My soup

The exclusive 1-on-1 Jeremy Lin interview with Spero Dedes on MSG Networks, aired February 17th, 2012, about his rise to stardom, Linsanity, and more. (video is in 4 parts)

Last week was Jeremy Lin’s breakthru on the basketball court. This week is Charles Lee‘s breakthru on the bookstore charts as his new book launches today, Good Idea. Now What? How to Move Ideas to Execution! Keep an eye on this guy, he’s going places. I’m not predicting a New York Times best-seller just yet, but with endorsements from the likes of Seth Godin, Soledad O’Brien, and Scott Harrison, anything could happen. 

On this lovelee Valintine’s Day, I ideated 10 ways that Charles Lee is like Jeremy Lin:

1. They have pun-able last names, they realee do
2. They’ve extended their platform and visibility through social media like Twitter and Facebook: @charlestlee facebook.com/GoodIdeaBook @jlin7 facebook.com/jeremylin7 [what are you waiting for?]
3. There’s talk about their legacy already – Charles opens his book with a preface titled “Born into a Legacy of Idea Makers”
4. They’re team-players and collaborators
5. They make everybody else look good (even great!) – Jeremy for his teammates every time, Charles for creating a platform for unknown idea-makers thru The Idea Camp and The Ideation Conference
6. They’re unapologetically Asian American Christians
7. They both know what it feels like to be overlooked, misunderestimated, and being an underdog
8. They’re pastors – Charles is a has-been and Jeremy is a wanna-be
9. They’re humble and not self-promoting
10. They’re my Linspiration!

I’ll say one thing about the book. When I first heard about it and chatted with Charles by phone, the aha for me was his genius to avoid using the E-word (entrepreneurship) and empowering not only leeders but everyone to make their ideas and dreams come true! (I know I need the help as an ideator purist.)

And, Charles Lee throws the best parties, hundreds have connected at boutique events like the i2i Social Entrepreneurs Gathering at cool venues like the Toyota automobile museum. This Thursday is a book release party at the hipster Project 7 office space in Costa Mesa. This is the place to be! No cover charge! Live music! Free food! And Charles will be there in person!

The face of American Christianity is not only black (African-American) and white (Anglo), even though that’s what we tend to see through both Christian and mainstream media. With the sudden popularity of professional basketball player Jeremy Lin, who is unapologetically Christian and Asian American, we now have a face for Asian American Christianity in mainstream culture. (Yes, I’ve caught Linsanity like the millions of others.)

Astutely noted in this New York Times article by Michael Luo, many are wondering (perhaps not out loud), “An Asian-American Christian? What’s that?” –

Many in this country have probably never even heard of this subcategory on the religious spectrum. But if you are a relatively recent graduate of the Ivy League or another top-tier college, you will probably recognize the species. … Like Lin, many Asian-American Christians have deep personal faith, but they are also, notably, almost never culture warriors. That is simply not what is emphasized in their churches and college Christian fellowships, including the one that played such a formative role in Lin’s life at Harvard.

There are few faces to represent Asian American Christians. Yes, there are a few popular Christian pastors & ministry leaders who are Asian Americans: Francis Chan, Ravi Zacharias, Sam Chand, Bruce Fong, Dave Gibbons, Ken Fong, Paul Tokunaga, Peter Cha, Jeanette Yep, Soong-Chan Rah, Eugene Cho, Charles Lee; and yet not all of them would be necessarily fit in the subcategory of Asian American Christianity.

The sad reality for many people is that perception is reality, so for those people, if they don’t see it, it don’t exist. Now that we see someone like Jeremy Lin doing what he’s doing, whole new worlds are opening up for so many, both Asians and non-Asians. Most of us need role models and mentors, and @jlin7 has an anointed crossover appeal.

For this subcategory of English-speaking Asian Americans who’ve had faith experiences in the estimated 7,000 Asian American churches and/or the 100s of college campus ministries, there’s something distinctly unique about how Jeremy Lin resonates for them. I’ll mention 3 things:

1. a Christian doesn’t have to be a pastor or missionary to be on fire for Jesus;
2. an Asian American doesn’t have to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer;
3. it takes more than merely hard work and perseverance; it’s also the embracing of one’s God-given talents & gifts, and a grateful faith in the sovereignty of God that He can orchestrate circumstances to put someone at the right time and right place

Hear it straight from Jeremy Lin – watch video of his testimony from June 2011 (duration 21:17)

It’s past my bed time so I’ll stop here for now. Many other great conversations happening at NextGenerAsianChurch.com, of which I’m a part, and, of course, all over the interwebs.

The face of American Christianity is not only black (African-American) and white (Anglo), even though that’s what we tend to see through both Christian and mainstream media. With the sudden popularity of professional basketball player Jeremy Lin, who is unapologetically Christian and Asian American, we now have a face for Asian American Christianity in mainstream culture. (Yes, I’ve caught Linsanity like the millions of others.)

Astutely noted in this New York Times article by Michael Luo, many are wondering (perhaps not out loud), “An Asian-American Christian? What’s that?” –

Many in this country have probably never even heard of this subcategory on the religious spectrum. But if you are a relatively recent graduate of the Ivy League or another top-tier college, you will probably recognize the species. … Like Lin, many Asian-American Christians have deep personal faith, but they are also, notably, almost never culture warriors. That is simply not what is emphasized in their churches and college Christian fellowships, including the one that played such a formative role in Lin’s life at Harvard.

There are few faces to represent Asian American Christians. Yes, there are a few popular Christian pastors & ministry leaders who are Asian Americans: Francis Chan, Ravi Zacharias, Sam Chand, Bruce Fong, Dave Gibbons, Ken Fong, Paul Tokunaga, Peter Cha, Jeanette Yep, Soong-Chan Rah, Eugene Cho, Charles Lee; and yet not all of them would be necessarily fit in the subcategory of Asian American Christianity.

The sad reality for many people is that perception is reality, so for those people, if they don’t see it, it don’t exist. Now that we see someone like Jeremy Lin doing what he’s doing, whole new worlds are opening up for so many, both Asians and non-Asians. Most of us need role models and mentors, and @jlin7 has an anointed crossover appeal.

For this subcategory of English-speaking Asian Americans who’ve had faith experiences in the estimated 7,000 Asian American churches and/or the 100s of college campus ministries, there’s something distinctly unique about how Jeremy Lin resonates for them. I’ll mention 3 things:

1. a Christian doesn’t have to be a pastor or missionary to be on fire for Jesus;
2. an Asian American doesn’t have to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer;
3. it takes more than merely hard work and perseverance; it’s also the embracing of one’s God-given talents & gifts, and a grateful faith in the sovereignty of God that He can orchestrate circumstances to put someone at the right time and right place

Hear it straight from Jeremy Lin – watch video of his testimony from June 2011 (duration 21:17)

It’s past my bed time so I’ll stop here for now. Many other great conversations happening at NextGenerAsianChurch.com, of which I’m a part, and, of course, all over the interwebs.