Bob’s Blog

“For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the son of his love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). Gracie and I are experiencing the challenges and the joys of assisting people to experience Jesus’ deliverance from darkness into the Kingdom.  We [...]

Many people struggle to step beyond what can feel like a formidable barrier to talk about Jesus or offer to pray for blessing or healing for strangers in public settings.  Since my last update regarding my own struggles to stop, listen to and offer spiritual support to homeless people and others, much has changed. This [...]

It’s been nearly three months now since I’ve been in direct contact with people incarcerated in a jail or prison– the longest period in over 17 years.  While life and ministry here in Paris is rich, I miss my routine of Thursday and Sunday Bible studies in Skagit County Jail and occasional forays into foreign [...]

Continuing to expect Jesus’ healing here and now is often harder than writing it off as unrealistic or something to be awaited on the other side of death. Everywhere I travel lately I meet people and communities crippled by disappointment. A man in Iceland prayed for days that his sister would come back to life [...]

There’s a village in Honduras called Mal Paso “Bad Step” that is dear to my heart. Four men were murdered in a string of vengeance killings from February to June. In response, Tierra Nueva’s (TN) Honduran leader David organized a prayer walk that brought together TN house-church participants with Pentecostals, Catholics and other villagers—a very [...]

In my travels I often minister in places where people’s expectations of God’s intervention to bring healing or any kind of transformation are low. This is usually because they’ve suffered big disappointments: praying for friends and family who haven’t been healed but remain ill or in pain, or have died and not been resurrected. Disappointment [...]

Last Saturday my 16-year-old daughter Anna and I attended Bruce Cockburn’s concert in Seattle. Bruce’s music inspired and sustained Gracie and I during our years in Central America in the 1980s—when poverty, death squads and wars weighed heavy… and has continued to greatly bless us. Bruce’s song “Waiting for a miracle” inspires hope and active [...]

There’s a growing spiritual openness among French people both inside and outside the church that was clearly visible during a short visit in late April, 2011. I sat beside a French woman on a train from London to Paris who ended up sharing her life story and faith journey with me. It turned out that [...]

Last month in Cheltenham, England I decided to end a five-day course on missions at Westminster Theological Centre’s Residential by sending students out on a mission. My teaching covered diverse dimensions of mission: Biblical overview, advocacy & human rights, reading the Bible with people on the margins, healing and deliverance, liberation theology, sustainable development… For [...]