While out visiting a nearby town, we stopped in at a bakery. Before we left, we had not only purchased some bread, but got a full tour and hour training session of how a Galician bakery produces some of the best bread in Spain.
We lived in a friend’s apartment for three months while searching for a home in our new area of ministry. The town where we stayed was called CALDAS DE REIS. It has been around since Roman times and has been part of the thermal bath route here along the Atlantic coast. Here are some photos of our time in that beautiful area.
We were blessed to be able to visit friends in Hawaii last winter, and happened to be on island with some of the guys that went through the Liberty youth group. I used to lead summer and winter retreats called “Manathons” each year. We would camp in snow caves or canoe through the Boundary Waters. Whatever we did, we ate lots of strange things and had a great time. These four guys all participated in them. Upon arriving in Hawaii, it was their turn to plan the Manathon!
It was an amazing opportunity to be with these friends and I will never forget swimming with the sea turtles.
After attending a conference in another part of Spain we got away for a few days to Northern Europe. Here are some photos taken in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Last spring we helped out in a church on the island of Gran Canaria, part of the Spanish Canary Islands. While there, the kids loved searching through the tidal pools.
Since being back in Spain we have enjoyed walking around and finding new areas we love. Galicia is much rainier than Castilla y Leon, so a lot more green!
To see more photos of Spain, click on our Photo Stream tab above
While out West this past fall we stopped in to see some dinosaur tracks. It was a great experience! The video below explains a little of what we saw.
There is no way for any individual to arrive at the Grand Canyon and be underwhelmed. The sheer immensity boggles the mind.
We were able to spend time with friends and family down in Arizona during October. Here is a short video and some photos of our time there.
“Always there are the right people, there are the suitable people, there are the smart people, and then there are (lower your voice) those others. And the way you signal to other right, smart, and suitable people that you are one of them is to roll your eyes when the wrong people and places are mentioned.
We want others to think of us as capable and intelligent, and we often seek to establish this identity not through respectful, diligent argument but through ridicule and disdain. People are not merely mistaken but out of step, regressive, intellectual midgets. Nathanael could not believe that somebody from a place like Nazareth had the answers to the big questions of our time. “You’re telling me he’s got the answers—and he’s from Nazareth? Uh, I don’t think so.” He’s rolling his eyes. “He’s from there? Really?”
If you have this view of Christianity, or know someone who has this view of Christianity, that is no surprise. Many people today view Christianity much like Nathanael viewed Nazareth. Christianity was from Nazareth then, and it is still from Nazareth today. People love to roll their eyes at their idea of Christianity and its claims about who Christ is and what he has done and can do for them. The knowing people, the suitable people, all say, “Christianity—been there, done that. I grew up with it, I realized early on it’s not for me, and I’ve made up my mind.” So Jesus is still from Nazareth. If that is your attitude toward Christianity, I have two suggestions for you, because I think you have two issues before you. The first is that this kind of dismissiveness is always deadly. It absolutely kills all creativity and problem solving, not to mention any hope of a relationship. Tara Parker-Pope, in her book on marriage called For Better, cites eye-rolling as one of the definitive warning signs that a relationship is in serious trouble. Marriage counselors look out for it because because it signals contempt for the other person. A successful marriage can handle disappointment, disagreement, pain, and frustration. But it can’t handle complete dismissal of the other; contempt literally kills the relationship. A more concrete example is one where you have misplaced your keys. Once you’ve looked for them in all the places where they “can” be and haven’t found them, you’ll have to start looking in places where they “can’t” be. And of course, that’s where you’ll find them. So there’s nothing more fatal to wisdom and good relationships than rejecting certain ideas—or certain people—out of hand.
Your second issue is more substantial. By despising Christianity, you sever the living taproot to what are probably many of your own core values…”
Keller, Timothy. Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions (pp. 5-7). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.