A few England photos

I just realized that this is probably a silly exercise since you can go to my Picasa album and see all the photos, but it gives me an excuse to blog and I need all the help I can get in that area. So here are a few photos from the end of my trip and you can see the rest here.

One of the taller portions of Hadrian's wall, at least what's left of it. It is thought that it was originally about 15-20 ft. tall.

A very common sight in Cumbria.The remains of one of the buildings (the graineries) at the site of Housesteads Roman Fort.

One of the Starbucks in York (the one with the most character).

The Minster in York

Derwent Water, near Keswick, in the Lake District.

I am so grateful for the generosity of some folks in the States that made this trip possible. It was wonderful! I hope you enjoy looking at the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

More Vacation Photos

I said I would post some more photos, so here are a few from my time in Poland. I had a great time hanging out with my friend, Alice. She showed me the sights and we watched movies and ate popcorn and enjoyed each other's company. Thanks, Alice!

The basilica in Katowice.

H2O - site of future English camps.

Auschwitz - a very sobering experience

The Church of the Virgin Mary (on the Market Square in Krakow)

The cathedral on the castle grounds on Wawel Hill in Krakow.

As I said in my last post, you can see the rest of my Poland photos in my Picasa web album. I'll try to get some photos of England up in the next couple of days.

Vacation

Due to the generosity of some friends in the States, I am enjoying a wonderful vacation. I was in Germany last week visiting missionary friends. I'll post a few photos here and you can go to my web album if you want to see more.

Wiesbaden Cathedral

Heidelberg Castle

One of many such bears in Berlin.

The Berlin Cathedral.

I'm in Poland now visiting another missionary friend. I will post some more photos soon.

Barcelona - The motorbike capital of Europe?

When I was in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago with a visitor from the U.S., we took the bus tour together. I had never done it and was curious about where it went and what kinds of things you could learn. Well, one of the things we learned is that Barcelona has the most motobikes, per capita, of any city in Europe. If you've ever been in Barcelona, you can believe it! This photo could be duplicated on almost every street in town. And as you can see by looking a little closer, there are lots of bikes on the street as well.

The Gift of Being Yourself

I've been reading a series of books by David G. Benner. The one I just finished is entitled, "The Gift of Being Yourself." The other two are "Surrender to Love" and "Desiring God's Will." He really causes you to take a deeper look at your relationship with God. I've enjoyed them very much and they are among those that I know I will want to read again. Here are some quotes from the book:

“Moving truths such as ‘God loves me’ from our head to our heart is often difficult. It is possible, but only as we journey with others. The God who is Divine community is known only in human community. Deep knowing of perfect love, just like deep knowing of ourselves, demands that we be in relationships of spiritual friendship. No one should ever expect to make the journey alone.”

“The false self is the tragic results of trying to steal something from God that we did not have to steal. Had we dared to trust God’s goodness, we would have discovered that everything we could ever most deeply long for would be ours in God. Trying to gain more than the everything God offers, we end up with less than nothing. Rejecting God, we end up with a nest of lies and illusions. Displacing God, we become a god unto our self. We become a false self.”

“My compulsive pursuit of accomplishments and the respect of people who are important to me suffocates the life of my true self. It binds and inhibits my growth and restricts my freedom. It is important for me to remember that I am a human being, not a human doing. My worth lies in who I am, not what I can do or how I am seen by others. This is the truth of my existence.”

One of these will probably end up in my August newsletter, so I'll apologize now for the repetition. I'm reading the last book now, "Desiring God's Will." I also have another by him, "Sacred Companions" that I will probably read next.