Jesus Frees Us | You freed me from my chains

Laughing Our Way Back to Life

March 28, 2018 No Comments

christian encouragement and jokes to make you laugh

I displayed a sign proudly on my desk at work that said, “Ask me for the laugh of the day.” I would share a silly joke with any innocent bystander willing to take me up on the offer. Laughter rippled across cubicles as I shared cheesy jokes that should never see the light of day. Shortly after I started spewing out jokes, I began an intensive nine-month healing journey to recover from pain in my past. Dejected and deflated, I tucked the sign away in a drawer. For a season, life lost its color and I lost my laugh. A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:13) My spirit had been crushed, but Jesus longed to restore my brokenness. As He tenderly returned laughter to my life, a new fervor erupted inside of me to loan laughs to others that may have lost their laugh along the way too. Laughter can’t erase our pain, but it can ease it. This revelation birthed the Laugh Stand. To finish reading this post, click here and join me today at Incourage. Sign up here to receive free notes from (in)courage, sent right to your inbox daily! Interested […]

Travel

Marriage is for keeps: Lessons from Cape Town

February 11, 2018 No Comments

I try to pretend I’m a laid back wife in marriage, but inside of me is an uptight, meticulous planner that continuously combats anxiety. I wanted to maximize our time in Cape Town, so our week was packed with back-to-back action. On Tuesday, I planned for us to take a stroll to Truth Coffee, the restaurant dubbed as the place with the best coffee in the world by The Telegraph. As a person who is convinced coffee is my love language, I couldn’t miss out on this. Bottoms up at Truth Coffee The place is famous for its steampunk-concept interior. That alone is worth the price of coffee. Then some words on the menu caught my eye. No sugar would be needed in their coffee because, well, they are the experts at crafting coffee. I’m the mandatory two spoons of sugar girl. I add it to everything. So, we ordered coffee to test the absurd claim and threw in a Croque Monsieur for good measure. . Out of everything I ate in Cape Town this was my favorite. The ham. The cheese. All my favorite food items melted together to devour. I’m pretty sure I gained twenty pounds on this […]

Travel

Day 1 in Cape Town: Traveling to the village

January 31, 2018 No Comments

Before Ashiram and I ever crossed paths, I randomly told someone I couldn’t date him because I was going to Africa the next year and all my dreams were coming true in a treehouse in Africa. Well, what do you know I DID end up going to Uganda the next year and the wedding venue Ashiram chose had just installed a treehouse. I’m still trying to figure out if it was prophetic or just extremely freaky. Naturally, when my husband and I sat down to plan accommodation in Cape Town, I instantly fell for this treehouse. We booked our first night in this treehouse which is out of the center of Cape Town. When we got to the airport, I requested for a Taxify and gave my husband the pleasure of trying to tell the driver where we were. Within seconds I had a man waving, flashing a big grin and asking to grab my suitcases. People had warned me about crime in Cape Town, so when he started walking away rather briskly I ran to catch up. Over the one-hour drive, we quickly found out Mdu is one of the best men ever. By the end of the trip, […]

Marriage, Uganda

Christmas and Cape Town

January 30, 2018 2 Comments

Honeymoon in Cape Town? Say no more. When my husband and I were dating, he mentioned wanting to spend our honeymoon in Cape Town. Once I did some research on Cape Town, I was hooked too. Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to go to the adventure capital of the world? As I moved from America to Uganda and we planned our wedding it looked like an immediate honeymoon wasn’t in the cards. I gave him a hard time about this because I told him on multiple occasions I would get married under a mango tree as long as it meant we would have the opportunity to go on a honeymoon. After over a year of long-distance dating, I eagerly desired this time together before we began real life. A time to go away with my husband and build a bond as husband and wife. This didn’t happen. I eventually stopped pestering my husband about going on a honeymoon. A honeymoon wouldn’t magically change anything and I needed God to change my attitude and heart to one of contentment instead. But then on Christmas morning, he handed me a present. I opened it to see a book staring back at […]

Uganda

The Long Way

November 20, 2017 No Comments

I ran across Brett Eldredge’s and Sadie Robertson’s music video The Long Way today. Lyrics always unearth those deeply buried emotions and hidden longings inside of me. As I listened to the lyrics I imagined my husband and myself. I would love to show my husband where I grew up and take him the long way around my town. Instead, it seems like it’s taking a long time to get there. I often ask God, “Will he ever be allowed to see my world?” I’ve seen his world. I live in his world, and it’s now my world too, but a part of me longs for him to experience the part of the world that built me. It caused tension for us when we were dating long-distance. Nothing can draw a wedge like the frustrations of applying for a U.S. Visa. Lately, I rarely bring it up. People in America don’t understand why it’s not easy for him to just come over for a visit. Unfortunately, the world is unfair and certain citizens have more privileges than others. In this twisted life, my passport carries a different weight than his does. After being rejected twice for the tourist visa, I’ve […]

Uganda

6 small things I love about Uganda

November 10, 2017 No Comments

Travel adventure expat overseas africa uganda kampala

The other night I was chatting with a friend’s mom. As a visitor to Uganda, she shared with me the two favorite aspects she liked about being in Uganda. I braced myself for the normal, “We love the wildlife,” or “The fruit taste like heaven.” Instead, she said she loved that the toilet seats were always warm due to the tropical weather and that the sun sets and rises at the same time every day. I couldn’t help but laugh at the random things that stuck out to her about Uganda. Later on, I began to think about those small, easy-to-miss aspects about Uganda that are meaningful to me and quite a few came to my mind. Someone pumps my gas Can you believe it? In Kampala, they still have men and women who are gas station attendants at the pump. You roll up, tell them how much you want to spend and they do the rest. This definitely would be an even greater bonus if Kampala had winter. Needless to say, they are spoiling me and when I go back to the US it might take me a moment to come to my senses and get out of my […]

Devotional

Don’t Stop Believing God’s Promises

October 25, 2017 No Comments

believing God's promises scripture verse

“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her WILL BE accomplished.” Luke 1:45 NIV As I read this verse I was confronted with the gnawing question, “How many times do I doubt God’s ability to fulfill his promises in my life?” Am I more of a Zachariah who doubted what the angel Gabriel said when he delivered news about the birth of his son and with uncertainty asked, “How can I be sure of this?” (Luke 1:18). Or am I on Mary’s side who, in a similar situation, simply said, “May it be to me as you have said?” (Luke 1:38). Our reactions reveal our faith Both people received some outrageously unexpected baby news. Both people were in impossible situations. Zachariah’s response was one clothed in doubt as he questioned how two people in old age could possibly give birth to a son. Mary, who was a virgin BTW, grabbed a hold of the angel’s words when he reminded her, “For nothing is impossible with God.” She did not falter in her faith, but replied, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”It’s not about the news we […]

Current events

Hurricane Irma Prayer Strategy Printable

September 5, 2017 4 Comments

Hurricane Irma is rapidly picking up speed and force. I wholeheartedly believe in the collective power of prayer and calling on the name of Jesus. This morning I couldn’t sleep thinking about the impending hurricane headed toward the Caribbean and US this week. The images of devastation in South Texas continue to flash in my mind. If there’s anything I’ve learned in my walk with Jesus is the power of praying His word – especially when I don’t have the words to pray. Beth Moore says in Living Free: Learning to Pray God’s Word, “God has handed us two sticks of dynamite with which to demolish our strongholds: His Word and prayer. What is more powerful than two sticks of dynamite placed in separate locations? Two strapped together.” This is an urgent time to use those two sticks of dynamite. CNN meteorologist and weather anchor Tom Sater stated on Monday, “There is a small window. If it turns sooner rather than later, we could maybe see the system slide by the East Coast into the ocean, but that window is shutting quickly.” He goes on to explain, “It definitely looks like we will be impacted by a major hurricane that […]

Life lesson

Bad Company Corrupts Good Character

August 5, 2017 2 Comments

character, scrambled eggs, breakfast recipe, God lessons, life lessons

The other morning I wanted to whip up scrambled eggs for breakfast. With two eggs cracked and in the bowl I went to grab the final egg to join its friends. As I cracked it on the side of the glass bowl not only did a dark liquid seep into the bowl, but the egg cracked in such a fragmented way that its juice launched out like a missile and came crashing onto my clothes. Immediately the revolting, foul odor made my stomach lurch and my gagging reflex shift into high gear. I clutched the counter as the putrid smell assaulted my senses. Ridiculously, I contemplated attempting to save the good yolks from the effects of the bad yolk, but as the grayish liquid began to expand and greet the bright, yellow yolks in the bowl I knew I had to count my losses. My breakfast which was perfectly fine two eggs in became contaminated by the third egg’s presence. I stripped off my rotten-egg peppered clothes, rushed the trash to the bin outside, opened wide every door for fresh air and doused myself in GermEx knowing if I didn’t take the extra measures to separate the stench from my […]

Uganda, Uncategorized

Leaving Those You Love

July 31, 2017 4 Comments

I ended up in tear-drenched shambles as my husband harmlessly suggested I make more friends in Uganda. “Honey, you are such a people person. You are not initiating friendships here.” He stated rather cautiously. “You are waiting for people to reach out to you. Go make an effort!” My husband is right. I am a people person, but this evening he shook the mountain of emotions inside of me and an avalanche began its crashing descent into our lives. “I am tired of leaving people,” I spouted rather tersely. I exhaled, letting my defenses down, and explained, “All my life I’ve been leaving people, places and relationships.” He cocked his head at me with a look of confusion and I began to list every state, school and relationship I deserted inevitably thrusting me into a cycle of beginning life again. The thought of starting over doesn’t shine like a diamond. A fresh start isn’t as appealing as a solid stay. Relationships require work. Sometimes they begin easily, but sticking with them for the long-haul requires a hefty amount of energy and investment of time. Yes, I had a wide variety of friends back in the US, but I no […]