Deported: A View From the “Other” Side

I was recently sitting in a Tijuana shelter that houses men for 12 days after they have been deported from the United States. I was guiding a group of pastors and leaders from around California and Arizona who wanted to learn the human story of immigration first hand. With that goal in mind, we simply sat with …

(de)Escalating Violence and the Human Story in Israel/Palestine

I was sitting in the airport the other day listening to yet another account of the current events unfolding in Israel and Palestine. Almost mechanically, the lips of the news anchor spilled out words like terrorists, extremist, escalating violence, detention, kidnapping, hatred, protest, etc.  It was as though they were telling a story of some …

When Immigration Takes a Human Face

I recently looked out my front door and saw a woman sitting on the stairs of my patio. She was out of breath, sweaty and had a large basket next to her full of cans and plastic bottles to be recycled. She looked desperately in need of some rest and refreshment. I’m pretty good at …

Gay Marriage, World Vision and a Unified Church?

It has been a tough go for the Church in the United States over the past couple months. The name calling, division and posturing reached a deafening volume last week in the wake of the World Vision controversy around employing those in gay marriage.  Noise.  Massive amounts of energy poured into proving our “rightness” and …

A Prayer for Peace; in Syria and Around the World

Today’s of millions of people all around the world are committing to prayer and fasting for the peace of Syria. We know that the peace of Syria has direct implications for peace in other parts of our Global Village. The stakes are high. We must be on our knees. Further, we must arise with actions …