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The Legacy of Faith, Hope & Love – Love – Part 3
When Our Love for Jesus Becomes a Life That Changes Others “Simon son of John, do you love me?”Three times Jesus asked Peter this question. At first glance, it might seem like Jesus was simply looking for an answer. But this moment was about much more than a question. It was about restoration, purpose,…
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Fear Builds Walls, Love Builds Bridges – Embracing the Nations
Imagine a New Home for Them “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself.” Leviticus 19:34 There is something deeply unsettling about being the outsider. Over the years, Peter and I have lived in three different countries. We moved from Canada to Thailand (10.5 years) , spent…
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Pass the Sauce: Adventures in Eating as Pastors and Missionaries
Food is important to us. Not just because it keeps us alive, but because it connects us to something deeper. Food carries memories, traditions, relationships, and experiences. It gives us a sense of home. No matter where you live or how much you fall in love with the food of the country you move…
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Excellence and Rest: Handling the Tension
One of the most challenging aspects of following Jesus is learning to live within tension. Not every question has an ‘either-or’ answer. In fact, many of the deepest expressions of Christian faith require us to hold together truths that, at first glance, seem to pull in opposite directions. We can welcome the moving of…
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The Slow Drift: Guarding Your Relationship with Jesus
There’s a quiet danger that lurks in the life of every ministry leader. It doesn’t announce itself loudly. It doesn’t arrive with scandal or collapse. It comes slowly, subtly, almost imperceptibly. It is what we might call the slow drift. And by the time you recognize it, something valuable has already been lost. If…
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There Are Always Two Sides
Our Innocent Beginnings When Peter and I first entered ministry, we were a young couple from a small town, raised in loving families. We had experienced kindness, stability, and the blessing of people who generally meant what they said. Looking back, we were wonderfully innocent. We trusted people. If someone told us they had…
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Don’t Die Before You Die – Live While You Live
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way people age, because, well, I’m aging. Just so you know, when you’re young you feel like old age is forever away. It’s not. Then when you realize you are “old” it’s honestly a shock. If I get asked if I qualify for the seniors discount…
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Joy to the World: Finding Lasting Joy in a Chaotic World
There are moments in life that stay with us forever. A wedding day. The birth of a child. Milestones that become etched into our memories because they are filled with joy. When I got married 45 years ago, I was a young woman, excited, nervous, and certain I was marrying the love of my…
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Radical Jesus
I remember being in a strip club on outreach when one of the dancers asked me, “Who is Jesus anyway?” Then she added, “Jesus was Catholic, right?” There was something unexpectedly sincere and endearing about the question. I told her, “Catholicism came after Jesus, so no, He wasn’t Catholic. But I can tell you…
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Don’t Be Weird
There’s a difference between being set apart and being strange. I remember my grandmother telling me that when she was a young girl, she used to iron her naturally curly hair so people wouldn’t think she was vain and had gotten a perm. She also told me that men in the church could only…