I’ve grown accustomed the controversy that follows the Academy Awards. This year, though, it was a little dumbfounding.  In some circles, Lupita Nyong’o’s acceptance-speech statement that “No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid” was met with philosophical dismay and disapproval.  “Not all dreams are valid” came the impassioned refrain from sources I generally […]

  There is a saying in the Christian community that makes me angry. It’s a popular one too. I once heard missionary parents state that they decided to keep their three teenage daughters with them in a war-torn African city because they so firmly believed that “there is no safer place than the center of […]

  Nearly two years ago, I wrote an article titled “Speak It” that garnered significant attention. This is a follow-up post providing parents with concrete steps for preventing, recognizing and responding to abuse. These recommendations apply to any family raising children in this broken world. But with MKs (missionaries’ kids), the added pressure they feel […]

Guess what?  I don’t care whether you see “Noah” or not! But I saw it.  And I was stimulated spiritually and intellectually by the truths and untruths it unabashedly professed. Noah is an epic mythological thriller creatively adapted from a biblical story, full of fascinating anachronisms and philosophical meanderings.  It’s a rather effective hybrid of […]

[This article also exists in podcast form, on Pondering Purple. Click HERE to listen or find it on your usual podcast platform.] We like Top Ten lists, don’t we? Bite-sized bits of information we can easily process and implement if we choose. Fashion trends. Vacation spots. Kardashian Katastrophes. I figure if it’s good enough for God’s Commandments, […]

There’s a common mistake we make when speaking with someone who isn’t doing well.  It’s a three-letter word: but. A recent trip took me to Europe, where I met with dozens of couples living internationally who were concerned about their children.  As we discussed the challenges and solutions pertinent to each of their situations, I began […]

[Are you an MK?  Please briefly submit the reason(s) you loved growing up as you did in the comments space below!  And don’t miss the video.] I’ve received several emails, lately, that ended with a disheartened question like this one:  “Is it even possible to raise a happy MK?” Yes.  A resounding yes!  That’s why […]

[A retrospective for World Cancer Day: this post was written two days after I discovered I had breast cancer.] June 5, 2008 – After a series of surgeries that removed a large, tentacular tumor from my cheek, I leave the hospital with fourteen stitches and “You are cancer-free!” ringing in my ears, thinking Microcystic Adnexal […]

[For those whose stories feel too dark to share—take courage.  Others need to hear about your Postcards from the Pigsty.] In recent weeks, I’ve been contemplating the importance of speaking about the challenges and mistakes in our past.  An article about parenting I read this morning (I’m not expecting—just learning!) further stressed the value of […]

 [WARNING:  Sexual content below.] Shameful admission: in the year 2008, when I was waging a twofold battle against cancer, I began to watch a show called The Bachelor.  Or maybe it was The Bachelorette, that season.  Whatever the gender of the mate-seeking protagonist, it afforded me a bit of an escape from my torturous reality, […]