….[Continued from the previous post]
We roll on, and after a mile or so, suddenly we see three curious mounds in the grass – lions!
“There’s nothing quite like the feeling of first setting eyes on one of the Big Five – lion, buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino – in the African bush. Being just a few feet away from these majestic creatures is both terrifying and exhilarating, even for the most seasoned safari-goer.” Continue reading…
As a follow-up to the story of the shilling, here is another excerpt from Coffee, Tea and Holy Water, where I was able to visit the “8th Wonder of the World” – Ngorongoro Crater, with TZ missionaries Danny and Nancy Smelser:
Excerpt:
On Thursday, I am able to teach the story of Noah’s Ark at a Swahili primary school, as religion (in some form or fashion), is a mandatory course for elementary children.
This lesson seems strangely coincidental, as the following day we are going to Ngorongoro Crater, the “8th Wonder of the World,” and one of the premier safari destinations in Tanzania. Continue reading…
With New Year’s resolutions still hanging in the air, it seems there have been a lot of sermons about budgeting and giving lately. I confess, I like to give, and am usually able to do it cheerfully. Then again, as much as I try to downsize my life, there never seems to be 10% of my income that I don’t need.
Yet whenever the offering plate is passed, it’s hard for me to think of giving without remembering something that happened to me a few years back in Africa. Continue reading…
Growing up, there’s one thing I will always remember about my mom. She was the queen of rhetorical questions.
For example, she would say, “Do you want some squash?” and before you could react, there was a spoon of squash headed towards your plate. Continue reading…
I wrote awhile back about how the Enemy often uses small, innocent distractions to derail us from our spiritual journeys. I was thinking the other day about another often overlooked tactic – the victory of silence.
Sometimes it isn’t about persuading us to actively participate in certain things, but simply to let us to fall into the trap of silence when they happen. Continue reading…
I wrote earlier in the week about New Year’s resolutions and how I usually don’t make them. I did make one general resolution this year, however, and that is to be healthier – with both food and exercise.
But it turns out being healthy isn’t as simple as it used to be. It used to be pretty straightforward – exercise and cut back on fattening foods. Now, there is a whole niche of books offering advice and tips on how to stay and be healthy. Continue reading…
Do you hear the people sing? If you were among the masses of Les Misérables fans who flocked to theaters this week you probably did, led by the likes of Hugh Jackman, Ann Hathaway and Russell Crowe. (Review: Jackman and Hathaway’s performances deserve props, while Sacha Baron Cohen’s tacky rendition of Master of the House should have been left out.)
The musical Les Misérables or “The Miserable,” takes place in France during the first several decades of the 1800s, a sweeping tale of patriotism, love and desperation, based on Victor Hugo’s famous novel and set to a sweeping musical score. Continue reading…
Did you know what the very first Christmas carol was? Silent Night? O Tannenbaum? Deck the Halls? See if you can guess before reading the below… Continue reading…
The month of December is an especially reflective time for me – Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and my birthday all hit within about a 30-day span. Another year older, another wiser, another year to reflect on life and the way the road ahead seems to be going.
My pastor once gave a fantastic sermon on marriage, in which he preached on the power of expectation. The problem, he argued, is when we come to expect certain things from our spouse – cleaning the house, fixing a car, grocery shopping, cooking dinner, mowing the lawn – and they become “required” or assumed. When these things become expected, he pointed out, the spouse can no longer show their love by doing them. When it’s taken for granted that a husband is going to work long hours to support his family, he can no longer show his love by doing it – he can only break even in his wife’s eyes. Likewise, when a wife is expected to cook the meals, wash the clothes, clean the house, etc., bathing the kids is no longer seen as an act of love, but a duty. Showing love, therefore becomes, “…and then what?” Sure you’ve done all that, but what are you going to do on top of that to show me that you love me? Continue reading…
Will the real pumpkin pie please stand up? No seriously, not the raisin pumpkin pie or frou-frou cheesecake pumpkin pie or pumpkin mousse or crustless pumpkin pie – just pumpkin pie, please.
Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite dishes of November. I know this is normal, but what is abnormal might be my custom of eating it for breakfast. Or lunch. Or pretty much whenever. It’s one of the great things about being an adult. I may not even use a plate. I eat it for just about anything except an after dinner dessert, which is how I think its makers intended it.
When I was in Britain one fall a few years ago, one of the ladies at the church I was staying with presented me with a large, misshapen pumpkin and politely asked if I would make them a pumpkin pie. They had heard so much about the grand American tradition of pumpkin pie that they wanted to experience it for themselves – and I was their chance! I tried to explain to them that I would be glad to make them a pie, but that in the U.S. we used canned pumpkin and that it would be an oddity to use real pumpkin. This didn’t deter them in the slightest from demanding a pie made from the large, knobby pumpkin they had presented me with. (“I’ve seen the inside of a pumpkin folks, and it’s like eating throw up with a fork,” I wanted to tell them.) Continue reading…