-
My Search for Communion
(Over the course of 2 months living in Switzerland, my family and I have attended Mass in 4 different languages. Here are some thoughts thus far…) What does it mean to be in communion with others? What does it mean to be in communion with myself? What does it mean to be in communion with God? The search for these answers drive my thoughts. The search for these answers drive my actions. The search for these answers drive my soul. And with every attempt to satisfy my desire for communion, I find myself back in the pews of church. I find myself back in community with those who speak a different verbal language…
-
The Universal Language of Sports
Sports is without a doubt an activity that brings to the surface the deepest of emotions, feelings, and ways of being. It is a primal activity that uncovers the universal language of being human. Without a doubt, one of the best experiences of my life was walking into a professional baseball locker room at 17 years old as one of 10 or so Americans on a team of 35. It was an experience that has shaped me in ways that I am still unpacking today. It was the experience of being a minority. It was the experience of not understanding the language being spoken around me. It was the experience…
-
An Experienced Faith
The biggest adjustment to moving to Switzerland for me personally has been adjusting to the lack of church community. Coming from my experience of working for the church in the States, thus being embedded within its community, to not having a community at all, has been a huge adjustment. And it is not just me. Our family has not attended an English-speaking Mass since Palm Sunday. We have attended Mass in Italian, French, and German respectively since then. (More to follow on these experiences next week). In the city of Bern, there is one English-speaking Mass a week offered on Sunday mornings at one of the local Catholic Churches. That…
-
Worb, Switzerland
-
Lake Lugano, Switzerland
Some of the pictures from our trip to Lake Lugano, Switzerland earlier this month.
-
To Bless the Space Between
As we walked down to the train stop on Sunday morning the clouds separated to allow the Bernese Alps to come into view. As I watched, I immediately thought of my Pastor from St. Ann in Phoenixville, PA and his insight into being able to “Bless the Space Between” in our lives. I knew I had to find his insight this week from my notes, for the “space between” was becoming visible to me right there in my view. If only I could recognize the same “space between” with my wife and children every day. For this is my daily prayer… Here are some of the insights of Rev. John…
-
Celebrating Earth Day
Experiencing Earth Day last week in Switzerland was striking to me. There wasn’t much talk. There wasn’t much of a fuss. So much so, that if it wasn’t for my boys school and Facebook, I would have missed it completely. I say that, not because I don’t care about the earth, but because experiencing Earth Day in Switzerland is more of a daily way of life, and less about something to be used for political power, making a point, or making a lot of money. There is something engrained in the Swiss culture that respects the environment, and therefore respects your neighbors environment as well. It is not necessarily talked…
-
Our First Month
-
The Great Adventure
Oh, the cravings of adventure. On one level, our family as a whole is exactly two months into our new adventure living in Switzerland. Individually, my two boys are in the midst of the “great adventure” of their lives. Living here is just a part of this “great adventure” as boys. There is without a doubt something to be said about a boys need for adventure. It is engrained within us. From infancy, boys seem to crave kicking rocks down the road, climbing trees, running instead of walking, and/or making anything into a weapon. “Men are often aggressive. They seem to have an inborn need to fight, to put themselves in…
