Yesterday, I asked this blog community to post some of their most influential films. Reading people’s contributions got me thinking all day about some of those films. I shared four on my entry yesterday and am adding a few more to comprise my Top 10 ‘most influential films’ today for the heck of it.
One of the films is JoyLuck Club because it hits home in many ways. I just couldn’t measure up to my older brothers. I’m embarrassed to say that I cried like a baby when I saw this film since this hurts my street cred as an ultimate fighter angry asian man. But oh well. Here’s the ‘Best Quality Heart’ scene from YouTube. Anyone else?
In the upcoming weeks, we’ll have to share our lists of all time favorite films and ‘favorite chick flicks.’ Anyway, here’s my Ten Most Influential Films in no particular order. Feel free to add a few more on yesterday’s entry or here. Continue reading “the movie that influenced you – the sequel”
A month ago, I asked my readers a simple question about “the book that influenced you” and was encouraged by peoples’ responses since there were books I hadn’t even heard of. So, in that vein, I’m asking another simple question today to balance out an intense blog week with posts about abortion and oppression of women. I want to thank folks for engaging in such thoughtful and respectful dialogue. One of my hopes in blogging is to create a level of Community and Conversation – all while hoping to direct people to the life of Christ.
In addition to “regulars” sharing their answers, I am especially inviting the lurkers and quiet blog readers to chime in. No one will bite your head off. This is your chance to join in and become one of the cool people.
Here’s the question:
What are the films that have influenced you the most and why?
I’m not necessarily asking for your favorite films or what you think is the most influential film to impact cinema but rather, the film that influenced YOU.Continue reading “the movie that influenced you?”
I really need to do a better job in following up on sequels to earlier posts. This is the sequel to the original TheAbortion Conversation which sparked some good and intense dialogue.
A commenter wrote:
Eugene said:
“However, I just do not believe we can legislate it. Without going into all the details, the layers over abortion is so complex that even after extensive research, I can’t understand how a country like the United States can enforce abortion and pay for the enforcement – if it were to be turned illegal.”
Instead of “abortion”, replace it with any other crime; like murder, rape, slavery, theft. How does it read then? Is cost any reason not to criminalize an act where another person is harmed? Obviously, we still have murders and other crimes even though it’s illegal, but that doesn’t mean we should allow it. Continue reading “the abortion conversation – the sequel”
Couple years ago, I read and saw this video and it tore me up. While perhaps this case and this girl’s situation may be extreme, the mistreatment and abuse of girls and women are nevertheless still common. It is and continues to be the “oldest injustice in human history.”
Don’t turn away. Read this article and watch this video:
In every culture and in every part of the world, this injustice is present. What is the oldest injustice in the world?
It is the way that “we” view, treat, and oppress women.
It would be erroneous for me to say that Asian culture is entirely proned to be against women but I can share my personal experience that as a young Korean man, I was influenced – partly through the Confucian culture and worldview that women were born to serve their fathers as young girls, their husbands when they got married, and their grown sons when they were older mothers. Their lives and purpose – in part – revolved around men.
I know that others may not have had similar experiences but for me, as a person of the Christian faith, I learned – in bits and pieces (both in subtle and occasionally in direct ways) that women should be our “partners.” They should be quiet, submissive and know their place. Obey and honor their fathers, love and submit to their husbands, and raise godly sons and daughters.
Why didn’t I learn that women and men are both created in the beautiful image of God? Why didn’t I learn that while we have different roles, we are also created equal in the image of God? Why didn’t I learn that through Christ, women and men can do all things through Him who gives strength and grace.
I still remember this email that I received from a congregant couple years ago after a sermon I gave at Quest regarding women:
But at one point today, you said, “Women, you were created equal to men in the image of God.” I mainly write because I don’t know if you realize how powerful that statement was. I don’t know if you realized what it would feel like to hear that statement coming from a man — what it would mean to me, and possibly to other individual women and men. You didn’t even say it to me individually…I have never been told by a man, Christian or not, that I am equal to him. I have never been told by a man that I am equal to him. And equal in that we are both created in the image of God…I cried all the way home. How is it that I’ve never been told by a male person that I am equal to him? That I am equally beautiful and broken? That we are both created in the image of God?
…Women are deeply wounded by living in this world, and wounded that men don’t fight for us. Instead, they fight to rule us, and we…sometimes we fight, but most of the time we believe them when they tell us we aren’t worth our weight (sometimes taken literally). Today I felt like a man was fighting for me, not because I can’t fight for myself, but because he recognized the wrongs in a world and a Church that have benefited him unfairly.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. For this post, I want to encourage you with two simple thoughts: You are Blessed and Remember the Vulnerable. One must choose to have this attitude of gratitude because it is our human nature to complain and be envious of others. The last few months – locally and globally – have certainly been like a bad roller coaster ride that leaves one disoriented and vomitaceous. And unless you’re completely detached from the money machine, you’re likely impacted on some personal level and feeling pretty anxious.
So: What are you thankful for?
For me, I’m thankful for the meaningful things in my life: the presence, truth and grace of the Triune God, my family, my wife and three children, my church community, friends, the opportunities I have, and thankful for the gift of choice that enables much privilege in my life. I pray that I can be a good steward of such gifts in my life.
At least once every week, someone emails me to ask about Quest Church’shistory, connection, and affiliation. Specifically, are we non-denominational, independent, cultic, or affiliated with some sort of denominational group? People tend to be scared of charismatic Asian dudes with long curly hair and bad patches of facial hair.
Minhee and I initially planted Quest as a non-denominational church. I had no interest in denominations. I was burnt out. I was weary and cynical about organized religion and chose to leave my then denominational affiliation. The theme of my life – then – was ‘rage against the machine.’ I was somewhat of an angry deconstructionist pastor. It was probably a good thing that I had no idea what ‘blogging’ was back then because it would have been pretty intense. But after some months, I also came to realize that I didn’t want to pastor or lead a church on an island to ourselves. We felt we could do more in partnership and relationship with other like minded and like hearted followers of Christ. So, after some months of intense research, conversations, and reciprocal interviews, we decided to partner with the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Some of my friends still give me grief that I chose to partner with “a bunch of Swedes” particularly because diversity and multiethnicty was always an important ecclesiological pursuit for my vision as a pastor and leader. So, why did I partner with the ECC even despite no truth to the rumors that Covenant pastors receive 50% discount from IKEA? Continue reading “why i roll with the covenant”
EUGENE CHO 