Consider yourself warned: there is mature content in this article. If you have a tendency to twitch or break out in hives at the mere thought of words like “sex,” “hormones” and (gasp) “climax,” do not read on. This post has been brewing for years, galvanized by my work with young-adult believers and fomented by […]
In the years I’ve spent leading sessions about Third Culture Kids, I’ve referred to the traits we derive from growing up between worlds in the context of ministry as our “Identity.” We tend to be geographically aware. Adaptable. Multiligual. Inclusive. Relational. Agents of change. That’s who we are—what defines us—right? Not entirely. Yes, these fruits […]
[As I work full-time with Missionaries’ Kids, I mention MKs frequently in this article, but the truths I outline would apply to any young person navigating growing up in our complicated modern world–particularly if raised in an intensely religious environment.] My goal in writing this article is not to shock. It isn’t to ruffle […]
[If you’re more of a watcher than a reader, there’s a video at the bottom of this post. You can also listen to it on the Pondering Purple podcast, HERE.] When I was little, I’d snuggle up to my mom in the evenings and listen to her reading “Are You My Mother?”, attracted to the […]
[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.] “One of my favorite moments in Star Trek is when Captain Kirk looks over the cosmos and says, ‘Somewhere out there, someone is saying the three most beautiful words in […]
There were ghouls, witches and zombies wandering around my neighborhood in October. Some wore pink sneakers under their torn bed sheets. Others had lollipop smudges on their chins. All held bags and baskets at arms’ length, hoping their harmless evilness would score them extra loot. But there is nothing harmless about true evil. Neither in […]
[Update: HALF of the need mentioned below has been met as of today!! Just $1,000 per month to. Yay, God!] I love this ministry. I love that God called me to it nearly thirty years ago and that it’s flourishing in new ways today. I love witnessing missionary families going from broken to mended […]
Anxiety is alive and well on the mission field. I think it has found fertile soil in a subculture where physical exhaustion, spiritual depletion and unsustainable expectations can be the norm. For some of us, anxiety will be a chronic condition. For others it will be a seasonal companion. Whatever its nature, anxiety […]
My pastor just got a car. His van was totaled in a wreck and just as he and his wife were considering what it would take to finance a new vehicle, someone they know offered them a Volvo. This past Sunday, he spoke with awe in his voice about the miraculous provision for his […]
[Several emails and phone calls, in recent days, from MKs who are hurting prompted this article. But pain is a universal thing, and if you or someone you love are suffering, MK or not, perhaps this can offer some hope and guidance.] We sat in a large, empty room in the basement of a pediatric […]