Category Archives: Trust + Obey

learning to live with a heart stayed on Jesus

Quiet + Photography: Portraits of Yosemite

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So… I know it seems I almost rarely post nowadays. And even now, I’m posting a photo from 9 months ago. But I’m realizing that doesn’t matter much to me…

You know, the idea of novelty…

And always saying something…

As if when we aren’t talking, then we don’t exist…

(And aren’t we all a little weary of that in our social media-fest society?)

For me, I only want to share when I really feel moved to say/write/post/snap/whatever. In this particular case, it means I’m sharing these photos from 9 months ago. 😉

But does the age of the photo really affect the quality of the content?

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With Spirit-led Compassion: Empathy, Prayer, and Walking in Love (Part 2)

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So a few months back, I wrote about a thoughtful article that focused on the missional component of the current Syrian situation. Thanks to a Facebook friend who shared this article, I definitely received good food for thought and action. The fact is that the events unfolding before us are a gateway to several opportunities to serve a large population who may not know Jesus.

AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

“…’Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?’ And he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.'” –Luke 10:36-37

In Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, we see a man who demonstrated compassion by being the lone one of three who stopped to notice another in need and provide a means of care. But, really, the Samaritan did even more than this. Continue reading →

Just a Thought: Reentry and Transitioning Home

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Back in 2014 when I went with River Valley Church on Global Project Thailand, I remember being quite surprised by the process of reentry, returning from “field” work to home base. Since I’d been to both Thailand and to Minneapolis before (where I met my team and spent a month in Polar Vortex weather =| ) and had traveled widely, I didn’t really think much about reentry at the time. Unfortunately, I ended up quite overwhelmed by the adjustment process of returning from Thailand to my “temporary” home in Minneapolis and then to my “permanent” home in California. =\ It took me several weeks to fully recoup, reengage my community, and make heads or tails of my experience! Continue reading →

Waiting, Weariness, and His Hope

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“In Him was life, and His life was the Light of men… the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” –John 1:4, 9, 14

This Christmas season, my ministry travels have taken me to the land of the Midwest for visits, conversations, and times of encouraging the Body through the relationships God’s opened up for me in this region. While it’s strange to be away from home this year, God continues to reveal that home truly is wherever He is, and I know He’s with me here.

Last night, I got to visit a friend’s church to participate and support her as she led a “Christmas Quiet” time of Christian meditation for fellow members of her church community. We used the Ignatian spiritual exercise of meditating on a specific passage from the Scriptures (a key feature and distinctive in truly Christian meditation), this time holding in focus the account of Jesus’ birth from Luke 2 to see what God might want to say to and shape in each of us personally and collectively.

And what I found in this story I’ve read countless times over the years surprised me…

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