5:00 am I awoke this morning to the rooster crowing literally outside our window. It was 5 am, but still dark outside because we were up on the mountain. I found myself curled up into a ball similar to the position I had fallen asleep in and the position I had tried to maintain all…
After a three hour scenic drive, with the last ten miles taking an hour as it was a slow arduous trek up the mountain on a single lane windy curvy rocky dirt road with one stop…backing up to find a spot to let the oncoming truck pass by, we finally made it to the long…
8:00pm It struck me today how much we from the United States have in common with the people of Honduras despite the multitude of differences. This morning we went to church, the one we helped yesterday with their new building. The building we met in will be used for children’s purposes once the new building…
6:00 am Yesterday was a long hard day of travel. We were up at 3 am in order to be at the church loaded up on the charter bus and on our way to Miami by 4am. It was significantly cheaper to fly out of Miami including the expense of the charter bus than to…
The words of a song “Bohemian Rhapsody” from Queen, a rock band from the 70’s, in a weird way capsulizes a struggle I have had recently. The lyrics begin with: Is this real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a land slide. No escape from reality. The month of May was renamed by a…
One year ago on April 2nd, we held a mini Women’s retreat at our church. In 2011, Easter fell later in the month. I remember my friend Daryl, who was beginning to not feel well, struggling with whether she would make it or not to the retreat. I remember her bragging to me that she…
I love butterflies, but I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to have a fascination with them. My fascination was actually inspired by a book. It came out of one of those experiences where you are the teacher, but the tables turn and you become the student. During my time at seminary, I…
When my friend passed away last fall, I let the tears flow freely and sometimes they were uncontrollable. The tears came often. Sometimes they came out of nowhere, but every time they came; I let the tears roll. I knew… It is okay to be sad. This truth struck me as I came across a…
“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness…” II Corinthians 11:30. Who, in their right mind, wants to brag about the things in which they are weak? The last thing I want to do is even think about them. My weaknesses frighten me; they are places that seem…
On one trip to Selby Gardens, I felt drawn to the far southwest corner where the gardens and Sarasota Bay come together. This spot opens up to breath taking views and sounds of the waves gently brushing the seawall. As lovely as it may be, when I am seeking silence and solitude, it is not…