Standing in Awe

If any of you are my friend on Facebook you may have seen me post a status the same as the title of this blog some time ago.  I think it is a simple concept, but maybe we don't treat it so simply.  How many millions of dollars are made off self help books, conferences, and who knows what else, all promising to lead you to your best self, happiest self, you most __________ self (fill in the blank)?  I don't believe that searching for happiness is a bad thing, but it depends where you look. As a Christian on the campus of the University of Michigan, I was often looked at strangely when I declined invitations to frat parties.  Why wouldn't I want to go?  Get drunk, dance, forget the world for a while for a few minutes of euphoria.  What could be more fun?  Waking up the next day, no memory, a headache, and next to who knows who...not my idea of happiness.  Yet every fall millions of students rush off to their campuses in search of happiness in the...

Hello!  I know it has been FOREVER since I last posted.  This is a perfect example of why I decided not to study art.  I don't do deadlines.  When creativity strikes I run with it, but when it doesn't I simply don't have the ability to create anything.  However, the occasion calls for a post!  January 14th marked  two years  since I took not jus literal, but figurative steps to give my life to serve Christ when I stepped aboard that plane with just one bag and decided to move to El Salvador.  Crazy right??  There are literally probably a million stories I could tell to recount the last two years, but I think I'd rather take time to just praise God for who he is and what he has done.  So, without further ado here are some of my favorite things of the last two years. Two CDIs What does that mean?  That means twice the number of kids to love, twice the number of hugs I get each day, twice the number of times I have to correct ...

It seems that currently all roads are leading to silence and solitude.  I live in a location where there are various roosters that crow most of the day and night, dogs in the street that bark at all hours of the night, a bakery out my window with an oven timer that starts around 4:30am, a bus stop out front, and a restaurant downstairs that comes with its own din.  Silence isn't really part of my daily life.  I go to work and have between 20-30 children running around and then go home to the same din of living downtown.  Don't get me wrong, I love having things close, I love the roosters, but I am finding myself more and more craving the silence. Last weekend a friend of mine, who is from a small town up the mountain, invited me to go cut sweet corn with her.  I leapt at the chance.  We got on the second bus of the morning and made the 40 minute journey mostly in silence, enjoying the beauty of the mountain and the view of the ocean behind us and we trav...

I am hoping by this time you are somewhat informed about the immigrant crisis in the US, or shall we call it the emigrant crisis in Central America?  I would like to start off this post by saying that I am not here to write a political opinion, try to sway you, or really weigh in at all.  I simply would like to share a topic that has been on my heart. I have lost count of how many friends, acquaintances, and kids I have lost in the last year.  Not dead, but gone to "el norte."  All in different circumstances, but all looking for the same thing: something better.  Two of my best friends here, a young married couple who I used to frequently go out on the town with, realized that as they think about starting a family, the danger and poor education system here are not things they are willing to subject a potential child to and so, they left.  Just a couple months ago the little brother and mother of a good friend also left, leaving two other sons behind...

I don't know how you react to that statement, but it applies to each and every one of us. A few months back I had an experience where I had to do something I knew was the right thing, but it meant hurting someone I deeply care for. It sucked. However, I had a moment where I had to swallow the truth that it indeed was my fault that this person that I care about was hurting. Taking steps to follow God is often not easy. It also meant denying myself a relationship with that person and believing God to fill the void. We have the power to directly influence people's lives for good or bad. I often would like to think that I don't frequently hurt others. I am the type of person that would rather take on all the pain so that others don't have to experience it, but this situation basically slapped me in the face with the reality that I am indeed part of the system of hurt.  It is ironic in a way; I can remember when said person and I first started hanging out and we talked ...

A few weeks ago a group of missionaries from Ohio were visiting and a few of them happened to be professional photographers.  The photo above is just one of many amazing photos they took of my kids.  Before I go any further I want to send a huge thanks to Adore Wedding Photography for capturing the joy that my kids bring, and all their quirks! Maybe you have heard the song "How He Loves Us."  If you haven't check out the video below.  One of my favorite lines of the song says "Heaven meets Earth like an unforeseen kiss..."  For me, this photo was just such a moment.  This adorable little man is named Bairon and he has the most heart melting dimples I have ever seen.  What I love most about the photo is that I did absolutely nothing to provoke it.  The missionaries were taking pictures and all of a sudden Bairon came running across the room, jumped into my arms, and laid a big one on my cheek.  The picture captures the moment so perfect...

A lot of crappy things here happen on a daily basis, but recently a few things in particular have happened that I feel I simply can't remain silent about.  What sparked my desire to write this post happened about a week ago.  I think it was a Saturday and I got home to hear my host family talking about something they saw at the beach earlier that day.  I wasn't paying attention at first, but then I put the pieces together, and there were five people who got pulled out to sea with nothing but an inflatable and the sun was going down.  Ok so maybe the fact that there are strong rip tides here this shouldn't surprise me so much, but what really disturbed me was that everyone just assumed that they all drowned and no one seemed surprised.  Furthermore, they were saying that the people were foolish and should have known better. I don't know about you, but I am not a great swimmer.  Also, when you get pulled out you are suppose to swim parallel to shore not pe...