It’s been five days without an Internet connection or cell phone coverage. The nearest town is almost two hours away. We are literally in the middle of nowhere. Two hundred eighty people are sharing 4 toilets. It’s hard to believe I’m not in a foreign...
Recently I visited my parents’ house down in Almaden Valley to clean up my old bedroom. As I went through my stuff, I came across a drawer where I used to shove old graded assignments in case I ever needed them again. As I went through them, I saw the giant red letters at the...
I wrote a script for my family, which featured our future, redeveloped backyard as the backdrop. It went something like this: my daughter leaves for college (yes, she will) in six years. Between now and then, she and her brother need to create fun childhood memories in our home and...
Or could the mundane actually be profound? Since moving to the Bay Area three years ago, I’ve experienced significant development in my walk with God and my prayer life—possibly greater strides than I’ve ever experienced. (Signs of this popped up in my earlier blog...
I was reminded the other day of a Sunday school tune, based on Matthew 6:33, that I had learned to sing as a child. The song came to mind as my fiancée and I were sharing childhood memories and humming tunes we knew on a bus ride home. (Yes, we have odd conversations)...
A few months ago, I was standing in the changing room of our gym when one of the members started complaining about the parking. During busy times, there usually isn’t enough parking for the number of people who belong there. As I listened, I was agreeing in my head. I’ve...
I have a birthday this month, which puts me far enough into my forties to know that 40 is not the new 30. I definitely feel different than I did in my thirties. If I don’t work out for one week, it will be markedly harder the next time I exercise. If I over-indulge while on...
My childhood experience of church was of a hungry institution that always wanted more. I grew up in a Chinese immigrant church where attendance always hovered around 100 people, but the number of people who served regularly was much smaller. For my parents, who both came from...
I think my life might have been changed by a movie this year. A movie I watched—and then experienced. Last fall, at a retreat for Christian leaders, I watched what started out as the slowest movie ever. Babette’s Feast is set in the nineteenth century on the northern...
In my line of work, I tend sheep. I think about what they need and find ways to feed, shelter, and protect them. I spend time getting to know them—learning about their backgrounds, their dreams, and their fears. I comfort them when they are afraid. I bind up their wounds. And I...