It was heart lifting reading your beautiful emails again. I was encouraged by your testimonies of how good God has been to you. Someone got a writing contract, another had a baby, a broken marriage was restored and there were lots of scholarships and jobs. Yet I also got prayer requests that highlighted the year has not been all that great for everyone. If you are still praying for the Lord to touch you this year, then this piece is for you. Stand.   What Have I Done Wrong? David's crime was that he brought deliverance to Israel. Where the mighty army of Israel had failed to fight and win, a Shepherd boy dared to take God at His word and do exploits. David defeated the Philistines. For this, he [...]

Luc, a believer in Haiti, and I had to figure out ourselves quickly. The bus company we wanted to use from Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (DR) just confirmed they were full, there was no more space for us. Worse still, I didn't have cash with me, at the time, to pay the fare. And my credit cards were not authorized to work in Haiti. I had nothing on me but a quiet faith that God sent me to the DR, and so, He would open that door for His name. This quiet faith has distinguished me thus far in my life. Owing to my long and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, I've watched Him come through on so many occasions, I knew this one could not be [...]

Growing up, I loved to eat the beautiful dishes that came out of the kitchen, but I didn't like the process through which the dishes came. The experience of cutting bloody meat, the charcoal smoke, etc. Perhaps you too can relate. Yet, sitting in a kitchen, for a time of fellowship in Guatemala City, Guatemala, I experienced something different about this process. Why my host chose this kitchen for the meeting became apparent soon enough. We all sat around the stove, like spectators in an arena, as the alluring aroma of Mayan dishes wafted across the room and then out to the neighborhood. People were exhilarated by the delicious Mayan food in their mouths. It felt almost, like a Pentecostal experience. Arriving in Guatemala City Senora Pu Manning [...]

I recently was privileged to volunteer a few hours at the Children's Theraplay in Carmel, Indiana. A nonprofit rehabilitation clinic that uses Hippotherapy (treatment with the help of a horse) to help improve the quality of life for children with special needs. I and a team from OneAmerica cleaned out an indoor area that was to be used for fundraising, as well as performed some landscaping outside. Some of the children waved at us as they undertook therapy, which was touching. I read that some of these children said their first words or took their first steps there at the Theraplay. Education for Service While I raked leaves at the clinic, I thought about OneAmerica and it's culture of service to the community. This resonated with the motto of my Alma Mater, [...]

Painting over the brown paint on the wall in our guest room appeared daunting to me. “A lighter color won't do it justice,” I thought. So, I decided to paint it navy blue. As I painted, I watched the old brown color give way to the newer navy blue. I had to brush over the wall a few times to get the brown to disappear completely, but the instant satisfaction felt good. In that moment, I thought to myself, “how many times has this wall been painted since the house was first constructed?” Nine times perhaps, even more maybe. Yes, I was painting a fresh blue coat over the wall; but I also knew that the brown color, the color it replaced, and the ones painted before it, were still [...]