While we haven’t made plans as a team yet, Sarah and I have been preparing for time together as a team, dreaming and praying about what vision God has given us, and we’ve come up with a very general ministry philosophy that we want to adopt this year. I’ll try to put it into [...]

read more from this topic.....

So in Florence this week, almost all of the staff and all of the students I know were out of town. At first it was fine because I wanted some rest, but after 3 days of no meaningful conversations with anyone, I was really anxious to be around people again. But during that [...]

read more from this topic.....

I found myself yesterday in the ospedale. the hospital. My first experience with the Italian socialized health care. I’m guessing mine was much better than average. Saturday afternoon around 5 during the month of August when most Italians are still on vacation at the beach is probably the ideal time to [...]

read more from this topic.....

I made it back to Italy safely. This news is a little late getting to you, and I apologize. I hope no one was worried. I long ago tried to condition my mom not to worry if I don’t call upon arrival. I usually just forget. Though I have done [...]

read more from this topic.....

I’m back in Mississippi. I’ll be here until the 28th, then flying back to Italy. It’s possible that this next trip will begin a full year and a half before I come home at all. If I don’t make it back for Christmas this year, then it’s very likely that Christmas 2009 [...]

read more from this topic.....

Xtrack is the training required for Crusade staff going overseas long term. Seems like I’ve already been there long term, but only by accumulation of short term commitments. Now it’s more official. And soon I’ll be more prepared.
Most of the training isn’t new. It is more concentrated in this [...]

read more from this topic.....

I’m back in Mississippi. And there are things I really appreciate about that. First, that home is comfortable. Air conditioning, carpet, very clean. Second, everything is so green here. I miss front yards. Then, this time more than any other, I appreciate that I actually made it after a [...]

read more from this topic.....

Here are some thoughts from the talk on mark 8. I found the study of this chapter very interesting.
We actually picked up with verse 22 and read to the end of the chapter. The story of the healing of the blind man. This is the one where Jesus needed to [...]

read more from this topic.....

A couple times in the last few years I’ve had speaking opportunities that just haven’t gone well. I’m learning that one essential element to preparation is to make sure that the talk or sermon comes to a clear conclusion at the end. Not necessarily in content, because there isn’t always a neat wrap [...]

read more from this topic.....

A week from today I’ll be speaking at La Porta, which is our campus ministry’s twice-monthly Bible study. Gary is our campus director and usually speaks, but will be out of town for that meeting. I don’t have a great deal of speaking experience, but I have done it a few times. [...]

read more from this topic.....

This past weekend I went down to Caserta, home to one of the churches in the Reconciliation movement. Reconciliation movement - ok, this is going to take more explaining than I intended. Short version: it’s a network of Evangelical churches throughout Italy, and the leader of the movement is the pastor of this [...]

read more from this topic.....

I was writing a prayer letter and couldn’t condense my thoughts, or decide what would be appropriate for that medium. So I wanted to come here and flesh out some things I have been thinking.
Today I learned that in England it will likely soon be illegal to claim that one religion is the only truth [...]

read more from this topic.....