The Leaking Window

"What would you do if you won the Lottery?"  Most might reply that they would whole-heartedly consider giving a large amount to charity.  But I wonder if we shouldn't wait to win the lottery before we become so generous...   Darling Ethiopian Princess with Her Treasured Toy November 2010 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,  worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said,  “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth;  but she, out of her poverty, put in everything— all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44 NIV Poverty. I grew up in what I considered poverty. Some nights dinner consisted of cold cerea...

Originally published on January 24, 2014 The Ethiopia/Uganda Chronicles Chapter Four - The Doubt Ethiopian boy chasing the team van.   photography by Anthony Kaetzel It was November.  A Saturday.  We were scheduled to get our immunizations for Ethiopia and Uganda later that morning. He came down the stairs and he was upset.  He told us that he just realized he would be missing a couple of competitions in February when we were in Africa.  He was beside himself.  These were competitions that he had been preparing for... one for almost a year. He wondered to us if he was really supposed to go to Ethiopia and Uganda.  He didn't feel called.  Perhaps God had spoken to us about it, but God had not spoken to him.  He was frustrated. His father calmly asked him to find out the dates of the competition to be certain that they were conflicting with our trip to Africa.  He went upstairs.  He went to hi...

"You can't understand the seriousness of idolatry without understanding the jealousy of God.   And you can't understand his jealousy without some understanding of his relentless,  powerful love for you, because they are intertwined."    ~ "Gods at War:  Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart"  by Kyle Idleman author of "not a fan"  Jealous Momma She was ticked.  She kept click-click-clicking.  I looked for a nest but didn't see any.  She was mad.  Territorial.  Jealous.  Since I could not find the object of her displeasure, I continued pruning in my backyard. Again, click-click-click.  This time she summons a hummingbird.  I am getting a little nervous.  Never having seen the movie "The Birds" but well-knowing what it was about... I pull back and observe the area.  Then I see it.  In the hanging basket above my head. Object of Her Affection Four littl...