Reflections From Isaiah
Isaiah 42:1-4 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put… Read more >>
"Who Made Man's Mouth?"
As of this week my husband and I will have lived here for one year. It is hard to believe how much has happened this year--how much we have learned and experienced. I am thankful for God’s faithfulness through it all, both the good times and bad. However, this week I took another language fluency test and in the days leading up to it I felt fears and insecurities rising up to the surface--things that I thought had been silenced for a while, but still reared their ugly heads. Here is my journal entry: "Yesterday I felt really discouraged with language practice. I… Read more >>
No, Not Lost...
My husband and I recently had the opportunity to go back to the United States to spend Christmas with our families and do some work stateside. We loved seeing everyone, and by the end of the three weeks we felt encouraged, refreshed, and ready to go back. But as we packed up to go, deeply hidden emotions rose to the surface. I felt frustrated and stressed, but couldn’t place why. As our car pulled out from the driveway, I broke down weeping. All of my confused thoughts and feelings came into clear focus: I didn’t want to say goodbye again. I had forgotten how much we were missing by… Read more >>
Living Like an Artist
As this first year overseas draws to a close, the Lord gave me a picture that characterizes full-time ministry: My husband’s cousin is a very talented artist, but at first he didn’t want to pursue art as his career because he knew it wouldn’t pay well, it would be hard work, and he was worried that if art became his job he would grow sick of it and lose the joy. So for a year, he jumped from job to job, never finding contentment in his work. Finally, he decided that he needed to be an artist. It was his passion, and he knew that even if it was hard, there would always be joy. Working… Read more >>