Shrieks filled the air, followed by the occasional whimper and whine, as kids bounded unaware of each other around the Frankfurt park covered by a panoply of fully-leaved trees. Scrapped knees and bruised egos caused many kids to scamper back to their parents who were underneath the white tents outside the ice-cream shop. They would […]
Tag: jesus
Leon Bridges and Asad — A Middle Eastern’s Story of Forgiveness
(Italicized below are the lyrics to Leon Bridges’s song, “Lisa Sawyer.” As I went to a coffee shop in Europe to write this, the Ft. Worth native was gently singing about Lisa’s life and eventual encounter with Jesus. I couldn’t help but connect the lyrics, ever so loosley, to Asad’s story.) She was born in […]
My Displacement in Athens
After engaging in intensive and intentional ministry to the Syrian refugees in Jordan, I knew my opportunities to serve in Athens would look different. I arrived with some baseline expectations, though. I would work with Helping Hands, a 20+ year old refugee ministry, my first day, and an American church, serving all summer throughout Greece, […]
In Isa’s Name — Mohammed’s Story
We were caught in No Man’s Land. Men, pregnant women, and children were all on their hands and knees, crawling across the Jordan and Syrian wilderness as rebel bullets whizzed over our heads. We just had to reach the Jordanian military vehicles. If only we could get there, we would be safe. There is something […]
How Arab Culture Reminded Me to be More Like Jesus
In between my stays in Jordan and Athens, I have decided to make a three day stop in Rome to rest and write (and work with African refugees one day). When I was sitting in my favorite Sicilian restaurant, Melo, near the Roman Forum, I was drinking some fine Italian wine and reading Wendell Berry’s […]
Making Peace with Evangelism
I received a book recommendation the other day with the following subtitle: “How to lead Muslims to Christ Now!” I had many thoughts (mostly unkind ones) when I saw the subtitle of this book on Amazon, but one word explicitly came to mind: Evangelism. I hate to say it, but I cringe at the word. […]
My Destructive Addiction
“We were positively encouraged to create for ourselves minds we would want to live with. I had teachers articulate that to me: ‘You have to live with your mind your whole life.’ You build your mind, so make it into something you want to live with. Nobody has ever said anything more valuable to me.” […]
Part III: Living the Vicarious Life and Vulnerability
Part I and Part II of our most recent vicarious life series, spurred on from Sam’s most recent post, “Our life and death is with our neighbor”, has been a strange endeavor for me. It has consumed my thoughts and left me restless at night – not an unfamiliar phenomenon – but one I thought […]
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