Eugene Cho

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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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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Friday, September 9, 2011 • 12:01 am 96

what would jesus do: burn the koran or eat with his muslim neighbors?

As we approach the 10 year anniversary of the tragedy of September 11, I wanted to share this post with you again.

Foremost, we remember the victims and mourn with so many that lost loved ones. I’m also mindful of so many who went beyond themselves to help others. They are indeed heroes.

As we honor  them, may we also be reminded that all of us – whether we were present in NYC or not on that horrific day – are invited to help cultivate a world of peace and grace.

Blessed be the peacemakers.

It’s a simple question: What would Jesus do?

Would he burn the Koran or eat with his Muslim neighbors?

You may have heard about the person from Florida who intends to memorialize the September 11 attacks by burning copies of the Koran in a bonfire. His name is Terry Jones and he also happens to be a pastor. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tuesday, May 10, 2011 • 12:13 pm 18

the death of osama bin laden

Like all of you, I was stunned some days ago as I started soaking in the breaking news of Osama bin Laden’s capture and death via US military operations.

In the midst of a heavy traveling week, I didn’t have the time to blog about it but this past Sunday, I did a TV interview with King 5 News – a local Seattle news station about my thoughts about Osama bin Laden but specifically, how I reconcile the death of Osama bin Laden as a Christian and a pastor.

Honestly, I’m always reluctant to do interviews because when it’s all said and done, a good interview can be reduced to couple sentences. I learned this couple years ago when I chatted with the New York Times about my views about Mixed Martial Arts and Jesus. We had a phenomenal hour interview…which was reduced to one sentence for the article. Bummer.

So, I thought it would be good to share – in more depth- what I was try to communicate during my recent interview – just in case we get some angry emails and phone calls. So, here are some thoughts: Read the rest of this entry »

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 • 9:37 am 15

the testimony of one north korean girl

You need to watch this. In fact, you must watch this. Please watch this.

While I wasn’t personally able to attend the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Capetown, South Africa (Nov. 11-18), I tried to catch some of the events via the web. While there were numerous webcasts, the one that caught my attention was the testimony of a young 18-year-old Korean girl. I believe, with intention, her name wasn’t released but she was born in North Korea, lived in China, and now resides in South Korea.

I want you…in fact, I urge you…to take about 10 minutes: 8.41 minutes to watch the video and the remainder, 1.19 minutes, to lift a prayer for the people of North Korea. Here’s the video. It wasn’t available on YouTube so I uploaded it here:
Read the rest of this entry »

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Wednesday, September 29, 2010 • 2:40 pm 43

is he a christian, a muslim, or a cactus? why can’t we just believe president obama?

I received a letter this week from the White House. A big fat packet. Ain’t I special?

Unfortunately, it wasn’t an invitation to a special Gala or for me to sing at an event. It wasn’t about a partnership with One Day’s Wages. Or to join his circle of sagacious advisors. Or to ask me to join Warren Buffet in helping turn around the U.S. economy. Or to inform me that he’d be visiting my church. And no, it wasn’t a direct letter from President Obama himself. But it was a letter from one of his staff sharing some stuff about President Obama, some initiatives, and what I perceived to be clarity about his faith. Huh?

It puzzled me initially but after some thought, I think I know why I received the letter as I’m sure several other “pastors” may have received it as well.

Why? Read the rest of this entry »

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010 • 12:01 am 39

why i am not quitting christianity

Unless you are the Geico Caveman, you have probably heard of the dramatic news of Anne Rice’s simple statement of “quitting Christianity.” But just in case you haven’t or are in need of your daily dose of Anne Rice, I thought I’d chime in and share some thoughts. And if some of you are wondering, “Can’t we focus on some more important things like fighting global poverty?” I agree: visit here.

First of all, I am a fan of Anne Rice. In fact, I don’t know of many people that dislike her. She’s a phenomenal writer and additionally, she’s gotta have some Asian genes in her. She’s 68 and ages like no other. But in case you don’t know much about her:

Anne Rice (born Howard Allen O’Brien on October 4, 1941) is a best-selling American author of gothic, erotic, and religious-themed books from New Orleans, Louisiana. She was married to poet and painter Stan Rice for 41 years until his death from cancer in 2002. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history. [via wikipedia]

She is also known as a Christian for some time but last week, she wrote & shared the following via her Facebook page:

“For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being ‘Christian’ or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”

“In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control.

“In the name of… Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.”

Here are some of my vomitaceous thoughts: Read the rest of this entry »

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Tuesday, March 23, 2010 • 8:08 pm 37

if jesus were on facebook

This is brilliantly funny – worth sharing every year around Holy Week and since Holy Week is coming up and well – meant to be holy – I’m sharing it now so no one accuses me of being egregiously unholy.

If Jesus Christ were on Facebook, his account and “wall” would look exactly like this (original creator of unknown).  Not only is it brilliantly funny, it’s also pretty darn biblical. Check it out and:

What made you laugh the most.

Some highlights:

  • Jesus has 777,777,777,777 fans.
  • The Disciples wrote on Peter’s wall:  So, Jesus told us to walk up to people we don’t know, and basically steal their colt and donkey…  This is sketchy, don’t you think???
  • The High Priests have created a group: Read the rest of this entry »

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Tuesday, January 26, 2010 • 12:04 am 52

top 5 most challenging, convicting, mind-bending, face-melting books of all time?

I received this email from one of my blog readers a few weeks ago asking about my thoughts about the “Top 5 most challenging/convicting/mind-bending/face-melting books of all time.”

Do you take requests for posts on your blog? If so…. I know that from time to time you do top 5 stuff, like favorite movies or songs or artists, etc. This isn’t anything novel, but I’d be grateful for a “Top 5 most challenging/convicting/mind-bending/face-melting books of all time.” I guess I’m someone who learns a lot from books and I was just thinking about how I have roughly 5 books that I have read within the last few years that have truly changed the way I perceive myself and the world around me. It would be great to hear what others are reading -not their most favorite or enjoyable books (although this might be the case)- but books that have significantly reoriented the way they live. Maybe, you’ve done something like this before and I just missed it, but if not, something like this would be fun to be a part of.

Thanks! ~Ric

Asides from the Bible, what would you be on your Top 5 List?

I can’t list 5…I don’t even know know where to begin so I’m just sharing my list of most influential Christians books again. There are so many excellent books that it’s really difficult to condense it into a list of 10. My recommendations are created with an attempt towards the larger picture of Christian discipleship – meaning that I want to balance my list with theology, discipleship, spirituality, bibilical studies, etc.

I hope 50 years from now, this list will change so that it also includes numerous female and non-Caucasian authors. Read the rest of this entry »

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Friday, January 15, 2010 • 6:00 am 59

“if there were a god, would he have let this happen?”

I received this email recently in the wake of the devastation in Haiti. I’ve been working overtime this week helping set up the ODW Haiti Relief Fund. We increased our goal to $100,000. If you’re thinking of donating, consider partnering with us.  But in the midst of busyness, I haven’t had a chance to answer many of my emails including this one from one of our blog readers. I think it would be good for us – together – to wrestle, answer, question, and believe along.

Read it and let’s discuss. Whatever you do, please don’t mention Haiti and the Devil in the same sentence. But I’d love to hear some of our collective thoughts.

Here’s the email I received:

I wanted to ask you for some help. As someone who knows and believes in God’s amazing love as represented in Christ and His love, I also know that I have doubts in my own faith.

Particularly, I have always struggled to comprehend or to help others understand God’s love when great tragedies like natural disasters happen (or any tragedy). I have just recently visited Haiti Read the rest of this entry »

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Saturday, January 9, 2010 • 9:10 pm 11

religion and women

Nicolas Kristof has an article in today’s NY Times entitled, Religion and Women, that’s worth reading. Unlike some of his other pieces, it’s not super long so it’ll take one sitting but hopefully, it’ll sit with you for a bit.

I’ve written about this topic numerous times and will continue to do so. If you’re interested in some of them, here’s several to check out:

It is the oldest injustice for the simple reason that men are physically stronger and thus, can oppress the “weaker” half. And then you mix in the combustion of various religions and world ideologies that seek to elevate one half and suppress the other half and you’ve got a cycle of great devastation and oppression.

I’m not an expert on all world religions so I can’t speak with full authority but this is one of the reasons why I am captivated by Jesus: He liberates; Not oppresses. If anything, he liberates that which has oppressed.  He turned things UPSIDE Read the rest of this entry »

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Friday, June 5, 2009 • 3:46 pm 25

“america is not a christian, jewish, or muslim nation…”

courtesy of White House

What did you think of President Obama’s speech at the Turkish Press Conference?  And this quote from his speech:

…”American is not a Christian, Jewish, or Muslim nation…”

Here’s the above sentence in the larger context:

I think that where — where there’s the most promise of building stronger U.S.-Turkish relations is in the recognition that Turkey and the United States can build a model partnership in which a predominantly Christian nation and a predominantly Muslim nation, a Western nation and a nation that straddles two continents — that we can create a modern international community that is respectful, that is secure, that is prosperous; that there are not tensions, inevitable tensions, between cultures, which I think is extraordinarily important.

That’s something that’s very important to me. And I’ve said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is Read the rest of this entry »

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Thursday, May 28, 2009 • 2:23 pm 43

the american patriot’s bible

American Patriot's Bible

Please don’t misunderstand me. I am a thankful citizen of this country.  I’m thankful for my liberties. I vote. I pay my taxes. I know the capital of Nebraska. I even like Garth Brooks.

And I’m also a pastor. I love the Scriptures.  I love reading it, teaching it, and am often clarified, inspired, humbled, and perplexed by it.  But this Bible freaks me out – even while I believe it’s important to pursue the values of Scripture in our society. What are we talking about here:  Kingdom or Empire?

But enough of me, I’ve had enough angry emails for the week.  Sometimes, the best blog post is letting people share their views:

Watch it.  Discuss. What do you think? Read the rest of this entry »

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Monday, April 6, 2009 • 2:54 pm 27

if jesus were on facebook…

If Jesus Christ was on Facebook, it would look like this [original source  unknown].  This is pretty darn funny – even on Holy Week.  Sorry if this is irreverent but too good not to share – especially because it’s funny and most of it is pretty bibically accurate.  Some highlights:

  • Jesus has 777,777,777,777 fans.
  • The Disciples wrote on Peter’s wall:  So, Jesus told us to walk up ot people we don’t know, and basically steal their colt and donkey…  This is sketchy, don’t you think???
  • The High Priests have created a group:  How to Use the Temple for piety  AND profit.
  • The High Priests have given Judas a gift:  30 pieces of Silver.

You can check out it out HERE. You should also check out Jesus’ life according to Twitter. Also very brilliant, compelling, and biblically accurate.

Jesus’ Facebook original source: unknown

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Friday, March 27, 2009 • 1:10 am 67

my 10 most essential books for christians (+ 20 more)

Nearly every week, someone asks me about my recommendations about what books Christians should be reading.  In essence, “what are the must reads?”  And so couple weeks ago, I asked YOU for your recommendations and there were some fascinating contributions.  In a comical way, it also spurred on a spontaneous and hilarious post about Christian books that should NOT be published.

There are so many excellent books that it’s really difficult to condense it into a list of 10.  My recommendations are created with an attempt towards the  larger picture of Christian discipleship – meaning that I want to balance my list with theology, discipleship, spirituality, bibilical studies, etc.

Let me also say that nothing is more important than reading, studying, and loving the Scriptures. The Bible is important – especially in a cultural context where so many are prone to sound bytes, podcasts, RSS feeds, and video stimulation.  Read your Bible.  Having said that, I would recommend these versions:  TNIV, NIV, and ESV.  In addition to these versions, I would also highly recommend reading The Message by Eugene Peterson to accompany the reading of your Bible.  Also, a solid Bible dictionary and a set of Bible commentaries [even a single or 2 volume set] are very important for any and every Christian.

Okay, here’s my List of the 10 Essential Books I’d Recommend every Christian to Read [in no particular order]: Read the rest of this entry »

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Monday, July 7, 2008 • 6:26 am 18

special license plate for christians?

ILUVGOD

South Carolina is planning to print and issue license plates for Christians – upon requests and I’m assuming, a certain fee.  Who’s in line to get one?  Their design will be based on a license similar to the one in Florida [pic below]…which interestingly, was rejected by the state.  Recount, anyone?

I’m in FULL support of people expressing their faith and other convictions – whatever they may be.  But state issued license plates?  I’m a Christian and a pastor but I still don’t get it.  Your thoughts? Read the rest of this entry »

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Friday, March 28, 2008 • 1:29 am 25

my pastor is a janitor

During the first year of Quest, I was without salary and had tried so hard to obtain a job – any job - but I realized the painful truth that pastors [outside their jobs in churches] are useless in society.  I discovered that my Masters of Divinity degree…well…wasn’t really all that divine.   It was actually pretty useless.  After several months of looking for work, I finally landed a job as a janitor at a Barnes & Noble store in Lynnwood, Washington.

Not my idea of a “dream job.” It was one of the most difficult jobs and periods in my life - especially because this took place at a time when I thought I would be kicking ass in my “career” as a pastor.  Damn my hubris…

But I digress.  I want to introduce you to Jason Douros.  He’s sort of on staff at Quest Church as our custodian.  Why am I introducing you to our church’s custodian?  Read the rest of this entry »

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Saturday, March 22, 2008 • 12:45 am 8

easter bonanza galore special festivities

The local papers no longer call me the week before Easter.  The last few years, at least one of the local papers called to ask the following question:

“Is your church doing anything special for Easter?”

And each year, I just feel so lame because I don’t really have a good answer.  Read the rest of this entry »

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stuff, connect, info

one day’s wages | video

my tweets

  • Beautiful how the citizens of Moore, Oklahoma are caring & serving one another.Thank you for showing us what it means to love your neighbor. || 2 hours ago
  • Thrilled to see ODW's micro-grant to @TheSoldProject fully funded. Prevention is key to fighting human trafficking: onedayswages.org/donate/org/sol… || 2 hours ago
  • "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed." ~ Psalm 34:18 || 12 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. || 12 hours ago
  • In Seoul, Korea (my birthplace) for couple days.Walking around and remembering Oklahoma & North… instagram.com/p/ZlDPo4yWW7/ || 13 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

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