Vast and Amazing and Unimaginably Ginormous

I'm at a YouthWorks training this week. People from all over the place are going to work together this summer. We come from different states and regions. It turns out people in the South handle conflict differently than people in the East. And this is important! And it helps us grow. I am so grateful …

State of Wonder and Well Intentioned Women

I am really enjoying reading my way through my TBR list. I've got some pretty good taste. Plus I adore lists and crossing things off lists and watching lists get smaller. So this is great. Currently I am reading State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and today I read something that made me say, "Yes!" and get …

Love listens

  A couple of summers ago I worked with YouthWorks in Indianapolis. (Have you heard of YouthWorks? Do you need a summer job? Or a short term mission trip opportunity?) It was YouthWorks’ first summer in Indy, so we were kind of doing a trial run of just four weeks of programming (as opposed to …

Here’s the thing about not going to Peru

Five months ago I announced my participation in our church's upcoming mission trip to Peru. Two weeks ago I told the pastors and leaders of the trip that I am not going and that I wanted to give my money to other team members. Now, as people from the team and church members hear the …

Here’s the thing about having gone

This morning at IF:Equip the passage was the Great Commission. You know how it goes. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on …

Here’s the thing about a trip to Peru

Yesterday my friends dropped me off at the airport just after 1pm. My flight was scheduled to leave at 3:10pm, and I checked it and got through security with just enough time to go to the bathroom and buy some bread sticks before I boarded. Things were going great. Then I got to the gate …

Short Term Missions Mondays: Okay, but HOW?!

We're three weeks into a series on Short Term Missions. Let's get practical. I'm a list-lover. I will feel confident doing almost any job as long as I have a check-list to follow. I create lists for myself - to-do lists, to-read lists, to-write lists, to-watch lists. I just love lists! It's genetic. My father …