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 […]

Love is on the Move

All over Europe, and all over the world, the armies of good are committing violent acts of generosity and love. From the Northern-most parts of Norway to the southern Greek islands we see evidence mounting that Christians and ordinary people who have lived under the liberating regimes of Europe and North America are exporting this […]

Missionary Kid Extraordinaire

Our son received an email from home this week. I’m so proud of the way he responded to it and feel led to share it with you (with his permission, of course!). Hi Mark, I am writing you back. My answers to your questions are in blue below next to your questions. From, Will Do […]

Praying for our leaders

I am praying for Donald Trump, and I want you to join me. I have, in the past, been quite critical of Donald Trump in my social media posts. Although I stand by my convictions about the persona he projects on our national stage (hubris, misogyny, vulgarity, opportunism, etc.), I want to repent of any […]

Helpless in Paradise

Waves rolling over us can be gentle and relaxing. But sometimes they can be downright scary, and even dangerous. At mile marker 88 of Route 19 on the Big Island of Hawaii there is a soft, sandy beach known as Manini’owali. Volunteering for a missionary organization in Hawaii has its perks, so we crept off […]

Building a Mission in the Air

Imagine boarding a flight without knowing the destination. The pilot is going to file the flight plan once you are underway. Perhaps you were enticed to board, or you are walking the jetway at gunpoint. Maybe you were promised that the destination was a dream come true for you. Now imagine you are told the […]

An Update from the Mrs.

I love a good story, don’t you? Especially a true story that brags on God and turns my gaze to Him in wonder at how He takes good care of His kids. Well, I’ve got a good story for you. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard a doctor become quiet in an exam room. […]

Mission: Possible

“Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” -Genesis 15:6 The sun rose on the new year five hours later here than it did back home in Albany NY. We are starting the year off pressing into the task before us. No long weekend, no New Years Day off, […]

Called out of the depth

Totally dark and devoid of hope, I existed merely to exist. Although born to a family who loved me and born again into a faith that sustained me, I existed merely to exist. Drugs had become my social identity as I desperately clung to friends who were, I thought, somehow impressed with my unlawful and […]

Eleven

Eleven days … Until we leave Albany behind and travel to Texas for Christmas with my brother and his family (and my Mom & Dad too!). Eleven days later … We leave my brother’s house in San Angelo to catch a plane to Kailua Kona Hawaii and begin preparations to staff a school this winter. Eleven […]