KDanae Reads

What kind of faith do I want? What kind of relationship with Jesus do I want? What kind do you want? Do we want one that is sparkly and noticeable, but surface-level? Or do we want one that is messy and hard, but so very rich and deep? What dreams do I have? Have I stopped dreaming? What dreams do you have? Have you stopped dreaming? Kristen Welch -- wife, mama, blogger at   We are THAT Family   and founder of Mercy House, a non-profit maternity home in Kenya -- has wrestled with those kinds of questions over the last few years. And her response has been to set aside the sparkles and shine for the nitty-gritty and oftentimes messy life that comes with saying "yes" to Jesus. With her response has come great joy and triumphs, along with some deep heartache and sorrow. But through it all she has continued to say "yes." I just finished reading her book R hinestone Jesus: Saying Yes to God When Sparkly, Safe Faith is No Longer Enough.  And OH MY GOODNESS! It was

There are some people in the world who think that flying a plane cannot be considered missionary work. There are some people in the world who do. I just so happen to be one that does. And it's all thanks to a missionary pilot in the heart of the Amazon Jungle in Ecuador back in the 1950s. Nate Saint and his wife Marj were at the forefront of missionary aviation. Nate helped an organization called Missionary Aviation Fellowship (now based in Idaho) get off the ground and really set the standard for their pilots, plans and procedures. Nate engineered new methods for flying safely, having contact with missionaries on the ground and delivering much needed supplies without them getting lost or broken in a drop. Nate was a husband, father, pilot, missionary, mechanic, preacher, friend, son, brother and God-follower. He was also a martyr. Nate's life story is written out in the book Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hitt. A good portion of the book is written from Nate's own words

It was 4:30pm on Sunday, January 8, 1956. The radio at Shell Mera on the edge of the Amazon Jungle in Ecuador stood quiet. Marj, Betty, Barb, Olive and Marilou stood waiting in Shell Mera, Arajuno and Shandia. Waiting for the crackling sound of the radio. But it remained quiet. The next morning missionary pilot Johnny Keenan spotted Nate's yellow piper cruiser torn to pieces on a sandbar in the Curaray River, but he found no sign of the men. Immediately the news spread across the world, a rescue team was organized and prayers were sent heavenward in hopes that maybe they were in the jungle making their way slowly back to Arajuno. The story above is true. It's the true story of 5 missionary wives who found themselves widowed after their husbands attempted to make friendly contact for the GOSPEL with a stone-age tribe of known killers. It's the true story of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully and the Waodani people. It's the true story of

We are one-twelfth (1/12) of the way through the year 2014 already! While I am still having trouble writing 2014 on paperwork at home and work, January has already disappeared. This is just getting ridiculous. Time is flying by and I can't seem to keep up! Not to mention, I didn't read nearly as much as I would have liked. Time got away from me. Life got crazy. And I just didn't read as fast or as much as I normally do. But oh well. It was only one month, right? It was only the beginning of a new year. I've still got plenty of time, right?!?! Well, not if time keeps going by so fast.   :) January had no real rhyme or reason to what I read. But February will. I'm planning to re-read all of my books about my favorite group of missionaries, the Ecuador 5 -- made up of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming and Ed McCully. I have 5 books about the missionaries and 2 missions strategy books written by Nate's son, Steve. I have been really aching to r

Among some of my friends in college, I am known for making a comment that went like this...  "I don't have a heart for Africa."  It was then written down on our quote wall to haunt me for the rest of our days in the dorm. And brought up at opportune times to remind me of my lack of heart for the continent of Africa. When I made that comment, I was completely devoted to mission work in Latin America. My heart was devoted to people of Hispanic and Latin culture. I had no desire to expand my horizons and consider doing missions in an African country. And while I have yet to step foot on the African continent, over the last few years my heart has been drawn ever nearer to those lands and peoples. My heart has been drawn to the history, the culture, the people and the lifestyle of the African continent. And maybe one day I will find myself stepping into Kigali, Rwanda or Nairobi, Kenya or Bukavu, Congo (formerly Zaire) or Arusha, Tanzania. Maybe one day I will find my

While not on my Classics Club List, I agree that Virginia Woolf's The Voyage Out is one worthy to be counted among the Classics. It's style is unique. It's story is not typical. It's heroine isn't much of a heroine. But yet despite all of that, it is written with beautiful imagery and an incredible amount of heart-felt emotion. Virginia Woolf was a lady who faced a lot of tragedy and heartache. So much so that it drove to her to some dark times of depression and eventually to taking her own life. But when she came out of those dark times, she was able to write. She was able to put pen to paper and spin a story of love, life, family, heartache, travel and adventure. She was able to write in such a way that her readers could sit back for a moment (or a day) and breathe in the salty air that one would breathe while crossing the ocean or hear the sounds of the jungle while riding up the river. She wrote in such a way that her readers could ache with Rachel or question

I sit here at the end of January 1st wondering how in the world the last month, let alone the last year, could have gone so quickly. I am anxious at the thought of a new year being here and the possibilities that are to come. I am anxious because I don't want to miss a single moment and I don't want to waste another year full of empty promises, goals and resolutions. I want this year to be a year of moments. A year of taking every moment and cherishing it and using it to it's fullest potential. I have a few goals that I have come up with for this year. Two specific dreams that I want one or the other to come true by next January 1st. I am keeping them a secret so that my heart is protected in case they don't come true. Call me silly. But I hate getting my hopes up and then having them dashed. I always have and I always will. That's just me. And maybe this year will be different. Who knows? As far as reading goes, I have no set goals or plans for this