Who Is My Neighbor?

Hard Place, Local Visionary, Middle East, Recognize

After a two-day flurry of emails, phone calls, and text messages, David and I confirmed our maiden voyage to Iraq. Less than 48 hours after David had arrived back home from a trip, we were back on the road and on our way. Into the Unknown It didn’t really hit me...

Quiet Victories in No Man’s Land

Hard Place, Values

“The thrill of victory; the agony of defeat.” The recent Olympics put that truth on display!  After a lifetime of rigor and pain, a moment in the spotlight.  Ecstatic winners jump in victory.  Defeated challengers hang their heads.   The dreamers strengthened by...

Where is that boy?

Hard Place, Values

“Where is that boy?” our dreamer muttered, tension rising, as he searched the city after nightfall. In distant suburbs, mortar shells thudded. Machine guns rattled. The streets of his usually bustling city were deserted. Huddled in public parks, refugees snatched...

Thriving – Restoring the Unseen Beauty of the Broken

A Dream, Hard Place, Local Visionary

“It’s broken!” A phrase no one likes to hear. Brokenness touches all areas of life – objects, the environment, relationships, bodies, spirits.  Each of us is broken one way or another.  For some, brokenness strikes suddenly and on many levels.  Take Omar. “I can’t...

Want Impact? Networks Trump Organizations

Hard Place, Local Visionary, Network

Our weakness proved to be our greatest asset. In an Egyptian village roasted by the merciless sun, civil engineer Yousry and I sat down on shaded bamboo chairs in April 1999.  A sniffing and wagging session ensued to find out if we could work together. I’d been asked...

Recognizing Servant-Leaders – Not Drum Majors

Hard Place, Values

It was only after the rice ran out that the British soldier noticed her again. Her tiny face crumpled as it dawned on her that she would get no food that day. Even in the emaciated crowd, she was smaller and thinner than the rest, easily pushed aside as stronger ones...