In Touch with my Mild Side

O how the sun rises anew each day, relentless; it wakes the dawn with beams of longing, begging that dusk be forgotten. Seeking, but never finding, running, only to continue hiding, aching, transformed to scorching, and wondering where to find one thing. It is a tireless pursuit: who can match it? The fires that burn fuel it further until the sun is burned by it's own weeping rays and spots itself in embaressment. It is doubtful the sun shall ever quit, even more doubtful that it should ever succeed; A star so large, so small, is called to an end.    Here I...

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Misunderstanding a Little Less Completely

   For my sharp-eyed readers, the title is drawn from C.S. Lewis, and I believe I've come to another point of misunderstanding a little less completely. This is not to say that I'm coming to understand a little more completely – as if I understood at all – or to say that I am stranded in the stagnancy of apathy. What I think C.S. Lewis was trying to say was exactly what I'm feeling right now: I don't know much of anything about God's greatness, but I do see slivers of it here and there.    I've preached twice now, once on June...

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She is with her Daddy

     I was heartbroken to hear that Beautiful little Esther passed away last night. This little girl truly has changed my life and I am so grateful I got to know her. I was trusting and believing for healing and I guess she was healed, just differently than I had hoped. Although I am confused and upset, I know that God's plan is so much greater than mine. I know that Esther is now with her Daddy up in heaven and she is no longer suffering. Esther loved to sing and she now gets to sing forever to her king! I also am so grateful that just a few days before she passed...

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Final Reflections from Home

I have now been back in the U.S. for a week and a half and wanted to share some final reflections about the trip.  I’ll try to cover a variety of topics and give you my main takeaways in each area – obviously no blog could adequately summarize four months of experiences, emotions, and growth, but I’ll at least try to hit the highlights. I want to start by talking about what I learned about God during my time in Uganda.  During my time there, the idea of God’s provision just kept becoming apparent to me.  The first couple weeks were difficult for me...

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Debrief in Jinja

Sorry I wrote this blog on Wednesday, but didn’t get a chance to post it until today – so the content is a few days late – we’re in Jinja now staying at a hostel with an amazing view overlooking the Nile and we’ll start the flight home on Monday.  I’ll have some more thoughts about leaving to post later.   Today marks our last Wednesday in Uganda.  We will be leaving from Lira early on Friday morning and heading to Jinja where we will relax and “debrief” for 2 days before heading to Entebbe and flying home.  The past...

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Worship isn’t Circumstantial

This week has been a really challenging week but has taught me so much. Many team members have had some very tragic things going on at home with friends and family members. Sometimes it's hard to see God in tragic situations but I'm learning that my worship can't be based on my circumstances. I can't just worship God through the good and abandon him when things aren't going perfectly. Without pain, there would be no need for worship. I may not understand God's ways or why bad things happen, but I do know God's character. His love is always unconditional, his ways...

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