Bavaria – martinfamilyinbavaria

The Good Shepherd of Ezekiel 34

„The God of the Old Testament is so different from the Jesus of the New Testament.“ If you have ever talked to anyone about the Bible, Christianity, or the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, you´ve probably heard this assertion at least once in your life. In my own experience, the statement has been used to„The Good Shepherd of Ezekiel 34“ weiterlesen

An old Vine

Today is an important day in the life of my grapevine: the sap begins to run and pours out in clear, sparkling drops onto the paving stones below. I had already started to trim a few of the dead winter branches away, and I love to run my finger over the cuts I have made„An old Vine“ weiterlesen

Praying for your Enemies. For real. During a War.

I began writing this entry on the anniversary of the Russo-Urkainian War´s beginning. For some context: Over the last year, we have been regularly praying for both countries and providing what relief we could in both the Gebetshaus and Koinonia. With that in mind: If you are a Generation Xer in the west, you grew„Praying for your Enemies. For real. During a War.“ weiterlesen

“If only for this life…

…we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19). We have in the last two weeks received sudden and hard reminders to keep our hearts on our eternal hope in Jesus the Messiah, and that this world is not our “forever home” to use a phrase common„“If only for this life…“ weiterlesen

Autumn 22: The Austrian Border, Mushrooms, Ministry Updates

The fall is well advanced, I know, nevertheless what follows is an autumnal update on our activities here in Augsburg, starting with here at Koinonia. You see, we of the Koinonia ecumenical community have a “Gemeinschaftswochenende” , “community weekend” once a year, a retreat that has brought us all to various Christian retreat locations over„Autumn 22: The Austrian Border, Mushrooms, Ministry Updates“ weiterlesen

An Anxious Autumn Reminder: This World is Not Your Home

We’ve been back in the Federal Republic now for most of a month, and the anxious mood of the country seems to have gotten worse. Before the headlines here were taken over by news of Queen Elizabeth’s death and of the startling Ukrainian successes in the Russo-Ukrainian war (update as of September 12th, here), the„An Anxious Autumn Reminder: This World is Not Your Home“ weiterlesen

Three Holy Trees and a Stump

My friend has a problem. It is a contemplative problem and a landscaping problem at the same time. She has been given a plot of land with which she can do as she likes—planting a garden or building a rustic seat—but in the middle of the plot there is a large stump. She is philosophical„Three Holy Trees and a Stump“ weiterlesen

Departures V: From Austin to the Alpenvorraum

„Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there.„ Acts 16:17 In a previous post, I wrote that, practically from the moment that I had learned that there was a 24/7 house of prayer in Germany,„Departures V: From Austin to the Alpenvorraum“ weiterlesen

A Reluctant Charismatic in Bavaria Continued

A Reluctant Charismatic in Bavaria, II Here: A photo of me and my daughter at the MEHR Conference in Augsburg, 2015 The conversation with Susie was ended a few seconds later when the worship music ended and the moderator began speaking, meaning I had to start interpreting. About three hours later, my wife, daughter and„A Reluctant Charismatic in Bavaria Continued“ weiterlesen