Sorry guys. I think I promised not to use my blog for newsletters and self-promotion! Ugh. But again, I’m up against a timeline and so wanted to let everyone know how God has answered prayers and opened doors. Please forgive the format. Abraham heard from God at Ur. God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. [...]

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Some things I’ll just never understand this side of heaven. A friend said to me recently, “I don’t want to go to hell over a mystery.” I know exactly what he was saying even though I believe once saved always saved. If I edited that statement and made it mine it’d go like this: “I [...]

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Wow. Crossing an ocean didn’t make me better! That’s a shock! Somehow I thought if I could get overseas just once more then I’d become a better follower of Jesus. But the truth of the matter is I still struggle with the same ol’ same ol’. For example, prayer. Why is it so hard to [...]

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Anyone remember that old Amy Grant song from the ‘80s? “Angels watchin’ over me every step I taaaakkee. Angels watchin’ over me every move I maaaake.” When you speak of angels, folks can get a bit edgy. Either your too New Agey or a freaky charismatic to most people. Billy Graham did a lot for [...]

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I hate war. I know! I just did a blog on not saying hate, but I do HATE war. (See my post “The War Less Traveled” October 14 and 15, 2008). I mean who doesn’t? Right? Warmongers—I guess they don’t hate war. Afghanistan. When I was there in 2003 I felt that the US had [...]

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Words. Can’t live with ‘em; can’t live without ‘em. Okay. I guess that’s not entirely true. We can live with ‘em…some of them. Not all of them. I’m thinking a lot about words right now ‘cause I’m preparing to teach a class on linguistic theory and well, there’s a whole lotta stuff about words in [...]

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Psalm 23 A Psalm of David. “THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I will not lack. He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life (my very self); He leads me in the paths [...]

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“I love Russia! I mean I really love everything about Russia! The food, the people, the literature—EVERYTHING!” I was my usual melodramatic self speaking through clenched teeth to an American teacher in China telling her just how much I wanted to live and work in Russia. It was an insignificant chat with my new friend [...]

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Kathleen Norris is a writer that takes you on a journey. She doesn’t have to use the old template of a beginning, middle and end like we’re taught in Comp 101. Sometimes the “end” of her books are really just the beginning–at least for me. As she leads the reader on a road, occasionally she [...]

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Have you ever taken one of those spiritual gifts inventories? You know the ones. You fill out the info and then it tells you what your spiritual gifts are? I think their purpose is to help followers of Christ plug into the local church. Ya think? I was wondering what would have happened if they’d [...]

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