Africa–Part Four: Building Churches and Relationships
May 12, 2022

Africa–Part Four: Building Churches and Relationships

I’m not the world‘s greatest tool man, but I’m somebody’s useful sidekick. I can hit a nail on the head the majority of times I take a whack at it. I lean toward ministries that involve using hammers rather than my limited people skills. In fact, I’m the guy you’d find in the back row at an introvert convention (assuming I arrived early enough to get a seat there). But along with church building during my mission trip, I took a few whacks at building relationships as well. Both activities turned out to be well …
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Africa–Part Three: Adventuring in Style in Bush Country
April 2, 2022

Africa–Part Three: Adventuring in Style in Bush Country

I admit, the safari was one of the reasons I decided to go to Tanzania. Close encounters with African animals have been something I’ve dreamed about since childhood, back when I was a Tarzan wannabe swinging through (and sometimes into) trees. If I had known that in addition to a Land Cruiser I’d also ride a motorcycle in the African bush among the animals, the decision to go would have been a no-brainer.  Early Monday morning, two large safari vehicles picked our group up at the lodge where we were staying and took us to …
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Africa–Part Two: Giving and Losing it All
January 20, 2022

Africa–Part Two: Giving and Losing it All

This title may come across as sacrificial and spiritual, but that’s not totally the case. It is, however, a good way to sum up my first two days in Tanzania. I’ll start with the flight, though, since it figures into the events, and my attitude, that followed. It lasted over 28 hours, counting layovers in Minneapolis and Amsterdam. When we landed at Kilimanjaro International Airport Friday evening (Tanzania time), I had yet to rack up even 28 seconds of sleep. I had a sermon to preach Sunday morning, so I was really looking forward to some …
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Christmas Grace
December 22, 2021

Christmas Grace

Bedtime came pretty early back when I was a kid. Hmm . . .  Come to think of it, it’s about the time I go to bed now. It’s easy at my age. But on a particular night in 1956, it was excruciating. It was Christmas Eve and Santa would be coming. Or would he? When I was six, most nights Dad put me to bed. He had a tender side. We sang songs together and he told stories until I drifted off into dreamland. Since Christmas vacation had started, I was dreaming of only …
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Africa-Part One: Musings From the Couch
November 22, 2021

Africa-Part One: Musings From the Couch

Recently I found myself looking up sleeping sickness symptoms. I had been home from Africa for three days and still had stuff lying all over the house. Everywhere except on the couch. That seems to have become my new home. In addition to extreme fatigue, the CDC says to look for a possible fever, severe headaches, irritability, skin rash, progressive confusion . . . .  I guess I’m OK. Fatigue is the only symptom I identify with. Except maybe progressive confusion, but I didn’t have to travel to get that. The CDC has records of …
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Smile Power
October 18, 2021

Smile Power

Sometime after retirement, I began to cultivate a smile. Perhaps it was because of retirement itself. Or maybe now that I wasn’t working I finally had time for it. Whatever the reason, it wasn’t long before I began smiling at everybody. I’ve read smiling can make you live longer and look younger. It’s a natural facelift. I’ve been practicing this new smile for a few years now. It took a while for it to become a habit because a frown comes pretty naturally. In fact, sometimes I look like I’m frowning even when I’m not …
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