I am Moving

After much thought, I decided that I am moving to wordpress.com.

I thought about it when I first started this blog... eventually deleted my wordpress blog... which means that I couldn't use the original url i wanted to.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but please come and visit me at:


http://pressingtoward.wordpress.com

Mac-Converter

I think Macintosh should pay me something...

It's a sad reality, but I've done more "evangelism" for Macs than I did for God.
In my year in Hawaii, I've convinced my friend's then girlfriend to get a mac. I convinced my brother to get a mac. I'm almost done convincing one of my youth workers to get a mac for her grad school career. I'm getting another leader to reconsider her position in buying a pc laptop.

Maybe I picked the wrong career.
Just kidding.

I think it's a safe bet to think that if Jesus was here today, in 2007, he'd carry around a mac.

Care to Share Your Thoughts?

I know it's been posted in other UMC blogs and it's been a hot subject...
The reappointment of Rev. Ann Gordon as Rev. Drew Phoenix in Baltimore.
I don't know how to make of this, or think of it.
So maybe if you share your insights and thoughts, it can only help me, right?

Banner Design

Ok, I can't design anything worth crap.
But we're ordering a banner from Korea (because it's much cheaper. Like an 8' by 2' banner is going to cost us about 50 dollars where as here in the US, i dont think we can get it for that cheap.)

Anyway, we didn't have time to ask one of the many talented kids at our youth group to design a banner, which will be displayed at retreats and revivals and other big functions.

The team nominated me (i have no idea why) to make one, so I played around with MS word (yes... MS word... ) to find something.
We settled, but it doesn't like that bad.
So this is the final product:



At first, i was like... aw man, what if someone think it says "Match STRTKE Ministry."

So I tried to play around with it (this looks awfully plain... but still)

Since the entire name has 3 T's, i thought i could make the cross into a big T.


As soon as I finished, I looked at it, and i couldn't stop laughing. The wife thought i was going crazy.

I just imagined this being displayed on such a big banner.

A part of me still wanted to push the second design...
Does anyone else see what's wrong/funny with the second design?

Effective Sermons

Going along with the previous sermon, what makes a sermon effective for you?

Also, today, i woke up to some sad news. Somebody went through my car, that was parked in the drive way, and stole my iPod.
I carried that thing everywhere with me... but now I no longer have the iPod.

What Do You Look for in a Preacher?

Sorry for the lack of updates. Been real busy.
Tomorrow.. er.. today kicks off our "fishing expeditions" (as Rev. Hamilton would call it).
Not only that, I'm in the midst of preparing for two retreats. It's getting crazy.

Since we are trying to reach out to our community and may have few new comers here and there, I began to ask, what would you look for in a preacher? Or expect from a preacher (whilst he preaches)?

What qualities do you think makes a good preacher?

What qualities do you think take away from the Word of God?

I would appreciate your thoughts and feedback.

Finally, a Step Forward

Today I am (finally) a certified candidate.

It was kind of intimidating when I walked into the room with all the people waiting for me. They asked me all sorts of questions based on what I wrote, and I answered them as best as I could, at times, I felt I may be saying too much and that it was going to hurt me, like my Wesley Newsletter incident.

As they told me that they unanimously approved me, they gave me four affirmations.

One of them was that they enjoyed my honesty and found it refreshing and asked me to never let it water down.
I kind of thought that was funny. I told that too my wife on the drive home. She said that some of our college students like me because I'm refreshingly honest. I found that even funnier.

I never knew I was "refreshingly honest." I still don't think I am. But I do know who I am, and I like it. (I don't know if that sounds conceited). I like me. Sometimes.
And I don't like changing who I am for others just for the sake of being liked.
I don't like holding back what I have to say just for the sake of people not liking me or people getting offended. Over the years, I have gotten better at what to say and what NOT to say.
Someone is always going to get offended at what my opinion may be. But if I have to always worry about offending someone, I won't ever be able to be me. And I like being me. (sometimes).

They also suggested that I look into being appointed as a local pastor. I expressed the desire (and the need) for our students at my church to partake in Communion, but in a way they understand what it means. They have to do Communion with the adults and it's in a language they can't understand fully (Korean language with Theology sprinkled on it). So Communion to them has become something that they just go through the motions of and not understand the importance and the wonder of it all.

I'm a step closer to ordination, yet it all seems so far away.

Moving On

It's been a while since I've updated.
Tomorrow, I have my meeting/interview with dCOM.
I'm just glad that I'm finally getting the ball moving on the whole ordination process.

As I evaluate my life and my calling, I find myself wanting to move away from youth ministry. I still love working with the youth, but I think I'm just preparing myself for the next part of my life.

If I become a senior pastor of a congregation, I'd still make sure that our youth ministry will be a strong part of our church.

But, this is not really my choice, is it?

I will go wherever I'm called to go.

Korean Congregations Killing Pastors

Yes. That's how I strongly feel.
Korean congregations, for the most part, are not pastor friendly. It's ridiculous of what they expect and want from their pastors.

There's no room for error nor grace.
Many Korean pastors I know sacrifice their families to run their ministries. That's a ridiculous concept. Some pastors I know even glorify their decision. In my opinion, that is NOT the way to do things, because ministry starts at home. But the more I am involved in Korean congregations, the more I see that, for the majority of the Korean pastors, there is no room to serve both family and ministry because of the demands that the people put on them.

This is what I feel, that the church knows they are not perfect, but they don't really want to be. They'd rather see it in their leader.

The congregation drives around in a BMW. The pastor bought a volvo, the congregation complained that a volvo is too pricey of a car for the pastor to drive. if the pastor has enough money to buy a volvo, the church is paying the pastor too much.

The congregation carry designer purses such as Coach etc. The pastor's wife carries around a real Louis Vuitton and the congregation believes that the pastor's wife should carry fake bags at best.

The congregation, expects, no demands, that they have vacation time from their jobs. But refuses to see why their pastor needs to take vacations.
I'm actually afraid to go and ask how many weeks of vacation I get in a year, since I'm not appointed and a local church hire.
Even more to actually say I'm going on vacation because the senior pastor doesn't take one (WHICH IS FREAKING RIDICULOUS!!!!!!), either because he can't nor he doesn't want to (WHICH IS STILL FRIGGIN RIDICULOUS!!!).

This is why many second generation Korean pastors leave the Korean congregation or the ministry altogether, because people should not and cannot function in such conditions.
Korean pastors with healthy families seem rare and that is saddening.

I know that there are problems within all cultures and congregations. This is just one of the bigger ones in my context and I wish there were ways to teach the Korean congregation that pastors are human, pastors make mistakes, pastors have the same (similar) needs and desires as everyone else.

A part of me is praying that after I get ordained, I will not have anything to do with the Korean church. This thought saddens me.