There’s been a long silence here on my blog the past few months! There’s been no silence in my heart or head, though, as I’m adjusting to life in the Middle East, full-time Arabic learning, and discovering what it means
Leaving and going
“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’” Gen 12:1 There’s quite a difference between going from and going to. In English, we generally distinguish
Our Siloam
News reports are consistent in showing us what’s happening in the Middle East. Cities torn apart, protesters and bystanders killed by the thousands, and churches bombed and burned. We are grieved for the loss of our brothers and sisters and
Living with my palms up
I recently heard a leadership teaching by Andy Stanley, where he talked about his organization’s policy for “answering with your palms up.” I had never considered this technique before, but he talked about how, if you’re in a tense situation,
Contingency plan
Some of my favorite places are on Minnesota lakes. The solitude, the calmness, and the clear water bring a simple joy to my heart. I had one of those joyful moments not too long ago as I set out in
Furious listening
As you may know, I’m working once again this summer in the Summer Institute of Linguistic’s Second Language Acquisition course. I’m working with 8 students along with a friend and speaker of Iraqi Arabic, Wafaa (who I met last year).
The importance of safety
For those who haven’t heard, I’m currently in Grand Forks, ND helping out with a course in Second Language Acquisition. I’m coaching 8 students in learning Arabic… and learning Arabic! It’s an exciting place to spend the summer. One of
Day 40
Today, my faithful blog readers, wraps up the “40-day blog challenge” that I gave myself. I am glad to say that I fulfilled my goal of a blog post a day… though a bit embarrassed for the quality of some
Packing
Yesterday I began what has seemed to be an impossible task… packing. In reality, I began several weeks ago. I sorted through clothing, picking out anything that was stained or that I didn’t like. I separated a bag to give
Memorable Monday: Reputation realization
This is something I wrote back when I was a senior in high school. My writing was much more vague then than it is now. Enjoy!______________ How interesting my life has been. I have learned so much this past week,