Category: Cross-Cultural Ministry
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Desperate for Stability: An Advent Reflection
Photo by Mariana B. via Upsplash. I found myself desperate for stability during the Christmas season. My usual stubbornness was amplified. I craved tradition. I wanted our family to experience as much Christmas spirit as we possibly could. As a child, I spent the holidays bouncing between my divorced parents. They traded every other Thanksgiving.…
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The Beauty and the Broken Heart: An Advent Reflection
Photo by freestocks via Upsplash. Snuggled in a hooded sweatshirt the climate rarely allowed, in a room lit with the soft glow of a small strand of battery powered lights wrapped around a tiny tree, I listen to the well-sung words: “Joy to the world; the Lord is come;Let Earth receive her King;Let every heart…
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Calculated Risk
An ethereal fog greeted us as we said goodbye to our Sometimes Home before the sun was fully awake. I used to think having more than one home was for the wealthy. I never considered a second home might be for the missionary making minimum wage who is required to have a contingency plan in…
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Lament: Part II
My body froze and my brain filled with expletives. I couldn’t tell if the motorcycle had just hit us, but the driver was yelling at me. I managed to put my borrowed vehicle in park. I looked to the back seat to make sure my two boys were okay, then very cautiously got out of…
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Lament: Part I
Image by Oliver Hale via Upsplash. We returned home after 11 long days of meetings, fellowship, and hotel mattresses, to a freezer full of maggots and rotting meat. I can’t even describe the horrific smell, but if you know, you know. Suddenly, it was as though my emotional levee broke. All of the stress I’d…
Joy From Fear 