We rsquo d known Kha for more than a year He was part of our small group from church who met weekly to discuss what we rsquo d been learning about God One evening during our regular meeting he made a reference to having competed at the Olympics The mention was so casual that it almost escaped my notice Almost Lo and behold I learned I knew an Olympian who had competed in the bronze medal match I couldn rsquo t fathom that he rsquo d not mentioned it before but for Kha while his athletic achievement was a special [... more]

Following the Sunday morning worship service my Moscow host took me to lunch at a restaurant outside the Kremlin Upon arrival we noticed a line of newlywed couples in wedding garb approaching the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the Kremlin wall The happiness of their wedding day intentionally included remembering the sacrifices others had made to help make such a day possible It was a sobering sight as the couples took pictures by the memorial before laying wedding flowers at its base nbsp nbsp All of us have cause to be thankful for others who in one way or [... more]

My trip to Simon rsquo s house was unforgettable Under the cover of a star-lit sky in Nyahururu Kenya we made our way to his modest home for dinner The dirt floor and the lantern light reflected Simon rsquo s limited means What was on the menu I don rsquo t recall What I can rsquo t forget was Simon rsquo s joy that we were his guests His gracious hospitality was Jesus-like mdash selfless life-touching and refreshing In Corinthians ndash Paul mentioned a family mdash the household of Stephanas v mdash that had a reputation for their caregiving They [... more]

After hearing a message about correcting injustice a church member approached the pastor weeping asking for forgiveness and confessing that he hadn rsquo t voted in favor of calling the black minister to be pastor of their church because of his own prejudice ldquo I really need you to forgive me I don rsquo t want the junk of prejudice and racism spilling over into my kids rsquo lives I didn rsquo t vote for you and I was wrong rdquo His tears and confession were met with the tears and forgiveness of the minister A week later the entire [... more]