Traveling Thoughts

I’m soaking wet, standing in the middle of a field in Dayton, Ohio as rain is pouring down…and all I see around me is mud . It is in this moment that it finally hits me…“I’ve made a horrible mistake...” I am many things, but one descriptor phrase is: "I’m a pusher". Read on to learn how I came about this self-realization in ministry and how I found myself standing in a field of mud. Let’s rewind to the Spring of 2007, a man who can only be described as the jolliest person’ besides good ole St. Nick was digging a post hole in order to build a tree house. This isn’t your typical, back yard tree house, this was a tree house built for a community. The man’s name was David Helmers and he was the architect and designed this tree house. David Helmers is working hard digging his hole for this massive 20’ pole that would be one of 8 to hold up the tree house. This tree house is right in the heart of this community known as el dumpe in Tijuana, Mexico – the city dump. So...

Have you ever reflected on idea that when you were younger the year seemed to draggggggg on but as we grow older the year seems to just fly by? The saying is true, there is always “an app for that” and the TimeHop app illustrates just how quickly time can fly. Or…remind you what happened so long ago. The TimeHop app pulls images and posting from social media and your phone to let you know what you were doing a year ago on this date, two years ago, three years ago, and so on. Last year (in 2014), I spent the first two weeks of the new year in Vietnam and Cambodia with a group from Methodist Theological School in Ohio . It wasn’t a mission trip, but a mission of being, learning, and experiencing another culture and context. Learning this practice in high school, I’ve been conditioned to find those one or two Kodak moments to share with others when I return. The term “Kodak moment” I’m realizing is starting to become obsolete as we aren’t taking pictures on Kodak cameras anym...

“Please tell me a story!” I would request at bedtime at my grandparents’ house.  My grandmother is a great storyteller and there are so many of her stories that have stuck with me. Who needs Dr. Seuss or fairytales when you have a real life person who can share their story?! She always started each of her stories with "Once upon a time..." because that gets everyone's attention. Sometimes, I find myself mimicking that introduction. It was this nighttime ritual with my grandmother that instilled in me a love for people’s stories.  Being a little too old for bedtime stories, I had to improvise with books. I love to read...all kinds of things, but I find myself drawn to autobiographies. I find it fascinating what people decide to share; how they view themselves, what milestones and parts of history they found formative, and how they perceived the people around them. I always find myself questioning the stories that are left untold in the autobiographi...