Resolved…
I will write more.
At least more than once a month.
But, hey, it was a hectic month.
Resolved…
November 2nd, 2009Post 500
October 1st, 2009Sunday morning I lit up the G5 20 inch flatscreen iMac to get the welcoming chime, a turning circle of slashes, and then the turbo of the fans kicking in. Fortunately the Sermon was on the portable.
Should have known something was up. The curtain of death would appear every 3 or 4 days. No fun.
I knew I could fix the thing. Tried to repair the hard drive with a utility program that told me that I had a bigger problem than I expected, but I was still able to copy the drive onto a new drive, swap said drive, reinstall the 10.3 operating system of yesteryear, but all of my personal preferences and applications were left out, and I really don’t know what to do to back get to 10.4 (with all my info, which is backed up but not on the main hard drive) and start working like before, with all my preferences, dictionaries, emails and such just coming up like they should.
I guess I will break down and have to pay somebody to do this, I mean, to get me back to where I was before the system bugged, but I hate doing it. Not just because it costs money, but mainly because when they fix it, I don’t learn how to fix it, and there’s a little bit of expertise that I like having.
Sunday baptism
September 9th, 2009On Sunday afternoon, about 20 of us gathered at lakeside some 100 meters in front of a 12th century church. The Alps rose on the opposite side of the lake, boats sailed across our view, the sun sparkled off the water.
We had come to this spot for F.’s baptism. I spoke to the small group of our need of a pure conscience, of the need of washing, of our desire for forgiveness and the Father’s desire to forgive. F. descended into the water, his dad baptizing him in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (We took pictures, in a spiritual way, of course.)
With F. wet and joyful, individuals prayed blessing down on him, on his family, on his church. We headed to the meeting place to share bread and wine, song and Word. Several told of their own baptisms, what it had meant, what it means.
It was one of those times that Jesus’ presence was not only acknowledged but also felt. We finished the day encouraged and, in a small way, sharing in the joy of angels.
International evangelism
August 28th, 2009Lausanne counts about 35% foreigners (we are part of that number too!), Geneva counts even a bigger percentage, and our outreach touches a large number of folks who come from all around the globe.
I was put into contact with a young man from Bolivia who is studying in Geneva. One of his housemates had invited him to church and he had enjoyed it. We studied together, shared stories and cultures, he continued to come on Sundays, all before going back to Bolivia for a 6 week break (from university studies, not from me). As soon as he got back, he asked to be baptized, so we celebrated that event a couple of weeks ago.
There’s a retired guy in the USA who has started sending out French Bible courses to folks who ask for them. I was reading his newsletter and saw that he had a contact in Switzerland. The retired guy sent out an email and I started writing to the student finding out he was from Burkina Faso and studying in a Bible institute in Bienne, about 60 minutes away. My colleague in Geneva invited over to his home for a 24 hour stay and, surprise!, when I arrived for Geneva’s Tuesday evening Bible Study, the baptistery was full and the student (he’s 40 with a family in Burkina) wanted to be baptized into Jesus. It was done, and he has gone on his way with joy.
Summer days
August 14th, 2009
Summer brings about a deadness to the city that I must admit, is easy to enjoy. Things
are quieter because so many are on vacation. The traffic is almost non-existent
because everyone is in the mountains, the south of France, or somewhere in
Asia. I do not like the low numbers of folks at church, but I love meeting new
people who are traveling through and want to commune with the local church.
The afternoon worship times are more relaxed than what we had in the morning. Certainly people are more tired, so open ended questions, reflection on Bible verses, questions about what we’ve learned from our experiences with God all seem to keep (most) people awake. I hope they are even more in tune to who God is through our time together.
Son 1 is on the West Coast as of 9 PM yesterday. He is in Portland, then will be in Fresno and later at Pepperdine, nurturing relationships and celebrating his Bachelor in Forensic Science.
He may stop off in Stockton and break into one of Randy’s cars. Just to fit in, you know.
August 1
August 3rd, 2009Our 4th of July… Our National holiday is August first. On Saturday Switzerland celebrated 718 years of existence, commemorating the pledge made by the leaders of three cantons (Uri, Schwyz and Unterwald that they would, with God’s help, defend each other and, well, just get along a whole lot better.
The local retirement home invited me to give a "meditation" for that day, so I did (even though I’m not Swiss). There was traditional music (think small accordions and a bass), Alpine horns and decorations taped everywhere. Some of the residents danced. Some slept. I spoke. We all ate.
Daughter is back with us and she had some friends over later that day. We went to the lake for fireworks. Then Son 1 and 2 tried to blow up the neighborhood with all the fireworks they had bought. No luck. But we did fill up the house with another 4 students from Harding University who are traveling through.
This is a great place to live. I love it, though I love the USA too. Although I must admit, when Federer played Roddick, I was for Roger. And when Cancellara took the Yellow Jersey, I didn’t feel sorry for Lance. It’s not that I want to be a traitor. It’s just stronger than me.
Back from Camp
July 29th, 2009Hi everyone. Glad to be back from two glorious weeks at camp. We had two camps running simultaneously. One for 7 to 12 year olds, and the other for teen ages 13-17. 120+ kids total. We were in Ardèche at 5000 feet. The weather was wonderful and there were no major troubles. Meaning: None of the campers were seriously wounded by their counselors.
I love camp. But I have to admit, I especially love it when it’s over. Those kids who hook up with local churches after camp finishes and make decisions to convert to God make it all worth while. Of course, there are problems for each year: kids that don’t know how to live in community; counselors that blow gaskets; fantastic amounts of food that has to be thrown away. But it’s all worth it if campers stay awake for my Bible class, learn to open their mouths and praise, and don’t hate you too much at the end of the two weeks.
For some of them, despite their counselors, do see Jesus.
Son 1 gets Bachelor
July 10th, 2009
He passed all his exams and got the last unit he needed to obtain his bachelor degree in Forensic Science. They we 220 at the beginning of the program. Less than 30 at the end. He had a brilliant finish.
So, congrats to Son 1! You did well! Enjoy the summer!
Christians on Mission Summer Program
July 6th, 2009Wife and I spent 3 days in Marseilles helping out (and being helped) during the 9 day mission week. Mornings were spent in Bible study and worship; afternoons in service, singing and visits. A wonderful concert was given on Thursday night. The outside temperature was in the low 90’s. The inside temp was around 110. But the people stayed. The music was edifying, and we met lots of new people.
Daughter graduated from her year as an intern in Marseilles and 80 of us feted it by eating pizza, listening to speeches and testimonies, praying with hearts full of thanks. Daughter has done well and has expanded her comfort zone. All that’s left is next week’s church camp. 15 days with 125 kids. Always a challenge. Always a time for growth.
Summer prayers
June 30th, 2009It seems that this summer there are more people and situations to pray for than ever before. We keep our niece M. in our prayers every day. We continue to pray for Susan G. who was diagnosed with breast cancer just after leaving Pepperdine Lausanne, and we pray daily for Lynn A. (To check up on his progress, go here.)
About Lynn… He and Carolyn have made several trips to Lausanne. I was always amazed by their adventures. They managed to lose luggage, get on wrong trains, and there’s even a story that they once got on the wrong plane.
When I was an ACU student, my mom came out for a visit. I had recently started going to Highland church, so mom and I crowded into the sanctuary-auditorium-meeting place early one Sunday. When Lynn got up to preach, Mom said: Oh, Lynn preaches here? I quickly affirmed saying that Brother A. was indeed the preacher. Mom then informed me that they were great friends from college days. After service, mom dragged me up front to meet Brother A. I was scared to death, completely (and understandably) in awe of the man, totally sure that there was no way he was going to remember my mom and even more sure that he did not want to meet me. (My discomfort was somewhat like how I would feel when my mom would shop for women’s underwear and I found myself the lingerie section because I was pushing the cart. Still bothers me.) Anyway, I hung back, and over the crowd’s noise I heard Lynn shouting out: Sue? Sue? Is that you? What are you doing here? Hugs, introductions and the beginning of a good friendship followed… All reasons that we continue to pray.