I’ve been reminded that ‘social power without proximity’ is not the kind of influence I want. I don’t think it’s inherently or wholly bad. But I’m reminded of my clear calling in 2017 to get in proximity with people different from me to experience ordinary moments of living life together. And even in the mundane, caption-unworthy moments, profound transformation occurs. In the private. In the quiet. In the uneventful. In the messy. And that’s good enough. Heck, it’s not just good enough - it’s wholly good.

This visual image of turning my ideological pockets inside out and dumping it's contents on a sifting table in the presence of God is keeping me in a posture of ultimate humility. It's not that He will address every item, opinion, Biblical interpretation, belief etc with me. Certainly He may - He gets permission. But right now, as my fingers are grouping letters on the keyboard together to form thoughts with you, I'm having an epiphany…

These lyrics we sang in church this morning had new meaning:  'Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine...' It hit me... Amy, you're not one of the 99.

You know what I think our faith community's biggest challenge is? We're defensive. We're defensive because we feel like our Truth (belief systems and God) are threatened and compromised if we love others as they are

Although it's been 22 years, pain, poverty, and anger still plague thousands of survivors struggling to live in wholeness.This group, however, was not like the others. This group included genocide perpetrators; people who committed unfathomable evil acts, went to prison, repented and are now free.

My reaction and feelings aren't simple. If anything, I hope hearing raw honesty, even if you disagree with the conclusion, and hearing from a heart that earnestly seeks to love well and stay true to convictions, is somewhat refreshing.

It was about 17 hours after Jeremy died; approximately 8am on August 10, 1998. I just woke up from spending the night in my parents' bed. We sobbed all night in shock and grief. I eventually dozed off out of sheer exhaustion. My parents weren't so lucky. They were up all night. It was their sobbing I first heard when I woke.