If you had to identify the most difficult task you face in your everyday world what would it be? Meeting the demands of a tough and difficult job? Learning to get along with a diverse and perhaps divisive set of co-workers? Finding just the right word for an essay or a public Read More...
Paul reminds the church in Philippi, that "Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God...emptied himself, taking the form of a slave." This a reminder to all of us in the church whether we are ministers, elders, board members, council chairs, active members, first-time visitors or curious seekers that Read More...
The Bible often reminds us of our need to repent. That word gets a lot of bad press but at its core it means: turn around and move toward maturity. This may be the single most difficult thing we are invited to do in the Christian life. Perhaps even more difficult is Read More...
I picked up a book on leadership, titled Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership by Nancy Ortberg. I bought it because Nancy's husband, John, is one of my favorite authors. I'm glad I did. She links hope and leadership as two very important factors in moving any organization Read More...
Ahhhhhh. We are drinking fresh squeezed passion fruit juice at a coffee plantation called Selva Negra and sipping coffee grown just outside the window. Converted now into a nature preserve, Read More…
The last patient of the day reached into my heart and ripped a whole. I didn’t understand a word she said but her face revealed the whole story. The wrinkles on her neck and the scars on her face revealed a 65 year old woman but Read More…
I am sitting in the clinic. So far we have seen 130 official patients and 60 unofficial. That means mom comes in with her sick baby but while seeing the doctor she mentions that she suffers from “a terrible cough and a pain in my back.” The women all cook over an open fire Read More...
We are dining on pancakes, fried eggs, fresh papaya, guava jam. While we eat we are going to have a “shout out” and each of us will shout a message to one of you. Here goes. Lance says: Read More…
The first day of clinic always spells chaos. But we set up our make-shift pharmacy in record time and began seeing patients by mid-morning. Velma sits on the front porch and kindly and patiently greets every client. After taking their vitals and recording their chief complaint, she places them in the red Read More...
We arrived at the farm in time for lunch. We stayed at the farm last winter so in a way it was like coming home. But guess what? The farm has been upgraded from a “Holiday Inn” to a “Ritz Carlton” Yes, believe it or not, WE HAVE FLUSH TOILETS – two Read More...
Tonight we thanked God for soft mattresses, friendly customs agents, a cool breeze across the capitol city and the warm faces of our Nicaraguan friends. We met at the airport in Kansas city at 4:00 a.m. A bit of coffee sustained us to Houston and we had exactly the right number of Read More...
A 9-member team leaves Saturday, Jan. 24 for a week in a village in rural Nicaragua. Team members are Rev. Carla Aday, Stephanie Pilkington, Mary Wood, Clayton Hasser, Ken Hubbell, Lance Jessee, Velma Simmons, Sue Rempel and Josh Timock. The team includes a doctor, two nurses, and three first-time mission trippers. Read More…
I hope you are expecting a mess for Christmas. I doubt you've put that on your gift list but I am pretty sure that all of us, in one way or another, will get a mess this year. This time of year is always chaotic. The malls are crowded with shoppers. Folks Read More...
December 25, was officially sanctioned as Christmas Day by Bishop Liberius of Rome in 354 AD. However, the roots of the way we celebrate Christmas are relatively new when placed on a historical continuum. Most of what we would call traditional celebrations can be traced to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol; Clement Read More...
The wonderful songwriter, Bruce Cockburn, upon learning of the death of a fellow musician wrote: There you goSwimming deeper into mysteryHere I remainOnly seeing you where you used to beStared at the ceiling'Til my ears filled with tearsNever got to know you Suddenly you're out of hereGone from mystery into mysteryGone from Read More...
