Is Jin a Chinese Christian Hip Hop Artist?

October 23, 2009 // 1 Comment »

Posted in American Born Chinese, Asian-American, Christianity, Music, Video

MC Jin. BET 106 & Park Battles. Double R. One Album. 2Fast 2Furious. Now?
Living in Hong Kong rolling with Jaeson Ma. Loving the evolution of Jin.
This video released last month answers a lot of questions. Christian? MC? Christian MC?
You decide.
Can’t wait to see what the Spirit has tagged Jin to do next.

TIM BE TOLD + REILLY @ EASTERN

September 22, 2009 // No Comments »

Posted in Events, Music

abcpastor friends, TIM BE TOLD + REILLY will be performing a FREE CONCERT at Eastern University in the McInnis Auditorium

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
7:00pm – 10:00pm

www.myspace.com/timbetold
www.myspace.com/reillytheband
.

Kanye West. There’s a Lesson in This.

September 15, 2009 // 3 Comments »

Posted in Leadership, Music, News

So Kanye West screwed up the other night at the VMAs in a juvenile lapse of judgement.
I admit that I was upset by what he did to Taylor Swift. C’mon, she’s so sweet and innocent  I’m also not ashamed to admit that I’m a Taylor Swift fan too. So he apologized on Leno. Maybe he was sincere. Maybe not. Maybe one day we’ll know the truth. Sure right now he has a responsibility to address the public but it would mean more to deal with Taylor directly.
It’s easy to be hatin on him. I was tempted to erase all his music off my iTunes. I was appalled, confused, but then got over it.
This year’s VMAs was definitely a circus but seriously, it’s the VMAs and not the Grammys.
Now I’m not making excuses for him but let’s take another look at this. I don’t even want to throw the race thing in the mix here. Kanye’s a celebrity and celebrities live in a different reality that many of us mere mortals cannot fully grasp. It’s a world marked by gross access and excess. What that does to one’s sense of moral, social, and spiritual grounding we cannot imagine. Virtually every little thing they do is tweeted, documented, and shared with the world.

Why are we surprised when they do crazy stupid things?
What if our lives were always on camera for the world to scrutinize?

I don’t think he’s that much different than some of us, or someone on our leadership team or even in our congregations? I recall when I was in youth ministry doing a lot of stupid things in public whether from the pulpit or elsewhere. I had my moments where I strongly disagreed with the establishment. How do we as leaders and followers of Christ help young immature but influential, talented, gifted, individuals become the people God desires for them to be? Do we judge? Do we condemn?
I think we need to have different eyes.
We can focus on the actions or we can look at the man and what he could be. Then by faith take action to help him get there. Transformation won’t happen through condemnation. I’m sure this will serve to shape Kanye and make him “stronger” but I think we can do better. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen celebrities make career wrecking moves. This isn’t the first time Kanye’s pulled a Kanye. I hope to see the evolution of Kanye West. Let’s condemn his actions but not the man. We want to see this person grow and change as an artist, a human being, one who is made in the image and likeness of God.

REILLY+NEW HEIGHTS CONCERT

March 26, 2009 // No Comments »

Posted in CCCC, Events, Music, Philadelphia

The Vine presents the music of REILLY and NEW HEIGHTS

The Bible Revisioned

December 10, 2008 // 1 Comment »

Posted in Bible, Books, Design

“The Book” currently being sold in The New Testament (Good News Translation) revisioned in 286 glossy pages like a high end magazine designed by Swedish group Illuminated World.
The goal? How do you entice people who don’t read the Bible to pick it up?

Is it too cool? Well it has made the list of “Gifts to avoid this Christmas” in a UTAH Newspaper along with Guitar Hero and Elmo Live. I think its primary use of images really forces one to think and can encourage dialogue in groups. I don’t know how effective it will be to make someone want to read the Bible but I do think it’s a great idea that demonstrates the power of image and the importance of creatives in our body. In communicating Scripture we have the unending task of bridging ancient text with a contemporary context because our symbolic world is constantly changing.

They have a pretty nice website that features daily illuminations for meditation or serve as a devotional.
It’s worth checking out.
www.bibleilluminated.com

Would you buy it as a Christmas gift?

Support Community Programs by Downloading Music

November 24, 2008 // No Comments »

Posted in Asian-American, Cause, Music

You can support important community programs by downloading music! FREE MUSIC! So download to make a difference! For every download, the Asian Pacific Community Fund [APCF] receives a $2.00 donation from AmieStreet.com.

APCF has partnered with online music site AmieStreet.com for an innovative fundraising project:
For every free download of the new song Anything, by composer-philanthropist Peter Buffett and Hip-Hop star, Akon, AmieStreet.com will donate $2.00 to support APCF’s projects and communities. You get this song for free, and APCF will receive the donation! It’s easy and win win for everyone.
Do it now at: www.amiestreet.com/APCF

More about APCF:
The Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF) is committed to generating funds and resources for 29 non-profit organizations that provide quality services focused on the complex and diverse needs of the Asian, Pacific Islander, and other ethnic communities in the Greater Los Angeles area. APCF provides programs and services in 27 Asian languages plus English and Spanish to over 200,000 people each year. Programs and services include after-school and youth programs, immigrant workers education and advocacy, legal services, translation services, healthcare, counseling and case management, affordable housing, and much more. APCF promotes diversity and supports the enrichment of the community through culturally congruent health and social services and cultural programming. For more information, visit www.apcf.org.

[h/t BBQChickenRobot]

Yao Says, “Eat The Head!”

// No Comments »

Posted in Chinese, Culture, Video

If you haven’t seen it yet, YOU MUST!
This T-Mobile myFaves commercial features Dwayne Wade, Charles Barkley and Yao Ming.
It had me ROTFL.

Some thoughts:
What does this tell us about culture?
What about Third Culture (The mindset and will to love, learn, and serve in any culture. Even in the midst of pain and discomfort. -- Dave Gibbons)?

On Community Development and Displacement

November 18, 2008 // 1 Comment »

Posted in Ain't the Way it's Supposed to Be, Arts, Philadelphia

I was so privileged to be part of a panel this past weekend that included Andy Toy to speak about Community Development and Displacement at the Asian Arts Initiative. There’s such a strong connection with humans and land. We’re all searching for a home to call our own. Since the Garden, displacement has been part of our DNA. It definitely is in the DNA of Chinatown. At the end of our time, it was asked, what can artists do? There’s much to say about that but I recently came across shirt.woot! a tshirt site that’s a cross between Threadless and Woot!. I love tshirts and companies like these that use community feedback to select and print artist submitted designs. What caught my attention was this one shirt that expressed much of what I am experiencing through this engagement with the city.

It’s been depressing in Philadelphia and it’s only Tuesday. This week it’s like everyone has something to protest about regarding the city’s economic plight. In my neighborhood bright neon signs hang on homes to speak out against the closing firehouses in our district. There are communities demonstrating on the steps of their libraries urging the Mayor to reconsider closing down an important piece of their neigborhood. On Sunday Mayor Nutter signed legislation to officially rezone The Gallery Mall at Market East as a Community Entertainment District allowing for Slots Gaming from Foxwoods to commence.

The description for this shirt is so poignant for how I feel and what many residents may be experiencing.

Shirt: Watch It Grow
Designed by Tgentery [ =( who's has apparently moved away from shirt design]

Don’t wear this shirt: when you’re around some stupid developer who sees dollar signs in every vacant lot. You’ll suddenly have eminent domain all over your chest and then in two weeks you’ll be shirtless and he’ll have sixteen brand new condos drawn in with a Sharpie.

This shirt tells the world: “Please don’t sell my future just to improve your present.

We call this color: The Grass On The Other Side.

China, World’s Largest Online Population Stats

November 10, 2008 // No Comments »

Posted in China, Culture, Internet

China’s online population is an incredible growing market.
How does this shape the future of China?
How will these young people understand the world and engage it?

A growing number of Chinese are afflicted with Internet addiction. China, which is home to the world’s largest online population clocking in at 253 million people and growing, is reporting that about 10 percent of China’s Web users under the age of 18, or four million people, are addicted to the Internet, mainly to “unhealthy” online games. Recent research by Internet media company InterActiveCorp showed that 42 percent of Chinese youngsters polled felt “addicted” to the Web, compared to 18 percent in the United States.

A Coffeehouse Theology Brew

October 22, 2008 // 1 Comment »

Posted in Books, Christianity, Culture, Review, Theology

A few weeks back I mentioned a new read titled, “Coffeehouse Theology: Reflecting on God in Everyday Life” by Ed Cyzewski. For readers of this blog and any student of scripture I’d recommend you picking up this book.

Today the Coffeehouse Theology Blog Tour makes a stop at ABCpastor. What a privilege!

Theology is one of those words that seem to just belong to the professionals and the spiritual elite, not for the average person in the pews. The thought of doing theology could simply be intimidating to the average church-goer. Perhaps it’s the suffix -logy (the study of) that makes it seem like something you go to school for and major in or maybe it’s just the idea of studying something that makes people want to stand at a distance from. Oh well. Coffeehouse Theology as the title suggests helps us see that theology is really for everyone, anyone and is something we can and should do especially if we are seekers of God. Everyone has an opinion of God and live accordingly to what they know or believe. Instead of dialogue we’ve drawn lines that separate us. The question we need to ask is what has shaped our particular view of God and theology. Then moving forward what should shape it? As I was reading through this book like how I read everything else I’m constantly looking for how this fits into my Asian-American context. (more…)