Last time I suggested serving might be better than helping. I’m thinking about the kids at the HOME OF HOPE. I don’t want to help them, because helping implies some sort of superiority. We’re not better, bigger, or stronger. I hope we’ll all agree to serve them. Those kids are precious children of God. Every […]
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Don’t Help
Kids ask great questions. They’re honest and curious. They get past the stuff most adults are afraid to talk about. Whenever I talk to a group of students about issues related to abilities and disabilities, some version of this question often arises. “How should we approach someone who appears to need help without offending them?” […]
Continue readingMore TagWhat’s It Cost?
“What’s it cost?” It’s a fair question. This is sign-up season for the FREEDOM TOUR, so it comes up occasionally. I’m learning, though, to look through the lens of a different question. What’s it worth? What’s it worth to see 22 children, once destined for a life of sexual slavery, now living in freedom? What’s […]
Continue readingMore TagThe Cool Kids
Jesus asked me to love others, not to be in love with them. I wrote that a few years ago. Maybe I copied someone. I’m not sure, but it’s a good thought to ponder as our FREEDOM TOUR team takes shape. I tend to gravitate toward people I like. Most of us are prone to […]
Continue readingMore TagAll God’s Children
Music has a way of expressing things. I can write lots of words to try to tell you about human trafficking and why we do what we do. I don’t think I could say it as powerfully as this short video. I invite you to watch, listen, and remember our 22 kids at Project Rescue’s […]
Continue readingMore TagHalf A Million
500,000. Individuals. With faces and names and families who grieve their loss. Half a million precious children of God. When they told Him of His friend Lazarus’ death, Jesus wept. Lots of our friends and neighbors are weeping right now. I hope they know we grieve with them. I hope they know Jesus holds each […]
Continue readingMore TagGnats and Camels
The FREEDOM TOUR is an endless progression of details. Spreadsheets to track donations. Coding for websites. Jersey designs. Turn-by-turn directions for hundreds of miles of routes. As warped as it sounds, I enjoy that stuff. I love the challenge of figuring it out, finding a better way, learning new things. And that’s good, because all […]
Continue readingMore TagI Don’t Know
Three simple, powerful, humble words. As a new teacher I thought I was supposed to know it all. Nothing terrified me more than a question I couldn’t answer quickly, immediately, on-the-spot. Students wouldn’t respect a teacher who didn’t know stuff. That’s what I thought, so I did everything I could to pretend. Because nobody knows […]
Continue readingMore TagJust Keep It Simple
I’m a fan of “simple.” Not simplistic, or superficial, or misleading over-simplification. As a leader/mascot on the FREEDOM TOUR team I always look for simple, straightforward ways to express why we do what we do. 2020 was a big lesson in trust. I was certain COVID would create a lost cycling season. Our team convinced […]
Continue readingMore TagTheme Music
At the beginning, they play the theme music. If you’ve been here a while you know the FREEDOM TOUR has a wonderful theme song. If not, you’re in for a treat. Please enjoy this video as our 2020 FREEDOM TOUR team rides while our friend Kristen Orphan sings her beautiful version of “Anyway.” Can’t see […]
Continue readingMore TagWhite Space
I like words. I like them so much that I tend to fill every available space. I want to explain, and then explain again. Recently my wise friend Ron gently reminded me of the value of white space. Ron’s correct. White space and margins leave room to take a deep breath, to think, to make […]
Continue readingMore TagKnowing And Remembering
I follow the Auschwitz Museum on Twitter. Each day they commemorate an individual victim. A photo, a birthday, a name, an occupation. How they arrived at the camp. The (often tragic) outcome. This week marked Holocaust Remembrance Day. I tend to think of the holocaust as “really old history” until I realize many of the […]
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