Categories
Devotional Memoir

Give thanks

Leaves crunch beneath my feet. Cold front moved in. So the air is chilled. Still.

Inside I’m scattered. 

Numb. 

Not sure how to process what’s happening. The unexpected hard.

“In everything give thanks”? How? 

Give thanks. Image by Armon Arani on Unsplash.
Categories
Devotional Making Disciples Memoir

Paying attention

Paying attention makes a difference. 

I think about this while watering the brown, straggly plant in our front yard. The one that missed automatic sprinkler showers.

My failure to notice is part of the issue. Properly caring for plants is not  my wheelhouse. 

In the tropics, where I was raised? Plants grew green year round. Rain fell in abundance. And planting seeds for science projects yielded quick results. Green shoots before the week was out. Sometimes overnight.

This sad-looking specimen tells another story. 

Paying attention. Image by Jonathan Kemper.
Categories
Crossing Cultures Memoir

Unexpected surrender

Unexpected surrender started with an invitation. Out of the blue. To consider a role in the U.S. 

And our immediate thought? No. Can’t be right. Our calling is cross-cultural. Among the nations. 

Besides, we weren’t ready to leave South Asia and her people. The place had wrestled its way into our hearts.

Then another ask came. To focus on megacities in South Asia. Surely that’s the one, we thought. Fits our heart and skill set. New city. Same area of the world.

Unexpected surrender. Image by Jack Stapleton on Unsplash.