My life needs a quiet hour. I am continually prodded for more productivity, accomplishments, efficiency. Much of this prodding comes from within my own head and heart. There are very few voices in my life telling me to stop. Rest. Just be. I need more of those voices. I need a quiet hour. Every day.…
Indiana Jones and the Mamertine Prison
No, this is not an anticipated fifth Indiana Jones movie. It’s just what I thought about when I was in Rome. (I promise the analogy will make sense in the end!) I traveled to Salerno on a mission trip and we worked hard for a week helping a church plant get set up in their new…
Salerno Team 2015
I made six great friends. Being knee-deep in black mold has a way of bonding people! We are the Salerno Team! We traveled to help the Valiquettes and the Davidsons in Salerno, Italy. We painted, we cleaned, we constructed a stage, we disinfected, we ran cables, we swept, we sealed, we organized, we vacuumed and…
A Very Present Photograph
I just returned from Italy, the land of good food, large gatherings, and plentiful hand gestures for communication. I had a delightful time. Va bene. I traversed hundreds of miles via planes, trains and automobiles. I hoofed dozens of miles with my own two feet. I witnessed literally centuries of history: People, places, vistas, monuments. And in…
Va Bene
Officially my favorite Italian phrase, va bene means, “It’s going good” and could be substituted for “sounds good” in a typical English sentence. It is decidedly how I describe our trip to Italy. Va bene. It was good. It was life changing. It showed me a people and a culture in a way I never…
Goodwill Hunting
I love treasure hunts! Every Christmas Eve my family creates searches for each other so that we have to earn our first present of the season. On my 24th birthday several friends made a scavenger hunt for me and I still laugh about the crazy things I had to do and find. I like the…
Valuing Your Future Self
I think about a special someone often. I care deeply about her. I want her to do well in life and be set up for success. She’s kind and funny and warm and (hopefully) more wise, stable, and adventurous than me! I’m thinking about Future Kelly. I know that all my decisions affect my future…
Efficiency is my Love Language
Manna. Bread from Heaven. A gift… and an assignment? I spoke at a women’s retreat in February and we focused in large part on Exodus 16, the passage about manna. Here’s one of the lessons I learned. Exodus 16:16-21 16This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much…
Seeking Aquila
I have little experience with personal ads. I don’t troll the newspaper or the internet for a date. I tend to go about my life and work and ministry and just expect someone to suddenly show up. But maybe that’s wrong. Maybe I need to make my wishes for a mate known more widely. I…
Easter Saturday
I love books. Just one visit to my house will confirm that fact. I love re-reading and re-living a beloved novel. I love the pages which have become wrinkled with interest and vigorous page-turning. I love the crease in the spine which allows the book to lay flat, opened to my favorite scene. I love…