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It's official. I received the invitation. I requested time off work. I contacted the travel agent. I even recruited my dad to come with me. I am going back to Africa! I remember coming back from Burkina Faso, Africa, at the end of last summer, fired up about God's mission around the world and wondering what my role in that mission would be. I considered that trip to be a "stepping stone" in my own personal journey to cross-cultural mission work. Since that time, God has layed more stones - one at a time - and it seems like those stones are getting so close together that I am skipping across the river with delight.  After much prayer and a few meetings with the missionaries from the team in Burkina Faso, the Lord is leading me once again to Africa. Although this trip will be a short one - only two weeks - the next trip after this will finally be the one where I am in for the long-haul. One more short survey before a one-way ticket.  The Lord has been openin...

I knew something wasn't quite right when I got out of bed that morning. I usually spring out of bed with enthusiasm and strength, but I just felt a little weak on this particular morning. Sure enough, half way to the bathroom, my vision started to go dark and I grabbed onto the wall, sensing that I was about to pass out. The next thing I knew, I couldn't see at all, but I could hear some loud banging noises as my head hit the wall on my way down. It wasn't until I woke up on the ground that I realized what had happened. Then I remembered that it had been quite a while since I had anything to eat. That was it: I was weak and needed to eat. So I stopped everything else I was doing and immediately went to the kitchen to eat something, and that made all the difference in the world.  Psalm 63:1 says this: 1  O God, you are my God, I seek you,      my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,      as in a dry and weary land where there is...

The scooting of chairs and shuffling of feet indicated that it was time to form a circle and get started. I pulled the old wooden bench up to the piano as one of the men began with a prayer. Although this was only my second time to help lead worship for this group, it already felt comfortable and familiar. That's what the Spirit of God within the hearts of believers does - it unifies us and gives us a sense of home wherever we go.  I have been hanging out with these friends at Hidden Creek for a while now. I first started going when a small group of friends from church served a dinner there every other week. It wasn't until I started worshipping with them, though, that relationships really began to form. That's what worship does - it unites our hearts with God and one another.  Sometimes I get nervous about leading others in a time of worship. I don't want the music to be a barrier in any way to true, heart-felt worship. I don't want to be obsessed about messing up ...

Sometimes you can just sense when things are coming.  Your joints will tell you when a storm is brewing. Your childrens' wild behavior may warn you that a front is moving in. Maybe you get that feeling that you are forgetting something. Sometimes you can even sense when something is missing...or when something is not quite right. Just like you can sense when things are wrong, you can also sense when things are right. It's like when you wake up one morning and you just know it is going to be a good day. Or you get in the car and hit the road, knowing that it is going to be the best trip of your life even thought you don't know what lies down the road. Or you get a new job and move to a new place, and something within you tells you to expect great things. It's something deep-down that makes you say, "I just have a good feeling about this." Most of the time, you don't even have an explanation for why you feel that way, but you just sense that something good i...

Just when I thought I was done with school, I did something I said I would not do for a long time: I registered for a class.  But this is not just any regular class. It is a class called Perspectives (www.perspectives.org), and it has completely rocked my world. So here's to doing things you never said you would do. Sometimes there's a good reason for saying "I will never do that", and sometimes it is finally time to do that thing that you never said you would never do. This was one of those times.  Perspectives is a class for anyone interested in learning what God is doing around the world, which honestly should be every follower of Jesus Christ. It is not a class for missionaries only, but a class for all believers on how to find their place in God's mission on earth. I firmly think that everyone I know should take this class. Just do it, and you will see what I mean.  About half way through the course as we were studying the history of missions, one of our pres...

It's funny to me how the smallest things can come to mean the most. It's that short text message from a friend you haven't seen in a while, who is just checking on you to see if you had a good day. It's that extra package of ketchup that makes your burger just right. It's your roommate folding your laundry when you've worked three nights in a row.  It's a hand written letter in the mailbox or fresh baked cookies from mom.  For the longest time, I have had the habit of thanking God each day for my "top ten" as I lay down to sleep at night. Sometimes, I have obvious, significant things to thank him for. "Thank you for the half marathon...thank you for that new friend I met today...thank you for the fresh spring weather...thank you for safe mothers and babies in labor and delivery today..." But sometimes, I come to the end of day and lay my head on my pillow, and I feel like I thank God for the smallest things.  "Thank you for little sn...

The night before the big event, I wanted to indulge in a special meal. After all, its not everyday that you get to run a half marathon, and its not everyday that you get to eat like you are going to. For my carb-loading, big pre-run meal, I knew exactly what I wanted. On The Border. Endless enchiladas. $8.99. Enough said. My family and a few friends joined me for a mexican feast with all-you-can-eat enchiladas, and I think we got our money's worth of cheese, beef, and chicken, beans, and rice. Plus we had a grand 'ole time. The next morning, pumped up on adrenaline and mexican fiesta, I joined 15,000 other racers for the Little Rock marathon, half marathon, and 10k. The fun atmosphere, encouraging words, sideline posters, and people cheering me on - strangers, friends, and family alike - helped me cross the finish line in four minutes under my target time. Three months of training, a significant entrance fee (where does all that money go to?), and several injuries along t...