There are no people who are aliens

“The earth is the Lord’s—the world isn’t for us alien territory.

People are in God’s image—no one is to us an alien being.”

(Beyond Duty: A Passion for Christ, A Heart for Mission (2013: 51). Available on Amazon US, UK, India, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain.)

These may be true words to say, but their truth is most evident in how we live them. One ministry that inspires us is Tierra Nueva, located north of Seattle in the Skagit Valley. They follow the Spirit of God to see justice, kindness, healing, community and worship break forth among people who are so often marginalized in our society–gang members, addicts, jail inmates, migrant workers, and undocumented residents.

Kerry, Andrea and I recently had the privilege of writing an article about this for Christianity Today: “Ministering on the Margins in Rural America” . In full disclosure, the article refers to Bethany Dearborn (who is one of our daughters), and Andrea Peer who wrote it with us is another daughter. Our oldest daughter, Alison, is living in Redding, CA right now–otherwise the article would been fully a family affair!