4 Keys to Thriving as a Single in a World Full of Couples
“You singles out there, go to the lobby and just find someone to marry.” Someone whom I knew and respected actually said that at a meeting I attended a few years ago. I wish I were kidding. It wasn’t a meeting about marriage or singleness. It wasn’t part of...
From Scratch | An Exercise in Creativity
Good granola is like a party in a bowl. Bad granola? It’s closer to cardboard. In Thailand, I learned to make my own granola—the type that qualifies for the “party in a bowl” description. Not that granola is a Thai thing. I just happened to have some...
The Sacrament of Digging Out Egg Sacks
There was a time when I spent three years in a village in rural Kenya, where I lived and worked at an agricultural training center and orphanage. My season in Kenya had a huge impact on my worldview, on how I now see God, suffering, and poverty. On how I see the...
Pros, Cons, and Solutions for Working Remotely
When I walked into my office—a streetside coffee shop called Brewed Awakenings—I thought something was on fire. Smoke billowed from a little toaster oven in the corner. But none of the staff looked concerned, and guests sipped their morning brew in peace. Turns out,...Abandon Ship!
Today was our last day of diving off Bunaken. The weather was questionable when we left, but the skipper assured us it’s changing for the better, that the weather forecast for the day was only light rain. Connie—my friend visiting from the US—decided not to go...A Change in Perspective
I felt, the other day, what it’s like to fly. I ran off the edge of a mountain and soared, feeling the cold mountain wind directly on my face. After about five minutes, I landed in a tea plantation. Crash-landed, actually. But it didn’t hurt. I just laughed and...Serious Play Case Study
Lize Albertyn-du Toit: Farmer and Small Business Owner When you walk into Lize’s farmhouse, you immediately feel at home. Perhaps it’s the welcoming sound of footsteps on the wooden floors. Maybe it’s the rays of sunlight breaking through the little shutters in the...Seeing with the Heart
“Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ~ Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince Rarely do I compare. I’ve seen too much in life to covet what others...Psalm 84
I’ve been meditating on some Psalms recently, and remembered re-writing Ps. 84 into my own words when I lived in Kenya. God, what joy to live in your presence, in fact, to even have You live within me. How I long to have more of You, LORD, to live in a way that...
A few years ago, I had the joy of visiting friends of mine in a region in the north of Kenya, where they lived and worked among the Rendille people, a nomadic people who still hold on to much of the beauty of their culture. I got to spend a day watching the Rendille celebrate their culture with song and dance. This fall, there is bound to be a huge celebration in this village as the translation of the entire Bible into Rendille has been completed. What a feat! I honor my friend @hafarre for his work of more than
The calles of Antigua remind me of the hutongs of Beijing. Different continent. Different culture. Different experience altogether. Yet the same. Same, same, but different. . . #bluethreadlife #antiguaguatemala #antigua #centralamerica #calles #hutongs #beijing #notbeijing #samesamebutdifferent #crossculturalexperiences #saturdayexplorations
Ventured into the heart of the Antigua Market today to find a cobbler to fix some shoes ruined by Belize’s heat. Found these guys who are charging me about $1/shoe for gluing and hand sewing the soles back on. Now, I just hope I can find their stall again on Monday when I am supposed to pick up my shoes! . . . #bluethreadlife #cobbler #antigua #antiguaguatemala #antiguamarket #mercado #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #fixit #lost #goodhombres
Review. Relearn, actually. . . . . #bluethreadlife #languagelearning #spanish #verbs #conjugate #study #immersion #antigua #antiguaguatemala #flashcards #relearn #review #memorize #understand #determined #justaddcoffee
It was a mud fest ☔️ #pvrugby #bulldogrugby #schoolboyrugby #parelvalleihighschool #schoolboyrugby #rugbygram #rugbylife #pvpride #pvbulldogs #discipline #teamdiscipline #bluethreadlife #bulldogpride #itsawayoflife #teamsport #letsplay #rugbylife #igdaily #instadaily #gameday #proudsupporter #sports #letsplay #team #teamsport #humbleinvictory #graciousindefeat #proudsupporter
Made the trek to the city this morning to come find items I don’t know where to find in my neck of the woods. The drive to the city with its malls and all things that seem oh-so-familiar (Movies? What?) still is filled with reminders that I’m not in Kansas: Winding, winding roads. Colorful homes along the mountain slopes. Chicken busses. I really like Guatemala. And with Spanish lessons starting on Monday, I look forward to being able to engage more with folks along my way. But first, explore! . . . . #bluethreadlife #guatemala #mixco #colorfulguatemala #colorsofguatemala #homes #guatemalacity
Some of the beauty from my garden today. Thankful. . . . #bluethreadlife #garden #guatemala #santalucia #rose #yellow #green #beauty #andithinktomyselfwhatawonderfulworld #earlymornings #gratitude #eucharisteo
Today, I learned that when Fuego erupts, the region gets covered in a layer of volcanic ash—even way over in this side of Antigua. Fortunately, I park under cover. Cars parked on the street by my house have been covered in ash. In the background, you can see the difference between neighbors’ driveways, those who had already swept up the ash vs those who hadn’t. And one of the many piles of ash swept up. . . . #bluethreadlife #grayskies #vog #volcanicfog #volcanicash #newrealities
One of the things I love about this area? If you take your planters to the local nursery—and there are many around—you pick out your plants and they pot them for you at no extra cost. I got six petunia plants, two kinds of peppermint, plus basil for less than $10. . . . #bluethreadlife #guatemala #santotomas #plants #nursery #smallbusiness #gardening #byopots
This was the start of a big eruption! Just a couple of hours later, Fuego shot 12,000’ up and obliterated villages at the foot of the mountain. . . #bluethreadlife #antiguaguatemala #antigua #volcano #activevolcano #fuego #volcanfuego #blowingoffsteam #primarycolors #blueredyellow #cobblestone #volcandefuego #juneeruption #naturaldisaster
“Just know you’re not alone... I’m gonna make this place your home.” . . . #bluethreadlife #newfurniture #beginningtolooklikehome #transitions #turquoise #cream #sofa #home #phillipphillips #thailantern
And the view from one of my guest rooms: Way behind the row of condos you see the two other stratovolcanoes of this area. Volcán de Fuego is on the left, and you can see a plume of smoke coming from its cone. Small gas and ash eruptions occur about every 20 minutes. As seen in the picture, those are low-level emissions. Fuego does erupt from time to time, though, but only small villages along the foot of the mountain are typically impacted—though eruptions can cause some delays in flights into/out of nearby Guatemala City. In case you wonder: Fuego