I took Andrew to "work"today. He's currently in the midst of English classes that he's giving to a photographer, one of the best here in Granada, in exchange for photography classes. So, once a week, I actually kiss my man goodbye as he takes the bus, or drive him to the other side of town, and come back home and get to be alone in my house. I know that sounds funny, but since Andrew works out of the home, and I go to work, this is a rare moment that I'm savoring this morning.
On the way home, I drove slowly, loving the moment of "commute"from La Chana to Zaidin, where Andrew and I live. Its only like 5 miles, and with traffic, took me about 15 minutes. Today however, is one of those incredibly clear spring mornings, when the sun rises over the Sierra Nevada and the snow glistens on the peak, La Veleta. All I could say was, I live here...and enjoy the moment.
Why do we live here? For the last two or three years, our live has been rather topsy-tuvy, but as the dust has settled, we've had things brought into focus, especially for me the last several months and weeks. Last spring all we could do was come back to Granada and try to lick our wounds. Last summer we continued with whatever God put in front of us, with not a whole lot of long term vision. We just taught classes, and spent some time relaxing.
This fall, I started a new project and thought things were going to take off. By Christmas, I was exhausted, and suffered with bladdar stones. It was not a Christmas to remember. Since then, my load has been greatly reduced and I've been enjoying a slower moment in my life, while Andrew picks up more and more students, and walks through more and more doors.
To refocus, a dear friend in Ireland recommended a book to me, and this week I"ve devoured it. It's called The Tangible Kingdom, and talks about a real, nitty gritty way of doing this thing we've labeled ministry. It talks about day to day activities, but with a purpose, to live our lives and show God's love in whatever that means.
So for us, what does that look like? It means going to a barbeque at a friends house, and meeting whomever is there, including the English guy that's looking for meaning, and so he and his girlfriend have left home to live in a far off land (especially for the English).
It means Andrew going to study photography at a little studio near the hospitals of Granada. It means teaching English to bratty Spanish kids, and teaching them its not only words and grammar and pronunciation, but Culture, and ideas, and philosphy of life instead.
It means having people in our home, for lunch, coffee and dinner. It means having couchsurfers stay with us and having four hour conversations about life, culture, language, and happiness late into the night. It means running into our neighbors and letting them gift us with grapefruit. It means marching with 2000 men, women and children, Catholic, Protestant, and Moslem, on a Sunday morning in solidarity to raise money for the poor.
And it means being Jesus in a place that's got a poor view of God, Jesus and the Church. Instead of seeing Christ as a statute, we want them to see God amoung us. Instead of seeing the Church as an institution, we want to see the Kingdom of God lived out in a community that sacrifices and serves. Instead of seeing ourselves as the marginilized evangelical Christians in Spain, we want the world to see us as real people, who love God and others with all our heart soul and mind.
If you ever want a change of pace, come stay with us, see what this is all about. We welcome your visit. Come, join us.
On the way home, I drove slowly, loving the moment of "commute"from La Chana to Zaidin, where Andrew and I live. Its only like 5 miles, and with traffic, took me about 15 minutes. Today however, is one of those incredibly clear spring mornings, when the sun rises over the Sierra Nevada and the snow glistens on the peak, La Veleta. All I could say was, I live here...and enjoy the moment.
Why do we live here? For the last two or three years, our live has been rather topsy-tuvy, but as the dust has settled, we've had things brought into focus, especially for me the last several months and weeks. Last spring all we could do was come back to Granada and try to lick our wounds. Last summer we continued with whatever God put in front of us, with not a whole lot of long term vision. We just taught classes, and spent some time relaxing.
This fall, I started a new project and thought things were going to take off. By Christmas, I was exhausted, and suffered with bladdar stones. It was not a Christmas to remember. Since then, my load has been greatly reduced and I've been enjoying a slower moment in my life, while Andrew picks up more and more students, and walks through more and more doors.
To refocus, a dear friend in Ireland recommended a book to me, and this week I"ve devoured it. It's called The Tangible Kingdom, and talks about a real, nitty gritty way of doing this thing we've labeled ministry. It talks about day to day activities, but with a purpose, to live our lives and show God's love in whatever that means.
So for us, what does that look like? It means going to a barbeque at a friends house, and meeting whomever is there, including the English guy that's looking for meaning, and so he and his girlfriend have left home to live in a far off land (especially for the English).
It means Andrew going to study photography at a little studio near the hospitals of Granada. It means teaching English to bratty Spanish kids, and teaching them its not only words and grammar and pronunciation, but Culture, and ideas, and philosphy of life instead.
It means having people in our home, for lunch, coffee and dinner. It means having couchsurfers stay with us and having four hour conversations about life, culture, language, and happiness late into the night. It means running into our neighbors and letting them gift us with grapefruit. It means marching with 2000 men, women and children, Catholic, Protestant, and Moslem, on a Sunday morning in solidarity to raise money for the poor.
And it means being Jesus in a place that's got a poor view of God, Jesus and the Church. Instead of seeing Christ as a statute, we want them to see God amoung us. Instead of seeing the Church as an institution, we want to see the Kingdom of God lived out in a community that sacrifices and serves. Instead of seeing ourselves as the marginilized evangelical Christians in Spain, we want the world to see us as real people, who love God and others with all our heart soul and mind.
If you ever want a change of pace, come stay with us, see what this is all about. We welcome your visit. Come, join us.
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