Before leaving the States for the mission field I remember sitting in a coffee shop with a friend who had served in China for over 5 years. I wanted to know everything about the Far East. What he experienced, what he felt, the good and the bad.

And I will never forget getting to the subject of “Hitting the Wall”.

That time when the honeymoon is over and you start the questions…

“Can I really do this?” or “Should I keep doing this?”
And of course… “Can I really continue to survive without Chick-fil-a?”

To be honest, I never thought that it would happen to me. I was “beyond” that. I was “too spiritual” and “dependent on Him” to allow that to happen. After all, I was a pastor…

But then it did.

The month of February was a low point spiritually, mentally, and emotionally to say the least. I can’t actually remember feeling that burdened since I started to seriously follow...

Not speaking the language of the country in which you live is full of more challenges than one could ever imagine. Some of the simple everyday things that were once taken for granted have become hard, and the things that were once difficult have become impossible.

Just imagine going to the DMV when you don’t speak the language!

But one thing I never considered was getting a haircut. It’s just always been so simple. “So… how would you like it cut?” A little longer on the top, a little shorter on the sides, round off the back… we are good to go.

Not anymore.

I quickly realized that it becomes more of a game of charades than it does actually getting a haircut.

And as it turns out… showing a picture of what you want them to do is so much more effective than actually telling them what you want. That is, unless you don’t absolutely love the picture you are showing them.

Because…...

Christmas time always seems to bring a sense of expectation. It often means a much needed break time from work, scrambling to get those last minute presents, and quality time with family and friends.

It also usually means getting a refresher of the Christmas story. No, not the one with the BB gun, but the one with Jesus.

Each time I read it, I can’t help but think about what it would have been like to live as a Jewish person waiting in hope for the promised Messiah.

Imagine being Simeon. Scripture tells us that he was a devout man of God who lived in prayerful expectancy for Israel’s help. And God had actually promised him that he would see the Messiah before his death. I can’t begin to think about the anticipation… or better yet, the incredible joy he must have felt when he finally got to take Jesus into his arms. (Luke 2)

Of course… we now know that Jesus didn’t come as...

Lately my attention has been drawn to the Israelites and their 40 years in the wilderness. I can’t even begin to imagine the conditions and the difficulties; and yet at the same time I find myself oddly jealous of the necessity of their dependency.

It’s hard to be dependent when you have “a lot.” And yet we all live within a system that promotes material progress the longer we work and the longer we live. And it seems whichever notch on that ladder we sit, it’s engrained in us to always look towards the notch above.

But for a generation of people, there was no obvious progression. Forty years of walking in circles… forty years of going to bed hoping that tomorrow’s bread would be there… and forty years of more questions than answers.

And yet through those circumstances, God’s Word tells us that as long as the Israelites followed God’s presence (“the pillars”), He would supply all...

While living overseas has had its fair share of challenges, there have thankfully been just as many rewards. Perhaps the greatest thus far is that it has brought a lot of perspective on the concept of time and urgency.

I know that God has my family in Seoul for now, but I also know that being open for whatever God has in store always opens up the possibility of Him taking us somewhere else. And when or if that times comes… we will surely go.

In short:

1. I am supposed to be here.
2. I don’t know how long.

And because of that, how I steward my time matters.

In Genesis 47:8, Pharaoh asks Jacob a simple question, “How old are you?” But what we find in Jacob’s answer is quite profound and revealing.

Jacob answered, “The years of my sojourn are a hundred and thirty.”

What’s so amazing about this simple statement is not the fact that Jacob is 130 years old (although quite...

One thing I have learned quickly through my experience in Korea is that Koreans are very traditional people. One of the more interesting things is that if you are visiting a friend’s house for tea (a staple), it is the job of the host to continue to fill your cup as it goes empty.

That is, until they feel it’s time for you to go. Then the tea stops coming.

This is their polite way of saying, “We’ve had a great conversation, we are still friends, but let’s continue this another time”… or “I have things to do, I need to go to bed.” You get the gist.

(And all the Americans said, “How do we start this!?”)

What I didn’t realize is that this is actually a tradition of a lot of cultures, including the Hebrews, which opened my eyes to Psalm 23 in a fresh new way.

Psalm 23:5 says, “You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

What the Psalmist David is saying here is… when I am in...

To say that the journey to follow Christ is a series of mountains and valleys is an understatement.

At times, everything seems to be going right. We are connecting with God in deep and intimate ways. Every time we pray, or read Scripture there is fresh revelation, renewal, and excitement about what God is doing in us and through us.

But then there are those days, weeks, months, where we go through a valley season. And during these times, it’s like all connection is lost. And perhaps we even wonder if God is truly personal… or worse yet, if he even exists at all.

We have all been there, perhaps more times than we wish to admit or recall.

But Psalm 84:5-6 says,

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well…”

A lot about the valley of Baca is unknown, but what we do know is that it...

Inside all of us lies the desire to finish our lives well. But I think that idea of finishing carries over to the ins and outs of everyday life as well. No one likes a tough break up, leaving a job on bad terms, or quitting something that was too hard, too soon.

As insignificant as it is today, I still hate the fact that I quit my little league baseball team almost 20 years ago!

This past Sunday was bittersweet because it was the last Sunday morning I got to sit and worship with the church I had the privilege to see off the ground. It’s been a whirlwind to say the least, but LifeCity and its people have been a part of my life for the last 3 ½ years. They have been my family away from family. And because of that, it has been a deep seated desire to leave them well as my wife and I start our new journey as missionaries to Asia.

As I sat there Sunday morning, worshiping my Heavenly...

Being new to this whole blog thing, I did what any practical person would do nowadays. I googled, “how to write a great blog.” While I could have consulted the array of self-proclaimed experts, I decided to make the clear and obvious choice, “Blogging for Dummies”. And although I could only get a few excerpts online without purchasing the book, I obtained the only take-away that I really needed.

“Update, Update, Update”. In other words, “Be Intentional” with this thing.

But then I realized, isn’t that the answer to how to be great at anything? To be intentional means to do something with purpose. Along with pastoring I coach basketball, and that might as well be one of our mottos. If you want to be great at basketball, you can’t just want to get there. To my knowledge, no one ever just woke up great at anything. So many people have amazing, natural, God given gifts, sure… but...