it's so easy to become a blogging slacker...

I can't believe it's been a month since I've posted anything here! I had the best of intentions . . . sigh. However, I'm far from giving up on this whole blogging idea! There's been a lot going on the past month, so this just hasn't been near the top of my list.

What I really want to post about, however - instead of lame apologies - are the article links I've included so far. They're somewhat eclectic, but reflect the things I think about, care about, and/or that relate to working within the young adult demographic. Here's some quick commentary on what I've included as of now:

• Rwanda...the land of a thousand hills. Most of you know I had the privilege of leading a team from TFC to Rwanda last August for two weeks. We primarily worked with Prison Fellowship Rwanda and I have to say that the Lord grabbed my heart for this country, its amazing people, and the work of reconciliation that He is doing there post-genocide. Talk about things being made new! Since our trip, I've been working with some of my teammates to see if we can find a way to consistently import handmade products from the villages we visited. That project is still in process, but we are hopeful about some recent contacts that have been made. I've posted an article from The Washington Post that provides an excellent look at the Rwandan economy and the role of women in it. Two thumbs way up! Several other Rwanda team members and I have also arranged a viewing of a recently-released documentary about Rwanda called As We Forgive. The viewing will take place on Friday evening, July 25 at TFC. Here's the website link: http://asweforgivethose.com/
  
• emerging adulthood and post-modern culture. Most of the other links relate to the demographic I'm part of (20s/30s) and the cultural reality in which we all live (post-modernism) no matter what our age. The articles by Christian Smith and Mark Edmundson provide extremely intelligent and thought-provoking examinations of these subjects, which are relevant for all of us as we seek to live intentionally in our world. The Lori Gottlieb article is fascinating, humorous, and a bit depressing all at the same time :) She certainly captures things that single women in America talk and think about. These articles provide a good window into my ministry context.


• stewardship of the earth. My most recent posting isn't actually an article, but a link to an excellent video called The Story of Stuff. Environmental stewardship isn't something I naturally think about, and so I am grateful for friends and colleagues who have put this on my radar in recent years. The subject matter of this video is something all of us need to be aware of...I don't think ignorance is going to be a valid excuse when it comes to how we did/didn't take care of this earth God created and entrusted to us.