After returning from a day at the beach with a my new international student friends, I looked at the lovely bouquet on the dining room table a bit differently. I noticed how there was a beautiful diversity of flowers composing this flourishing arrangement. As they crowd together in the narrow vase, some blossoms are pulled … More a bouquet of cultures
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, … More Rain, Seeds, and Mango Trees
Today I take a virtual tour of Philadelphia, PA, where the signers of our Declaration of Independence used their quills to forever separate themselves from the paternalistic power, Great Britain. I visited Philly in January 2013 with my uncle and today browse my photo album that captured my experience. It was a strange day for … More Liberty and justice for ???
This morning I went to worship in a little old white church building in downtown Redding, CA. The church was named “Light House” a year and a half ago after my friend Reece responded to God’s words to him, “I want to be worshiped in that house again.” I got to be one of the … More From Charleston, SC to Redding, CA
Last Sunday was celebrated Pentecost, according to the Christian calendar. In Jewish tradition, Pentecost celebrated the giving of the law or Torah at Mt. Sinai, 50 days after leaving Egypt (hence “penta” = 5). My pastor shared this interesting insight: when Jews celebrate Pentecost, they wrap the Torah scroll in while cloth, like a bride. … More Pentecost: Babel Reversed?
According to my friend who inspired me to do the 100 day project, we’re half-way through! Yay! I admit I lost count. I also admit that I have not followed through on my plan. My plan was to write a blog every day for 100 days but to spend no longer than 30 min. What I … More 100 day project report: 50 days down!
Who knew that skin said so much about the culture we come from? Now I don’t mean ethnicity. Each of us are endowed by birth with a DNA code denoting a certain shade of melanin, and that is a given. What I’m more interested in here is the way we regulate our skin color based … More Skin
Yesterday I said goodbye to my international student friends from Hong Kong. They came to University of Hawaii at Manoa for an exchange program for the Spring semester. Even though it was only four months, they made their way into my heart and it was hard to see them go. As I pulled away from the … More Crepe paper ribbons
An exposition on Acts 10 & 11* Cornelius’ faith changed everything for the early church. Here’s a Roman military commander and generous man of God who is visited by an angel in a vision. Kind of your every day experience, right!? He learns that God is pleased with his gifts to the poor and he … More Mutual Conversion
Recently a friend of mine likened post-revolution 1980’s China to North Korea. Really!? I thought… North Korea seems like a much more totalitarian regime. But when my parents describe the drab-colored attire, the rations, the police-watch on every street, the bugged rooms, the government-run churches, it starts to sound more and more like the land … More Wow… my parents!
crossing oceans bridging cultures 