Last Day in Paris

A number of years ago Peggy had told me she had always dreamed of going to Paris, France. It was one of those things I stuck in the back of my mind.  Many people might call that a pipe dream, one of those things you want to do but will never accomplish. When I was booking reservations for Paul's Journeys the travel agent said we would be flying home through France. It was going to be an  eight hour layover. Immediately my mind began to wonder. I remembered the conversation from many years ago and then, I thought of all that Peggy had given up for me. I decided it was time for me to do something special for her. The eight hour layover turned into a three day adventure. 

I was going to surprise Peggy and not tell her we were going to spend 3 days in Paris, but my excitement was too great.  I had to tell her about the little hotel in downtown Paris. One that was so close to Notre Dame and the Louvre that we could walk there and so close to the Seine River where we could ride a boat together.  I still remember the look in her eyes when she said, " You mean I am going to get to go to the Louvre; that has always been on my bucket list!"  The look on her face and her words were priceless! Now she seen first hand the Venus De Milo.

And the Mona Lisa . . . 

Tell me guys, can you tell me three things that your wife would love to do or go to in this lifetime? Can you think of a dream she would like to fulfill? All too often our minds focus on the things we would like to accomplish in this life, but let me tell you there has been great joy these last three days in watching my wife check something off of her bucket list.  

My friends, listen to your spouse, find out what her dreams are and then make it happen. It just may give you more pleasure than fulfilling you own dreams.

Friends

We left a whole new group of friends today. For the last twelve days we have hung out with a group of people we would have never met if we had not been on this trip. A couple from Canada were there; she is getting ready to have the same surgery that Peggy had on her neck. Then there were these two pastors who were just really great guys; a little off the wall but lots of fun. Lowell and Elizabeth were a really nice older couple who we grew to love, There was a priest on the trip. He was seventy two and needed a little help walking on the rough roads; good health but a bad knee, what a really great guy. And then there was Keith and Deb; the first day we sat with them for dinner. He has been a pastor for fifteen years, like me; been in the same church all that time, like me; they were on Sabbatical, like me; and he applied for the Lilly Sabbatical grant, like me. The big difference was that he did not get the grant. Peggy and I sat with this couple for twelve days and never shared with them that we received the grant that they applied for. I felt like it would have been a slap in the face for him and our friendship. So Peggy and I sat quietly and thankfully when Sabbatical talk was going on. I know I am blessed to have the opportunity I have been given. In the last few days I walked the streets of Corinth.

I visited the mountain where Paul spoke to the philosophers in Athens,

I stood with the love of my life in the Acropolis knowing that Paul had walked those streets,

Sat in the seats in Ephesus where Paul defended his faith,

I have been to the churches of Rome, Philippi, Ephesus and Thessalonika. I have been to the ports where Paul arrived to bring the good news of Jesus Christ. I have worshiped at the place of Lydia's baptism and the first Church of Rome. I have stood atop ancient monasteries that for thousands of years have been a witness to the gospel of Christ. And in all of those places Keith and Deb were right there beside us as a constant reminder of the blessing that Peggy and I have received. 

Maybe you are wondering how Keith and Deb got on this trip if they did not receive the grant. Well, when Lilly said "no" their church said "yes." Their congregation raised the money needed so they could walk on the streets where Paul walked. Blessings are flowing from everywhere over here. In His Love, Aaron

    

Lesson Two

Slow Down!  This is just not an easy thing to do.  We spent some time yesterday with people who really know how to slow down.  We went to the top of two mountains to see a monastery and a nunnery.  These people spend their whole lives devoted to slowing down and experiencing God.  But here is the question:  What is the difference between slowing down and being lazy?  We all know people who are lazy and I do not want to be like that.  But on the other hand, being on the go all of the time makes it hard to hear the voice of God.  Lesson 2 for me is that slowing down is not laziness.  

As we drove to the top of these mountains and walked into their places of worship, it felt like a place where you could come close to God.  With the beauty of God's creation all around you, it was so easy to sense His presence.  It was a place where I just wanted to sit for a while.  It was a place of real peace.  But in the middle of that peace were tourists hurrying from here to there and many of them just missed the purpose of that place.  

I pray in the coming weeks that I will be able to find the difference between slowing down and being lazy.  They are not the same.  

The Greek culture is all about slowing down.  The streets are filled with coffee shops where people gather to visit for hours on end.  Greek coffee is boiled at a very low temperature until it is ready.  You cannot drink it right away like we do. It must sit for a while; the coffee grounds need to settle to the bottom of the cup before you can drink it. While it settles, they sit and visit and enjoy each other's company.  They take time to develop their relationships. This my friends is not lazy, but maybe just the way God wants us to live. So slow down and smell the coffee.

Philippi

e are two books i turn to when i don't know where to read. If I want to spend some time learning about Christ, i read the book of John. But the book I have read more than any other, the one I go to if I want to think about living, is the book of Philippians. It speaks of Joy, and Love and Service. Hundreds of

time in my life I have read through these four chapters at one setting. I did that again today as we drove to the church that received that letter. Our day revolved around Acts 16. Paul is on his second missionary journey. During the night he has a vision of a man from Macedonia calling for him to come and help them. Paul, Timothy and Luke head to the town in need.

On the way into the city, Paul ran into a woman named Lydia. she was a dealer in Purple cloth. She Believed in the name of Jesus , repented of her sins, and was Baptized at this spot. 

He would have came into the city using this ancient road that is still present today.

Paul went into the city and preached in the Agora. This is the forum or meeting place in the city.

He came across a woman possessed with an evil spirit that allowed her to predict the future. he cast the demon out of her and landed in this jail because of it.Here is where most believe Paul spent the night in jail singing and praising God. Then. an earthquake shook the doors of the jail, the place was opened, and Paul could go free.Here is the jail.

But they didn't leave and because of it the jailor and his family got saved. They were members of the first church built in Macedonia. This one that still stands today.and here is where the altar stood. 

Wow! the bible came alive again today. Praise The Lord!

What Does It Cost You?

We often forget that everything we purchase has a price.  How many hours of your life do you give for your ipad? How many hours do you give to buy a car? How many hours of your life do you eat at Subway?  You see, an hour at work is an hour of your life that you exchange for money, then you use that hour of your life to purchase something like an ipad, a car or going to Subway.  Everyday of our life we trade away hours for cash; and cash for things.  So, in essence, we trade our life for stuff.  

Now, let me ask you this?  What is your faith costing?  Total up the number of hours you spend a week reading your Bible, going to church, Bible study, prayer, serving the needy, visiting the sick and the like and see what it costs you. Add in the hours you work to put money in the offering plate and see what your faith costs you.  What do you find? If your faith was a seat on an airplane, would you be flying economy class, coach, business class, first class or private jet?

Let me share with you 2 pictures that are in a class all their own.  The first picture is the inside of the colosseum. All the Christian had to do to escape the death sentence was to declare Caesar as Lord.  How simple.  How cheap.  With an economy class kind of faith, it seems to cost nothing to say those 3 little words; but to hold your tongue, or better yet, with 50,000 screaming fans in your presence to declare Jesus as Lord would cost you everything.They say the blood of the martyrs ran so deep in this

place that it flowed through all 77 doors of this place.  The smell of blood and rotting flesh was such a stench that workers poured perfume to cover the smell. You see, there were people whose faith caused them to give it all.  They would exchange their life on earth; they would give up the rest of their hours to live in favor of one person--Jesus Christ.  

The second picture is of a famous location.  It is the spot where one of the disciples gave up the rest of his life.  After claiming he would die with Christ and running away when the rooster crowed, Peter had a little time to think.  There was a day for Peter when being a first class follower of Jesus still gave him a little bit of wiggle room.  He loved Jesus, but did not have a faith that would cost him everything.  But many years later, Peter's faith had grown.  It had grown beyond first class faith to a private jet kind of faith.  He was all in.  No holding back.  No good enough. No it will do.  Peter would go all the way and give up the rest of the hours of his days.  In the location of the picture you see here, Peter was

crucified upside down.   He did not feel worthy to die like Jesus, but willing to die, he was.  The much older and wiser Peter realized that a faith that costs little has little value, but a faith that costs much is more precious than the hours of your life.  

I am not suggesting that you die today for your faith, but standing on two spots where many people gave the ultimate price, I began to question what my faith costs me; maybe you should take a moment, as well, and calculate the value of your faith.  

Ice Cream Good; Fish Fettuccini Bad

We had another great day!  It rained while we were inside and sunshine when we were out.We are ending our time in Rome and heading to Greece.  But I wanted to send you a couple of pictures of Rome before we left. Know this; if you come to Rome, eat gelato (ice cream) 3 times a day! But stay away from the seafood fettuccine! the shrimp has heads on it the clams are in the shells, and it smells like the slime on a dead fish. LOL!

Below is a picture of me at the House of Vestal Virgins.  Peggy let me go there unsupervised! LOL!!!

Never thought I would see the Colosseum. Tens of thousands of Christians lost their lives here.

This is the Pantheon.  Pan means all. Theos means God.  Thus the house of all Gods. After Constantine, this 142 foot high temple became a house of worship. the gods were removed and the one true living God became king of this palace. It is my prayer that we can remove the Pantheon of gods from our hearts and allow in the one true living God!

Tomorrow--we will see you in Greece. Love you all, Aaron

lesson one

Did you ever have a day that didn't go as expected? We got to Chicago an hour early not remembering the time change, our plane was four hours late due to water problems in the bathrooms that never got resolved, a six year old sat behind Peggy and kicked the seat all night, our transport to the hotel didn't show because we were so late, and our hotel gave us two twin size beds to sleep in! I am wondering what God is trying to tell us. (maybe he is saying that we didn't need any more kids) LOL!

But you know what happened? We went to St Peter's today and it was closed for some reason. There were long lines, so we waited. Then it happened. They opened the cathedral and the Pope was there for a special prayer service!!! Wow, on the steps of St. Peter's stood the man who is in Apostolic Succession to the one buried in this church. Now, a Catholic would have been in awe of the Pope. I was, however, in awe of the Church God created from the words of Jesus, "upon this rock I will build my church." I don't believe Jesus was talking about the building but the institution we are a part of. The church is important to God, commissioned by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. God had a plan and through Jesus we now have a church.

So what is my lesson? When things don't go as planned, maybe God is in the middle of it. We would have never seen the Pope or learned this first lesson if life would have gone as planned. Maybe God's plan isn't ours but it could just be better.

I will try to get you some pics tomorrow. Aaron