Christmas Market

William was walking just ahead of me when I noticed them. Four obviously well-trained policemen paying rapt attention to the crowd. Usually, I feel comforted by such sites, but not this time. One of them returned my gaze, and at once i had an uneasy feeling. Shrugging it off, I put my arm around my […]

Radical Love

Radical love is what we are here to demonstrate, it is what we have received, and it is what we want to see poured out of us as we serve Jesus in the city. This story is just the latest way that God has shown us just how much ground is taken when we follow […]

Our Apartment

Living in a city of 3,500,000 people, space to live in can be hard to come by. Add on top of that the additional pressure of 100.000 new migrants in the last year, and you have a housing crisis in the making. When we arrived here in Berlin back in May, we had planned to […]

August Newsletter

Special Christmas ornaments, kid’s artwork, and well-loved cuddly toys; raincoats, winter clothes, and over-the-counter American medicines; hearts full of hope, bellies full of familiar foods, and support raised to hopeful levels … With suitcases stuffed with all of these treasures and more, we are headed back to Berlin. Our Summer Garage sale fundraisers, Skype calls […]

Carnival of Cultures

His words were terse and, presumably, direct in nature. The befuddled look on his face a clear sign of misunderstanding, he took the shrugs of his would-be sexual partners personally and with more than slight indignation. I had hopped the U-line in Berlin on my way back to the YWAM base. On this particular Saturday […]

Ihab

When I met Ihab, he stuck out. With a big cross around his neck, he cut a significantly contrasting future against the mainly Muslim backdrop of the refugee camp in Wedding where he lives. Having served four years in Assad’s army as a medic, he has seen his share of death and suffering. This is […]

The Bridge

I am taking German classes at a refugee camp in Wedding, Berlin. My classmates are intrigued by me. “Why are you here?” is the most common question. I tell them I am a Christian Missionary from the U.S. They are starry-eyed about the West and especially about America. When I tell them I am from […]

Confirmation Bias, Social Media, and the Politics of Division

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” —Matthew 7:3 In the age of social media, we see a great deal of confirmation bias, that is, we tend to look for and follow those who affirm our beliefs and […]

Eine Nacht

Eine Nacht … One night in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. One night in Mosul, Damascus, and Aleppo. It isn’t so much to ask. One night of their mother’s own home cooking, of tea and conversation and familiar music won’t erase the horrors of the past. It won’t bring their homelands or even their homes back. […]

Only a Tree

“I am a tree, I am only a tree” my dear friend from Europe said as I complimented him on his art work. Hanging from the branches he so deftly drew were fingerprints in lovely pastels. This unique fruit, born out of various struggles to survive on that same tree, blossomed before our eyes over […]