Barefoot Flip Flops

So why the blog name barefoot flip flops? Well, first of all who doesn’t like a good contradiction? Second, being barefoot is one of my favorite things in the world. I love feet; they’re the coolest part of the body. Also, the word barefoot conveys vulnerability, which plays a large role in my life. When you are barefoot you can always tell where you are; even blindfolded I could say I’m on a sidewalk, on grass, on a playground. Being barefoot means squishing mud between your toes, warming your feet on sweet grass, and splashing through cool puddles. But it also means—and this comes from experience—stepping on pinecones, gravel, and thorns. If you wear shoes you will not feel anything, but being barefoot means you are vulnerable to the good and the bad on your life path. I used the word flip flops with both meanings in mind. I will be marrying my Thai fiancé the summer of 2014. For now the plan is to live there for a few years while we figure things out. But who is to say those plans won’t change? Living in another country, experiencing thai culture, speaking thai; my life will constantly be “flip-flopping.” I’ll be bold and say I usually relish the challenge of change, but that doesn’t mean I’m prepared for half of the curveballs I’m sure life has in store for me. Also, because of the warm climate in Thailand, almost everyone wears flip flops almost every day to every occasion. (On a side note, flip flops are on a first come first served basis, meaning that if I wasn’t quick in the morning my pink sandals would be worn by a member of my host family for the day. I still remember finding flip flops that had gone missing for several months in my host grandparents bathroom-apparently they had been deemed sufficient for keeping feet clean from the wet restroom floor.)

I am currently finishing my last semester of a two year degree at seminary. So while I am exploring what it means to be in a long-distance, cross-cultural relationship, I am also asking what plans God may have for my ministry, and what my pastoral identity is. For every question that gets answered in class, perhaps three more spring up. This blog will not only be a journal of my adventures, but an attempt to articulate some of the ways my Christian identity is changing through these experiences.

So put the name "barefoot flip flops" together. I will be changing and growing and being challenged every day, and part of my prayer is that I stay vulnerable to these changes so that I can fully appreciate the blessings, and learn/grow from the “ouch.” 

(This picture was taken outside of a Thai temple, where to be respectful one must take off their shoes before entering. There were hundreds of shoes on the steps.)