If I Was Back in LA . . .

If I was back in LA, I'd be doing this every night . . . Koreanz BBQ meets Taquería!





Check out Kogi here and for their next "truck stop" here.

The B-I-B-L-E

"This week I happened to be in the fellowship room of an A.M.E. church in Philadelphia and there was a Bible on one of the tables, so I opened it instinctively. I discovered that it was the pastor’s Bible, and on the cover page I saw scrawled vertically the word 'B.I.B.L.E.', written as an acronym: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.

It’s possible that I got overly excited about that. Maybe it’s a trite and hackneyed play on words old as the hills that I just never happened to come across before. I hope the man made it up himself."

Props to Sister Andrée Seu for that delightful insight. I believe there are roughly 24 AME churches in the greater Philly area.

Say What You Need to Say (ala Mayer)

Arrogance of Youth

One "pomo" take on the "pomo" generation . . . or the whatever they are called this second.

"There's just an arrogance to youth because life hasn't got a chance to beat it out of you yet" (Matt Chandler).

Seminary Survival Quiz

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Favorite Movies of All Time . . . so far

For my own records, these are my favorite movies of all time . . . so far (in no particular order):

Kelly's Heroes (1970)
TRON (1982)
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Last Starfighter (1984)
Red Dawn (1984)
The Goonies (1985)
Ran (1985) - Akira Kurosawa on 'roids
Hoosiers (1986)
Top Gun (1986)
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
The Mission (1986) - Jesuits versus Portuguese slave traders
Glory (1989)
Die Hard 2 (1990) - John McClane versus top-of-the-food-chain "spec-ops gone bad"
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Patriot Games (1992)
Rudy (1993)
Tombstone (1993) - "I'll be your huckleberry . . ."
Clear and Present Danger (1994)
The Rock (1996)
Armageddon (1998)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Les Misérables (1998)
Three Kings (1999) - Kelly's Heroes remixed
The Patriot (2000)
Remember the Titans (2000)
Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
Cast Away (2000) - "Wilson!!!!"
Pearl Harbor (2001) - with the exception of Alex Baldwin's appearance at the end.
Blackhawk Down (2001) - 5 Stars
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Windtalkers (2002)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) ~ ethnic connection
Tears of the Sun (2003) - Bruce Willis, Navy SEAL Commander
The Last Samurai (2003)
King Arthur (2004) - Clive Owne's best "Gerard Butler" impression
Batman Begins (2005)
300 (2006)
Transformers (2007)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Kung Fu Panda (2008) - by far the best kung-fu flick for local-borns

Anything by Pixar is also quite entertaining and thoughtful; for the record I choose Star Trek over the Star Wars franchise.

Gun Safety Technology

Here are 10+ ways/methods of making guns more safe. These would include both the traditional locking mechanism and the newer technologically saavy fingerprint scan and radio frequency proximity sensor. Click here. "Gun safety" is an oxymoron on par with a perpetual "brain fart".

#1 Defensive Team in the NCAA

I never thought that watching football in HD (though it was still 1080i) would ever be that gratifying. Yesterday was an incredible experience of visual proportions. The Trojans stomped the Nittany Lions ~ yes, PAC-10 all the way! Mark Sanchez and his giant receivers (think average NBA shooting guard height) dominated in the 2nd quarter . . . as they say, "the rest was history." Sanchez even read the D during a pass rush and ran in for a TD! C'mon, USC has got to be in the top 3 - Big 10 was not even the same caliber.

Back in the day . . .

I used to hear this over the system at the local arcade back in the day . . .

Traveling with a Same-Sex Spouse

According to the 2008/2009 pamphlet put out by "Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada" entitled "Essential Information for Canadian Travellers" on page 9 is the following:

"Although same-sex marriages are legal in Canada, they are not recognized in many countries, apart from Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, and the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Same-sex civil unions are more widely recognized, for example, in Denmark, France, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. Attempting to enter another country as a same-sex married couple may result in refusal by local officials. In addition, homosexual activity is a criminal offense in certain countries and could result in a prison or death sentence. Counsult our Country Travel Reports or the destination country's embassy or consulate in Canada for specific information."

Wow, liberalism does exist within a bubble within the elitist industrialized world. When popped, the liberal emerges to only see that they are not only the minority, but they are in fact on the opposite side of natural law . . . sometimes punishable by death by the majority of the world's nations. Somehow, there is something present even in this federal document that warns against cultural relativism . . . the same type that Obama seemingly embraces in stating "we need to talk and dialogue with Iran, North Korea, etc." Yeah, it's all nice and idealic . . . until you get your a@@ handed to you in a sling.

In Glory with Our Lord Jesus

Remembering all the saints whom I've witnessed pass onto glory over all these years . . .

"And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.'" (Job 1:21 ESV)

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 ESV)

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4 ESV)

The grace of God weighs heavily upon all people, Isaiah would remind us that the love of God pursues mankind relentlessly ~ but only for those who repent, will the fullness of God's love and grace be revealed to them. Only for those who repent and have faith in Jesus Christ . . . they will see God.

The "Historical Drift" Has Begun

Within my denomination (the C&MA), one of our past Canadian presidents - Dr. Arnold Cook - wrote an interesting book entitled "Historical Drift." Needless to say, the book addresses the issue of losing the anchors of biblical doctrine and the results of the shift that occur in the aftermath. Though Dr. Cook had a prophetic word to share, I believe that "drift" has already begun. Here are perhaps a few (bright men to say the least) who may be a sign of the things to come:

David Fitch (pastor/author, "The Great Giveaway" book endorsed by Brian McLaren)
Skye Jethani (pastor/author, "The Divine Commodity" book also endorsed by Brian McLaren)
David Collins (third culture kid turned social concern advocate)
William Young (C&MA dropout turned pomo fiction author, "The Shack" book endorsed by Bart Campolo)

Does "social concern" or the "social gospel" really stand on par with the proclamation of the gospel? Does Christocentric belong in the metaphor/allegorical category or perhaps the type/example category? Is any of this a throwback to liberal theology? Is the C&MA a "friend of emergent" or a "friend of missional" or maybe just "friend of sinners"? Obviously can't be the last one since "pyromaniacs" are freaking Calvinists - prevenient grace won't be out boxed by saving grace in the C&MA. I wonder if anytime soon there will be a need to start a "confessing movement" within the C&MA?

The Dawn of a New Age

"Divided we stand, united we fall." The privilege of living in a democratic capitalist society is that liberalism thrives . . . alongside with conservatism (those who are not in the industrialized elite tend to be autocratic, totalitarian, or authoritarian). Tonight was memorable, the first African-American man to be elected president ~ one who repeatedly stated that race was not an issue . . . but then again every other liberal American media outlet is quoting the now infamous "Booker T." invite to the White House. C'mon, would America cared if Obama was a white man? If some young, liberal, urban, social activist, white politician from Chicago with the same credentials ran . . . I don't think anything would have happened. Just to remind us of his stunning credentials of color, Obama (in probably the "dryest" Obama-cliched speech I've ever heard from him up to date) just had to tell the story about Ann Nixon Cooper. Yes, let's not play the race card now. It's one thing to attack the establishment and an entirely different thing to be the establishment. I pray that "president elect" Barack Hussein Obama will consider doing some McLaren-esque "deep shifting" soon . . . because contrary to what the TVoid is telling us, the country has not made some definitive statement on their choice for Congress or President tonight . . . the country is deeply divided.

"Samurai Mike" Rampage

Singletary apparently dropped his drawers during a halftime rampage ~ this is the post-game aftermath. As he showed his backside to the players, Samurai Mike described "It's just sharing my heart with them." Holy Crow! In that case, please don't share anymore anything.



For the record, "a 49ers spokesman clarified how far Singletary actually went with the halftime show, confirming the coach kept his boxers on during the demonstration." Phew, I sure feel better knowing that ~ thank you Chronicle for solid media coverage.

'Zo says: "BTW I'm Voting For McCain / Palin"

"When does the line between gospel proclamation and a social gospel get blurred?"

Thanks to D.A. Carson's interview with Peter Cha . . . good clarification for us Asian-American reactive types ("what middle? we don't need no freaking middle!").



I think many Asian-American Christian leaders unknowingly/knowingly are being drawn towards either the "emergent/increasingly historical liberal" flavour, the "corporate/attractional" flavour, or the "doctrinal/usually reformed" flavour. Are there safetys or mentors in place to better guide and prophetically navigate the Asian-American Christian landscape? Or do we continue to just drift further into our theological marinades?

Jim Wallis' "Abortion Reduction" Plank

Is a "plank" the same as a "platform"? Or is it a less sturdy version of the latter? Whatever it may be, left-winger Jim Wallis is suggesting that this ought to be apart of Obama's plank to the Democratic platform. Alright, Tony Campolo, Sojourning Wallis, B-Mac (from "A New Kind of Tension" fame) . . . you boys bet the farm on protecting Darfur - which has been witness to genocide and atrocities. Okay, I'm trekking with you this far. But when it comes to abortions . . . "reduction"? Two words - "what the?" According to the CDC, there are an average of 850,000 "legal abortions" carried out each year. To be consistent and beyond reproach would we then suggest a UN "genocide reduction"? What the freak? At one point in time, it seemed quite nice that Brian Mclaren was suggesting a "middle ground" between the liberal fundamentalists and the conservative fundamentalists (yes, I believe they are both "fundies"). But come on B-Mac, you just sold out Costco size to the "leftys" - where's the middle in that? It is equally ridiculous to suggest a "genocide reduction" as it would be to suggest a "abortion reduction" ~ if you are still wondering, I do not believe the "rape victim's" baby is required to pay the penalty of death for the rapist's sins. I firmly believe that Jesus died on the cross for that. Yes we all have a choice . . . "to follow me, pick up the cross and deny yourself" . . . Jesus chose to die for us.

ICBC to "Gift" Immobilizers to F Series Truck Owners

Now if you own a Ford F-Series truck . . . and you live in the Greater Vancouver Area. You should be receiving a notice in the mail very soon encouraging you to use your $160 ICBC sponsored credit towards the purchase of a electronic auto immobilizer. For those of you unsure of this extraordinary turn of events, refer to the video posted above. According to our evening news broadcaster from Global TV ". . . auto thieves high on crystal meth . . . driving Ford F series vans . . . feel powerful while driving . . ." Note the repititious use of the word "oncoming!" by the crystal meth, Ford lovin', auto thief in the video courtesy of baitcar.com. Click here for the news update.

The Jedi Master "Tim Keller: Divine Impluses"

Lower Mainland Real Estate Tipping?

Is this the beginning of what "they" (i.e. bankers, mortgage lenders, real estate foolios, developers, etc.) call the "soft landing"? After more than a decade's worth of time spent in this most recent cycle, we are officially preparing to bottom out ~ no thanks to my homies south of the border (props and shout outs to the SEC). According to the official numbers that came out, the Vancouver Real Estate Board has announced that sales have dropped 42% since last year. However, the number of listings have increased since a year ago . . . by 28.8%. Can you say "buyer's market"? Can we say "real estate bubble"? Can we say "about to burst" like a bad appendix?

Must flag David Watt's (President of the above mentioned "Board") comments:

"Although the economic situation in the United States has affected consumer confidence globally, the consensus view remains that our local housing market is underpinned by solid economic fundamentals . . . After five years of unprecedented increases, housing prices are beginning to realign."

Yes Watts, we've all heard the same blah, blah, blah the past few days. "Canuckians, don't be scared, we have a different regulatory structure in place than the US" (in regards to sub-prime mortgages and the like)! Yeah right, since the entire freakin' US economy is "putz" or headed towards "putz" - right Watts, "underpinned by solid economic fundamentals." What? The same fundamentals that are about to knock you upside the head! Yes, I'll have no local confidence when the global fundamentals are gone. Please let's not invade Iran just to boost consumer spending . . . no more, please?