Just weeks after the wedding last March, my new brother-in-law Larry was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent chemo and radiation throughout the remainder of 2009, and his docs told him there was no evidence of his cancer at the conclusion of his course of treatment. Just before Christmas, he contracted pneumonia and was hospitalized. Last…

Sometimes an overarching metaphor organizing a work of non-fiction can feel a little trite or forced. I admit that when I picked up Jason Dukes’ Live Sent: You are a letter and skimmed the chapter titles, I predicted the book would be a lightweight approach to the subject of missional living. I was wrong, wrong,…

Who Owns The World? The Surprising Truth About Every Piece of Land on The Planet is an encyclopedic accounting of land ownership on our globe. It is packed with fascinating facts: Did you know that Queen Elizabeth owns 1/6th of all the land on earth? Did you know that the largest private landowner in the…

I originally posted the basic content (below) during 2007 – and have tweaked it a bit for 2010. I love to volunteer to help, to serve, to minister, to use the gifts God has given me to bless others. You’ll note that the word “volunteer” is a verb in this sentence.    I hate to…

I need Thee every hour Most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine Can peace afford. I need Thee, oh, I need Thee; every hour I need Thee…. Please pray for health and safety for the beautiful people of Haiti – and for wisdom for those organizing rescue and relief (and eventually, rebuilding) operations in…

A friend asked me if I wanted to join her at a night of corporate worship at a church a decade ago in a nearby town. My friend and I were “church nomads” at that point, and we both missed the dynamic of gathering with others to worship. Neither of us knew anyone at the…