Six years ago, our son Gabe went to the hospital in the middle of the night for the last time. Cancer had overtaken his body, but we hoped and prayed he would have more time with us. As we waited for the ambulance, I read Psalm 121 to him. It starts with a question (and we had a lot of them), “I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from?” and the answer, “My help comes from the...
In every relationship that God has given to us, our mission is to be an ambassador of Christ’s love. This purpose for relationships is underlined throughout Scripture. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Later in the New Testament Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:5, “the aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure...
Are you disappointed with prayer? Julie was. Until the bike accident two years ago she couldn’t remember the last time she had needed to see a doctor. This capable and bubbly young mom of two energetic kids, had faced the usual challenges in life, but nothing that had knocked her off her stride for long. Her prayers were usually hopeful and full of praise for the Lord’s kindness to her. Even the...
“If you were a pie, how much of the pie do you think your parents know of you?” This is a question that I like to ask students. It’s a fun question because it touches on one’s sense of identity, perception of how they’re seen by their families, and it invites many more questions for further discussion. The answers are extra interesting for the Asian American college students I minister to...
Are the feelings you are experiencing hard to put into words—or maybe you aren’t feeling anything at all? Is it a sadness, but you can’t put a finger on why? Does life seem flat and monotonous with no change in sight? Is it possible that you may be depressed? In his minibook, Depression: The Way Up When You’re Feeling Down, Ed Welch explains it this way, “It is technically called depression, but...
