Only 3 percent of families in San Diego look like ours. When Jeremiah goes to school, most of his classmates will not understand when I speak to him in Shanghainese. His grandparents will tell him about family traditions that make no sense to our neighbors. When @tiffatsea and I came out with our book, All Year for One Day, we wanted to start conversations about race so that our kids can hopefully live in a better world. Differences do not have to divide us but instead we can learn to appreciate the diversity around us. Each ethnicity and each culture brings something unique and special. When we start from a place of curiosity, we can start to understand the traditions and practices that make us who we are. http://www.allyearforoneday.wordpress.com
Not everyone likes new art. When we came out with our 8 bit comic book, some people were confused on what it was. We wanted to tell stories about Jesus in a way that was fun and fresh. Too many Gospel materials are only appealing to Christians who are used to boring art styles. When we came out with the Gospel of John in 8 bit we wanted to push the boundaries of Christian art. We learned a lot in this process and we are going to keep asking ourselves if we can the stories of the Bible more accessible. Everyone should have a chance to learn about Jesus.
I bring Jeremiah with me when I go to therapy. I think it’s important for him to see his dad seek healing and growth. I didn’t cause the brokenness of my childhood but I am responsible for the actions that come from it. I want Jeremiah to learn that we are a family who will not accept brokenness as a way of life. We follow Jesus and believe that God can heal. We believe that he has commissioned people to be mental health professionals and we want to take advantage of being only 15 minutes away from great therapists. As our family continues to grow, we will also grow in our ability to love ourselves and each other.
Jeremiah is in daddy daycare so I take him everywhere I go for work. I’ve been taking him around when I do my mobilization and he’s enjoyed seeing different churches and playing in different nurseries. I take him along when I train my clients and he loves to watch people workout. My parents taught me entrepreneurship when I was a kid because I spent almost every hour outside of school at our family restaurant. It was good because I saw how a kitchen worked and my mom taught me the basics about accounting. It was also hard because we didn’t have a lot of family time since they were always working. One of the things I’ve been working on is making sure Jeremiah and I just have fun time. I have to be mindful of my time. I’m still working when he’s with me during the day. I don’t want him to think he’s being neglected and I try to make sure we have time to connect. It’s hard trying to connect with a baby because he can’t talk yet but I realize that he’s learning by watching everything I do. My prayer is that we are living a life where we can have joy in work and play.
This week I started therapy. Having a baby has been a challenge for Carmen and me. It has made me realize how my own family history has brought a lot of baggage into my efforts in becoming a good dad. Marriage counseling has really helped us but now I realize that I need to start working through my own personal family issues before Carmen and I can continue our growth together. After my parents divorce, I realize now that I kept a lot of my hurt bottled inside but I see how that hurt affects my relationship with my own son. I don’t want to accept the brokenness but instead I believe that God has a better life for me. I’m excited because I feel like God has me on a journey of healing for both myself and my family. In the same way that I’ve had great people help me grow as an athlete, I feel like this next chapter of my life is about growth in my inner life. Please pray for me as I start to explore issues that I’ve never really confronted before. I know it will be challenging and stretching.