Stories
A Bible for the Gas Canister Man
A Breakthrough in Ministry Identity
A Christmas Party and the Birth of a Church
A First Visit to the House Church
A Freezer Full of Pork Sausage
A Local’s First Visit to the International Church
A Philly Diner and the New Jerusalem
A Time to Let the Left Hand Know What the Right Is Doing
An Embarrassing Example of Why We Need to Keep Learning Culture
And a Soft Tongue Will Break a Bone
Bedbugs in the Bowels of the City
Being a Christian Has Made You a Better Man
Can Jesus Forgive Me for Being a Muslim?
Chickens, Checkpoints, and Zombie Lawyers
Closer to Islam than Liberal Christianity
Cracking Tails, Roasted Hearts, and Resurrection
Diabetes in Not Forever: One Year Later
Divinity, Prophethood, Judgement, Cheesecake
Do I Have a Problem with What Now?
Dysfunction and Drivers at the UN
Even Their Poets Are Preachers
Evidence Our Kids Haven’t Been Living ‘Round These Parts
Fake Beards and Future Believers
First Flight into Central Asia
Flatbread and the Kindness of God
From Leprous Plaster to Gleaming Stone
Gum Trees, Graves, and Genocide
He Brought His Own Birthday Cake
Healing in this Age and Fresh Octopus in the Next
His Joy in Suffering Overcame Her Fear
How a Christian Marriage Was Saved by a Wise Guerrilla Leader
How I Became a Yogurt Water Drinker
How I Finally Learned the Word for Speed Bump
How to Get the Little Man in the Radio to Go to Sleep
How to Get Vaccinated in Central Asia
How to Sign Your Name Like a Central Asian Convict
I’ve Done This Before… With Jesus
If God Wants a Man to Hear the Gospel
If This Church is Destroyed, God, the Christian God, Will Overthrow Your Government
International Pig Meat Smugglers, Inc.
International Travel During Pandemic October
It Is the Glory of God to Conceal Things
Ivy League Education vs. Middle Eastern Racism
Lessons Learned: Living Room Baptisms
Lessons of Street Cats and Lentil Soup
Literally the Man on the Island
Looking a Little Less Useless, a Little More Fascist
Mama Lost Her Gall Bladder in Turkey
Mics in The Water and Other Baptism Blunders
Missed Opportunities and the Best of All Possible Timelines
My First Beer Was Among My Muslim Friends
My First Friend in Central Asia
My New Neighbor, My New Brother
Now I Understand Why You Were Always Talking About Church
Of Immersion and Umbilical Cords
Of Providence, Car Bombs, and Appointments with Death
One Very Problematic Persian Rug
Please Don’t Call It an Interview
R.O.U.S.s and the Tragic End of Gus Gus the Mouse
Radio, Jail Time, and Regeneration
Reflections on Failure in the Fog
River Cliffs and Reformed Theology
She Forgot Our Names, But Not Rock of Ages
So You Really Believe Your Daughter’s Disease Will Result in Good?
Some of Our Favorite Language Learning Mistakes
Steps, Stitches, and the Blood Ward
Take a Sip of the Water, Ma’am
The Bold Faith of the Migrant Brothers
The Courage to Go to Headless Village
The Deeper Beliefs Begin to Come Out
The First and Worst and Best Sermon I Ever Preached
The First Church Discipline in 1,000 Years
The First Coffee Shop in Poet City
The Gospel for Sandwich Delivery
The Hazards of Second Language Sermons
The Healed Will Heal Others Also
The Most Daunting Place for a Missionary Kid
The Pregnant Street Dog Ate Your House
The Prisoner-Scholar and a Bible for His People
The Red Snapper Fishing Disaster
The Revenge of the Rotisserie Chicken
The Right Words for Airport Security
The Story of Harald Bluetooth and His Namesake Technology
The Surprisingly Diverse Uses of Passports
The Transformation of JJ the Bully
The Transformation of JJ the Bully: An Addendum
Things Not to Do in Minefields
Timely Provision of an Unlikely Kind
Two Iranians and a Missionary Kid Walk into an All-Night Diner
Two Paralytics Have Their Sins Forgiven
Underneath a Resistance to Pray
We’re Off Again! Plus Some Thoughts on Taxis
When Carsick, Be Sure to Look Behind You
When Death Threats Led to Belly Laughs
When God Saved the Guy next to the Guy I Was Trying to Reach
When Leonard Cohen Tried to Hijack Communion
When Matthew’s Genealogy Shook My Friend’s World
When Mom and Dad Quietly Cast Out a Demon
When My Iranian Friend Took Mohler’s Parking Spot
When the Cows Attacked at Dawn
While We Eat Wittenberg Falafel
Who Stepped in the Baptism Cake?
Why My Family Traveled in Luxury Soccer Tracksuits
Why the Villagers Demanded Bible Teaching… And Ate Our Dog
Why We Pray for Local Authorities
Yes, a Pastor. No, Not the Black Magic Kind
Essays
22 Questions that Reveal Character – Even Across Cultures
A Call to Start Seminaries Among the Unreached
A Carsick Piglet and Western Hatred of the Past
A Central Asian Church Covenant
A Central Asian Imam Visits America
A Chai Glass and the Cleansing Power of Jesus
A Day in My Life in Central Asia
A Few Reasons Why I Love Having Singles on Our Teams
A Letter on the Sending Church Relationship
A Path for Marrying and Burying
A Practical and Powerful Bible Tool for Every Christian with a Smartphone
A Question Very Few Are Asking
A Snapshot of the Identity Crisis Within Islam
A Solid Piece of Advice for Living on Mission
A Strange Aversion to White Guy Monologues
A Very Common Clash of Culture
Abraham and Ephron’s Honorable Dance
An Analogy for Sin that Hits Home
An Encouragement to Young Husbands
Angler Fish, Howling Mice, and Trusting God with the Excess
Answered Prayers and Their Reckoning
Are You Sure They Are Rejecting the Gospel?
As for Those Rich in Books in this Age
Autumn Instincts and the Power of Mothers
Becoming Storytellers and Poets Also
Beware Those Hasty & Severe in Judgment
Broken Bodies, Better Infrastructure
But Hasn’t the Bible Been Changed?
But Is Your Language Good Enough for Conflict?
But They Really Do Resemble Their Mother
But What Would Happen to My Family If I Died?
But When Will I Be a Man, Sir?
Can the Name of Allah Be Used for the Christian God?
Church Membership Is Inescapable
Church Membership on The Mission Field Is Inefficient – Or Is It?
Cultural Contamination and Missionary Common Sense
Cultural Contamination and Personal Humility
Cultural Contamination and Scripture’s Emphases
Cultural Contamination and the Sovereignty of God
Daddy Dates and the Kindness of God in A Keto Restaurant
Deferred to the New Heavens and New Earth
Did Jesus Say He Was the Son of God?
Did the Jews Really Borrow Certain Doctrines from the Zoroastrians?
Discipleship is a Type of Suffering
Doesn’t the Title “Son of Man” Emphasize that Jesus Is Not Divine?
Don’t Rule Out a Burning in the Bosom
Donkeys, Fireballs, and Other Near-Death Experiences
Drinking Hot Tea in the Desert Actually Cools You Down
Eating Out with Your Kids When Hell is Real
Eleven Expressions of Gastronomic Humility
Eleven Factors for Helpful Short-Term Trips
Even Wolves Must Serve the Church
Every Language Has a Chance at Immortality
Fear, Freedom, and the Sovereignty of God
Fickle Gods and the Wondrous Clarity of the Law
Flying V’s and Forming New Habits
From All Nations to All Nations
Getting Practical: How to Host a Middle Eastern Friend
Giving Culture Its Proper Weight
Go Into All the World and Make Friends
God Said No to Their Prayers So You Could Believe
Good Contextualization Introduces Outside Forms
Grateful Reflections on 500 Posts
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, It’s a Line Dance and a Picnic
He Gave Gifts So That We Will Not Die
Honoring Those We’ve Fallen Out With
House Churches Won’t Organize, Big Churches Won’t Multiply
How Central Asian Yogurt Took Over America
How Islam and Christianity Deal with Sin – In Two Verses
How One International Church Actually Planted an Indigenous Church
How Sheep Stomachs and Kalashnikovs Can Lead to Better Preaching
How to Be Safe Anywhere in the World
How to Boast in Our Humiliation
Human Creativity and Conspiracy Theory
I Didn’t Come Here for the Other Foreigners
I Finally Got a Pretty Phone Number
I Look Forward to Drinking Chai with You in the New Jerusalem
If You Don’t Evangelize at Home, You Won’t Overseas?
In Need of a Harvest Collective
In Praise of the Dogpile Effect
In Praise of the Mission House
Inviting Afghan Refugees Over for Dinner
Is It Hypocrisy to Ask Locals to Be Self-Supporting?
It’s Not Real If There’s No Certificate
Jesus in John 11: He boldly Draws Near to the Suffering
Jesus in John 11: He Invites Focus and Faith in His Character
Jesus in John 11: He Says No to Good Requests
Jesus in John 11: Somehow from Love, Somehow for Glory and Faith
Jesus Spoke a Persian Word from the Cross
Leaders Who Know How to Follow
Learn the Culture So You Can Illustrate the Truth
Lessons Learned from a Wolf Attack
Like a Salty Sailor Loves the Sea
Living in a Different Financial Universe
Making the Best of Imperfect Systems
Mistakes Made: Bypassing the Discipler
Mistakes Made: Costly Team Decisions
Not Burning the Wet Wood with the Dry
Not Coming nor Leaving as Christian Individualists
Not Forever, Yet Still Meaningful
Of Brides and Wives and Language
Of Pilgrim’s Progress and Honor Killings
On Being a Language Pragmatist
On Getting Your Kids to Stay in Bed
On Missionary Identity Where It Is Not Allowed
On Not Neglecting the Internationals in Our Churches
One Idea for Missionary Care in Local Churches
Parents As Parables of The Gospel
Pay Attention to the Guarded Definitions
Please Bring Your Holy Imagination
Pray for Missionaries to Enjoy the Culture
Reflections on Anxiety Attacks and (Mostly) Quitting Caffeine
Regarding Time, Light, and Second Sleeps
Relativism, Silver Bullets, and How to Kill Vampires
Religions of Men As a Three-Legged Stool
Respect, Planning, and Presence
Respecting Gas Station Attendants and the Importance of Bathroom Shoes
Roadmap Types and Compass Types
Seven and a Half Years – And Every Bit Worth It
Seven Dangers of Ministry Method Pragmatism
Seven Factors for Missionary Homes
Seven Pitfalls and Seven Questions Toward Healthier Methodology
Seven Points on The Careful Justice of Hell
Seven Years of a Weekly Gospel Review
Should I Date Someone Who Isn’t Called to Missions?
Should I Keep Sharing the Gospel with Someone Who Has Repeatedly Rejected It?
Some Will Walk Away Because We’re Not Conservative Enough
Stop Worrying About the Percentage of Foreigners
Strongmen vs. the Structures of a Healthy Church
Stubborn Barriers and the Gospel’s Global Spread
Tell Me About a Time You Deeply Hurt Someone
Ten Questions Missionaries Love to Answer
That Christian You’re Frustrated With? Imagine Them Resurrected
The Bible’s Multiple Lenses for Understanding the Unreached
The Christian Position on Holy War
The Complications of Semi-Literacy
The Core of the Qur’anic Worldview
The Desires that Won’t Go Away
The English Language Was Saved by a Pandemic
The Evil Eye: Surprisingly Ancient and Widespread
The Glorious Freedom to Change Religions
The Good Gift of Intercultural Humor
The Great Blindspot That Is Weekly Missionary Chapel
The Heart-Breaking Complexities of Persecution
The Hidden Glory of the Unengaged
The Honorable, Shameful Service of True Leaders
The Humble Kebab and Team Unity
The Image of God and the Wonder of Language
The Importance of an Inclusive Focus
The Important Role of Foreign Stabilizers
The Justifications of Polygamists
The Man on the Island, the Man in the Mirror?
The Myriad Identity Issues of Missionaries
The No-Man’s Land of Cross-Cultural Friendships
The Psalms’ Quiet Case for Musical Diversity
The Reputations of Tent-Makers
The Scale Versus the Sacrifice
The Shame of a Prodigal Daughter
The Source of a Leader’s Character
The Surprising Priorities of Different Languages
The Teachable Will Lap the Gifted
The Things That Block the Streets
The Three Perpetual Enemies of the Church
The Titanic Was the Safest Ship of Its Time
The Tune that Conquered the World
The Unexpected Beauty of Babel
The Upside of Reverse Culture Shock
Those Who Leap Over the Threshold
Three Things Missionaries Should Be Able to Talk About in Their Sleep
To Reach the Unreached, Start More Schools
To See the Desert Bloom, Slow the Water Down
Toward A Biblical Understanding of Trust
Trojan Horses and Proverbs on Trust
Trying to Hug a Parade – A Framework for Goodbyes
Twelve Aspects of Culture that Can Impede Communication
Two Types of Language Learners
Two Vital Pieces of Clarity for Church Planting
Two Ways I Want to Be a Better Ministry Dad in 2026
Understanding and Transforming Patronage
We Need More Multiethnic Churches
We Stand on the Shoulders of the Hobbits Gone Before Us
Western Missionary, Know Your Blindspots
What About Students Interested in Missions?
What Four Years of Elders Meetings Taught Me About Team Unity
What Hath ISIS to Do with Story Book Bibles?
What Missionaries Fear About House Church and Big Church
What of the Miracles Attesting to Islam?
What to Do When Your Mind Is Aflame with Ideas
Who Was the King of Assyria During the Ministry of Jonah?
Why Americans Don’t Trust Sad People
Why Aren’t Complementarians Training Women to Teach and Preach?
Why Does Jesus Say No One Is Good but God Alone?
Why Does John Mention That He Outran Peter to Jesus’ Tomb?
Why I Would Get a Dog If I Lived in America
Why Majority Language Ministry Isn’t Reaching Minority Groups
Why Should We Invest in Minority Languages?
Why The Bible Is Against Bad Calendars and Time Travel
Why the Qur’an Doesn’t Seem to Know There Are Four Gospels
Why True Faith Is and Is Not Like Sheikhood
Will You Consider Hosting Refugees When Normal Returns?
Wine’s Alcohol Content in the Ancient World
You Are a Good Teacher Because You Dress Like a Teacher
Entrusted to the Dirt 