Albert // Six Minutes of Banter

In Process 16

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:29:14 -0800

In Process 16

Passion: AWAKENING

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:48:01 -0800

Passion: AWAKENING:

the new passion album came out today… pretty excited to give it a listen!

a little fun with robotic drumming

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:54:18 -0800

a little fun with robotic drumming

Pastor's Wives

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:48:00 -0800

i worked at a church for a while, and before that i went to a church for a while. i can bear witness these observation from my friend over at stuffchristianslike.net

the three types of pastors’ wives:

1. Sunny Rainbow Happy Lady
My mom, a pastor’s wife, is one of the nicest people on the planet. She is able to find something sweet about anyone. If you are a jerk she will say, “he really knows how to be direct with his emotions.” If you are hideous looking she will say, “he has such a nice personality and is great with animals.” She sees the silver lining in every cloud. And, when my dad said “hey, let’s move a thousand miles from everyone we know, go to a frozen land where the sun goes down at 3:30 in the winter, and start a Baptist Church in a car wash,” she said, “I’m in.” I love her and love her approach to life. I think most Pastor’s Wives are this way. They are just genuinely kind hearted people that God has put on the planet to make all of us a little happier.

2. The grumpiest person on earth
This is the polar opposite of type 1. This person is kind of like an ice queen, able to stare you down with a judgmental stare from a thousand feet away. This is like the pastor’s wife on the Simpsons. She’s mean, gossipy and secretly the one controlling the whole church. She has an inner circle of friends that rule things like the mafia. Want to bring a jello dish with fruit suspended delightfully in the middle? Better check with her. Feel good about your job interview for the youth minister position after talking to the search committee? Ha, better talk to the real search committee, the pastor’s wife. She will break you. I never, ever cross this lady. She’s liable to stab you in the bathroom with a shiv she carved from a church pencil if your family accidentally sits where her family usually does. Seriously, be careful. In her defense, I think she got this way by having hundreds of people criticize and nit pick and berate her husband for years. All too often, I think unhealthy churches turn type number 1 pastor wives into type number 2.

3. The Keyser Soze
In the movie, “The Usual Suspects,” Keyser Soze is the unseen mastermind that no one can figure out. He is a myth, a legend, a ghost that can never be pinned down. Some pastor’s wives are like that too. You just can’t figure them out. It’s not that they are robotic or fake, just that you can’t quite understand who they are. It’s almost like they’re in the witness protection program. They say all the right things. They are polite and friendly but you can’t help thinking to yourself during a slow sermon, “that pastor’s wife probably stabbed a mobster in Reno and is on the run.” You’re like the kids from Scooby Doo, gathering clues, trying to put the whole puzzle together, thinking maybe that the haunted lighthouse was really just old man Jenkins with a sheet. Give it up. Some pastor’s wives are great at establishing really firm boundaries. They know how easy it is to get emotionally drained at a church when hundreds of people want personal relationships.

In Process #15

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:58:00 -0800

In Process #15

retrospace: Bond (via doppelganger X)

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:36:46 -0800

retrospace:

Bond (via doppelganger X)

today, we got out of our Old Testament survey class early, so i...

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:27:00 -0800

today, we got out of our Old Testament survey class early, so i thought i’d head over to the starbucks off tapo canyon, order the girlyish drink on the menu and enjoy this 75 degree weather!

In Process #14

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:31:00 -0800

In Process #14

Get up sleepyhead

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:14:09 -0800

Get up sleepyhead:

Remix of “Sleepyhead” by Passion Pit… Very cool video

who needs church!

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:38:00 -0800

today, i was looking for somewhere to go and something to do.

so i grabbed my bible and headed west. after a few adventures, including the consumption of food at the commonly attributed time for a midday meal, lunch, i ultimately made it highway 23, a windy mountain road the leads to malibu. as i drove through the road i began to feel like a nascar driver and thinking “my dad would love this road!” then i got behind a driver who was, let’s just say, enjoying the scenery.

so back to reality.

before i knew it, i had arrived at the breathtaking spot on highway 23 where you look out amongst a mountainous terrian to see cliffs, trees, and an ocean. i had arrived. i was not as excited as one would expect because i had not planned on going to the beach. maybe if i had made that my goal earlier in the day, it could have been more satisfying. nonetheless. the beach was gorgeous. pure beauty.

i found a spot off the PCH and parked. i rolled down the windows in my car, blasting ulrich shnauss, grabbed my bible and sat on the little cliff over looking the beach.

as i read through the book of exodus, i became overwhelmed with the “rescue” aspect of God, that He “heard the cry of the oppressed.” God was doing a thing in my heart.

but that’s not the point of this story.

as i got ready to pack up and leave, i was thinking about my time on the beach, reading the bible and admiring His creation, and felt satisfied. i began to type an email to my friend while sitting at starbucks, and i just began to let my fingers run ahead of my brain. after sharing my experience via electronic mail, i looked back on what i had wrote and realized God was teaching my something else.

which is the point of this little story.

as i began to describe to my friend how satisfied had felt just simply reading the scriptures and being in His creation, i found myself laughing at the phrase “and now im heading to church!”

in my heart, i had felt i had already been to church. i thought, church, then, must be something different than the reading of Holy Scriptures and music. i had that at the beach. but, i was alone.

and suddenly i realized the importance of church in the context of “community”, rather than the traditional “song and message.”

church, especially as described in the bible, is so much more than what we expect today. the early church gathered, ate, participated in the Lord’s supper and had fellowship.

wow. what a challenge to what we expect from church today: good music, a good message. and if we don’t get those things, we respond with a negative view of church. i remember going to st. james park, in san jose, and feeding the homeless and talking with them, and hearing their stories and thinking, “this is church!”

when you think of church, what do you think about? the music? the teaching? even as i got to the worship gathering at my church, i sat alone. thought nothing of it, then a friend of mine came up to me and said “you can’t sit alone, come on!” that’s interesting. can you sit alone at church? can church be experienced alone?

God help us focus on what you want us to focus on, and let us do it together, in community with others.

This guys name was Albert too… We share a common bond!

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:22:57 -0800

This guys name was Albert too… We share a common bond!

PC or MAC?

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:30:38 -0800

I’ve read many articles and blogs all around the subject “Is God a _______ or _______?(FILL IN THE BLANK)”

possible inserts are: car, fashion, decade, etc.

i find these entertaining. here is the latest, found on one of my favorite blogs.

1. Macs are beautiful and glimmery white in their design. Christ and God are always represented as the “light of the world.” PCs are often dark. God is definitely a Mac.

2. As soon as you own an iPhone you start to feel a potpourri of pity and shame for anyone who does not own one. Someone whips out a Blackberry and you immediately, smugly think inside, “That poor person. Pushing on physical keys. The horror.” God doesn’t like that arrogance. God is a PC.

3. Apple makes real efforts to improve the planet and recycle their products. God loves that. God is a Mac.

4. Apple is notorious for rejecting apps that people try to put on the iPhone. God doesn’t reject anyone. God is definitely a PC.

5. PCs are often plagued by viruses and crashes. Much like sin, God hates that. God is definitely a Mac.

6. Mac commercials are constantly mocking people who use PCs. God hates mockery. God is definitely a PC.

7. You don’t have to learn a complicated operating system to use a Mac. You turn it on and go. Same with God. Repentance and salvation are not complex systems designed to confuse people. God’s a Mac.

8. PCs are constantly needing to be upgraded and updated with the latest software and operating systems. Just like sanctification. You are constantly changing and being renewed. God’s a PC.

9. Macs take a very holistic approach to computing. There’s iLife and iTunes and iPhone. They all work together seamlessly. Just the way God wants to be integrated into every part of our life. God’s a Mac.

10. Some people treat Apple’s Steve Jobs like he’s God in a mock turtle neck. Turns out God is not cool with that. God’s a PC.

11. Macs are very intuitive. When you want to do something, you don’t look up how to do it, you just do it. With a PC, things are often backwards. When you want to shut down for instance, you have to click “Start.” The Bible is very intuitive too. Proverbs lays out pages of simple wisdom that just makes sense. God is a Mac.

12. Macs are all about outside appearances. They look fantastic. But God cares more about what’s inside. Macs are too vain. God’s a PC.

13. Macs make music easy to enjoy. They’re more artistic and often the choice of graphic designers and photographers. God is a great fan of the arts, as evidence by the colorful sunsets and sunrises he paints each day. God’s a Mac.

14. Macs are really expensive. God’s not. He paid the cost. He paid the debt we owed to him. God’s a PC.

15. The Mac logo, an apple with a bite out of it, is reminiscent of our fall from grace in the garden of Eden and God’s forgiveness of us. God’s a Mac.

16. The Gates Foundation has given millions and millions of dollars to help people around the world. God’s all about generosity. God’s a PC.

17. Apple stores are not designed like traditional retail outlets, but are more like aesthetic sanctuaries. They’re practically consumer churches. God’s a Mac.

18. Mac is constantly teasing us with information. There is a tablet. There’s not a tablet. God, on the other hand, is much more direct with his love and purpose in our lives. God’s a PC.

at the end of the day, i believe God is mac. is this because i own a mac? it’s very probably true.

as i live by post-it notes, i thought this was pretty amazing.

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:44:46 -0800

as i live by post-it notes, i thought this was pretty amazing.

Oh California…

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:34:11 -0800

Oh California…

a brief update

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:35:00 -0800

hey y’all

i thought i would give you all a little update on the happenings surrounding albert. i moved in saturday with my moving crew, took me a few days to settle in and quit living out of boxes. come to think of it, i am still living out of a few boxes. but nevertheless, i consider myself settled.

orientation on monday was just fabulous. i met lots of crazy folks who are just as excited as i am to jump into bible classes. classes started tuesday. academics i will be attempting over these next 15 weeks will be Theology 2 (Christology, Anthropology, Hamartiology, Soteriology), Old Testament Survey 1 & 2, New Testament Survey and Bible Study Methods (Hermeneutics). wow.

for those curious, i am residing in west hills, ca and commute in to simi valley (about a 20 min drive) for classes. i am very much enjoying this 80 degree weather in january… for some reason, it feels like im cheating the weather system.

as of this moment in blog/space/time continuum, i joined the unemployed club. for those feeling the urge to support my brave undertaking, please feel free to do so. my folks back in milpitas would make a perfect avenue for those wanting to support me.

please keep me in your prayers… as much as i love all my classes and professors, i do not underestimate the sheer amount of work i will have to conquer over the next few months.

i do very miss all you bay areans and look forward to seeing you soon for a visit.

chou

-A

Photo

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:11:50 -0800

me and summer

timmy and summer

the three of us

snow fun

a wonderful holiday video for all!

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:19:00 -0800

a wonderful holiday video for all!

Me and Johnny

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:46:48 -0800

Me and Johnny

Me and Amanda

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:45:32 -0800

Me and Amanda

thehousenvcf:

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:05:04 -0800

thehousenvcf: