Pirates, Interrogation, and Gold Mountain
I was about 12 years old when this picture was taken of me seated next to my grandfather. With both of my parents working, my grandparents were my primary caretakers until dinner time, especially in my years before I began Kindergarten. A veteran in the restaurant industry, my grandfather delivered in the kitchen; I can…
Read MoreRecruiting New Board Members – The Process
Our process Altogether, the process was designed to give space for the applicant’s own process. I did not address looking up their references here. In practice, this happens organically. There’s not been an applicant where I did not have access to people we know in common. This provides accountability. So those are the nuts and…
Read MoreJuneteenth and New Relationships, Part 2 of 2
If you’ve not seen the video of part 1, nor read it, read this first: https://kingdomrice.org/2022/07/07/juneteenth-and-new-relationships-part-1-of-2/ I’ve been blessed with a good dose of webinars and podcasts about Black Asian solidarity, the bridge building that happens on the street level. But I don’t read or hear many examples that break down how these are formed…
Read MoreJuneteenth and New Relationships, Part 1 of 2
Through the years, my buddy Kirk and I have introduced Asian-Americans and African-Americans to each other’s respective neighborhoods. So when AAPI hate crimes really began to escalate (over 10,000 reported hate crimes per this most reputable of websites during the pandemic up through 2021, with many more unreported), Kirk Davis (an African American leader and…
Read MoreAAPI and Mental Health Awareness Month – Seeing past the “Smile”
This post mentions suicide. If that’s a trigger to you, skip this post. It’s nothing more graphic than what you’d read in the news, especially news as of late. Speaking about news… I’ll never forget when I first got the news…my former housemate Jack Quon had taken his own life, leaving behind his wife (whom…
Read MoreAdvent – God Speaks Through Wombs
“But God speaks through wombs, birthing prophetic utterances…Enough of this unbelieving religion that masquerades as faith. Divine favor is placed on what we have disgraced.” That’s an excerpt inspired by Luke 1:5-25 from a new book of poems from Pastor Drew Jackson in NYC. Reading this as part of my Advent has been a great…
Read MoreBefriending
The following is a guest post from a 15-year mentor and fellow sojourner, Pastor Mark Dobrin of goodnewschapel.com. This is a picture of us befriending others while playing music outside a local cafe. (We played blues with his harmonica too:)) This is Mark’s story and how our stories overlapped through the One who befriended us.…
Read MoreMINISTRY SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT IN COLLECTIVIST COMMUNITIES
Through Epic Movement/Cru, I’m proud to release a book on ministry support development (MPD) for missionaries. Intended for missionary staff from minority cultures, I wrote it with all missionaries in mind because collectivist communities are becoming more ubiquitous. Perhaps the most respected MPD training organization is Support Raising Solutions. Their director of resource development said…
Read MoreChinatown Through the Eyes of God: An Evening of Storytelling, Healing, and Solidarity
Kingdom Rice has a unique and specific response to the recent uptick in attacks against people of Asian decent. This response focuses on facilitating healing and solidarity among local intergenerational congregations of color, starting with Asian and Black people. We are drawing from the great work of advocacy, storytelling, education, and theology, and applying it…
Read MoreChinatown Through the Eyes of God: Good Good News for our hyper-diverse City
Imagine if God were walking through Chinatown. What would God look or sound like? “Maybe God looks like an old Chinese grandma. Maybe God speaks Cantonese, Russian, or Spanish (all languages prevalent in Chinatown). Maybe God is smoking a cigarette. Maybe God smells like fish or herbs or incense. When we walk through Chinatown, we encounter…
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