It was 6am when I stood on the shoreline. The sunrise over the Golan Heights was astounding; the rays beamed, breaking through the patches of clouds. Spotlights of sun dropped from the sky, shining on the Sea of Galilee, and reflecting bands of light that sparkled like diamonds upon its surface. As I watched, the read more
It all seems surreal to me; my trip to Israel remains a dream. Instead of one that has faded into detail and dulled upon my waking, my memories instilled function more like a paint brush; every time that I reflect on my time in Israel, it applies yet another coat of color to my experience, read more
My handwriting is celebrated as unsteady, shaky sessions that I call “scribbles”. My sentences often look like a mixture of crooked upper and lower case letters written by a four-year-old, falling diagonal outside of notebook paper lines. My scribbles remind me of an art form. My printing is illegible much of the time due read more
San Diego, CA / June 5, ’11 I sat in seat 4, section 127, row 28. I was in right field just beyond the yellow foul post in homerun territory. I had an uninhibited view, staring out into left field. Amid the crack of the bats and the cheering fans, my favorite thing about being read more
McKeesport, PA / January 13-17 ’11 I reconnected with a family that I had met about seven years ago in Papua New Guinea when I spoke at a missionary school for New Tribes Missions. Now back in McKeesport, and ministering in a local church in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, the Ryder family remembered my story read more
Crestline, CA / January 7-9, `11 I found myself envious of that innocence that is captured in the heart of a child. During my first winter camp of the season, I paused to reflect upon those years that seem so long ago. What ever happened to our stick figures drawn with colorful chalk on the read more
Wichita, KS / November 12-14, ‘10 This picture of a pier shows imperfection, not to mention that it is a long way from Kansas. The images are shaky and the backdrop is blurred. This seascape may not seem to offer much in the way of a photograph. And though it may be out of focus, read more
Calaveras County, CA / September 9-14, `10 “Am I pretty?” Her dad asked while four-year-old Fern was busy pretending to put makeup on his face. Without batting an eye and in an innocence that comes only from a child, she responded with impeccable timing. “I don’t see it yet.” I wanted to fall out of read more
I battle with insecurity. This year I have looked into the mirror and I have stared long enough to contemplate the reflection staring back at me. Writing a book has been about that process and I am finding that is convenient to not look at all and instead guard an image where I control what read more
