After Chilanchi and her “sisters” finished their rice and beans, I helped her lug a heavy pail of water down the hill, my right hand and her left grasping the handle. She sidestepped so she could throw her right arm in front of me in case I lost my footing. Later that night she fell […]
Inhaling the Unfamiliar
Our little group glues itself together when we leave the airport terminal. We jostle through a sea of unfamiliar voices and dark-skinned faces. “Miss. Miss.” I stare at the necklace that dangles in front of me, shake my head and smile. “No. No, thank you. No money.” A haze hangs over the hill, and I […]
Life Through the Lens of Poetry by Elizabeth Marshall
Elizabeth Marshall, fellow Tweetspeak Poetry barista and mischief maker, shares a reflection on poetry to wind up our month of Making Manifest. Someday I’m going to meet this sweet spirit face-to-face, and I’m delighted to welcome her into this space today. Oh, and be sure to read all the way to the end… there’s […]
hope, compassion and the son of god
Kenya calls me, tugs at my heart. And that year, 2012, Compassion was leading a sponsor tour over my birthday. I could meet Nduta, our sponsored girl. Perfect timing in my eyes. In MY eyes. But compassion isn’t confined to Kenya. It hollows hearts in the most unlikely places, at the most unlikely times–when your […]
scripture sunday: hands full
“Meanwhile, we’ve got our hands full continually thanking God for you, our good friends—so loved by God!” ~2 Thessalonians 2:14a (MSG) Thanking God for you, my good friends. In the stillness, Sandy
scripture sunday: sink and know
“Cease striving and know that I am God.” ~ Psalm 46:10 (NASB) “The word we read as cease is sometimes read be still, let go, return. But the first way, the original way, is a verb that means sink.” ~Emily P. Freeman in A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live […]
scripture sunday: what is real wealth?
A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough. 1 timothy 6:6-8 (MSG) Be yourself. Before God. That’s where to find […]
still saturday: when God seems far away–remember
“At some moments we experience complete unity within us and around us. “This may happen when we stand on a mountaintop and are captivated by the view. It may happen when we witness the birth of a child or the death of a friend. It may happen when we have an intimate conversation or a […]
still saturday: how to pull yourself together
“We live in a very tense society. We are pulled apart . . . and we all need to learn how to pull ourselves together . . . I think that at least part of the answer lies in solitude.” ~Helen Hayes Still suffering from a Haiti hangover and hoping to find words soon, […]
How to fix the brokenness
We’re sitting on the guesthouse steps under a half moon and a thousand stars that glint like glass shattered across ebony. Light and singing and laughter pour from the open door. A few team members wander up and down the drive in an attempt to snag a sliver of WiFi. Another’s having some quiet time […]
