That's Life Kid!

"Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.....I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well." Teddy Roosevelt Has anyone else ever noticed the numb complacency that wants to settle over our lives like a heavy blanket? As soon as we sit back and get comfortable, it creeps in. We forget what it felt like to truly come alive. It becomes easier to shut our eyes and our ears to the hurting community all around us. And we let entertainment fill our days and lull us to sleep until we are contained like sleeping giants.  What is it that we should be doing?  Ephesians 4:7-13 MSG: He climbed the high mountain, He captured the enemy and seized the booty, He handed it all out in gifts to the people...... Gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor-teacher to train Christ's followers in skilled servant work in the body of Ch

Have you ever started a 1,000 piece puzzle? It is overwhelming. You dump out all the tiny pieces and your first thought is "this is too much." You almost want to scoop all those itty pieces back into the box, close the lid, and stick it on a shelf in the closet. That's how it feels when we focus on the hurting people around us. Whether we are overseas, or in our own neighborhoods, we bump into too much need. It can be so overwhelming that we just shut down and shut it all out. But, what if you shift your perspective? Instead of focusing on helping someone get all 1,000 pieces together (who has time for that?), what if you took time to see what they really need? Perhaps they just lost their lid. You know, the lid with the completed puzzle picture on it? Maybe they just need you to take them to God's Word to remind them of the completed picture. Another might just need you to help them get the edge pieces together-- to give them a starting place. For others, you mi

Scars and struggles on the way. But with joy our hearts can say. Yes our hearts can say..... This Matt Redman song has been running through my head today. This last week has been a struggle. Ever feel like the enemy has put a nice, big target on your back? Suddenly you are under fire from all sides? We thought we were handling the pressure of family life, work life, and mission work life ok. In fact, I recently had a friend ask me how I was fitting it all in: Skype calls, U.S. non-profit business meetings, Guatemala non-profit business emails, interviews, buying plane tickets, booking hotels, cooking, housework, and homeschooling. I flippantly said that God was just working it all out and we were flying above it all. Then suddenly, this weekend, we are yelling at each other in the car. Fighting about this business issue and that business decision. So now, we are both offended and in heavy silence mode. But I decide to be the bigger person and offer him a piece of gum from my pur