This American holiday is a relatively new one. By 1861, Julia Ward Howe was already famous for her Civil War song, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” But during the twelve years after writing that song, she witnessed the horrible carnage of that war. And it got to her. She was already an activist who fought for a woman’s right to vote. So she took one more step: she called for a day that would honor peace and motherhood in her Mother’s Day Proclamation of 1870. Here’s an excerpt:

We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause …

Blood does not wipe out dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace,
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.

The holiday was to be celebrated on June 2nd, but it never took off. Later, however, Ann Reeves Jarvis gathered West Virginian women to keep honoring the holiday to reunite and reconcile families that were on opposing sides of the Civil War.

After she died, her daughter, Anna Jarvis, took up her mother’s cause. She convinced the superintendent of Andrew’s Methodist Church, where her mother served the Sunday school for 20 years, to hold a memorial in her mother’s honor and for peace. So on May 10, 1908, the first Mother’s Day celebration was held with 407 people, complete with arrangements of carnations — her mother’s favorite flower.

By 1909, 46 states were holding Mother’s Day services, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday.

So, the holiday started with Christian women who were justice advocates fighting for a woman’s right to vote, who were also tired of bloodshed and sought for peace, who also helped families reconcile with each other, and through this holiday, followed an old, old biblical command to “honor your father and mother.” Not too shabby, eh?

Next year, I hope (though probably to no avail) that Hallmark pulls these themes — peace, justice, reconciliation and faith — back together for a series of Mother’s Day cards. In that way, we’d remember afresh what holidays — “holy days” — were set apart to be.

I want to learn how to tell a better story.

I know the idea of stories has been around the block a few times, even in evangelical neighborhoods. But still, stories have tremendous power. The best stories tell us what the world is like, and point to how the world could be. At Q, Bobette Buster, a creative consultant to some of the biggest names in Hollywood, said that if you tell your story, then it can lead to courage and healing. But if you bottle it up, then they’re like ticking time bombs, ready to explode in destructive ways in the world around us. (Aren’t the recent events in Boston yet, among other things, another example of this? Or perhaps the wrong story believed?) We need stories to make sense of our world, and to help us picture a better one. No wonder storytelling, especially in movies, is a multi-billion dollar industry.

We need stories to live.

Now, when I talk about telling stories, I don’t just mean sitting on a stool, and weaving together a good yarn of a tale for a night at the bar. Instead, we need to know how to tell our own story — why our hearts bleeds for something — and then, embody that story. In fact, according to Howard Gardner in his book on the greatest 20th century leaders, Leading Minds, the only common trait they have is the ability to tell their story and live it out.

So if you want to lead a movement, you’ll need to be a master storyteller.

For the Christian, I want to up the ante. Nancy Duarte, communications guru and author, also taught that we all carry the greatest story ever told. We live in a greater story, a bigger story. So she challenged: can’t we just take the time to learn how to communicate it well?

Here am I, clocking in.

Now, onto the meat of why I’m writing: A few months ago, we hosted a series of 8-minute talks at the Urbana 12 Pan Asian North American (PANA) Lounge. Twenty-four leaders from the church, academic and parachurch gave their big idea — and we had a great time. But now with some months’ perspective, I think, now, that we may have been onto something bigger than we thought: we may have created the only online repository of Asian American Christian thought ever captured on video. (Before you hate, let me know if that’s not true!)

I wish I can take all the credit for coming up with that idea. But I can’t.

It was Joe’s idea.

Joe Ho is the next national director of InterVarsity’s Asian American Ministries. That’s right: my current job. He’s really a great fit for it, and I’m excited for its next season of ministry.

Now, I wasn’t intending on introducing him to you on this blog. But I just had a chance to review his PANA talk, and it’s amazing. (The staff he supervises call his drops of wisdom — “Ho Bombs.”) I really could’ve put any video from the PANA Lounge “repository” up on this site, but perhaps this can be a gateway video to the others. (Don’t I sound like a dealer or a pusher? Still, you can find the entire list here — and we’re still posting more.)

He counters the prevailing wisdom that the church is in decline, and asks us to look elsewhere for where the Kingdom may abound. In it, I think helps us redeem the legacy of the immigrant church — that they did their job, and now it’s time to do ours.

Now just press play. And watch out for bombs.

I had to write about the recent rash of racism theme parties on college campuses at releasetheape.com. Here’s an excerpt:

I’m not really into dressing up in costumes. Not my thing. Halloween does nothing for me. I’m just not one of those guys who will go out of his way to do it.

So then I really don’t get why these things are so popular on college campuses:

Racist theme parties.

Three years ago, a fraternity hosted the Compton Cookout to “celebrate” Black history month at the University of California, San Diego. That story made it to the New York Times. More recently, a Penn State sorority dressed up in sombreros and fake mustaches for a Mexican-themed Halloween party last year, holding up signs like, “I don’t cut grass. I smoke it.” And just a few weeks ago, a Duke fraternity threw an Asian-based rager, with “Herro Nice Duke Peopre” in the email invite. All made national news.

But I’m sure there are many, many more.

One website posted an entire list of recent Duke University parties with racist and sexist themes. I only kept what’s happened in the past three years (and took out the sexist ones as well) and this list is way too long to stomach.

• Pilgrims and Indians, Pi Kappa Phi, requesting the attendance of “hot natives” and “pocahotness” November 2011
• Hunters and Hunter, unnamed Duke sorority and fraternity, October 2010
• South of the Border mixer, cohosted by SAE and Pi Phi, 1994
• “Thinking we should make that fence down south a little taller? Pissed about a certain group of easterners f—ing up the curve in Econ 51?… Well it’s time to get over your fears and join the brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha for a truly unique tour of the world.” Pi Kappa Alpha, January 2010
• Invitation sent to “BabyGurlz,” KA, March 2010
• Rapper’s Delight Party, formerly known as Ghetto Fabulous Party, ATO

Why does this happen in mostly white fraternities and sororities? You don’t see the non-white Greek system doing these kinds of things. And more pointedly, why is this happening on elite educational institutions? The Ivies are not exempt. If you think about it, these students will become the future business barons, government officials, and cultural icons of America. Shouldn’t this cause us to worry? Why does this go on? …

I love our church. We’re small, and we meet in our home. And we’ll often just sit and listen to hear what God might be saying to us. Some will share visions. Others, dreams. Still others will share Bible verses that are apt for the moment. Through it all, it becomes clear that one word from God is worth a thousand sermons.

Isn’t that what prophets do? Figure out what God is saying for the moment? I haven’t seen anything else motivate a community more than a word that everyone knows is from God.

So how do you know if God is speaking?

Though there are many times when it’s difficult to discern God’s voice, much of it often uses common sense — given that the Spirit actually lives within us as a community. When I’m discerning whether or not God is speaking through a person or a community, I’m usually asking these five questions …

So a few days ago, when the summer-like temps seduced their way into Southern California (my apologies to, well, the rest of the country!), I packed my entire family into our beat-up Civic and headed north to Los Feliz. I didn’t foresee how busy the parking lot would be, and we barely made it to the planetarium’s first showing with literally minutes to spare.

The room darkened. We settled back in our theater seats. My heart was glad, knowing it was my kids’ first time in a planetarium. (I’m also a nerd.) And the domed ceiling gave way to a tapestry of stars.

We miss what’s up above, because we’re too enamored by what’s below.

Both times filled me with awe.

But now, because many of us live in cities that give off its own light, we can’t see the sky as it was made.

It made me think: sometimes we don’t notice the majesty of creation, because we’re blinded by our own creations. We miss the vast heavenly array, because we are fine under our incandescents, halogens, and flourescents. We miss what’s up above, because we’re too enamored by what’s below. What we create often keeps us from seeing who has done the creating from the beginning. What we make of the world often keeps us from the acknowledging the Maker of the world.

Sometimes, we just need to unplug, disconnect, hang up, shut down, and just plain turn off some things, so that we can find things like awe, wonder, and worship again.

But even if you’re not at Urbana, you can get the Book of the Day pricing on Kindle editions. (Look for the “December” edition on the book’s Kindle edition page). So, until December 31, you could get my book Real Life and six other great InterVarsity Press books, each for only $4.99!

Here they are (and if you’re getting this on email, you won’t see the links. Click here to get them.):

• Real Life by James Choung (aff link)
• Western Christians in Global Mission by Paul Borthwick (aff link)
• Go and Do by Don Everts (aff link)
• The Dangerous Act of Worship by Mark Labberton (aff link)
• Making All Things New by York Moore (aff link)
• Small Things With Great Love by Margot Starbuck (aff link)
• What Jesus Started by Steve Addison (aff link)

Enjoy!

The PANA Lounge will be split into two. On the social side, we’ll have space to hang out, snacks, a photo booth, and a “Genius Bar” for free consulting on Asian North American ministry. And check out Shin Maeng‘s art installation as well!

On the content side, we’ll present 24 eight-minute talks on the latest and greatest ideas in Asian North American ministry in the first part of each afternoon. The middle part will generally spotlight various Asian North American artists and creatives, while the last part will host various ethnic gatherings. There’s even an intimate concert with Jason Chu, and an open mic on the last afternoon! Here’s the full schedule, and click the talk’s title to jump straight to the video:

Friday, December 28

• 1:30 – James Choung, “Redeeming Our Gifts”
• 1:45 – Peter Cha, “Preparing for the 2040 Reality”
• 2:00 – Linson Daniel, “Dismantling the South Asian North American Dream”
• 2:15 – Tracey Gee, “Asian North American Women in Leadership: The Power of Leading from the Inside Out”
• 2:30 – DJ Chuang, “Step Up, Speak Up and Live It Up”
• 2:45 – Arul Karunanidhi, “A Hindu, a Muslim, and a Christian walk into a room…” (Video won’t be posted)
• 3:30 – Artist Spotlight on Authors: James Choung and Tracey Gee
• 5:00 – South Asian Gathering

Saturday, December 29

• 1:30 – Ken Fong, “Unbelievable”
• 1:45 – Lisa Espineli Chinn, “Why Asian North Americans are Specifically Positioned for Global Missions”
• 2:00 – Jimmy Quach, “Asian North Americans Changing the World Through Entrepreneurship”
• 2:15 – Sarah Shin, “Asian North Americans Christians and the Arts”
• 2:30 – David de Leon, “Is the Filipino Worth Dying For?”
• 2:45 – Jason Chu, “From Yale to YouTube: A New Asian North American Vision”
• 3:30 – Artist Spotlight on Poets: Jason Chu
• 5:00 – Filipino Gathering

Sunday, December 30

• 1:30 – Helen Lee, “Confessions of a Tiger Failure”
• 1:45 – Joe Ho, “The Legacy of the Immigrant Church”
• 2:00 – Anna Lee-Winans, “The Power of Asian North Americans in Academia”
• 2:15 – Christian Chin, “Asian North American Christians: Imitators or Originators?”
• 2:30 – Alice Atkins, “Scripture and Culture”
• 2:45 – Sara Chang, “Adopted Twice”
• 3:30 – Asian American / Transracial Adoptee Gathering
• 5:00 – Hmong Gathering

Monday, December 31

• 1:30 – Ken Kong, “Organic Ministry Among Our Immediate and Extended Families”
• 1:45 – Billy Vo, “Angry Asian Man, Honorary White or Another Way?”
• 2:00 – AC Acosta, “Missionaries Missing in Action”
• 2:15 – Nate Lee, “The Moral Model Minority”
• 2:30 – Dora Yiu, “Raise Your Voice: Asian North American Women & Activism”
• 2:45 – Greg Hsu, “Asian North Americans: Divided by God?”
• 3:30 – Open Mic
• 5:00 – Southeast Asian Gathering

Updates will happen through the @InterVarsityAAM Twitter feed, so make sure you follow that. And you don’t have to be Asian to come, so check it out! Hope to see you there!

Here’s a two-and-a-half minutes video summarizing the main disciple-making model of the book:

As for practical takeaways, Real Life offers generational insights — particularly the differences between Generation Xers, Boomers and Millennials — and how it shapes our disciple-making. It also describes a disciple-making model that attempts to incorporate many values into one helpful flow. One endorsement summarizes this well:

“Real Life turns disciplemaking on its head, fusing together elements that have normally been separate — evangelism, spiritual formation, community and mission — into one great model that could easily be applied and multiplied. To make disciples today, this book is a valuable resource to get us started,” shares Alan Hirsch.

It’s been four and a half years since True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In was released, and I’ve been humbled by the immense response to four hand-drawn circles. A huge thanks to everyone who helped to get that book out.

I know that I might risk sounding a bit brazen, but I hope that you hear only my excitement about what God has done so far. Starting back in 2005, those of us in San Diego InterVarsity created the material to reach Southern California college students, and did extensive field-testing and multiple drafts before the book was released in 2008. Since then, I’ve been surprised by its international appeal. It’s been used to introduce people to Jesus and His message on every inhabited continent. (I don’t know, nor think it probably, that anyone has taken it to Antarctica.) And so far, it has been translated into Korean, Mongolian, Polish, Thai, Mandarin, German and Spanish.

It’s also spread to the evangelism curricula for denominations and national campus ministries, and has been reported on by Christian media outlets such as Christianity Today, Leadership Journal and JCTV. It’s been shared with seminary students in New England, lakeside villagers in Malawi, college students in Texas, house churches in China, youth in Australia, megachurches in Orange County, inmates in Fresno, slum dwellers in Thailand, and gang-bangers in Boston — one even tattooed the fourth circle on his bicep! One chaplain of a county jail thought it would help reduce the recidivism rate, giving inmates not only a vision of what they’re forgiven from, but what they’re forgiven for.

I’m thankful to God. It’s been His doing.

Now, four and a half years later, Real Life is finally out. From this vantage point, I see that both books are about disciple-making: if True Story communicated a vision of faith for people who don’t yet follow Jesus, then Real Life does the same with those who have already started. Real Life seeks to help people become like Jesus, as I learned from folks at 3DM, “to do the things he did for the reasons he did them.”

True Story and Real Life actually share a common lineage: they are popularized versions of first and second halves of my dissertation on postmodern leadership development. True Story gave the theological ground for Real Life’s disciple-making model. A bit like Lord of the Rings, the two books actually came from the same unified source!

It’s available for pre-order at Amazon — both in paperback and Kindle formats — but you can get it shipped to you immediately from InterVarsity Press if you can’t wait. And if you liked it, please consider offering a short review at Amazon. It might not seem like much, but every review was is enormously helpful in persuading others to see what this book is all about.

In the future, look for the blog categories of future posts. Many of them will line up with the Real Life Continuum: skeptic, seeker, follower, leader, and world-changer. A couple of the previous posts have already started down that line, and I hope to have it continue.

So, I hope that you enjoy reading Real Life, and that it gives you the tools necessary to help empower others to do what Jesus did for the reasons he did them.