This is a hard concept for adults let alone for children. There is a Japanese practice called Kintsugi,  it involves repairing something broken with gold. The idea is that when something that has been treasured is broken, ignoring the break is almost disrespectful.  So rather than try to repair the break so that it doesn’t show, the […]

Many parents have had the incredible experience of taking a 2 or 3-year-old for a walk and rediscovering the riches of the natural world in your very own neighborhood – whether it be watching a trail of ants as they diligently go about their business, or the wonder of watching a Praying Mantis hunt, the pure […]

Practicing Joy doesn’t mean necessarily feeling really happy all the time, in fact you can practice joy and feel pretty sad. Feeling joy is like an outside thing, you FEEL JOY when something that happens.   Practicing joy is a deeper, inside thing and is there whether you are happy or sad. You practice joy […]

Easter Blog for Families   “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” or “Jesus Christ is risen today. Hallelujah.” What does this really mean to the average 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-year-old? Though on one hand really very simple conceptually – God made Jesus alive again. And on the other hand, the resurrection is a […]

Unplugging for Families   You have probably noticed that all of the Spiritual Practices have a couple of things in common they are all about making space for God, so we can connect with God and so we can be transformed by God. They all require a little (emphasis on little) change on our part. […]

Day Five – Time for Some Reflecting! Today we start on a serious note. All the work that we are putting our hearts and hands into is to restore the home of Ms. O. She is 62 years old, uses a wheelchair, and was denied monetary assistance to repair her home four times. The title […]

Day Four – The Clock is Ticking! Our fearless construction leader Fletcher Tukes, who personally feels responsible for getting as much work done at our house each day as possible, is fond of saying, “Time is not your friend!” In other words, we are racing the clock to complete as much of this house as […]

Day Three – In the Zone! I think everyone slept well last night, and we found our work rhythm today! The first day is always a little choppy as we figure out what needs to be done, how to do it, and who should do it. But today faithful followers, we were in the groove. […]

Day Two – The Gloves Come On! The work gloves, that is. Yes, finally time to get down and dirty. The sun rose in a beautiful Carolina blue sky. After a hearty breakfast we were anxious to caravan to the work site. Usually, a portion of the first day is spent getting the lay of […]

Day One – New Bern Revisited!   Welcome back, faithful blog readers! Has it really been almost six months since we’ve brightened your lives with our tales of mission trip happenings and hijinks? Rest assured that this trip is unfolding with the same tried and true traditions that have become a hallmark of an Adult […]