I would agree with “How we choose our president” and add that the fact we had corruption in government before we even had a government or any founding documents tells me that we aren’t smart enough. We are like Israel asking for a king to help them with their problems and… in the time before the kings… everybody did whatever they felt like is where we started as a nation in many ways and now we have created so many rules and compared to lawless countries that is good, but we end up legalistic in so many ways.

We deal with race and everything as a debate, and set up a competitive system of winners and losers, instead of finding the right leaders who have real solutions.

I think about Rwanda. One leadership got them measuring nose sizes and dividing power by it and after the genocide, somehow a leadership rose up, which had compassion for the losing side and wanted forgiveness and that mindset helped in healing a place where almost everybody lost people one way or another and almost everybody saw mutilation and trauma and the breakdown of families and businesses and government and so many of the children lost their parents and yet, they are inspiring now, because of the leadership doing an understanding and forgiveness process versus a label and judge process.

I don’t know who that person was, but I know Abraham Lincoln did that at the end of our Civil War. The right person knowing the right thing to do at the right time can change everything.

He was so far away from perfect, but he got that part right.

I laugh, because there are still people flying the Southern flag out of hating the outcome of that war. We wound each other so deeply and only God can really help.

true ajc

Hospice services vary a lot from place to place. My wife worked as a chaplain in one, and they did everything possible to keep patients comfortable. The founder, Dame Cicely Saunders, had a very compassionate program in place which included spiritual care. More recently, hospitals have seen hospice as an alternative profit center. You’re right to be cautious, but the original vision is compelling.

Please send my best to Janet. I had the opportunity to work with her at Lasalle Street Church in Chicago with the senior program. She taught me how to serve with dignity and joy!

Faith, Hope and Love to you both and your ministries wherever they take you!!!

I understand. I guess the alternative is the European model, which depends on the government to take care of what the US handles through compassion and private charities. Each system has its weaknesses, and you point out a key one for us.

Everywhere I go (it seems) someone is asking for a donation of some kind. I love giving, but my resources are not limitless, haha. My kids school: catalogs and fundraisers. I go to the grocery store, get practically attacked by someone at the entrance to sign up to sponsor someone or something. At the cash register, “would you like to donate $?”. The list goes on. A knock at my door, selling something! Maybe because I don’t want to say no, I want to give, but sometimes it’s just too much! Anyways, just wanted to contribute my two cents (no pun intended). Thanks again for all you do!

Our parents encouraged all 5 of their children to go where the Lord led them, whether that was off to the Philippines (our older sister), over to Tanzania (our middle sister), wherever missionary aviation needed a mechanic the most (my husband and I), down to Ecuador (David), or right here in the mountains of Tennessee (our brother). Over the last few years we’ve all found ourselves settled closer to home (though not without our moments of wanderlust), and for the first time in my 34 years of life, all 5 of us are now within a 3 hour drive of my parents. To say that they are happy would be an understatement, though they continue to make it clear that if God should move any one of us to once again follow Him to the 4 corners of the world, they will be just as happy and supportive.

Whatever the future holds for any or all of us, right now we’re all enjoying this season together, and are thankful that David and Claudia can now be a regular part of that.