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Finding Jericho Moments When we Open our Clenched Fists
It was November 2017, and my world was a hot mess. I think the technical term for it was dumpster fire—at least that’s how one of my friends described it. Thanks pal. In the span of three months, the life I built, my dreams and goals and hopes for the...
What it Feels Like to Climb a Mountain in the Dark with a Flashlight
I’ve been wrestling with the Father a lot these days. What a Christian thing to say—wrestling. He and I are struggling together. I’m asking Him a lot of questions, and wishing He spoke a little louder. These days, I feel more and more like I’m inching...
What it Actually Means to Live Brave
This week I stepped into a room filled with people who were there to hear from Kristy and me, ask questions, and see for themselves the work we’ve poured ourselves into. Nothing felt more vulnerable than stepping into that space, prying our hands open to let others...
Why We Need to Look for Ways to Lend Courage to One Another
A year ago, I said yes. It wasn’t my first, and it certainly won’t be my last. This yes led me to move to Mae Sot, Thailand. It led me to this team and to this work. It led me to a life that is beautiful and challenging and a million other adjectives. I’ve...
Why We Need the Simple and Little Things of Life to Build Lasting Community
Last night, our plans for the evening were interrupted, and it left me feeling fuller than I had in a long time. We were supposed to host Braverly’s small group at our house, but after most of the food was prepared, we found out that all but one of our women was...
One of the Most Dangerous Phrases in the Church Today
Recently, Kristy and I were talking about this insane life we get to live in Mae Sot. It's chaotic and beautiful and unpredictable and wonderful. It's stupid hard and surrounded by the unfamiliar, and it's also our normal. Every day we have the opportunity to do life...
We Need to Stop Missing the Beautiful and Holy in the Everyday Ordinary Around Us
I am a lover of the everyday ordinary. Lest you think my life in Thailand is beyond crazy or a “I-could-never-do-that” kind of thing, know that this life is filled with the ordinary in the midst of the extraordinary. It’s filled with trips to the grocery store...
Why the Father delights in our dance, even if we stumble and fumble our way through it
Here are a few things you should know about me—I am a sucker for dancing in the kitchen while dinner cooks on the stove and Frank Sinatra’s voice plays in the background, and I’m an absolutely terrible dancer. I stumble and fumble my way through a song, usually opting...
Surprised by the God I’ve Always Known but Never Understood
It was the end of May in Northern Indiana, and it seemed as if the torrential downpour would never stop. I remember the way the rain pounded on the roof of the tiny cottage almost the entire weekend. I remember the way the water soaked the ground until the earth...
On Community
I've spent a lot of time thinking and talking about community over the years. I'm part of the generation of Christian millennials who have heard every cliché buzzword when it comes to the idea of cultivating true community. I'm also part of the generation of humans...