Malls are bustling with Christmas shoppers. Even here on our tropical island in Asia. Everyone seems to have a long “to do” list. My shopping list was short yesterday, but wriggling my way through the crowds made my trip to the mall long and tiring! Whew! A few years ago, I contemplated all that God did to get “ready” for…
I’m sitting on the balcony of a hotel, looking out over the Gulf of Thailand on this Thanksgiving Day! If turkey, American football, and relatives at the table are what make Thanksgiving Thanksgiving, then I’ve made a terrible mistake somewhere along the way. But if God‘s provisions, fellowship, and spiritual brothers and sisters are what make Thanksgiving Thanksgiving, then I’m…
“He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him–the dark rain clouds around him–the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightening.” Psalm 18:11-12 Darkness His covering. Psalm 18:1-12 is poetic and beautiful–I wish someone would paint the scene. I would gaze at a painting of this…
Twice a year my parents took me and my siblings to spend a week at the beach in a little town called Pangandaran. We packed our van with all the supplies we would need: food, snacks, towels, swimsuits, medicine for the inevitable minor injuries, games, pillows, and a table fan for Mom (the rest of us just had to figure…
We lived in a small African market town frequented by nomads and a variety of tribes. Long before we knew the language, I felt at home in the house of a tribal family. They readily welcomed me, and I could spend as long as I wanted with them. Sometimes I’d lie on one of their beds and take a nap.…
Whether I’ve lost my sense of humor, been silenced by suffering, or simply reached the end of my earthly days, know that I found joy not in circumstances but in a life penned ages before I was born.
When I ask myself, ‘Do I want God more than I want that?’ God frees me from my need for that thing. And chains I didn’t know existed, fall away.
Joshua 3:5b “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” What do you first think when I mention the biblical character Joshua? Maybe the song, “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho”? Or maybe the words of Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and courageous”? Me too. That’s why I’ve enjoyed digging further into the account of Joshua and pondering…
What’s Your Ministry? Prom and graduation pictures popping up on social media remind me that Summer is almost here. If you are that student who isn’t going on a mission trip this summer (or if you know one!), this post is for you. It’s almost summer. Everyone else is doing some sort of ministry. Some have summer ministry jobs. Others…
Open hands and heart, Lord, With my present and my future. Open hands and heart, Lord, With my leanings and my longings. Open hands and heart, Lord, With my friendships and my career. Open hands and heart, Lord, With my health and my time. Oh to enjoy Your blessings And not cling to them. Oh to live in the moment…
