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2012

Oh to love like him

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1 John 4 teaches us about God’s love. And ours. This is how God showed his love among us; He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent. He actively came searching for all that was lost to him. This is the redemptive mission of our Creator. He goes searching. From the moment man left God, God went looking. “Where are you?” he says to the ones who hid in shame. He goes searching. For the sole righteous man to spare from […]

Hospitable Politics

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God never intended his holy people to be ruled by an earthly leader. His heart for them was something different than the reality of the rest of the world. His longing for them, and what he called them to, was holiness – to be set apart for his purposes. But Israel rejected God’s will for them. They wanted to be like the surrounding nations. They wanted to be lead by a strong king more than a faithful God. And God hears the prayers of his people. He is a living and active God who makes known his will, but doesn’t […]

Praying Grace Today

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Oh that your grace might chase me. Into my selfishness. Into my pride. Into my control. Oh that your grace might cover me. My sin. My ugly parts. My insecurities. Oh that your grace might teach me. Of love. Of forgiveness. Of renewal. Oh that your grace might lead me. Into the pain of others. Into uncomfortable places. Into your perfect will. Oh that your grace might show me. Hope. Faithfulness. Affirmation. Oh that your grace might humble me. To listen. To learn. To sacrifice. Oh that your grace might reveal. My strengths. My courage. My gifts. Oh that your […]

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Our Maine Environment

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After weeks of sickness and pushing through the darkness to find the light, we finally receive our reward.  Two friends who share a birthday. Just two days apart…and ten years. We dropped off 7 children to spend the weekend with Aunts and Grandparents. Met at the airport with handsome husbands in the lead and only one darling baby to keep us from forgetting who we really are – parents. We depart for Maine, and the lovely Kismet Inn. From the dead, bleak, cold of winter we enter into Shadi’s home. A home of life, color and warmth (which had very […]

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The Face of Jesus

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We traveled to see The Face of Jesus today. Oh how we wish our feet took us in sandals to stand in the crowds listening to his stories or to eat the bread he multiplied or to cast our nets with him into on the sea. Instead, we traveled in our vehicle to the city of Detroit where stands a building dedicated to art. The building itself is art. We toured a special exhibition called The Face of Jesus, which brings together for the first time paintings and drawings of the Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn’s and his students who […]

Fresh Water Words

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I’m seeking God more intentionally these days in the matters of our family. Matters in how we are loving and relating with one another. How we are shaping each other. And when you seek God, you will find him. I’m knocking quieting through prayer and fasting and he has faithfully opened the door to truth. And even though it’s a promise he gives us, I’m still a little surprised when it happens. I held my bible in my hands with a confidence that where it fell open, there would be a word to dwell on. I needed the thoughts and […]

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Grace in Death

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Five years ago today we faced tragic death. Oh, how an instant can change everything. How one event can alter the future of many. Just a normal day at our home in Uganda. And a ring of the phone just like we heard so often. It wasn’t a greeting or a message or an invitation. It was the panicked voice of a wife who just got word her husband, our friend, was in an accident. And he wasn’t alone. Together, with our teammate Adam, he had traveled to purchase coffee beans on a mountain just a few hours from our […]

Facebook Hospitality

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Funny how something intended to connect can make you feel so disconnected. Our world is getting bigger and smaller at the same time. Bigger because we are expanding beyond our closest communities and engaging broader, more distant places and people. Smaller, because suddenly those far off places don’t seem so far off anymore due to easy and frequent communication. Facebook has quickly dominated our worldwide social scene. It’s telling people’s stories. It’s changing the experience of the missionary. It’s connecting people with similar journeys who wouldn’t otherwise find each other. It’s a tool for encouragement. It carries messages and begs […]

How [not] to be a Grace Giver

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When your daughter trips on a toy and spills coffee all over your table and rug, don’t jump up to grab paper towel and leave the little offender crying on the couch in front of a room full of people. When your four year old is acting sassy to you, don’t turn around and do the same thing back at her. When your husband makes a confession, don’t let the stress and busy of the holidays keep you mad and pouty instead of forgiving and engaging. When someone eats an ingredient you need for a recipe that night, don’t stop […]

A Healing Home

[bl]I[/bl] savored the sweet Christmas days of husband home, seven upstairs sleeping, children creating, the couch holding us often, the mornings starting late, frequent visitors, and a messy home. And just when I began anticipating the days of the new year, my body surrendered to a virus. The aching from head to toe kind. I stay in bed. The children attempt school without me. The littles run wild. I surface only to satisfy my role as chef and referee. But mostly I rest. In my loud, active, busy home I wait for healing. I want the kind of home that heals. […]

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