eugene cho

Thursday, December 22, 2011 • 11:42 am 28

president obama opposes family, faith, freedom, white dogs, asians, and human beings.

It’s amazing what makes headline news nowadays.

Example:

President Barack and Michelle Obama’s Christmas card selection.

Yup. Headline news.

Why?

Because former Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, has come to officially criticize its selection as “odd” since it emphasizes Obama’s family dog, Bo, and as such, we can assess that the first family and specifically, President Obama, elevates canines over “family, faith, and freedom.”

Huh? Really?

I hope this doesn’t sound awkward, elite, or boastful:

Minhee and I also received the official White House Christmas card couple weeks.

When I first opened the card, I was secretly hoping it included a gift card from Target but I digress. When I first opened the card, I analyzed the card as I do every single Christmas card I receive since it’s very helpful for me to make judgments and analysis about that person.

So, I thought I’d join in the party and share with you 8 things I learned Read the rest of this entry »

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011 • 3:34 pm 14

Youcef Nadarkhani: What would you do if your pastor was going to be executed?

April 7, 2012 Update: “As Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Easter, Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani remains in jail – alive, yes — but having already passed his 900th day behind bars for being a Christian and still facing a possible execution. Nadarkhani, whose first name also can be spelled “Youcef,” was able to visit with a son on the son’s birthday Monday (April 2), according to the American Center for Law and Justice, which is closely monitoring the case. His 900th day in jail occurred in late March.’ [read full news]

* On this Easter weekend, join me in praying for Pastor Nadarkhani and so many others around the world who are facing persecution – even death – for their faith in Jesus Christ. “In more than 40 nations around the world today Christians are being persecuted for their faith. In some of these nations it is illegal to own a Bible, to share your faith Christ, change your faith or teach your children about Jesus.” [via Persecution Worldwide]

Feb. 2, 2012 Update: The latest news is very difficult. According to numerous sources including CNN and FOX News, Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been given the ruling to be executed:

A trial court in Iran has issued its final verdict, ordering a Christian pastor to be put to death for leaving Islam and converting to Christianity, according to sources close to the pastor and his legal team.

Supporters fear Youcef Nadarkhani, a 34-year-old father of two who was arrested over two years ago on charges of apostasy, may now be executed at any time without prior warning, as death sentences in Iran may be carried out immediately or dragged out for years.

The entire world – regardless of faith or non-faith backgrounds should be in solidarity to declare that “a person cannot be put to death because of one’s faith.” This is an egregious human rights tragedy and clear affront to religious freedom. Please take a few minutes to educate yourself, read this post, contact your elected officials, and help spread the word.

——————————–

What would you do if your pastor was going to be executed simply for his or her faith?

For that matter, what would you do?

Such is the situation for more people around the world than we want to believe. We know that persecution of Christians began…well…when it began with the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ.  Some Christian missions organizations cite that an estimated 100 million Christians face some form of persecution including death and concentrations camps – particularly in North Korea, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. I’ve written before of the concentration camps for mostly Christians in North Korea.

And this leads us to the story of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. Read the rest of this entry »

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Thursday, May 26, 2011 • 11:30 am 16

an alternative to abortion: imagine the story we can live out

After my recent intense post about the rapture that has come and gone, I thought I’d write about a very light topic: abortion.

Bada bing. Bada bam.

My views haven’t changed over the years. I’m against abortion. I believe that it is wrong (in most cases). But simultaneously, I believe in the freedom for an adult to make their choice. And thus, everyone hates me and I get it from both sides. Add to this complexity and complicity of it being a serious money making industry (like many other things) and it’s downright convoluted.

For what it’s worth, I’ve written about it before and I’d encourage you to check it out: The Abortion Conversation and The Sequel: Abortion Conversation.

While I believe that abortion is wrong, we as Christians should graciously hold and believe in everything that upholds the sanctity of life – which includes protecting the lives of the unborn. But how?

The government should be involved but how does a government legislate and enforce such a value?  And I agree with others that the church needs to be careful not to relinquish – blindly or in totality - our responsibilities to a mostly secular government. As I wrote earlier:

Rather than legislating it, I wonder how abortions can be reduced by speaking and appealing to the Heart and Soul of a person and to make all necessary provisions if a person decides to have that baby. In short, can we maintain choice but do all that we can to preserve and ensure the life of an unborn?  This is where most of us fall short.

I find it incredibly frustrating and naive when Christians take a stance of being against abortion at all costs but are unwilling to yield to issues that have direct correlation to abortions: sex education in schools (starting in middle school), health care benefits for low income families and women, post-birth care and benefits, usage of contraceptives, etc.

But rather going into a long post (you can check out the links above), I’d like to view the issue of abortion from someone who is around simply because his mother made the complex decision to NOT have an abortion.

Let me first introduce you to Gowe - an emerging hip hop artist – and his song, I Wonder, which is dedicated to his biological mother.  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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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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Tuesday, May 26, 2009 • 12:06 am 5

i have a crush on this 90 year old woman

Watch this video and the lessons we can learn of faith, courage, and grace from this 90 year old woman – as she “fights” off an attacker.  I really needed this because I just get too cerebral or abstractual with my faith and this speaks to my cynicism. Her faith is so simple and yet, real and powerful.

What’s the first thought that come to your mind after watching the video? Read the rest of this entry »

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Thursday, May 21, 2009 • 4:08 pm 7

prayer is often the first thing to go

prayer

It’s been a very busy and intense season – especially w/ the unveiling and soon launch of the grassroots poverty organization, One Day’s Wages. Not just with stuff to do but honestly, stuff on my heart and mind.  I’m not sure about you but I can acknowledge and admit that when I get busy, and my time and mind are scattered, the first thing to go is my rhythm, discipline, and joy of prayer.

I’ve been convicted of this again…particularly, in praying for the people of my church community.  The life and roles of a pastor continue to grow and evolve but one thing shouldn’t change: Read the rest of this entry »

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Saturday, March 14, 2009 • 9:51 pm 16

the 7 life lessons of craig wong [1972-2009]

craig

Please do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to read this and pass it on to others. I want to share 7 Life Lessons of a younger man named Craig Wong (1972-2009) who despite his arduous battle with brain cancer over the past 15 months, began sharing “Craig’s Life Lessons” to as many people who would listen…

The call of being a pastor has its ups and downs – as it reflects the ups and downs of life.  I believe in the gospel that is Christ and the good news that not even death can separate those that have claimed Christ in their lives.  But there is still mourning and grieving in the loss of a loved one.  As a pastor, there are times I honestly wish I didn’t or couldn’t be emotionally connected to my flock.  But then, that simply wouldn’t be worth it.  This past year, our church came alongside the pain of numerous in our church community. I presided over the memorial service of a newborn baby that died 3 minutes after birth.  Today, I officiated the burial service of Craig – son, brother, husband, father to two, and friends to so many.

Honestly, I did now know Craig well prior to the diagnosis of a brain tumor in October 2007.  He was experiencing headaches so he went in to the doctor on a regular Friday afternoon for what he perceived to be a “routine check-in” only to be told he had a brain tumor.  I remember receiving that phone call.  The brain tumor was initially diagnosed as benign but when they went in to remove the tumor several days after that Friday, it was found to be malignant and the tumor has already begun its ugly growth.  I have gotten to know Craig, his wife, and their larger groupr of family and friends over the past 15 or so months and realized that even in his 36 years of life, he left an amazing legacy.

He loved his wife, loved his children, loved his family, and was devoted to his friends.  And all those relationships were informed by his faith and love for Christ.  This was apparent today as several hundred folks gathered later in the afternoon after the burial for the “celebration of Craig’s life.”

I still remember learning about his first response once he work up from his first surgery upon learning the tumor was not benign but malignant:

“Is this hereditary?  Will my kids be ok?”

I don’t know why this has been so emotional.  I guess they all are in their own way.  Perhaps, it’s because Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: church, faith, marriage, , , , , ,

Thursday, November 20, 2008 • 1:14 am 10

may god be our everything

Over the past year, our family and I have been trying to be a source of support for a brother at our church who was diagnosed with brain cancer.  He, his wife, and their two young children are wonderful people.  Folks from Quest and his friends recently threw him a surprise birthday party and it was amazing to see people from around the city, state, country, and world fly into Seattle to celebrate his life.

While my “ministry paradigm” say it’s supposed to be the pastor ministering to the people, many times it just doesn’t work that way.  It’s both.  It’s reciprocal.  It’s all. And sometimes, we’re all clueless and we live and wrestfully rest in the mystery of God’s infinite knowledge and grace.  So, at times, we’re speechless, silent and still.

I’ve been reflecting on this brother’s journal – the ups, downs, and everything in between.  His physical days are numbered – whether it be one month, one year, or 50 years.  We obviously pray and hope for the latter but the life expectancy statistics from doctors and medical reports say otherwise.  I’ve particularly been blessed by his “life lessons” that he’s been sharing through his journal.  Here’s his latest.  I’m also sharing a new video created by Justin [aka Roboto] from Quest who made this as an encouragement to his Community Group: Read the rest of this entry »

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Monday, August 25, 2008 • 11:29 pm 12

faith and gender

Quest Church, the church I serve as lead pastor, is excited to invite you to join us for our Annual Learning Conference on October 10-11.  This year, we host Lauren Winner for a conference entitled, “Faith & Gender.”  Asides from a stimulating and challenging conference, one of our commitments is to make the conference as financially accessible to the larger Seattle and Northwest community.  Registration is ONLY $15 and $10/students but space is limited.  Register now and help spread the word by sharing this entry or the conference site on your blog or website.  Here’s the Facebook event.

Quest has always affirmed women in ministry but it has been a while since we have had a sustained discussion on why that is and how we can take discussion further to issues of what it means to be men and what it means to be women “in Christ” and how we can construct our ideas of gender from a Biblical perspective Read the rest of this entry »

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one day’s wages | video

my tweets

  • We don't have to. We get to. #AttitudeMatters 4 hours ago
  • After 10 years, final day at Quest for Pastor DeAnza. Thank you for leaving a great legacy and...a power tool. http://t.co/GrPgUFj1 18 hours ago
  • Cheap Grace is the proclamation of forgiveness without the requirement of repentence. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer 23 hours ago
  • Boom. Check out what Eastlake and @ryanmeeks are up to with drinks4drinks.com | Beautiful example of faith + action. 1 day ago
  • Dear Seattle: Please put your guns down. Praying for the family members of deceased, wounded, & all impacted by recent shootings & violence. 1 day ago
  • Quest is hiring a full-time Director or Pastor of 'Glocal Ministries': bit.ly/K8TbXv | Challenging but sweet opp for right person. 1 day ago
  • My ODW staff (all 2 of them) are temporarily office-less. We're 90% there but need to get the final green light. Praying it goes through! 2 days ago
  • It's the end of an era. Saying goodbye to our 250sq. ft. ODW headquarters. Never forget your humble beginnings. http://t.co/MQRyjdvA 2 days ago

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