Wonderings and Wanderings

Somebody Ought To Do Something About Him

October 1st, 2009 | Add a Comment

Meditation by Claudia Mair Burney in the book Justice in the Burbs by Will and Lisa Samson (pp. 80-81) “Jesus lives next door. He’s an eight-year-old girl and her three-year-old brother. The Son of Man looks like those starving Ethiopian children. He only gets breakfast and lunch at school, when he makes it. His mama is a crack whore. Nobody knows where his daddy is. I heard his mama lets her “Johns” do things to him. Poor King of Kings. Jesus is two houses down and has six children. Now he’s pregnant with the seventh. I don’t know if he hasn’t figured out what birth control is, or what, but how does he expect his husband to feed all those babies on that salary? And you know with all those kids the Lord … Read entire article »

Filed under: Books, Spiritual Formation

Healing and Hoping

September 28th, 2009 | Add a Comment

I’m two days into my annual solitude vacation. For a few years now, my parents give me a week away for my birthday. They know their daughter well. Solitude and meditation are healing for me and after a busy summer of travel, this week was very needed. I’ve slept in. I’ve not seen a person I know. I’ve showered but not much else. I’ve enjoyed the beautiful outdoors. I’ve read. I’ve thought. I’ve prayed. Today I truly realized how much I’ve healed from my severe burnout and depression from three years ago. It truly has taken longer to heal than I thought it would once I realized and accepted what I was dealing with. What a journey. How wonderful to realize how time, family and friends, medication and God have carried me … Read entire article »

Filed under: Miscellaneous, Spiritual Formation

It’s My Birthday

September 21st, 2009 | Add a Comment

Today is my 36th birthday. It has been a great 36 years and I hope for another 36 at least. I’ve been blessed in so many, many ways. I’ve had the best family anyone could dream of having. My parents are my heros in so many ways and truly my friends, my advisors, my confidants. My sister is so dear to me and I love her and her dear family. My niece and my nephew are my inspiration for making the moments in life count by investing in what is important and saying “no” to what isn’t. I’m blessed with countless friends who are there for me through all things. Friends who forgive me and give me grace. Friends who remind me that it isn’t good for man to be alone. I’m … Read entire article »

Filed under: Making a Difference

Rural Poverty

September 2nd, 2009 | Add a Comment

On Monday, I traveled three hours south of Jefferson City, Missouri, to Shannon County. Shannon County is a county located in South Central Missouri and is the poorest county in the state. It is also one of the most beautiful areas of the state as it is home to the Mark Twain National Forest and Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Many people travel to this area for camping, floating, and trail riding. One of the towns in that county, Timber, is home to Schwagstock, an regular music and drug festival in the style of Woodstock. But for all of it’s rich beauty and culture, it is home to some of Missouri’s poorest individuals. Often we think of urban areas as having a monopoly on poverty. But rural areas throughout our country are just … Read entire article »

Filed under: Missions

Surviving Summer and Other Things

August 29th, 2009 | Add a Comment

What an amazing summer. I really wish I had blogged more throughout it. I did but not on this blog. If you want to read about the summer, you can read our church’s missions blog where I posted while on my travels. It was so awesome. I loved the people I met and the new places I was able to see. We have some amazing ministry partners around the world. But being home about two weeks out of eight was a little draining for this introvert. I was able to take a couple of weeks of downtime recently and just this week returned to work. I used to teach high school history before entering the ministry and there isn’t a lot that I miss from those years. Don’t get me wrong … Read entire article »

Filed under: Spiritual Formation

On the Road Again

July 10th, 2009 | Add a Comment

I leave Sunday for the third and final mission trip of the summer. This time around I’m heading out with my youth to Atlanta, Georgia, for a week of service at the Moncrief Center. We will be spending each day working with about 60 children in grades kindergarten – fifth grade. Most of the children are Hispanic children that live close to the Moncrief Center. They provide many ministries throughout the year. During the summer, groups come for a week and prepare different activities and lessons to both teach the children and have fun. Each evening the youth also sing at various locations – churches, senior centers, hospitals, homeless shelters. They are basically busy from 8 am – 8 pm. I’m taking 34 youth and 14 adults along for the journey. We … Read entire article »

Filed under: Youth Ministry

Blackberries

July 7th, 2009 | Add a Comment

I’m a slacker. Sue me. I’ve literally been on the road six of the last eight weeks. It is officially crazy summer time. Don’t get me wrong. I love what I do and the opportunities I get to experience. It just makes for an incredibly busy life where I long ago dropped all the balls or the plates or my marbles. The trips to Kenya and the Dominican were amazing. God has such amazing people at work there and it is so humbling to go serve with them and learn from them. They teach me so much about faith, servanthood, sacrifice, priorities. God has blessed us with some amazing partners. And of course, the children. Simply amazing. God’s best work. Being in their presence totally makes the “faith of a child” charge … Read entire article »

Filed under: Uncategorized