Stories from a Good Life
Ordinary people – extraordinary God
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Tongue-clicking Fools and Other Heroes
I popped by a furniture shop to look for a few things. As I ventured in between beds and sofas I overheard a conversation between two employees. One seemed to be the manager, a tall man in his forties, while the other was younger, energetic, and slightly anxious. I guessed that the younger man was…
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The Landmine in Our Garden
We were on our way to our cabin for a few days of rest when a text message from our neighbor ticked in. “Thomas, I studied the new deck you’ve been working on. Right next to it there’s a device that looks very much like a WWII landmine. Shouldn’t professionals deal with that?” Attached was…
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Splinters, Beams, and the Christian Woodchopping Industry
In a recent conversation, someone asked me to condemn someone I didn’t know for a specific sin committed by that person. I agreed that what had happened was not biblical, but went on to saying that I truly felt sorry for that someone and that it was not up to me to judge him or…
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Maintenance of the Heart
Adrian was helping his dad with some outdoors maintenance. I heard the hissing noise of muffled teenage complaints, followed by Thomas’ calm voice, “But you haven’t secured the ladder! By shifting its position, you make sure that it won’t slip or fall.” More grumpy hissing. As I passed by, I commented, “It’s OK, Adrian. But…
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Stopping for the One
We had been playing with the kids in the village and painted the finger nails of dozens of girls and a few boys. There’s a lot of love that goes into the eye contact, the smiles, the holding of hands, and finally, the applying of nail polish. No language needed. Just being present in the…
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Family in Mozambique
This is the first summer in a few years that we’re not going to Mozambique. Although we get to spend time with family and friends, we miss it terribly because we’ve made family and friends in Mozambique as well. In the Kingdom of God family is not only about genes and bloodlines, but community, dedication…
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Friendship, Shared Misery and Enduring Love
Our friendship stretched over many years although we hadn’t seen each other lately. We were happy to have them visiting once again. Over a meal, we all shared and listened, and little by little we caught up with the latest developments and the well-being of one another. He was in pain and struggled to deal…
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Learning to Focus
He got into the driver’s seat, put the key in the ignition, fastened his seat belt and leaned over to the right. Way over to the right. Like, ‘torso half way out of the seat’ right, positioning his head right under the rearview mirror. Then he took off. His dad was amazed. “What are you…
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Navigating Through Seasons
“I’ve saved the day!” My son grinned proudly as he walked through the door, proclaiming that he had been awarded a day off as compensation for extra-curricular activities at school. It made me happy. Just the idea of getting an extra day off sounded brilliant! I immediately started making plans for how we could make…
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Fears, flavors and non-toxic relationships
”Yikes!” I screamed. ”There’s a tiny green larva crawling over me!” I shouted, squirmed, and squatted, all actions indicated to move my husband, AKA my knight in shining armor, into action. Not happening. He glanced at me before stating, “At least you know that you’re not toxic.” Say what? “He nodded thoughtfully: “Yeah, it would…
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