To the Repatriate
You are ruined, my dear. You have seen the other side. You have lived a life you saw before only in pictures from the comfort of your normal life.
Faithfulness Isn't Sexy
I had been valuing passion over faithfulness. I wanted people to see that I was passionate, but what my team and the church needed was someone who was faithful.
Moving Abroad is Not Like Flying
Moving abroad doesn't feel like spreading your wings or flying at all. It's nice to think of it that way. But it actually feels a lot more like climbing a mountain.
How to Love a Missionary (Part One - Hospitality)
There is something really special about eating together around a table in a home.
How to Fail at Language School (Or Anything Else in Life)
The reality is, there are times when we fail. Sometimes it's because of things beyond our control, but if we are honest with ourselves, a lot of times it's because we haven't prepared. Or we've been prideful. Or we're too concerned with our appearance to internalize change.
The Stages of Missionary Life
So you wanna know what it's really like to be a missionary? Well there's a lot to it, but here's a glimpse inside the process of the beginning of a missionary journey...
What is More? - A #GivingTuesday Guest Post
How much could we do for the kingdom of God if we just had more? That is what I was asking God. I needed more because I wanted to do more for the kingdom. I was asking for more money, really. I wanted to get out of debt, live with financial breathing room, and be able to give more back to God’s work. I asked for more.
Sustenance in the Storm
But I believe this story tells us something about the character of God. We can't always understand why we must face difficult circumstances, but we can be sure that He will sustain us. He will nourish us.
To Women in Ministry
And people will argue with you, confrontationally or passive-aggressively. And it will hurt your feelings. And people will use gender-exclusive language and they will refer to pastors as "men" and you will be invited to pastor's wives events even if you are single, but not to the pastor's events. And you may not see yourself represented on the platform or around the conference table.
Today I Remember (Good Friday)
Today I marvel at a love that says that even if you never did anything right, and even if you waited too long, and even if you ruined everything for yourself, the cross is for you. Today I remember that my own sin was enough to require blood, just as the thief's was.
Close Them Softly
One thing she shared with us is sure to stick in my mind forever. She felt that the Lord told her this:Open the doors with joy, and close them softly.
How Did You Feel
I hope that the look on her face gets burned into my mind. Beyond her tangled blonde hair and her gangly limbs, I hope the hunger in her eyes stays with me. We are all hungry for honesty. For reality. For authenticity. The people I speak to need me to be honest, and I need to share my heart honestly.
The Real Heroes
I remember reading books about Amy Carmichael and David Livingstone. Missionaries were heroes. Champions of faith who sold everything and lived in a cave with a flashlight. Giants of Christianity who lived life with a spear at their throat.
The MTV Generation and Real French Food
I want to sit at a French café and watch cheery red bicycles drift by with bouquets of poppies in the front basket. I want to see an impeccably dressed woman with a bobbed haircut a la Louise Brooks walking her poodle (which never ever poops on the sidewalk) and carrying a steaming baguette.
Paris is Pretty but Midwest is Best
You don't hold the prestige of Paris, no. You don't have cobblestone streets or fashion weeks. But just between the two of us, Indiana, Paris can't live up to you when it comes to autumn.
"Dump It All"
The realization settled on me - this was all that was left of her life. Everything she bought, everything she carefully considered and saved up for, every piece of art she had decided to hang on her wall - all of it was gone.
The French Horn Player
Isn't it true that each one of us, with discipline and drive and passion, can do things that we have only dreamed of? Why do we dream of things and never move to see them fulfilled?