Faded Self

I grew up in Nebraska which is predominately an agricultural society. However, in complete honesty here, I do not have a green thumb. At our home in Utah we had a small garden. We grew strawberries, rhubarb, and even had some grapevines. However, the best fruit that we ever harvested came from the grapevines that hung over our fence from the neighbor's yard!  I may not have much of a green thumb, but lately I have been thinking a lot about the process of grafting and how it relates to missions. "Grafting   is a   horticultural   technique whereby   tissues   of   plants   are joined so as to continue their growth together.   In most cases, one plant is selected for its roots and this is called the stock or roo tsto ck. The other plant is selected for its stems, leaves, flowers, or fruits and is called the scion. The scion contains the desired genes to be duplicated in future production by the stock/scion plant." ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafting) Ther

Yesterday was a national holiday here in Germany, Unity Day. This is the day where Germany celebrates becoming a united country. In 1989 the Berlin wall came down and in 1990 West and East Germany officially reunited. I am amazed by Germany as a nation. I am amazed at how two nations were able to reunite so peaceably and effectively. They combined two economies, they have worked to overcome differences, they dealt with the pain of the past, and today Germany is one of the leading economies in the world. Unity... I love that symbol of the wall being torn down, and the country being... united! As I think about this day and all that it represents, my mind can't help but go towards scripture. The book of Matthew says this about the time of Jesus' death, "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."  (Matthew 27:50-51 NIV) Within the temple there was a curtain se

The Spring after Mirjam and I purchased our first home in Salt Lake City, Mirjam's parents came to visit. During their stay, they helped us with a lot of work around the house. The main project that needed to be tackled was landscaping the back yard (which involved building a small retaining wall, making a tile patio, and planting grass). Mirjam's dad (Bernd) also planted many fruits and vegetables for us. Underneath our deck he planted two grapevines. I loved those grapevines. The first few years they produced the sweetest grapes. But around our fourth summer the grapevines started looking different. The leaves looked like they were sick, and some would even shrivel. The vines still produced grapes, but far fewer; and the grapes they did produce would get bad looking spots on them (not the most appetizing). One fall we cut the vines back to almost nothing (hopefully getting rid of the sickness). The following spring things looked hopeful, but sure enough by fall it was plain

This last week we had the opportunity of being the “missionaries at camp” for high school week at Camp of the Good Shepherd. The person who was lined up to lead worship also got sick last minute, so I was recruited to lead worship for the week as well. I grew up going to weekend camps and other activities at this camp (although back then it was called Camp of the Risen Son), so it was a little surreal being on the campgrounds as an adult. It was interesting being on “the other side of things.” Instead of being a camper, I was the one speaking into the students’ lives and encouraging them to love Jesus and share their faith. Camp of the Good Shepherd is owned and operated by a parent mission organization called “For God’s Children International”. They are a mission’s organization that works primarily in the countries of Romania and Moldova. It was great meeting people who work for this great organization and see their heart for loving people and telling them about Jesus. Througho