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Read any dead people lately?
In recent years I have been reading – relishing, absorbing and studying – books by or about Christians who have long since died. Several years ago when I completed the contract for my full-time employment and chose not to return to the job market, I purposed to read more classics on Christianity, theology and the…
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The Flower Fork and other lessons from 2015
A year is a long time. I don’t remember many details from the first few months of the year, much less details of life last month. I offer this short list as a sampling of things I remember that have made an impression on me this year, things that have instructed or informed my opinions,…
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What Do You Have to Show for the Year?
Before the last presents are open and the turkey is still hot on the bone, we start thinking about goals and resolutions for next year. However, before we long for the changes the future might bring, it is important to reflect on the previous year. We often look back on last year with a mental…
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The Christmas Pig
One of the most traditional events around Christmastime in Romania is the slaughtering of the pig. Ask nearly any Romanian what Christmas means to them and the killing of the pig, a family affair, is almost always mentioned. Santa Claus and presents are high at the top of the list, the birth of Jesus might be…
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Curating Legacy in Paphos, Cyprus
I spent several days with a friend in Paphos, Cyprus last week. Passionate about people and cultures and how God’s glory is manifest in diverse ways through them, we determined to visit the small Cyprus Ethnographical Museum. We walked by columned government buildings and museums to the aging facade of a large residence, iron gates…
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Making Țuică in Romania
Țuică (zoo-EEK-u) is a Romanian spirit made from plums. If you visit a household in rural Romania, you will inevitably be offered țuică in a small glass. It will most likely have been made by your host, a relative or a neighbor. You will be pressed and pressed to try a sip until you acquiesce…
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Black Friday is Romanian, and other things I learned this month
The holidays are in full gear, giving lots of learning opportunities in our crosscultural environment. Here are a few things I learned this month. 1. Around mid-November I was talking with a Romanian friend who had bought an appliance as an early Black Friday deal. Black Friday? Because it comes the day after Thanksgiving, when most…
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Monastical Seclusion – Horezu, Romania
One foggy afternoon in October we turned off the main road that skirts the southern Carpathians and headed straight into the foothills. Signs directed us to the UNESCO World Heritage Horezu Monastery. Several kilometers of road dead-ended at a large gate and medieval stone walls. The monastery and surrounding buildings on the hillside were…
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For those who travel and yearn for home – A Guest Post
Traveling outside your home country and living abroad can be transformational. It doesn’t just change your perspective on foreign food or fashion. If you are a follower of Jesus, God can use travel to work on your soul. This guest post is by MaryAnn Slayton, an American citizen who has spent decades outside the United…
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Where Can We Be Safe?
This piece I wrote was published at The Gospel Coalition nearly two weeks ago. In light of recent events, it’s more timely than ever. ********************************************************************************************************************** Last spring I promised my kids a visit to a new playground. It was early evening when we pulled up to the play structure in an urban Virginia neighborhood a mile from…
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will travel with kids 