Monthly Archive for April, 2007

They are discontent

Published
by
Eddy E
on April 29, 2007
in Ministry
. 0 Comments

Thanks for visiting my blog, Serving Bread. Here you'll read stories, insights, reflections and ramblings from a campus minister, father, husband and Jesus-follower. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

The CSUN [tag]InterVarsity[/tag] [tag]ministry[/tag] has just experienced a historic night. We had the first meeting of the newly formed “Core Team”. We selected a group of students to join together on a team that would assist in building our ministry on campus. Though this is not quite an official leadership team, we are excited for the people on this team to take a new level of responsibility in their faith and in their ministry.

We answered two questions tonight: What is one thing you have enjoyed about InterVarsity Matador Christian Fellowship and in what areas have you felt like we could do more to build community?

The conversation was fantastic. Tonight’s meeting will probably fare as a top highlight for me of this entire academic year. Students were sharing ideas on how we can build our community. They were discontent with what we have, wanting it to be bigger and better. They want to have more fun and they want to make a larger impact on campus.

We are ending the year with a group of 25 students, but more importantly, a group of ten students who have a [tag]holy dissatisfaction[/tag]. Our ministry aims to empower students to live a life worthy of the calling of God. And tonight, God gave me a small glimpse of what he is doing in our community in empowering students to love the campus with the message of Jesus. Praise be to God!

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Paid off the car

Published
by
Eddy E
on April 26, 2007
in It's the economy stupid!
. 0 Comments

I don’t like financing anything (except my house). In fact, I feel guilty; like I am mismanaging my money. For the past 4 1/2 years, I have wondered about the decision to have bought one of our cars. I have learned a lot through that process (about myself and money management). There are few things that find closure in my life, so it was a day of celebration when I clicked the “pay” button for the last time and paid off my car. And I just got the deed by mail.

When we bought this car on credit, Rhoda and I began saving for the day when we would need to replace it (which we recognize will be years away). For all of you who read my blog and will one day find yourself in the world of “Should I finance my car?” If you are able, don’t do it! If you must, then make sure to cap it at a 60 month term. Anything longer might make your payments outlive the usefulness of your car!

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Tribute to the Armenian Genocide

Published
by
Eddy E
on April 24, 2007
in History Lesson
. 5 Comments

flag

Today marks the 92nd anniversary of the beginnings of the [tag]Armenian genocide[/tag]. Although the Turkish Ottomans had organized several systematic massacres prior to 1915, the events that began in 1915 mark a significant political and military strategy to purge all Armenians from Ottoman lands.

Modern day [tag]Turkey[/tag] disputes the facts that there ever was a genocide, asserting that 1. the [tag]Ottoman Empire[/tag] was at war during World War I, and any “massacres” were simply acts of war. Both Armenians and Turks were dying; 2. Even if there was a genocide, modern day Turkey is not responsible for the actions of the Ottoman Empire.

On April 24, 1915, Ottoman government officials gathered the top 250 Armenian leaders and intelligentsia, and murdered them, beginning a wide-spread hunt for Armenians. Many were deported, only to die in the desert. By the end of World War I, anywhere between 1.5 million to 2 million Armenians were killed. Most historians regard these acts as the first genocide of the 20th century. On a personal level, many cousins and relatives of my maternal Grandfather were killed through the genocide.

What is painful to Armenians is Turkey’s continued denial that those events ever occurred. Most historians and many countries around the world recognize those events as Genocide. The United States government has yet to use the word genocide to refer to those events. Much of that has to do with the importance of our (military) alliance with Turkey. What is unfortunate is that many Armenian lobbies encourage voting for certain candidates based on their promise that once elected, the candidate will officially recognize the genocide. Armenians organized in mass against John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2000 because he said that our alliance in Turkey prevents him from ever publicly recognizing the genocide. Candidate Bush promised that he would recognize it. We still await for that recognition.

Over the last several years, the Turkish government has sought to create an international panel of historians to examine the events of 1915. Yesterday, the government took out a full-page ad in the LA Times challenging Armenians to agree to this type of forum. You can read it here. This forum is unnecessary. There is no reason for anyone to re-examine events that are historically accurate and true. If the Turkish historians feel like they should debate it, then they could do so on their own turf. The rest of the international community does not need to waste its time, energy or money for such useless exercises.

Armenians everywhere should commit to several resolutions. My thoughts are controversial and unpopular in the Armenian community:

  • We recognize the severity of the genocide and its deep impact of our history. We do not need the approval or disapproval of other countries or societies to limit the importance of the events and genocide of 1915.
  • We forgive the perpetrators of the genocide. As Christians, we are called to forgive and replace evil with good. The Turkish government not admitting nor apologizing for those events does not determine whether we forgive. We are not at the mercy of the Turkish government to extend forgiveness and practice the important tenets of our Christian faith.
  • We commit to bring an end to genocide everywhere. Of all people, we recognize the pain of genocide and the pain of people not remembering. We will recognize and work pro-actively to bring an end to genocide everywhere.
  • We commit to educating our children, and friends and strangers. No one but us is responsible for educating the world about our experience.
  • We will define and pride our culture on our successes and contributions as a nation and people. Too many Armenians define what it means to be Armenian through a victims’ mentality. Play dumb and ask an Armenian to give you a quick answer to the question, “Who are the Armenians?” and you will get a quick history lesson of the genocide. We have allowed the Turks to steal our culture.

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Thank God for the 3.4 oz. Rule

Published
by
Eddy E
on April 22, 2007
in General
. 4 Comments

tsa

I just finished traveling (back from Mexico City). I am sure there are many people who are a little more patient than I am with the security measures employed by the TSA. [tag]Traveling[/tag] anywhere requires removing my shoes, making sure that I don’t have certain sharp objects (not sure if my shaver counts), and of course, anything liquid in the amount of more than [tag]3.4 ounces[/tag] cannot be brought on my carry-on luggage. If I can, I prefer to not check anything in, but with these limitations, I would rather check them in (I wish I could check myself in), rather than be harassed by the often times rude [tag]TSA[/tag] officials.

I imagine that there will be a day where our kids will be laughing at the way we look—taking off our shoes and surrendering our water bottles. But that day is not going to come in the near future. But for all of you apologists for the TSA and our security measures, let me tell you of my experience coming back from Mexico City. My shoes were not checked nor my liquids when I went through the security screening. The Mexican officials were happy and smiling, and at one point I wanted the security personnel to pay a little more attention to the screen than to the joke that his buddy just told him.

Before boarding the plane, about 7 security personnel waited to check us. When my turn came, she opened my luggage, felt through, and shut it. It took her less than 10 seconds. She waived me on to board the plane. No shoes or liquids were checked. Now, they did make an announcement that I was not allowed to have any liquids above 3.4 ounces, but she did not check to make sure that I was abiding by that rule (I was).

As I walked down to my seat, I began to wonder a few things. If security precautions are not as painstaking outside the US, are we really that much safer from those who wish us harm? If the 3.4 ounce rule is meant to curb use of certain types of make-shift weapons, couldn’t someone just bring a whole bunch of little bottles, get them checked through, and then combine all those liquids together?

I am sure that there are plenty of smarter people who have good reason to implement the various rules. But I still think our kids will laugh at us when they look upon this era of American life.

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View from Starbucks

Published
by
Eddy E
on April 20, 2007
in General and Reflections
. 2 Comments

I’m not too surprised how quickly I found the [tag]Starbucks[/tag] down the street. Yes, I do feel some level of contradiction and internal tension spending time and purchasing beverages at a Starbucks in [tag]Mexico City[/tag]. As I’m sipping my “alto cafe” and putting together a training schedule, I forgot that I was in Mexico City. The Starbucks soundtrack of the blenders making Frappuccinos and the ‘hip’ American pop songs in the background, reminded me of the Starbucks on Devonshire and Reseda. Of course, the language spoken around me was Spanish.

I am a product of my culture. And there might be something telling that I feel so comfortable at Starbucks. Perhaps, this is the power of globalism. Starbucks is issuing its unique cultural fingerprint on people. The 30-something male who enjoys Starbucks in Mexico City, may be shaped in similar ways to the 30-something male who enjoys Starbucks in the US. And as Starbucks markets its particular brand of culture, it doesn’t really matter what country or city I am in to be a consumer. [tag]Globalism[/tag] is not something that affects people “over there”, but I am affected by globalism as well.

I finished my cup of coffee and headed back out into the cross-cultural world of Mexico City, and wondered how soon I would return.

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Sleepless in Mexico City

Published
by
Eddy E
on April 19, 2007
in General and Ministry
. 0 Comments

Mexico CityIt’s midnight [tag]Mexico City[/tag] time and I can’t sleep. I’m awake, battling a fly or two that seem to have taken a liking to me, and the [tag]bed bugs[/tag] seem to have gotten excited tonight with the rich Armenian blood to feast on. I’ve pumped a couple of antihistamines, but they haven’t worked just yet.

I’m in Mexico City as part of the planning team for InterVarsity’s [tag]Global Urban Trek[/tag]. This summer mission project empowers college students to live and minister among the [tag]urban poor[/tag] in some of the world’s poorest cities. We are training young students to understand and gain vision for God’s heart for the poorest of the poor. Through the project, we will call students to give their lives to the poor either in direct-ministry or in an advocacy role.

I enjoy the “break” from my regular campus rhythm, dreaming and planning with other staff who have a heart to develop world-changers. I have been a part of this team (on and off) for the past 7 summers, and appreciate being inspired and have my heart softened toward the purposes of God. Such teams and times give me a bigger picture of my campus ministry. And as one who loves the cross-cultural experience, being in Mexico City is water to my soul.

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We fed 50 people for $5

Published
by
Eddy E
on April 15, 2007
in Ministry and Reflections
. 1 Comment

This past weekend, I was a part of a team of ministry leaders who hosted a training day for college students who are embarking on a short-term mission project this upcoming summer. On Saturday morning, we used breakfast as a cross-cultural exercise, where 50 students were fed grits. We intensified the situation by providing a wonderful breakfast of bacon, eggs, fresh fruit, and muffin to four men. These men got to sit on chairs in the middle of the courtyard, at a table, surrounded by 50 hungry students trying to chow down the butter-less, sugar-less, salt-less grits.

The simulation worked well to teach students about the value of food and to share statistics about [tag]hunger[/tag] in the world. One of the things that came to the forefront was the cost of the meal. We fed 50 students for $5—that’s how much the [tag]grits[/tag] cost us. The students who had the more extravagant meal, it cost us $10 to do breakfast for the four of them.

The students who ate the grits did not starve and we all recognized the opportunities to think about how far our money can go. Some initial observations that I have been reflecting on include: (you may have other ones)

  • We can eat on a lot less than we think, if we change some of our standards. Granted, we can’t live on grits all the time, but we can think creatively about what we expect to have at our meals.
  • Half of the world lives on less than $2/day. Opting to fast or abstain from food, or to just limit our intake, allows us an opportunity to identify with the poorest of the poor.
  • The wealthier societies can be wasteful societies. The four men in the middle with the food had food left on their plates. Although not all the students finished the grits, wasting grits is not as costly as leaving the bacon and eggs on the plates. On a more political level, it can be easy (and not totally inappropriate) to point out the way that governments in third-world countries can waste and mismanage resources. However, it is also appropriate to be self-reflective on how our own society and government is wasteful.
  • Sharing our food with others. All four men felt sympathy for the other students. They wanted to share their food. What are the ways we can share our food with other societies? Solutions are needed on both macro and micro levels. On a macro level, our government can encourage the export of food and crops to other societies. There are farm subsidies that need to be rethought on a governmental and economic level. On a micro level, we can be more concerned for those who are poor among us, investing our time, money, and energy in organizations that feed the hungry, and practice more care in thinking about waste.

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5. CCleaner

Published
by
Eddy E
on April 15, 2007
in Nerdy
. 0 Comments

Sixth in my countdown of favorite, must-have freeware applications. Check out the previous review.

If you are running windows, then you don’t even need to think twice before owning and downloading [tag]CCleaner[/tag] (which incidentally stands for Crap Cleaner). CCleaner is a simple program that will purge your system of all those cache and temporary files that somehow get left behind when surfing the web or just using various applications. I also like the feature of cleaning out the system registry that gets cluttered over time, causing more slowdown on the system. There is nothing extravagant about CCleaner, which is the reason I like it so much. It is very easy to use, and should used about once a month.

I have never had problems using this program. I have never regretted cleaning my [tag]registry[/tag], fixing issues or cleaning out the cache or temporary files.

Download here.

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Let’s talk about Don Imus

Published
by
Eddy E
on April 12, 2007
in Society
. 1 Comment

What [tag]Don Imus[/tag] said was despicable. I don’t know of anyone apart from Howard Stern who thinks otherwise. There are so many things that I learn about us (as a nation) through the rhetoric that surrounds the Don Imus controversy.

Many people (tend to be our [tag]conservative[/tag] friends) bring up the “[tag]double standard[/tag]” argument. The “double standard” argument goes something like this–why are we jumping only on Don Imus, what about rap music and all those comedians who “get away” with all that hateful, racist rhetoric? They are making millions offending people. Why are we not up in arms about them? What they really mean is, “Why aren’t the Black leaders (i.e. Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton) up in arms?”

What is the problem with this argument? This argument indirectly excuses Don Imus. I agree, [tag]rap music[/tag] and comedians can be racist. However, let’s discuss those on different terms. Those things need to be addressed apart from Don Imus. Let’s agree that what Don Imus said was despicable without having to say, “but what about them…” That argument is childish. It’s the child who is caught doing an act of mischief, and wants to bring down others with him.

Second, why just rap music? Why not talk about pop, rock, and country as well? And let’s talk about music in the context of all music and entertainment, rather than in the context of Don Imus and rap.

Third, bringing up the rap music issue never seems to take into account a more complex look at rap music–the history and context of it. I think if people studied rap music and it’s (dare I say) prophetic reflection of aspects of our society, we would have a more complex response in critiquing it.

Fourth, why make this a controversy? There is nothing controversial about Don Imus. He said something deplorable. Who disagrees? People want to make it a controversy to make money, because it is interesting or entertaining to hear a debate on the issue. Though to make it a controversy dignifies it more than it should be.

Finally, I’m a strong [tag]free speech[/tag] advocate–which means, that some people will say deplorable things. I deplore it, but they can say what they want no matter how stupid they look. If the FCC has a certain standard (and I might disagree with those standards), then it should be applied to [tag]NBC[/tag] and [tag]CBS[/tag] (for hosting the Don Imus Show), and it’s up to NBC and CBS to see whether they want this kind of garbage on their networks.

I am sickened by Don Imus. While many people were offended, it is the [tag]Rutgers[/tag] Women’s Basketball team that has the most responsibility in extending forgiveness and reconciliation. I imagine that is a difficult process, and I pray for their healing and wisdom in that process.

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Thoughts on Conversion

Published
by
Eddy E
on April 8, 2007
in Theology
. 1 Comment

I am taking a class at Fuller Seminary titled, “Conversion and the Process of Change.” One of the things I have noticed in my readings (on various “famous” conversions and textbooks) and during the lectures is a reflection on how we (21st Century Evangelicals) view [tag]conversion[/tag] to [tag]Christianity[/tag]. The main model of conversion that the [tag]Evangelical[/tag] Church has adopted is that of Saul of Tarsus. He had a dramatic transformational moment on the “Road to Damascus” (where he was traveling to continue his persecution of Christians). Saul-turned-Paul has become our only model of transformation — where it has to be a sudden, dated event that one could point to and say, “That’s when I got saved.”

Our evangelism and altar-calls seem to farm for that kind of transformation. Of course, for many people, there is a specific transformational moment that brought conversion to their lives. For many others, however, it is difficult to pinpoint that one event. In fact, for many Christians (me included), there have been seasons where I had to prove my Christianity by pointing to a specific date when I became a Christian. I learned to form my “[tag]testimony[/tag]” around a single event, rather than testify of the ways God has been good to me from the day I was born.

While Saul’s conversion is a helpful paradigm, it is not the only paradigm of Biblical conversion. Calls for decisions are important and I would argue that we probably could be doing more of that (particularly through our relationships with seekers rather than through the anonymous eyes-closed Church service), but we need to understand that baiting people toward a single event of transformation can rob people of seeing God’s love and investment in their lives that spans beyond one moment.

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