I Wish…

… I could pray away the pain in our church.

… I could mentor every young boy in our church.

… I could be a good friend to everyone in our church.

… I could give more money to the needy in our church.

… I could help more folks find affordable housing in our church.

… I could spend more time with the children in our church.

… I could heal all the struggling families/marriages in our church.

… I could be the person to call for those with an addiction in our church.

… I could help single parents with some babysitting in our church.

… I could connect young, struggling mothers to each other in our church.

… I could spend hours/week with the handicapped in our church.

… I could help the unemployed find work in our church.

… I could visit every new baby in our church.

… I could visit every ailing relative in our church.

… I could create a family atmosphere for those without families in our church.

… I could encourage, affirm, and showcase all the artistic talents of people in our church.

… I could introduce quality single people to other quality single people in our church.

… I could spend lots of time with people living in markedly different cultures and neighborhoods in our church.

… I could think of all the ways that people can live out their faith at work in our church.

… I could pray away all the needs in our church.

But I can’t.

But perhaps WE can?

Reasons Why I’m a Huge Jeremy Lin Fan

Jeremy Lin is my favorite basketball player.

There are so many things to like about this guy, and I’ll outline why I’m such a big fan in this post.

Jeremy Lin's game is like a slasher/playmaker.

Either way, it’s been fun following his career up until now, and I’ve been thrilled to pieces over his signing with the Golden State Warriors.  Granted, he still has to perform well, but even making it this far is quite an accomplishment.  I have little doubt that he’ll do everything he can to take his game to another level.

I remember first hearing about him after Harvard beat BC, who had just beaten the #1 ranked UNC Tarheels.  After that, I googled him and found out that Lin was the California State Player of the Year and State Champion in Division II basketball in California.  I won’t go into why this is such an impressive accomplishment as a high school player, but this is a very BIG deal considering the talent that comes out of California from the prep ranks.

Shortly after the BC game, I remember having a conversation with David Park, my brother in law and former Harvard player himself, about the case for Jeremy playing in the NBA.  Fun times.

After that, I tried to catch as many games as I could, and thanks to this guy – poor man’s commish – I was able to follow Jeremy’s path to the NBA quite closely.  Poor Man’s Commish did an amazing job of making the case for Jeremy as an NBA player, and I’m so grateful for all of his efforts.

I watched as many games as I could (Harvard games are hard to find), saw him play live at Columbia (and even met his mom), watched the entire NBA draft just to see if Jeremy would get drafted, then watched every single one of Jeremy’s summer league games on TV.

I’m so proud of the guy.

Anyhow, here’s why I like the guy so much (besides the obvious fact that he’s Asian American).

1)  He’s a committed Christian – Check out this interview and this one.  Jeremy wants to be a pastor in an urban community one day.  Now, this alone is something that gets me excited, but I think there’s something about his game, his effort, and his accomplishments that seem to reflect so much of what we believe as Christians.  I’ll expound on this later.

2)  He’s been an underdog most of the time – To some degree, it’s hard to argue that a Harvard grad has been an underdog, but when you consider Harvard basketball vs the rest of the NCAA, it’s a true underdog story (even if he went to Princeton, more folks may have seen him as a more legit prospect).

Consider:

Jeremy has constanly proved detractors wrong.

- Jeremy was not offered a Division 1 scholarship out of high school, even though he was the State Player of the Year.  That’s crazy.  I don’t think that’s ever happened before (I’ll leave the research to poor man’s commish).  Some suggest it’s because he’s Asian-American… it’d be hard to argue otherwise, considering he played in arguably the best state when it comes to prep basketball.  Btw, his team (Palo Alto) beat Mater Dei, a perennial powerhouse in Southern California.

- Jeremy played for Harvard, and he helped turn them into a winner. Again, Harvard has never been known for its basketball program, and yet they were on the cusp of the NCAA tournament this year.  He played well against bigger named schools (he even dropped 30 points on UCONN and Jim Calhoun said he could play with anybody), but…

- Jeremy went undrafted – Even though Jeremy put up some record breaking numbers at Harvard and led them to winning seasons, he went undrafted because people didn’t think he could play at the NBA level.  Most folks counted him out because of his perceived lack of athleticism.

- Even on the summer league team, Jeremy had to claw for minutes - The Mavs had two former first round picks playing ahead of him at guard (Beaubois and Jones), and while they’re great players, Jeremy still had to show his game in limited minutes.  Beaubois battled some injuries, which allowed Jeremy to get more minutes than normal against John Wall.

I love that Jeremy has persevered so much, even despite all the setbacks and disappointments.  I haven’t even mentioned the racial slurs and all the stereotypical stuff.

And yet, Jeremy hasn’t backed down, even against the #1 pick in the draft.  Just watch these highlights and watch Jeremy’s fearlessness.  The kid doesn’t back down from anyone.

Now, it’s a bit ridiculous to say that Lin is better than Wall or that he’s even with Wall in terms of production.  But, I think it’s fair to say that Jeremy is just as strong a competitor as Wall.

I think this says something about Jeremy’s faith, a fighting spirit that is confident yet humble, working hard to beat the odds.

3)  Jeremy’s type of game beats so many stereotypes - First, one would expect a guy from Harvard to have a specialist game of some sort, a la Chris Dudley, rebounding machine from Yale.

Moreover, one would expect an Asian American to be a dead-eye shooter of some sort, making up for a lack of athleticism or size.

But Jeremy’s a slasher/playmaker. He plays great D, has an unorthodox shot, and is fearless going to the rim.

And he plays so hard – his motor is constantly going.

I love it.   

4)  He loves basketball and has excelled in it – This point relates more to what I think about him being a Christian athlete.  Too many times Christians believe that to excel at anything outside of Bible Study, prayer, etc is to be a less devoted follower.  And yet, here’s someone who identifies first with Christ, and still has the guts to work hard and excel in a game he loves.

Christians often pit the two as mutually exclusive – excellence in faith and excellence in work.  But Jeremy is a model that it’s okay, and even ideal, to be excellent at both, and that by doing so, excellent work is a spiritual enterprise.

5) He went to Harvard – This story would be different if Jeremy went to UNC or UCLA.  That’s the typical route to the NBA, and it would allow people to validate his athletic prowess alone.

But for Asian Americans, Jeremy would be a weird anomaly, someone who was a freak athlete and that’s it.

In a weird way, Jeremy going to Harvard allows more Asian Americans to relate to him because he didn’t go on a basketball scholarship – he just went to the best school where he was accepted as a student and where he thought he could play ball.

Now, it’s crazy that Jeremy went to Harvard of all places, the second best school in the country (to Berkeley), but the fact that Jeremy enrolled in a school and went about pursuing a dream (instead of having it handed to him) is really remarkable.

I think Jeremy’s typical as an AA who goes to college but really would prefer to do something else with his life rather than econ, law, or medicine.

Most AAs know other AAs similar to what I described – going to the best college I can, but secretly wanting to do something else with my life.

The difference with Jeremy is that he’s doing that “something else” now.

And so we all celebrate as if Jeremy was one of us.

Because he is…

… but with the faith, courage, and determination to pursue “something else”.

**being 6’4″ 200 lbs certainly helps too!

Lebron, Cleveland, and the Biggest Winner in Free Agency

I, along with the rest of NYC, have been riveted by the LBJ free agent saga.  I can’t remember a time the sports world was this captivated by free agency, not even a game or an event.  I’m curious to hear what the ratings were for The Decision.

Like the rest of NYC, I was disappointed with the outcome.  I should say, I was especially disappointed with the outcome, and I’m not even a Knicks fan.

I highly recommend Bill Simmons’ article written earlier today…. I think he accurately captures the cruelty of Lebron’s choice being announced on TV.  Simmons is really good at empathizing with sports fans, and this piece is so on the money when it comes to how Cavs fans must feel.

Anyhow, here’s a rundown of my thoughts (not that anyone cares).

- I’m a huge Lebron fan, but I must say, I’m not so sure I’ll be rooting for him anymore. It would just feel weird rooting for the Heat (like rooting for the Yankees).

- I’m pretty sure most people who were non-Clevelandite Lebron fans will have a harder time rooting for him. There was a certain charm to him being on such a mediocre team and making them great.  Now, it just feels sorta like A-Rod going to the Yanks to chase a title.  A-Rod will never be Jeter.

- With that said, Cavs fans should probably blame Carlos Boozer for leaving back in 2004. If he had stayed on the Cavs, I’m fairly certain Lebron and co. would have won a title and LBJ would still be a happy Cav.

- To some degree, we’ll see how valuable LBJ really was for the Cavs. I think the Cavs are easily the worst team in the NBA now.  This makes LBJ’s decision understandable, but still, it woulda been cool to see LBJ lift a really mediocre bunch to the championship.

- This letter from Dan Gilbert is really unfair and regrettable. Come on, the Cavs have a horrible team – how can you pile on Lebron for leaving?

- A lot of people are knocking Bron for being an egomaniac, but I’m not so sure how accurate that is. He’s clearly not going to a team where he’s THE man.  He’s going to D-Wade’s team and hoping to be part of a triumverate.  If he was a selfish superstar, he wouldn’t have chosen the Heat – he would have chosen the Bulls or the Knicks.

As for the choice to make his decision a national spectacle, as much as I think it was the wrong move that he’ll later regret (he’s still only 25), he’s the only player in the NBA who could command such a large audience to watch in eager anticipation for its outcome.

People were praising Durant for his extension via a twitter announcement, but one reason KD probably didn’t have a special announcement is because not as many people cared as much as Lebron’s decision.

Even Kobe couldn’t have captivated the nation the way that Lebron did.

Part of the ridiculousness of the past two weeks is because multiple teams cleared cap space angling to get Lebron.  People were talking about Lebron’s free agency four years ago.  Who else has demanded such attention for so long?

- I’m sad for Cleveland, but man, why didn’t they trade for better players when they had the chance?!?!?

- The Biggest Winner in Free Agency? Joe Johnson who signed early and got $124 million.  Joe Johnson is a higher paid player than Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Durant.  Wow.

The Perfect Time

Show me the glimmers of light unseen

Swallowed by silent darkness all around.

Perhaps my sight is untrue,

clouded by hopeless haze.

Or maybe, my vision is shut,

Unwilling and desolate, limp from loss unnoticed.

I am dead yet I resist,

Searching and scanning while nothing appearing.

In truth,

My eyes are closed, my heart has stopped.

It’s the Perfect Time

For Resurrection.

Highlights and the Next Few Months

It’s been an interesting season, in many respects.

Normally I try to give a recap of recent events, but I’ve had so much to ponder since the last weekend before I left for Korea, it’s taken me some time to digest all that’s happening around me and in me.

Here are some highlights, as well as some stuff brewing the next few months:

HIGHLIGHTS

Me and Tina's family (mom's side) in Korea

1.  Korea was awesome. I loved being there with Tina (and family), eating the food, and seeing different areas of Seoul.  Awesome (Sorry Jean, I know we owe you guys pictures!).

2. Mom’s Birthday in LA – I made a very, very quick trip to LA, meeting with family for my mom’s 60th birthday and hanging with a small group of friends.  Tina couldn’t make it, unfortunately, and she ended up missing the first meeting of Eli Hudson and Caleb Taesung.  I love my mom.  And my family.  No pics to post because I didn’t take a camera.  Sad.  But happy.

A picture from our Alpha Retreat @ Roosevelt Island

3.  Alpha’s been Great - We had our Alpha Retreat on June 5th, and here’s a picture of the group that was there (Roosevelt Island, baby!).  Such a heartwarming bunch – we’ve had a terrific year, and I’m sad that it’s coming to a close.

4.  New Life Fellowship Highlights – It’s been a pretty amazing year at NLF, in retrospect.  You can watch some of the cool things that happened in the video below (and they are very cool things).

This group is crazy.

5.  Rule of Life Weekend II – So much good stuff here.  I missed these summer retreats, and it was so life-giving to be with folks from New Life Fellowship thinking through how to Love God and Love Others as we Love Ourselves.

6.  Turning Our Hearts – I preached this message on Father’s Day.  Thank you to all you Father’s (and family members) who remain committed to making your families a place where lives can flourish.  And thanks to the church for “filling in the gaps.”

The Next Few Months

Although it’s been a terrific year for us, it’s had its share of difficulties, too. Life is like that – a panoply of sundry events and emotions, waiting to remind us how little we control and how much faith, hope, and love play a vital role in living.

Tina and I have been doing great, but I’ve come to a point where I know that I have to cut back on some of the commitments in my life right now.

Most of these commitments relate to New Life and my role there, particularly as we’ve had a few staff transitions and a growing congregation that’s bigger than it’s ever been.

I’ve been grieving a number of things the past few weeks (and year, really), including the staff transitions as well as some of my own limits when it comes to trying to do all that I want to do (and hope to do).

So with that, I won’t be preaching at all this summer so that I can manage some other stuff heading into the fall.  Right now, it’s an indefinite decision, but it’s one that I have to make so that I could direct my energy better this summer.

So yeah, I’ll still be around, but I won’t be preaching.

I look forward to how God will move this summer.  I believe God is taking our church to a deeper level of trust and maturity.  I’m so grateful for all of you who make our community what it is, and especially for those of you who invest so much of your time, talent, and treasure to love our people, I’m humbled beyond belief.

Love you guys.

Great Memories from our Rule of Life Weekend

Our Group Picture from our Rule of Life Weekend.

Had an awesome weekend with New Lifers at our Retreat in the Poconos Mountains.  Some memories are listed below.

And if you’d like to know what we mean by Rule of Life, you can click here.

MEMORIES:

- Greg Jao leading us do an eye-opening study through Acts 9-10.  WOW.

- Some beautiful weather… right until we had to leave.

"If you're having a hard time thinking about what you enjoy, think back to your childhood."

- Rich Villodas going over guidelines for being together – “it’s not the time for you to prophesy!”

- Rich going over a personal Rule of Life and giving us some much needed time of personal reflection.

- “Have you tried these brownies?”

- “These apricots are sour!”

- “Would you rather be taken or left behind?”

Who knows a song? Let's sing some songs! ~ God, told Noah, to build him, and arky, arky...~

- “Karis is so cute!”

- “I should really stop calling him Paul.  He’s not Paul yet, but the story when Saul becomes Paul is really cool.”

- “I’d like to introduce you to my lovely wife… she’ll be collecting your money.”

- “This retreat is an invitation, not an impostion.”

- “Who’s the all-time best ball player from NYC?”

“Oliver Mack.”

“Who’s Oliver Mack?”

- “Have you had Korean short-ribs?  It’s objectively the best BBQ in the world.”

- “The hike takes only 30 minutes.”

"You got all that from observations?"

- “Can I trade bikes with you?”

- “I am not standing on that rock next to the edge.”

- “Why are we going up this hike so fast?”

- “There’s another shooting star!”

- “Are we there yet?”

- “I shouldn’t have gone on that hike.”

- “There’s a chinese word that means ‘I’ve had too much of this rich food’, and it just doesn’t translate.”

- “I’m puzzled why we’re still in this session and not having lunch when the schedule says we were supposed to have lunch 30 minutes ago.”

- “Block him, Terry.  Block her, Johnny.  This will be an epic game that we’ll remember forever.”

- “Lean on me, when you’re not strong, I’ll be your friend…”

- “Who wants one more s’more?!”

"This hike takes 30 minutes to finish, tops."

- “Help! Help!  My marshmallow’s about to fall off!”

Anyhow, feel free to add to this list.  It was an amazing time!

You can see all the pictures from the weekend here.

Some Cool NLF People – Part 6

I’ve gotten off my monthly rhythm of posting “Some Cool NLF People“, but I hope to get back to it soon.  You can see previous posts on the subject here.

1) Esther Chai - Esther is one of those people that immediately puts people at ease with her personality and presence.  She’s funny, witty, and approachable (sometimes snarky, though), and she’s got mad cooking skills, an easy way to befriend people.  For a pastor, she’s one of those people you’d love to have at any gathering because of the comfort level she brings to people and her heart in welcoming people.  She volunteers in our small groups, Global Partnerships, and worship ministry, and I hope she cooks dinner for Tina and myself for writing this post.  Just kidding.  Sort of.

2) Bill and Dawn White – A wonderful couple to be around.  These guys are so full of life and joy, and they are as honest and warm as people can be.  I was in a small group with them back in 2005-2006, and they had an infectious quality about them that has lingers with me.  That was a special group made up of special people, and the Whites were a big part of that.  They are both leaders in their own right, and they currently serve in different worship capacities and in our marriage ministry.

3) Judea Costes - You can read some of Judea’s stuff here, and I think you’ll get a pretty good sense of her – thoughtful, passionate, quirky, musical, and real.  The side you’d miss (but all who know her can testify to) would be her fun-loving self that loves to laugh and sing out loud.  She’s one of our college students who brings a sweet dimension of passionately seeking to love God and others.  She’s on our worship team and also volunteers at times with our youth ministry.  Very cool.

4) Dominick Baerga – You’ll hear more about Dominick if you plan on coming to our annual meeting, but yeah, the guy is so much fun to be around.  He now works at NLF, and he serves on our alpha team as a small group leader.  He’s also been involved in the food and clothing pantry.  Ever since we met he’s had me rolling with laughter and he has a winsome way of sharing what God is teaching him.  Again, come to the annual meeting to hear more!

5) Johann and Liesel Schumacher - If you haven’t met the Schumachers, you really should.  They are sweet, servant-hearted, and kind, and it’s evident in the ways they volunteer in our esl ministry.  At our Rule of Life Weekend, I had the privilege of getting to know them better, and what impressed me most was their gentleness and affable manners.  Johann also helped put together our silent sermon, and if you have a chance, you can see his incredible work online.  We also shared a very funny moment at the Rule of Life Weekend, and I’ll never forget what good sports Johann and Liesel can be.

Christopher Celiz beatboxing @ NLF Open Mic in 2007

You have to watch this!

I was digging through old videos and came across the clip below of Chris Celiz, a college student from New Life Fellowship.

Keep in mind all the sounds in the clip are coming from Chris (aside from some ambient sounds).  The quality of the video isn’t too great, but I think you can get a glimpse of his immense talent.

Chris is also a finalist competing in the American Beatbox Championships on July 31st (he’s nycbeatbox).  Please support him if you can!

You can also find out more about Chris here.  He shares his most memorable Beatbox moment is performing in front of NLF Youth for the first time, which was a few years before the clip below.  Word.

The Single Most Clutch Sports Performance Ever

Tina and I are heading back to the States tomorrow, and although it’s been a very sobering time with the news of possible war and retaliation, it’s been a life-giving time for me personally to be here in Seoul.

Yuna Kim's performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics may have been the most clutch sports performance ever.

Sometime in the future, I’ll try to write a post recapping my time here, but I thought I’d touch upon a semi-serious topic I’ve been mulling over the past few days.

As many of you know, one of the most popular and beloved figures in South Korea is Yuna Kim (pronounced Yeo-na Kim, not Yu Na Kim), the women’s figure skating winner of Olympic Gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

I was discussing this with Paul, Jane, David, Jean, and Tina, and I think her performance at this year’s Olympics may have been the most singular clutch performance I’ve ever witnessed.  I’m obviously biased, but I honestly couldn’t think of someone coming through under pressure in a sports competition like she did.

Consider:

1)  She was an overwhelming favorite but hadn’t won at the Olympics, and the hopes of Koreans everywhere (45 million strong) rested on her performance.  Paul Jung was telling me that the whole country stopped to watch her long program, even cab drivers.

2)  Her main competitor, Japan’s Mao Asada, had just gone before her and given her own spotless performance (even connecting on a triple-something), thereby putting all the pressure on Yuna to deliver.

3)  She gave a 7-minute long performance with a number of spins, jumps, twirls.  She had to be on throughout the entire performance, as opposed to a single swing or a single free throw or a single putt.

4)  She shattered the world record for highest scored performance.

5)  It was the Olympics.  She only had one shot in four years to make this happen.

6)  She already had tons of endorsements lined up – the expectation for her to perform well at this one event was higher than anyone else in the sport in terms of the financial investment made in her by different sponsors.

7)  The entire world was watching.  Well, almost.  It was the marquee event of the entire Olympics, which a lot of people around the world watch.

Can you think of any other sports performances that would match her winning skate?

I certainly can’t.

Here are some parameters that helped me decipher “single most clutch performance”:

1)  Individual sport - I know, in some ways this is unfair, but I think there’s something to be said of having all eyes on you.  And this is just my opinion, but I think figure skating is the most nerve-inducing sport ever.  Curling is a close second.  And then the balanced beam.

2)  Sustained excellence - Someone can recover from a mediocre game to get a clutch hit, throw, or catch.  Heck, Yuna’s routine was 7 minutes long!  And flawless!  And I’m biased!

3)  Slim margin for error - Every time a figure skater jumps off the ice, I have a near heart-attack.

Now that I’ve put these parameters in place, I realize I’ve narrowed it down to like 4 sports out of 269.

And so with that, you can call me crazy, but I’d argue that Yuna Kim’s gold medal-winning routine was the single most clutch sports performance ever.

A Full Weekend of Crying, Laughing, and Everything In Between

After getting back from Drive, I had a very full couple of days, replete with crying, laughing, and everything in between.

In many respects, Drive felt like a Sabbath, but in other ways, it did not (in terms of stop and rest – it’s hard to stop and rest at a conference called Drive).  Thankfully, Tina and I are off to vacation today for a couple of weeks! It’s all about rhythm…

Please don’t think of us while you’re not on vacation.  My thoughts are especially with you students in finals.  Sorry, that sounded like I was teasing, but I genuinely meant that my thoughts are with you students!

In the meantime, here’s some things that made me experience the fullness of life over the weekend:

1)  Nikki’s Memorial Service – Nikki Holden was a member of a church and an extraordinary person.  She was a teacher for 20+ years at Evangel Christian School, and it was amazing how consistent the remarks were about Nikki and her impact on children and her unwavering faith in God during the turbulence of life.

Here’s a portion I read from a testimony she gave at NLF before a sermon I preached back in September.  The written portion here describes her reaction to finding out she had to go through her second round of chemo.  After being in and out of the hospital for 2 years, she passed away couple of weeks ago.

I knew I could yell and scream and carry on and have to go through it anyway… or, as much as I was sad and disappointed, I could embrace what God was doing and move forward.

It’s been a roller-coaster of a year in dealing with fear, depression, doubt and anger, but also experiencing joy and peace in the presence of the Lord’s faithfulness and goodness.

Having cancer has been the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me, but it’s also been one of the best things to ever happen to me, because I never really suffered in my life before now. But now I’ve walked through this valley and I’ve seen God’s faithfulness.

I still haven’t gotten the outcome that I hoped for a year ago.  But my hope is in God, not in the doctors, and not in the chemo.  He is my healer and my protector and I know I can’t just sit at home and live in a bubble.  As best as I can with his strength I have to live the life he has placed before me.

A couple of months ago, I read Psalm 119:91 which says, “All things serve you.”

When I read that verse, it just gripped my spirit.  I knew that even this cancer can serve him if I let it.  My testimony is not that I had cancer and God healed me, but instead, I have cancer, and by God’s grace I am journeying through it.

Nikki was a remarkable woman, and it was a beautifully uplifting service to take part in.

2)  Karis’ First Birthday – Fun times with the Villodas and Valle families, celebrating the ever-popular Karis Villodas.  She’s mad fun to be with, and there always seems to be a crowd around her.  One of my biggest highlights was seeing her eat her first cupcake.  Too cute.

Villodas + Valle = GREAT TIMES.  Check out Rosie’s blog to learn more of Karis and family.

3)  Open Mic Nite – We raised over $600 for Global Partnerships as different artists did their thing.  Wild talent of singers, musicians, dancers, rhymers, actors, rappers, and poets on display.  Click here or on the image for more pics.  Hoozah.

Next time, I’d love to see Mike Favilla do a bhangra dance to raise money for the Philippines.  Who’s with me?

4)  Smart Feet – Preached a message on having smart feet from Jeremiah 42-43.  If you don’t know what smart feet are, you can find some resources here.