33 Things You Could Never Figure Out on Your Own
While reading in Jeremiah today (MSG version), a chapter title really stood out. To be honest, most chapter and section headings in various versions of the Bible seem contrived to me, often cheesy at best and not exactly theologically accurate at worst. But this particular …
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Broken Healer
“I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all~~oh, how well I remember~~ the feeling of hitting the bottom.” I recently recovered from an extraordinarily painful illness. I actually despise admitting how dark a …
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The Real Treasures Hidden in a Garbage Dump
When we first began visiting the communities surrounding the huge landfill of Guatemala City years ago, our senses were initially bombarded with exactly what you would expect….the odor pouring out of the decaying garbage and human & animal bodies was nauseating, the sight of huge …
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30 Days of Joy
Don’t roll your eyes. I’m not about to lecture you about how awesome life is and how perky you should be. I intentionally included NO, I mean ZERO, photos of people holding hands and jumping up in the air together on a beach. No, I’m …
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Ordinary Missionaries
My friend just returned from India. As I listened intently to his stories of ministries to victims of sex trafficking, sharing meals with families thousands of miles away, and how he climbed to the top of the garbage mountain hand-in-hand with the “untouchable” children, I …
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Abandoned Kittens & the Meaning of Life
As a parent, when you receive a sudden phone call from your teenage son who should be pulling up in the driveway at that moment, it is always a bit unnerving. When my phone rang recently with such a call, flashes of panic swept over …
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I Have Engraved You On My Palm…
The last 3 days have been intense, to say the least. Visiting families in the ghetto, spending time with teenaged and young adult special needs orphans, doing activities with teen moms living in the state orphanage, and installing pilas (large, heavy concrete sinks) and …
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“It’s Hard to Be Humble When You’re As Great As I Am…”
Just like bad liars, it is easy to spot someone who is bad at being humble. Sometimes, they don’t even try. But when they do, they still throw in enough “I” and “me” into every conversation they give away their true intentions quickly. What is …
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At the Foot of the Cross, I Found….Cupcakes?
When is a cupcake not just a cupcake? When it equals love. For years, I have traveled to other countries. Many times alone, sometimes leading a team. We have attempted to serve using whatever talents, big or small, we might possess. At times, …
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