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This isn’t the first time I felt scared for my son. I remember when I first learned that dark-skinned men are more likely to be incarcerated. Or young men of color are more likely to be falsely accused of crimes. Or black boys are more likely to be victims of violent crime… When I learned of the verdict sadness revisited my mama’s heart. My son might not be so safe walking in our suburban neighborhood – especially if it’s a…

  Open suitcases strewn on the bedroom floor signal that summer’s coming. Once more we strategically pack clothes, electronics, books and all manner of sundries into our checked and carry-on luggage. We’re leaving the United States, bound for Burundi, known as the heart of Africa. This isn’t a family vacation. It’s our annual family migration. We move together between familiar places, our lives stretching to fit these diverse locales. In this kind of life-style, airports are demystified at an early…

Friends, I owe you an apology. I did not host a link up this month for our read of No god but God by Reza Aslan. I did read it - and highly recommend it. But I was hosting a bevy of friends, 14 to be exact, for the last 10 days and just ran out of time, energy and adequate bandwidth. Please forgive me. Summertime in Burundi is always a bit precarious! But if you did read the book,…

We’d turned off the black paved road and onto red dirt. The four of us bumped along in the car, an impromptu family outing to see our friends in Bubanza. This was a workday for Claude. But the kids wanted to join, wanted to see what we’d been talking and praying about all year, wanted to see their Papa’s handiwork. So we jostled side to side as my son pelted us with questions from the back seat. At some point…

I am from the company of the adopted, once relinquished but swiftly redeemed and daily resurrected by the care of a father and compassion of a mother. I want my own children to feel that redemptive energy running through their veins, fortifying their sense of self, the adoptive sacrament sweet on their tongues. I feel responsible to impart blessing on each of their days so they, too, will taste and see the goodness – not the abandonment. I wonder sometimes,…

Amahoro 2013 happened! More on that later... For now we're crowding into a plane bound for Bujumbura, Burundi. When I say we, I mean that in the fullest sense of the word! Idelette, Tina, Leigh, Claire, Carolyn, Hillary, Fiona & Rasmus, Nicole & Francesco, Claude & me all in transit together. #wow The SheLoves journey continues on to Burundi. Tomorrow we will drink from wells in Bubanza - and dance among our friends. We'll get to visit Matara, which I…

Friends, I'm just sending off this quick note from the edge of Lake Victoria in Uganda. We're amid our seventh annual Amahoro Gathering, surrounded by African friends, leaders, thinkers, practitioners and writers. I'm also basking in the joy of sharing this with my SheLoves friends Idelette, Tina, Leigh, Claire and Fiona. So much goodness! But this week is the time for a link-up for those who read Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire. Since I knew I'd be away and have…

Here I go again! Barely got my feet on Burundian soil and I'm boarding another flight. Welcome to my summer. Claude and I are en route to Uganda for the seventh annual Amahoro Gathering. This is our tribe, our family of transformational leaders living the good news of Jesus across Africa. When we come together it's a reunion. As we fill the hotel the conversations begin even before those first hugs end. We've got so much to talk about, to…

Train children in the right way, and when they are old, they will not stray.  Proverbs 22:6 I grew up understanding that there’s a right way and a wrong way to train a child. You only need look around at all the wayward people to see training gone amok, lackadaisical parenting resulting in children who shun youth group or adults who steer clear of any church. So when I became a parent I knew training my children in the right…

So I am navigating multiple suitcases and carry-ons, multiple airports and flights and with two children flanking me. I'll be trying to keep it all in the original and upright position... because the Nikondeha Trio will be in transit for 36+ hours! The good news - my kids love to travel. They love the backpacks I load with surprise snacks and activities (Mad Libs are a first this time!). They enjoy the movies and games onboard the international flights. And,…