2/11/99: More slides arrived from Hong Kong today. I had accidentally left them behind and the Beach’s home, and they were kind enough to mail them on… 2/11/24: *During our 1999 stay…
Category: Spiritual Formation
My experiences with and call to be involved, both personally and vocationally as a pastor, in helping others find their way back to God.
The Legend Of The Caves Of Wai’anapanapa
2/4/99: Another wonderful morning walk here in upcountry. Also took another ride into town… We went through all of our stuff, old and newly acquired, and tried to repack it in preparation…
Hawai’ian Heritage
1/31/99: Went to Church at Emmanuel Lutheran, the church that Ruth grew up in, in Kahului. We were warmly welcomed and, after the church service, we were asked to speak at an…
A Startling Truth
1/15/99: Today was our last day in Indonesia. In fact, it was the beginning of the end of the international part of our big adventure! We’ll be back in the good ol’…
Unexpected Affirmation
1/5/99: Ibu Enny serves a terrific breakfast here… While we were eating a young Indonesian man approached us as if we knew him. It turns out he had been part of the…
Sharing The Light
12/24/98: No entry on this date… NOTE: The photo above shows the “sharing the Light” as church members pass along the flame of their candles to one another during the Christmas Eve…
Inspiring Stories
12/21/98: Today was the suit fitting, and it needed adjustments… I also still haven’t figured out what to give Ruth for a Christmas gift, so I went shopping again too… We babysat…
Bridging Boundaries
12/13/98: A day of bridging boundaries: getting past language, culture, tradition, race, and iron bars… We went to church with Sean and Jan at an Indonesian church… It always encourages me to…
Rested And Ready
11/23/98: Last morning to walk on the beach and play in the waves of Kantiang Bay… Sail fish and huge prawns for dinner… Packed up and checked out before bed so we…
Another Therapy Day
11/19/98: Another therapy day… Breakfast. Coffee. Playing in the waves. Laundry. Reading Deep and honest conversations together. Prayer. Bed… NOTE: The photo above shows Ruth enjoying a book while laying in our…
Circumnavigation Of Self Discovery
11/18/98: We spent the day playing in calmer waves, collecting sea shells, reading, and reflecting… 11/18/23: I had planned to take this trip before Ruth and I had met and married….
Bleary Eyes and Frayed Nerves
9/16/98: Travel day… Arrived in Bangkok at 1:30AM, the hotel by 3:30AM, in bed by 4:30am, and we were too exhausted to fall asleep… Bleary eyed and frayed nerves all day, lead…
A Heavenly Dwelling
9/13/98: Up before dawn to catch a train to visit a church in Agra… I was asked to preach and drew up on Hebrews 7:24-8:2 as well as 2 Corinthians 6:16… The…
Temper Tantrum Over Sham Shoe Shine
9/11/98: Fell prey to a scam that the guidebook had warned about… Then embarrassed myself in a confrontation with a shoe shine man today… I will confess in my diary, but thankfully,…
I Have Sung In Mountain Cathedrals
9/6/98: The weather is overcast, so no clear view of the Himalayas yet… But I was up very early in hopes of catching glimpse of the mountains, and I was not disappointed……
Go Where You Are Needed
8/28/23: Today I read a well-meaning, but, I think, errant post on some social media feed, something like: “Look after yourself, go where you’re appreciated, do what fulfills you…” As mentioned previously,…
Longing For A Hotter Fire In My Own Heart
8/14/98: Prayer meeting at a small Pentecostal church… I felt awkwardly intrusive, but the people were so fervent and focused that they were oblivious to the camera clicks and flashes… As I…
The Living Word In Every Language
8/13/98: Jaychandran picked us up around 11am and took us to meet several pastors so we were able to set appointments for church visits on Sunday… Photographed an evening Bible study at…
The Power Of Prayer
8/5/98: The photography work documenting indigenous Christianity for Roger H. and his research kicked into a higher gear here… This morning we met with Caleb P., and picked his brain about Harvest…
Officially Outlawed But Still Practiced
7/31/98: An up-close view of the caste system, officially outlawed in 1950, but still practiced throughout India… Visited a house church in one of Mumbai’s vast slum neighborhoods… Rakesh also took us…
Church Leader Prayer Meeting
7/27/98: Invited to attend a meeting of Mumbai church leaders… Leaders clustered into small groups of prayer for over an hour, their prayers sounding as an a cappella song of murmuring worship……
A Sunrise For My Soul
7/26/98: Wow!!! What a day! Attended the service at New Life Church… three hours… Together with Christians from India, Iraq, Kenya, US (besides us)… Prophetic words and interpretations… Invited to share a…
Out Of Africa
7/20/98: Up early, a busy final day in Kenya, before a terrifying flight to India… 7/20/23: Re-reading my diary entries from our time in Kenya was a surprise to me. I recalled…
Job, Career, Or Calling
7/17/98: More errands downtown, including another visit to the Embassy of India because we still don’t have our visas. We ended the day with dinner and a game of UNO with the…
History And Danger Go Hand In Hand
7/16/98: Up late, demonstration, lunch out, railway museum, lots of walking. NOTE: The photo above is from the facebook page of The Nairobi Railway Museum. 7/16/23: Our visit to the The Nairobi…