I don’t want to look like I do now in 30 years. Just as I expect my looks to age – I hope my heart matures as well. I aspire to be more loving, more generous, kinder, more gracious and more faithful. I want to be used for the purpose He created me for and … Continue reading “This is Just the Way I Am” = Bad Excuse
I am feeling drained by the amount of hardship often talked about between overseas workers. Yes, it can be hard. Yes, you have to grieve. Yes, you miss your family (and especially during holidays and birthdays). Yes, culture shock happens and it also passes. Yes, it’s dirtier than first world nations and the problems seem … Continue reading Me & 2Pac Saying You Gotta Keep Your Head Up
I hate to admit it but there are and have been points in my life where connecting with God is a chore. It can be difficult to sit down and try to do the same thing every single morning in an effort to grow closer to Him. I would sit at the table with my … Continue reading Stop Connecting with God as a Chore
I was standing in my friends living room after entering into it through a sliding glass door. I could feel the sun on my back as I looked at all the decorations and furniture. It looked so different from where my husband and I live, but it also seemed so familiar. Before we moved to … Continue reading Letting Go of My Past Life
I wasn’t sure if my heart would ever feel torn between two countries. I read about how it could happen. The stories of people going abroad and struggling but then getting to the point where they called both the country they left and the country they live “home,” seemed like a very foreign concept when … Continue reading The Confusion of Home – When You Have Many
The old man wasn’t the first and probably won’t be the last time another overseas worker indirectly discourages others from following in their footsteps because of their ego. It seems so counterproductive since the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, but it totally happens. I have not only seen people do it to … Continue reading The Man I Never Want to Be
The first time I ever heard someone say they were angry at God and knew it was true was when I went to a young adults group one night. A young lady who had recently lost a parent was sharing the complicated emotions involved. She expressed through tears and a shaking voice that she was … Continue reading Serving with Anger
I experienced some pains this week of relearning social norms and basic manners in this culture. I am no longer new here, but it did remind me that because I wasn’t raised here there will continually be situations where I am needing to learn. When we are brought up in a particular culture we pick … Continue reading “Is Pepperoni Made of Pig?” – Me & the 10 Year Old Learning How to Act Appropriately
I used to be a feeling-chaser Christian. I would stand in worship and try to feel light, warm and full of joy. Sometimes it happened and other times it didn’t. When it didn’t happen I was sure there was sin in the way or I wasn’t concentrating enough on worshiping God with my voice. It … Continue reading I Used to Be a Feeling-Chaser Christian
What kills creativity, ruins intimacy and produces shame? I was reading Scary Close by Donald Miller and he wrote about a father who chose to never judge his children early on in parenthood. No matter what they did or told him he decided to never judge them. His children are adults now and they have an … Continue reading The Creativity Killer, Intimacy Destroyer and Shame Producer
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