Admitting that I’m Half the Problem
Based on the title of this post, it’s a long shot that you’ll read past this paragraph. But I think this week’s theme Admit creates such a powerful opportunity for us to share together the ways that we’ve been exposed to our own weaknesses and misconceptions. Do I need to spell out the ways we’ve […]
A Command Invitation
Our garage had become the storage space for all of the family stuff. We were the ones who lived in the same house for more than 25 years so naturally all family treasures were deposited in our garage. That was until we decided to go back overseas. We started sorting through all of the […]
Border Crossing
It was a hot Friday afternoon, when we arrived in Accra, Ghana. My husband and I were on an overseas service trip to West Africa, from South Africa. The traffic was thick and it was sweltering, slow moving and chaotic. We looped down busy main streets and finally out on to the main highway that […]
Merry Velvet Christmas
May the wonder of Immanuel fill you this weekend. “God… with… us…” May you find pause to let that soak your soul. May you be ravished with gob-smacking awe at the thought of God of the universe in squishy newborn skin. May you know deep into your marrow the love of Him who came for you. May you be […]
Unwanted Gifts
Sometimes we receive gifts that we don’t really want. Like the time my husband crossed paths on campus with the Chinese director of the English Department and was a little too enthusiastic as he marveled over the beauty of his newly purchased porcelain horses. When he realized his mistake and tried his best to back […]
Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Imagine that someone who means a great deal to you starts to send you messages saying they will soon be coming to stay with you. Message after enthusiastic message promising an arrival that leaves you feeling hopeful and excited. You begin to make preparations – cleaning house, setting up rooms, planning meals, telling friends and […]
When I Would Rather Hit You Than Love You
I really loved the people of my host country before we came. I mean, I prayed for them, I sacrificed for them, I fought for them and advocated for them, I spoke in front of groups for them! It was a God given love fueled by excitement at what the future could be. And then […]
A Love Beyond Compare
Hesed is a truth that brings me to my knees in gratitude and worship. Let me explain. One of my friends in China was once in a terrible car accident. I will never forget the description she shared with me later on that first day in the hospital. The doctors weren’t sure if she would survive, […]
Love’s Labor’s Lost, and Learning
Making mistakes, being a failure, growing and maturing, learning how to love — these are all things we spend most of our lives both doing and analyzing. I think my language learning experience in China (both as a student and as a teacher) not only taught me new ways to understand these things, but it […]
A Reflection on Love
Contrary to popular belief, love is not a verb, and it isn’t a choice. If it’s true that love is unfailingly patient and kind, that it isn’t irritable or resentful, that it bears all things while still hanging on to hope, then I for one cannot yank on my bootstraps hard enough to pull myself […]