I was reading Esther the other day and it was struck by the veracity with which Mordecai mourned. This got me thinking about how in our western culture we’ve lost the importance of and in many cases the ability to mourn. The whole “fake it till you make it”, “don’t dwell on the negative”, and “think positively” ideas have become mantras for us. And while I know there is truth behind each of those statements, like anything, when left unchecked, they can push out the powerful e

When I first started to travel to other countries, one thing that always shocked me was how no matter where I went, I felt at home. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t normalcy. It was something bigger and more... More like “Out Of Africa” or “Dr. Zhivago”. Maybe because mission work had been so built up in my head after years of knowing God was directing my path in that direction, or maybe it was my teenage angst that wanted to be anywhere but suburban American.