Blog

This Valentine’s Day we want to come together, purely and simply for the benefit of our Batwa friends in Bubanza by pooling our resources, so they may have a fresh water well. (Who needs roses and chocolate, if our friends can have water?)   Would you consider asking nine of your friends to stand with you and form a Circle of Grace—each person contributing $10–so we can build this well together? Altogether, we are asking 100 SheLoves friends—yes, you, Beautiful one—to form a giving circle with…

Isaiah describes the scene perfectly – people stream up the mountain to Jerusalem seeking the counsel of the Lord and come down with wisdom. The Lord arbitrates between the nations and they decide to beat their swords into plowshares turning weapons into more useful (and peaceful) tools. The upshot of it all - no more armed conflicts, no more war colleges. This is what the prophet imagines it will be like ‘in the days to come.’ Micah entertains the same…

http://vimeo.com/57003746 My friend Travis Reed over at The Work of the People shared another bit of his conversation with Barbara Brown Taylor. Once again I’m smitten… absolutely captivated by her loveliness. When she speaks there’s poetry, some hint of mystery released into the ether – I’m captivated. My imagination’s ignited… So I must, in the spirit of generosity, share this bit of conversation with you. Watch and savor. “I’m shaped Hebrew enough to think you don’t get a soul that’s…

As a little girl I understood Christmas connected to a certain salvation story. Jesus came into the world to die on the cross and rise to save us. Even the Old Testament prophesied this storyline. Christmas was the beginning of the end, or at least the first movement toward eternity. The coming and saving of Jesus would, eventually, launch us into heavenly mansions amid incandescent cloudscapes. So I grew up believing the opening salvo of salvation was Christmas. But my…

There were two things I came across Monday morning – a photo and an article. The picture sent to me showed a beaming Burundian mother holding her newborn son. The article came via The Guardian’s reporting on a break through in maternal health in Burundi. Both pushed me toward the vision of Isaiah. The Batwa tribe exists on the margins of society in Burundi, often invisible and so without rights, access or dignity. Our community development efforts have, in essence,…

http://vimeo.com/53189507 Every song has a story. This one has a story - and a lesson! Our friend, Donald Butler, is the worship leader for Community of Faith (a church in Texas). Two summers ago he traveled with a band of friends from COF to Burundi for some time on the ground with our Batwa friends. You see, these two communities have been cultivating a friendship over the past set of years. You'd be hard pressed to find two more different…

http://vimeo.com/53189185 Take a look at the progress in Bubanza... school is underway and the future looks bright for our students! NOTE: This video was shown at Community of Faith in Cypress, TX this weekend. Matthew Crook and Sherry Naron put the video together with love and skill!

Mark tells of a woman who comes to Simon the Leper’s house one night, knowing Jesus was dining inside. She pours costly perfume over His head out of a small alabaster jar. Jesus discerns her prophetic gesture. He honors her. But those surrounding him at the table, disciples and Pharisees alike, couldn’t get past the price tag on the alabaster jar. They did the math – that perfume if converted into denarii could weigh down their collective purse. And think…

Twenty new first graders from the Batwa village in Matara begin school today, Monday. They prepared for school as if it were normal, as if expected. This is a new normal. Three years ago these kids came to Matara with their families. They were two years old. The story they were living did not include education or hope for a bright future. The story they were born into made it almost impossible for Batwa to go to school and an…