Eugene Cho

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 • 12:15 pm 17

Don’t escape. Sit in this pain. Recommit to the work of peacemaking. [Warning: Graphic Image]

I’ve always wanted to be a photographer but doodling on my phone camera and my new Instagram account will have to suffice for now. But I’ve been particular intrigued by the role of photography in humanitarian and various aspects of global development. This is why I was intrigued by an article that came through my reader about an Afghani photographer named Massoud Hossaini who was awarded the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography.

I clicked it and saw the image and in a split second, I wished I had NEVER clicked to read the article and of course, the accompanying “award winning” photograph. I wish I had a sudden blue screen, or back stalking on Facebook, or watching my Netflix, or laughing at some idiot on the Fail Blog, or perhaps some  beautiful and heartwarming image of local Africans smiling from ear to ear at their new clean water well…

Tthose were my initial thoughts.

Understand? My thoughts were to escape this reality and pain rather than entering in to better or more deeply understand the story and pain.

If you do click and see the image, what were your first thoughts?

How do you respond to such utter pain?

This image will be now with me forever. While I missed this image when it was first captured on December 6, 2011, it will be with me forever.

So, I warn you…before you click “read more” … know that you will be disturbed. Read the rest of this entry »

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Friday, April 13, 2012 • 12:01 am 19

What Blue Like Jazz teaches us about creating a better story.

Hello people. Eugene Cho the Reviewer is back. You hated my last review of Mark Driscoll’s book, Real Marriage, so I’m trying again with my endeavors to be a world class reviewer and thus, I am writing a review for the movie, Blue Like Jazz, based on Donald Miller‘s book…Blue Like Jazz. Love how those matching titles work.

Let me first say that I have yet to see the film but since we’re living in a day and age where people are inclined to write reviews about books they have yet to read, I say what the heck. As much as I want to say I’ll see the film very soon, I can’t make any promises. Why? I haven’t been to a movie theater in several years. I honestly think that the last movie I saw a movie in the theaters was The Lord of the Rings. Ages ago.

To my defense, I have read the book although it took me several months because my bad reading habit is to pick up at least a dozen books to read at the same time. To Donald’s credit, I mostly read dead people so it’s not to say that I want him to have a short life, it caught my attention enough to pick it up even though I know (and hope) he’s very healthy and in the middle of a long life. Read the rest of this entry »

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Wednesday, April 11, 2012 • 12:01 am 27

Get outside. Be creative. Dream. Create something. The story of 9-year-old Caine Monroy and Caine’s Arcade.

Dear friends, readers, strangers, and blog stalkers: I try to be careful with overly extreme outrageous over-the-top superlatives but the story of Caine’s Arcade and its 9-year-old founder, Caine, might be one of the greatest things I’ve ever read or seen.

This story of not judging a book by its cover was cool, too, but wow…this is amazing. No joke.

First, do yourself a HUGE favor and watch the video. I guarantee it’ll be worth your 11 minutes or I will pay you $2 for your very own “Fun Pass” (this will make sense later). Money back guarantee.

Who is Caine and what is Caine’s Arcade?

Caine Monroy is a 9-year old boy who spent his summer vacation building an elaborate DIY cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store. Read the rest of this entry »

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Saturday, April 7, 2012 • 12:30 am 46

On giving away door prizes, pony rides, and gazillion eggs for Easter when the Gospel ought to be enough.

No doubt that Resurrection Sunday (or otherwise known to the masses as Easter) is one of the most significant event  and Sunday for the Church. While it wouldn’t be wise to reduce the totality of God’s narrative to one event…the death and resurrection of Christ is undoubtedly, crucial. Our faith and the credibility of the gospel hinges upon the historicity and veracity of the resurrection of Christ.

The Apostle Paul articulates this truth succinctly and powerfully:

“And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.” – 1 Corinthians 15:14

For this reason, Easter is often referred to as the Super Bowl for Christian churches.

As expected, a great amount of time, energy, ideas, and resources are invested into this weekend. And I get it. And I agree with it – in part.

It’s important and it’s understandable that churches are emphasizing this weekend and investing additional resources. At Quest, we host two services for Good Friday and three services for Easter on Sunday. Typically, we’ve rented an off-site facility to have our usual only joint church service.

But I digress.

I love the events of Holy Week…

because we need to reflect on the final week of Christ and ask ourselves, “What would we do if we only had one week to live?”

During the last week of his life, Jesus chose to borrow a donkey, do some “spring cleaning”, wash dirty feet and get crucified. Before we move on to the good news of the Resurrection, we have to engage in the the uncomfortable reflections of Good Friday.

But yes, oh yes, oh yes. Christ has risen. He has risen indeed. This is truly good news and worthy of celebration.

But in recent years, there seems to be an increasing trend of using stuff to lure people to church on Easter weekend.  Now, seriously: Read the rest of this entry »

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Friday, April 6, 2012 • 6:00 am 22

How could it possibly be a “Good” Friday?

pa009086

Good Friday. Huh?

Why is it “good?”  How could it possibly be good?

  • In a culture that is ever so quick to get to the product
  • In a culture that is ever so quick to avoid suffering and pain and seek ways to medicate ourselves to avoid pain
  • In a culture that is ever so quick to jump to the bunnies and eggs
  • In a culture that is ever so quick to commercialize, capitalize, and consumerize Read the rest of this entry »

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012 • 11:04 am 28

in memory of shaima alawadi: human, daughter, wife, mother, neighbor, sister, friend

Take a long look.

Stare into her eyes.

Stare and Focus.  You’ll see that she’s not that different than you and I.

This is Shaima Alawadi.

  • She is a human being.
  • She is Iraqi. She is American. She is Iraqi-American.
  • She is a neighbor.
  • She is a daughter.
  • She is a mother…of 5 children.
  • She is a wife.
  • She is a friend.
She is also dead. Murdered.
A brief glimpse of her story: Read the rest of this entry »

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Monday, March 26, 2012 • 10:16 pm 42

don’t judge a book by its cover. don’t judge a person by their weight.

I don’t know how to approach this post in a politically correct way so I’ll just say it. It’s a quasi-post about weight, obesity, and overweight people in society.

There: I said it.

In some ways but especially in the church, it’s one of the “elephants” in the room.

And by that, I’m not try to sound like a jerk or smartarse in any way by the usage of elephant, it’s literally a rare a conversation we host. It’s certainly not something I regularly teach or preach about but I should if I care about my congregation. Read the rest of this entry »

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Saturday, March 17, 2012 • 1:23 pm 63

our response to jason russell should not be that complex

The conversations surrounding the campaign of Kony2012 are complex. They really are. To simplify them only furthers the criticism that some have had with the entire campaign with over-simplification.

Part of the reason why I haven’t written anything about Kony2012 is that I’m still processing what I liked and disliked; agreed or disagreed; the assessment of what was compelling and deterring. There are some important lessons to be learned by all – but especially non-profit organizations – such as the one I recently started, One Day’s Wages. So, my posture has been slow to speak and quick to listen. I’m reading, processing, asking, conversing, and perhaps later, I’ll have some thoughts to share.

But one thing I’d like to make clear is that to reduce the work of Invisible Children to a 30 minute video would be simply unfair – to them, to those that they have sought to come alongside in Uganda, and to all of us. They’ve done some important work since their inception in 2003 and will continue to do important work.

Having said that, I was surprised (to say the least) and saddened to read the “breaking news” of Jason Russell’s detainment and hospitalization yesterday in San Diego. Jason is a co-founder of IC and the narrator of the Kony2012 video. He has also bore the brunt of much criticism during the recent weeks from the entire world.

The conversations surrounding the issues of Kony2012 may indeed be complex but hear this loud and clear, our response to the recent news about Jason Russell ought to be very simple: Read the rest of this entry »

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Friday, March 16, 2012 • 8:25 am 8

“a prayer of blessing to all those hands that put together the ipad that we’re about to enjoy”

At the usual risk of getting more angry emails, I’d like to write something about Apple, Foxconn, and the workers that make up their gadgets and for that matter, the workers that put together all of our gadgets from any and whatever company. This way, you know that this speaks to everyone.  For those that missed it or want a larger overview, the New York Times wrote an incredible piece entitled, “In China, Human Costs are Built into an iPad.”

For gadgeteers, it should be obvious why I’m writing this today:

The new iPad is being released today. 

Millions upon millions will be sold. In fact, all the pre-sale inventory was sold out several days ago. The first person – globally – lined up a full week before the sale of the iPad. Every store will have droves of lines circled around the corner. It’s on everyone’s wish list – admitted or not admitted – perhaps with the exception of Bill Gates. I will confess that I’m also tempted to upgrade the original iPad that was gifted me couple years ago.

Globalization is complex.

Anyone that says otherwise is incapable of anything beyond simple thinking. It’s incredibly complex. Read the rest of this entry »

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Saturday, February 18, 2012 • 4:30 am 145

A conversation about prayer with President Barack Obama.

Unless it’s Justin Bieber I don’t get star-struck, but I have to admit, it was pretty cool to meet President Barack Obama earlier this month. During his visit to Seattle on the weekend of February 16, I had the opportunity and privilege to attend one of the events he was speaking at. Specifically, it was an event at Boeing Everett to celebrate the work of American workers, Boeing, and the culmination of the work of the Dreamliner 787.

Light to the World.

As you know. I don’t run in these circles.  Sitting in a special section with dignitaries and politicians including mayors, various council members, business bigwigs and the Washington governor was awkward to say the least.  How I got invited to this event is a little unclear but over the past couple years, I’ve been building relationships with the White House via their Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. It’s also from a commitment I’ve had – as a Christian, a pastor, and a leader – to be a light to the World and not just merely light to the Light. Translation: As we serve and love the church, we must also look outward and engage the larger culture. Folks notice and when opportunities arise, they sometimes ask for input and involvement or just merely your presence and that’s what happened.

Because of this theology and ecclesiology Read the rest of this entry »

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Friday, February 10, 2012 • 8:25 am 14

model leaves victoria’s secret to honor God, her husband…and be a better role model

Have you heard this story? Yes, its’ true: I’m talking about Victoria’s Secret models on my blog. [gulp]

In light of some recent posts I’ve written, “Media and Commercials: Women are Objects to be Objectified and Exploited for Consumption” and “The Dangers of Being a Woman”, this is a relevant and compelling read and discussion.

Truth be told, I don’t quite know what to make of modeling to begin with which is why I personally left modeling years ago. ;)

For one Victoria Secret’s model, Kylie Bisutti, she’s decided – in response to her convictions as a follower of Christ – to no longer model lingerie and leave Victoria’s Secret altogether:

“For all of you that were looking for me in the Victorias Secret runway show this year, I wasn’t in it. I have decided not to model lingerie because I personally feel that I am not honoring God or my husband by doing it. My marriage is very important & with divorce rates rising I want to do everything I can to protect my marriage and be respectful to my husband. God graciously gave me this marriage and this life and my desire is to live a Godly faithful life, I don’t however judge others for what they do. Everyone is convicted on different levels.”

Compelling stuff but the part of the story that got me was about her 8-year-old cousin: Read the rest of this entry »

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Wednesday, February 8, 2012 • 4:00 am 38

pete hoekstra and cultural intelligence: why it matters to the church

Ugh.

Did you see Michigan Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra’s political campaign ad during the Super Bowl?

As you read in my previous post, I had some choice words about Go Daddy, Teleflora and other companies that continue to objectify and exploit women but I hadn’t seen Hoekstra’s ad.

Well, I just saw it…and I almost vomited in my mouth. Almost. Those chicken wings I consumed during the Super Bowl wanted to come back up. Check it out: Read the rest of this entry »

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Monday, February 6, 2012 • 5:00 am 33

Media, Commercials, and the Super Bowl: Women are objects to be objectified, marketed, and packaged for consumption.

I don’t want to be about censorship but at some point, some things deserve to be thrown in the garbage.  Commercials that exploit and objectify women aren’t only offensive and disgusting…but they’re dangerous.

First, some background:

Who watched the Super Bowl? Perhaps, a better question might be: “Who didn’t watch the Super Bowl?”

In 2011, the game drew the largest audience ever in history:

Last year’s Super Bowl drew the largest audience in American television history, averaging 111 million viewers. All total, 163 million people watched at least part of the game. That’s more than half of the population.

Yesterday’s game likely drew about 120 111.3 million viewers. This – in part – explains why the cost of a 30 second commercial was set at $3.5 million dollars.

Wow.

And while there were some good, funny, witty, and brilliant commercials, there were (and have been for some time) a growing number of commercials that are just downright offensive.  It’s not new but each year, they seem to be getting worse and worse – so much that the commercials are the things I least look forward to. After noticing couple of those commercials, I couldn’t help but send this tweet to Go Daddy:

Dear @GoDaddy: Your objectification and exploitation of women disgust me. #HopeAnElephantStompsAllOverYourServers Read the rest of this entry »

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 • 12:00 am 22

“A happy marriage is the union of two forgivers.”

On February 1, 1997, Minhee and I exchanged vows and committed ourselves to Christ, one another, our families and community –  the journey of loving, serving, and growing as followers of Christ and as husband and wife – in mutual submission to one another.

Today, we celebrate our 15th anniversary.

Wow. 15 years of love, mutual submission, forgiveness, and love.

I know that it is customary [and wise] to speak well of your spouse on your anniversary but Minhee truly is an expression and embodiment of God’s grace and beauty to my life. Our marriage – while clearly not perfect – remains focused on the three pillars I often share with others:

Passion.  Vision.  Mission.

Here’s our wedding photo that still continues to amaze people. Minhee looks her usual photogenic self and I’ve been told I look “very different” - so different that people ask if it’s her “first husband.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Monday, January 30, 2012 • 5:00 am 14

You don’t have to be a celebrity _______ to be influential. Just be faithful.

How do you define a successful church?
How do we measure success as a pastor?

For that matter, how do we measure success in ______________?

As you read this post, I want to invite you to consider replacing ‘celebrity pastor‘ with ‘celebrity __________’.  Insert your area of profession or focus and consider the content of this post.

I’m come to realize that part of my calling as a pastor and leader is to be an encouragement to other pastors – but especially to those that don’t “measure up” to how we in the church subculture often directly or indirectly elevate stories of successful pastors – aka ‘celebrity pastors.’

This post isn’t a criticism of celebrity pastors. Hardly at all. Instead, it’s a post to accentuate the importance of all those who serve and lead in the church – but especially those pastors you’ll never hear of; Those that are not part of the preaching circuit; Those that don’t have publishing deals, etc.

I am not a successful pastor. I don’t pastor a mega-church or a large church. I don’t facilitate astronomical budgets, earn a huge salary, travel with huge entourages, fly on private jets, and have thousands upon thousands of sermon subscribers.

But nevertheless, I have influence.
We all do.

I’m simply trying to be faithful to the things, to the people, to the city, Read the rest of this entry »

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Tuesday, January 17, 2012 • 12:01 am 14

defend, rescue, and fight for the weak – and do it with dignity

I’m sorry if this post depresses, discourages, or disturbs you. It’s not my intent but a reminder of the arduous work ahead for all of us.

It’s the day after…

The day after this nation (and many in the global community) celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We march, share inspiring quotes, and listen to compelling speeches.

It’s a feel good day.

But today is the day after – and the awareness of reality. A reality of certainly a better world from the days of Rosa Park and Dr. King but a reminder of  the long road ahead. Oh,we have a long way to go.  Anyone that wonders if racism still exists in America simply need to look at our incarceration and education system. Broken would be an understatement.

But it’s not just merely an issue of race or more specifically, Black and White. Rather, it’s about the larger issue of Strong vs. Weak. Perhaps, it’s always been about this dichotomy and it gets played out via the arenas of race, class, economics, gender, age, orientation, etc.

The question for us – as human beings – and especially as people after the heart of God as Christians is to not merely understand the heart of God but to pursue and do the heart of God.

I often wonder if those Read the rest of this entry »

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Monday, January 16, 2012 • 12:01 am 36

celebrating martin luther king, jr…and acknowledging the Giver of such dreams…

mlk

Martin Luther King Jr. was an extraordinary person.  Not perfect but nevertheless, extraordinary.  While we remember his legacy again on this day…let’s not make the mistake of forgetting the God behind this extraordinary man.

It’s way too easy to talk about MLK because so many people and groups of people want to own him as their own.  But they often don’t want to take or acknowledge all of him.  At the core of his life, Martin Luther King Jr. was a follower of Jesus Christ. His faith in Christ informed all that he sought to do as a civil rights leader.

And that is precisely why his dream did not die upon his assassination. Because Read the rest of this entry »

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Monday, January 9, 2012 • 12:01 am 27

“my name isn’t lady chinky eyes”

Did you see this?

Probably not  because who cares about receipts from fast foot joints like Papa John’s? But if you look carefully, you’ll notice that an employee tried to be “funny” and wrote in “lady chinky eyes” to identify the Asian customer.

Here’s 6 things you should know:

1. Umm, don’t hate. My slanted eyes are beautiful.

2. The customer’s name was 24-year-old Minhee Cho – the exact same name as my wife. Some of you asked and emailed me. Unless my wife has a private jet, she was not in New York this past weekend. She was home in Seattle so this was a different Minhee Cho. Read the rest of this entry »

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stuff, connect, info

one day’s wages | video

my tweets

  • "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed." ~ Psalm 34:18 || 9 hours ago
  • To anyone who's thinking of saying something to link the Oklahoma tornado & God's wrath: Be wise. Don't do it. It's the last thing we need. || 10 hours ago
  • In Seoul, Korea (my birthplace) for couple days.Walking around and remembering Oklahoma & North… instagram.com/p/ZlDPo4yWW7/ || 10 hours ago
  • To anyone who's thinking of saying something about the Oklahoma tornado & God's judgement: DON'T DO IT. It's the last & worst thing we need. || 1 day ago
  • Right now as we tweet, there are people in Moore, OK - young and old - that are trapped and fighting for their lives. #PrayForOklahoma || 1 day ago
  • Let's put love in action. PRAY for everyone impacted.SERVE for those that can go. GIVE to trusted orgs & local OK churches. #PrayForOklahoma || 1 day ago
  • #PrayForOklahoma Dear Lord: Rescue the wounded and trapped. Comfort the hurting. Remember the deceased & their loved ones. Lord, have mercy. || 1 day ago
  • Hong Kong skyline. Breathtaking view. instagram.com/p/ZijrpQyWac/ || 1 day ago

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