Our World

My good buddy, John, sent me a link to a video that shows how enormous our world is - and how small Earth is. We showed a small clip of a similar video on Sunday. I'm trying to figure out if I should stay up & try to watch the meteor shower tonight. Will I honor God …

I had fun at the hospital

Lane, my friend & co-worker, went to visit a friend at the hospital today. I gotta tell you, it was fun. Our friend is fully of life - the only kind of life that comes from someone who is in awe of Jesus. Her love of God and others oozes out (even in the midst of both …

Be Glad You Aren't on a Committee with Waxman

U.S. News and World Report; August 4, 2009. After another day wrangling over healthcare reform, it was no small amount of frustration that inspired Rep. Henry Waxman to stand in front of a press gathering and not-so-subtly accuse the "blue dog" Democrats of being …

The Greatest Leadership Strengths & Weaknesses of 4 Presidents

I heard David Gergen interviewed by Bill Hybels yesterday. I gotta admit, it wasn't one that I was highly anticipating, but it turned out to be fantastic. He served under 4 Presidents as either an advisor or speechwriter. I appreciated that he was willing to work for …

The Unusual Prophet

I just got done watching Bill Hybels interview Bono. Regardless of what you think of him or U2, it's clear God used his voice prophetically. Several years ago he called the church out for neglecting the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world - people dying of …

Quote of the Morning (so far)

Leading into a break at the Leadership Summit today:
"If this was a children's conference, we'd encourage you to blow bubbles. If it was a youth conference, we'd encourage you to text each other. If it was an arts conference, we'd have you give each other massages. But …

Would You Like to Work for Them?

If you know me, you know I'm pursuing a team leadership model. I've been reading, talking & thinking about this concept for some time. Today, at the Leadership Summit, I heard several speakers talk about this. It lit my fire because earlier this week I heard from …

Proverbs with an Eternal Perspective

I think that I have typically been too shortsighted in my application of Proverbs. There is all of this really practical wisdom in Proverbs, and after preaching a sermon about Hell, I read Proverbs a little bit differently this morning. Instead of thinking of the …

The Fear of Hell Is Not Enough

“Heaven is a place for those who love God, not for those who only fear hell.” Let me explain.

God has always been after our hearts. Perhaps no one is a better example of this than King David. In spite of his many failures, his heart ultimately longed for God. His …

When I Held an Orphan

N.T. Wright, in his book Surprised by Hope, makes a point about I Corinthians 15 that impacted me greatly while I was in Ethiopia. On Thursday I got to visit an orphanage with most of our group. It's the orphanage where many of the kids, including Shurabe, spent some …

2 Steps Forward...

Things in our home have been getting better. Thursday was a great day. Shurabe played with me & the boys a lot. She's also begun playing with her grandmas too. Friday was a bit of a step-back, but Saturday morning has been great. We have a long ways to go, but we are …

Full-time Dad

I can't remember a week where I've worked harder at parenting. After being gone for 10 days and having a new sister who views them more as rivals than friends, my boys have needed a lot of extra attention from me. So I've spent lots of time with them. When I haven't …

Home

Home. Rest. Thankfulness. Joy.

Packing

Some people have said, "It will all work out fine; you guys are great parents and it will all be fine." We appreciate the encouragement but know that it's not reality. Read 1 adoption book and you'll find that there are plenty of challenges; especially with kids who …

Wednesday in Addis

It’s Wednesday night, I’m worn-out but wanted to post an update before I crash:
That girl can put it away. We’ve had four meals with her and she’s cleaned her plate every time. And they were adult portions. It grossed Beth out tonight when she was pulling a …

With Us

We spent some good time at the Transition Home with her this morning. We got to see her crib and her nannies. She's especially fond of Tuti. She gave her a long hug. When it was time to go, many of the other kids gathered to wave good bye to us. Some of them were …

We Met

We met our little girl yesterday & it couldn't have gone any better. Here are some thoughts/notes:
-She started off looking nervous but then latched on to me. Later she latched on to Beth & wouldn't let her out of her sight.
-She has a great laugh. She giggled a lot …

Good Sunday

After a rough nights sleep (bar music, dogs barking & roosters starting way too early), we had an awesome day. We gathered with brothers and sisters here in Addis. We attended International Evangelical Church and it was a fantastic time. About 2000 attend there, and it …

With Friends

We've met four other couples who are adopting. We have really enjoyed meeting them and visiting tonight. Beth and i were also invited to a little girl's birthday party that was hosted here. we had a great dinner with them and enjoyed it. there must have been 60 of …

With Friends

We've met four other couples who are adopting. We have really enjoyed meeting them and visiting tonight. Beth and i were also invited to a little girl's birthday party that was hosted here. we had a great dinner with them and enjoyed it. there must have been 60 of …