Oct 19, 2022Should Being Useful be a Goal?Usefulness A number of years ago, a young short-term missionary was fighting back tears as we talked in my office. We were meeting because they had made a mistake. It was a real mistake and had negative outcomes, but they had confessed it honestly, and it was not an unfixable mistake…Christianity6 min readChristianity6 min read
May 30, 2022True Love and Fountain PensI received my first fountain pen as an unexpected and (to be shamefully honest) unwelcome gift. My wife tacked on an inexpensive entry-level fountain pen (a Platinum Plaisir for those who know) as part of an anniversary gift, and I was not overjoyed at the addition. I had already taken…Fountain Pens6 min readFountain Pens6 min read
May 6, 2022In Praise of the Mothers of Missionaries (MOMs)There is a sorority of mothers who are sometimes forgotten by the church and only pitied by the world. They are mothers who are forced to love their children from afar. Mothers who rightly raised their children to leave the home and follow Christ while likely not expecting it to…Motherhood4 min readMotherhood4 min read
Feb 22, 2020How to Pray for Japan on the Front End of a Coronavirus OutbreakJapan has been in the news around the world the past week as news about a growing COVID-19 threat continues to mount. Japan has the highest number of cases of the disease outside of China, if you include the Princess Cruise ship cases. In Japan, there are a mix of…Japan4 min readJapan4 min read
Dec 12, 2019Light Dawns for the UprightA Missional Meditation for those in Dark Places — There is perhaps no better image that captures the church’s missionary vocation than that of light shining in the darkness. Psalm 112 summarizes this beautifully, “Light dawns in the darkness for the upright…” (v. 4). When a disciple of Jesus moves into a dark place, the light of God follows…Christianity5 min readChristianity5 min read
Jul 31, 2019One Million Years of JoyThe Pals family went to be with the Lord July 31st, 2016. The end and the beginning. Three years. “The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.” (C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle) 1,095 days. Commanded and obedient, They heard your Go, and they are gone. Tell us…Christianity1 min readChristianity1 min read
Jan 8, 2019What Trash Says about Culture and TheologyWhy Japan is the Cleanest Place on Earth — The existence of trash is a universal phenomenon. Human beings create waste and that waste needs to be disposed of in some fashion. Some societies do this better than others. No one does it better than the Japanese. One of the frequent ways that Japan makes headlines after international sporting…Christianity8 min readChristianity8 min read
Aug 21, 2018Instigating a Gospel Movement in JapanMissional priorities in engaged but unreached areas — Movement A gospel movement is what missionaries intrinsically desire to see in the places they serve. Whether their work focuses on church planting, evangelism, mercy ministry, etc. there is a fundamental longing for a movement to take place that changes a people with the gospel. We long to see personal renewal…Christianity4 min readChristianity4 min read
Aug 1, 2018Where Are They Now?: The Pals Family’s Witness and Legacy of JoyLet us praise, and join the chorus of the saints enthroned on high; here they trusted him before us, now their praises fill the sky: “You have washed us with your blood; You are worthy, Lamb of God!” (John Newton, “Let us Love and Sing and Wonder”) Where Are They Now? One of the…Christianity11 min readChristianity11 min read
Jun 17, 2018“Father of the Fatherless” is not an Empty QuipFather of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.(Psalm 68:5) Every Father’s Day, somewhere, some well-meaning preacher makes a passing reference to the promise of Psalm 68:5 in a way that may do more harm than good. To the fatherless it may sound like an…Christianity4 min readChristianity4 min read
