DISQUS

I love benner

nice dude. i will be referring to this in the future... thanks

glad you had fun with them :). gary and michelle are ridiculously cute together :).

thanks for this :)

*tsk tsk*

looking hot.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!

mm... bruschetta...

Amen.

but then it gets so complicated. I feel this is my desire, and many other people's desires for something new. But how can this new generation of Asian Americans pursue the dream of creating a new church while graciously receiving the blessing of the older generations? Or are the older generations capable of blessing the new generation without viewing them as children?

I have been immersed in my immigrant church home church for a long time. And every time a new generation takes ownership, it becomes interpreted as rebellion.

As I have been sitting through Intervarsity staff training, many of the asian american staff have been talking about how they have come to a point where they had to learn how to disobey their parents, but still honor them in terms of their decision to pursue ministry.

I believe that's what this new generation must learn to do- how to maintain honor, even when they are in "disobedience". I think trying a new thing is equated as disobedience, so when they leave to start new ministries, they leave with a clear idea that the price for obeying God is disobeying the old generation's expectations of them, and in turn, dishonoring them. That's why the "silent exodus" is "silent". There is a shame, yet simultaneous indignation. There is a rift between generations.

There are extremely successful second generation ministries here on the west coast. GRX in the bay area, newsong in the south... But every second generation person i have met from there has given up on the first generation and the immigrant churches they come from... and rightfully so sometimes. There is a huge amount of mistrust and hurt. But then immigrant churches view this as sheep stealing. When i was interning at my immigrant church, my job was to make sure people stay at our church, and there would always be grumblings of frustration that nobody came back- before it would be worry that people werent christians after college... but now it is confusion and frustration that they don't come back "home".

What would healthy release look like? What would healthy empowerment and partnership look like between the generations? How can previous generations, in the name of "family", encourage, not destroy, the passion of new generations?

Yes, I'm wrestling with it too. And yes, I'm one more voice throwing in his opinion on this, and no, it won't get us over the hump. But I suppose it's better than silence, eh?

But there's always hope, isn't there? Here's hoping for God to inspire some creative solutions of reconciliation and empowerment towards the picture painted in the psalms which says, "One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts."

and I have successfully written a blog entry in a comment. wonderful.