Disappointment

Well, I must admit that I am less than motivated to post tonight.  A bit sad.
Yesterday I had hoped to meet with a few people who are in the early stages of planning an HIV/AIDS forum to be held in Ukraine this fall.  One of the leaders was meeting in the IFI office with Artyom, [...]

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Settlers of Catan

Jeanne and Kolya decided that tonight would be a good night to teach me to play Settlers of Catan, one of those games that takes quite a while to play and it’s no fun if someone quits partway through.  You need to be committed to the game.  The good news is that it takes nowhere [...]

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KCWF

Well, it was the last Monday of the month again, so Kyiv Christian Women’s Fellowship met in our home this evening.  The directions to our flat are quite detailed and very clear IF someone is coming from the metro station nearby.
About 15 minutes before the meeting was to start, my cell phone rang.  A gal [...]

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Sunday

Another wonderful Sunday.
With the second service in our church beginning at noon, we are able to get up slowly … and enjoy several cups of coffee before bundling up for the frigid walk.  Typically Jim and I read together, discuss our next week, and pray.
After the service today, Jeanne and Maya (a friend visiting from [...]

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The Centrality of the Heart

Another excerpt from How People Change, by Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp:
“The average Christian defines sin by talking about behavior. For example, what is the goal of most Christian parents? Is it not to get their children to do the right things? We set up all kinds of relational, motivational, [...]

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Lifelong Change

You may have noticed that quite a few of my posts require each of us to look at our own hearts — hence the name of my blog: The Heart of the Matter. Today’s post is along those same lines.
How People Change is one of those books that challenges us to look at [...]

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My Kids

I really miss seeing these little faces.
Kyiv is currently under quarantine — meaning that the schools are closed and hospitals are restricted to the medical personnel only. Which means that I cannot visit “my kids” at the hospital. Quarantine usually happens once a winter here during the flu season. Sometimes it lasts only a week, [...]

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Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For [...]

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Chapel

Well, I have been invited to speak at a small chapel service at a university in Kyiv.  I was invited by an American friend, one who teaches composition there.  Most likely, the majority of the folks attending the chapel on Thursday will be her students.
I have managed to put this off for several weeks, primarily [...]

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What is the will of God for my life?

What is the will of God for my life?
Who hasn’t asked THAT question?
Step by Step, a book by James C. Petty, asks that question in the preface. There are any number of books written to give the reader some insight into discovering God’s will, so what makes this book unique?
Petty suggests that before we [...]

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