3A Blog — love
The Boy From Mbulamuti
Many people are familiar with the story of where the name Three Avocados came from, however, there’s another village in Uganda that holds an extremely special place in my heart: Mbulamuti (pronounced muh-boo-la-moo-tee…I think). On my first trip to Uganda in 2010, Mbulamuti captured my heart. You see, Mbulamuti used to be a big deal. The train came straight through town and pick up the cotton crop. There’s an old warehouse, what used to be offices and nice houses, and an old grain mill. The old grain mill is now the church. And this is what it looks like today:...
My value is not in the eyes of the world
By nature, I’m a pleaser. And that’s a difficult personality trait to have sometimes. Because, let’s face it, some people just aren’t easy to please. But then, why in the world am I trying so hard to please them anyway? It’s really strange. It can be a complete stranger. I just don’t want to let them down or disappoint them in any way. But I don’t know them and will never see them again, so, why does it matter? I feel like that’s a constant struggle for me. I have a little note in my phone that I refer back...
Love Your Neighbor
I recently saw a friend post this statement on Facebook: Why couldn’t Jesus have said “Just don’t hate your neighbor”. It’s so true for so many of us. So many times we want to overlook the real meaning of “Love your neighbor as yourself”. It’s pretty easy to look at that say, “well, I’m not hurting my neighbor, so it’s all good.” But that’s not what it says. And let’s not miss the other part of that…”as yourself”. That doesn’t mean take care of yourself first, then, if you have money, food, time, etc., leftover that you then use it...
Finding Peace in Our Differences
As you may or may not know, Three Avocados is based just outside of St. Louis, MO. And unless you’ve been living completely oblivious to the news, you’ve probably heard about what recently happened in Ferguson, MO, also a St. Louis suburb. On August 9th, Mike Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson. In the following weeks, there have been peaceful protests, riots, looting, and plenty of racist remarks flowing from both sides of the debate. As our city wrestles with finding truth, justice, and peace, I’m reminded of a sermon I once heard that focused...
The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”…yeah, and like, other REALLY scary stuff, right?!?!?!? I think that quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt is great. And I really wish it was true for me. I’ve found a bajillion things to be afraid of. I’m scared of all kinds of terrifying things. Like, failing. And being wrong. And not being ‘good enough’. And people. And conflict. And rejection. And my list could go on and on. But I’m learning to get over those fears. I’m learning to open up and become vulnerable. I’m learning that facing my fears is...