Oddny's Blog

Mar 5

You may have heard of the 5.2 diet. But have you heard of the 2.5?

This baby. I don’t know if he lives any more. He was so malnourished and weak. A little formula from me wasn’t going to be enough for him to grow up. This was a Rohingya baby who was denied food from the Burma government.

Cynical people are not my favorites. I get the feeling they are just sitting around thinking the worst of all of us. And even when we try to be good, they are sure we have ulterior motives. But then, there are days when my own cynicism creep up to the surface. Then I just think it is natural and useful.

Right now I have one of those days of extreme cynicism. It has to do with diets.

The new craze

There is a new craze that many of you may have heard of, and even tried. What do I know. It may help you lose a few pounds. But to me, the talk of this diet, and what it promotes, has again reminded me of the sick world we live in.

The 5.2 diet is great. It is great because for five days a week you can keep eating as much as you want. Then for two days you eat very little. In other words, you can keep up your unhealthy life style for five days a week and starve yourself for two. You can indulge in meat and caviar, in wine and truffles as much as you want. And on the two fasting days you can dream about what you are going to eat next week.

What is wrong with our world?

We live in a world that is beautiful. It is inhabited by people who are miraculous. ( I say this hesitantly, because right away a list comes to mind with names such as Mugabe, Putin, Thein Sein, and Kim Jong-un) At the same time we are so messed up!

What is wrong with a world where more than 1,4 billion people are overweight? What is wrong with a world where people make millions from trying to help people lose weight? What is wrong when in the same world, children die every second from lack of food?

The 2.5 diet

This is when I want to say: I met some mothers some months ago. They came up to me carrying their infants while their toddlers tugged on their skirts. With their fingers they showed me how many days it had been since they last ate. Some of them showed me five fingers. It is not unrealistic to say that for those women in the refugee camp in Rakhine state, their diet consist of eating for two days and fasting for five. They live the 2.5 diet. This is not so that they would lose weight. This is because there is no food to eat.

This is what I want to say to all of us who have a hard time eating just the right amount when so much is offered. This is a word to all of us who find it hard to resist temptations. This is to all of us who have a few too many pounds:

Two simple tricks

Eat less. Exercise more. There are no shortcuts. When you want that bowl of ice-cream you know you shouldn’t eat, put the money it would cost in a jar and send it to Partners. When you are tempted to take a second helping with gravy on top, think about the mothers who haven’t eaten for days. When you feel you deserve a bag of chips with your Friday beer, then drink some tea and give the beer money to the poor (I know, this one hurts).

This may sound like I am guilt tripping you. And you know what, I am.

Wasted food

Just in little Norway with our five million people we throw away a staggering 377,000 tons of food every year. Reports from the US and the UK suggest that as much as half of all the food that gets produced gets thrown away.

This at the same time as 21,000 die every day from starvation or other diseases related to lack of food.

Add that to all the overweight related diseases people suffer from, and even die from, and you will have to agree: Something is seriously wrong.

Feb 25

What do you think are the three essentials in life?

Boy, do I remember my days as a radical activist of 18. Life was so easy. It was mostly black and white. You were either good or bad. It was easy to categorize the world into neat compartments. The poor and the rich, the conservative and the liberal, the healthy and the unhealthy, the smart and the stupid. I would always, and I mean always, sympathize with the poor. And I considered myself liberal, healthy (I ate whole wheat and raw foods), and smart. I also thought that all smart people would agree with me.

Life was easy when the solutions were simple

Now I see that life is not that simple. Some people are smart who don’t agree with me. Some poor people are jerks. Many rich people are incredibly kind. People can eat healthy and still get cancer. Others can live on Coke and chips and stay skinny. Life is not straight forward, black and white. Life is not fair. And life is not predictable.

Now, as a middle aged woman I have learned that most people care mostly about themselves and the sphere they live in. I read in the new today that the members of the International Olympic committee are going to change the rule that says they can only stay in the committee until they are 80. They think that is too young to resign. They feel discriminated.

I read the news and try to understand the conflict in Ukraine and the more I read, the less I do understand. Just trying to keep the names of the actors straight is a challenge. Never mind who is for the engagement with the West and who is for the East. And who is the less corrupt of the ones who are struggling for power.

I see that the president in Uganda says that gay people are disgusting. So he signed a bill that will allow the police to arrest and imprison gay people because they are gay.

What a messed up world!

I read that the world has stopped caring for the people in Syria. The world is a bit bored with the whole situation. Been there, done that. Tell me something new instead. Not the same old story about children getting killed, of a generation lost, of millions without blankets in the cold. That is so…Yesterday.

Today my friend and colleague in Fortify Rights, Matthew Smith published a report with undeniable proof of the Burma government’s systematic and planned discrimination, oppression and harassment of the Rohingya population. And after the release the government of Myanmar came right back and said: “The government does not remark on baseless accusations from Bengali lobbyist groups.” What else could they say except to admit that what the report said is correct?

I am working on a degree in development. Not that I have the time, but I do have the desire. We are studying the effects of climate change this semester. If you want to get really, really depressed, then study that.

The paper I have to read this week challenges my brain cells, and has forced me to drink more coffee than I should. But it is challenging in a good way. It is written by Archbishop Rowan Williams, and he says good stuff. One of his points in this paper is that the real problem with climate change, as well as other social issues is that we have lost a sense of what life is. We are disconnected and need to be reintroduced to life. He goes on to say that saving the human future is inseparable from securing a future for all living things. Later he talks about how we need to understand that we all live in a shared world, not a world that belongs to ourselves.

I felt encouraged in a weird way as I read this. To save our planet from climate destruction, from moral and ethical destruction, we need to be reintroduced to life. We need to start connecting with the things that really matter. And if I build that down to the essentials, I think I am left with just three things: God, relationships and nature. Botox, exotic travels, decadent meals, leather boots and designer purses don’t make it on the list of essentials. We lived in a shared world. That is what it is all about.

Jan 31

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Does Jesus care about missions? Really?

I am going to convince some 40 youth that missions is cool. Before that I am also going to convince my family to do the house cleaning for me. I am not sure which challenge is bigger. It is possible that I will wake up tomorrow feeling like both my undertakings failed.

In preparing to talk to the youth I have asked myself what I think about mission myself. I was once a missionary, you know. So I better know what it is and why it is important. The first important thing to realize is that the Bible actually doesn’t say anything about mission or missionary.

The second thing to understand is that the meaning of mission or missionary is not to go to another country and tell the people there that they will go to hell unless they change their religion, their culture, their diet and their friends. There are many definitions of the word mission in the dictionary, the one closest to what I think we think about when we think mission is: the vocation or calling of a religious organization, esp. a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its faith. Makes sense, right?

But what does it mean to spread our faith, and why does it even matter?

This is what I am going to have to explain to the teens. And to myself.

I often feel ashamed of being a Christian. Not because of what the Bible tells me to believe and do. I am ashamed of being associated with so many knuckle heads. Sorry to say it, but I am.

I am ashamed of being associated with the TV evangelists who, in my mind, are just one step above absolute clowns. I am ashamed of being associated with the conservative and judgmental Christians who have nothing better to do than to point fingers at everybody but themselves. I am ashamed of being associated with the people who are not able to love the gays, the homeless, the single mothers and the anarchists, the socialists, the rock stars, the ones with the tattoos and the ones who smoke pot. I don’t want to be one of those people. And I don’t want one of them to be empowered and justified in going around the world sharing their faith either. Because that kind of faith is not the faith I have received. It is not a faith I have found in the Bible.

So when I talk about missions, I need to be able to articulate what that means. To me personally, but also what I believe the Bible wants us to think about missions.

I was reading a special kind of Bible as I was preparing for the lesson I am going to teach. It is a Bible called the Poverty and Justice Bible.Fear not, the words are the same. The difference is that every verse that mentions poverty or justice in the Bible is highlighted. And you know how many verses that is? More than 2000.

It is clear to me that the mission of Christians is not to go out and condemn people for their tastes in clothes, music or even love life. Our mission is to care for the poor and the oppressed. Just to figure out if 2000 verses mentioning poverty and justice was a lot, I compared it to some other words that you might think are important in the Christian faith. Sin for example. It was mentioned 400 times. Approximately. And prayer. Just about the same.

So, yes, when we are talking about missions, we need to talk about Jesus and who he is. But it seems to me that equally important is the fact that Jesus cares about the weakest, the poorest, the most unlovely, the most unwanted, the most oppressed, the ugliest, the smelliest, the hungriest, the coldest, the dirtiest. And if he cares, so should we. Why does he care, and why should we care? Because he knows that behind each of our masks is a jewel. And it is that jewel he cares about. And it is the uniqueness of each person we are called to see and love. And it is that each person is loved for who they are that is our mission.

This is what I am going to try to make 40 teens understand. This is what I need to understand too.

Jan 29

Burma Army soldiers burned down their village yesterday, killed four with 12 more missing, and took 700 women and children away to an unknown “prison.”

oddnygumaer:

Today Steve heard this story from our friend. I feel it is worth sharing. I can’t stop thinking of the little girl. Feel free to share this story too.

Originally posted on Normal Is Over.:

Partners Relief & Developmenthas a team member in Bangladesh right now who is meeting victims of the recent violence against Rohingya people in West Burma. Today he met Aisha,a survivor from yet another destroyed village. This posting describes how his village was attacked and burned down, and how members of his village were lost, killed or taken away, including his two year old daughter.

Aisha heard the military vehicles and then saw large army trucks full of soldiers and extremists who were armed with guns and clubs. They drove into Killadong Majarpara, his village in West Burma and home to 2,500 other Rohingya Muslims. It was 11:00 pm on the 22nd of January. Knowing the multiple and brutal attacks so far, he quickly found his way out of the village to look for a safe place to hide.

This woman’s husband drowned in a pond while trying to escape…

View original 592 more words

Jan 24

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5 things to help children not get arrested

I have been thinking about happiness. I guess one of the reasons I have had this in mind is that I want to be happy. And when I find the ever so small seed of discontent in my heart, it is time to ask why. The answers I find, I gladly share.

But then I find myself embarrassed by my small world. I am even more embarrassed by the fact that I can be discontent when I have every privilege one can ever wish for.

In my last blog I wrote that it sometimes is helping others that will give us the greatest happiness. I truly believe that!

The last few days I have been getting some disturbing reports from Burma. They have not just been disturbing. They have been appalling. We have heard of more attacks on the Rohingya people that I have written about in the past. Now we hear of children and women getting hacked to death for no reason, and of the police arresting all men and boys aged ten and older. You can read a detailed account of the atrocities here. My good friend and hero, Matt Smith in Fortify Rights, wrote it. He spent a long time verifying the facts. And if you know Matt, you know that when he says something, it is true.

This is me with Matt and his wife Amy. Matt is a lot better at human rights reporting than he is with technical stuff such as iPhones.

It makes me sick.

But this is the thing: Feeling terrible about terrible stuff isn’t going to help anybody. We have to do something. So I thought of five things we could do to help these people right now. And here is where you come it. I need help from EVERYBODY!

1. Read the report Matt wrote and post it all over the place, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, on your blog, on Tumblr and Flickr and on all the other social medias you can imagine. I can’t keep track of them all. The more people that hear about this, the less likely it is that it will happen again. The government of Burma may not care about Rohingya children getting killed, but they do care about their reputation and about the big companies in the world wanting to invest in their country so that they can be richer than they are now. And companies are less likely to invest in countries that massacre their own citizens. It is just how it is.

Boys aged ten and older can get arrested.

2. Give money! I know it sounds old, but the fact is that unless we have the money, we cannot help these people. Last year we gave food to thousands of Rohingya who were starving. We treated the sick. We gave blankets and tarps. We documented and reported what was happening. It was all possible because people gave us money, and it will not be possible unless we do get money. So GIVE! Here

3. Contact your government. Ask politicians if they seriously don’t think that this is awful behavior and if they think so, what are they going to do about your county’s involvement with Burma. Are they still going to wine and dine the president, Thein Sein? Or are they going to say that unless he and his government starts to treat the Rohingya as human beings, then your country won’t have anything to do with them. You know that it is the little people like you and I who count. If there are many enough of us, something is going to happen. But that means we all need to take responsibility and don’t just hope somebody else will do it.

4. Pray. I do struggle with prayer sometimes. I don’t know if it works. I don’t understand how it works. But I think we need to put the theological questions aside and just do what the Bible tells us to do: Pray. Pray for an end to the violence. Pray that you will get God’s heart for the Rohingya. Pray for all the children who have lost their parents, their homes and everything they know. Get a heart for the children!

Arrange a Run for Relief. It is fun and good!

5. Arrange an event! What is more fun than when many people get together and do something meaningful? Imagine arranging a relief run for the Rohingya, or a yard sale? Or how about doing a dinner, or invite a bunch of ladies to do a ladies’ night and have them all donate to the cause. You could do a concert, or a theater performance on the street if you are brave. There are so many great ideas to do, and the only limit is your own creativity. Imagine that all that fun actually could help save the lives of people who felt forgotten or resented. To help you out, here is a great link for ideas that will get you so excited!

So there you go. Five great ideas for things to do to help the Rohingya today or in the next few days. And when it comes to happiness: I think the best medicine to get happy is not to smoke pot, but to focus our eyes away from ourselves and on to others.

Jan 21

More steps to pursuing genuine happiness

I am in the pursuit of happiness. Most of the world seems to be on the same path as me. But we seem to be looking for happiness in different places. Some of us think that a meal to fill our hungry stomachs will make us happy. Others think that a new private jet will.

It was nice that so many read my last blog about happiness. A few of you kindly added a couple of points that I had left out. The one that I want to apologize for not mentioning was: Tickle attack. When one has been tickled, or tickle others, then the happiness one feels in one’s body remains in our bodies for a long time afterwards. Like a drug. Want to be happy? Tickle and be tickled.

Then I wanted to add two more points to my list of things that I think will make us happy. And, no, a private jet did not make my list.

Connection to God is important. So is connection to others. Here you see Partners staff feeling very connected through dancing.

1. To be connected.

I like Psalm 1 i the Bible where it says that by delighting in the Law of the Lord one is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Personally my connection is with God, and if I don’t have him, then I am like a tree with no roots, or like an electric cord with no outlet to plug into. To be connected to something that is higher than myself gives me more meaning and happiness than anything else I can think of. Why?

Because it makes me realize that while I am significant, I am also like dust. The world does not rest on my shoulders alone. I am just a piece of the big whole. In God I can find meaning when the world seems meaningless, in him I can find comfort when I feel hurt and discouraged, and in him I can find hope when it looks like the black hole is ever increasing.

To me it seems impossible to experience true happiness unless we are connected to something bigger than ourselves. Some people may disagree, and I am fine with that. But, honestly, you should give God a try.

One of the things I really admire is when people spend their time and own money to help others. Like my friend, Hanne, and her sons who on their own initiative sold sponsorships and collected money for Partners. I hope they felt happy afterwards.

2. Help somebody

The happiest people I know are the ones who are the most generous people. Not just generous with their money, but with their resources and time too. And the most unhappy ones? The greedy ones who are always looking at how to rip some people off, thinking of how they can avoid sharing, and even how to cheat on their taxes. A person who is always thinking of him or herself will never be truly happy. But the ones who are always reaching out to others will experience a satisfaction as fulfilling as getting tickled. We get tickled by generosity.

It’s interesting to me that often the most generous people are the ones who own the least. And yet, they often seem content even though they are poor.

Today I read that the richest 85 people on the globe between them control as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population put together. This is a thought that has nauseated me most of the day. Can it be? 3.5 billion people own as much combined as those 85 people. What I wonder is this: Are the 85 people who all could fit into a double-decker bus happy? Do they wake up in the mornings content? I wonder if giving most of their wealth away would have made them more or less happy? What do you think?

At Partners we have made helping others into a career. Many of us are constantly out of money and lack of sleep. But are we happy? I think we probably are happier than many. Not because of our wealth of money, but because of the wealth of joy helping other people gives us.

Here is an article I read today about helping an other person. I thought it was very encouraging.

Want to be happier? Try God. Try fellowship. Try to help somebody who needs your help, here or elsewhere. I think this will make you happier than unlimited credit at Nordstroms.

Jan 17

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5 things that guaranteed will make you happy

Nobody can guarantee happiness. Not me. Not the richest, sexiest man in the world. Actually, happiness has a lot more to do with our attitude towards our circumstances, than with the actual circumstances.

So, sorry. If you wanted to read this blog to get happy, I may disappoint you. But, do give it a try. You may be surprised at what you will find.

I really wanted people to read my blog, you see, and I figured out that guaranteeing happiness had a bigger chance of succeeding than having a headline that says: Life really sucks, and if you read this, you may just feel much worse about yourself.

So, what are 5 things that can make you happy?

I will tell you.

I bought this coffee cup at a thrift store. It reminds me of my Grandma. Makes me happy.

5. Grind some good coffee beans and make a good cup of coffee to drink in the afternoon while you are working by your computer, reading a book or perhaps listening to some music. You will be even happier if you also have some chocolate to eat with your newly brewed coffee. And, another idea is to share a cup of coffee with a friend. Can’t go wrong with these three ingredients: Fresh coffee, chocolate and friend (a spouse will also do).

I made this bread some days ago. It is full of goodness such as sesame seeds, flax seeds, quinua flakes and more. Now, if you also have some Norwegian brown cheese you will for sure feel happiness go through your blood.

4. Bake bread. You will be surprised at how easy it is to bake bread. While doing so, you will be able to reflect, use your upper body muscles and your imagination. A lot more can be put into a bread dough that you thought. For example seeds, nuts, a mix of different grains, old cereal, milk that has expired, spices such as anise and fennel. And when you bake the bread in the oven you and everybody in your house will be happy because it smells so wonderful. And did I mention the health benefits, and the savings? They are in the thousands.

I pay my kids to read. It is true. I want them to appreciate the joy of reading so much that I am willing to pay them to get them away from the TV and the internet. Sometimes they will read instead of doing chores. Fine with me.

3. Read a great novel. Fiction is underrated. People should read a lot more than they do. Whenever I read good fiction I feel like I live in two different worlds and this can be very helpful if my real world is full of worries, rainy weather and dirty dishes. Just to get you started, I thought I could mention that I just read a great couple of books that you may like too:

I Been in Sorrow’s Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots by Susan Straight is one. Another one that kept me awake when I should have been sleeping was: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. A good read. And when you are done, you will be a lot happier. Even though parts of the books will make you cry.

Having people over for dinner! What fun!

2. Meet somebody. Invite somebody over for soup. I know the dishes are a hustle, and so is getting the house ready for guests. But, you tell me, isn’t it worth it in order to have some fellowship with interesting and energy-giving friends. And another benefit will be that since you now invited them for soup, chances are that they will invite you next. Then you get to do all the fellowshipping, but not the stress of being the hostess. Or, invite guests and have them bring their own food. Anything will work if the goal is to be together.

Go for walks. Do I need to say more? Here we have Elise and Kristin some years ago. Our kids have had to walk a lot in their childhood. I think that is why they are such fine young ladies today.

1. Go for a walk. This is the number one happiness-booster. Don’t let the weather decide if you should go for a walk. Dress up or dress down. Take your body outside and get into something that resembles nature. For some people, like people living in Bangkok, that may be hard. But, there are parks. Walk, breathe, think, walk, breathe, think. It is that easy. Now, if walking is too slow, then run. Or if there is snow, cross-country ski. Or if you like more speed, ride your bike. Whatever your preference is, I have the solution. The main two things to remember are: Move body and Outside.

So, there you have it. Five things to make you happy that will not even cost you anything. Try one or all, and see if I am not right.

Next time you hear from me, I may have thought of other things that will make you smile inside your heart, and when your heart smiles, your face does too.

Good luck.

BTW. What makes you happy?

Jan 14

First they lost their two-year-old son, now they may lose their baby

In November Po Chi experienced something no father should have to experience: His two-year-old son drowned in a tragic accident. He was his only child.

Po Chi works for Partners, he is the manager on our development farm. On the farm he helps develop sustainable solutions for farmers in Burma. To grow their own food, cheaply and organically is the goal. For thousands of families in Burma, that will make the difference between life and death.

Po Chi and his wife took the loss of their only son very hard, understandably. I cannot imagine losing a child. I can’t even think about the pain. Their only comfort was that they would get a new child soon. Po Chi’s wife was six months pregnant when the accident happened.

The growing belly, the soft kicks they could both feel from the unborn baby gave them hope and a reason to not give in to the nagging grief. Soon they would be able to hold the new baby in their arms. Soon they would again be able to feel small arms around their neck. Soon they would be able to tickle, play and giggle. The unborn baby gave them a reason to live on.

Then the contractions started. It was not time yet. But they would not stop.

Seven weeks early the new baby made its entry. They were not ready. The baby was not ready for this world. At least it may seem that way. In addition to being premature, he also has some other health complications. Right now he is struggling between life and death. He has a 50% chance to survive, says the doctor. That is 50% positive, but 100% uncertain.

Little baby boy weighs only 1.9 kg (4 pounds). He is getting a surgery right now as I am writing. My thoughts and prayers go to the parents. We don’t know if the mother can handle losing one more child, says our staff member, Matt. The pain is too much right now. The dad has been able to see the situation in a bigger perspective and said:

“It’s always easier to look back on trials and see God was at work all along… but I’m committing my son into His hands, and I believe that if he lives that God will use him for His glory.”

As I post this blog, I want to ask you to pray for this baby if you believe in prayer. And if you don’t, send whatever good thoughts you are able to produce his way. You can also consider giving towards their medical expenses.

I promise you, as soon as I know anything, I will let you know how things go.If you would like to help financially, please consider giving to our Patient Care Program that helps children just like Po Chi’s son get access to the health care they need here.

Jan 8

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What does Naw Mary have in common with Florence Nightingale?

One of the things I have been made aware of in my life as an aid worker is how so many aid workers are good at doing stuff, but not so good at listening. I am afraid that I have been one such worker many times. As I am getting older, and hopefully wiser, I am learning that good aid workers, and good aid organizations, are the ones who are not out to just fulfill their own agenda. They are the ones who come as servants, with a heart willing to learn and to listen. See, just because we come from the richer part of the world, the part of the world with the most stuff, doesn’t mean that we are the smarter ones. The key to good aid work is to listen to the people we are trying to help. And better yet, to get them to do the work that they are more capable of doing than we are.

Today I have been reading through pages upon pages of reports on Partners’ work. It has recharged me. And it has made me sure of one thing: We are in the right place.

I read the testimony of one of the Karen women who have been trained by our staff and who is now teaching her villagers how to have better hygiene and how to take better care of themselves. I was moved, and hope you will be too:

Another Karen woman that I met.

“I love my role as a village health worker! Before, we had a lot of sickness in my village. I used to think it was because we didn’t have medicine or a doctor. Now I know that it was because we lacked knowledge. I teach my neighbors about hand washing with soap, using a toilet, nutrition and iron tablets. In the beginning, they didn’t know anything about anemia. They thought that their fatigue was because they had to work so hard on the farm. At first only a few people would take my iron tablets. But after some time, those people started to shine and seemed energetic all the time. Later, more people started to take iron tablets. I can see that my neighbors believe me now, because they are paying attention to cleanliness. I built the first toilet in my village, now I’m bringing you a request for eleven more.”

Naw Mary was trained by Partners staff, and look at what she is doing! She is building toilets for her village! She is one of 50 such health workers we have trained in just one part of Burma last year. You think it is a good investment? Of course it is! The goal of the Village Health Program is to equip local people to meet their self-identified health needs, and to educate them on additional opportunities to improve the community’s health. If that is not good development work, I don’t know what is.

I am so proud to be a part of Partners Relief & Development, and think you should also join our team. It is easy. Just click here!

Jan 2

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My New Year Resolutions

Every sunrise, and sunset, is a love song from God. Our family by the beach.

It’s my first day of work in 2014. The new year feels almost exactly the same as the old one. It was hard to wake up. I have too many emails to reply to. The laundry room is a mess. I need to work out more consistently.

I decided to drop the New Year Resolution thing this year. It never works for me. But a good friend sent me this prayer, and it made me think of a few things that I want to do this year. It is a New Year’s Prayer from the Syrian Orthodox Church. Worth meditating on, and it wouldn’t hurt to pray for Syria whilst doing so.

Our Holy Father,

God of our yesterdays, our today, and our tomorrows.

We praise You for Your unequaled greatness.

Thank You for the year behind us and for the year ahead.

Help us in Your new year, Father, to fret less and laugh more.

To teach our children to laugh by laughing with them.

To teach others to love by loving them.

Knowing, when Love came to the stable in Bethlehem, He came for us.

So that Love could be with us, and we could know You.

That we could share Love with others.

Help us, Father, to hear Your love song in every sunrise,

in the chirping of sparrows in our backyards,

in the stories of our old folks, and the fantasies of our children.

Help us to stop and listen to Your love songs,

so that we may know You better and better.

We rejoice in the world You loved into being.

Thank You for another new year and for new chances every day.

We pray for peace, for light, and for hope, that we might spread them to others.

Forgive us for falling short this past year.

We leave the irreparable past in your hands,

and step out into the unknown new year knowing You will go with us.

We accept Your gift of a new year and we rejoice in what’s ahead,

depending on You to help us do exactly what You want.

In Jesus name, We pray,

Amen

So let us laugh more, and fret less. Let us hear God’s love song in every sunrise. Let us stop and listen more. Those are some of my goals for the year of 2014.

What are yours?

My thoughts as I am trying to navigate life—learning to love, laugh and live.

You may have heard of the 5.2 diet. But have you heard of the 2.5?

What do you think are the three essentials in life?

Does Jesus care about missions? Really?

Burma Army soldiers burned down their village yesterday, killed four with 12 more missing, and took 700 women and children away to an unknown “prison.”

5 things to help children not get arrested

More steps to pursuing genuine happiness

5 things that guaranteed will make you happy

First they lost their two-year-old son, now they may lose their baby

What does Naw Mary have in common with Florence Nightingale?

My New Year Resolutions

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