Tag: culture
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The Lack of Cultural Diversity in the Missional Movement: Where All My Colored People At?
I was a ghetto Asian-American juvenile delinquent, fresh in the faith, when I first walked into a southern California mega-church with a group of other knuckleheads wearing saggy Dickies and oversized t-shirts. This church was located in the heart of one of the most ethnically diverse cities in America and we were excited about connecting…
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Chapter 8: Monkhood
My mom tried everything to keep me off the streets, even religion. In Southeast Asian Buddhist culture it is customary for young males to spend time in their local temple as a novice monk. It’s a way to earn merit for our past offenses and a way to earn respect from the surrounding Asian community.…
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6 Reasons Why Asian Americans Make Great Missionaries (Part 2)
The last post gave you 3 reasons why Asians can be strategically positioned to fulfill the Great Commission. Here are the final 3 reasons why you’d make a great ninja for Jesus. Reason 4) Pioneering Opportunities: Caramel Faces Just the other day we sat in a thatched house in a tiny little village at…
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Chapter 7: Typical Day
It was 1996. The sun was shining and I had just punched some white kid in the face. I picked up his glasses and threw them down the street as he begged me to stop. I let him get on his bike and said, “You tell your brother to never talk s*** again. Get the…
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You Are Not Asian: Using Culture As A Ministry Crutch
You are not Asian. You are not any color. Your identity is not based in your cultural roots. What you are, is a beacon of God’s image. You are meant to shine His glory in dark places. You are meant to be God’s living story and go wherever He tells you to go. The problem…
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The Motivation for Mission
There are many honorable and noble reasons to engage the lost in a cross-cultural setting but there is only one that will truly sustain you for the long haul. Missions is not about alleviating poverty, eradicating world hunger, stopping human trafficking, and listen carefully…it’s not even about saving souls. Missions is about spreading the fame…
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Chapter 6: Routine
Southwest Michigan. Some small crappy town. 6:40 am. Snowing and pitch black except for the orange glow of street lights. The air was cold enough to freeze the snot running down my nose. My greatest motivation to wake up and walk to school in this shitstorm was the thought of packaged blueberry muffins, cafeteria sausages…
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Jungle Asian – This Is Who We Are
Let’s admit it folks, Americans can be some of the most myopic and culturally inept people on the planet. We live in one of the most diverse countries in the world yet many know nothing about the rich cultures of the people on our doorsteps. Take the famous Texan, Hank Hill, for example. He’s known…
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The Girl with Evil Spirits
Not long ago I was sitting in a thatched hut praying over a sixteen year old girl who was afflicted by demons. For more than 6 months she was bed-ridden and couldn’t walk. She is the only believer in her entire Animistic tribe. Her family has allowed her to “test” Jesus because nothing else worked…
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Obeying vs Knowing
I spoon feed my 11-month old son in front of the T.V. His eyes are fixated on Baby Einstein and his mouth is wide open. It’s probably not the most stimulating way of doing it but it works well. He gets stuffed and there’s no mess to clean up. Sadly, this is an accurate picture…
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The Fear of Bombs and Demons
Fear is the same the world over. Its manifestations though are quite diverse. Here in the West we fear the loss of control. Chaos is a threat to our security and stability. Without control our way of life is in danger. Our children are in danger, our investments are in danger, our houses are in…
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Money and Asians
We’ve come a long way from stashing all our valuables under the mattress or in a safe hidden somewhere in Mom and Dad’s bedroom. That’s how our folks and their folks before them did it for centuries. They keep all the gold, charms, cash and jewelry close by – and then gossiped about how much…
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Church Sucks
It’s safe to say that more than half the people on this planet feel that church sucks. They see it as an institution – one that is intolerant, irrelevant, hypocritical and completely out of touch with culture. It’s also safe to say that the other half of this planet have no official opinion of church because they’ve never formulated…
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Chapter 2: Kung-Fu
Life was different in sunny Southern California (So Cal). Back in Massachusetts my brother and I would climb trees, explore the open woods in our backyard, and watch the bug-eyed raccoons dig through our trash from the kitchen window. So Cal Los Angeles area was an urban jungle with city as far as the eye…
The Asian Rough Rider 