Posted in reflections, tagged self-worth, shame on November 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Photo by Joel Olives
By Joy Wong
In terms of “give-and-take” in relationships, this time in my life — as a full-time mom of two kids ages 3 and 1 — has definitely been a season of taking. Taking sounds easy, but for me, it’s not. I like to be the giver, the contributor, the leader — using my gifts and talents for the benefit of others. (Some may argue that I am, in fact, giving to my kids. This is true, but I am speaking in terms of my relationship with the church.) (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged cultur, motherhood, shame on July 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Photo by amanda tipton
By Dorcas Cheng-Tozun
It was a typical toddler meltdown. My two-year-old, overtired and over-stimulated, wouldn’t talk to anyone or eat any of the food we put in front of him. Instead, he retreated into a corner of the room to wail.
But the scene, which took place a couple months ago, was anything but typical. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged saving face, shame on October 28, 2014| 2 Comments »
Photo by Luigi Morante
By Dorcas Cheng-Tozun
When I started managing Chinese National employees while living in the industrial city of Shenzhen, China, the biggest challenge to my cross-cultural relationships was not language, as I expected it to be. Nor was it my ignorance of Chinese labor law or typical business practices. It was, to my great surprise, the concept of face. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged mainland China, self-judgment, self-worth, shame on July 15, 2014| 2 Comments »
Photo by m01229
By Dorcas Cheng-Tozun
I have a confession to make: I’m not very good at using those self-checkout machines at the grocery store. Somehow I end up losing track of which items I’ve scanned, or my reusable bags mess up the weighing mechanism and the attendant on duty has to release me from a locked system. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged childhood, insecurities, self-worth, shame, truth-telling on March 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Photo by Tony the Misfit
By Joy Wong
All my life, I have had an unexplainable aversion to large groups of Asian Americans. For instance, when my husband Will wanted to check out a dumpling food truck that was swarming with Asian Americans, I felt a strong inner reluctance to approach that crowd. Another example — when I first started college, I initially felt a repulsion to the Asian American campus fellowship. Most of the time, I attributed this reaction to my introverted tendencies — but why the aversion to Asian Americans in particular?
It’s only recently that I’ve begun to unpack this strange reaction. (more…)
Posted in shared insights, tagged culture, family, identity, self-love, shame on March 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Photo by seyed mostafa zamani
Shared by Yonnie Cheng
What have you been learning lately?
I’ve been in Taiwan this past year as a missionary, and it’s only very recently that I’ve realized that for most of my life until now, I didn’t like Taiwan; I didn’t like “Asianness.” Without realizing it, I had always judged how my parents and grandparents lived in Taiwan (more…)
Posted in spotlight, tagged acculturation, assimilation, Confucianism, culture, expectations, family, filial piety, finding one's voice, guilt, healing, parents, shame, submission, women's roles on March 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Jessica Chen is a full-time doctoral student at Loma Linda in Marital & Family Therapy. She has an MFT degree from Fuller Theological Seminary as well as a BA in Design Media Arts from UCLA. Her favorite food is “niu rou mien” (translation: beef noodle soup), and her favorite hobbies include calligraphy and spending time with Madeleine, her miniature schnauzer.
What are your ministry passions? How did you discern these passions in your life?
While growing up in a Taiwanese American church, I started mentoring sisters and seeing a lot of things I didn’t know how to address from a purely biblical point of view. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged empowerment, fear, healing, identity, insecurities, not enough, self-worth, shame on February 22, 2011| 1 Comment »
Photo by seier+seier
By Margaret Yu
For the fellow women friends with whom I journey, inspired by I John 4:18-19: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us” and John 8:58: “’Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I AM!’”
Fearful
i am not enough
i am doing it all wrong
i am not good enough
i am not Asian enough
i am not White enough
i am simply not good enough (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged healing, identity, liberation, shame on October 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Photo by 丹涅拉 - Dani Gama
By Angela Song
Earlier this year, I found myself unusually tired. Tired of being afraid, tired of having so many fears, tired of the fishbone that’s been stuck in my throat since the age of seven. Out of desperation, I got into a shouting match with God, only to find that He was leading me to the Jabbok River, to a vision of Jacob wrestling the angel of God. That night, He gave me a revelation of who I was in the Spirit, but before I could fully claim it, I had to wrestle Him to prove that I would commit to an enduring struggle for a new name if that was what it meant to be free. He won. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged childhood, healing, minimizing needs, not being a burden, shame on March 15, 2009| 1 Comment »
Photo by MarcinMoga/Lolek
by Joy Wong
I was sitting in Dale S. Ryan‘s class called “Recovery Ministry and the Local Church,” and the topic of discussion was receiving from God. Dale pointed out that receiving from God should be so simple, like a child receiving a gift, but it is often complicated by adults. We often don’t trust the gift or the Giver, suspicious that the gift requires something in return. He then asked the rhetorical question, “What could be more precious than coming to God with our needs?” (more…)
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