The dawning sun did its best to peek through the clouds as I prayerwalked my neighborhood this morning. I prayed that all of my neighbors would wake up feeling a supernatural peace, and a trust that God was for them, not against them. I prayed that as the world is being shaken, they would holdContinue reading “Jesus and Social Distancing”
Category Archives: Peacemaking
All the People We’ll Meet this Christmas
As I’m working on writing my fourth novel, starting a new trilogy on the topic of hope, I’ve been studying Johnny Enlow’s RISE teaching on bringing God’s kingdom into the 7 mountains of culture: government, business, education, religion, media, arts & entertainment, and family. As a teacher, I’ve been especially fascinated by his ideas onContinue reading “All the People We’ll Meet this Christmas”
A Halloween to Remember
Halloween—the dentists’ favorite holiday… My American friends who take a walk through their neighborhoods today will be greeted by an assortment of scary decorations in front of their neighbors’ homes: carved pumpkins, skeletons, witches, ghosts, gravestones, giant spiders, black cats, even skulls placed on a stick. In American culture, decorating homes like this is aContinue reading “A Halloween to Remember”
Justice for Religious Minorities
How should the majority religion treat those of minority religions in their land? My experience in both my home nation of the United States and my residence nation of Indonesia is that those of minority religions are often treated unjustly: It is difficult to get permits to build houses of worship Minority housesContinue reading “Justice for Religious Minorities”
World Religions Quiz
How much do you know about world religions? A Pew Forum study of nearly 11,000 Americans done this year found that most of us can’t even correctly answer half of a basic world religions survey. Think you can beat the average? Take the survey here. I thought I should take the challenge since I teachContinue reading “World Religions Quiz”
World Refugee Day–Faith over Fear
A bomb threat at the hotel where we were supposed to teach English caused us to cancel our classes one day. Thankfully, there was no bomb, and we could carry on teaching English here in Indonesia. That’s the closest I’ve come to a bomb. I’ve never watched missiles fall from the sky and wipe outContinue reading “World Refugee Day–Faith over Fear”
Isra Mi’raj and Your Supernatural Encounter
Happy Isra Mi’raj to all my Muslim friends today! For those Muslims who live as minorities, I pray for a peaceful day of celebrations. My heart was broken with all of yours by the tragic shootings in Christchurch, NZ. I’m thankful for the gracious response of the Anglican Christians who demonstrated the true heart ofContinue reading “Isra Mi’raj and Your Supernatural Encounter”
Curing the Christmas Blues
The holidays can be the toughest time of year. Especially if you’re alone. As I write this, my wife is out of town helping a friend through surgery. My daughter is taking off on a train trip with her friends. And my son is an ocean away at university. Being alone at Christmas can makeContinue reading “Curing the Christmas Blues”
Children Bombing Children—The Surabaya Church Bombings
The family that bombs together… On May 13, 2018 a Muslim family of six took on three suicide bombing missions, attacking 3 churches in Surabaya, Indonesia. At least 18 people died, and dozens were injured. A nine-year-old Muslim girl blew herself up in front of a church. An eleven-year-old Christian boy died. Children raised toContinue reading “Children Bombing Children—The Surabaya Church Bombings”
The Black Panther Challenge
I finally found time this weekend to go watch The Black Panther. LOVED IT!! This hugely entertaining film addresses the question of “What do we do with the blessings God has given us?” Not two, but three different arguments are put forward: + use those blessings to protect us and ours (Black Panther’s fathers’ traditionalContinue reading “The Black Panther Challenge”
Jim Baton 