I jacked this off one of my old youth kid’s myspace page.  It’s so funny.  See if it works for your name.

MY 9 NAMES

1. YOUR REAL NAME
Joseph

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME:
(first 4 letters of real name plus izzle)
Joseizzle  (Sounds like a girl gangster)

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME:
(fave color and fave animal)
Green Dog

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME:
(your middle name and the street you live on)
Hyunsung Magnolia (sounds like some other kind of name…)

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME:
(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Leejo (Not as cool as Qui Gon or Windu, but will do)

6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME:
(Your 2nd favorite color, and favorite soda)
Blue Pepsi (stupid)

7. YOUR IRAQI NAME: WOOOOOWWWWWWW. rascist much?
(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of dad’s middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms middle name)
Oeyhaja (More like Japanese name, but might work for you)

8.YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:
(both parents middle name)
Nam Eak (I guess the Witness Protection Program relocated me to Koreatown…)

9. YOUR GOTH NAME:
(black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Candy (hahaha)

It is almost appalling to me the number of Koreans who are so worried that the tragedy at Virginia Tech is somehow going to affect them.  While racism is real and the unfair perceptions of others toward us is real, the tragedy is also real.  To boil it down to “how will this affct me” cheapens it.  I believe that one of the reasons that mainline Americans don’t “trust” us is because we have this ability to become incredibly selfish and self absorbed.

After the September 11 attacks, I remember sitting at a cafe in Fort Lee, NJ and hearing two older Korean gentlemen talking about the affects of the terrorist attacks.  They started dwelling on the fact that they could not go into Manhattan and open up their businesses.  They were complaining about all the money they were losing.  I understand that money and livelihood is important, but when our view is so myopic that we cannot suffer and mourn with our own countrymen, then we deserve exactly what we are going to get.

It’s time to forget for a few days that the tragedy at Virginia Tech will affect us in ways that it will not affect our white, black, latino neighbors.  It’s time to see the suffering of others as real.  If we cheapen it by dwelling upon how it will affect us and not seeing the real tragedy of the murders committed, then we are inviting even more racism and bigotry.  Racism is real and we do need to fight it but there is a time and a place to fight it correctly and a way to become self absorbed and selfish.  Quite frankly, we Koreans are very good at the latter and that is why we don’t have much success at the former.  I also think that the more self absorbed we get, we give creedence to those that accuse us of “not really being American”.

This video is great.  It reminds me of a place I once knew.  I think the place told people that God’s grace is not enough…

Some songs take on a new meaning after personal experiences change your entire world view.

This week, I have found a new found respect and appreciation for Matt Redman.

You give and take away,

But my heart will choose to say,

Blessed be Your Name.

I say this in the most non religious way possible.

Yesterday, my new church went bowling when my old church kids showed up.  It was good to see them.  It was wierd in that the old, were the high school kids, and the new, were the adults.  We had a great tiume and I realized that I really miss my old kids.  I think what I miss most about them is their ability to intuitively know that all was not well and they realized that all things did not add up.  Because they picked this up so quickly and they were honest about it, we were able to discover who God REALLY is.

If any of you guys are reading this, I just want to say, remember the Gospel that you were taught.  Don’t let anyone fool you with the newest and coolest thing.  Don’t believe something just because someone at church tells you it’s true.  If you do fall for it, I can almost guarantee you that you will be disappointed.  If you forget what that gospel is, just ask those that have taught it to you before.  Never, never, never forget.

To my new church, I am so grateful and honored that we are going to explore the gospel together.  I hope that with it, we can break the past teachings that have been wrongly taught to us.

It saddens me how the orgainzed Church is so alseep and does not seem to know what we are doing.  I don’t remember where I read this, but someone once said that if we don’t study history, we are doomed to repeat the mistakes that we’ve been continuing to make since the beginning of time.  All throughout recorded history, starting with Adam and Eve, through the patriarchs, through the history of Israel and through the history of the church, the people of God keep forgetting that it’s not about what we are supposed to do, but it’s really about us knowing (in the biblical sense, and not just an intellectual one) God.

I am sad that we continue to make the same mistakes today.  Adam and Eve ate the fruit to be like God because they could not trust God’s promises.  Abraham told Pharoah that his wife was his sister because he could not trust God.  Israel asked for a king because they could not trust God.  The kings of Israel sought out foreign idols because they could not trust God.

The disciples ran away at the crucifixion because they though God was defeated.  The early church did many stupid things, including letting the rich get richer and the poor get poorer because they could not trust that God would provide for the finances of the church.  The corrupt popes let princes buy church offices because they though they needed the prices’ political protection.  The pre-reformation church developed indulgences because they could not grasp that humanity could rely on the Cross.

Now the church relies on marketing and other business principles instead of just teaching God and His mercy.  Churches rely on strength in numbers and being large rather than doing what is right.  The church would rather be relevant than right.  All this is to say that we are in danger of losing the gospel once again in the organized church.

Church, it’s time to wake up and be the church again.  Let’s stop lusting after gimmicks and delusions of grandeur that come in the promises of becoming megachurches that are “relevant”.  We don’t need to preach relevance, we need to proclaim God’s revelation.  It’s time to start preaching the gospel again.  No more revivals; it’s time for another reformation.

So for those of you that are interested, we will start having vision meetings on Sundays starting the 21st of January at 4PM to 6PM with dinner included.  During these meetings, we will discuss the vision and mission for Pasadena Vineyard.

Coming…

January 2007