Christmas in Europe is really something special. There is a general sense of excitement and joy as people welcome this season. German culture holds many traditions and festivities close to heart, without which it would simply not be Christmas. Both the Advent wreath and the traditional Christmas Markets are non-negotiable here in Germany. The Christmas markets especially are not to be missed. Spending a holiday […]
As an expat, especially as an expat away from “home” during Christmas, you sometimes just have to laugh. You laugh not to make fun, and not because something is “wrong”. You laugh just because it’s different … and in acknowledging this, you can find joy in the differences. For Dana, this means having a good laugh at the local trash calendar: “It’s beginning to look […]
In Germany, festivals, celebrations and even market days are accompanied by food vendors selling a variety of local beers and bratwurst. And they are good and expected. Beer and brats are staples of the culinary appetite in this part of Germany. Earlier this week we had our “Spring Market” in town, and the usual variety of vendors came to sell their specific wares. Accompanying these […]
#1 Get a view of the town Kandern may be small, but it offers a big view. Nestled at the base of the Black Forest, surrounded by mountains, and peppered with hiking trails, there are plenty of photo ops in and around Kandern. Be sure to make the uphill hike and get a view looking down on the town. You won’t regret it. #2 Enjoy […]
Recovering the Full Mission of God: A Biblical Perspective on Being, Doing, and Telling Dean Flemming | IVP Academic Reviewed by Richard Hibbert, director, School of Cross-Cultural Mission, Sydney and Missionary Bible College. Evangelical Christians continue to debate whether proclaiming the gospel or demonstrating it should be given priority. Reacting to the “social gospel” promoted by theological liberals in the early 1900s, and despite calls […]
A Work of Heart (Reggie McNeal) McNeal gleans six themes of the heart from the lives of Moses, David, Paul and Jesus that God appears to frequently use in the development of spiritual leaders. McNeal defines the six themes thusly: Culture: meeting the world Call: figuring out why we are here Community: connecting with others’ hearts Communion: rehearsing for eternity Conflict: learning to die so we […]
Transformational Discipleship: How People Really Grow (Geiger, Kelley & Nation) Discipleship is neither merely a mastery of biblical information nor merely behavior modification. Discipleship is transformational: resulting in obedience. The transformation of our lives occurs through God’s work; our role is simple but necessary: to place ourselves in the posture where God is able to transform us (echoes of Dallas Willard here). Transformational discipleship will […]
Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson) This review will probably invoke the wrath of many people. Fanboys will be upset that I haven’t bowed down to the altar of Steve Jobs, while haters will be upset that I haven’t cursed the name of Steve Jobs and everything that he touched. As I read the biography of Jobs, I found myself vacillating between a fanboy and a hater. At […]
Unfortunately, Solomon’s warning that “of the making of books there is no end” remains true (although not all books are of the same weight nor value). A Wind in the House of Islam: How God is Drawing Muslims Around the World to Faith in Jesus Christ (Garrison) The division of this survey into three sections helpfully alerts the reader to key facts of history that frame […]
The Spirit of the Disciplines (Willard) This forms the second book of Willard’s trilogy and is best read after digesting Willard’s text Hearing God. We may tend to see “spiritual disciplines” as activities for super, extra-holy people or hermits holed up in monastries. Willard argues that disciplines are a means to bring us into right relation to the spiritual Kingdom of God. This right relations to […]