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    Wasting Energy On What May Never Happen

    The sun is shy, blinking its way through the rain-filled clouds. On days like this, I awake in a mood. I want to stay asleep instead of bounding out of bed with anticipation of what a new day will bring. I click on the white, year-round Christmas lights in my studio. An apparent need for extra light on this dismal summer morning. On my way for coffee, I click on the set above my dining room hutch. Some days just call for extra illumination. This is one of them. Rest Robbers How is it possible to wake up just as tired as you were when you went to bed eight…

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    Tunneling into worship

    Paving the way for hope Have you ever wondered how God could take the good, the hard, and the impossible surprises in your life and use them to infuse hope in the life of someone who is journeying through a hard situation? For hope to rise to the top of any difficulty, we need to know that God is fully present, and will remain wholly faithful in every situation we step into and journey through. Hope in Christ gives us not only the desire for an expected end; but the assurance that God will use everything we have gone through, and everything we will go through for His glory and…

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    Social Distancing: Beginning with the end in mind

    Part One: As I begin week two of living in isolation and keeping appropriate social distancing, I have come to the realization that I must stop spending excessive amounts of time on social media, stop looking around every corner for chocolate, and get up and move! I am a self-proclaimed procrastinator and a self-declared list person. I go to sleep with a list and wake up to a list. Because of my ADD tendencies I like to do things in small doable check boxes. I often set my phone alarm for 15 minutes and try to accomplish the next thing on my list. Of course, the best part for me,…

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    Is community always physical closeness?

    I woke up early this morning with one question scrolling through my mind. How can we break through the barriers of social distancing and create a community of closeness? Is community always about proximity; being physically near one another? Or can we learn to develop a new layer of community without physical touch? During the past few weeks as the corona-virus has swept around the globe and reached our local communities, I have had the opportunity to connect online with friends, young mothers, teens and some of the elderly in our personal social network. For some their concerns raise an element of fear, for others they are already experiencing loneliness,…

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    Living Fully Present

      Over the past few months I have been in transition. A bit of culture shock as I have left my home in the Philippines and have re-entered my passport country, the United States; for a much-needed sabbatical. I have never been very good at transitions. For some reason, even if I know they are coming and I think I have prepared for them, I still struggle. This transition has been no different. Transitions cause me a great deal of personal, inner reflection as I assess what I am leaving behind and begin to anticipate what I am yet to embrace or going towards. For several weeks now, I have…

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    The Fear Of Imperfection

    My mind’s eye can see what I want. My heart knows what will make something look picture-perfect. Is this perfectionism or striving towards excellence? Separating perfectionism from excellence:  Lately I have been seeking the answer to this question: “What is the difference between perfectionism, or striving towards excellence in my work?” As I have churned this question over in my mind, like shells tumbling in the rolling tide, I have begun to see a clarifying difference that separates these two thoughts.  As I took a discovering look at myself, I realized, that there are times that the motive for my work stems from a deep-rooted need to gain value, acceptance…

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    Day of Victory!

    How is it, that I can wake up on Valentines Day and feel like all the love is slowly being squeezed right out of me? Thirty-seven consecutive Valentines Days shared with my husband Joel, and here I was entering this one with a melancholy attitude I couldn’t identify. I should have prepared myself for the unexpected low, as I had just said hard good-byes to my brother and sister who were visiting here in the Philippines. While my brother was doing ministry work in the Province, I enjoyed two remarkable weeks together with my eldest sister. Each day was hinged with laughter, reminiscent memories of experiences from days gone by,…

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    Knowing God is Enough In The Hard Places of Life

    God is Enough  During a recent visit to Hong Kong my husband Joel and I attended an English-speaking Chinese church where two years prior we had spent a short season of ministry. As we walked through the church doors, we immediately felt welcomed by the love of this sweet assembly of Chinese believers. One particularly welcoming friend was Ruth. As I write this I can still hear the lilt of joy in her voice and feel the warm embrace of Ruth’s hug. It was this Sunday that I would begin to hear the beginning of Ruth’s story. Later I would email her and begin to connect-the-dots of a small part…