We each instinctively feel that we are somehow special, somehow worthy of love in a way that is unique to us. We go about trying to prove this, by breathtaking achievement, by embracing quirkiness, by celebrating our differences in ways that scream for attention, recognition, appreciation.
Living in Okinawa, things are often very different from our life in Canada. Sometimes these differences stem from divergent cultures or languages. Sometimes they’re manifested in nature. Today I thought I would share a story that happened several years ago.
Once upon a time, I had a conversation with a friend in ministry that left me dismayed. Though she’d experienced burnout before, she was now overworking again, held captive by small but pressing tasks that could be outsourced. I tried to caution her, but my words didn’t seem to sink in...
“Look, it’s the Japanese businessman walk,” Peter said.
My gaze turned to where he indicated. Sure enough, there was a man moving along with stilted gait: hurrying, and trying not to appear as though he was. Shoulders straight, yet back somehow stooped. Left hand, clenched into a fist...
Have you ever marvelled at how many people within the church seem to suffer from the same spiritual emptiness that exists in people who don’t know Jesus? [1]
Have you ever felt “always hungry” in a spiritual sense, and never satisfied? [2]
This may be because...
We live in an age of convenient relationships. If we don’t want to talk with a nagging mother, thanks to caller ID we can ignore her. If a friend goes weird, we can ghost him. If a colleague expresses political views contrary to our own, we can unfollow her.
In Japan, crime rates are remarkably low. The Japanese have a strong sense of community responsibility, which has been widely credited with this phenomenon. The Japanese are very conscious of the “wa”, the sense of living harmoniously with one’s friends and neighbours...
