Almost thirteen years ago, my wife and I took a herd of young adults down to San Diego at Christmas time to the Campus Crusade Winter Conference–or whatever they called it. John Eldredge was there. He ruined my life. I came to Christianity in my late twenties and all my early indoctrination had supported the […]
LIVING FOR A PURPOSE
A few years ago I stopped at a cemetery in a town just like any other. The graveyard was small and most of the tombstones were dated before my great grandparents drew their first breath. The cemetery was deserted. No fresh flowers were scattered among the two dozen or so tombs, no fresh footprints marred […]
HOW TO DEAL WITH STRESS
We’ve all experienced stress at one point or another. From being caught in traffic on our way to a job interview to dealing with the death of a family member, we’ve all been in a situation that makes us feel we’ve been given more than we can handle. Stress can also result when seemingly minor […]
COMMUNISM, CASTLES AND LEPER COLONIES
“You have to forgive us,” said Adrian, “Romanians don’t quite know who they are. He went on to point out that for centuries his country had been controlled by other people. Most recently this small fish-shaped country in Eastern Europe had been under communist rule. It was only twenty years ago, in 1989, that a […]
SURFING AND SERVING IN PANAMA
It all started with a revelation, a vision that exceeded the previous capacity of my heart. I sat on my board, waist high in water, facing the horizon as the sun descended into its perfect setting, as if to acknowledge my thoughts. I was seeking, perhaps convicted of my past habit of seeking inwardly instead […]
GOSPEL FOR ASIA
He was only a teenager when he answered God’s calling. Feeling an overwhelming, unconditional love for the physically and spiritually impoverished population of India, he stood on an elevated rock amongst a bustling Bangalore bus station. He was only 16 years old, skinny, too young to even be part of the mission teams that proselytized […]
GARDENING WITH GOD
I learned to love gardening from my mother while growing up in Phoenix, Arizona. When I was in grade school, she gave me some space in her flower bed and some seeds to plant, and I was hooked after seeing my first sunflower grow from a small seed to a giant that towered twice as […]
THE MIDNIGHT PULSE
6:30 a.m. You’re packed in with two hundred people who love the music as much as you do, dancing to the same beat. DJ Marcos Cruz is blasting through the speakers that surround the dance floor. Bass thunders through the whole place. You love not only the songs the DJ is playing but also the […]
ARE YOU A DEADBEAT DREAMER?
They said it couldn’t be done. A dreamer who is yet practical, logical, and focused. A creative thinker who can also analyze, be realistic, and lead. How unlikely is it that one with her head so far in the clouds all the time could also be a firm pillar to society and even help balance […]