Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away. To that home on God’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away.

I love the words to that gospel hymn penned by Albert Brumley in 1929. Just one quick question: Do we have to fly? Might God consider special options for those who prefer wheels to wings? Perhaps a “Gloryland Way” bus or train?

Read my tongue-in-cheek column on my fear of flying.

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake. I would love to get your thoughts on ministry in Haiti. What should be the goal of churches working in this Caribbean nation? What does a good outcome look like? Do you suffer from “compassion fatigue” when you think about Haiti? In short, is there hope for this country’s future?

New on The Christian Chronicle’s website, read my report on a Church of Christ in Nairobi, Kenya, seeking to serve in an increasingly Muslim neighborhood — and see our online-exclusive photo gallery. The report is from a Sunday visit to Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighborhood during my recent Kenya reporting trip. The Nairobi Church of Christ Eastleigh and the Kenya Christian Industrial Training Institute share a compound in Eastleigh, where immigrants from Somalia are buying up much of the real estate.

Online now is a web-exclusive story about Tawee Donchai, a Christian in Thailand. Donchai, a member of Cheung Doi Church of Christ in Chiang Mai and a scientist researching HIV, grew up in the village of Chiang Rai, an impoverished community that has one of the highest rates of child prostitution in the country.

New on The Christian Chronicle’s website is a report on the earth’s population crossing the 7 billion mark. The historic total was reached while I was in Costa Rica at the 48th Pan American Lectureship, an annual meeting of Church of Christ members from the U.S., Latin America and around the globe

It’s a warm and sunny afternoon in this East African capital. In just a few hours I’ll head for the Nairobi airport to begin the long journey back to cold and Christmasy Oklahoma. It’s been a wonderful 10 days in Kenya, traveling alongside workers with Healing Hands International as they surveyed sustainable agriculture projects in rural Kenya.

Assemble an all-star lineup of some of the most powerful, passionate preachers in Churches of Christ. Put these ministers on the same lectureship program, and give each 20 minutes to speak. You probably can guess what happens next.

We made a brief trip to the town of Lodwar in Kenya’s northwest region known as Turkana. The region, like much of East Africa, was hit hard by a recent drought and famine. Much of the media attention has centered on the Dadaab refugee camp near Kenya’s border with Somalia, but other communities, including those in Turkana, also have suffered greatly in recent months. We delivered some food to villagers in a place called Nablon, which has endured a severe drought for the past three years.

I’m at the Crittenden Drive Church of Christ in Russellville, Ky., where teens from the congregation and other churches in the community will learn the “Truth About Sex.” Steve Holladay, founder and director of the Texas-based Ultimate Escape ministry, is presenting the two-day workshop focused on God’s vision for healthy sexuality.

I’m in this Central American capital for the 48th annual Pan American Lectureship. The coordinators — Dan Coker, Don DeLukie, Jim Frazier and Howard Norton — bill it as “A moveable spiritual feast.” Every year, church members from the U.S, Latin America and other parts of the globe (my roommate lives in Germany) gather in a Latin American nation for a week of fellowship, Bible lessons, reports from the mission field and a bit of sightseeing. The Jackson Street Church of Christ in Monroe, La., sponsors the event.