to nobody in particular:
*the following is an excerpt from our family/life blog*
"As I (Ben) sit down to write this, we are in between our second Adventsbrunch and our third -- and the first two went really well! Our first Sunday (Nov. 30th) we had 19 people here with us at our apartment for our first Freischwimmer "Brunch with Input", which we have started during this Advent season, and last week we had 12 of us -- both weeks were great! It was a huge step for the project, and as our first "Sunday gatherings", or "services", for lack of a better word, they went very well and we are headed down the right path. Of course they weren't perfect, and of course they were awesome, but we will continue to learn and continue to move toward what God has for us and for Mitte. We are really excited about this new chapter in the Freischwimmer project, and our love for the project, the people and the city continues to grow and deepen. God is so good...
"In John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, which I am currently reading, the title character has many repeatable quotes, but one recently seemed to be in larger text for me during this phase for Freischwimmer. He is a boy of great faith, knowing full well that God made him for a purpose, but he mentions how he dislikes church services because it is for a mass audience, and how whatever faith a person might have, or how deep it is, that faith grows and moves at a specific pace relative to that person and their relationship with/without God. Now, while the church service issue is an opinion -- and likewise, that about his view of faith -- I think I would agree with him about the necessity for the personal "faith pace", and how, yes, indeed, certain aspects of the "Christian" life can come as a cookie-cutter facet. So, what do I do with this thought? How does Freischwimmer connect with it? Our "Brunch with Input" is a simple, non-threatening, "move-at-your-own-pace" atmosphere where nothing is forced, but nothing is really hidden. We come together, we greet each other, get to know each other better, eat together, maybe sing a song or two, or someone share a thought or two for all to hear, and chat and chat and chat -- how awesome is that?!?!
"Freischwimmer continues -- and thanks to many of you, it is continuing with the strength of prayer and encouragement from the Body of Christ...
"Sundays are very cool..."
-----
...additional note: we have our Christmas tree, it has lights on it, it has decorations on it and the popcorn was strung and hung tonight...
...all is well with my soul...
-----
..."you learn something new every day"...
...yesterday, i learned: if you walk along the streets carrying a Christmas tree on your shoulder earlier on in the month of december, you will have people stare at you with puzzled and almost disapproving looks...
...today, i learned: make sure you read ALL the instructions before you start working on the homework assignment -- that will make things easier...
-----
currently enjoying: William Fitzsimmons
...he recently played here in Berlin, and Sarah went to the concert, as our good friend's husband is playing with him as he tours Germany -- so it was cool to see our friend again, meet her husband and enjoy some fresh music...
*the following is an excerpt from our family/life blog*
"As I (Ben) sit down to write this, we are in between our second Adventsbrunch and our third -- and the first two went really well! Our first Sunday (Nov. 30th) we had 19 people here with us at our apartment for our first Freischwimmer "Brunch with Input", which we have started during this Advent season, and last week we had 12 of us -- both weeks were great! It was a huge step for the project, and as our first "Sunday gatherings", or "services", for lack of a better word, they went very well and we are headed down the right path. Of course they weren't perfect, and of course they were awesome, but we will continue to learn and continue to move toward what God has for us and for Mitte. We are really excited about this new chapter in the Freischwimmer project, and our love for the project, the people and the city continues to grow and deepen. God is so good...
"In John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, which I am currently reading, the title character has many repeatable quotes, but one recently seemed to be in larger text for me during this phase for Freischwimmer. He is a boy of great faith, knowing full well that God made him for a purpose, but he mentions how he dislikes church services because it is for a mass audience, and how whatever faith a person might have, or how deep it is, that faith grows and moves at a specific pace relative to that person and their relationship with/without God. Now, while the church service issue is an opinion -- and likewise, that about his view of faith -- I think I would agree with him about the necessity for the personal "faith pace", and how, yes, indeed, certain aspects of the "Christian" life can come as a cookie-cutter facet. So, what do I do with this thought? How does Freischwimmer connect with it? Our "Brunch with Input" is a simple, non-threatening, "move-at-your-own-pace" atmosphere where nothing is forced, but nothing is really hidden. We come together, we greet each other, get to know each other better, eat together, maybe sing a song or two, or someone share a thought or two for all to hear, and chat and chat and chat -- how awesome is that?!?!
"Freischwimmer continues -- and thanks to many of you, it is continuing with the strength of prayer and encouragement from the Body of Christ...
"Sundays are very cool..."
-----
...additional note: we have our Christmas tree, it has lights on it, it has decorations on it and the popcorn was strung and hung tonight...
...all is well with my soul...
-----
..."you learn something new every day"...
...yesterday, i learned: if you walk along the streets carrying a Christmas tree on your shoulder earlier on in the month of december, you will have people stare at you with puzzled and almost disapproving looks...
...today, i learned: make sure you read ALL the instructions before you start working on the homework assignment -- that will make things easier...
-----
currently enjoying: William Fitzsimmons
...he recently played here in Berlin, and Sarah went to the concert, as our good friend's husband is playing with him as he tours Germany -- so it was cool to see our friend again, meet her husband and enjoy some fresh music...
1 comment:
that's so cool. i was going to qualify what is cool, but it's all cool.
p.s. his beard is mighty, but his tunes are mightier.
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