Pilgrims' Home

Well it is less than 48 hours until I board the plane for my eight-week trip to Germany. I was hoping to be more prepared for the language than I currently feel that I am, but isn't this always the case. I am looking forward to a chnage in pace, however. No cell phone, over-booked schedule or home projects (this month alone, Lindsay and I had carpet, vinyl and woodfloors installed, repaired the fron tdoor, replaced a doorknob, and painted the office). I will miss Lindsay and Grover. She will keep busy with church and connecting with friends; Grover will stay busy with sleeping, barking at birds, and chasing flies. I am thankful that we will not be apart for more that 22 days, since Lindsay will join me at the end of July. We plan to visit Paris, Amsterdam and one other city. I will also miss out church. It is good to be part of such a wonderful, encouraging group of people. I look forward to visiting churches in Europe, but I will also miss the consistent and welcoming faces of Exc...

As pilgrim's dwelling, the mistreatment of refugees and the recklessness of homelessness needs attention - let us be hospitable to the stranger, sojourner and refugee. Lives turned upside down In country after country across the globe, people forced to flee natural disasters or man-made calamities share a common experience: seeing their lives turned upside down in the blink of an eye. But each of the 15 million displaced persons has an individual face and a unique story. CNN's Jeff Koinange looks at it through the refugees' eyes.

Just checking to see if I can post pictures with text. This is a picture of our dog, Grover. He is friendly, sleepy, and he loves peanut butter. It will make Lindsay happy to see that Grover is pictured on the blog.