After Tea...

I want to fill in the days since I last wrote. Cherie and I have been nursing colds since yesterday, so we were glad to be staying quietly with old friends today. We did enjoy a lovely dinner of "Donaus" ----gyros at a local Turkish restaurant.

If you've ever had Turkish tea you know what we had this afternoon. We were able to order a variety of tea delicacies AND gyros for six for an incredibly low price!

I have a Turkish cookbook, and I look longingly at the pictures, knowing that I can't possibly duplicate the images there. Today we all enjoyed these delicious cookies and baklava.

Yesterday we drove most of the day, as I reported. We got to stop and have Turkish soup and apple kuchen at the home of former co-workers. So wonderful to see them and the castle in their old (1200's) town!

On Monday we started the day in Ingolstadt, my old home town, and home of Audi, but ended it in Munich and the BMW World.

Cherie picked out her own BMW 635 convertible, white, really classy :)  I got my picture with one of the Rolls Royces. My husband prefers the M-3. Ed enjoyed the video racing game there among other things they are promoting with their new technology.

I was impressed. It really would be fun to buy a car there. Your new car is raised on a circle platform, you get all the information you need and off you go around an indoor track, out to the world...

I'm thinking about this car they are releasing in March 2013 that is entirely electric. It's pretty amazing!

Up the Olympic tower for a panoramic view of the area. Word of caution: don't try jumping in the moving elevator. You will be reprimanded, and the car might break!!! It's quite the ride. We had real Italian pizza that evening. (Trust me, it's not American!)

On Sunday we enjoyed the church service at my old church in Ingolstadt. This is the church I helped to start 25 years ago. No familiar faces but sweet fellowship and the promise of carrying our greetings to those we weren't able to make contact with. Imagine---the church grew from 10 people to 150 in 25 years. Remarkable. The old churches are empty, but this one is alive and well! so delightful to be there!

Back and forth we walked all over the old city, into several ancient churches. In the Moritz church we were blessed with an unexpected harp concert. We were the only listeners to a celtic sounding musician. Wonderful acoustics!

We walked to the Neu Schloss, (new castle) now the home of the Bavarian Army museum.

Each floor and one of the towers had exhibits from the times of Knights until the time of King Ludwig III.

What an interesting afternoon, completed by a walk over the Blue Danube on the foot bridge across from the castle.

Dinner with more wonderful friends in their beautiful home with two cats (Cherie was thrilled!) and overnight made this day especially meaningful. It really is a joy to see friends after 25 years.

We have been pampered and fed (stuffed).

Saturday we drove to Augsburg for an experience like no other. Treated like royalty, we visited the home of my husband's friends there. We were showered with gifts of all kinds! The generosity of these friends was overwhelming!

A sumptuous feast awaited us at the restaurant owned by our friends. Would you like a description? Schweinebraten, Knoedel, Spatzle, Reh, Pomme Frites, Appertif,....

We had to walk it off by visiting Bertolt Brecht's home, the Fuggerei, and the Golden Hall in the Rathaus.

We took pictures of the Weihnachts Markt (Christmas Market) being built there for this season. The lovely store windows were filled with goodies. (It's good to look at goodies when you are STUFFED!)

Back to Munich for the night. What a day!

Now we have some very special days ahead too. I'll report when I get time, but we are wrapping up this trip like a whirlwind, and we're a little under the weather.

Here's a little "Auf Wiedersehen!"----"Tschuess!"

More Adventure

Last night we sat for about an hour on an Autobahn. We did not know why, but later we found out that a WWII bomb had been discovered, and traffic from all the areas around was at a complete standstill.

So we know what it is like to experience a German "Stau."

Yesterday was a long drive from Munich via Ulm. A quick look at the tower of the Ulmer Muenster under reconstruction.

Must quit for now. Enjoying a Turkish tea...

And the Adventure Continues

Last time I wrote we headed for Marksburg Castle. It lies on the Rhine river, north of Wiesbaden. Cherie loved it.

On the way back we drove to the top of the Lorelei, walked around on the cliff, tried to keep from falling, and enjoyed the view.

Beautiful drives around the Taunus and along the ancient river, which flowed powerfully.

Can you tell that I am in German language mode?

I have reverted to German for these weeks, and it makes my English kömisch. (That's weird)

We are now in Bavaria, and we experienced the Marienplatz, the cathedrals, and the ambiance.

Yesterday we drove south to Linderhof, a gorgeous small palace of King Ludwig the second. We drove on to Austria through the Alps, back through a tunnel to Füßen, and off to see the castles Neuschwannstein and Hohenschwangau.

We enjoyed the majestic views with clear skies.

After this we drove to the Wieskirche, took pictures of the beautiful organ and interior which you will see in any Art history textbook.

What beauty!

After coffee and Kuchen (cake) there by the church we drove back to Munich, and had a fantastic Bavarian meal at the home of our friends.

Today...

Deutschland

We are happily becoming accustomed to the new time zone.

Two days ago we walked around Wiesbaden and enjoyed a lovely supper with our friends. We tasted the water from the Koch Brunnen, a hot spring that spews steam in the city center. We enjoyed the shops, the Lego store, and a drive around the Taunus to see a few animals in the animal park.

Yesterday we drove to Mainz. There we spent much time at the Gutenberg Museum. We walked up to the St. Stephen's Church, where the Jewish artist, Mark Chagall, crafted the beautiful windows.

A brand new organ is being built there, and we were able to hear some of the pipes being tuned. Ed loved it. A famous organ builder from Bonn is building it.

After visited the main Cathedral in Mainz,we had Gemütliche evenings with dear old friends. It couldn't be nicer.

Today we...:)

Scary News

Yes, the news is scary today. Closures, war, fiscal changes, and always crime.

It's enough to make you crawl in a hole and cozy up away from it all.

But you don't. You go off to see the world! You raise your children to be strong and competent. You step out confidently in your day and keep looking upward.

And that is what we do as believers.

Off to see the world...!

Divine Planning

When you trust in Jesus, and His control of your life, you really can sit back and watch the good and bad unfold with a deep reassurance that it will all come out right in the end.

That is the blessing of being a Christ-follower.

As you know, the details of life amaze me and I'm thrilled to report several "divine appointments" that have been and are occurring as I write.

You couldn't plan this!

I went to a very well attended funeral on Monday. My dearest friends' dad's life was being celebrated. He was a doctor, a remarkable man, author, and he held two doctorate degrees. He was a surgeon, head of a major hospital for some of his career before retirement. Oh, yeah, he had 10 remarkable children too.

I sat down, and an elderly gentleman came in to sit next to me.

"Do you know the family?" he asked, to start the conversation.

We chatted until the service began. I found out he was a doctor that had worked with my friend's dad.

The service was a powerful story of a man whose life simply followed where Christ led, racking up one honor and achievement after another out of the spiritual strength that flowed from God.

One after another stood up to tell how he had impacted life after life!
That's a whole story itself.

After the service ended the gentleman next to me started up the conversation again.

"What does it mean to be 'free,' " he asked, referring to the word in the name of the church we were in.

I told him.

I said, "I heard you singing the hymns. You must have some knowledge of the church."

"I'm a heretic," he stated.  Hmmm.

I shared the gospel message with him, emphasizing Biblical authority (which he questioned), and we spoke a few more minutes. I recommended the book my friend's dad had written, and we parted.

I pray my words did nothing to hinder his path to Christ, rather fertilized a mind that sought to ask such questions of a perfect stranger at a funeral!

Our upcoming field trip came about a bit suddenly. Things went not as if planned and anticipated for months, rather days and weeks.

After the dates were established we began to plan our days. Every single day and contact came together as if by an unseen travel agent!

Even to the "coincidence" of commemorative organ concerts for Ed to attend.

He's boning up on his Scott Joplin, just in case he gets to touch one of those organs. Don't you think a little American jazz would be fun to hear in an old cathedral?

I'll bring my camera. Hope I get a little video out of it.

Our God is good. He is a master planner, and we can rest in His perfect timing.

AND THIS REGARDS OUR COUNTRY AND ISRAEL AS WELL!

Fraud?

Touchscreens

Agenda 21

Time to Die

Weekend Events

Lost in the Night

I loved doing this piece. It is a heart-cry.
The concert Sunday was sweet. Amazing how the venue can be so individual, lending to such an original performance.

Two funerals and friends from out-of-town rounded out this amazing weekend.

Weeping happened, but it was for the deep joy that the impact of the departed had on so many lives worldwide. So many people came to Christ through the ministry of both.

That is sweetness.

Sweet fellowship with dear friends, introducing believers to each other, sharing a meal and our spiritual resolve.

It was exactly what I needed after a bruising week.

Remember what the daily news can never take away: assurance of the truth of Christ's love and power in all things.

Today is a day to breathe and prepare for upcoming adventures.

Our homeschool is embarking on a field trip of epic proportions.

Included will be language immersion, history of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and WWII in particular. We will explore a baroque castle, plus see mountains for the first time. Oh, and the students will be flying for the first time too. They have been primed for trying a new diet, things they've never seen before. They've been clued on cross-cultural behavior differences and social mores.

Highlights will include at least two organ concerts in cathedrals.

And we will be renewing friendships that have endured for a quarter of a century.

It's going to be magnificent. Of course.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Corgi Thoughts

It's a lovely morning here in Minnesota. Too bad there seems to be such a duskiness to life right now. You, like I, have been reading and listening to reports of conservative weeping and gnashing of teeth for two days now.

Isn't it wonderful that our hope is in the Lord, who gave Himself for me?

For me He died
For me He lives
An everlasting light and life
He freely gives!

In this time of fear (and it must be to many) we rely on God alone, and more than ever.

Nothing changes about our faith. Nothing changes about our tradition or morals. We KNOW the Truth, and the truth sets us free.

We act as our faith dictates, and there will be no excuse for lazy obedience. We will stand out, we will continue to expose darkness and explain truth and life to a lost world.

The Lord is our strength. He is our song in the night.

I have witnessed death and dying in the last few days. Those that we're losing have been promoted to glory. It can't be sad when there is such deep peace about Who they meet on the other side. They are the ones to be envied!

And WE must live the appointed days. We must do our duty here. We will stand firm as millions have before us.

I have a collection of biographies to read: Malla Moe, Foreign Devil in China, Blood Brothers, and a few others that looked interesting. I got another Tozer book to read. (I really like what he writes!) "Wingspread."

I'm encouraged by my Christian forbears. Some had it hard, some easier. Some suffered physical persecution, and we won't know until eternity the stories they could tell. Some suffered the persecution of ideological slander. I'm not sure that that isn't almost as hard. I wonder how many leave their love of Christ to compromise with culture.

As we face the sunset of our country's moral high ground we can be assured that others have indeed gone before us.

And we will experience God's generous grace in a whole new and exciting way!

He gives strength to do, hope to persevere, and grace to suffer for Him. It's always win-win with Christ!

 

Isn't This Sad?

An Interfaith Meeting

Turning a political decision into your spiritual mandate

Mandate

Catastrophe

Catastrophe

Changes

I'm deleting my facebook account today. Sick of heart, I decided to streamline as we head into this downturn.

If you want to get in touch, message me here, or email.

I see the results of this election as a judgement on our dear country.

After appropriately mourning the demise of our lives here I will resume Corgi Hollows.

May God have mercy on us.

Pilgrim's Chorus

Pilgrim's Chorus

Enjoy a favorite from our concert Saturday.

On the Eve of the Election

Stuff Liberals Say

Idolatry, American Style

The first command of the ten commandments is "Love the Lord your God."

This begs to ask.

What is your view of God?

No one can understand God fully, yet He has revealed Himself to us.

Creating God in your own image is idolatry, but we are all guilty of it at times.

I had two friends in college who refused to see God as just. Some theologies ignore God's mercy. The balance gets off. Name your emphasis----it's not the whole picture!

What I see is this push to see God as I want Him to be: loving, forgiving, providing.

He IS that.

But my God is the God of the Bible. He is so much more than that. When you base your picture of God on only part of Scripture, or on anything other than Scripture you err.

You are breaking the first commandment.

We are afraid of Him and His infinite power, His justice, His righteousness.

And that's okay. It helps us to refocus our lives, to tune them to His standards, His teachings.

God is good.

Patience with each other as we all learn of Him is one virtue, but don't get off track from learning all you can of Him. Don't limit your view of God, thereby creating a new god.

Learn of Him. He will satisfy.