I wanted to take a bit of time for reflection before posting some final thoughts on the Cambodia experience. It has been so interesting to me how God interweaves experiences and conversations together to help us grasp some of the bigger picture. I’m grateful to those who have listened and reflected with me. I went…
Cambodia is known to be a place where human trafficking is a tremendous issue. Perhaps you have heard about rescues from brothels and tragic stories of very young girls enslaved by the sex trade. In an earlier post I wrote about going to a café run by the organization, Daughters of Cambodia. Later in the…
This morning I had the good fortune of meeting with Dr. Glenn Miles. Glenn’s journey in Cambodia began more than 25 years ago when he worked in the camps just over the Thailand border. 200,000 Cambodians were living in this camp after the Khmer regime had ended and the Vietnamese entered Cambodia. Through the years,…
My third full day here in Cambodia provided moving glimpses of restoration. After getting some computer work done on my terrace, I hopped in a tuk-tuk to head over to the hotel where my friends Karen and Mark are staying. It was farther than I thought and I was able to see a part of…
Cambodia is a place of great contrasts. It is a place where beauty and ugliness stand beside one another. Where wealth and poverty shake hands. Where ancient art mingles with cheap imitation. Where dignity and desperation dance. Where serenity and trauma jostle together. I went to the royal palace today. The monarchy and the religion…
For those who are friends on Facebook, you may have already heard that I am currently in Cambodia. And some have already asked why on earth I am here. No, it is not a vacation, although it is beautiful, sunny and warm here. For the last year, I have been developing the idea of a…
The blog has been pretty quiet lately …. and all the typical excuses apply …. it has been super busy at the ministry of New Direction! First: I’m thrilled to announce the release of the “Pastors’ Conversation: Navigating LGBT Issues and Questions” DVD resource. You may have had the opportunity to watch the live stream…
In the latest edition of the New Direction newsletter, Pathway, I referred to Jesus’ parable about the workers in the vineyard. Some of you may remember this story from Matthew 20 where Jesus describes a group of temp workers hired to work in the vineyard. The eager beavers get hired first thing in the morning…
Maybe it was because I’d caught the bug my kids were sick with. Maybe it was due to being up very early all week with our new puppy. Maybe it was PMS. Not sure what it was, but as I made the drive to another suburb of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) to preach, my…
Back in May I had the opportunity to speak at a conference called Presentensions. The two main speakers were David Fitch and Phyllis Tickle. I spoke abit about Tickle in my post on authority here. I noticed, however, that David Fitch raised some questions after that particular event in his blog post entitled: Questioning The…