How It All Started!
- Mar 10, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 26, 2025
Quick Answer: In Little Paris[1], also known as Filiatra.
The beginning of December, I found myself driving to southern Greece. I had felt the need to spend extra time with the Lord and to delight in Him. At the same time, things with my Visa were progressing very slowly and I felt weary. The process of building ministry partnerships was proving more challenging than anticipated. I needed to pray and seek the Lord. Thankfully, my grandmother has a summer house there. It is very old and run down, but that’s where my parents first heard and accepted the gospel, and our lives have been changed forever since. Likewise, for me, this place in “the village” has been a place of spiritual refreshment, as I have felt the Lord drawing near me.
The time felt convenient. My family was away for a few days, traveling to Cyprus. I had no preaching engagement for a few days (though, in the end I was asked to preach a full sermon on a Friday evening at the small Free Evangelical church where my parents heard the gospel). The latter was a blessing to me as I thought about how I could give back some of what I received.
Apart from an unexpected warning sign in the car that said “Engine Malfunction”, the trip went well. I used the time to reflect on a few things and also listened to a sermon that a brother had sent me. It was Tim Keller’s “Honey from the Rock” (Psalm 81) and it spoke about how God meets with us in the wilderness—a topic that felt very relatable at that time.
During my stay, I met with the local pastor several times, a wise man who loves the Lord. He is also the person who also takes care of a tiny orchard we have. He is retired but still loves two things: spending time in the Word in the morning—reading from Frédéric Louis Godet, a Swiss 19th-century theologian—and farming. So, I met him in the field twice and enjoyed eating oranges right from the tree. I also visited him at his house. He had said, after all, “My house is your house” and I even used his study room for an online partnership meeting I had.
Although I spent less than a week there, I left encouraged—kind of like Moses who met the Lord on the mountain. As a result, my first Bible study series (on the book of Jonah) came out of this. Moreover, I got this idea: I have already received so many things! I’ve been to international conferences; I’ve been studying and training for two years in Pastoral Ministry. With the Orchard School of Ministry, I often read a book a week, sometimes two. I have also walked with the Lord for more than a decade and I have had my share of struggles and lessons.
Could I share some of what I have received with others? After all, God’s Word tells us, “What do you have that you did not receive?”[2]
I also have the gift of encouragement. Am I to keep these things that will encourage and build up His church just for myself?
So, here I am. I took the first step of creating this website—to start this new journey with God and with you, fellow sojourners. My hope is that you’ll be encouraged, uplifted, and grow in your personal walk with the Risen Lord.
What has God given you that you are called to share with others?
Is it your car to take older people to church and help with their shopping?
Is it your home to welcome students who study far from home and long for a blessed fellowship beyond the typical Sunday greeting?
Is it your time to mentor a younger believer?
[1] Little Paris so called because of the small Eiffel Tower replica at the entrance of the city which has frustrated one of the mayors of the city of Paris!
[2] 1 Corinthians 4:7. Paul argues there that everything we have is a gift and therefore boasting about our talents, resources, etc is entirely illogical.
