We didn't know what was going on, really, but just decided we should get in line because that's what everyone else was doing, and deep down, no one really wants to look out of place, right? The smiling faces and the beat of the drums let us know that this was a happy...
Followers of West Africa’s dominant religion ponder the message of Christmas. Followers of Christ prayerfully ponder their commission to procl…
It was Christmas Eve. I wasn’t in much of a holiday mood, though. The selection of potential gifts for our children had seemed pretty sparse in the local shops. Our artificial Christmas tree looked so pathetic cowering in its corner, and the abundant ornaments hanging...
At a crossroads in the dusty ground, the music reaches our ears. Just past the cozy gathering of houses and huts, yet near enough to be noticed, stands the small cement church in the village, much like a new child at school waiting for an invitation to play with the...
When I met Jesus, I recognized him right away. I sat there staring into the campfire as we sang, “Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.” Suddenly my heart leapt in recognition. Me! He loves me! I stared up at the stars...
“Give us this day our daily bread,” we say together as a family every morning around the breakfast table. Even our little two-year-old’s voice joins in as we recite the prayer together. We haven’t always had this habit, but as the years have passed, praying the...
Koinonia. Variations of this Greek word occur throughout the New Testament. It translates into our English Scriptures as community, communion, joint participation, sharing, intimacy, and other related terms. But what does koinonia look like? How does it develop, and...
One time I pierced my nose with a thorn. Actually someone else did — I just sat there as the thorn pushed steadily through my nose, my eyes closed peacefully, measuring my breaths, water seeping out of my eyes. It was blissful. There is a pain deep in the bodies of my...
“Empowering others” has become quite a buzzword in missions circles. Missionaries nowadays are trained not to be the solutions to problems but rather to be catalysts for local solutions and local problem solvers. I acceded to this orientation during my training mostly...
As I write this, it’s been a little over a year since my son Isaiah first began experiencing unusual medical symptoms resulting from an auto-immune/neurological disorder. His condition is acutely on my mind and heart today as my wife and I are feeling the need to pull...
I hate bugs. No, I’m not the kind of person who goes into hysterics every time I see a spider. I can usually keep my cool. But still — the sight of one gives me an unpleasant shudder and a wish to be somewhere far away. Somewhere where spiders never existed. “If the...
Back in 2021, I was hiking up a mountain with a group of English students and friends. It was a steep and seemingly endless climb of hand-placed stone steps leading ever upwards. The sun hung low in the sky as my friends made plans to race to the top before sunset,...