Rescued by Jesus. Rebuilt by the Spirit. Responding to God's grace.
The real reason I stopped taking seminary classes. Seminary had been a high priority in my life. This is why, when planning a work trip overseas, I did my best to schedule it for after I’d finish two quarters of Greek classes. I couldn’t let anything interrupt such an important course of study and risk […]
I don’t think He wants to “use” me, anyway. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10 NIV) Ah, aging. The loss of hearing. Deteriorating vision. The pain in my back, hips, knees, ankles, and heels when I wake […]
Sometimes, God guides us by closing the doors on us. “When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.” (Acts 16:7 NIV) << Previous episode There was a cricket in my house the other day. My wife hates crickets. I refuse […]
When God calls us to something, He might not call us to finish it. <<Previous episode January, 2017. I had just started my new job a month earlier. This role was an incredible answer to prayer: getting paid to write and be on social media all day, all to serve people with disabilities in the name […]
Is taking care of your family idolatrous or biblical? <<Previous episode As I was processing what the roundabout meant for me—was God calling me to exit one specific role at one specific church, or was He calling me to exit full time ministry completely?—an encounter with some old friends rattled me. They had been married […]
Are our failures part of God’s plan, or does God redeem our failures? << Previous episode October, 2016. I agreed to step down from my pastoral role after God spoke to me through a roundabout: “See the direction everyone else is going.” “Yield.” “Navigate your way through without crashing.” “Know when to exit.” After two […]
God doesn’t always give us a sign. << Previous Episode If you know me or have read any of my blog, you probably know that following signs from God was “my thing.” My schtick. God gives me a crazy sign, I pray about it for a while, then I follow God into the next adventure […]
The end of one chapter is the beginning of a new one. << Previous Episode If Ransomed Life were a three-act play or film, this post would be near the end of Act II. Many stories follow a similar three-act structure. In Act I, the protagonist lives in an ordinary world, subconsciously wondering, “Who am I?” […]
When calling doesn’t turn out the way you expected. <<Previous Episode Facebook reminded me that two years ago, I posted something about feeling like a doormat. “It is one thing to follow God’s way of service if you are regarded as a hero, but quite another thing if the road marked out for you by […]
<< Previous episode I’ve been avoiding this episode for over five months now. Every time I sat down to write it, I’d choke mentally and walk away from the computer, or I’d write about something else. I suspect that I was subconsciously hoping to avoid reliving one of the most difficult seasons of my spiritual […]
What happens when you serve others while trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit? << Previous episode He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not […]
<< Previous episode What’s the point of arguing? I guess it depends. When two people have a disagreement but both are willing to hear and consider the other person’s perspective, an argument (or should I say, “heated discussion”) can be constructive. But when one or both of the parties involved are unwilling to hear the […]
What motivates you to do what you do in the name of Jesus? << Continued from the previous episode No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:12 NIV) May 2015. It was my last tai chi […]
Before the harvest–even before cultivation, planting, or sowing–there must first come the hard work of tilling the soil. << Previous episode Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray […]
Going “home” after two years was harder than I thought. << Previous episode Two-thousand-fifteen. It had been nearly two years since my family left California for Japan. What would this experience be like, I wondered, as my flight from Narita began its descent into LAX on a Friday afternoon in April. It turned out to […]
Even with multiple confirmations, I still needed just one more… << Previous Episode Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” (Judges […]
Ever hesitate to follow God because you worry about the future? << Previous episode “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matt. 6:25 NIV) February, 2015. […]
Why does God give signs sometimes? << Previous Episode Our two-year assignment in Ofunato was coming to an end. Though I thought God would have us stay there longer, we were surprised to begin discerning a call to Santa Ana, California. What’s the relationship between Santa Ana and Ofunato? I have no idea. But I […]
If you knew that your time was short, how would you spend your days? << Previous Episode “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6 NIV) […]
After all the trouble it took to get us to Ofunato, was God really calling us to leave? << Previous episode Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. […]
Is church all about the numbers? Part 2 of my case for tent-making. << Previous episode Before going to Japan, I was on staff at a church of nearly 2,000 people. We met in a 65,000 square-foot warehouse located in “America’s Safest City.” I think this would qualify it as being a megachurch, though it […]
When God highlights a specific place, it’s likely He has already been at work there. << Previous episode While researching my previous post on the history of Christianity in Ofunato, I learned of the San Juan Bautista Museum in Ishinomaki, which features a full-sized replica of the ship that Date Masamune, feudal lord of Sendai […]
Silence is a gripping novel, and now, a major motion picture. How does its subject matter relate to Ofunato? << Previous episode A few local friends came over to our volunteer base for dinner one night, and one of them started singing the ubiquitous Disney song, “Let it Go,” in an unfamiliar language. This friend told […]
Ministry work requires financial accountability and good stewardship of resources. But how far is too far? << Previous episode The disaster relief and recovery network we served with in Japan would often receive a ton of donated items for our volunteer bases to distribute to tsunami survivors along the coast. Items included everything from socks […]
<< Previous episode God can use what you already have. Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. (Exod. 4:2 NIV) Moses had a staff. David had a slingshot (1 Sam. 17:40). A little boy had five small barley loaves and two small fish (Jn. 6:9). What […]
<< Previous episode Three points on sharing the gospel as a lifestyle, not a project. He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All […]
<< Previous Episode She was the last person you might expect to follow Jesus. But then again, so was the Apostle Paul. But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at […]
<< Previous episode God is already at work in people’s lives, even if they’ve never stepped foot in a church before. “Hisako-san” is a walking miracle. Her eyesight had deteriorated to the point of blindness several years ago, and in 2010, she was diagnosed with a terminal illness and given three months to live. When the […]
<< Previous episode What we already have in our hands matters… but so do some of the things we have yet to hold. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thess. 5:16-19 NIV) During our first winter in northeastern […]
<< Previous episode Sometimes, we need to pause and remember why we do what we do. One of my least favorite tasks in ministry is event planning. Don’t get me wrong– I love the actual events. It’s planning them that stresses me out. Though it’s fun to think through what the event might look like […]
