Pray For Dong Yun Yoon

Pray for Dong Yun Yoon, who suddenly and tragically lost his wife, mother-in-law, and two children when an F/A-18D Hornet crashed into his house near San Diego.

I can't imagine the anguish of coming home from work to see your house destroyed and your family gone. I'm sure Dong Yun Yoon didn't leave the house that morning thinking that as he kissed his wife Young Mi, 15-month old daughter Grace, and 2-month old daughter Rachel goodbye, that those moments would be the last he'd share with them. Again, as someone with a wonderful wife and two beautiful kids, I personally can't even fathom the pain and grief he's experiencing - the thought of it chills me.

In an amazing act of grace and selflessness, Yoon said he bore no ill will toward the Marine Corps pilot who ejected safely before the jet crashed, but instead said "I pray for [the pilot] not to suffer for this action. I know he's one of our treasures for our country."

There's a video which which captures Yoon's words about the tragedy and his plea for prayer for the pilot. If you're not moved by watching this, you need to get your pulse checked.

So please pray for him - and consider even sending him a card or note of support:

Dong Yun Yoon
c/o Rev. Kevin Lee
Korean United Methodist Church
3520 Mount Acadia Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Amazing. Only someone who lives under such amazing grace could exhibit such amazing grace.

Shark Fin Soup, Anyone?

A recent article in CNN.com reported on the popularity on what used to be a rare delicacy, but is now threatening to have a significant impact on the ecosystem. The delicacy is shark fin soup, and incrasing demand for these fins are threatening to scuttle an already struggling shark population.

I've eaten shark fin soup a few times (feel free to consider me food ecologically uncouth, as I'm also a big fan of foie gras and order it whenever I can), usually during Chinese wedding banquets, including a couple I attended while in Taiwan. I've always found it to be decent enough, but nothing to write home about. As the article states, the taste of shark fin is almost non-existent. People sometimes call clear rice noodles "fake shark fin" because that's exactly how it tastes. Naturally, one with a more sophisticated palate would be aghast at such a comparison.

I personally don't see the appeal of spending so much money on something that doesn't taste and has such negative ecological impact. Then again, I'm the guy who whose favorite culinary pastime used to be taking advantage of Taco Bell's "Taco Tuesday" 2 for 99 cents special.

The article is a real eye-opener and I do find it tragic that sharks are having their fins cut and dumped back into the ocean to die. We all know that the more humane way to harvest seafood is to use massive nets to collect schools of whiting. This, in addition to amazing batter, is naturally why I'm such a big fan of Long John Silver's.

C.C's Coming to New York

I was surprised and frankly a little disappointed by the news that free agent ace C.C. Sabathia has agreed in principle to a 7 year / $160 million contract with the Yankees.

Don't get me wrong - Sabathia's a great pitcher and while I'm not sure anyone can reasonably live up to a contract of that size, my guess is that he'll do well, average between 15 and 20 wins a season and be in the Cy Young race for years to come.

What bothers me is that it's abundantly clear that he doesn't want to be a Yankee. Or better put, he'd much rather be a Dodger or a Giant. It's evident that he'd prefer to pitch in the National League where he can hit, and it's even more evident that he much preferred to go to back home to the Bay area, or to SoCal, where he's building a house. There were reports that he expressed misgivings about raising his three young children in this area.

I have no doubt that Sabathia will be a bulldog of a competitor, but at the end of the day, you'd like someone who is pitching for a team and a city that he's passionate about, as opposed to the team that simply offered him overwhelmingly more money than any other team.

On the other hand, you have a guy like K-Rod, who I have the sense is relishing the chance to be in the spotlight to close games for the Mets. If you're a Mets fan, you have to like this signing for two reason. First, it's a relative bargain for the single-season saves record holder who at one point was looking for a 5 year / $75 million deal. Second, you no longer need to go through the pain of watching Luis Ayala and Aaron Heilman try to close games.

But welcome anyway, C.C. Get us another World Series title and both you and the fans will be quite happy that you chose to don the pinstripes.

At Least It's a Handy Excuse to Be Ornery During the Holidays

A constant refrain that people have heard from me since October is how much I've disliked the weather and the current seasons. I'm of the conviction that unless there's snow falling or on the ground, I'd just as soon the weather be sunny and 70 degrees. I could do without falling leaves, plummeting temperatures, and rain. Like most people, I like long sunny days instead of short overcast ones. I don't like waking up when it's pitch black and coming home when it's pitch black. Does my antipathy for the autumn and (non-snow producing) winter seasons cross the line into being an actual physiological or psychological condition?

A recent article on CNN.com detailed seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which apparently affects 4 to 6% of the population in the U.S. There isn't a lot of research around SAD, but some scientists believe that a genetic mutation in the eye could play a role in seasonal affective disorder, by making a person with SAD less sensitive to light. So as the seasons change brings less light, the depression and mood swings result.

I don't know if I completely understand or even agree with the existence of the condition, but it sure beats "the holiday blues" as an excuse to be a grumpy man. I'll try that the next time I'm ornery towards the wife or kids: "Drat - there's that seasonal affective disorder kickin' in."

Praying for God's Bailout

A recent New York Times article spoke about churches in Detroit who are praying for deliverance in the midst of an economic downturn which has been particularly difficult for them. While I have, in a previous post, spoken of my disdain for the Big Three automakers, I have a lot of compassion for the workers and citizens of metropolitan Detroit, who are now bearing a large burden due to a poor economic climate mixed with some corporate stupidity.

I actually applaud how churches are addressing the real needs of their congregations and pointing to God as their hope in the midst of this. I believe strongly in God's redemptive work in all areas of a person's life and while I have a strong aversion to the preaching of a "prosperity gospel", to not pray for financial help in the midst of the crisis might either infer (A) God doesn't have the power to help people who have no jobs or (B) God doesn't care that people might not have the ability to pay their mortgages or put food on the table. Either premise is ridiculous.

To be fair, many Christians have been so incensed by "prosperity Gospel" preachers who routinely insist that "blessings" means that you'll get huge cash rewards and a luxury car of your choice, and that when Christ died in his poverty we became rich (2 Cor 8:9) ... and we should become rich to the tune of $200K with compounding 8% interest. For the follower of the prosperity gospel, God has been turned into Santa Claus, who we approach with our wish lists for flat-panel LCD's and Cancun vacations because we've been good. There likely is some over-correction to the point that to pray for material needs feels dirty, and that shouldn't be the case.

I framework that I use for myself is that I pray for my daily bread - "what do I need?", not necessarily "what do I want?" I can pray for God to give me abundantly as He pleases, while at the same time praying that he withholds any abundance which might become an idol or temptation that would draw me or my family away from Him. But the fundamental premise is that our God is good, and it is His good pleasure to give gifts to His children.

The tenor of the article is about people appealing to God to save jobs that would be lost, so mortgage payments can be met and food can be put on the table. I don't sense that people are seeking excess, but instead asking God for their daily bread in light of the dire situation that exists with the local economy and the automobile labor base. That being said, if you look at the photo above the article, I think having the SUV's on stage with the choir is a bit over the top.

The article mentions a factory worker named Mike Young, who seems to get it. “We’ve got to keep the faith," he said. He's hopeful of a government bailout but states, “But you can’t count on that. All my hope is in God.”

Your hope is in the right place, brother.

I Hope the Speaker of the House Can Pronounce Your Name

Congratulations to Ahn "Joseph" Cao who with his victory in a Louisiana congressional runoff race, became the first Vietnamese-American elected to the House. It's a thrill to see more Asians become politically active, and along with Bobby Jindal, is now an acceptable answer to "Who would you least likely expect to be elected by the voters of Louisiana?" But seriously, it's a good day for Asians who are politically aware. It's a great day for Asians who are socially conservative, politically aware, and tend to think highly of Jesuit seminarians.

What's stunning is that he beat William Jefferson, who despite being neck-high in an ethics scandal, is a Louisiana political powerhouse who has been active in government since 1979. Poor William Jefferson is still probably looking at Ahn Cao and thinking, "How in the world did this guy beat me?"

Cao is indeed a rookie, and in my estimation, he already made a rookie mistake with some of his seemingly contradictory statements.

On one hand, Cao says he hopes his win will push more young people to become politically active. On the other hand, he said, "We were hoping for a low turnout because it would provide us with the greater chance of winning. Based on the demographics of the district, a high voter turnout would have gone to our disadvantage." Hmm... maybe you don't want to thank "low voter turnout" for your victory.

So to recap, he'd like young people to be more politically active - as long as you don't vote for the other guy.

When Unity and Conviction Conflict

A a Christian, one of the most hardest things to swallow is the proliferation of deonominations as a result of theological schisms within the Church. In the light of Jesus' prayer in John 17:23 that all believers would be "brought into complete unity to let the world know that [the Father] had sent [him]," why do we see so much activity contrary to this plea?

I thought of this as I read about the decision of a number of conservative evangelical Anglicans to create a new Anglican Church of North America. The decision to split I'm sure was one that was not taken lightly, and conservative evangelical Anglicans have battled with the denomination around a number of controversies, including the consecration of an openly homosexual bishop. The new church affirmed the Jerusalem Declaration, which condemns "overt heterodoxy" as well as the lack of discipline against anyone teaching a "false gospel."

I remember having a conversation with a brother a few years ago about authority of the church, and he chafed at what he saw as the lack of respect towards church authority and discipline. The proliferation of churches, he observed, meant that if people didn't happen to agree with the teaching of a church or if they didn't like the accountability or discipline that came with being part of that community, they would simply leave that church and find or create a church which fit their needs or personal value system.

My smart-aleck remark was: "You mean like what Martin Luther did in 1517?"

Naturally, he proceeded to clarify that his point was that to defy the discipline of the church needs to be done with the utmost humility, gravity, and prayer. Of course I agree with that. To leave a denomination, and certainly to create a new one, requires deep soul searching, discernment, and submission to prayer and the Scriptures. It's clear that such an act cannot be done flippantly and should absolutely be done as a last resort should there be a clear conviction that to maintain the status quo would be to participate in a community which worshipped outside of the bounds of the universal Church, and would thus somehow pervert or foil the gospel and the redemptive work of the Church. Clearly Luther felt this way about the church in Rome and it seems that this is the case with the Anglican reformers.

But the preferred course of action would be to speak truth in love and attempt to engender change from within. Again, this was the case for Luther, and I believe this was the case with this group of Anglican reformers.

"In Essentials, Unity; In Non-Essentials, Liberty; In All Things, Charity." This is a quote which is often attributed to Augustine, but speaks to the heart of the issue of when Jesus' clear mandate for unity and the sanctity of the gospel conflict. What are the essentials of our theological understanding which, when violated, are legitimate grounds to pursue reformation and, if necessary, a schism? The simple answer is to make Scripture the only authority, and to bind no conscience beyond those words. The more complex reality is that there are a large number of denominations that are built upon a foundation of sola scriptura which can trace their origins to a split from another sola scriptura denomination. What is "essential" is often very much in the eye of the beholders, or at least those who are looking to leave.

When I was at InterVarsity, we used to since this praise song called "One Voice" ("Father we ask of You this day...") which appealed to God to unite us as, well, one voice. Two observations:

1) I've sung this song much more often in interdenominational fellowships and conferences than at any church I've been part of
2) In the chorus, there's an odd F# chord that goes with the lyrics "...in love and harmony" which is almost never sung in harmony

Pray for purity and unity. Pray for unity and purity.