Author: andrewleewrites

The Danger of a Single Story

Published by andrewleewrites on August 24, 2020

I recently watched this highly inspiring TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian author and speaker, who talks about “the danger of a single story.” Stories have the power to influence and to shape. Stories inform our beliefs and they also shape perception of the truth. A single story, therefore, twists and misaligns reality to that single perspective and lands us with stereotype or incomplete “half-truths.” She describes several of her experiences from childhood as anecdotal evidence: growing up reading American and British stories in Nigeria, she heavily internalized the contents of those stories as representative of ALL stories.

Comparing Yourself to Others

Comparing Yourself to Others

Published by andrewleewrites on August 18, 2020

There are lots of parables throughout the gospel of Matthew that explain the nature of the “kingdom of heaven.” The one that has been brought to the forefront of my mind recently is “The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard,” from Matthew 20. It reveals the error in our innate “human sensibilities.” And, it also helps demonstrate why living under God’s reign is both radical and freeing.

Let me begin by saying that I am always so tempted to compare myself to others. It seems to be instinctive human behavior. The only problem with this mentality—that’s not how God sees us.

Church as Non-Transactional Family

Church as Non-Transactional Family

Published by andrewleewrites on August 11, 2020

I’ve been trying to read various different Christian books lately that are authored by people who are not white men. One of them is At Home In Exile, by Russell Jeung—Asian American Studies professor at SF State and incidentally, someone connected through the sister church that started my church, who has come to preach for us a couple of times. His book memoir details his narrative living in East Oakland’s “Murder Dubs” neighborhood, and finding solidarity and community with the Latino and Cambodian refugee families there. I found one particular passage particularly scintillating for me:

God Cares About Changing Laws

judgement scale and gavel in judge office

God Cares About Changing Laws

Published by andrewleewrites on August 3, 2020

Has anyone ever noticed that God cares about justice? As I’ve been reading through the first couple books of the bible again (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and now Deuteronomy), I’ve been noticing just how much of the text by sheer volume is dedicated to societal laws. When Yahweh, the God of Israel, calls Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt so that they might live a different way of life, in worship of him, he calls them to be a radically different society from the one they were just in.

Can We Talk About Mental Health?

Can We Talk About Mental Health?

Published by andrewleewrites on July 30, 2020

Asian Americans have always had a harder time talking about mental health. Perhaps it’s because many of us have parents who have stifled or never developed expressing the full range of emotion in a healthy way. Maybe there’s a stigma against it in a lot of Eastern cultures. Or maybe it’s less an Asian American issue so much as a generational one. Regardless, I think our mental health has a LOT to do with how we’re able to commune with God, so as a church, we had better be talking about it.

How the Model Minority Myth Helps Me Respond to BLM

How the Model Minority Myth Helps Me Respond to BLM

Published by andrewleewrites on July 23, 2020

I’ll admit it. I always hated history growing up. It was my least favorite subject. But I have come to realize that identity and history must go hand-in-hand. As a second-generation Chinese American, the Chinese part of my identity requires that I recognize and honor my family origin. At the same time, the American part of my identity stipulates that I take the time to understand the history and policies that have shaped the very society that I live in.

Pandemic Routine and COVID-19

Pandemic Routine and COVID-19

Published by andrewleewrites on July 20, 2020

I can’t believe we’re hitting around four months of life with COVID-19 now (at least, in the United States). Masks and public precautions seem commonplace and Zoom just seems part of life now. When the pandemic first hit the US back in March, the Bay Area was one of the first places to issue for a strict shelter in place policy. I remember joking with my friends at the time that life under quarantine would be “my time to shine” as an introvert. I constantly want and need more quiet, alone time to feel settled as a functioning human being.

We Need a Systemic Solution for Racism

We Need a Systemic Solution for Racism

Published by andrewleewrites on July 14, 2020

The human body is a complex system. Physical therapists do the work of helping you pinpoint not just the symptom but also the root cause. Because the body compensates for weakened or injured muscles by exerting more strain on other muscles around it, it is totally possible that the root symptom of back pain is from a muscle elsewhere in the body entirely. I’ve started to understand that systemic racism is the same way. There is a root problem nestled deep into the fibers of this nation that surfaces pain through the repeated and forceful impact of bone against unforgiving concrete.

Fighting Racism is a Marathon, Not a Race

Fighting Racism is a Marathon, Not a Race

Published by andrewleewrites on July 5, 2020

I have a rather pessimistic view on human nature as inherently selfish and sinful. Left to our own devices, I think humans tend to be self-absorbed. I wanted to take the opportunity to bring back two quotes, one from an article about performative allyship, and one from a conversation between Ryan Kwon, a Korean pastor, and Léonce Crump Jr., a Black pastor from Atlanta, Georgia about racial reconciliation. I’ll share both below and then give my own commentary and reflection.

“I Love Myself” Chant

woman closes her eyes raising her right hand

“I Love Myself” Chant

Published by andrewleewrites on July 3, 2020

So much of the Christian narrative I was exposed to early on was also seeped in the assumption of a dominant or default whiteness. If you do a Google Image search for “Jesus,” it’s sad to see that 90% of the photos depict a light-skinned, European-looking guy with brown hair and blue eyes. The Jesus Christ of Nazareth I’m reading about in the bible was a Middle-Eastern Jew, probably with brown skin, black hair and darker-colored eyes.