Archives for the month of: May, 2008

Ever since the drought in Georgia and the wildfires here in San Diego last October, our almost-five year old daughter has been very conscious about conserving water. In fact, since then our family has taken steps such as keeping a bucket in the shower, turning off the water while shampooing and generally taking shorter showers. We want to teach and model stewardship to our daughter, so that she will see that following Jesus is something we do with our whole lives.

Our daughter’s favorite water conservation technique is to collect water from the main tub faucet after switching off the shower head. She always makes sure to tell me, “It’s for the plants.”

Today, after her shower, I asked her why we should try to save water. She looked at me with a huge smile and said, “Because I want to take care of God’s Kingdom, Daddy!”

That’s my girl :)

Couch potatoes nationwide are holding our collective breath in anticipation of the sculpted abs and mean physiques we will undoubtedly develop as a result of the Wii Fit, which is being released in the States today (May 19). The unit is selling like hotcakes (fitness hotcakes, mind you) in Japan and the UK and is expected to be a best-seller here in the States. And what would a highly anticipated release be without a massive marketing blitz, a high-profile advertising and some good old controversy?

[Edit]: I’m on my way to Best Buy to see if I can score a Wii Fit of our own. I went to Best Buy in hopes of picking up a Wii Fit, only to be told that the actual release date is May 21. Looks like I wasn’t the only one who was confused. And, to add insult to injury, they didn’t even have Mario Kart Wii to stave off my disappointment. Still hoping I’ll survive the stampede on Wednesday, though.

Being a font nerd, though, I couldn’t help notice how similar the Wii Fit logo is to the Honda Fit. Compare and contrast the two logos below for the real controversy…

At the gracious invitation of David Park, I have begun sharing some thoughts over at Next Gener.Asian Church. You can read my initial post about Asian Pacific American Heritage Month there. NG.AC always hosts thought-provoking, engaging discussions so, hopefully, I can add another perspective to the mix. It is a healthy sign, I believe, to see a spectrum of voices and thoughts emerging in the Asian American church blogosphere.

I will still be blogging primarily here, but I’m excited to contribute to the work of NG.AC.

In a nod to David’s wonderful NG.AC Asian American Surveys on YouTube, here are some AA-related music videos:

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I wish I was more literate and/or cultured. Most of the time, my reading consists of ESPN’s Page 2 and the back of the Apple Jacks box in the morning.

These days, however, I have a nice stack of books I’m working through. Here’s what’s on my nightstand these days:

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If you’ve been part of the Christian subculture for long enough, you’ve probably noticed the staggering amount of oddball Jesus Junk we manage to produce. Take your pick: Testamints (a perennial favorite target of skeptics everywhere, and yet, strangely tasty), Jesus playing hockey figurines (but would He have brawled during the heyday of the Wings/Avs rivalry?), Bible snack bars or this must-have design statement for your home (magically painted in light, no less). If you’ve got some time on your hands, Marko has been handing out Jesus Junk awards for awhile now.

Most of the time, I can either enjoy or dismiss these Jesus junky items with ironic detachment — I mean, seriously, how can you not appreciate the irony of “armor of God” pajamas that look like Roman soldier outfits straight out of a Passion play?

However, what can we make of a board game called Missionary Conquest? It sounds like the derisive kind of satire that those outside the church use to criticize Christians:

The object of “Missionary Conquest” is to establish as many missions around the world as possible, while racking up blessing points. Along the way, you try to avoid temptation and bad stewardship. If you get kicked out of a country, you lose bonus points and if you’re martyred, you’re out of the game, but you gain 150 blessing points

While many followers of Christ seek to live out and participate in the mission of God in their everyday communities with humility, love and respect, a game like this painfully reinforces the misperception that our faith in Jesus is colonial, domineering and/or oppressive.