tellitslant

I’m speaking on worship twice in the next few days, and so I’ve been doing a lot of research on it. (Sing: Google it, just a little bit…) One cool thing I did learn today was that our word worship comes from the Old English weorthscipe which means “worth-ship,” the homage given to something because it is worthy. But to be honest, it gets frustrating reading what many others write on it.

For one thing, few people use the word the same way. Some people use it to talk only about the musical experience of the gathering of God’s people. At the other end of the spectrum, others use it to talk about the entirety of our lives. All of life is worship, and it’s true. But the loose definitions aren’t always helpful. Read the rest of this entry »

Almost every night for about a month now — ever since we watched the movie — I’ve been reading the Chronicles of Narnia to Jinhee before we go to bed. I’m a huge fan of C. S. Lewis, and have read these books before. But Jinhee hadn’t, so I wanted to share with her some of its magic. We’re on book 3: The Horse and His Boy (if you dare to count chronologically within Narnia’s timeline instead of by publishing date — there’s a huge debate on this).

We really do love these books, but allow me some color commentary — literally. Read the rest of this entry »

Meet my niece, Hannah. Ain’t she a cutie? At 16 months, her unique personality is shining through. She has a smile that can melt your heart, yet she can be as stubborn as a mule. Try tying on a bib, and you’ll find it quickly on the floor. Sometimes, she’ll even bang her head against a table or a wall if she doesn’t get what she wants. She’s headstrong and determined, much like another lady I love dearly. So, it’s easy to see why I love her.

A few days ago while we were up with my in-laws in Torrance, Hannah and I were playing a game: I asked her for the golf ball in her hand and she gleefully put it in mine. Then, a few seconds later, I gave it back. She smiled even wider. My heart oozed. Read the rest of this entry »

A few years ago, I was conned into playing Risk. It’s a painful game for me — I always lose. It’s because I happen to be the owner of a trash-talking mouth. If I’m doing anything competitive, then my tongue gets me into trouble. I really can’t help it. It’s my own form of Tourette’s. So in a game like Risk, you might as well put a giant bulls-eye on my forehead and tell everyone to shoot. And since this game is a 3-4 hour commitment, I don’t just lose, but I lose slowly and painfully. I hate this game.

But playing with non-competitive people makes it even worse. Read the rest of this entry »

I can’t remember a time when I’ve eaten more. Here’s a log of all the meals I ate while I was in Seattle for Thanksgiving: when we first got off the plane on Tuesday, Jinhee and I headed straight for a Chinese Banquet in honor of my mom’s 60th birthday; the next day we swallowed a large bowl of Pho; that evening, we chowed down on two giant slabs of salmon over rice with all the fixins; the next day we ate a large bowl of my mom’s Chinese noodles; that night was Thanksgiving dinner and our bellies were round with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans and cranberry sauce; on Friday, we went to Todai, an all-you-can-eat Sushi bar (and the place was packed the day after Thanksgiving!); that evening, we enjoyed succulent Thai food at Siam; the next day we loaded up on Tandoori Chicken and Nan at an Indian Buffet; that night we snarfed giant portions of soul food, Seattle-style at The Kingfish Cafe; on Sunday, we went to a Korean BBQ restaurant and then headed to the airport to fly home. As I sat in my airplane seat, I loosened by belt to let my food-conceived pregnancy protrude. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, we visited some dear friends who live in the suburbs south of Seattle. Through dinner conversation, we found out that the mother of two daughters commutes an hour and a half each way through traffic to go work, while the father commutes to class two and a half hours away, and preaches at a church on Sundays over an hour away. I was glad to hear it was only temporary.

But it brings up a larger question. At a conference last weekend, Prof. Mark Lau Branson asked, “Is commuting Gospel-neutral?” According to 2003 census figures, the average American commutes 24.3 minutes one-way, losing about 100 hours a year to traffic. Extreme commuting — where a one-way trip lasts over 90 minutes — is on the rise. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not always a fan of “Christian” music. But, while I was in college in the early 90’s, the Christian worship genre was really starting to take off. Gone were the hokey campfire choruses: they were replaced with thoughtful lyrics and an expectation that you would palpably meet God. (Some would say they’re still hokey.) During ths time, David Ruis’ songs like “Let Your Glory Fall” and “You Are Worthy Of My Praise” were helping us enter into God’s presence.

So I was understandably excited when I heard that David Ruis would be leading worship at the Vineyard conference I went to yesterday. Read the rest of this entry »

The title of this blog comes from an Emily Dickinson poem:

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant –
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth’s superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind –

Here’s to a gradual dazzle… or fizzle.