My husband is a knife sharpener. When he spots someone with a pocketknife you can rest assured, he will ask them about it. Mid-conversation, he will offer to take it home and sharpen it. Over the next few days, he will work it meticulously through...

Feeling known can be one of the most obviously-missing realities of cross-cultural living. Or at least one of the slowest to arrive. It’s hard to define or quantify, but we know it when we have it. And when we don’t.

When I share about prison ministry, there’s one response I’m almost guaranteed to hear: “Oh, how wonderful, it takes a special calling to do that kind of work.”

Twelve years ago, I prided myself in making a big career move by transitioning into full-time ministry. I had enjoyed my job in the insurance industry and the time I had spent there bearing witness to Jesus, but I had sensed that to have a greater...