On my day off this week I was able to sit in the sunlight in our salon (a privilege in itself in February) and think. I've found that since coming overseas I need more time to think, I guess there is more to process through. In the warmth of the sunlight I thought some about the future, about things I could do, about passions and interests God has put in my heart and I got really excited. I actually intended to spend this time focused in the Word and in prayer but the sunlight and the post-workout endorphin rush combined with the food coma from the post workout breakfast just made it really hard. But, the thinking was good and God-focused, so it was really prayer anyways. Usually thinking about the future brings some anxiety, or at least the knowledge of the weight of decisions, not wanting to make a wrong decision that would take my life on the wrong path, a path that God doesn't desire. But on this day I was really excited about what God might do in my life and how he might use me in the coming 50 or 60 years. Usually I am very focused on the next step and don't look at the long-term process. I consider the immediately available options and rule them in or out through carefully reasoned analysis. I guess this short perspective is partly the product of youth. In the sunlight however, ideas were flowing through my mind about the different settings in which He might use me, the passions and skills that He is building in me, and the fruit I might be able to see. I didn't feel the pressure of serving as a slave, but the joy and freedom of the son inheriting his father's business. I felt excited to be about the Father's business.
If you find yourself making a decision I pray that you too would feel joy, freedom, and excitement in letting your mind and heart wander amidst the ways in which God might use you.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Something I've been wondering about
Why does God call us to do difficult even impossible (for us) things? Why does He bother with us? How do we follow Him as He calls us to those things? I've certainly got some ideas, but I want to understand this better as I search out difficult/impossible things God may call me to. I want to study this in the Word more. If you have thoughts of what to study to learn about God's difficult/impossible callings leave me a comment.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
On the High Seas
The other day I was crossing over to Europe and I noticed I large warship starting to enter the Bosphorus from the Sea of Marmara. As it drew close to my ferry I could see the flag identifying it as an American ship. My ferry stopped to let the ship pass so I got a great stem to stern view of the ship from a few hundred feet away. After a little bit of research later I found out that it was the USS San Jacinto (thanks US Navy website), a Ticonderoga class Guided Missle Cruiser. As the ship passed I could see a bunch of sailors on the decks taking in the beautiful but very foreign view of the Aya Sofya, Topkapi Palace, and Bosphorus shore. I bet they would be surprised to learn that there was an American, probably very similar to themselves, peering back at them.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Winter Wonderland
This past weekend brought a surprise - significant snowfall. We had about 6 in. of snow over three days. Not too impressive to Midwesterners, but significant in Istanbul. While it didn't shut things down it certainly slowed them. I've never seen Turks have so much fun. There were many snowball fights and snowmen on the streets. The fish-sellers built a snowman in the middle of the fish market and topped it with the head of a swordfish, umm. It is also interesting to note that a Turkish snowman is made simple by packing snow into a torso shape, not with the American three ball method. The initial snowfall was beautiful, but the aftermath has, always, been less desirable. Since almost none of the snow was removed most sidewalks were coated with packed snow and then trecherous ice that has since been shoveled into the street (so it will melt?). We all know how nasty dirty snow is after a couple of days. Turkish dirty snow however has the added trash-factor. The litter that people tend to drop on the sidewalks and streets is normally not a problem as the roving street sweepers are quite effective. But, with snow on the ground most of that trash has ended up in the snowpiles linning the streets. Clouds and snow was a nice change from clouds and rain, but I am ready for spring.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Spain Travel Log
It's been almost two weeks since I've returned from Spain so I better get this written before I forget all the details. . .
Follow along with pictures and a map at http://picasaweb.google.com/havariyim
During the last week of January I headed off with my team to Spain. The main purpose of the trip was to attend our Midyear Conference, but we decided to get our money's worth out the plane ticket and make a 4 day tour of Spain before the conference. On our way to Madrid we had a layover in Frankfurt. We did what you're not supposed to do and left the airport during a 5.5 hour layover. After traveling in Germany last year I felt comfortable using the trains so I wasn't too worried. We got into the city center and walked around for a couple of hours. We saw the Romer (rebuilt medieval city square) the Main river, the cathedral, and had some great German pastries. The city center wasn't anything amazying on a gloomy winter morning, but a good little taste of Germany none the less.
Madrid
We reached Madrid without problem, settled in, and got some food. The hostel wasn't the best, kind of loud and busy. But that is part of the experience I guess. We spent that Friday touring Madrid. We started with the Prado art musuem. It has the largest collection of paintings in the world and is known for hosting many of the best works of the Spanish masters: Goya, Valazquez, and El Greco. Afterwords we headed to the Parque del Retiro, a massive park in the city center. Supposedly Spaniards love a good stroll in the park. It was nice but I'm sure it is incredible in the summer. We made our way through some of the famous commercial areas of the city looking for lunch and ran across "Nebraska". Cafeteria Nebraska was a lunch shop on the Gran Via. I of course made my team eat there. The only thing particularly "Nebraska" about it was the prominently featured hamburgers, in particular the "Lincoln Burger". It seemed that the restaraunt's creators were familiar with Nebraksa though as the menu had a red color scheme and showed some other insider knowledge. Unfortunately, there was no prime rib, Runza, or Valentinos Pizza (sorry Michael).
Friday afternoon brought us to Puerto del Sol, a prominent square in the city center and arbitrary center of Spain from which road distances are measured. We then visited the Palacio Real built in the 1700s with loot from the New World. It has more rooms than any other European palace. We admired it and the surrounding square and park and cathedral without paying the entrance fee. Towards evening with made our way south into "Los Austrias". This old area of the city gives has some architecturla influences from the Austrian Hapsburgs who married into the Spanish throne. There were several interesting streets and plazas as well as some great food. We ate at two different tapas bars there. Tapas bars serve small portions of dishes and everyone shares what is brought out. Typical tapas items are Spanish ham, fried seafood, cold salads, and vegetable dishes. Madird has the "grand European capital" feel - overblown buildings, large boulevards, palaces, cathedrals. It was good to experience but didn't feel distinctly Spanish, we could have been any place in Europe. We left Madrid at 10:00pm on a night bus to Sevilla.
Sevilla
We arrived at 4:00am, checked into our hostel, and got a few hours of sleep. In the morning we met up with our friends who are serving in Rome. We checked out the Cathedral of Sevilla first. It is the largest gothic cathedral in the world and depending on how you measure it is larger than St. Peter's in Rome making it the largest church in the world. It was a typical cathedral inside. I was very impressed by the woodcarvings though. It got my creative mind working. Attached to the cathedral in the Girabalda, the Moorish-style belltower. We climbed the ramp to the top for a great view of the city. In the afternoon all 13 of us rented bikes and saw more of the city this way. Sevilla has a muncipal bike program that allows you to check-in and check-out bikes at many station all over the city. It was a great way to get around. Nothing says "tourists" like a group of 13 people on identical rented bikes.
In Sevilla we also go to know "Moomoo", our middle-aged Spanish hostel roommate. We think he was probably unemployed and searching for a job. Or, maybe he was waiting for a job because he never really stopped watching television in our room. The first morning we met him he came into the room in a light blue night gown and slippers, kind of Rip VanWinkle-esque (only missing a pointed sleeping cap), and we rarely saw him in anything else. He was a little entertainment on the side I guess.
Sunday was a relaxing day. We started off with visiting the Alcazar, a Moorish then Spanish palace. While nothing noteworthy from the outside the inside was beautiful. There was a lot of great Moorsih architecture to see as well as extensive gardens. We were more or less by ourselves in the gardens and were able to enjoy a sunny but brisk morning wandering through the garden. In the afternoon we had a picnic in the city's main park and saw Plaza de Espana. Sunday evening a few of us checked out a couple of a tapas bars in Barrio Santa Cruz, Sevilla's most historic and lively district.
Monday we had to leave Sevilla and head to the conference. Sevilla was definitely the highlight of the trip and a place I would recommend. We traveled by train to Malaga and then by bus to the small town on the Mediterrean coast where our conference was held. The conference itself was great. It was good to see friends serving all over the world. My time there was blessed as God seemed to speak to different questions that were in my mind through the counsel of various men that I met with. The weather on the coast was fantastic, 60s and sunny for most of the 6 days we were there.
Halfway through the week we had a day off and the option to go on an organized day trip. I chose to go to Granada, a couple hours away up in the mountains. It wasn't a bad choice. The main attraction in Granada is the Alhambra. Built mostly by the Moors in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is considered the height of Islamic architecture in Europe. It was quite impressive. The incredible detail of the stone carving and wood work amazed me. The Gardens of the Generalife were very interesting as well. Water plays a big part in the design with many pools and fountains and running water in some unsual places. In Granada we were also able to wander around in the Abaycin. The is a largely original Moorish quarter from the 13th century. All the buildings lining the steep and twisting streets are white stucco.
My time in Spain was another great adventure. Enjoy the pictures and leave comments if you like.
Follow along with pictures and a map at http://picasaweb.google.com/havariyim
During the last week of January I headed off with my team to Spain. The main purpose of the trip was to attend our Midyear Conference, but we decided to get our money's worth out the plane ticket and make a 4 day tour of Spain before the conference. On our way to Madrid we had a layover in Frankfurt. We did what you're not supposed to do and left the airport during a 5.5 hour layover. After traveling in Germany last year I felt comfortable using the trains so I wasn't too worried. We got into the city center and walked around for a couple of hours. We saw the Romer (rebuilt medieval city square) the Main river, the cathedral, and had some great German pastries. The city center wasn't anything amazying on a gloomy winter morning, but a good little taste of Germany none the less.
Madrid
We reached Madrid without problem, settled in, and got some food. The hostel wasn't the best, kind of loud and busy. But that is part of the experience I guess. We spent that Friday touring Madrid. We started with the Prado art musuem. It has the largest collection of paintings in the world and is known for hosting many of the best works of the Spanish masters: Goya, Valazquez, and El Greco. Afterwords we headed to the Parque del Retiro, a massive park in the city center. Supposedly Spaniards love a good stroll in the park. It was nice but I'm sure it is incredible in the summer. We made our way through some of the famous commercial areas of the city looking for lunch and ran across "Nebraska". Cafeteria Nebraska was a lunch shop on the Gran Via. I of course made my team eat there. The only thing particularly "Nebraska" about it was the prominently featured hamburgers, in particular the "Lincoln Burger". It seemed that the restaraunt's creators were familiar with Nebraksa though as the menu had a red color scheme and showed some other insider knowledge. Unfortunately, there was no prime rib, Runza, or Valentinos Pizza (sorry Michael).
Friday afternoon brought us to Puerto del Sol, a prominent square in the city center and arbitrary center of Spain from which road distances are measured. We then visited the Palacio Real built in the 1700s with loot from the New World. It has more rooms than any other European palace. We admired it and the surrounding square and park and cathedral without paying the entrance fee. Towards evening with made our way south into "Los Austrias". This old area of the city gives has some architecturla influences from the Austrian Hapsburgs who married into the Spanish throne. There were several interesting streets and plazas as well as some great food. We ate at two different tapas bars there. Tapas bars serve small portions of dishes and everyone shares what is brought out. Typical tapas items are Spanish ham, fried seafood, cold salads, and vegetable dishes. Madird has the "grand European capital" feel - overblown buildings, large boulevards, palaces, cathedrals. It was good to experience but didn't feel distinctly Spanish, we could have been any place in Europe. We left Madrid at 10:00pm on a night bus to Sevilla.
Sevilla
We arrived at 4:00am, checked into our hostel, and got a few hours of sleep. In the morning we met up with our friends who are serving in Rome. We checked out the Cathedral of Sevilla first. It is the largest gothic cathedral in the world and depending on how you measure it is larger than St. Peter's in Rome making it the largest church in the world. It was a typical cathedral inside. I was very impressed by the woodcarvings though. It got my creative mind working. Attached to the cathedral in the Girabalda, the Moorish-style belltower. We climbed the ramp to the top for a great view of the city. In the afternoon all 13 of us rented bikes and saw more of the city this way. Sevilla has a muncipal bike program that allows you to check-in and check-out bikes at many station all over the city. It was a great way to get around. Nothing says "tourists" like a group of 13 people on identical rented bikes.
In Sevilla we also go to know "Moomoo", our middle-aged Spanish hostel roommate. We think he was probably unemployed and searching for a job. Or, maybe he was waiting for a job because he never really stopped watching television in our room. The first morning we met him he came into the room in a light blue night gown and slippers, kind of Rip VanWinkle-esque (only missing a pointed sleeping cap), and we rarely saw him in anything else. He was a little entertainment on the side I guess.
Sunday was a relaxing day. We started off with visiting the Alcazar, a Moorish then Spanish palace. While nothing noteworthy from the outside the inside was beautiful. There was a lot of great Moorsih architecture to see as well as extensive gardens. We were more or less by ourselves in the gardens and were able to enjoy a sunny but brisk morning wandering through the garden. In the afternoon we had a picnic in the city's main park and saw Plaza de Espana. Sunday evening a few of us checked out a couple of a tapas bars in Barrio Santa Cruz, Sevilla's most historic and lively district.
Monday we had to leave Sevilla and head to the conference. Sevilla was definitely the highlight of the trip and a place I would recommend. We traveled by train to Malaga and then by bus to the small town on the Mediterrean coast where our conference was held. The conference itself was great. It was good to see friends serving all over the world. My time there was blessed as God seemed to speak to different questions that were in my mind through the counsel of various men that I met with. The weather on the coast was fantastic, 60s and sunny for most of the 6 days we were there.
Halfway through the week we had a day off and the option to go on an organized day trip. I chose to go to Granada, a couple hours away up in the mountains. It wasn't a bad choice. The main attraction in Granada is the Alhambra. Built mostly by the Moors in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is considered the height of Islamic architecture in Europe. It was quite impressive. The incredible detail of the stone carving and wood work amazed me. The Gardens of the Generalife were very interesting as well. Water plays a big part in the design with many pools and fountains and running water in some unsual places. In Granada we were also able to wander around in the Abaycin. The is a largely original Moorish quarter from the 13th century. All the buildings lining the steep and twisting streets are white stucco.
My time in Spain was another great adventure. Enjoy the pictures and leave comments if you like.
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