Photo by Dias Dos Reis I have always heard about people experiencing “reverse culture shock” when they returned to their primary culture after spending some time away. I never fully comprehended their experience or feelings, even though I went on many missions trips for 3-4 weeks at a time. But now, […]
Leaving Indonesia
The day is finally here. It is hard to believe that our family has been here for 12 months. As we were eating our final meal in Indonesia, the family and I spent some time sharing some memories throughout this past year. We laughed a lot and we felt so blessed that God gave […]
Transitioning the Teams
Photo by worldofstock.com It has been great having the new Jakarta Team here in Indonesia. Even though we have been together for only a week, we have been able to bond quickly together. Recently, our team, along with the new team went away to a retreat center to pray together and […]
Reminders from the Fishing Story
Photo on oceanchampions.org This week, I re-read a portion of Max Lucado’s book, He Still Moves Stones: Everyone Needs a Miracle. It was a good reminder of several principles that I try to live by. Here is a excerpt from Lucado’s book: Most mornings Peter and his partners would sell their […]
Myths About Marriage
Photo by nara.gov of the Gores, May 19th, 1970 In light of the shocking news of Al and Tipper Gore’s divorce, I was thinking, “how can a couple get a divorce after 40 years of marriage?!” In all news accounts and some personal testimonies from people who know the Gores well, […]
Read the Fine Print
Photo by Dot Communications I don’t know about you, but I have zero tolerance for false advertisement. Some companies and corporations are very sneaky to put it mildly. They will advertise in their eye-catching ads about a huge sale or a real bargain, but when you walk in to the store, […]
Dr. Wayne Grudem
I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Wayne Grudem while I attended seminary at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Not only did I study all my Systematic Theology with him, but I also took some elective classes that he taught in different semesters. There are two fond memories of him that […]
The Greater Witness
One thing great about Indonesia is the amount of holidays they have here due to religious observances. There is definitely a lot of tolerance for the various religions because everyone is trying to live in peace with one another. Couple of days ago was Ascension Day (commemorating the day that Jesus […]
Differences in Christianity and Islam?
Whenever discussions revolve around religion, it is always a heated and charged discussion. The reason behind this is simple: Religion is something personal. Therefore whenever our faith is attacked, a religious person will do everything in order to protect and defend the basic tenets of their faith. In this way, religion has been one […]
Appealing to Our Pride and Ambition
Photo by gbcdecatur.org Recently I received an e-mail that I found very interesting. Here is the content of the e-mail: You were recently chosen as a potential candidate to represent your professional community in the 2010/2011 Edition of The Global Directory of Who’s Who Online. We are please to inform you […]
Words of Wisdom from Steve Jobs
I don’t know how many of you have heard or seen Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University Commencement speech. Usually graduates, who sit under the hot sun, rarely remember the content of the speech that is normally given by a famous person during their commencement. Honestly, I don’t even remember the graduation commencement speech of […]
If We Only Knew What We Know Now
Photo on about.com As Christina and I are preparing the family, the team and the church for the transition that is coming up in July, we started to talk about what it would be like if we stayed longer in Indonesia – like 5 years or even 10 years longer. This […]
The Revelatory Nature of Trials
Photo from hubpages.com Many of you have probably heard of the axiom, “Trials will make you more like Christ.” But the more I think about it, I realized that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, I have been guilty of preaching this misnomer for years. Even in my counseling […]
The Heart of Child
Photo on pixdaus.com This past week, I had the privilege of speaking at Karissa’s chapel. The best part of it was being introduced by my little girl. Not only did she do an excellent job, but I was so humbled by her joy and excitement when she saw me. Before I […]