Rescued by Jesus. Rebuilt by the Spirit. Responding to God's grace.
Following God’s calling doesn’t always make sense. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8 NIV) A missionary believes he is called by God to a place considered dangerous. People are torn about his decision. Some encourage him to go. Others discourage him from […]
Disaster relief work in Japan may not look like a prerequisite for children’s ministry, but maybe God knew what He was doing when He called me to both. << Previous Episode When my then-home church invited me to interview for the role of children’s pastor, it may have seemed like it came out of left […]
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 […]
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. […]
<< Previous Episode God’s timing is never late, though it often feels that way to us. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NIV) We finally moved to Ofunato– the […]
<< Previous episode Catching a glimpse of the Father’s joy. Traveling with young children is not in my top 10 list of favorite things. It’s enough of a hassle traveling alone: checking in, going through security, boarding the plane and trying to situate yourself while irate passengers brush past in a huff. The stress level […]
<< Previous episode A little bit of encouragement goes a long way. Soo, the boys, and I traveled north from Tokyo and headed towards Iwate on Thanksgiving weekend of 2011. It would be our very first visit to Ofunato as a family: Soo had been curious to finally see the city we were being called […]
<< Previous episode When God calls, resistance is futile. The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, […]
<< Previous episode Fear kept me from trusting God. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do […]
<< Previous episode If God can speak through a donkey, could He speak through a child’s toy? It was a Tuesday morning. I was making the 20-mile drive to work. The radio was off. I needed some silence. I was praying. “God, it’s been nearly a month since my mother passed away. The memorial service […]
<< Previous Episode Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” (Luke 10:61 NIV) In the last episode, I had just received confirmation of my family’s calling to Japan– the sign being that of a family of ducks crossing the street. Though I […]
<< Previous episode If God could speak through a donkey, could He speak to me through some ducks? Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me” (Gideon 6:17 NIV) June, 2011. It had been three months since my missions trip […]
<< Previous Episode Was this the end of my mission to Japan or just the beginning? Our ten-day mission trip ended on March 27, 2011. I accompanied the rest of the team to Narita Airport to send them off on their flight back to Los Angeles. My plan was to fly to Seoul the next […]
<< Previous Episode One of the original objectives for our 10-day missions trip had always been to encourage missionaries and Japanese Christians by meeting with them and praying for them. The triple disaster of March 11th didn’t change this, other than to cause us to allocate more of our time in Kyoto than originally planned, […]
What do you do when uncontrollable forces array against your sense of God’s calling? << Previous episode In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. (Prov. 16:9 NIV) Sensing the go-ahead to proceed with this missions trip to Japan, I began the morning of January 2, 2011 by praying about […]
When you commit to following God, you never know where He might take you. << Previous Episode I had just experienced a pivotal moment during my week-long retreat in the mountains: forced to confront my identity issues, I was able to work through them, find relief from the things that weighed me down, and quiet […]
Yet another post about surrender, trust, and obedience. (Are we sensing a theme here?) << Previous episode Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Psalm. 20:7 NIV) I have this thing about titles and diplomas. I love them. I covet them. But I could […]
Hearing God is like GPS: when you don’t get any instructions to turn left or right, you just keep moving forward. << Previous episode Tony and I spent the rest of that summer working on the screenplay that we’d been hired to write. I still wondered how this would jibe with my calling to ministry. […]
It’s not what you think. << Previous Episode Tony and I arrived in Bangkok a little over one week after my mind-blowing “jackpot” answer to prayer. A movie producer had sent us there to do some research for a script that he had commissioned us to write. You’d think I’d be excited to be working […]
<< Previous Episode The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord…(Jonah 1:1-3a NIV) In the early summer of 2005, a new executive took over the channel that […]
<< Previous Episode Were these voices from God, my imagination, or something more sinister? The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Sam. 3:10 NIV) Things were looking up. Soo and I finally became husband and wife, two-and-a-half years […]
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV) I fidget with the touch screen at my aisle seat on an airliner bound for Tokyo. There’s plenty of elbow room because no […]
