Ministry Leaders

I was in the Ubon Ratchitani, Thailand airport waiting for the Bangkok flight when I met him. All five foot two of 67-year-old energy. My friend introduced me and I asked him, "Are you retired?" "Oh yes" he replied with gusto.

I started my day in Pakse, Laos; right on the Mekong River. Leaving my air-conditioned room I walked into the high-humidity 90 degree heat and started to sweat. The cooling rains have not yet hit this valley. Around 11:00 a.m. I drove 22 kilometers

Recently I was headed for Charles De Gaul Airport in Paris. Know that this is a scary proposition, driving in Paris. There are ring roads, streets, avenues, “peripheries" and a lot more. Tie that to 2.5 million Frenchmen and you have a white knuckle driving challenge.

Have you had any personal interactions that could be referred to as "Passive/Aggressive?" When a person with whom you either must, or want to, interact with reacts passively to any suggestion or situation, and later leaps into the greater dialogue like a hyper hyena. This really bugs me, and often just plain ticks me off. How about you?

I had an interesting experience today; teaching my Laotian “translator” the 5 W’s: Who, Where, What, Why and When. In an event-based culture, questioning for content is not a standard practice. When you add a time dimension it really throw them. Think about how much of your communication and information gathering starts with one of those 5 words, and is then followed up with another one of them.

The old saying, ”When you're up to your tailbone in alligators, it's difficult to remember that the objective was to drain the swamp." Or, you are trying to catch the meal from slipping off the plate while you are juggling 10 other plates. Have you felt that way? Me too!

What do you do when one of those

As I write this I'm in the Narita Airport in Japan. I Left Laos on Saturday afternoon, arrived at Bangkok airport about 9:00PM, finally got a flight out to Japan on Sunday morning about 8:30AM. Now to Dallas-Fort Worth, and then back to Los Angeles.

That routing sheds a whole new light on the “Travel Mercies” prayer request.

Is this the best we can be?

There are times when we are challenged as a nation—a people—to look beyond our own individual self-interests. I am reflecting on this point as the “gun control” conversation swirls around us.

We were driving along feeling great about the sunny weather along I-70 in the Rockies. Vail was 80 miles ahead and Glenwood Springs was the next town. The Sun was bright, road was dry, scenery beautiful and our tires were good. We’d stopped for the night in Green River. When getting into the car that morning, a “good neighbor” said, “You might want to check that right front tire.” I did … it was flat. We found a great garage where they pulled the nail and off we went. Perhaps a harbinger of things to come.

Judy walked in from a grocery shopping expedition ... it is amazing when you are on a diet and getting older how little you eat—and the importance of each component of every meal. (If you haven’t noticed, you will.)

As I watched her empty the small grocery cart, I was amazed at the stalk of Brussels Sprouts. Amazing what you learn every day: Yes the name has an “S” on the end ... they are sprouts from Brussels.