Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
Saturday and Sunday were jammed packed days, as we spent time with pastors and church staff of two different Methodist churches in and around Seoul. On Saturday, one pastor and his family took us to Insa-dong, one of the main shopping districts in Seoul, where we had our first Korean food. Afterward, we toured Gyeongbokgung … Read more
Today we ventured out a bit and visited the Korean Folk Village in Suwon. To get there, we had to catch a bus, which meant figuring out how Seoul’s bus transportation system works. The trick was finding the right bus stop and getting on the right bus. The directions we found online stated … From … Read more
We will meet Ethan on Monday! As we arrived inside the Guest House last evening we were given a letter from Ethan’s caseworker informing us that we’ll meet our baby Monday morning (when the SWS office reopens after the long Lunar New Year holiday celebrations). That was welcome news after we completed our 30-hour journey. … Read more
As part of our Doctor of Ministry program at Asbury, we are required to complete a cross-cultural experience. We plan to complete our cross-cultural experience in Korea (when we go to pick up our baby). Thanks to our bishop, Bishop Jane Allen Middleton, for putting us in contact with Bishop Jeremiah Park (bishop of NY … Read more
The topic of my devotional reading yesterday was about remembering God’s grace in my life and being humbled in the midst of that thought. Sometimes I revolt at such words, thinking they are close to self-debasement, but this devotional does not read like that to me today. I know I owe everything to God. I … Read more
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the miracle of the coming of God in human form. Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world” (John 8.12). The world in which we live can be a dark place. It doesn’t matter who you are, you face darkness in some way. It may … Read more
I just wrote this for our charge’s (monthly) church newsletter (November 2007) … Currently our sermon series is based on Acts 2.42-47, which gives us a snapshot of what the first century church looked like. They were a faith community, living their lives together, giving away their lives to others. Being together lends itself to … Read more
Today is Blog Action Day. Bloggers everywhere are talking about one issue. The issue this year is the environment. When I think about the environment, I think about the importance of caring for God’s creation. Many stories exist of St. Francis of Assisi, often called the patron saint of animals and the environment, and his … Read more
God certainly has perfect timing. We received our referral on a Tuesday, while at Asbury. Wednesday we went to visit with Randy’s family in TN. Upon arrival one of the first questions was, “What’s your theme?” We had no theme. We had decided not to do any preparations for a nursery until we had our … Read more
Life in places other than the mountaintop. The FOCs (Followers of Christ), the youth group of the Manor Hill United Methodist Church that I serve, joined other area youth for a hike at Trough Creek State Park. We ended up in three groups: those who did the mountain at a good pace, those who did … Read more