[Note: many of my articles are now available in audio form on the Pondering Purple podcast.]   I remember the phone call. I have no recollection of who was on the other end of the line. But even eighteen years lately, the words are still a paralyzing wound. “Riley killed himself.” He was a […]

Being a kid isn’t easy. Under the best of circumstances, life throws challenges and risks at us that can increase our anxiety. Add to that the high-pressure context of ministry and the chances of some level of anxiety rise. Then COVID-19 strikes. I’ve received calls and messages from so many families lately whose children are […]

  [This article also exists in podcast form, on Pondering Purple. Click HERE to listen or find it on your usual podcast platform.] This article is the third is a series on Transition. The others are – Part I: Leaving Well and Part II: Entering Well. We like Top Ten lists, don’t we? Bite-sized bits of information […]

[This article also exists in podcast form, on Pondering Purple. Click HERE to listen or find it on your usual podcast platform.] Many eons ago, I walked onto the Wheaton College campus for the first time. Everything felt hugely new. New culture, new way of life, new educational system, new homework load, new roommate… New everything. […]

[This article also exists in podcast form, on Pondering Purple. Click HERE to listen or find it on your usual podcast app.] This is the first in a series of three articles about transition. In this one, we’ll cover “Preparing to End Well.” The next one will be about Entering Well. And the third one […]

[This article is also available on the Pondering Purple podcast. Simply search for it by name on your preferred podcast platform or listen online HERE.]   As I’ve lead sessions with MKs and mission groups around the globe, I’ve seen an increase in questions regarding MKs and marriage. Why is it that some of us […]

  [Note: You can also listen to this article on my podcast. Simply search for Pondering Purple by name on your usual platform or listen online by clicking HERE.] It feels like it’s been going on for a long time, doesn’t it? This sheltering-in-place. This waiting with insufficient evidence that this will truly end anytime […]

Hi, friends! My goal for 2020 was to turn my most-frequently-read articles into something people could consume on the go. Statistically, more consumers gain information through podcasts and audio services today than through reading, so creating the Pondering Purple Podcast seemed like an effective strategy for extending the reach of my MK ministry.  The technical […]

[Note: though I primarily refer to college or university students in this article, the emotional impact of high school closures on teenagers, particularly for seniors, will be similar in nature and intensity.] I was surprised at how viscerally I felt the announcement that colleges around the nation would be closing their doors and going virtual […]

  [Prefer listening to reading? This article is available in audio format on the Pondering Purple podcast. Find it by name on your favorite platforms or through this link.]     As you can imagine, the topic of faith comes up frequently when talking with Missionaries Kids. We do a lot of processing about the […]