I am thankful for freedom and thankful that my passport country allows so much of it for me. Yes, there are a lot of things to complain about, be concerned about, speak out about, and even regret when it comes to the United States of America. But on the other hand, having lived in six other countries in addition to…
Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Psalm 37:3 (NASV) This is an excerpt taken from my first devotional book Villa in the Hilla: I’ve been thinking about the words “cultivate faithfulness” from Psalm thirty-seven. The psalmist encourages me to “Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” Earlier this week I replanted cuttings…
Will I wish I’d gone to the ocean more… When I’m gone from here? I call it my happy place. I reminds me of childhood And comforting memories. It draws out peace from the depths of my heart. And contemplation. And happiness. But I just glance as I pass by because I’m going somewhere And the cars go fast on…
Inching the car out of the jam-packed parking lot, I headed home amid heavy Friday traffic. I didn’t know a love thief was headed my way. Wanting to be a blessing, I had just spent three hours sitting in a hospital with a sick man and his family. But, as often happens when we open up our clenched hands and…
“And (Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders) saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky.” Exodus 24:10 This verse, marked in my Bible, is both fascinating and funny to me. First, can we all stop for a moment and acknowledge this nugget of a verse…
We sit in a circle on the floor of Nina’s house. I hope that listening to the women converse in this foreign language will help me learn it. Learning a foreign language is not easy. Sometimes things spiral out of control. Nina’s two-year-old grand-baby, Ali, is running back and forth in the house, charming me with his adorable smile. Maybe…
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. (Mark 16:9)* First Piece: The most amazing, history-altering, eternity-determining miracle of and for all time. God beats Satan. Second Piece: A possessed woman—a woman whose body and mind was controlled by a demon. Got the picture…
The Botanical Gardens. Here I sit on a bench by a brook, in the shade of a clump of bamboo trees. I feel the breeze on my face, I see ants and dragonflies, and I watch water bugs dancing in the still parts of the water. When I close my eyes, I hear the babbling water, a variety of birds…
Time for recess! Why? Because the snack lady is here. She calls in the front door. “Cemil cemilan!” (pronounced chu-meel chu-meel-ahn) That’s Javanese for, “Snacks!” The snack lady walks the streets, balancing a large round double-decker basket on her head. Inside its woven walls lie treasures in the form of a variety of colorful snacks. Pink spongy cupcakes, brown sugary…
Bucky broke his neck. The sleek gray cockatiel with his yellow cone and his orange cheeks probably only had hours to live. Ando (pronounced AHN-doo), our night guard who had discovered the wounded bird, carefully separated him from the others. I got the aviary for the kids really. We filled it with parakeets and cockatiels, thinking it would be an…
