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A Beautiful Closure
There was a moment. Dawn. The birth of a new day. It was the 8th day of our visit back to Switzerland and the first rays of sunlight illuminated the mountain peaks of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, or the “big three” as we like to call them. I arose early and walked outside at 6:15 AM to catch a glimpse of the sights and sounds that I missed both in my dreams and in my conscious thoughts since we moved back to the States. As I began to walk the narrow paths and streets of Mürren, Switzerland I rediscovered that deep sense of awe that had struck me so many…
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A Quick Day Trip to Luzern, Switzerland
With one sick child at home over the weekend, and the other not wanting to leave the house because the only thing that he wanted to do was to ride his bike, I decided to take a quick day trip to Luzern, Switzerland. After missing the 8 am bus to our village, I began the journey on foot down the hill to catch the train. One of the great aspects of living in Switzerland is not only its proximity to other neighboring European countries but the size of the country itself. Living relatively in the middle of the country in Bern, it allows you to virtually go to many different…
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Man vs. Nature
There is something innate about the human person that when we find ourselves face to face with nature we believe we can conquer it. We believe we can win. Maybe it is ego. Maybe it is just human nature or more a “guy” thing. Or maybe it is the result of the first fall. Never the less, time and time again when we confront nature in its purest form we soon realize that we can never conquer that which is unmovable. Unconquerable. That which is undefeated. This is where I have found grace time and time again. And it is also why I continue to confront it. The humility that…
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The Swiss Alps from Another Time
Every year during the last week of January the Swiss village of Kandersteg transforms itself to the time period around the turn of the century, namely 1884-1914. The week is known as “Belle Epoque”. I have always secretly wanted to live during this time…the fashion, the decorum, the culture, the etiquette, and it all comes alive in the beautiful scenery of the Swiss Alps.
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Stockhorn
It was great to have my parents come for a visit a couple of weeks ago. We had a great time exploring both some familiar and new places here in Switzerland. One of which was the mountain peak of Stockhorn. It was a beautiful day and my parents were able to cross a few things off of their bucket list, namely a gondola ride to the top of a Swiss Alp.
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Blausee, Switzerland
God speaks. He always speaks. And yet it is during the times when we feel alone or abandoned that we need to hear His voice the most. Yesterday, Ash Wednesday, was a day to begin the journey into the “desert”, or “dark wood” of our hearts. Midway in the journey of our life I came to myself in a dark wood, For the straight way was lost. -Dante, The Divine Comedy, [Inferno I:1-3] The Lenten season is all about confronting the things that we would rather not confront. However, if we are not careful, we can be tempted to believe that we are alone in this confrontation, alone in the…
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Mürren, Switzerland
We spent the day in Mürren, Switzerland yesterday on a beautiful Saturday before a storm made its way in. We explored the quaint town with its snow covered streets (for skiers to get around) and magnificent views of the Alps. We eventually made our way up to Allmendhubel where we had lunch, and, where the boys got to play on the coolest playground ever!!! One thing that both Amy and I have really enjoyed about Switzerland, aside from its beauty, is its pace of life. It seems that the intentional emphasis on “slowing down” by the Swiss people can be reflected in not only the quality of life here but…
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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…
