Tag Archives: Jesus

by | September 12, 2025 · 11:24 am

Coping with Overwhelming Distress

Part Two: Be Constructive

In my previous blog post, I talked about the importance of self-compassion as a key strategy in coping with overwhelming distress in our lives. In this post, I offer a second strategy, which I’ve observed among those who are successfully managing the stresses of living in war zones and refugee camps. This strategy has also been very helpful to me personally when I feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of horrors and need in my own country and around the world.

Strategy #2: “Be constructive. Focus on what you can do (not on what you can’t).”

Sometimes, the staggering needs of others feels crushing to me. I see the horrible things happening all over the world. I certainly want to help, but I don’t know where to start or how I could possibly make a lasting difference. It seems that whatever I do will only be a drop in the bucket in an ocean full of suffering and need. I start to feel overwhelmed, and my emotional distress gets bigger and bigger.

But Jesus showed us by his example that we don’t have to respond this way.

There’s a story in the Gospels that says so much about who Jesus was and how we might respond to the immense needs of others today. Jesus and his disciples had given so much of themselves in their ministries. They were hungry, tired, and needed a break. On top of it, Jesus was reeling from the tragic death of his cousin and fellow evangelist, John the Baptizer, who had been cruelly beheaded by King Herod. As they made their way by boat across the Sea of Galilee in search of a quiet place to rest, they discovered a huge crowd of people who had traveled by land ahead of them. And this is how Jesus responded:

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:34).

When Jesus saw how needy the people were, his heart went out to them. And then he took action. In this situation, he responded by teaching them many things, which would have included how God loved them and called them to trust and obey God’s will for their lives, and he would have explained what that meant in practice in their marriages, families, and communities. On other occasions, he would heal the sick, cast out demons, advocate on behalf of the oppressed, work miracles, provide forgiveness, or simply offer a kind, gracious comment or gesture toward someone who needed mercy or encouragement.

What he didn’t do was let himself become overwhelmed by the immensity of their need or by the widespread suffering caused by injustice, oppression, and lack of adequate spiritual guidance. No matter how distressed he may have been by what he saw that day on the shore and throughout his lifetime, he kept his focus on God and on what he could do to help. He didn’t allow the extent of the problems throughout society or the evil deeds of others to undermine his own faith and his zeal for fulfilling God’s good purposes for his life.

None of us is Jesus, but with God’s help, we can learn to detach from feeling so overwhelmed by all the needs and suffering in the world. Through prayer and the Holy Spirit’s working in our hearts and minds, we can replace our anxious stewing with compassion, which sees and cares about the concerns of others but does not take on emotional burdens that do not belong to us. Instead of sinking under the weight of our distress, we can instead focus on taking action as the Holy Spirit leads and enables us. We will assess our abilities, knowledge, skills, resources, and opportunities that God gives us, and then take action.

Theological students with Jill and me in a refugee camp

One of my theological students (pictured on the far left above), whose home state in Myanmar is currently being torn apart by war, posted this advice online recently: “Think positive. Act positive.” He’s right on, of course. While he could easily succumb to self-pity or overwhelming distress from all the horrors and destruction his people are experiencing, he is choosing to maintain a positive mental attitude and to put his energy into constructive action. For example, he cares for his widowed mother, looks after four younger siblings, and has organized a dormitory for high school aged students from his ethnic group, who live and attend school inside one of the refugee camps in Thailand, all while taking courses at the seminary where I teach. Think positive. Act positive. It makes a difference.

Of course, every time I read about another bombing, more families driven into the jungles, or someone else mistreated or killed, my heart breaks or my anxiety spikes. But I’ve learned the hard way that I just can’t afford to let someone else’s tragedy turn into an emotional catastrophe for me. Taking on too much responsibility for the problems of others doesn’t help them, and it only hurts me.

As you continue to search for ways to cope better with your overwhelming distress, don’t be afraid to feel compassion for those in need or who are suffering greatly. But learn how to care without being crushed. Let go of trying to carry something you were never meant to carry. Instead, think positive and act positive. Focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t.

May God guide you and enable you to let go of what is beyond your control and give you peace as you live, love and serve as God intends for you to do.

With the love of Jesus Christ,

Dr. Tim

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by | May 1, 2025 · 8:47 am

The Journey to Joy

How Jesus can help you get back on your feet

Right before he was crucified, Jesus said to his disciples, “You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy…. Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:20, 22, NIV).

What a wonderful and hopeful promise. Yet, we all know that the journey to joy is not always an easy one. It certainly is not something that can be forced, especially when you’re feeling the heaviness of sadness or grief. Who can be joyful when you’re heart-broken, frustrated, discouraged, or simply overwhelmed by life or all that’s wrong with the world?

Nevertheless, Jesus, on his way to the cross, knowing all the suffering that still lay ahead for him and his disciples, could still speak about joy. Joy that no one could ever take away.

What did he have in mind, and is that joy available for us today?

In my previous blog post, I wrote that sometimes in our lives it’s time to grieve. When we’ve experienced great loss, we need to feel your feelings, give ourselves permission to be angry or sad, and cry our bitter tears. But grief need not be the sum of all our emotional experiences. There is a pathway to joy again for those who know where to look and where to go.  

When evil asserts its destructive forces, people will suffer, sometimes horribly. That’s a fact. Life is full of pain and suffering for every human being, and sometimes the weight of it all threatens to crush us. Yet, while we may have little or no control over the amount pain we feel—especially when we are physically sick or there are abusive people in our lives—psychologists tell us that it is possible to mitigate the extent of our suffering. And Jesus tells us, despite the worst of what we might have to endure, joy is not far off.

Jesus revealing himself to two disciples after the resurrection (Luke 24:31)

In the case of the disciples, Jesus said their grief would turn to joy. That was his promise. Not an easy life, health and wealth, power or privilege. In fact, early Christians sometimes were persecuted horribly, many lived in poverty their entire lives, and ten of the original 12 disciples were martyred.

Yet, at the same time, somehow, there would also be joy. The disciples would literally see Jesus again. They would be able to resume their close, intimate relationship. Their grief would turn to joy—a joy no one would be able to take from them (John 16:22). And that has been the experience for countless millions of people who have come to know and experience Jesus in their personal lives ever since.

For me personally, I feel so much joy every time I hear again the good news of the Gospel—even if it is for thousandth time: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV). Knowing and believing that God loves me and generously offers me forgiveness, salvation and eternal life is so marvelous that I cannot find adequate words to describe the joy I feel. And it doesn’t stop there. Whenever I sense God’s gracious, merciful, kind, generous, healing, or life-giving presence, the peace and joy I feel is indescribable.

Over the past five years, one of my greatest sources of joy has come from commiserating with other like-minded people of faith, many of whom are also grappling with so much death, destruction, and suffering in the world. Many conversations can devolve into angry outbursts or rehearsing the same offenses and fears again and again. But the turning point for me often comes when we stop complaining or wringing our hands in fear and start praying.

When I pour out my heart to God with a brother or sister in Christ, a deep peace often settles over me. And more than once, I’ve opened my eyes to see one or more of my prayer partners beaming with the same joy that I was feeling. In such moments, I don’t feel so alone or hopeless anymore. Jesus’s living presence has been revealed. I see him in them, and they see him in me. God has not abandoned me in my suffering. There is still goodness in the world. Jesus Christ is present and at work in me and among others who know, love, and serve him as I do.

As Jesus said: In this world you will have much grief, but your grief will turn to joy.

No matter how much you may have lost or what you may be going through right now, Jesus’s promise to his disciples is for you, too. You don’t have to suffer alone, without hope and without joy.

The journey to joy begins and ends with Jesus. See where he is. Embrace him. And you will have a source of comfort and joy, forever.

With the love of Jesus Christ,

Dr. Tim

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

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by | April 14, 2025 · 6:40 am

A Time to Grieve

Sometimes weeping is exactly what we most need to do. (A Biblical Reflection for Holy Week)

The Pieta in a frieze depicting Mary’s grief (In the choir, Chartres Cathedral, France)

In the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, the preacher writes: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…” (3:1,4).

So, what time is it? What time is it for those living in places like Myanmar, Eastern Congo, Ukraine, Gaza, and many other places around the world, for those whose lives are consumed by unimaginable hardship, violence, and loss due to war, earthquakes, famines and other apocalyptic like disasters? What time is it in America? What time is it for you?

For me, there is not one simple answer. On one hand, the problems and suffering of the world call me to take my responsibility as a global citizen all the more seriously, to look for more ways to support my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, to speak out against injustice at home and abroad, to protect the vulnerable and abused, to share the Gospel with those who do not know the hope that comes through Jesus, and to link arms with others who are trying to exhibit the love of Christ in concrete ways to those in need.

At yet, sometimes it all feels like too much. Sometimes weeping is exactly what I most need to do. And it’s not just me. One of my closest colleagues in Myanmar, who does more than anyone I know to help others in need, wrote to me after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake and admitted, “Sometimes I feel very depressed.” Another colleague from Ukraine confided to me, “I am war fatigued, to say the least.” At such times, as much as I would like to bury my painful feelings, run away, or just collapse in weariness, what I usually need most is to stop trying to help anyone else for a moment and take some time to grieve.

  • By grieving, I release the tremendous pain I feel before it explodes inside me or utterly depresses me.
  • By grieving, I can feel and not forget how much I loved whomever or whatever I lost.
  • By grieving, I can rage against the powers of death and destruction, refusing to be defeated by evil.
  • By grieving, I feel the depth of my frustration and tap into my determination to live.   
  • By grieving, I admit to myself, “So much is out of my control. There’s so much I would like to have been able to do but couldn’t.”
  • By grieving, I give up expecting unrealistic miracles. Instead, I reach the end of myself and reach out to God and others for the comfort and strength I need.

On Good Friday, Christians remember the awful day when evil forces conspired to kill Jesus. In the photo you see, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is depicted with her hands outstretched, her face contorted with grief, and her eyes turned heavenward. Her beloved son, Jesus, had just been brutally nailed to a cross, executed for daring to challenge the religious authorities, who were blind to God’s working through his life and indifferent to the needs of the poor, needy, and vulnerable.

In her moment of unimaginable pain, with Jesus’s lifeless body draped over her knee, Mary could only see and feel her great loss. She didn’t know that resurrection was coming. Even if she had all the faith in the world, the horror of it all remains. What must it have been like for Jesus’s poor mother? What is it like for those burying their dead in Mandalay, in bombed out villages, in IDP camps? For those who are still searching for lost ones, who have disappeared or are presumed dead under the rubble of fallen buildings?

I only imagine how great their grief must be. But I do know this. For those who turn to God amid their pain and loss, and for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, they do not “grieve… as those who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). Why not? Because through a relationship with Jesus Christ, we do have hope. Hope that we are not alone or abandoned by our Creator. Hope for life after death—not just a reincarnation into another life of suffering, but eternal life with new bodies, hearts, and minds, re-created to live in fellowship with God forever. This promise is for all those who know and love their Creator and who put their faith Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. It’s by Christ’s sacrificial death that we are forgiven. It’s by the Holy Spirit that our hearts and minds are renewed. And it’s by believing that we are saved (Romans 8:1-6; 10:9-10).

That’s the hope we as Christians live by. But for this holy week, we must pass through Good Friday first. The night is so very dark, and our tears flow. It’s a time to grieve.

With the love of Jesus Christ,

Dr. Tim

Next time, I will write about “The Journey to Joy”.

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by | April 6, 2025 · 9:29 am

What kind of person do you want to be?

Charge to Kawthoolei Hope Theological Seminary graduates (March 30, 2025)

Graduates, congratulations! You’ve successfully completed your degree. And we’re here today to celebrate your great accomplishment. At the same time, as you probably know, graduation ceremonies are also called commencements. And that’s because, we are not only celebrating what you’ve achieved. We’re also marking the beginning of a new chapter in your life.  

After graduation, you are going to move from a time of academic learning to a new period for productive service in the Kingdom of God. With your education, you are now better prepared to move into positions of leadership, service or ministry—whether it is back in Kawthoolei and Burma or here in Thailand or somewhere else in the world. Wherever you go, you can be sure that you have important things to do and valuable contributions to make.

So, with your future in mind, I’m going to ask you three questions to help you go forward into this next chapter: Who are you? Who do you want to become? And how are you going to become that person?

Let’s take each of these three questions one at a time.

  1. Who are you?

All your lives, someone else has told you who you are. Your parents, your friends, the church, your teachers, and even your enemies. You’re a son or daughter. You’re Karen, Karenni, Chin, or some other ethnic group from Burma. All this is true, but who are you at the core of your being? Who are you in God’s eyes?

One of the things I’ve struggled with in my life is guilt and shame. Some of it is my own fault. I feel guilty about things I have done that I shouldn’t have done. Like sinning, disobeying God, hurting other people, and things like that. I also feel guilty about things I should have done but didn’t do. Like reaching out to someone who needed my help, or being more generous or sacrificial with my time and resources. I know nobody is perfect, but sometimes it’s hard to accept that I fall so short of the man, the husband, the father, the friend, the neighbor, that God wants me to be.

Shame is even more painful. According to psychologists, guilt is feeling bad about something I’ve done wrong. Shame is feeling like I am wrong. Whatever is wrong with me is unacceptable, and maybe unforgiveable. And when shame gets too intense, it becomes toxic. It poisons our minds. And the result is either, we just give up trying to be good. Or, we try and try and try to be as good as possible, or to accomplish as much as possible, or to impress other people as much as possible, trying to make ourselves feel better.

The only problem with trying to overcome shame by trying so hard is that it doesn’t work. Other people might be fooled, but we’re not fooled. We think we know the truth about ourselves: We’re bad, and there’s no hope for us. That’s what they call toxic shame.

Thank God, one day I attended a seminar on shame that set me free. The teacher explained that there is only one cure for toxic shame and that is the love and grace of God. I had to believe that God saw everything that was wrong with me, including all my sin, failures, and shortcomings. But he still loved me. Through Jesus, he forgave me. And what he wanted more than anything else was for me to believe him and to love him in return.

In that moment, I suddenly remembered the day my first son was born. I shared this story with some of you during the seminar last week. The nurse put my newborn son into my arms and without thinking I heard myself say to him, “No matter what you do in your life, I will always love you.” Remembering that moment in the middle of the seminar made me think, “If I could feel this much love for my son, how much more could my Creator love me!”

Two years later, my brother-in-law came up to me one day with a very strange question. He asked me, “Tim, who are you?” At first, I was taken aback. How am I supposed to answer a question like that? He knew me very well. I’m a man, a husband, a father, a minister, a teacher, an American. What kind of answer was he looking for? I said a quick silent prayer, because I knew this question was very important to him for some reason, and I wanted God’s help. Then, suddenly the answer came to me. Who am I? I am loved. That’s who I am.

2. My second question, as you enter this new chapter in your life, is who do you want to become?

Some of you already have plans and commitments. Some of you are still uncertain about what you’re going to do after graduation and how God is calling you. But apart from whatever role you’re going to play in your family, church, school, or community, who does God want you to become?

According to the Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 2:10, if you have put your faith in God’s grace, as we have been talking about tonight, you are now “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do.” In other words, the person God wants you to become is the person God is already creating you to be. 

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul said that God’s calling is not to try to impress other people with your religiosity, accomplishments, status, cleverness, skills, or anything else like that. Rather, he said, in effect, none of that matters, because “what counts is a new creation” (Gal. 6:15b). What he meant was that through Christ’s presence in your heart and mind, you now can become more and more like him (Rom 8:29). Through the filling and leading of the Holy Spirit, you can discern all the good work that God intends for you to do. In other words, the person God wants you to become is not more full of yourself. It’s to become more full of Jesus.

It’s that simple. I didn’t easy, I just said simple. God’s vision for you is to become more and more like Jesus Christ in your heart, mind, and behavior—that’s what makes you a new creation. And with Christ at the center of your life, you will draw on your education, intelligence, skills, personality, and opportunities to do all the good works that intends for you to do.   

3. This leads us to our third question: How are you going to become this person—the new Christ-like creation that God has called you to become?

By now, you know that it is not easy to think and act like Jesus. Every one of us has to deal with temptations, human weakness, forces of evil, and so many other limitations and challenges. Sometimes, we feel confused and unsure of how to best serve God’s purposes.

Fortunately, there is an answer. And we find it in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

In chapter one he calls the Philippian Christians “partners together with him in the Gospel” (1:5). As believers in Jesus Christ, loved by God, and saved from their sins, the Philippians devoted their lives to serving Christ and the Gospel. However, Paul, the founder of their church, had been arrested. He was being persecuted, and now they were facing persecution. They were scared and intimidated by their enemies. They started fighting among themselves.

So, the Apostle Paul writes them a letter both to remind them who they were and who God was calling them to be. And along the way, he explains how they can faithfully live out their calling.

He says many things, but I want to focus on the most important reason that they should have confidence going forward with their faith and calling. In chapter one he simply says, “He who began a good work in you is faithful, he will complete it.” (Phil. 1:6) Then, in the next chapter, he wrote, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to do what pleases Him” (Phil 2:13).

The answer to our third question, how can we hope to become the people God has called us to be is simply this: God is the one who will do it.

Your job is to keep submitting yourself to God and to keep listening for the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. You must cooperate with the Spirit and work as hard as you can to do the good works God puts before you to do. But God is the one who can transform your heart and mind and make you more and more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables you to become the person God is calling you to be.

Looking back on my life, I can see that I never could have planned all the things that I’ve done or learned or accomplished on my own. I had many more weaknesses and limitations than I realized. And I made many mistakes as well.

But God has been very gracious to me and has led me all along the way. Through all the ups and downs, and despite my many failures and weaknesses, God taught me many things. I was humbled by my failures, but I learned from them. And through so many trials, God kept calling me back to himself and encouraging me to not give up.

And so I’ve learned, for me to fulfill my calling and to become the person God has called me to be, the most important thing is maintaining a close relationship with God. I must keep humbling myself, listening to others, asking for help when I need it, and keeping my eyes on Jesus. I am far from perfect, and sometimes I don’t know what I’m supposed to do next. But I trust God to complete the good work that he began in my life. I trust God to lead and guide me, and to make my life fruitful. And then I keep moving forward as best I can. 

Today, I’ve raised three questions for you to think about as you start the next chapter of your life: Who are you? Who do you want to become? And, how are you going to become the person God is calling you to be? You must answer these questions for yourself, but God’s answers are these:

Who are you? You are a dearly loved child of your Creator God. Your Father in heaven wants you to rest in his love and to know, love, and serve him in return.

Who does he want you to become? God wants you to become more and more like his Son, Jesus, and to use you to shine Christ’s light and love into this broken world through your good deeds and words of comfort, encouragement, and hope.

How are you going to become more like Christ? Only through the work of the Holy Spirit. You must set as your highest priority maintaining a close relationship with God by listening and cooperating with the Spirit in every way possible.

No one can do these things for you. We travel through life in community, but every great leader in the Bible, from Abraham to Moses, David, the prophets, Mary, Elizabeth, Jesus, Paul and all the apostles had their own personal relationship with God. And so my charge to you today is this: Seek God with your whole heart, mind, and strength and put the Lord first in every aspect of your life.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. —2 Thessalonians 2:16-17. Amen.

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by | February 25, 2025 · 11:11 pm

The Light of Day

Why keeping our eyes on Jesus is so helpful

What do you think? Is the sun rising or setting in this photo? Without context, it’s not always so easy to tell the time of day.

Likewise, when darkness casts a thick shadow over our personal lives, or over our country and so many other places around the world, we may feel confused and uncertain about what’s really happening. What does all this turmoil, violence, and destruction mean for us and the people we care about? Is the light we’ve been depending on going to keep shining, get brighter, or God-forbid, go out altogether?

Personally, I’ve been going through all the stages of grief lately (shock, bargaining, anger, depression–but not yet acceptance) over the cataclysmic changes in my own country and all the upheaval and fallout globally. As I’ve written about before, I especially feel a lot of empathy for my students, colleagues, and friends trying to cope with ongoing, unimaginable oppression, abuse, and hardship in their war-torn contexts—especially those trying to survive in Eastern Congo, Myanmar, and along the Thai-Myanmar border, where I am serving now.

But this blog post is not about social and political problems, or even empathy for those who are suffering the most in our lives or around the world. It’s about how you and I can cope with the prevalence of darkness in our lives, especially when the light appears to be dimming in so many places for so many reasons for so many people. At times, I am tempted to despair. And you may be, too.

But I don’t. Despair, that is. And here’s the reason why.

The Apostle John wrote about him in the Bible, when he said:

“In him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:4-5, NRSV).

John was speaking, of course, about the incarnation of God in the form of Jesus Christ. He was saying that Son of God came into this world to shine the light of God into our darkness. Despite appearances to the contrary at times, our Creator is good and does care for us. Regardless of how bleak our circumstances or how unloving or hurtful others may be, in Jesus, there is light. There is love. And there is hope.

The key is to know where to look for the light and how to let the light of Jesus shine more brightly in our hearts and minds. You may have your own way of drawing on the light of God, but in my experience, if I want more of God, I have to reach out to him as a matter of intentionality and discipline. I have to pay attention to what’s beautiful, good, and inspiring in creation and in my family and among my friends. I must surround myself with others who can encourage me with their experiences with God, especially my brothers and sisters in Christ who remind me that I’m not alone and that God does answer prayers. And then what probably helps me the most is getting outside myself to do something loving and kind for somebody else. When I help lighten the burdens of others or simply show up to encourage them in their distress, I often feel better. I intend to be a conduit of God’s love to them, but I wind up experiencing God’s love for me in the process. And the light in my life gets brighter for me as well as for them.

These are dark days for many people. Perhaps for you, too. But do not assume that the light in your life is about to go out. Suffering may be an unavoidable part of human experience, and great losses are inevitable for all of us in this life. However, John’s word of hope remains true: “In him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

May Jesus be the Light of your day today and shine more and more brightly in your heart and mind in the days ahead.

With love always,
Dr. Tim

Photo: Sun rising in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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by | February 13, 2025 · 7:04 pm

Do the Good Thing

“[God] has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, NIV).

These are really tough times for so many people, for so many reasons, in so many places globally. In addition to the violence, oppression, and exploitation destroying lives in Myanmar and Eastern Congo, where I teach and minister, an abrupt U.S. foreign aid freeze is wreaking havoc among humanitarian organizations and producing fear and despair in millions worldwide. As you probably know by now, hospitals, clinics, food and medicine distribution, and many other critical services have already been shut down, and the world’s suffering is rapidly multiplying.

But all this is an old story. And it’s one I don’t want to get lost in. What I mean is the story of humanity’s selfishness, cruelty and neglect of the needy is as old as time. We have no choice about living in the world as it is, but I for one don’t want to let all the evil and suffering crush me or turn me into an angry, bitter, cynical person myself.

Running away, hiding, closing our ears, fuming incessantly, hating, or striking out with rage aren’t the answers. Those responses belong to our fight, flight, and freeze instincts. They’re normal reactions, which are sometimes helpful under certain circumstances (for example when the internally displaced people in Myanmar instinctively run for cover when they hear military jets flying overhead). But long term, thoughtful action rather than instinctive reaction does more good. Instead of being consumed by negativity and powerlessness, biblical writers teach us to stay focused on the good that is within our power to do, and then do it. Every day. As best we can according to the opportunities, abilities, and resources available to us.

The prophet Micah lived in a society where the rich were violent, exploitative, and oppressive (e.g., 2:1-2; 6:10-12). Those in power were manipulating the judicial system to favor themselves and subvert justice (e.g. 3:11; 7:3). And, unsurprisingly, the result was societal breakdown and widespread suffering among the most vulnerable and weak (e.g., 3:1-3; 7:1-6).

Micah’s response to these societal ills was to speak truth to power. He rebuked those who were in a position to do good but instead used their advantage selfishly and harmfully. In no uncertain terms, he called the powerful, the rich, and the unscrupulous religious ministers to repent and renew their commitment to living by godly values. What is the good thing that the LORD requires? Micah asks rhetorically. You should already know, he answers: “To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8).  

Micah was written to call the powerful and privileged to repentance, but his ethics and standards are for everyone—including those of us who might be incensed by the seeming heartlessness and self-serving behavior of others. Everything we do should be measured against God’s standard of justice, mercy, and humbly walking with God. In other words, every time we’re tempted to judge, dismiss, push away, harden our hearts toward someone else, accuse, blame, lash out, or self-righteously justify ourselves at the expense of others, we should ask ourselves, “Am I being fair?” “Is this a situation in which God would want me to be merciful?” “Is my attitude humble and godly?” Or as Jesus would ask, “Am I acting out of love for my neighbor?” (Matt. 22:37-40; Mark 12:29).

Of course, when we try to apply this simple formula today, things can get complicated very fast. We live in a complex world with so many layers of competing needs, dysfunction, corruption, misinformation, partial truths, limited resources, and forces well beyond our control. Yet, we have to try.

Embracing godly values is what keeps us grounded in what is right, good, and true, so that we don’t get sucked into negativity or forget that we are called to put into practice what we preach to others. Walking humbly with our God is what reminds us that none of us is without sin. Every one of us has been the beneficiary of God’s grace and mercy, and God expects us to pass on what we have received freely.

At a time when there is so much human need and suffering, and so much chaos and turmoil within the United States, the world does not need any more self-righteous, judgmental religious people, or worse, those who are inflicting harm on others in God’s name. Nor do we accomplish anything by putting our heads in the sand or running away from the current crisis, or by throwing up our hands in helplessness. No, the enormity of the needs in the world and the magnitude of distress in America demand that each of us do something, something good, for the sake of others. Something that passes the Micah 6:8 test and fulfills Jesus’ command that we love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

The only truly good people are those who do good, as God defines goodness. So, let’s not be defeated by evil but join ranks with those who overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21).

Photo: Tham Hin Refugee Camp, Thailand. The tattered poster on the board promotes a UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) program, which is just one of many resources for impoverished refugees that has been defunded the United States administration. The hospitals in this and six other refugee camps have also been forced to close their doors due to the freeze.

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by | June 14, 2024 · 7:54 am

To Speak Up or Not?

What Jesus’s example teaches us about integrity and courage

Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, depicted in the Chartres Cathedral

Sometimes what other people think, say, or do is very upsetting to me. But I don’t always know how to handle the situation. Should I say something? Should I ignore them? Do I dare risk their criticism or some other kind of backlash? I want to have the courage to speak up, but I don’t want to say or do something that I will regret later.

When I reflect on some disastrous interactions I’ve had in the past, I realize that some situations are just too fraught to speak openly. When I counsel my students in war-torn Myanmar, I have to remember that they might be imprisoned or killed for saying the wrong thing in public. In the family or at church, I want my voice to be heard, but I sure don’t want to alienate or cause irreparable damage unnecessarily. 

Recently, while searching for how to handle a situation that was disturbing me, I had the opportunity to pray with these discernment questions in the Chartres Cathedral. As I looked around at the stained-glass windows and sculptures of Jesus’ life ministry, I suddenly realized something. Now I know why the well-known guideline, “What would Jesus do?” isn’t always helpful. Jesus didn’t have just one way of responding to people with whom he disagreed or who were saying or doing something he found offensive. The context mattered, as did the person with whom he was interacting.

Sometimes Jesus spoke up, and other times he remained silent. Sometimes he was confrontational and spoke harshly, other times, he was gentle and kind. Sometimes he spoke with words, other times he let his actions speak for him. But no matter how he responded, he made his choices wisely and courageously, always in keeping with God’s values and priorities, whether he spoke up or not.  

  1. Jesus spoke up when moved by compassion. For example, on one Sabbath, Jesus wanted to heal a man with a shriveled hand, but the religious leaders forbade any “work” on the Sabbath. So, Jesus “asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored” (Mark 3:4-5). Sometimes, we have to speak up when those around us (e.g., leaders, friends, family) forget that God values justice and mercy above our human-made rules and regulations (Micah 6:8).
  2. Jesus was clever in his choice of words when it was too dangerous to speak directly. One time, the leaders tried to trap him in his words by asking him if Jews should pay taxes to the Roman government. Jesus saw through their hypocrisy, and cleverly answered by saying “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17). By doing so, he could sidestep the trap being laid for him without compromising his integrity. Sometimes, we have to be smart about what choose to say when others want to harm us.
  3. Jesus spoke up when his followers might have been confused or misled by their religious leaders. Once, while teaching, he said, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach” (Matt. 23:2-3, NIV). Sometimes, we have to speak up when our leaders are betraying godly values by their behavior for the sake of those who are at risk of following their bad example.
  4. Jesus knew how to skillfully defuse volatile situations by speaking the truth while avoiding direct confrontation with dangerous people. In the well-known story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus both circumvents the trap set for him by the religious leaders and protects a vulnerable person at the same time. Jesus said, “‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one…. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again’” (John 8:6-11). Sometimes, we have to calculate the risks of speaking directly and find creative ways to speak and live by our faith and values.
After his arrest, Jesus evades the questions of the religious leaders,
curtly responds to Pilate, and completely refuses to answer Herod (Luke 23).
  1. Jesus remained silent when he knew there was nothing to be gained by speaking up. After Jesus had been arrested, “the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, ‘Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?’ But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer” (Mark 14:60-61). Likewise, when he was brought before King Herod, he refused to answer his questions (Luke 23:9). Sometimes, silence is the best response to people who aren’t looking for the truth or who are just looking for an excuse to condemn or hurt you.
  2. Jesus spoke up most loudly by his actions, with or without words. Jesus once said of himself, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). And that’s how he lived, day after day. And that’s why he was willing to sacrifice all for the sake of those who put their faith in him. Sometimes, action, not words, is our most powerful way to “speak up”. How we love others is how we best reflect the light of Jesus Christ in contexts full of darkness and evil.

Discerning how and when to speak up often isn’t easy. In the situation that led me to seek God’s wisdom so earnestly while in France, the answer eventually came. I had to speak up. I am bending over backwards to do so in the most constructive way, but I could not let my fear of judgment or rejection make me hide or pretend that I was fine with what was happening. I still don’t know how it is all going to turn out, but I feel peaceful and confident that I did (and am doing) the right thing by speaking up.

May God give you the wisdom you need to discern where, when, and how you need to speak up in your life, and then courage and strength to do with integrity.

In the Chartres Cathedral, Jesus is seated on the great throne of Judgement in the West rose window, holding out his nail pierced hands. God has appointed him to be our Judge (2 Tim. 4:1), but he judges as one who bled and died to save those who put their faith in him.

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by | March 27, 2024 · 4:11 am

Don’t Forget to Stay Grounded

Karen refugees from Burma, living in Mae Sot, Thailand

When the winds blew and the waves crashed over their little boat on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus’ disciples panicked. Jesus was sleeping. Was he going to do anything to save them? Did he even care? In desperation, they woke him, crying out, “Lord, save us. We’re going to drown!”

But from Jesus’s perspective, there was no reason to worry. No matter how dark the sky or threatening the tempest, he knew that their lives were in God’s hands, and nothing could touch them unless God allowed it. So, he chastised his disciples, saying, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then, he rebuked the wind and the waves, and the sea became calm. And the disciples were amazed. (Matthew 8:23-27)

The disciples were not being criticized for waking Jesus up or for asking for his help. Nor is Jesus saying that you shouldn’t take threats to your health or well-being seriously. Neither is he suggesting that those who trust in God will never be harmed. You know that isn’t true. The Bible and history are full of stories of people suffering unjustly or dying prematurely from diseases or other natural and unnatural causes. Even Jesus himself was eventually crucified. But at that moment, in the midst of a raging storm, he was at peace. He trusted in God’s will for his life, and for his death. 

No, Jesus chastised the disciples because they were letting their circumstances unnerve them. They were giving too much power to their fears, forgetting that following Jesus into the boat calls for trusting God through the storm.

What about you? How are you coping with the many current threats to your well-being? Like Jesus’s disciples, sometimes all you might be able to see is the size of the waves, the strength of the wind, and all the real dangers. Sometimes it may seem like Jesus is sleeping or that God doesn’t care. But it isn’t the case. God does care, and Jesus is not sleeping.  

If you can do something reasonable to diminish the risks facing you or your family, do it. But no matter what is or isn’t within your power to do, keep returning to the Source of your life and eternal hope. God is your anchor, your rock, your strength. You need God’s working in your life not only to answer your prayers, but to enable you to experience peace amid the storm and courage to face the uncertain future. Without a solid connection to God and staying grounded in your faith, the storms may very well unnerve you and throw your life into chaos. The opposite of what you most need at such times.

Over the past two months, I had the privilege of teaching and ministering again along the border between Myanmar and Thailand. One of the things that has made a big impression on me is how much the refugees actively draw upon their faith to cope with their fears and hardships. This is true for those still struggling to survive and cope within Myanmar as it is for those who have fled to the other side of the border. Their lives may have been devastated, their future hope shattered, and family members and friends killed, but they keep going back to God for stability and strength. They frequently worship, pray, read Scripture, listen to sermons, sing, fellowship together, help one another, and participate regularly in many other such spiritual activities. It’s how they structure their lives and stay grounded in their faith. It’s how they find peace, courage, and strength despite their circumstances.

I don’t know what you might be going through today, but I do know that everything looks and feels different when I stay well connected to God and trust in God’s will for my life amid the storms.

The Psalmist put it this way, when he told himself: “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress. I will not be shaken” (Psalm 62:5-6, NIV).

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by | January 22, 2024 · 1:22 pm

“A Beautiful Thing”

“’Leave her alone,’ said Jesus. ‘Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me’” (Mark 14:6)

There’s a well-known story in the Bible about a humble woman who anointed Jesus in the home of a man named Simon. In Matthew and Mark, the woman anointed his head with expensive perfume, while Luke says that she anointed his feet with both her tears and the perfume. Despite the differences, all three Gospel writers agree that her behavior was both beautiful and scandalous, but for different reasons.

In Matthew and Mark’s versions, the scandal was her “wasting” valuable perfume, which could have been sold and the money given to the poor. However, Jesus rebukes her critics. She was preparing him for his burial, he explained. Of course, preserving resources and caring for the poor are normally very good things to do. But, in this special circumstance, what she did with the perfume was “a beautiful thing,” Jesus said (Matthew 26:10; Mark 14:6).

In Luke’s account, the scandal was that Jesus would allow a sinful woman to touch him (Luke 7:36-50). We don’t know if she was a prostitute, a woman who had committed adultery, or what her sin may have been. For Simon, the fact that she was a sinner meant that she was to be marginalized and avoided. However, once again, Jesus could see that unusual circumstances required an unusual response. Instead of rejecting her because of her sin, as the Law required,  he saw her heart and responded to her from his heart.

Through Jesus’s welcome, kindness, and mercy, the woman experienced the grace that she desperately needed to help her back on her feet and to restore her hope. Her heart was overflowing with gratitude and love, and her tears spilled onto his feet. As Jesus explained to Simon, “her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love” (Luke 7:47).

Whether these are two different occasions, or the same story was told in two different ways, we will never know. But one truth shouts out from both versions of Jesus’s encounter with the woman who anointed him: Sometimes our minds, traditions, and usual ways of thinking do not lead us to make right judgments or to see ourselves and others as Jesus does. Sometimes, only our hearts can show us the better way. As seventeenth century Christian philosopher, Blaise Pascal, famously once said, “The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.”  

When the door to teaching and ministry in-person in Myanmar slammed shut three years ago due to a military coup on February 1, 2021, I was thrust into a confusing, frustrating, and terrifying time of loss and ongoing uncertainty. In partnership with my school in Yangon and in collaboration with other friends and leaders, we discovered online teaching and webinars, only to have grapple with daily power outages and unreliable, diminished wifi and internet access. In such a context, which has only worsened over the three years, I have struggled to find meaningful ways to still contribute.

What real difference can I make when so many lives have been shattered and so much hope has been snatched from their grasp? What’s worth working towards, when so much has fallen apart and some losses will never be recovered? Does it make any sense to build something today when it might be destroyed tomorrow? How can my few resources and limited abilities ever make a difference in the face of such overwhelming needs and mind-boggling obstacles?

I don’t know how to answer all these questions intellectually. But I do know this. When I listen to my heart, I often know what to do, why I’m doing it, and why I don’t quit. And inasmuch as I stay connected to God’s love and compassion, I usually know where I need to be. 

The unnamed woman in our story did a “beautiful thing” for Jesus, even though what she did didn’t make sense to others. But it made sense to her, and history has proven the rightness of her heart and her actions. As Jesus predicted, wherever the Gospel has been preached throughout the world, “what she has done has been told, in memory of her” (Matt. 26:13). 

What beautiful thing is in your heart to do? When there are no longer any questions to answer or decisions to be made, what story is going to be told about you and what you have done with your life?  

Photo credit: Jill K.H. Geoffrion (www.jillgeoffrion.com), window inside Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France

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by | January 10, 2024 · 11:57 am

“How to Have A Happier New Year”

Happy New Year! Of course, that’s what everyone always says this time of year, and I sincerely mean well whenever I say it. I also like it when someone says it to me. But the truth is, what I really wish for you is that you would discover greater peace, joy, meaning, and love this year, no matter how happy you may feel on any given day.

In other words, I’m not satisfied with just expressing or receiving wishes for happiness. I want so much more for myself and for you. And there’s so much more that goes into finding happiness than just wishing or making resolutions. If I am going to experience more of the abundant life that Christ talked about, I’m going to need to lean into my relationship with God in a big way. And I’m going to need to make a lot of good decisions about how I think, how well I stick to my daily habits, and how I choose to respond to life’s troubles and to other people who annoy me or cause me pain.

For me, it starts with attitude. I always look forward to the start of a new year, but first, I find it very encouraging to pause long enough to count my blessings from the year just ended. Despite so much grief, frustration, and uncertainty everywhere I look, I thank God for all the good exists amid the pain and struggle. I am particularly grateful for the love of my family, a new granddaughter, many good friends, and wonderful colleagues and co-workers. I treasure the many precious Spirit-filled moments I experienced with family, friends, students, and other people that I care about. 

I can easily find many things to complain about, but I choose to name and celebrate all the love and goodness in my life amid the darkness and suffering. That’s my starting place for preparing for a happy new year.

As you look back on 2023, what do you see when you look at your experiences through the eyes of faith and gratitude? For many of you, the year has been full of tears, frustrations, and painful memories. Can you see the blessings, too? 

As I look ahead, I assume that God will continue to be active in my life in loving for good ways. I also accept that I have a part to play in securing my own happiness. But the key here where I’m going to look. As a Christian, I believe that I will find the greatest satisfaction, meaning, peace, and joy in life by living for Christ and prioritizing love of God and neighbor, as Jesus taught us. 

For me, this means asking the right questions and seeking answers that will qualitatively effect how I think and live. For example, what habits do I need to form or strengthen so that I could know, love, and serve God better from day to day? How do I need to structure my prayers, reading, and giving so that I could better support and strengthen my brothers and sisters in Christ? What disciplines do I need to put into place so that I will “not be overcome by evil” so easily, but will be better able to “overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21)? What changes do I need to make in my calendar, my attitudes, and my interactions, so that I will keep growing as a person, husband, father, grandfather, boss, co-worker, mentor, and friend? Above all, what spiritual practices will help me to keep my eyes on Jesus and to keep listening for the “still, small voice” of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of my life, every day?

What are your hopes, intentions, and prayers for 2024? What is your part in pursuing and securing your own happiness?

No matter what may happen (or not happen), may God work in your life in ways that you can perceive and appreciate. May you get clear about your role in seeking and securing your own happiness. May you see that what you most want and need is God, and that your inner peace and joy depend upon your relationship with Jesus Christ and on staying firmly in the sacred love flow—God’s love to you and for you, and God’s love flowing through you to others.Though we often cannot understand the ways of God, we have the promise in Scripture that God does indeed work all things together “for good for those who love him and are called according to his purposes” (Romans 8:28). Though sometimes we cannot see any good coming from our suffering or the evil deeds of others, this promise reminds us that we’re not alone amidst our struggles and suffering. For me, the thought that God is present and active in my life for good motivates me to order my life, thoughts, and priorities in the best possible ways. And to stay positive and keep going.

May you find the peace, joy, meaning, and strength you are looking for in 2024 by loving God and devoting yourself to serving his good and loving purposes. This is Christ’s pathway to the life you were called to. And this is what I mean when I wish you Happy New Year.

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