The Theology of Bruce Lee

Statue of Bruce Lee at HK's harbor-front Avenue of Stars (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Thinking about the man, the legend, Bruce Lee, commemorating the 35th anniversary of his death (July 20, 1973, at age 32). Who doesn’t love this man? One bad@$$ ABC brutha. Yes that’s right, ABC! Arguably the singlemost influential ABC ever. Now only if he was a pastor. Imagine that?!

Also remembering David Gibbons on his excellent use of Bruce Lee-isms at Q and AALC speaking on third culture and adaptability.

Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Water can flow or it can crash.
Be water, my friend
– The Theology of Bruce Lee.

Also Read:
Seattle Art Museum [SAM] event one of many tributes to Bruce Lee

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Tom Hsieh Interview

Thanks to Danny at NewPointe Community Church who provided us a link to the interview they conducted during their service with Tom Hsieh. Enjoy!

Read:
Missional Living. Earn 200k. Live on 38k.
Missional Living. Earn 200k. Live on 38k. Part 2

Missional Living. Earn 200k. Live on 38k. Part 2

My post about Tom Hsieh has gotten a lot of attention. I’m glad that Danny, the music director at NewPointe Community Church caught wind of my post. His team decided to do something creative with the story. Read the post on his blog.

This Sunday, NewPointe Community Church will be doing a live conference with Tom Hsieh for part of their worship service. Listen live from their website, www.newpointe.org.
It will feature towards the end of the message (around 9:45 or 11:45am).

Related
• Missional Living. Earn 200k. Live on 38k.

Missional Living. Earn 200k. Live on 38k.

Tom Hsieh is my hero. Hands down.
As an Asian man. As a father. As an entrepreneur. As a follower of Christ.

I think this was a precious find in People magazine [ Thanks David (Next.Generasian Church) ] last month juxtaposed between pages of celebrities and whatever in the world they are up to. Plus isn’t it great to see yet another interracial couple with a cute baby to spoil on? No. Recent research shows that interracial couples spend more time and money on their kids than parents who are both of the same race. I’ll save that thought for another time. The Hsiehs are an image of a interracial couple that will give their bi-racial child a different story.

But the point I want to make in this post is that from a policy perspective this is how urban renewal is supposed to work but who’s willing? Move into a community with high crime and unemployment? What about safety? What about my family? What about my children’s future? How about, Is this not what those have been called by follow Christ supposed to do?

I’m thrilled that Tom gives to Servant Partners, a ministry that I’m in love with. Their mission is consistent with the life demonstrated through the Hsiehs – living among the poor in community, leading humbly in the spirit of a servant, evangelizing boldly in faith beyond race, beyond class. Sounds like Jesus eh?

Tom Hsieh could be living the American dream. An immigrant from Taiwan, he worked hard in school, got into a good college and today heads an L.A.- based telecommunications consulting firm. His annual pay: $2OO,OOO.
So where’s the big house and fancy car? “We could have that lifestyle,” Hsieh says. “But it’s not real.” What’s real, for Hsieh, is his deep faith and desire to help others. So Hsieh, 36, wife Bree, 31, and 13-month-old daughter Kadence live on a modest $38,000 a year.

The rest of Tom’s income goes to charity, including Servant Partners, a Christian group he and Bree belong to that sends young adults into urban areas to spread Christ’s teachings and practice community activism.

The family lives in a two-bedroom duplex in South Pomona, a community battered by crime and unemployment. There, Hsieh and his wife talk to young people about getting on a better path, and lead efforts to make the streets safer. Santos Ramos, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Pomona, says the Hsiehs have the community respect. “Politicians come and go, but when educated people live next door, there’s hope.”

Still, it’s not exactly an immigrant parent’s dream. Some years ago, Hsieh told his parents, “I’ll always make sure there’s a roof over your head, but I won’t be the successful Chinese son who buys you a BMW.” His daughter won’t need such explanations. “She’s growing up,” he says, “knowing there more to life than possessions.” – People Magazine, Dec 24, 2007

Updated
Using my uncanny stalker skills I was able to find Tom Hsieh’s personal profile on boldergiving.org. . .
Sounds familiar. . . like Mark 10?

which action hero are you?

action-hero quiz…
thanks to my boy dan i came across this action hero quiz to get my mind fixed on something else. here were my results —-

You scored as Maximus. After his family was murdered by the evil emperor Commodus, the great Roman general Maximus went into hiding to avoid Commodus’s assassins. He became a gladiator, hoping to dominate the colosseum in order to one day get the chance of killing Commodus. Maximus is valiant, courageous, and dedicated. He wants nothing more than the chance to avenge his family, but his temper often gets the better of him. Maximus 92% Indiana Jones 88% Batman, the Dark Knight 88% Neo, the "One" 88% Lara Croft 83% James Bond, Agent 007 83% Captain Jack Sparrow 79% El Zorro 79% The Terminator 71% William Wallace 71% The Amazing Spider-Man 50% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

on superheroes

on being super
it all changed the day superman died. the death of superman marked the end of an era and unveiled the truth of the times in which we live. we killed him in 1993. supes was the real thing. a true superhero consistent inside and out. nobody can touch the man in greatness. he represented all that we hope to be. he fought for truth and justice…and “the american way?” comic book writers have long played around with whether supes is the real thing or not. jerry and george in seinfeld debate over the extent of supe’s powers. george, skeptical, believes that super is only skin-deep and does not apply to the inner man.1 would superman still be superman if he was stripped of his powers? the answer is yes. a non-super superman is still a hero.

after supes died we continued to kill superheroes. what has given way from that event are heroes that are more or less like us. they’ve got issues. they’re fallible. they’re not who we want to be anymore they’re who we are, who we can be. also, villains were no longer villians. they are capable of doing good and can possibly be turned. in comes the reign the anti-hero.

that’s the significance behind the character of darth vader and the current series of star wars I, II, and the soon to be released III [may 19]. we get to see his ascension/descension as young anakin skywalker, an extraordinary individual, different, and capable of doing great good … or great evil. unclear his future is. can you relate christian? i think this tension is what we also read in romans 7 and galatians. the greatest battle on earth, the flesh vs. the spirit. everyday it is our battle with who we want to be or should be and who we actually are right now. but battle we must. as we already know anakin falls to the dark side but the original star wars series shows us that there is still hope, in him and through his seed.

true superheroes hope. they have faith, fighting for and believing in something not yet seen. supes never killed anyone even under the most extreme circumstances. if they had died he was not unmoved and cold. here’s the mystique behind the batman. he’s a dark conflicted character. he’s not a real superhero and i think we may get a glimpse of that this summer in batman begins. his vigilance is motivated by revenge and not by hope. he may enjoy his work a little too much and that is something that he has to war with in his soul. he’s serious in dealing with wrongdoers. the villains end up in arkham asylum where they must work out their behavior. with batman gotham always lives in fear. i like the bat because he’s me, often a slave to law. i know the good i ought to do but…

who needs superheroes anyway? i think we do. but we need to realize that even they are limited. superman’s death and death in his world is utterly significant. it proves that he’s limited. supes’ mission is to save the world. but ultimately we know he can’t. death and suffering in superman’s world reminds even him that with all his powers he can’t save. neither can we. so we stand at the foot of the cross, approaching with confidence that the son is now at the right hand of the father for our sake and that he will return. we must choose life – walk by faith in the spirit. go in peace. up, up and away.

“The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature [ Or his flesh, from the flesh] will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”~ Galatians 6:8

i’m drunk and I’m feeling down / and i just wanna be alone / i’m pissed ’cause you came around / why don’t you just go home? / cause i channeled all your pain / and i can’t help you fix yourself / you’re making me insane / all I can say is…

i tear my heart open, i sew myself shut / and my weakness is that i care too much / and our scars remind us that the past is real / i tear my heart open just to feel

i tried to help you once / against my own advice / i saw you going down / but you never realized
that you’re drowning in the water / so i offered you my hand / compassion’s in my nature / tonight is our last stand ~ scars, papa roach

1 Brewer, Michael, Who Needs a Superhero? grand Rapids, baker Books, 2004. 22

antiheroic ../ part two point o/ ass u me ::.

antiheroic ../ part two point o/ ass u me ::.

we assume too much. reading the bible is difficult for many because often we approach the text assuming we know the stories already.

this week i agonized over some rather distressing faults in my life, my husbandry, my leadership…the list can go on. i wondered how, why God would ever use someone like me. i want to stop my fruitless neurotic praying, “oh God, here i am again…forgive me” and pray for more important things.

i was reminded of samson, israel’s ancient judge. almost instantly we remember his great strength and even greater faults. but we find him at the honor roll recorded in hebrews 11 where he is commended…for his faith. we need to think deeper about the significance of that. the truth is, yeah he did do some rather stupid things but there’s something about the man’s faith. his finest moments attest to the glory of God. if we are not so quick to assume easy categorizations of the more ‘frowned down upon’ characters in the bible, we may find that we have much more in common with them than we would like to think.

the story of samson is really the story of israel recapitulated and focused through the life of one man. he was a holy man, a nazirite, set apart at birth, but he wanted to be like other men, just as israel wanted to be like the other nations. we must see in samson not just israel’s story but our own. 1 peter 2:9 beckons us, “but you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” i continue to remain in tearful awe at the grace of God. in hebrews 11:32, gideon, barak, samson, jephtha are named out of the judges. how much of an example of God’s grace that despite obvious failures they were instruments in delivering God’s people. God dealt graciously with people who fell far short of his ideals. in spite of personal failure, they stepped out in faith to do something against those who oppressed God’s people. God chooses to use failed and flawed people to accomplish his purposes. for his glory. there is still hope even after our eyes are gouged out but let us be a people set apart. assume nothing. live the life.

antiheroic::.

antiheroic::.
i’ve been on a hero thing for some time now pondering their nature and significance. sometimes we may look at ‘heroes’ in the bible and regard them as holy in a sorta holier than thou (with organ pipes blowing in the background) way that makes us blind to what scripture actually says about them. or perhaps we reduce biblical characters to simplistic good guys and bad guys categories. they are after all merely human like the rest of us who live and breathe in this fallen world. we can think that God may find no fault with them, that they always followed his will. it’s a level playing field…all have fallen short of the glory of God. i love how the bible doesn’t give us a picture perfect account of history and triumphant victory. it is full of messed up living that necessitates such a forbearing compassionate God. some simplified examples – abraham’s shadiness and an even shadier grandson who was the first slim shady, obviously david and even more sadly his son whose name meant loved by God, jonah the racist?, peter the rock? the point is clear, it is not that man is good but God is. he’s chosen to love his creation and use lowly individuals to accomplish his grand purposes. for their faith they are honored.
. . .
my epaphrodities ::. “honor men like him…” [philippians 2.29] i have a deep love and appreciation for certain persons of faith, true heroes to me. they see closer than others. they are quick to sheath me in a way that others do not. their righteous words heal. fellow soldiers, messengers who risk their life to do this…you are my wingmen.
. . .
oh my…they killed superman…for real this time… gasp! i’m shocked at what they did to my hero
grrrrr. it’s blasphemous i tell ya…[shaking fist in air]
for those of you who can remember the original supes movies…have you ever noticed that it’s really a super Jesus story?
. . .
the legacy continues, william hung ::. uhhh…on sale soon at bestbuy, titled…inspiration, you can hear the pre-released tracks on the apple itms and purchase the full album there…included are three inspirational thoughts and a word of thanks from somebody’s hero…unbelievable