2018 Reads - Patti
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In 2018, 73 potential new friends set up residence on my nightstand; would they find a place in my heart, soul, and mind?
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Kitchen Transparency
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We took the doors off all the cabinets in our kitchen about three weeks ago. Our goal is to refresh the look of the kitchen by painting the worn out twenty-year old oak faces, and then put them back on.
As soon as the doors came off, a weird anxiety grabbed my spirit.
Read MoreCompassion Sponsorship - Does It Help or Hurt? Part 7 (Final)
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Sunday we’d journeyed back to Guatemala City and the familiar Hotel Biltmore. I continued to marvel over Compassion, International’s attention to every detail so we could focus on interacting with the volcanoes, the winding roads, the beautiful people, the fresh local fruits, the local’s faith seasoned by daily reliance on God for food, for safety; things I often forget to mention in either prayers or praise.
Read MoreSomething From Nothing
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On the last day of summer vacation, we saw Christopher Robin. My too cool “big kids” agreed to go with skepticism since it’s Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore and all the lovable Hundred Acre Wood gang. All the lovable favorites are there, but this time Christopher Robin takes the starring role. He’s all grown-up and has put the whole imaginary childhood play world behind him Now he’s moved on to big city business and pleasing a boss who may never be pleased.
Read MoreCompassion Sponsorship - Does it Help or Hurt? Part 6
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A wonderful part of the Compassion trip was meeting new friends over delicious meals featuring local cuisine. Shared bus seats became other connection points, with conversation ranging from theological debates to shared cravings for pizza. On the way to our Saturday center, I plopped into the seat beside one of maybe ten women I’d already met. We chatted easily about family and edged into hot topics like right wing/left wing polarization. “I actually heard someone diss the ‘Me, Too,’ movement.” I watched my new friend’s face.
Read MoreBeach Books 2018
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I want to pause time!
Last week, this thought kept fluttering through my mind. We spent the week at a North Carolina beach house with family we don’t get to spend time with all that often. We spent many hours being sandy, jumping waves, and eating as much shrimp as possible. As I get older, and my kids seem to daily gain inches on me in height, I battle this ever-present awareness of the diminishing number of our long summer days together.
Read MoreCompassion Child Sponsorship - Does it Help or Hurt? Part 5
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On February 15, CNN and local news continued with nearly nonstop coverage of the Parkland shooting. “Valentine’s Day—and Ash Wednesday—will never be the same,” said a local. The angst of last night’s tragedy still weighed heavy. I again nixed the idea of Miami sightseeing but vowed one day to return. Staying in my hotel gave me several hours to grieve for the 17 dead students and their loved ones, time to prepare for service in Guatemala, time to rest before I met 33 fellow travelers at our departure gate.
Read MoreSummer's Standard
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It’s the first day of summer!
Possibly my favorite day of the year!
For two and a half months I get to spend concentrated time with three of my favorite people. We’ve had enough years doing this to know that my idyllic version of summer – which involves endless days of my three children all eagerly reading books, climbing trees, and exploring the STEM kits my husband has lined up in the basement - won’t be a reality.
Read MoreCompassion Child Sponsorship - Does it help or hurt? Part 4
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After writing to my Compassion-sponsored children around November 10, 2017, I browsed the super-accessible Compassion International website.
Read MoreStory I'm telling myself
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In Bonnie’s stories, we tell of God’s prompting outreach to people in desperate need. Physical needs. Emotional needs. Spiritual needs. In The Thin Line, we hope to tell of a detective who couldn’t ignore God’s promptings in a murder investigation. His personal faith and experiences caused him to pause and consider God’s promptings when he didn’t see things as the rest of the group did.
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