Followers of West Africa’s dominant religion ponder the message of Christmas. Followers of Christ prayerfully ponder their commission to procl…
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Reflection
Poverty At The Incarnation
Baby Jesus, when Mary birthed you in Bethlehem, I don’t suppose you noticed that your wardrobe was lacking. You probably had two changes of clothes, just like little Senna next door. His mother got pregnant out of wedlock too, you know. So you were Tchotcho, your...
Thursday Prayer Focus: Confessions of a Homesick Missionary
It was Christmas Eve. I wasn’t in much of a holiday mood, though. The selection of potential gifts for our children had seemed pretty sparse in the local shops. Our artificial Christmas tree looked so pathetic cowering in its corner, and the abundant ornaments hanging...
The Gift of Being Chosen
We didn't know what was going on, really, but just decided we should get in line because that's what everyone else was doing, and deep down, no one really wants to look out of place, right? The smiling faces and the beat of the drums let us know that this was a happy...
Taste and See
At a crossroads in the dusty ground, the music reaches our ears. Just past the cozy gathering of houses and huts, yet near enough to be noticed, stands the small cement church in the village, much like a new child at school waiting for an invitation to play with the...
Recognizing Jesus
When I met Jesus, I recognized him right away. I sat there staring into the campfire as we sang, “Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.” Suddenly my heart leapt in recognition. Me! He loves me! I stared up at the stars...
Our Daily Bread
“Give us this day our daily bread,” we say together as a family every morning around the breakfast table. Even our little two-year-old’s voice joins in as we recite the prayer together. We haven’t always had this habit, but as the years have passed, praying the...
Koinonia is Like Sharing Doritos
Koinonia. Variations of this Greek word occur throughout the New Testament. It translates into our English Scriptures as community, communion, joint participation, sharing, intimacy, and other related terms. But what does koinonia look like? How does it develop, and...
I Pierced My Nose With a Thorn
One time I pierced my nose with a thorn. Actually someone else did — I just sat there as the thorn pushed steadily through my nose, my eyes closed peacefully, measuring my breaths, water seeping out of my eyes. It was blissful. There is a pain deep in the bodies of my...
Empowering
“Empowering others” has become quite a buzzword in missions circles. Missionaries nowadays are trained not to be the solutions to problems but rather to be catalysts for local solutions and local problem solvers. I acceded to this orientation during my training mostly...
He Still Rolls Away Stones: A Dad’s Struggle with His Son’s Illness
As I write this, it’s been a little over a year since my son Isaiah first began experiencing unusual medical symptoms resulting from an auto-immune/neurological disorder. His condition is acutely on my mind and heart today as my wife and I are feeling the need to pull...
Where Moth and Rats Destroy
I hate bugs. No, I’m not the kind of person who goes into hysterics every time I see a spider. I can usually keep my cool. But still — the sight of one gives me an unpleasant shudder and a wish to be somewhere far away. Somewhere where spiders never existed. “If the...