The Dragon Awakes

“Hoping to Awaken the Sleeping Dragon.” Such was the desire of the planning team in theconference brochure welcome message. For a generation that thinks, lives, and is inspiredby metaphors, the image of a sleeping dragon waking up aptly describes the 2008 AsianAmerican Leadership Conference. With 200-plus in attendance, the energy and excitementmatched the fire of a roaring dragon: Asian Americans living kingdom-minded lives, makinga difference for Jesus Christ, knowing that God has called and positioned them to changethe world. Can you feel the heat?The participants, an even mix of college students and other interested folk (ranging in agefrom mid-20’s to 50’s), gathered in San Diego on April 4-5 for two days of pulsatingworship, compelling testimonies, inspiriting performance arts, captivating speakers, plentifulseminars, excellent volunteer mobilization, and empowering challenges. The conference notonly integrated Asian and American, but also had a unique sponsorship, a joint effortbetween InterVarsity and the San Diego Asian American Ministers’ Fellowship. Thepartnership added a diversity not usually seen in such conferences and allowed forintergenerational fellowship.Second generation, English-speaking ministries, once seen as the step child of firstgeneration ethnic churches, are waking up from the status quo slumber. Filled with a senseof urgency and mission, next gen pastors are making a difference with a kingdom mindsetand choosing people over programs. Part of this awakening is due to a willingness to riskand dream, along with providing similar opportunities to the next generation. In a matter of a couple decades, we’ve gone from a rare Asian American conference and no AsianAmerican IVCF chapters to many of both. Now encouraged and empowered to make adifference, the next generation is doing just that locally and globally.The theme “Called Out Called Forth” unfolded itself through the worship, performance arts,drama, media, and three plenary sessions as the speakers showed what it means for us tofollow Jesus with our dreams, resources, and calling.

Our Dreams

David Gibbons of NewSong Church kicked off Friday evening with “Our Dreams.” Most couldidentify living in the gap between our youthful dreams of the past and our lives at present.One could almost sense that Gibbons was speaking to each of us personally. To those of uswho had settled for making a living rather than making a difference, it was a wake up call.To those still dreaming, he inspired us to dream and to finish well. Building on a passagefrom Numbers 32, Gibbons encouraged us to live a Promised Land kind of life that God

destines for all of us. Follow the faith of Joshua and Caleb versus the doubts and fears of theIsraelites when they scouted out the land. Gibbons says, “An outlook of fear sees how smallwe are compared to the giants. An outlook of faith sees howsmall the giants are compared to Jesus Christ.” It is so easy for dreams to get distorted, but Gibbonschallenged us to let nothing get in the way of our dreams andGod: Get as close as possible and close the gap between thatliminal, in-between state of dreams and reality. In creating usas Asian and Americans, God put us in the middle of twocultures so that we can reach both. We are the new generation of Apostle Pauls.Gibbon says: “What are we doing? Playing games? Living in a bubble? Making a living? Getfire in your heart! Make a difference!” So often we have dreams, but with an outlook of fearinstead of faith, we put the brakes on God rather than living out our dreams and pursuinglife in the Promised Land. What are the dreams God is awakening and re-awakening in us?What is the Promised Land God wants us to enter? The conference created time and spacefor participants to respond as the Holy Spirit led them. Attendees were encouraged to writetheir dreams, hang them on a tree as a symbolic response, and allow God to grow them.

Our Resources

“When God gives us God-sized dreams He also resources usaccordingly.” Seamless was the segue by Peter Cha, a professor atTrinity Seminary, in his message on “Our Resources.” Because of our myopia, the challenge for us is to step back and see the bigpicture of God’s work and our role. Developing his message fromPsalm 126, a post-exilic ascent psalm, Cha likens the AsianAmerican faith experience to that of the exile. But just as Godchose the Israelites to fulfill his divine plans, so also he choosesAsian Americans in a similar way, using that anxiety-producingdislocation for his purposes. The oxymoron of “creative dislocation” now enables us to depend on God fully, letting Him do his mostcreative work in us. God is in the business of doing great things but He wants to do itthrough us and through the resources He’s given to us. Will we let Him? Instead of beingthe model minority, using our education and earning power to make a living rather than tomake a difference, Cha challenged us to use what God has given us for his glory.In addition to “creative dislocation,” the other take home was using our pain as a gift. Thebrokenness and pain we suffer in life, the identity issues growing up, vulnerability toparental stresses - how can we negotiate between these painful places of our past with theplaces God wants to take us in the future? The only way to make sense of the pain is tooffer it to God as our gift to Him and let Him use it. Not only does it keep us humble, butalso it helps us serve the hurting in a special way. It is our job to offer what we have. It isJesus who multiplies the five loaves and two fish. The grace of the Negev desert says that itis God who provides the rain and makes the flowers bloom. Pain plus creative dislocationequals our resources for God’s glory.For a response, we offered back to God the resources He richly blessed us with, listing themon an index card. In Asian fashion, we placed the card in a red envelope to display at homeas a reminder to be faithful stewards, trusting God to turn our little gifts into big things byhis sovereignty and grace.

Our Call

God has put a call on everyone, some to be a revolutionary insidethe machine, others to start something new. But what is it aboutAsian American churches: we talk a good game, sing the goodsongs, but don’t live up to half of that? These were the openingwords of Ken Fong, pastor of Evergreen Los Angeles, wrapping upthe conference with “Our Call.” We try to blend in and not stickout. We also give ourselves a pass as a church on what Goddoesn’t. Our call is to be a kingdom people, not a bunch of nicepeople hanging out every Sunday doing various activities andprograms. Our call is to intentional living, a people desperate for grace, a redemptivecommunity tied to Jesus Christ.In his talk, Fong shared his own experience of church and his education in the churchgrowth movement. To grow a church, he was taught to cater to a homogenous peoplegroup, to not make them uncomfortable, and to not make them cross social barriers. Thingsbegan changing for Fong at Urbana ’90, when he realized that Jesus was from theMediterranean region and not from Malibu. And Jesus makes people uncomfortable when Hecrosses social barriers, when He loves the poor, when He welcomes the unwelcomed. We’vesettled for the comforts of American Christianity, missing out on the heart and soul of thegospel, seeing no supernatural work going on at all. Fong closed with a plea for the HolySpirit to change us, to forgive us of our disobedience, and to bring about a revolution in ourchoices and attitudes. Our call is to be a kingdom people, a kingdom that includes ratherthan excludes.

Our Response

“The nail that sticks up gets pounded down. But not in this place.” These were the words of Nikki Toyama-Szeto as conference emcee. The weekend proved just that: time and space todream, permission to be who God created us to be. During the extended worship sets,attendees could respond tactilely through art, poetry, or other creative mediums. On oneend of the worship center stations were available for people to draw and color their dreams,make a bracelet as a reminder of what God said to them during the weekend, write and posta prayer, as well as spend time in prayer withsomeone from the prayer team.Realizing that God has created and wired allof us differently, the conference allowed us torespond to God as led in all of our diversityand creativity. At the last session we were given the opportunity to respond to several callsof Christ: To dream or revive a dream for God; to reclaim a resource given by God and seekto use it in a specific way; to bring forth a revolution, not settling for the comfortable butgoing for the transformative; and lastly, to repent for settling for the small things andrecommit to following the call of Christ. As the worship team led us in singing “Consumingfire, fan into flame, a passion for your name…Lord, have your way with us,” many wentforward, receiving prayer for courage to “go forth” from this place.

Our Challenge

Asian Americans have come a long way in a meta-narrative that includes themes of self-hatred, incessant teasing, vulnerability to parental pressure, and a silent, model minority

Participants also responded by giving$1293 to LOVE146, an organizationdedicated to combating child sexslavery and exploitation