He arrived two minutes early, blazered and buttoned up, with shoulders, as he put it, as wide as my hips. Finding our table, we exchanged compliments on how improved the date versions of ourselves were over our post-workout versions who had met the Saturday before on the edge of Chinatown. Had I not chosen the … Continue reading Searching for Mr. Sharpie
Anyone who has ever really tried to "take their thoughts captive" knows that they can be quite the wily fellows. Like trinkets on the bottom of a claw machine, a house fly in the dead of summer, a wet bar of soap or even a good man these days, thoughts can't be caught. But one year, I tried. … Continue reading That Year I Gave Up Daydreaming for Lent
Over the past several months, I've shared about how difficult work has been. I would be lying if I said all that's happened wasn't upsetting—because it is—but even so, God has been meeting me and challenging me in the midst of it. This is some of what I'm chewing on at the moment. My Job … Continue reading Faith When Your Job Is On The Line
Last night my small group discussed why the opening of salvation to the Gentiles by faith would have bothered the Israelites. Why was it a stumbling block that it should come that way? And how am I like the Israelites in the story? "But the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way … Continue reading A Stone That Causes People to Stumble
The other day, my friend texted me to ask how I was doing after a jarring exchange I had last week with a Chinese DVD seller on the bus that I had shared on social media. Just ran into my favorite Chinese DVD seller on the bus. I moved to stand across from her and … Continue reading Afraid It Will Break Me
“So that’s it. She reached Enlightenment,” you say, closing the book. Not so fast! That was four years, two moves, and 1.5 extended periods of unemployment ago. A month or so after finishing grad school, when I got to the second interview for a job overseas, they asked me about my faith and how it played … Continue reading The Religion Chronicles—Part 6: That Blank Tile in Scrabble
My second year in Seattle was awesome. I considered Seattle like Ephraim, Joseph’s second son. His name means ‘God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.’ After nearly three years of hearing almost nothing from God, feeling almost nothing for Him besides disappointment, and crying or going numb when I tried to … Continue reading The Religion Chronicles—Part 5: Fruit from the Land of Suffering
Although I couldn't move to Seattle fast enough, things would get worse before they got better. I visited seven or eight churches but regardless of where I was, I mostly just sat off by myself and cried. Sometimes I’d sing, but most often I couldn’t. I joined a small group that winter and was the … Continue reading The Religion Chronicles—Part 4: Nothing Good vs A Little Bad
The global financial crisis welcomed me back to America, specifically to Boston, in the fall of 2008. It took what felt like forever to find a job, but I found a church and small group quickly. Almost immediately, though, I realized something was off. I wrote to a friend just a month after being back: … Continue reading The Religion Chronicles—Part 3: Death Ousting Life
China remains, without contest, the best three years of my life. I had two months to raise $32,000 the summer after graduation and, despite not knowing well-off people, I trusted God would provide. My mom said seeing my faith strengthened hers. When I left for China, I told her my intention was to stay there … Continue reading The Religion Chronicles—Part 2: Deeper into the Well-Meaning Forest
Feet Cry Mercy 