I just posted the first of a two-part interview with Daniel DK Kim over at Next Gener.Asian Church. DK is the worship leader at Newsong Church in Irvine, California; he and his family are moving to Mexico City this month for the next two years to fight human trafficking.
We all need stories of courage and redemption to push us further along the path to which God has called us. You can support DK and his family in their journey by purchasing his album thefirst over at his site.
Our church community will be partnering with Amor Ministries this summer to build a home in South Africa for a family in need. As I learn more about South Africa, I see a story that is both broken and beautiful.
The oppressive apartheid regime ended in 1994, and yet economic and social problems continue to linger today. One third of the population lives on less than two dollars a day. Almost ten million people live in poverty housing, crowded into townships in shacks made of whatever people can piece together — cardboard, scrap wood and corrugated iron.
Our church has partnered with Amor over the last couple of years in building homes in Mexico. We appreciate the heart of service behind their ministry — Amor works with local pastors to listen to the needs of their communities and to find ways to bring long-lasting hope and transformation.
I designed a graphic below to give supporters a quick glance at our South Africa trip. I deeply appreciate your prayer for our team.
Jurgen Moltmann has been beating me up all day.
I’ve been reading The Crucified God (an aside: whoever designed the series of covers for Moltmann’s books must be a Jesus and Mary Chain fan) — both for my own spiritual formation during this season of Lent, and also to share with our church community.
In our church, we’ve been talking a lot about the interconnectedness of suffering, redemption, hope and love in Christ. Thoughts from folks such as Dave Gibbons and Rob Bell have been very formative for us in talking about redemptive suffering — appropriate as we approach Passion Week, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
We’ve been asking, as Moltmann writes in Crucified, “How can one continue to love despite grief, disappointment and death?” How do we experience pain honestly, without indulging in self-pity or becoming bitter, hardened people? Can our pain lead us to deep, abiding trust in God and heartfelt empathy for others?
Here is a passage from The Crucified God that jumped out at me today:
As someone who has taught a range of Sunday school classes, from preschool through high school students, I was glad to receive a free copy of Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts as part of the Booksneeze book review program.
Often, when talking about the places Jesus traveled as He taught, healed and ministered, or in describing the journey of the Israelites in the Old Testament, it is helpful to have a visual illustration. Complete Book includes many different maps, photos and helpful summaries — including a map that shows the geographic location of major events in Jesus’ ministry, the apostle Paul’s journeys and the wandering of the Israelites.
Since Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts is slightly larger than other books (a little over 7″ x 9″), I can see how it would be a helpful teaching tool for a class of eight to ten students to view pretty easily. Complete Book also includes a link to free downloads of all the maps and charts included inside the book — again, very helpful for those preparing to teach Sunday school classes.
Last week, I was stunned to see a steady stream of comments about something called the “Compton Cookout” in my Facebook feed. Students from a fraternity at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) organized an off-campus party mocking Black History Month. Some lowlights from the invite:
headsparks* 