When I was a teenager, I was odd and awkward. The kids at my church were very different from me, and although we were friendly, we weren’t friends. I was lonely. Sometimes when our church would host missionaries or other visitors who had teenagers, I wanted to say hello, but I always chickened out and […]
Transitory Friendship
Here in Hawaii, we live near several military bases. Each summer, there’s a transition when hundreds of families leave, and hundreds of families come. Our church feels this shift acutely. One summer we lost almost our entire children’s ministry team. That was a challenge! In addition to the constant military churn, we also see visitors […]
Let’s Discard Introvert/Extrovert Boxes
A lot of people who have questioned me about whether I really am as shy and afraid of talking with people as I say. They say I look like an extrovert. When I object, I am informed that I belong in the box that energizes me. Pick one: “being alone energizes me,” or “being with […]
When Someone Is Lying
We haven’t had a truth-telling conversation in awhile, but our recent political events have reminded me of these perplexing situations. We’ve had occasions when we were near certain that a child was lying to us. Something is missing or broken. Nobody ‘fesses up. Everyone claims ignorance. Now what should we do? Discipline all three until […]
