My Wake Up Call
Recently, I was in Haiti visiting one of Back2Back’s ministry sites. While I was there, I knew I was balancing many agendas.
Recently, I was in Haiti visiting one of Back2Back’s ministry sites. While I was there, I knew I was balancing many agendas.
I can’t get enough of Haiti. Every chance I get, I hop on a plane to visit the people I care about there. It’s not the cause, or the statistics that make me pack a suitcase – it’s the faces. Each one has a story asking to be heard.
Identity and family identity can be a controversial subject. What do we stand for? How does it compare with the larger society? How does our calendar and spending reflect that?
I shared of one afternoon, of a normal moment that turned miraculous, not because I woke up and did or prayed anything different, not because we earned or deserved what happened, but because God is sovereign and at the end of the day, we either submit to it or fight against it.
Lately, I have been talking to my kids about an outward focused life. Some call it missions, others call it outreach, I am hoping we call it normal. I have been explaining my heart for orphans as a ‘burr under my saddle’.
I was sitting inside an orphanage in Mazatlan, Mexico this past week and listening to the directors of that home lament their older kids are too focused on their own needs, and not aware enough of the suffering of others.
In our efforts to keep families of Back2Back trip members updated, we wanted to provide the latest information on the storm that is working its way toward Monterrey, Mexico. First, it is important to note that all of our families and teams are safe, and there is no reason to believe we will be in… Read more
Last week I had the privilege of speaking at Cincinnati’s Teen Challenge Ranch, where I shared about God’s promise to come after us and pursue a relationship with us, no matter who we are or what we have done. At one point, I was so impressed by these promises, I lost my composure, and could… Read more
Todd and I just returned from the K-LOVE radio station’s annual Friends and Family Cruise on Premier Christian Cruises. We were invited again this year to talk about orphan care on the cruise and join Family Christian Stores’ non-profit organization, the James Fund. It was an amazing couple of days, as we heard fantastic Christian… Read more
Last Saturday, when the final week of summer short-term groups arrived, someone handed me a bank envelope of $800 and said it was a gift to the ministry to be used however it was needed. I immediately pressed, “Would you like this spent on a teen in our program? At one of the Rio squatters’… Read more