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 […]
<< 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 […]
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 […]
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 Living in tents like strangers in a new land. By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger […]
<< Previous episode Moving forward often requires us to let go of what we know. December 17, 2012. It had been 14 months since I resigned from my role in order to go to Japan; 5 months since my last scouting trip. We had to raise 80% of our two-year budget before we could leave […]
<< Previous episode I was about to give up the race when a parked car cheered me on. I returned from the summer missions trip– my fourth trip to Japan– with the confidence that we would raise the funds needed to embark on our two-year assignment. We needed 80% of our two-year budget pledged before […]
<< Previous episode What do you do when you’re stripped of your abilities? Upon completing our training in Chicago, we were commissioned as short-term missionaries in a service at our denomination’s annual meeting. The missionary who would eventually become our supervisor in Japan had been in contact with me throughout the missionary application and orientation […]
<< 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 […]
But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. (1 Cor. 14:3 NIV) << Previous episode As part of the process of applying to be missionaries with our denomination, our entire family would have to spend two weeks in Chicago in order for Soo and me to attend mandatory missionary […]
<< 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 Learning to trust God as He leads us into the unfamiliar. My friend Jack, who was on that first mission trip to Japan with me, suggested that we return to Japan together and visit Ofunato, since God went through the trouble of showing me a map of that city in my dream. […]
<< 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 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 […]
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 […]
