It's Contagious!

A friend shared this link a few weeks back on FB and I loved it!  It's a wonderful article on Missions.  It's amazing how the passionate, radical life of one can cause a chain reaction!  I didn't want to forget where I saw it, plus I wanted to share it with you!  Enjoy!

Book Review {7}: Part 2

In continuing my review of 7, I wanted to share some quotes from the book and how they have challenged me.

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"If a fast doesn't include any sacrifices, then it's not a fast. The discomfort is where the magic happens."

"But the feast has a partner in the rhythm of the gospel: the fast. It's practice is unmistakable in Scripture. Hundreds of times we see reduction, pouring out, abstinence, restraint."

".....discomfort creates space for the Holy Spirit to move."

It's been a while since I've fasted.  From anything.   On purpose.  With a purpose to obtain something greater.  God doesn't always call us to fast from food.  Perhaps a fast from spending money, or Facebook. 

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"The careful study of the Word has a goal, which is not the careful study of the Word. The objective is to discover Jesus and allow Him to change our trajectory. Meaning, a genuine study of the Word results in believers who feed poor people and open up their guest rooms; they're adopting and sharing, mentoring and intervening."

How is the Word causing change in my life?  If it's not causing change, then I'm not really reading it/devoting myself to it.

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The following is a quote from Month 4; fasting from media.  Her family also participated with her this month.

"Between the fighting, crying, whining, and blaming, I hit a metaphorical wall. I wanted to turn on a movie and silence their little mouths. A nice screen trance would settle the tumultuous waters. Instead, I sent everyone to bedrooms until I gave the word. We have to deal with rather than anesthetizing tension with TV or video games. It's easier to bypass relational snags with a convenient distraction, forfeiting the chance to improve problem solving and listening skills, I don't want my kids to be more comfortable interacting with a computer screen than a human being. We stay the course until we've resolved an issue, not allowing 'Phineas & Ferb' to fill the space instead. This is harder and requires more time, but my kids will marry people and have bosses and children. Learning healthy relational skills is now or never."

How many times have I used a movie to break up the craziness?  To use that 'screen trance' that creates only a temporary solution and over -ooks the heart of the issue?

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Some quotes from Month 5, the month of Waste.

"I'm beginning to wonder if the unprecedented consumption of the earth's resources and the cavalier destruction of its natural assets is a spiritual issue as much as environmental. Like Wendell Berry wrote: 'The ecological teaching of the Bible is simply inescapable: God mad the world because He wanted it made. He thinks the world is good, and He loves it. It is His world: He has never relinquished title to it. And He has never revoked the conditions, bearing on His gift to us of the use of it, that obliges us to take excellent care of it. If God loves the world, then how might any person of faith be excused for not loving it or justified in destroying it?' "

"True reform involves purchasing fewer disposable materials in the first place, like bulk products, produce from the farmer's market, and the second-hand goods that have already shed their packaging. Best practices include reusing containers over and over, lowering the consumption of single-use materials. Recycling is probably a third-tier tactic toward genuinely reducing waste for maximum impact."

"Yes, Africa, we'll take your diamonds, gold, and oil, but you can keep your crushing poverty and disease. What does it mean to be a godly consumer? What if God's creation is more than just a commodity? If we acknowledged the sacredness of creation, I suspect it would alter the way we treated it."

I have a looooonnngg way to go on this topic.  While we half-way recycled in Texas, we are required to recycle here.  I have taken to it like every good perfectionist does...I've even already dug things back out of the trash to replace them in their proper recycle bins.  But we buy and use paper towels and paper plates like they were the next best thing to thin sliced bread.  And don't even touch my individually wrapped Kraft American Cheese!  If I ever run out of that in our house we will probably starve!  In all serious though it leads me to wonder....In what ways can I be a better consumer?  In what ways can I make better choices about what I'm buying from the get-go that will produce a better result?

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From Month 6: Spending.

"If tithing the minimum and consuming the rest is okay, then we can dismiss Jesus' ideas and act obsessed about other stuff He said....Literal obedience would require such a radical overhaul, my head is pounding. The ramifications are overwhelming."

Literal obedience would require such a radical overhaul!  While I don't believe he has called me to it all at once, He has opened my eyes even greater to how we spend the majority of our money.  We have been faithful tithers, and when there is an extra need in the church we do our best to support it as we can.  But this chapter specifically leaves me asking myself how much more can we do?  What about the rest of our money?  It still is His; not mine.  Do I really need curtains on my windows, or would that money best be used elsewhere?  Can I sacrifice something I want to give to something better?  This is something that I really struggle with.

"Would they be stunned most of us don't feed the hungry, visit the prisoner, care for the sick, or protect the widow?"

"The church the Bible described is exciting and adventurous and wrought with sacrifice. It cost believers everything, and they still came."

I believe the people of the church want something radical to live for.   None of us asks for our spouse to be partially committed; but we want to be loved passionately.  I believe we are all looking for that same passion when it comes to serving our God who calls us into something much bigger than ourselves.  An adventure that is wrought with great sacrifice but with an eternal reward.  That type of living, radical as they say, is what draws others to Christ. 

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In one section Jen talked about a mentor encouraging her to stay with other Christian families during her business travels, and not at a hotel.  Just as the early disciples relied on the hospitality of other Christians to take care of their needs as they traveled from city to city.

"This exits the expediency of consumerism and enters the realm of hospitality. There is something so nourishing about sharing your living space with people where they see your junk mail pile and see wee football schedule on the fridge and pile of shoes by the front door."

What has happened to this type of hospitality?  Looking back I remember my parents volunteering at different times when the church asked for host homes for a guest speaker, a missionary traveling through seeking support, or for other events that would require any out of town guests.  I can't remember the last time I heard this requested presented!  (Maybe I just missed it.)  The natural thing to do now-a-days is to book a hotel.  I believe this takes away the fellowship that was intended.

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"Everyone has ideas. It's confusing and overwhelming. This creates a war within, and it leaves you raw. Sometimes you're a full-blown mess over it."

 

"Take a little baby step. Tomorrow, you can take another. Offer yourself the same grace Jesus has given you. We're no good to Him stuck in paralysis."

"Proverbs: our light is the dimmest at the beginning of salvation, but it grows brighter and brighter as we go. There is no wasted scene, no futile season. God gives us what we can handle when we can handle it. We are drawn more and more deeply into the knowledge of Jesus......Do the best with what you know. When you know more, adjust the trajectory."

There is much I am learning and much that I feel God is speaking to me.  Sometimes it comes in pieces though.  IE. My eyes have only recently started to open to the reality of the slave-trade that surrounds us.  I know I can't come to grasp the entirety of it all overnight and quit consuming everything that is related.  It will take time.  It will take energy and research.  But as a friend of mine has said...I can't claim ignorance anymore.  Therefore I am responsible.

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I really. really, really, really hope you put this book on your reading list!  Jen speaks in such a relatable way, but also a way that will speak deep into your heart and make you want to change.  I only shared a few things with you and I keep thinking about all of the other stuff that was in her book that moved and challenged me just as much.  It is stuffed full of goodness!!!   

Book Review {7}: Part 1

I know in a previous post about a book review I mentioned that there are a few blogs that I come across that really seem to stir my soul and challenge my way of thinking.  As I said before Katie's blog is one of those.  Another one that I have came across a few years back is Jen Hatmaker.  I first came across her blog a few years ago when she was in the middle of a social experiment.  I only caught bits and pieces of it at the time, but her book, 7, is her personal journey through her experiment. 

(amazon.com)

The complete title of the book is 7: an experimental mutiny against excess.  In her experiment she takes seven months and fasts from something different each month.  Month 1: Clothes.  She choose seven items of clothing and wore only those seven items all month long.  Month 2:  Food.  She choose 7 foods and only ate those.  Month 3: Possessions.  She set a goal to give away 7 items from her house, per day.  Month 4:  To refrain from media.  Month 5: Waste.  This includes recycling and gardening.  Month 6: Spending.  She choose seven stores that they were allowed to spend their money at.  Month Seven:  Stress.  She limited her social and business activities.

In all honesty, I put off reading this book for a few weeks out of pure fear/selfishness for how my life is now, and what I might be called to change after reading it.  In saying that though, I do also believe that God brings certain things into our lives when He thinks we are ready for it.  Had I read this book five years ago, I might have thought she was a crazy woman and had dismissed the bigger picture.  In reading this though, my heart aches for what she is reaching for.  A radical life in service to our Lord!  I know He doesn't call all of us to leave our homes and serve as a missionary overseas, but I do know that He has called us to a ministry in my home and around my home...something greater than what I have been a part of.  I am so easily consumed by my own life.

I am confident that my review of her book will not do it justice.  Jen is a great writer to begin with and she is 100% open about who she is.  She had me in tears.  She had me laughing, out loud.  She makes you feel like she is having a conversation directly with you and you are one of her best girlfriends.  She gives you facts, and she gives you scripture.  She speaks passionately about the ways that the Holy Spirit is speaking to her.

A lot of the other reviews I have read were upset because they thought that this was a "how-to" book.  Jen clearly states that this was a record of her personal journey.  I love how she never tells you what her and her families' "end result" was.  She speaks from the experiences of her own life but encourages room for the Holy Spirit to communicate what it might mean for you and your family.  There is no formula.

The book isn't written in normal chapter sequence.  It is broken down into seven months and then Jen has taken excerpts from her daily journal during the experience during that month.  There aren't 30/31 entries in the book per month.  Some of the entries were short, but some of them were longer.  This also made for an easy read, and easy to find a stopping point.

One of the best things about this book is Jen's list in the back of about 20 companies that sell hand made items from non-slave trade organizations.  The money goes directly back to support the people that made it.  Can you say birthday gifts?!  Christmas Shopping?!  If you buy the book for nothing else, but this list...it is worth it!!!

I finished this book right around Easter, about four weeks ago.  My life hasn't changed drastically overnight.  We haven't sold all our possessions and moved to Africa.  But, I can tell you that my heart has changed.  I'm not saying all of it is due to this book, but God has certainly used it in continuing to open my eyes to something outside of myself.

Tomorrow I will share Part 2 with some quotes from the book!!

Wurzburg Residenz

Third time is a charm, no?!  On the Saturday of our Spring Break/Block Leave we had to drive to another post to get some boot that Tim needed for an inspection coming up that they didn't have at our Clothing and Sales.  We headed out mid-morning, got the boots, ate lunch at Taco Bell (Thank you Jesus for that!), and then drove about another 30 minutes to Wurzburg.  We drove through Wurzburg earlier in the week and we could spot a huge castle from the Autobahn.  It was also one that my friend, Kelly, had suggested.  I did my research again, and there seemed to be a few big attractions for the city, but The Residenz came up at the number one attraction.  It also seemed to be the beginning of The Romantic Road (a worthy road trip in and of itself).  Even better...The Residenz had 400 parking spaces available right in front of it!!!!  I could taste success!!!  Once again, with guidance from our GPS (Tim and I have already marveled at the fact that both our parents toured this country with just a paper map), we arrived and found a parking space!!!!  Hollaa!!!!

  (We tend to get excited when we can find a spot for our mini-man!)

The front view of The Residenz.

A quick (but not painless) shot of the boys in the side courtyard.

  Aren't they so handsome?!

This is still the side courtyard.  The boys really liked the triangle shaped trees.

Underneath each of the trees was a different statue.

Running in circles...

And....this is where my camera battery died.  And...this is where I found out that my spare battery, the one that I charged on Monday and had not yet used, was not holding it's charge, because it too was dead.  :(  So no pictures of the back courtyard or the entryway to The Romantic Road.  Just means we will probably be going back here as well.  Maybe.

Either way, we will be going back to Wurzburg because this is NOT the castle that you can see from the Autobahn.  I'm guessing that it is the Marienberg Fortress.

The only other complication we ran into with this particular trip was paying for the parking.  I knew that there was a small fee for the parking space but we didn't see a place to pay for it when we came in.  We assumed that it was kind of like the parking at an airport....You put your ticket in the machine when you leave and you pay there.  Yeah...well..it wasn't.  This created a complication with the van.  Tim managed, 'cause he's an awesome driver, but it wasn't the prettiest.  He managed to get us turned around and I was headed into the castle to ask someone about the parking fee when Tim spotted two small meters at the back of the parking lot.  Three Euros later and we were on our way!  This time they let us out the gate!

I'd like to do some more research and ask around about the Fortress.  If it's in walking distance of the Residenz, we could still park there (now we know how that works) and walk over to the Fortress.  Ryan also really wanted to go inside the castle, but you have to take a tour to do that.  From the research I've done, most of the tours seem to be about an hour long and I'm not sure all the boys would last the whole time.  It might have to be just a Daddy and Ryan thing, or a Mommy and me date. 

I was really disappointed in my camera battery, and the parking thing at the end was stressful, but overall this particular trip was probably the most successful of the week's adventures.

Playmobil Factory

As I said in the previous post, we took the boys to the Playmobil Funpark.  This is the entrance to the park.

Right after this picture Ryan decided to try and run down the steps and he tripped and fell right on his head, along with hurting his knee.  We weren't inside the park for more than 2 minutes!  I thought we were going to have to turn around and leave.  Thankfully, Tim got him through it.

The next few pictures are from the indoor section of the park.

 

Colin has always been a little more timid when it comes to play areas.  I used to have to crawl through the McDonald's playareas with him.  Ryan did a really good job of helping him and not leaving him in the dust.

Blaine really enjoyed the opportunity to climb around on things too.

They had tons of outdoor playground themes as well.  They had Pirates, Dinosaurs, Tractors/Diggers, Noah's Ark, Midevil Castle, etc.  Yes, that's a life size boat in real water.

Daddy taking the risk and going aboard.

At the Castle.

I can't remember what section this was in, but that's Ryan about 1/2 way up.

Colin enjoying the massive swing.  (These swings are at almost every playground we go to.) 

The boys working on their balancing skills.

Colin's favorite section...the Cowboys.

Blaine getting his chance to play some more.

The boys had a great time and it's only about 45 minutes away, so I'm sure we will be going back again.

Cadolzburg

On the Friday of our Spring Break/Block Leave we decided to take the boys to the Playmobil Factory, which is pretty much an amusement park, playground style, for kids of all ages.  Before heading there we decided to stop at Cadolzburg Castle that was on the way.

I had done my research and the website said there was no parking in front of the castle, but it suggested two other places that were either a 2 minute or 10 minute walk.  We made it to Cadolzburg no problem.  And we located the castle no problem.  We just couldn't find either of the parking areas the website listed.  We drove around for a bit.  We seemed to drive around it, but we never see the front of the castle.  The main road we came in on, brought us by the base of the castle wall and it continued out past the city.  Right on the edge there was a small parking area with some hiking trails.  We weren't sure the boys would make the walk all the way up to the castle and back to the van.  Considering, we only knew how to get to the base of the castle.  Even if we walked I don't think we would have known which way to go for the entrance.  We decided to make the best of it and just go for a short walk.

This is as close as we got.....

A few pics from our walk....

Colin's latest thing to show his unhappiness..crossing his arms.  Oh dear boy...

By the time we came back from our walk some of the morning haze had lifted and this one was a tad bid clearer.

The GPS took us out a different way then we came in and in retrospect we are thinking that the parking area the website was talking about was just a "shopping area" with parking on the street.  It's not too far away, maybe about 40 minutes, so we might have to give this one another go as well.

Heidelberg {Round 1}

About two weeks ago Ryan was on his Spring Break and Tim had Block Leave.  We piddled around and were indecisive about what we were going to do during that time. Once we finally did decide, most of the stuff that we wanted to do was already booked.

So we decided to take a few different day trips.  I have a few friends back home who are great trip planners and/or have been here recently.  I emailed them for some help and within a few days one friend, Kelly, sent me a FULL, DETAILED, 3 DAY trip!  Complete with directions, links to attractions and what hotels to stay at!!!  (Yes, my friends are awesome!!)  She also gave some suggestions for a few day trips as well.

The only downfall was that it was a 3 day trip through Europe; including part of France and Italy.  At this point, we still don't have our travelers passports.  We heard multiple people tell us before we came that we needed them/didn't need them, and we've heard the same variation of answers since being here.  We decided to play it safe though.  We applied for our travelers passports that week and are still waiting for them to come in.  We figured there is plenty to see in Germany anyways and if we move to Italy in a year, we will have more opportunities to see what is South of us later.  Our big picture goal is to hit what's up North now, and what's South of us could always be saved for later.  Generally speaking.  Cause we didn't really go North during our trips.  Anyway.  I'm babbling.

We ended up taking some of what Kelly suggested, plus some of what we wanted to do/see and tried to work it out.  Let me tell you it was stressful and overwhelming!!!!  I was trying to make the most of our trips and maybe plan out 2 to 3 stops along one route.  When looking at Google Maps though I would be planning it out and there would be 5 places in between Point A and Point B that I've heard great things about and I know we should go there...although I didn't always know for what.  It was really hard deciding what to do and what to skip.

For our first trip we decided to drive over to Ramstein, an Air Force Base, about 3.5 hours away.  Ramstein is one of the biggest Military Base's and Tim wanted to go see what they had.  Our PX is super tiny, so I figured maybe I could find a few things I needed there.  The plan was then to hopefully get into guest housing, stay the night, and head out the next morning to Heidelberg.  You can only book guest housing 24 hours in advance..and by the time I got through on Monday morning they were all booked.  So we found a Best Western, with breakfast included (yeah for a semi-American hotel!) about 30 minutes away and I booked it for the night!

Ramstein is definitely big!  But let's skip past that and get to Heidelberg!  Heidelberg was my choice.  I was born in Heidelberg when my parents were stationed there.  Through the years I have heard nothing but exceptional comments on Heidelberg.  Ones along the lines of "Oh, that was my favorite place!"  "Heidelberg is beautiful!"  People raved about it in general.  It wasn't necessarily on my list of places to visit "right away", but it was only an hour from Ramstein and on a route back home (but around here, just about anything could be on your route back home), so we decided to give it a go.

We had complications first thing Wednesday morning.  It was raining.  We (I particularly) were (extremely) bummed.  We were once again indecisive.  Should we go to Heidelberg, or go home?  I hated to have come all that way and not have done anything.  Our first trip out on our own was not going smoothly...and I definitely struggled with that.  In our fickleness we drove back to Ramstein.  We ended up hanging around long enough to get lunch and then decided to push through it and headed to Heidelberg.  The rain was off and on during our drive.  We located the Schloss (Castle) and even found parking!!!  Yeah us in our Mini-Van!!!  I'm pretty sure we completely over fed the parking meter.  It was a bit chilly so we bundled everyone up (I think we had brought a whole bag just of coats not knowing what the weather was going to be) and headed down the stairs.

No sooner that we (Tim) carried the stroller down three or four, large, flights of stairs it started raining.  Thankfully we were able to duck into a little crypt-like area that was partly blocked off for reconstruction to try and keep dry.  Then it started raining harder.  We waited it out about ten minutes or so and it started to soften, so we decided to venture out.  I managed to sneak my camera out of my coat for a few quick shots.

This is a side view of the Schloss.  Lots of construction going on.

Same side view and down into the city of Heidelberg.  (Plus rain drops.)  The bridge in the distance is the Carl Theodor Bridge, aka Old Bridge; which is also a huge monument in itself.



This was as far as we made it.  It was still raining.  We had winter coats on, but they weren't water proof.  I didn't even bring the plastic rain cover for the stroller, so Blaine was getting wet too.  We did manage to find a pathway that let back up the the parking lot, so we (Tim) didn't have to carry Blaine up all those stairs.  As we were driving back down the hill it stopped raining.  :)

Even in writing this, the idea of traveling in a foreign country is stressing me out!  I want to go to the Old Bridge, and walk their downtown.  I definitely want to go back to the castle.  I'm pretty sure I've read you can walk from the Bridge to the Castle.  It sounds so simple.  I'm still bummed about this trip, and we have every intention of going back, but I still feel lost in the details of it all!

To leave you on the lighter side of things...in Germany you are free to pee wherever.  There are multiple pull offs available alongside the autobahn for you to take advantage of this freedom.  And the boys did.  :)  (If you look closely you can see Colin hasn't quite mastered the art of peeing outside without completely dropping his pants.  hehe.)

I, in the meantime, held it.

(More to come on our other adventures!)