Lent: Ashes and Hope

February 22, 2012 //

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lent. I’ve posted a little bit of background on Lent, along with some resources, over at our church community’s website.

Kye Chung offers these great insights:

It’s a day that we remember that we are mortal. That we are nothing without the breath of God. We are just dust and we’re going to die. And yet, it’s a day that we remember and eagerly anticipate the resurrection of Easter, the good news that because we are in need of a Savior, Christ is risen. The ash represents mortality, the cross represents hope.

On this day, and for the next 40 days, remember your mortality and your need for God … so, that when Easter comes, you will celebrate the new life that God has given you.

The way of the cross is difficult, sometimes impossibly so. And yet, the way to life is through the cross.

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Categories church, faith, family

Ideas Might Not Change the World, But You Could

February 14, 2012 //

As I’ve shared here before, the Idea Camp tribe has been such an important part of my life & ministry over the last couple of years. This collaborative movement of idea-makers has been a constant source of inspiration.

No, you’re not crazy if you think that it’s more important to work together for the Kingdom of God than to seek individual credit or accolades. This ethos of partnership, collaboration, and getting things done is rooted in the ethos of Charles Lee, the founder and glue behind the Idea Camp.

I’m grateful for Charles, who has been an encouraging friend and wise mentor to me (and many others) in so many ways. I’m never surprised to see the caliber of people Charles is able to bring together. For example, check out the roster of speakers Charles has lined up for this year’s Ideation Conference in Chicago.

Today, Charles’ first book, Good Idea. Now What? hits the shelves at brick & mortar bookstores (and, of course, at various online retailers). Good Idea is filled with practical insights, both from Charles’ experience and from his vast network of social entrepreneurs — including Soledad O’Brien of CNN, Scott Harrison of charity: water, and Blake Mycoskie of TOMS.

Good Idea is written for two kinds of people. From the introduction:

1. The idea lover who is sick of just sitting on great ideas: These are individuals who recognize that their ideas may never come to pass without a strategic process and a developed skill set.

2. The idea maker who needs to refresh and reaffirm his or her understanding of the elements for implementing ideas well: No matter how experienced you may be, this book will be a good resource for sparking meaningful conversations about your ideas.

The world needs us to dream better dreams, but even more than that, to act on our convictions. I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation with Charles where I wasn’t encouraged, challenged, and/or inspired to action. I highly recommend Good Idea. Now What? and I’m excited to see the great ideas that get put into action as a result.

You can read a sample chapter here.

Categories books, community, conference, Kingdom of God

A Very Linteresting Development

February 8, 2012 //

There’s nothing quite like hearing the entire crowd at MSG shout, “Ooooh!” in unison when Jeremy Lin breaks the ankle of an opposing defender with his quick-strike crossover. Seriously, I can understand why — despite their long run of frustration (and, believe me, as a longsuffering Lions fan, I know frustration) — players want to play for the Knickerbockers.

Watching Jeremy Lin light up the crowd, hearing them chant his name (along with M-V-P), listening to Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s announcing gymnastics about him — it all lends itself to a sense of big-brotherly pride. Well, for someone my age, it’s more like an uncle or cheering on a former youth group student, but you get what I’m saying.

A Reason to Cheer

As this Times article points out, there are many people who would find affinity with and reason to cheer boisterously for JLin7: Asian Americans, Christians, Ivy Leaguers (who rarely get to watch alumns make it in the NBA – for real, I remember cheering/cringing while I watched fellow Quaker Matt Maloney play alongside The Dream, The Glide, and The Round Mound of Rebound for the Rockets back in the day), New Yorkers, and anyone who like a good underdog story.

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Categories asian american, faith, sports

Oh, Wait, 2011!

January 3, 2012 //

I think it’s probably a combination of working two jobs (plus freelance work, whenever I’m able to get it) and reliving past punk favorites on the old Spotify, but I wasn’t able to listen to as much new music as I would have liked last year.

And, as I was reviewing various best-of lists, I realized I left out a couple of albums I really liked. I’m going to blame old age for these oversights. Seriously, looking at these albums, I kept wondering, This came out in 2011?

Devotchka, 100 Lovers

The Man from San Sebastian is all angular post-punk, Eastern European folk fusion; perfect! As long as we’re hanging out in the baroque, chamber pop neighborhood, let’s throw Beirut’s The Rip Tide into this mix, too.

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Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two

My rhymes age like wine as I get older. Man, I hope that’s true of me in the future as well. After all these years, their hooks are still undeniable.

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Tune-Yards, Who Kill

Here’s something dumb: the font-nerd in me wouldn’t let me listen to their album for a long time because seeing the alternating lower/uppercase letters in their band name drove me nuts.

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Office of Future Plans, S/T

Sign me up for anything from J. Robbins. Been listening to his post-Jawbox project Channels via Spotify. OFP is all the discordant (puns!) wonder, plus cello!

While I wait for new releases from Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, Dirty Projectors, and more in 2012, I still have to catch up with 2011 releases from The Roots, F—– Up, The Dodos, Theophilus London, and Liturgy.

Good thing J. Evans will be picking all my new music for 2012!

Categories community, music

The Soundtrack of My 2011 (Kinda)

December 31, 2011 //

While most of the wild west Napster/Kazaa/Limewire days of piratey downloading passed me by, I have tried out my share of different online music streaming services. Blip.fm, Grooveshark, and Last.fm each have unique benefits but, for me, 2011 was the year of the Spotify machine.

Spotify may not have everything, but their library runs deep. Seriously, albums from The Crownhate Ruin and Car vs. Driver? I feel like someone put me in a post-punk time warp and I landed in a creaky second floor warehouse in Philly just in time for a Food Not Bombs benefit show. I also love being able to listen to songs that I normally wouldn’t seek out (that’s you, Drake) on my own.

Maybe it’s a function of getting older (or the aforementioned vast catalogue available on Spotify for me to re-live all my past favorites), but I don’t have the will to check out as many new bands as I have before.

All that being said, here are some of the albums I enjoyed this year. Some of them have been around for much of the year, and some I’ve only begun listening to as the year-end music lists come out, but let’s do this thing:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – It’s a Corporate World

I have a soft spot for bands from the Mitten. Nevermind the corporate sellout/NASCAR imagery: DEJJ’s dreamy melodic meanderings soothe.

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Categories music