I kept looking around, as if someone would come and save me and make it not so hard. It was just an invitation, an offer to eat lunch together. You wouldn’t think it was that big of a deal. But it is. It’s still scary to try to get to know people in this … [Read More]
Taizé, or places between Ancient Prayers and Sexy Kartoffelbrei
“You wouldn’t think that they go together, and that’s some of the beauty of it. These clay tubes that are plain and ordinary, that don’t even fit together in an organized fashion, can come together to be a thing of beauty.” She was right too. There were white cows everywhere. I knew they existed, but … [Read More]
Long-Board Questions and Believing Konfis
The sun beat against the platform concrete, making it bright enough that my eyes need to squint a bit. I sat on a long-board with my friend as we waited for my train to come. I was going to dare a solo adventure to a town a few villages away, so I could buy a … [Read More]
Ethnocentric Bruises and Giving in to Guilt
Shweta comes from India. Julia, an engineer from Mexico. Jacinta is our class nun. She’s from Nigeria. Leonardo, Thiago, Christane, and Simone are all from different parts of Brazil. Maria is from southern Spain. Marta is from Poland. We are all learning German. But it’s not the only language we have in common. It’s hard … [Read More]
Grace, Phenomenology, and Learning to Give In
Grace. I hate you. I love you, but also I hate you. You defy me. “We are a team of grace,” she said. “You must be willing to give grace and you must be willing to receive grace.” My team leader and I had dinner a few nights ago. We talked about a hundred things, … [Read More]
Meet Me On Belmont
It has happened again, but did it ever stop? Back on the road again. This month is a mix of celebrating friendship, learning a new ministry trade, and developing partnerships for what God is doing in Germany. And those tasks are going to require a month of almost equally split days in the four different … [Read More]