There are moments in live, when I am amazed what my nation is like. Saturday we moved 9000 books from Floor Nr. 4 in one place to the attic of an other place. Had an elevator in one place. For five minutes. Then it got stuck. With one third of the moving crew being unmovable. Stuck in an outdoors elevator at freezing temperatures. We knew it would take 90 minutes for the landlord to arrive. So they wrapped themselves up in Packing paper and cardbord to stay warm. The others members of the reduced moving team could still move. And without grumbling carried all the books down 90 stairs. And up again 90 stairs. And the three once delivered got out of the elevator and started to work: First unpacking themselves and then all the stuff. Could not really believe it. Guess that makes other people think that we as Germans are work machines….But what else should you do….
Category: experience (Page 4 of 5)
A friend said to me: All people in Christian ministry write nice, decent prayer letters: you are the exeption…you write real ones…Guess, the comment was a bit extreme, but it is true: I do not like anything that is polished up or pretending to be better than it really is…God is real, his whole book is about real people with real problem walking in a real world….so I want to walk and let others know how I walk with a real God in my real world…
Right now I am in Canada for an inspiring conference…and to meet old and new friends…new like Alexandra who translates the Berlin prayer mail into English….and so far we have only met via Email…so it is great to meet the real person…
Michael Jackson was in town – welcomed by dozens of Teenagers screaming under his Hotel Window. Marching with protest signs: “Peace to Michael” and “Leave his nose alone!”….drew some attention – even ours as I was sitting in a Starbucks opposite of his hotel with some people who wanted to understand what Berlin is like and what God is doing in the city. As I was trying to explain some of the historic roots of the city we had this interessting background event…weird….pretty weird. Like absurd theater.
Weather in Berlin is mad. As a result of the storm two weeks ago there are still hundreds of broken trees and branches all over Berlin waiting to be picked up….and yesterday we had:
Sunshine – hailstorm – sunshine – hailstorm – sunshine and wind…had a weird day…reading on the balcony – running inside – reading – running inside – going for a little bike tour. Now it is as usual: cloudy sky.
Francis Shaeffer wrote: “True spirituality consists in living moment by moment by the grace of Jesus Christ.”
Went to see Hackesche Hoefe yesterday. It is one of the Berlin and Tourist hotspots. However…I had never been there…or maybe once years back…..isn´t it weird how one sometimes does not even know the best places in town…Had a coffee at starbucks (not very stylish, but I wanted to read and they had the most comfy sofas…and the most expensive coffee…3.40 Euro (almost equivalent to Dollar) for a Latte -that´s nuts….and then strolled around to have a look at the bookshops, thearters, galleries (did not managed to understand the art I saw, but never mind. Berlin is a wonderful city!
Berlin survived the worst thunderstorm in decades and we were out in a lake at the outskirts of Berlin….Glad I had a mountain bike when we raced back (me with a friend who did not have a bike at the back “seat” of my bike)….trying to escape from the falling tree branches and trees as we headed for the next train station….1400 uprooted trees and 7 people dead…pretty tough….
When Jesus (and Paul) were confronted with demons, they did not allow them to scream out who he was…(see Mark. 1, 34) Why? Maybe because he did want the preciousness of Jesus name and who is to be discovered …step by step rather than by confrontational “preaching.”
Like demons we often prefer to shout or scream out the name of Jesus rather than providing room for people to experience and to discover Him for themselves….
Maybe some of our preaching is “demonic” rather than Christ-like….(okay, now please do not burn me for heresy…it´s just a thought)….
Went to see the Here is New York exhibition ….700 pictures of Sept. 11 and after. I was touched by the pictures that showed how life suddenly stopped….a woman at the opening created by the first plane crashing into the towers…alive and well…but with probably no way to escape the collapse of the tower….a child´s doll in the grey dust…an abandoned bagel salesplace….life suddenly stopped…
But then life went on: a mother playing with her little baby on a balcony (the smoking towers in the background)…a girl and a dirty, exhausted fire brigade man kissing on a park bench, a father playing with his son in front of candles and memory notices…
A while after Sept. 11 I created a little piece of art….several egg containers filled with little things that symbolize LIFE for me….I painted them brigth red and on the covers I wrote: “LIFE IS FRAGILE …handle with care!”
Just came back from Prague. Andrew tells everything on his blog. Well, not everything…he did not mention that I kicked him in the tires during the car race.
Marc a nice dutch guy with an unpronouncable surname also tells about the event …so have a look there, too!
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