My Response to the Esperanza "Jackie Chan" Incident

When I saw this story on CBS I had a flashback to an incident almost 20 years ago at Buena High School. Our volleyball teams had gone and knocked off a very good team. Our varsity was shaking hands when the large Caucasian player from Buena pushed our smallest Asian player on the team.

Being young comes with many great benefits and a few drawbacks...one of which is hubris. Whether it is in the mob of the student body or even at times the student athlete, we've all had it one time or another. Trust me, we were no angels when it came to trash talking in practice.

Racism isn't a new thing. In fact, if you think this is bad college sports is much worse. Jeremy Lin 林書豪 endured much worse than being called "Jackie Chan", I'm sure of it. But more so it reminds me also of Oscar Robertson, whose professional career was rife full of incidents of racism which still affect him today.

Esperanza's motto is "Where Excellence is a Tradition". Excellence is a great tradition to have. However, excellence cannot be achieved without learning one thing... the proper response to failure.

Failure is a fact of life. So long as we live in this world we have to endure with one another and our own imperfections. However, being able to confess those failures and move forward in avoiding the same failures is what the learning process is for. It's also what schools are for.

I hope Esperanza takes the opportunity to teach their students this. I hope the coach would personally call the student to apologize. I hope the administration makes an effort to be more proactive in guiding their students through this failure. I hope the students understand why it's wrong to berate someone simply because of race. 

Maybe this is one of the reasons why I believe the world needs the gospel of Christ so dearly.  After all, we need a better hope in this world for true change to come at the End.

Pastor Stuff: Tilling the soil for kids...

In the past few years I've been at my church I've come across a bevy of different challenges which have prompted me to evaluate, step in, and tackle.  However, there has been no greater challenge than to grasp the ministry of kids.

Kids are important.  Many people in church don't deny it.  In fact, if you were to take a survey of churches across North America I'm fairly certain many will say that children's ministry is one of the most important things for a church.

Deuteronomy 6: 4-12 most explicitly tells us the importance of children's ministry.  Moses tells us we are to pass the faith along to our children.  Most poignantly, it places that responsibility upon the family.  That's tough.

Being alive in the technological age it seems that more and more people are becoming busier with their lives.  We have a preoccupation with busyness.  Everything in life starts to flash before you and before you know it, you're looking into the mirror and seeing a face with droopy eyes and tiredness (at least for me).

Truth be told though, what I understand more now than ever is that ministry shouldn't be that.  It shouldn't be fried rice, but rather crockpot cooking.  It's slow.  It plods.  It progresses at pace which is often counter intuitive to the culture around us.

So in the approach to Children's ministry I live by this philosophy, and seek to marinate our kids with the Word.  Here are some things we've done as a result:

1. Pick a curriculum to use... for a minimum of six years.  Yes, you read that right.  For Sunday School our kids use the Great Commission Publishing curriculum.  There are a few reasons for the six year commitment.
1. It's because of it's design.  We're building a foundation for our kids and it's important to realize that curriculum is designed with that in mind.  The natural cycle for kids in elementary range between 5-6 years of school.  As such, they ought to have a parallel experience of Christian education.  
2. If you're skipping around from one curriculum to another you lose something in the consistency of the teaching.  Lessons may overlap going from one curriculum to another.
3. You can train your teachers through the same system.  Alleviating some aggravation or murmuring over learning a new thing when it's tried and tested.
2. We moved the outreach program closer to church.  Geography matters.  
1. When you work 40+ miles away and your church is 5+ miles the opposite way from home a centralization of ministry can greatly benefit your opportunities to reach out to the community.  
2. This is both strategic for outreach as well as strategic for the teachers.  We minister to both teachers and students so when you centralize it all it gives an impression of having a "home base" of operations in which you can keep tabs on people and care for them.  
3. Also, inviting a kid and their family to church becomes much easier when it's right around the block from where you're doing your outreach.
3. We brought in AWANA, though any suitable program will do for the weekend.  
1. If kids have a pattern of coming out for church on the weekend they can anticipate growing up in the church around familiar people and their transition to youth group can be more naturally occurring.
2. Parents also benefit from this in having opportunities to be without their kids for a few hours, developing trust with the teachers at church, and other changes to evangelize to other parents.
3. If the kids enjoy it they'll be more likely to try to convince their parents to take them to church.  There are so few hours in which they have an opportunity to learn about Christ in the church context (it's less than 10% compared to the plethora of other things they do) you have to seize the chance to preach Christ to them.

There are so many other points to talk about on the topic I can't even start to articulate it all in a short post, but I'd love to hear how others are doing it and what other blessings they've experienced as a result.

For us, God has given us an opportunity to reach out to our community with the gospel and as a result we are starting to see some fruit.  Though it's tough, sometimes you have to ride the wave of resistance to allow for people to have an opportunity to rejoice over God's work.  

I Did Not Sign...

I did not sign. I knew about this letter. I knew about the events leading up to this letter. I know that Asian Americans are often misjudged, misunderstood, and everything else that is “mis”-sed under the sun. However, I in good conscience, could not put my name to this.

In fact, in many ways I was appalled at the letter. The tone of the letter was that of a blunt instrument. I found no elegance, no sophistication, and no care in some of the things it was trying to communicate. In other words, it was law without grace.

How can we demand of people a right to our voice when most of them do not have a clue as to the true nature of the issue? A panel in Christianity Today? Why?

To be sure, there needs to be dialogue on the issues. Reform needs to be made, not a panel. When Luther posted the 95 Theses on that door in Wittenberg it was not a rough cut into the cloth of the abuses of the church. It was the cry of a man with a scalpel who sought to cut out the particular cancers ailing the church.

If we are to be harsh, let it be with surgical purpose. If we are to begin the dialogue, let us not demand it but rather stand on the merits of its necessity.

Let our words speak for themselves. Let our witness be of grace. Let our witness be of understanding. Let it be winsome. But let it be clear and helpful lest change for the truth is not willing to be made. After all, Luther’s goal was not schism, but reform. Only out of conscience and exhausted effort was it a necessity.

If you wish to comment on "the letter" or react I would encourage you to submit your thoughts here.  Let your voice be heard on the matter.  It's a good thing.

Pastor Stuff: Sunday School

Growing up in church I cannot remember a time where I did not go to Sunday School.  Sunday School has always been an integral part of the "church experience".  It was where all the "fun lessons" and the "deeper stuff" was often given to us.

Yet, if the studies coming out recently are accurate, it would seem that Sunday School does more to hurt the chances of young people to come to faith more than encourage it.

Now, I am not one to tout numbers too hard, but I understand the philosophical value to noticing trends... and this is not a good one by any means.  It just doesn't seem to make sense.  How can MORE knowledge of the Word cause more injury to our changes to bring people to faith?

God's Word rains down from heaven and does not return to Him empty (Is. 55: 10-11).

In fact, I found a salient point made by a CPR class I was taking recently.  When someone is not breathing and unresponsive you cannot do any MORE harm to that person by performing CPR on them.  In fact, you are increasing their chances of survival ever so slightly by doing something versus nothing.

And I really like that analogy for Sunday School because according to the Scripture we're already DOA (dead on arrival).  We can do no harm in providing more knowledge... so far as it is truly Biblical knowledge.

To be sure, I'm not doubting the efficacy of false doctrine to steer people away from Christ.  Paul thought it truly an important point.  Most of what he wrote about in the New Testament is in refutation of errors and heresy and promotion of the true gospel.

However, much can be said of providing more opportunities to draw out the sophistication, complexities, and mysteries of Scripture and its importance to ALL people.

Whether you are a child or an elderly adult or anything in between the Sunday School can be beneficial for faith.  It can be a haven for thought, engagement, and questions.

Practically speaking, it's when the soldiers go off to the shed to sharpen their swords.

If anything, the problem is that we don't realize that we engage the world with dull blades!  And with faulty equipment, how can we be prepared for what the world has for us?

From my limited experience it would seem that today's Christians are much less Scripturally read for various reasons:  1.  They're over read with the breadth of knowledge out there available, 2.  They're overs saturated with other preoccupations, 3.  They have no possession of desire to learn more because they think they've made it, just to name a few.

To be fair, there are many factors that may draw people away from the Sunday School.  However, the underlying problem across the board is understanding the value and wisdom in prioritizing our Christian education.

Let's be honest...

Many curriculum out there is watered down to the point that it feels like a waste of time.

Many out there have lost the drive to dig deeper and explore more sophisticated questions.

So what can we do to change that?  Well, I can't say there is one solution, but I have a few ideas that I try to implement.

1. Teach more sophisticated material - You'd be surprised how students react when you give them more than they can chew.  Being reminded that there is MORE to learn can encourage people to value the insight they receive.  A wise friend of mine once told me that they prepare for Bible Study by giving a ladder for his students to climb.  That's because if you only give a footstool they can only climb those two steps, but if you give them a ladder they may fall... but they'll still be higher up than with the footstool.
2. Mix up the material - I have found that having a "devotional" week once a month in Sunday School has been helpful in letting students engage with Scripture directly... because a lot don't do it on their own.  It's amazing how insightful the thoughts the Holy Spirit can give to others.  Usually, I have half an our where they do it on their own before we go through it together and collate, add, or explore the insights more.
3. Read MORE - It's amazing how a little insight can really light a fire in the belly of a teacher.  By reading more and over preparing the frustration may set in the teacher with how little the students are learning.  But that can be a good thing as it inspires the teacher to find ways to be a) more effective and b) show their excitement for God even more to their students.  Ultimately, teachers are examples for students.  We should explore what it means to be "an example" of Christ to them.
4. Show your students the plan - If you have a road map to the destination you should show it.  This is so that everyone can be on the same page.  More so, it shows that you are prepared as a teacher (even if you're not) and there are things your students can look forward to.  
5. Try not to be mechanical about it - Getting into a groove is one thing.  Having your style can be a strength.  BUT, the church is always in flux.  It's organic.  It's comprised of people and their nature as creatures should be taken into account.  We can all use a little variety sometimes and challenges that meet us face to face.  So Sunday School can be tailored to your organic group.

These are just a few things I do, but what do you or your pastors do to fight the statistics?  I'm curious.  

There are never any easy answers to the problem of people leaving our churches or having a lack of interest in church... but it's not a numbers game.  We know we are the minority.  More so, we know that if any good comes about this it is because of the Holy Spirit.  So trust Him.  Use wisdom.  

Above all, let's remember that it's God who is the cosmic surgeon.  All we do is CPR in waiting for His hands to work on the hearts of our people.  Be brave, there's really not much worse you can do for your people unless you do nothing.

Confessions of a Gospel "Brute"

If you're an Asian American Christian who has been in touch with the news on the internet you'll know that as of late there has been a lot of controversy surrounding race.  In particular the race issues that stem from two recent incidents involving the prominent pastor Rick Warren and a conference featuring a video depicting ministry as "Karate Kid" style training.

In response, you can see there have been a myriad of blogs, statements, and even a letter written and signed by various "leaders" of Asian American Christianity.  However, as I reflect upon these events I cannot help but wonder if this latest reaction to racial insensitivity is, in no small part, a result of our own doing.

To be sure, this issue between Asian Americans and White Americans has been stewing for quite some time.  Recently, there was that racist Texan on "Big Brother" who told some Asian girl to "make some rice".  Then there was the "Chink in the Armor" incident with Jeremy Lin.  There was also the John Piper incident some years ago when he said was astonished that the "Asian face" was the face of missions.  And of course, the list goes on and on and on...

As of late, it seems that Asian Americans are starting to find their voice in American Christendom and they're not afraid to use it.  Personally, I think that it can be a good thing... yet, it's also a dangerous thing.

Historically, Asian culture has been a point of fascination for Americans as well as humor.  Early on there were a lot of racially charged overtones.  No one wants to remember that the railroad was built on the blood and sweat of Chinese migrant workers.  No one wants to remember that the immigration of Chinese was at one point limited by the US Gov't because they feared the overwhelming swell coming into the country.  No one wants to look back at the internment camps of WWII where many Japanese American families were displaced and often looted of their property.

Asians have been caricatured by White Americans in film, often made fun of by slurring accents and exaggerated "Asian" features.  Yet, by the same token Americans are drawn to the mysteries of the East.

Bruce Lee was really the first one to effectively import the culture into the US as a culture of beauty, mystery, and exotic.  Through dynamic action sequences, his brilliant film work, charismatic nature, and suave move to really mystify the culture Bruce Lee was able to build a bridge with North America.

Soon to follow were Kung Fu films, Eastern medicine, and many other distinctly "Asian" things being imported into the country.

Yet in the move to mystify Asian culture, the bad came with it:  2nd Generation angst.  Asian Americans, born in this country seeking a distinct identity could not be embraced by their native North America nor could they themselves fully embrace their Asian roots.

As a result, many Asian Americans are divided among themselves.  They are a people without a country, land, or place of complete belonging.  They are a people longing for an identity.

But, that's why I love the gospel.  It has provided the answers to these questions we're looking for.  Being a Christian, the answer is clear.  As Revelation 21 tells us, this will all pass one day for the New Jerusalem.

In other words, I don't have the confines of culture to define me... I have Christ.  I have a country:  the high countries.  I have a place of belonging... with my own kind... Christians.  And I am satisfied.

When I was in college I was part of a fellowship called Asian American Christian Fellowship.  I have many fond memories of that time, but since then I found the moniker insufficient to describe the person I am.  In fact, I prefer the label Christian Asian American.

My citizenship is in the Kingdom of God.  And though I still get upset over issues of race, it is not because I am yellow in skin tone, it's because of sin in this world and the lingering injustices that lay to waste my LORD's original intentions for this world.

Revelation 21 carries many of the great mysteries and wonder I desire to focus on.  A city adorned as a beautiful bride.  It's a city which is complete; 12 giant pearl gates open to all the nations of this world, 12 gates which never close to me, 1 focus and source for light in Christ, and there shall never be an unending banquet table.

In the mean time, I am still a brute.  I am one who is easily swayed by much of what is in the world.  I get upset and frustrated with the battles going on with Asians and whites, especially with this Christian infighting and lack of decorum... but I am reminded by my African brother Augustine, "Semul ustes et peccator"...

I am a sinner and a saint... until eternity comes and the righteousness of Christ allows me to find His comforting presence and peace away from all this.

Peace, Purity, and Unity?

Recently, I ran across a couple of different blogs discussing some loosely related topics.

The first was an article on rampant Calvinism popping up in historically non-Reformed and non-Calvinistic churches which you'll find here.

The second article was a response of sorts to a pastor who thought himself slighted by Carl Trueman and Todd Pruitt in their light-hearted prodding of Baptist ecclesiology.  You can find that here.

In short, I found these two articles quite unfortunate in their tone and substance because I believed they had their good points.

Just for some background, one of the highest charges of a pastor is to keep "the peace, purity, and unity of the church".  That's because this is Christ's church.  He's the head, the King, and the church is His bride.  Hence, to divide the bride of Christ is an unacceptable outcome for any pastor.

The problem is, things get complicated when dealing with people.  Sometimes the lines between dividing the church and keeping it pure can be muddled.

One may have the motive of keeping pure the church as a reason for division.  Others may understand that their sense of unity is so precious that it can cause friction among members who wish to seek change.  It's an unfortunate reality that is seen quite frequently be it among 1st generation churches or established American churches or any other church in the world.

To the first article's point, there is a lot of wisdom in understanding the context of a church and it's history.  Just because you go to a Methodist or Presbyterian church doesn't mean you can teach whatever you want.  In fact, that's why confessions and books of church order are important.  They provide the rubric with which one must take vows and have a clear guide as to what constitutes their understanding of Biblical teaching contra what would be considered anathema to them.

On the other hand, there are many good people who cause a stir in their churches because their view of what is "biblical" has changed (Read Rachel Held Evans and Anthony Bradley's response for more).  We live in a postmodern and post Christian culture after all.  Now, I don't know how rampant Calvinism is in non-Reformed churches (Frankly, it's a problem I wish we had in the Bay Area and Chinese churches in general), but I do know that Calvinism doesn't simply comprise of the Canons of Dordt.  In fact, John Calvin gave us a pretty thorough work on the subject.... The Institutes of the Christian Religion.

Why bring this up?  Because I agree that people need to know.  Knowledge is a powerful thing.  And along with great knowledge and power comes a great responsibility.  In the church, that can either mean that you can't teach a convictions because it'll divide your church, or you gotta leave it to join the part of the body of Christ that you're in agreement with said convictions.

Granted, you will never fully agree with the teaching of the church... or any church.  That's a sub point to the 2nd article.  Every church wishes to do their ecclesiology "a little" differently... because they're different people.  Do I necessarily agree with this?  To an extent no (Note:  My above point with confessional theology).  A little can mean various degrees to various people.  To that, I leave pastors to their use of wisdom in such matters.

However, when things are clear they're clear.  If you're serving in a church and there's a line you can't cross... don't cross it.  If you HAVE to cross it due to your convictions, it's time to weigh that conviction.  Is it something to divide the church over?  Will you stumble others and cause damage to the attitudes of faithful servants and community?  Is it worth it?  To you, maybe it is... but at the end of the day you can't expect a church to change the confession they believe in.  The pastor is still God's man.  Maybe it's time for you to leave in peace.  I know I've had to make such decisions while in pastoral ministry.

But that's why we complain about these "labels" within the church, isn't it?  Sorry Tom Chantry if I offend you, but in all seriousness, if your denomination allows for elasticity in the way you conduct your church business you must grant the same on the other side.

Everyone thinks they're an exception to the rule.  But, exceptions do no make the rule rather they are under the rules... and if your church falls under them and the claims against them are rooted at those rules then they are fair.  The question is, whether or not that is the case.

To be sure, pursuing this idea of the peace, purity, and unity of the church is not easy business.  I do not envy the task of such people as I who are called to navigate these waters.  But let's be careful how we do it... or at least try.  There's only one Savior King of the church after all... and that certainly isn't you or me.

Pastor Stuff: Preparing the Preaching Schedule

As a pastor one of the most gratifying things for me is preaching.  However, as with most of us young guys, it's also a cause for a lot of other emotions as well ranging from joy to utter pain from stress and fear.

Preaching, to be sure is one of the important tasks of the minister.  His role is to stand there in the place of Christ to deliver God's Word to His people.  As some of my professors from Westminster pointed out to me, one of the translations for Romans 10: 14 says,

"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?  And how are they to believe in him FROM whom they have not heard?  And how are they to hear without someone preaching?"

That translation is important as it is consistent with the role and character of the minister.  He is to be "God's man" as the Hebrew implies that the "man of God" is a much closer relationship than those words carry.

Jesus, being the greater High Priest (Hebrews 7: 15-16) who lives forever, is the one who properly stands where today's preachers do.

So how do pastors plan on what to preach?  This being Christ's church, Christ being the head of the church and we being the servants, how do we discern God's will for our congregation?  Do we do the lectio-continua thing only for a consistent teaching trend?  Or do we need to do topical preaching because it seems more "practical" for our people?

Well... suffice to say, every pastor is their own man.  We're unique.  I am no exception to that rule.  We all prepare differently (in another blog I might go into how I sermon prep a little).  I am certainly NOT the best preacher I know.

That being said, this is what I do and think about when approaching a preaching schedule:

1. I ask the question, "What is the long term spiritual direction the church needs to go?"  This is an important question.  Each church has their own strengths and weaknesses.  As pastors, our duty is to see God's long term will for the church and figure out what steps need to be taken to get there.
2. Figuring out the long term goal of the church and factoring weaknesses I ask myself, "What are the annual themes for the church?"  I think about this because if you have a goal it only makes sense you set the trajectory you need to travel in order to get there... regardless of whether or not YOU will be there.
3. The quarter system.  In terms of preaching, I break my year up into quarters... because that's what everyone else in the real world does.  People have a rhythm they like to follow.  Quarters represent a finite portion of time in which certain goals get accomplished.  Knowing this, I figure out broadly what books to preach from (that's right... books!).

Considering the fact that I preach about 10 times per quarter that doesn't leave a lot of room to cover a book of the Bible.  This is absolutely true.  However, there are many benefits to switching so often:

First, there is variety for your people.  The minister is called to preach "the whole counsel of God".  That means we cannot neglect the rest of Scripture as we focus on a book.  Rather, our call is to give our people ALL of the teaching of the Word (Matt. 28: 19-20).  By going back and forth between OT and NT in the yearly rhythm of quarters I try to keep things fresh while giving them a broader understanding of how Scriptures comes together.

Second, there is a treasure trove of future sermons in preparation.  Part of sermon preparation through the book is getting to know it.  That means, as pastors it forces us to read the greater strokes of what a book of the Bible teaches.  In pursuing different books in my own preparation I've come across sections of Scripture I read and say, "I will get back to this down the line."  In fact, I'd say that my preparation often yields 3x the sermon treasury than if I'd stuck with one book.  So for every year of preaching I'd get 3 years of future sermons to preach.  Plus, with the legwork you do in the book it'll be easier to go back to it later.

Third, it challenges me to grow in faith.  That's good because in our preparation we come across passages we want to preach, themes which we want to cover in the future, and richness toward our own spiritual growth.  That's not only challenging, but important for the minister.  One of my philosophies of ministry is, "If we are not growing then we're not going.  If we're not going anywhere people aren't following anywhere and growing either."  God's people are always moving... we're never static.  The moment we are static in our pursuit of Christlikeness is the moment we are doing more harm than good to God's people.

Fourth, I find there is greater focus in my preaching.  One of the greatest pitfalls of a young minister is the lack of patience in the pulpit, not only with people, but with the substance of our preaching.  Since I'm following a particular theme for the year it must reflect in the preaching.  That means I will end up over preparing research for my sermon.  I will have different themes that rise out of the text, but I understand the annual theme is there for a reason.  In God's wisdom He has given us discernment to determine how we are to follow that theme.  Practically speaking people like it when you stay on point.  It makes it clearer and easier for you to understand and build unity among the minds of your people.  Even Paul knows that we are to be united as such (Philippians 1: 27, 2: 2; 1 Cor. 1: 10).

There may be even more benefits I have not accounted for, but this is what I've seen thus far.

Like I said, everyone is different.  My hybrid topical-lectio continua model may not be what your church needs.  That being said, I am my own man as God has created me as such.  I have been called to the people at my church and using the discernment God has given me to do the best I can for His name's sake and His church's sake.

If you're a pastor with a unique strategy on sermon planning comment below.  I think this sort of stuff can only benefit others ministers serving the body of Christ.