1 month 2 times in New York City
Mostly packed and ready for my second New York City trip this month. I just checked-in online and printed out my boarding pass. (Last time, departing from NYC, my failure to do this was the decisive factor that made me miss my flight.)
On this go around, I’ll be there for 5 days/ 4 nights, which includes the sold-out Dwell Conference, a Yankees baseball game, staying at a hotel in Upper East Side, and who knows what goodies I’ll eat.
I had blogged about the Dwell Conference on 2/21/08, and had set a reminder to myself to register a week later. Well, wouldn’t you know it, a whole rush on registrations happened that very week, and it was sold out! (Did my blog have something to do with it?) I was left with no (legitimate) way in, and already booked my air travel and hotel! I pulled strings left and right, pleaded and begged, even making a trip to Mars Hill Seattle, but no go. I was #41 on the waiting list. And then my colleague had to cancel her trip on Thursday 4/24/08, and we got her registration transferred over to me. Voila, I’m in!! What an answer to (a desperate) prayer!
There’s 90% chance rain on Monday (tomorrow), but I’m in the plane most of the day. I hope that doesn’t mean a flight delay.
I have to get up at 5:00am to catch a shuttle to the airport, so I’d better be off to bed. (btw, recent personal news: closed escrow last Friday on condo town home + see photos; update – I’ve added a tumblr blog for mundane everyday stuff at daily.djchuang.com for a glimpse of my mundane life)
For real-time updates, follow me on twitter.com/djchuang >>
finally my Starbucks card does something!
I’ve been a Starbucks card member for years. Years I tell you. I’ve worn out at least 3 cards from heavy usage over time. I’ve had to ask the cashier to transfer my credit to a new card, because the old one was losing its magnetism. Automatic recharge on the card was nice, as was the quicker swipe on checkout was too, but mostly marginal.
The most recent change that Starbucks has added as bonuses to the Starbucks card are a good start: syrup and milk options for free, brewed coffee refills for free, free drink with whole bean purchase. (I don’t know why the graphic avoided the word free.)
Now, here’s some of my wild-brained ideas that I’ve submitted to myStarbucksIdea.com — register there as a user for free, and vote for these! and/or add comments there for these ideas!
- delicious soft serve ice cream and/or frozen yogurt
- 30 daily featured drinks + top 10 selling drinks scoreboard constantly updated
- improve website by combining similar ideas [where I mentioned askanything.marshillchurch.org]
- great drink with no sugar and no caffeine
- web sequel: my Starbucks drink website — as in myStarbucksDrink.com
- suppress receipts without saying No every time
Ya think any of these have a leg to stand on? FFT (fan-freakin-tabulous)? awesomatimistic? kewl beans? off the hook? perfectomundo?
does assurance equal certainty?
An old friend sent me this controversy brewing at Cedarville College. I went to seminary with David Hoffeditz, who was apparently dismissed last summer under mostly hushed tones. Details are slowly coming to light, as the Dayton Daily News reported several weeks ago, as — Secret recording suggests firings timed to avoid furor: A theological issue splits the conservative Baptist school and could pose a threat to future enrollment and Cedarville firings worry fundamentalists: School says theology had no role in firings of Bible profs; others not so sure::
Cedarville historically has been fundamentalist, or orthodox, since becoming a Baptist institution in 1953, and requires all its students to minor in Bible. But the new emergents’ views on truth and certainty had crept into the Bible department, according to students and faculty, creating a schism.
The fired professors, David Mappes and David Hoffeditz, were on the fundamentalist, conservative side of the divide. Their supporters believe they were fired because they openly challenged other faculty members’ more liberal interpretations of the Bible in the classroom.
Mappes and Hoffeditz were fired in July despite receiving new contracts just a few months beforehand.
I was in the same seminary dorm with David Hoffeditz for a couple years, delightfully joyful guy. Apparently he had more brainpower than he let on, seeing how now he’s a very capable professor. David himself has issued 3 public statements about his situation at http://dmhoffeditz.netfast.org, even as he & his wife expect their 1st child next week!
The website www.cedarvillesituation.com tracks a lot of the developing story, er, situation. Article # 3 describes the firings this way:
President Brown, in the presence of fourteen witnesses, said on December 17th of last year that the word “assurance” in the University’s Truth and Certainty statement means the same as “certainty.” The exact lines in The Truth and Certainty statement are thus:
“The Christian has the privilege of living with confidence made possible by God’s grace. Christians can be assured that their beliefs are warranted even if their understanding is not comprehensive or perfect in every instance. This certainty is to be held with humility and love.”
. . . Since Dr. Brown (authoritatively) equates “assured” with being “certain” there is a dramatic problem. Those faculty who signed the statement (the statement is incorporated in the Faculty Handbook which is then incorporated in the faculty contracts) without meaning certainty must face dismissal.
But what has happened is that the “certainty people,” Thigpen, Cragoe, Hoffeditz and Mappes have been dismissed.
Plus, 2 welterweight blogs do battle cage-match style in the blogosphere– Cedarville : Liver vs. Cedarville: Heart.
I feel badly for David and the other terminated profs. I’ve read a handful of paragraphs linked above, and it all seemed way too nuanced for me. I’m going to bed.
mother of all church planting conferences
I excerpted this from my Digital @ Leadership Network blog post ::
A huge gathering well into the thousands, like about 2,800 church leaders in Orlando, Florida — at the Exponential 08 Conference, aka National New Church Conference! Touted as the “mother of all church planting conferences“. (Wish I could be there, but I’m still recoup’ing from my heavy travel season, not that I’m conferenced out. Plus, I have work to do besides attending conferences, I really do.)
Some of the live reporting of the action from the floor (via blogging, twittering, photos, and/or video): Todd Rhoades of Leadership Network and MondayMorningInsight.com, Scott Hodge, Chris Elrod, and Jay Hardwick. Follow tweets from toddrho / scotthodge / chriselrod / jayhardwick / mpayne1970 / ronsylvia. And/or, see the latest in the blogosphere via Google Blog Search.
[update] Todd Rhoades provides live streaming from the “green” room backstage, with speakers interviews. He’s recorded the ones with Dave Ferguson and Alan Hirsch. Chris Elrod is taking questions for his interviews with Alan Hirsch, Rick Warren, and Tim Keller today 4/23/08! What would you ask Tim Keller? Send a direct message to Chris Elrod with your questions >> + Chris Elrod has great sound bites twittered from Keller’s Thursday morning talk
how would you talk about homosexuality in church?
There are many issues that are not easy to talk about in an Asian context, or an Asian American context, for that matter. Asian culture’s shame-based sensitivities makes it difficult to discuss (almost) any issue for which individuals in a group have different convictions/ opinions/ beliefs. One of those issues is homosexuality, and not only because of its prominence in American society. It’s not only an issue, there are real people in the mix –it relates to many of our friends and families.
I just got word of this special event from Pastor Ken Fong of Evergreen LA . This conversation is especially for Southern California Asian American evangelical churches and they are making a short film about this for release in the coming year. From what I gather, it’s an attempt at a cordial discussion between people who have very different convictions on a sensitive issue. What do you think?
Saturday, May 10, 7:00 p.m. @ Sanctuary of Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles www.ebcla.org
WE NEED TO TALK: A Conversation about Homosexuality & the Asian American Christian Church. Sponsored by the Christian Social Issues (CSI) group, an informal gathering of Asian American Christians who discuss wide-ranging social issues and how they relate to our Christian faith. Join three old friends – two straight and one gay – who will engage in a conversation that needs to happen more often in order to dispel ignorance, quell fear and hatred, and foster greater understanding. Debate about scriptural interpretation or scientific evidence is not within the scope of this dialogue. It is not our intent to resolve this highly complex issue. Though we may ultimately arrive at different conclusions, at the very least, we need to break the awful silence in our churches surrounding this subject. We really need to talk.
If you have a friend or loved one who is gay, or you are gay yourself, or you are a Christian who is concerned about this issue, please join us in this much needed and long-awaited dialogue.
[update] see a more detailed post about this event at ISAAC bulletin board for planning committee members and background
[update 2] Ken Fong is already speaking to the issue in a sermon series titled, “Is There a Place for Homosexuals in the Body of Christ?” [slides from part 1 and part 2] and blogging to the issue — see his blog posts Conviction, Upcoming Forum, and We need to talk.
