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You gotta check this out: a student, who just spent her summer with the urban poor in Cairo, tattooed the fourth circle of The Big Story on her foot! She said that “it has become a great conversation starter!” No doubt! Read the rest of this entry »

My apologies — a 13-month old can drain every last ounce of creativity left over from work, leaving me shriveled up and pruned for content. New posts are hard to come by. But I still keep up with reading (more passive . . . *grin*), yet the reviews languish in their own section of this blog. So I’m going to start posting my reviews as well, and this is a great book to start with.

To see other reviews, click here to go to the library. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m excited that Christianity Today picked up The Big Story! Yeah, that’s me on the left at La Jolla Cove.

Here’s a link to an interview that appeared in the July 2008 issue. They just posted it online today, but they didn’t include the graphics that are found in the print version. (Update: Christianity Today has graciously given me permission to post the print article online in a PDF format, “just this once.” A big thanks to CT, and I’m glad you’ll get to see the great art direction behind the article. Right-click here to download it. Read the rest of this entry »

The Urbana Student Missions Conference made True Story their book of the week. Check out their review.

A good friend found this fun article in the latest issue of Fast Company. It’s titled, “The Napkin Sketch,” and talks about how large corporations — such as Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Infosys, and Peet’s Coffee and Tea — are using napkin sketches to communicate large, complex ideas. Sound familiar? Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s something great. InterVarsity’s Southeast Region — which includes Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Lousiana — adapted The Big Story for their context. It’s the same core message, but with a different flavor and much tweaking and tinkering. Read the rest of this entry »

Since Amazon.com is shipping True Story as of yesterday, it really must be out there. Gulp.

Over two years ago, I was stuck fast to my chair. The Sunday service at Coast had just ended, and I didn’t want to move. I knew there was more for me. So I just sat. Waiting. And I asked God: if you want me to stop writing this book, I will. I don’t want to do this for my sake. Only if you want me to. Read the rest of this entry »

My pastor asked me to give the Good Friday talk. And I’m thankful.

For one thing, it forced me take a closer look at the Christian calendar. I grew up in a Korean immigrant church in the suburbs of Seattle. Sure, it was Presbyterian, but it was also marked by a Korean spirituality: they spoke in tongues, believed in prophecy, and prayed with vigor. In that way, it was much like a charismatic church, except that they sang more hymns and the crazy stuff never showed up on a Sunday. But it definitely wasn’t a typical Presbyerian church. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s refreshing to see the record participation of voters during the primaries. It gives this oft-cynical Xer slightly more hope for the country, as people care and weigh in to choose the next president. It makes me wish that I lived in a state that had caucuses, to hear a healthy back-and-forth about candidates and to cast a vote within this spontaneous community. (MSNBC did an audio slide show of a Washington state Democratic Party caucus that was held at my old middle school.)

Though I’d like to (and often did) endorse a candidate publicly, I won’t anymore. Read the rest of this entry »

Thank you all for your comments on the original video. I appreciate the encouragements. And I’m thankful for those who offered suggestions and input. Most of your objections are already covered in the upcoming books, True Story and Based on a True Story. At the same time, I can see the need for a bit more clarification at points.

So, here’s the sequel. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, this entry may signal the beginning of this blog’s sharp decline….

But I just finished watching The Bourne Ultimatum, and it was amazing. It’s a smart, taut espionage movie in a great series, and I’m a sucker for spy movies. (Did you all know that I was named after James Bond? No joke, ask my dad.)

This movie completes a solid trilogy, which is rare among movies. I know I start this conversation often, but I’m interested in what others think is a great trilogy as well. Read the rest of this entry »

I remember the day when I found out Santa was a fraud. It’s frightening that parents all over America, who are charged with the education and training of their offspring, agree to deceive their own flesh and blood so that they can bribe good behavior. They’re already physically bigger and can use brute force to get their way. Do they have to resort to psychological manipulation as well? But my Dad is a North Korean refugee, and he didn’t have a lifetime to learn how to deceive well.

When I was six, I wanted this contraption called the 150-in-One Electronics Kit for Christmas. Only Radio Shack sold it, and that alone should’ve warned me about the nerd I was becoming. Read the rest of this entry »