These two girls are busy furnishing our home.
Shopping
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Author Archives: Seth Grotzke
Ask for Kuka
“Go to the bar ‘Crisban’ and ask for Kuka. He will get you in contact with the owner. Remember ‘Kuka.’ Just ask for ‘Kuka!'” came the crackling voice from the other side of the intercom.
We had spotted an apartment to rent in the top floor of a building but couldn’t read the faded telephone numbers. We rang every intercom in the building, waiting for an answer. The final call set us on the search.
The problem was, we didn’t know where the bar “Crisban” was, and we had never heard of “Kuka” before.
So we walked to the next bar, which was not “Crisban” and asked if the barista knew of “Crisban” or “Kuka.” She didn’t, but she would call her cousin.
“Ok…Kuka…A few blocks…Ok.” We listened to the staccato conversation from one side as the barista spoke into her cell phone. She hung up and said, “My cousin said that you can find Kuka at this other bar which is just a few blocks away.”
We thanked the barista, paid for our coffee, and followed her directions.
We stepped into the dimly lit bar, home to a few tables, a slot machine, the barista, and one lone gentleman.
“Is there a Kuka here?”
“No. But my name is Juan!” Replied the gentleman.
“Kuka comes in at 8. Why?”
We explained our reasons and then began to make our way to the door.
“You aren’t from around here, are you?” asked the gentleman. “Are you German?”
So goes the search for a place to stay.
Oops
Sometimes I can’t stop sarcastic comments from coming from my mouth. We were walking through the airport in Madrid after 20 hours of traveling, missing a night of sleep, and the normal joys of airports when a friendly passenger looked down at the guitar I was lugging under my arms loaded down with a stroller, carryon, and car seat, and said, “You must play guitar or something?”
And I couldn’t stop myself…
“No, I just like to pack my clothes in a guitar case…”
At least we both laughed about it.
The place of weeping
Here is a quotation from John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” which I found thought provoking:
Hon. But what should be the reason that such a good man should be all his days so much in the dark?
Great-heart. There are two sorts of reasons for it. One is, the wise God will have it so, some must pipe and some must weep. Now Mr. Fearing was one that played upon this Base; he and his fellows sound the sackbut, whose notes are more doleful than the notes of other Musick are; though indeed some say the Base is the Ground of Musick. And for my part I care not at all for that profession that begins not in heaviness of mind. The first string that the Musician usually touches is the Base, when he intends to put all in tune. God also plays upon this string first, when he sets the soul in tune for himself. Only here was the imperfection of Mr. Fearing, he could play upon no other Musick but this, till towards his latter end. I make bold to talk thus metaphorically, for the ripening of the Wits of young Readers; and because in the Book of the Revelations, the saved are compared to a company of Musicians that play upon their Trumpets and Harps, and sing their Songs before the Throne.
When the Great Musician chooses to bring music to the dead soul, he begins first by playing the mournful notes. When those around me are hurting and struggling, perhaps that is God beginning a great symphony in their lives.
Ponferrada Skyline
THAT Traveler
THAT traveler 
I would like to apologize to all those traveling by plane on Monday and Tuesday.
It will be I who delays your flight, brings TSA to a screeching halt, and whacks your shoulder as I stumble down the center aisle burdened with multiple unwieldy carry ons. Our personal items are the size of carry ons, our carry ons the size of checked luggage, and our checked luggage the size of shipping containers.
I will be wearing bulky clothing with multiple items in my pockets which I will forget to take out going through TSA.
I can’t remember where my tickets are.
And I ate garlic.
Forgive me.
Packing Electronics
Quote
Packing all your cables for your electronics in a Nalgene water bottle before the TSA airport check is a great idea. The officers love the excitement of thinking they have spotted a bomb in your carryon.
#LessonLearned compliments of Corbin E.
Praying
Sometimes praying is not what I want to do. I could actually say, there are occasional times that I really want to pray! That is sad. Faced with such an incredible opportunity to connect with my God and Savior, why do I find it so unappealing at times? The short answer is – my cold heart.
Thankfully Jesus doesn’t share my defeatism about my prayer life. He wants me to talk with him and keeps bringing it back to my mind.
I have been encouraged by various authors on this subject. I would like to share a couple quotes that continue to stick in my mind and a few resources I have found particularly helpful.
“Ask with confidence and hope. Don’t be afraid that you will ask for the wrong thing. Of course you will! God ‘tempers the outcome’ with his incomprehensible wisdom” (Keller, Prayer, 103).
“Imagine that your prayer is a poorly dressed beggar reeking of alcohol and body odor, stumbling toward the palace of the great king. You have become your prayer. As you shuffle toward the barred gate, the guards stiffen. Your smell has preceded you. You stammer out a message for the great king: ‘I want to see the king.’ Your words are barely intelligible, but you whisper one final word, ‘Jesus. I come in the name of Jesus.’ At the name of Jesus, as if by magic, the palace comes alive. The guards snap to attention, bowing low in front of you. Lights come on, and the door flies open. You are ushered into the palace and down a long hallway into the throne room of the great king, who comes running to you and wraps you in his arms” (Miller, A Praying Life, 135).
“Prayer is bringing your helplessness to Jesus” (Miller, A Praying Life, Kindle 718)
“Instead of fighting anxiety, we can use it as a springboard to bending our hearts to God. Instead of trying to suppress anxiety, manage it, or smother it with pleasure, we can turn our anxiety toward God. When we do that, we’ll discover that we’ve slipped into continuous praying” (Miller, A Praying Life, Kindle 921).
“No matter how long you pray, you never run out of things to pray when you pray the Bible” (Whitney, Praying the Bible, Kindle 410).
Here are some resources that help us move into prayer in the midst of busyness:
We forgot!
We have been packing up everything over the past week in order to move to Europe. Tanzen has been in the middle of it all, putting things in suitcases and taking things out. That is her way of helping, keeping our minds sharp by mixing up our sell and save piles.
Last night we got home from church and Tanzen looks up and says, “Oh no! We forgot to go to Spain!”
Yes…We must have forgotten to go to Spain while we ran errands.
Minnesotan
Part of being Minnesotan is expecting to be cold, and being pleasantly surprised when you are not.
