Not a Super Hero

March 1, 2015

When I was growing up some of my buddies dreamed of someday being in the NBA mimicking the skills of Michael Jordan. Others planned on playing professional baseball along side the likes of Oral Hershiser. And though I had my share of fantasy winning buzzer shot baskets, more of the “when I grow up” dreams […]

Reading Between the Clans

February 23, 2015

The program and curriculum had been designed for Patpatar adults who were unable to read and write, but that didn’t seem to matter. Now truckloads of the most highly educated folks in Patpatar were arriving to attend the week long training workshop. A month earlier, I had been visiting with the local elementary teacher. We […]

Fourth Quarter Finale

December 31, 2014

2014 was quite the year. We had our moments abroad traveling by car on the dusty roads of Africa, hiking up mountains to remote villages in Papua New Guinea, crossing open seas in a small banana boat, and gazing down on passing islands from a helicopter. But most of our time was spent in our […]

Dressed up as Satan

November 11, 2014

When Lori and I were dating, on occasion we would sing to each other a part of song that was popular then…“Do you dream of me?” It was a romantic gesture and felt good knowing that we were being ‘dreamed’ about. Now, I am being dreamed about again, but the feeling isn’t good. In America […]

Rocks, bark, and a changed old man

August 23, 2014

Tooldee is one of few in our area who still remembers when the Japanese overtook their village during World War II. He is a little old man with lots of spunk. He is barely 5’ tall and with his slight stoop seems even shorter. His toothless grin and high pitched voice draws your attention and […]

Mountaintop to Mountaintop

August 14, 2014

A month ago our family was hiking up an island mountain emerging out of the sea at one of the most northern points in Papua New Guinea. Even though the elevation wasn’t that high, being nearly right on the equator under a bright tropical sun made the conditions intense. The boat ride to the island […]

Babies in ICU

May 4, 2014

I sat between two men on a bench made from pieces of bamboo. Stanley began to explain what was on his heart. “I knew that Jesus had died on the cross. I had read this part before [pointing to Luke 24:6-7 ‘He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he […]

A Hike, A Helicopter, and A Hiccup

September 15, 2013

After several hours in the pickup we reached the northern tip of the island. From there we bounced along in a small fiberglass boat with a 40HP outboard motor for two hours with sprays of saltwater acting as a rhythmic timer counting off each wave. Finally we reached dry ground. Dry ground is figurative, for […]

Heavy Rain and Light Burden

July 25, 2013

Aaron had left the village ahead of me to head home with the 3 older girls. As I walked in the rain down the dirt road holding Briella and an umbrella, I sensed someone behind me on the road. I turned to see who it was, and it was one of the ladies that comes […]

Monday’s Message

April 2, 2013

It took awhile for the news of the resurrection to get to the Patpatar, a couple thousand years actually. But when it reached them, how did they react? The power and the results of the resurrection of our Lord would eventually be understood by the early Christians, yet that Sunday when the angel said, “He […]