Our Last Work Day

Today the entire French- American team was together. The highlight was our lunch together. Patrick's wife, Danielle, made the meal for us. It was a great time of fellowship. We worked and accomplished much around the training center today. But it wasn't the work, it was the relationships strengthened between us that was the bigger work. Our time together gave us a glimpse of the passage in Revelation 5:9,10..."And they sang a new song: You are worthy to open the scroll and to open the seals, because you were slain, and with your body you purchased men for God from every tribe, and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God and they will reign upon the earth." Yes, we come from two different countries, but in Christ we are brought into one kingdom, the Kingdom of Christ. This is what we experience as we serve Him together. Only a glimpse now, but what a future lies ahead.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Wednesday at Sondernach

We woke up to a cold morning with frost on the ground, but by midday the sun was shining bright with warm temperatures. Progress continued on our project. There was painting, pouring concrete, cleaning, and mudding to be done. The guys even dug an 5X4 area in the basement entry way to pour concrete tomorrow. In the meantime I finished reading my second book of the trip, "Ancient Future Faith" by Robert Webber. Robert Webber recently passed away. He was a professor at Northern Seminary. He contends that our times (future) are similar to the times of the early church (ancient) and we can learn much from how the early Christians lived their faith. I really liked the part where he explained creed (the basics of the faith), confessions (what makes denominations different from each other), and personal opinion (of course that's your opinion). Creeds are what everyone needs to believe as followers of Jesus. Confessions are what makes denominations different and we need to be careful not to put them on the same level as creeds. Of course personal opinion is just that and you really need to be humble with that. Now I picked up the book "Picturing the Gospel." Images that the Bible uses to explain the Christian faith. Well, it's almost time for supper so I'll say goodbye for now. Until tomorrow.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Our Tuesday In Sandernach

Tuesday was a beautiful sunny day for our work in Sandernach. Three other Frenchmen joined our work team. Jose, who helped us do mortar work in the summer, joined us today for another round of block work. Tom and Oliver worked in the reserve kitchen putting in a drop ceiling. It was another day of mixing mud for me and helping Adam and Luke cleanup around the training center. Doug helped Jose with block work, while Jeff and Jim finished doing the same in the basement. Pat and Judy began to put felt pads under table and chair legs. Improvements continue to unfold before our eyes. Every day the France YFC Training Center is nearing completion. We are so glad to offer a helping hand. Our prayers are that this site will better equip French young people to share Jesus with their people. The French people we serve with are a pleasure to be around. I wish all of you could meet them. You don't even need to speak the language. The love of Jesus surpasses any tongue spoken. Thanks for your prayers for us as we continue to serve Him.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Monday of Project Serve in France.

We woke up to chilly weather with snow in the higher elevations. The work today was diverse. Doug, Jeff, and Patrick worked on the front porch to make a wheelchair ramp. To do this, they have to move the door! Pat and Judy continued to find more dishes to clean and an old cupboard in the barn to wash up. Adam and Luke worked on removing tile and cement from a room with a jack hammer. Jerry got groceries and helped wherever he could. Jim and I moved chairs from the attic, carried blocks into the barn, and mortared blocks in the basement. It was a busy day and made the time fly by. Pat and I fixed spaghetti for supper which tasted good to the hungry workers. The word is tomorrow several French people are coming to lend a hand with the project. Should be a great time and lunch will be a joyous occassion with the American and French together! Thanks for praying. Hope all of you are well in the States.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Sunday, a Day of Worship and Fellowship

After a quick breakfast, our team headed to the Evangelical Church of Burnhaupt le Haut, a drive of about one hour. Worship began at 10 am. and the converted stable was filled with 73 joyous worshippers. Then we were invited by two families for dinner. Our team split up into two groups and each headed for their respective hosts home. We were treated to a feast in typical French style. Started with two kinds of salads and bread. Then we had a main course of pork roast and green beans. This was followed by a plate of cheese. After that everyone came together, 30 people, for dessert and coffee. Tarts and ice cream were served. We had a great time of fellowship marked by laughter and joy. We even finished the afternoon with singing. We loved our day with these precious French people. We were truly blessed to be treated with such hospitality. After many kisses goodbye, our group headed to Colmar to see Christmas lights. We walked around for awhile in the still, cool air. Soon we were back in the van and headed towards "home" in Sondernach. We were truly blessed today. Jesus brings us together as one family. These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Saturday in Sondernach

Saturday was a productive day in our service to France Youth For Christ. After our breakfast at 8:00 am., we split into teams and began work at the training site. Pat and Judy went to the barn where they had to go through all the dishes, pots, and pans that were put there doing remodeling. Some were kept, others pitched out, all of them very dirty. Guess what they did in the afternoon? That's right, the ones kept had to be washed. Patrick, Doug, and Jeff worked on the front porch to make it handicap accessible. It was mainly a deconstruction day. Jim, Adam, Luke, and I, began to clean out the attic. It's eventually going to be made into living quarters. Jerry went grocery shopping, made lunch, and helped in the attic. Most of our work for the day was finished by 4:30 pm. After that our team walked (outside it's around 40 degrees and damp), cleaned up, or read. We had a pork roast and potatoes for dinner. It's almost 9:00 pm. now and are day is winding down. Tomorrow we are going to a French Church and we've been invited to dinner afterwards. Then we 've heard there's a great Christmas market nearby which we'll visit in the late afternoon. Thanks for your prayers.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Looks Like We Made It

We could see the Lord's hand in our journey to Sandernach, France. The flight over was no problem. Actually I was able to read "Growing True Disciples" by George Barna. When we arrived at Charles DeGualle Airport, 4 trains were running every quarter hour into the city. As most of you know by now, the transit workers are on strike. While 80% of the workers have returned, there are less trains running and some are cancelled altogether. When we arrived in Paris at Garde Est Train Station, we found out that our train to Strasbourg had been cancelled. Jerry Wheeler, who had purchased the train tickets in advance, quickly went to a ticket counter to see if something could be done. Well, we were able to secure tickets for a TGV train (fast train) to Strasbourg and that train sped up our trip by two hours! We we're able to get to our site in Sandernach by 4:00 pm. Most of us are very tired as we have had little sleep in the past 30 plus hours. So for now it's goodnight. Thanks for your prayers.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Morning Hours Before Leaving

We're only a few hours from leaving Bluffton. Our bags are nearly all packed. I'm taking my laptop computer and the hope is that we'll be able to update you on our journey and the progress our team makes. Last summer the YFC Training Center in Sandernach had internet access. We assume it still has wireless internet. If it does, we'll share stories and pictures. In the meantime, pray for our train travel in France. Transit workers have been on strike the past few weeks. It seems most workers have returned to duty, but some trains are running hours late or not at all. It's always an adventure when you travel! So stay tuned. It'll be awhile before are next update with all the hours traveling. Also France is six hours ahead of our time. Please feel free to write us a note on Facebook.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Thanksgiving and France

This is one of the most unique Thanksgiving's Pat and I have ever experienced. Instead of gathering with family around a Thanksgiving table, we'll be getting in a van at 11:00 am. heading for the Detroit Airport. Adam Wireman and Doug Carr will be with us as we journey north. Once we arrive at the airport, we'll meet Jerry, Jim, Jeff and Judy from Michigan. We'll comprise the team headed to Sandernach France to work on the French YFC training facility. If the weather is good , we'll fly out of Detroit at 4:00 pm. Pray for us as we begin our journey. May we be safe and experience the Lord's presence as we travel. This is the day the Lord has made, may we rejoice and be glad in it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Jim "Train"

From unChristian to Christian

The book "unChristian" not only details how outsiders view church and Christianity, but gives ideas to help in changing the perspectives of outsiders. Here's some of the ideas...
*Connect with people. It's about relationships. The outsiders needed to be treated as friends.
*Be creative. New ways of telling the Gospel. Outsiders are begging for creative expressions of the Gospel.
*Serve people. It's more than just learning about the faith, it's living it. Serve!!
*A lifestyle of compassion. It the ability to empathize with others. Get into their shoes.
Of course there's more detail in the book. That's why I recommend you get a copy!
May we who claim the name of Christ, make a difference in changing the negative perceptions of outsiders.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

unChristian

While in Pittsburgh last weekend, I read the book "unChristian" by David Kinnaman. The book was written as a result of recent research done by The Barna Group on what a new generation really thinks about Christianity and why it matters. The book uses the term "outsiders" to describe the 24 million people in this country between the ages of 16 to 29 years of age who are looking at the Christian faith from the outside. From research, the most common points of skepticism and objections raised by outsiders contain six broad themes. The six themes are...
1. Hypocritical
2. Too focused on getting converts
3. Antihomosexual
4. Sheltered
5. Too political
6. Judgmental
The book then deals with each of the themes and why they are an issue with outsiders. What do you think? Are these the issues we need to deal with as Christians so the outsiders will be receptive to the Lord's message?
Tomorrow I'll share how those "inside" can move from unchristian to Christian. In the meantime grab a copy of the book. It's an important read.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Super Bowl Ad

If you were planning on running a 30 second commercial for the Super Bowl, there was only one slot left as of Friday. Not only that, but that 30 second ad will cost you $2.7 million dollars. The Fox network has the Super Bowl on February 3rd. It had 58 commercial slots available. You do the math and see what the take in dollars is. These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Fanatical Fans, Big Ben, and DeBlasio's

This Sunday was an unusual one for us. Instead of corporate worship at church, it was a day dominated by NFL football. At 11 am, Pat and I took the shuttle to Heinz Field to watch the Steelers play the Browns. Heinz Field is a great facility and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. You can't help notice how fanatical Pittsburgh Steeler fans are. It one thing to be a fan and wear one article of clothing that displays your team loyalty. But Steeler fans are totally decked out. Almost every fan wore some combination of Steeler jerseys, pants, coats, sweatshirts, hats, beads, scarfs, probably even their underwear! Fanatical fans to the max! Then the "Terrible Towels." Almost everyone had one and they twirled them nearly every play. Big Ben Roethlisberger had a monster game with the only blemish an early interception. The guy can make plays! His 30 yard scramble for a touchdown was incredible. After the game my mind and spirit was reminded that it's important to be enthusiastic about our relationship with Jesus. Not shown by wearing Jesus garb, but displayed by our good works for the glory of Jesus. After being shuttled back to our Quality Suite, Pat and I ate at a neat restaurant named DeBlasio's. Pat dined on ravioli and I on chicken marsala. This is what makes going to new places a treat. Why eat at a chain restaurant. Find local fare to experience. What a day!
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

The Big Two, Station Square, and the Incline

Saturday was amazing. First off, both Michigan and OSU lost Big Ten football games. It doesn't happen very often when both of the Big Two lose on the same day. After we watched the Michigan game on our motel tv, we drove down to the river and spent four hours at Station Square. Station Square is an area that was once occupied by the railroad. Our first stop was at a Steelers store that was packed with fans grabbing any type of Steelers memorabilia you could imagine. Steeler fans take their football seriously as all you could see were people decked out in yellow and black. Pat and I then shared a hamburger at Houlihan's. After that we took the Monongahela Incline up Mount Washington. It's an incline that began operation in 1870. It rises 740 feet up and offers a spectacular view of Pittsburgh. You can see where the Monongahela and the Allegheny Rivers meet to form the Ohio River. After catching a breathtaking view, went took the incline down and stopped for coffee and tea at Starbucks. We drove back to our Quality Suite through the twists and turns of the mountain roads. I started reading "Unchristian" by David Kinnaman earlier in the day. It's a book that presents research gathered by the Barna Group. I was able to read two thirds of the book and hope to finish Sunday morning. The book presents amazing insight into our culture. I'll blog more about this important book later in the week. But now it's time to sleep and prepare for the Steelers game on Sunday. These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Bodies, Jerome Bettis, and Pittsburgh

To celebrate my birthday, Pat and I are in the city of Pittsburgh to watch the Steelers play the Browns. On Friday we traveled to Pittsburgh under sunny skies. After checking into our "Quality Suite," we were shuttled to the Carnegie Science Center to visit The Bodies exhibit. If you ever have a chance to see this exhibit, it's worth your time and money. Bodies has everything. It has every organ on display (all real human bodies donated for this purpose) shows the nervous and skeletal systems, plus several whole bodies in various poses. To see the intricacies of the human body is to be amazed! From my worldview, I see the handiwork of the Lord. How could this delicate, complex, and functional body be the product of naturalistic evolution? After seeing bodies we were hungry. I know, it seems weird after seeing dissected bodies. Bob, our shuttle driver (who by the way is a real hoot) recommended Grille 36. So Pat and I walked the two blocks to this restaurant along the river. It's named Grille 36 for the great Steelers running back, Jerome Bettis, who wore the jersey with the number 36. As we're enjoying our dinner, in walks Jerome Bettis himself. People go up to him for autographs and pictures. This thoroughly makes our dinner special. Afterwards, Bob the shuttle guy, picks us up and gives us a tour of downtown Pittsburgh. Then he takes us through the Wabash Tunnel and up the mountain overlooking the city. The view was fantastic. We've never been to Pittsburgh before and it's great discovering new places and people.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

This Takes Guts

Navy Lt. Sarah Wilson and her team of explosive ordinance team has said goodbye to each other more than 70 times. Each time they were called to dismantle a roadside bomb in Iraq, they'd bump fists. Then, Wilson says, "we'd all say we love each other because if we never got to say anything else-if the bomb ended up exploding-we wanted to be able to say goodbye." This 27 year old female and those like her are amazing to me. How they can painstakingly take apart a bomb is beyond me. I love how they say goodbye to one another and verbalize their love before each mission. That's something we should all do. None of us really knows how much time we have here on this earth. We may not be dismantling bombs but time keeps ticking for every person. So take what Sarah Wilson does and bump fists with family and friends. Tell em you love them while you can.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

I'll Drink To That, But I'm Only in the 4th Grade

Prevention Science magazine has released a survey that reports 7% of fourth-graders say they have had an alcoholic drink in the past year. The largest jump in underage alcohol use happens between fifth and sixth grade. "Alcohol is the drug of choice for children," says Mary Easley, a co-chair of the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free. When did you have your first taste of alcohol? For me it was when I was a senior in high school. I was with a group of my football buddies watching Monday Night Football at a friend's house. The dad of my friend gave everybody a bottle of beer to drink while watching the game. It was cheers all around and we drank the beer down. That was my first experience of drinking alcohol. I didn't like the taste and even to this day I don't drink beer. I don't drink for a lot of other reasons, but I won't go into that here. So fourth graders! Where and how do they get the alcohol? Alcohol can't be good, especially for someone of that age.
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"

Denominations Don't Seem To Matter

One of the changes I've seen in young people over the past 30 years is their willingness to go from one church to another. Granted, many teens don't even go to church. But it's interesting to see kids who, let's say, "belongs" to a Mennonite church will attend a youth function at a Catholic Church and vice versa. Denominations in general seem to have less drawing power than they once did. Some churches with denominational ties won't use the denomination's name in their church title. Thus Temple Baptist becomes NorthRidge Church. Few people today will join a church simply because it's Methodist. For better or worse, people will choose a church that best meets their personal needs. People want quality, clarity, convenience and community. Especially community! Relationships will trump everything else in a church. So what do you think? Do you go to a church because of its denominational ties?
These are the days my friend,
Jim "Train"