. read more..
What Every Great Parent Has in Common
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Every great parent has this one thing in common. I learned this in the most unusual of circumstances. While I was vacationing in Singapore, I was hanging out at the pool watching my friend (who is a dad) play with his kids in the pool. He was involved, present, and .. read more..
I Think I'm Going To Start Writing Again
Sunday, January 26, 2020
God told me at the beginning of 2020 that I should start writing again. So…here I go. .. read more..
Tim’s Top 5 Reads from 2019
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Just as I did 2017 and 2018, I made it one of my goals in 2019 to read one book a month. It was the first year I exceeded my goal to reach 13 (partly spurred on by the voracious reading of my wife who read 30 books). Here’s a list of my top 5 books from 2019: Talking to ... Read More .. read more..
Olive’s Top 5 Reads for 2019
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
For the past few years, we’ve kept a sticky note on our fridge to track which books we’ve read throughout the year. This year, I set myself a goal of reading two books per month. Thanks to both kids being in school as well as discovering audio books from our local library, I managed t... .. read more..
Hong Kong
Friday, December 13, 2019
Somewhere in the process of D moving to Hong Kong in 2013, becoming a (failed) social worker in Chinatown, and learning about the 2014 Umbrella... .. read more..
Why I’m Not Doing Advent Photos This Year and What I’m Doing Instead
Friday, November 29, 2019
“What will you be doing for Advent this year?” a friend asked me. She knew that for the past three years, I have engaged in an Advent Photo-a-Day practice, reflecting on a prompt word each day and capturing it in a picture. “I don’t know,” I replied. “It hurts ... .. read more..