http://www.lauraleighparker.com Life Overseas {a missionary blogs of life in Asia} Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:05:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/88ea54a0b2c7b923e211db41c950105b.png?s=48 http://www.lauraleighparker.com http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/12/christians-pursuing-dreams/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/12/christians-pursuing-dreams/#comments Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:34:30 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=5728 The recent discussion we had here about the brutal cycle of hope and disappointment had me nodding my head as the conversation developed about dreams and the eventual crash-and-burning of those very ideals. And this early morning light finds me watching the farmers begin the process of harvesting the rice. Over the big white wall that [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/12/christians-pursuing-dreams/feed/ 51 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/09/if-youre-this-then-read-that/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/09/if-youre-this-then-read-that/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:09:03 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=5399 This summer while traveling, I was reading– at the beach, on the plane, during the early-morning jet-lag hours, on another plane, and then another one.  And since I’m always hungry for book suggestions from other people, here are a few recommends.  You know, should there be nothing on tv some night . . . If [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/09/if-youre-this-then-read-that/feed/ 26 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/07/guest-post-kelley-leigh-jumping-falling/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/07/guest-post-kelley-leigh-jumping-falling/#comments Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:54:59 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=4990 This is a picture of my friend Kelley and I, taken a few weeks ago on her front porch. Our paths crossed in the small town of Colorado where my husband was the youth pastor to her boys.  She writes, she works, and she literally asks the best questions of anyone I’ve ever met–ever, ever. [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/07/guest-post-kelley-leigh-jumping-falling/feed/ 50 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/02/ways-fight-depression/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/02/ways-fight-depression/#comments Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:17:07 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=3934 If you have struggled or are struggling with depression {or discouragement}, I hope this post will be helpful, though it’s an admittedly longer one than usual.  Please understand that I speak not as an expert of any kind, but merely as one who’s tasted the weighty dark depression/discouragement which can bring. And while I talk [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/02/ways-fight-depression/feed/ 62 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/02/video-gonna-wanna-watch/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/02/video-gonna-wanna-watch/#comments Sat, 05 Feb 2011 14:47:24 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=3968 I used to scour the blogs of my friends who were homeschooling {okay, I still do}. I was hungry for suggestions from mothers who were a year or two ahead of me in the process of raising kids, and I wanted to peek into their bookshelves and see which titles were on them. Now, three [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2011/02/video-gonna-wanna-watch/feed/ 14 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/09/slippery-truth-and-a-real-emergency/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/09/slippery-truth-and-a-real-emergency/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:25:09 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=2310 Post Disclaimer:  Admittedly, any of us could walk away from a post like the following and want to argue.  ”Isn’t this an ‘emergency,’ too?  Do we all have to give our money away?  Should you drive yourself into a state of emergency trying to solve the emergency?”  I get it, I do.  But, sometimes, I [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/09/slippery-truth-and-a-real-emergency/feed/ 4 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/05/off-the-bookshelf-may/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/05/off-the-bookshelf-may/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 14:47:22 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=1409 For the Kids . . .  For the Mom . . .  So what are you (or your kids) reading these days? See more Off the Bookshelf.]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/05/off-the-bookshelf-may/feed/ 0 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/04/off-the-bookshelf-april-2010/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/04/off-the-bookshelf-april-2010/#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:24:39 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=1127 I am going to start a new series here at Life Overseas called, “Off the Bookshelf.”  Essentially, since reading is such a major factor in our kids’ homeschooling and adult lives, I thought I would pause every now and again and write about the books we are reading in our home.  If I had the [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/04/off-the-bookshelf-april-2010/feed/ 9 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/02/the-heavenly-man/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/02/the-heavenly-man/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:33:20 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=763 I am finishing up the account of a Chinese Christian, Brother Yun, whose story of faith under intense torture and persecution by his own government during the 90′s is riveting.  Yun was a house church leader and refused to denounce his belief in Jesus and would not give over the names of other leaders in the Chinese underground [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/02/the-heavenly-man/feed/ 0 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2009/10/the-soul-and-the-american-dream/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2009/10/the-soul-and-the-american-dream/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:58:00 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=340 “Perhaps many dreams have been fulfilled–a move to a larger house, to vice president, to a condo after the kids have finally moved out–but the soul has become like a boarded-up discount store in an empty parking lot with weeds rising up out of the pavement cracks.” -David Goetz, Death by Suburb “And what do [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2009/10/the-soul-and-the-american-dream/feed/ 2 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2008/12/storytime-answers/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2008/12/storytime-answers/#comments Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:20:00 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=81 My last few days as a mom have been . . . brutal, disappointing, exhausting. My attitude has started off poorly with my kids and just gotten worse throughout the day. I was easily frustrated and impatient and harsh and negative. I felt so discouraged at their behavior and overwhelmed at the amount of mess [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2008/12/storytime-answers/feed/ 1 http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2008/11/blue-like-jazz/ http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2008/11/blue-like-jazz/#comments Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:17:00 +0000 Laura http://www.lauraleighparker.com/?p=62 I have skimmed back over Donald Miller’s book Blue Like Jazz (“Nonreligious thoughts on Christian spiriutality” is the byline). I love how he writes and what he says. The final quote is probably my favorite in the whole book. “The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: Life is a story about [...]]]> http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2008/11/blue-like-jazz/feed/ 1