Welcome to the party! This is a group of people from Indiana who came serve as a work crew for 10 days here in Bratislava. A local ministry here in town is renovating a building, both interior and exterior, and these fine people came to lend their gifts, talents and time. As I share some photos from the past couple weeks here, I also want to share some of the things God is teaching me on my journey. The focus of this particular season in my faith journey continues to center in on the amazing and misunderstood love of Abba Father. As the years go by, slowly I become more aware of the person who is hidden under the layers of deception, misconception and false perceptions. In other words the real me is becoming more apparent all the time and my vision of that person is becoming clearer. God, the master sculptor, continues to carve, shape and mold me into the masterpiece He originally blue printed before I was born. The hammer and chisel He uses are called love and discipline. One of the things I’m learning about the facsimile me is that for most of my Christian life I have had very little understanding or acceptance of the powerful and pursuing love of God. For far too many years I labored to be a worthy recipient of a love which has always been offered free of charge. In light of this amazing truth it can be difficult for me at times to avoid getting stuck in regret for not abandoning the attempts to earn this love much sooner. Permissiveness is all that is required. When it comes to the method or reason for God’s love for me there is a mingling of mystery and simplicity. For in one sense, how I conduct myself is a non factor in regard to the inspiration of Gods love for me. God simply doesn’t care what I do or don’t do.

The struggle to understand and embrace this kind of radical love seems to be common place among most of humanity. I sometimes reason to myself that there must be a purpose for God to love me so unconditionally; it cannot be for no reason. But this is only my self righteous attempt to feel worthy enough to be loved. I am not worthy and His love is that simple (and profound).
In a different sense, God’s love is a mystery. Certainly, my finite mind has not the capacity to grasp this agape love and I have come to understand that maybe God designed it that way for a reason. The question I want to ask is simply: what is the reason? Why would God want to design His love in such a way that His beloved cannot grasp it? Maybe the most important task or challenge here is not to labor to understand Abba’s love for me but only to allow myself to be grasped by that love. I must abandon all my attempts to earn this amazing free gift.The truth is that it is entirely possible to be possessed by His love without the element of understanding it. For many months now I have been grappling with the question of why so often in my past I have avoided the grasp of this love. Why do I go off, like the prodigal son, looking for a love which cannot possibly compare to the inconceivable, unconditional love of my father God?
One of the answers to that question is rooted in the reality that I have not known God, in an intimate way, to any significant degree. For God has made Himself known to me in a variety of ways. Knowing God and loving God (or being loved by Him) are totally inseparable entities.

In the past I have believed that going to church, reading the bible and even praying were guaranteed methods for knowing God. This is not necessarily true. Truly coming in to God’s presence depends on the state of your heart and your mind when you engage in these activities. And knowing about God is obviously not the same as knowing God. In my experience, the only things that can guarantee that I am engaging in the process of knowing God more deeply is clinging to Him with a simple trust and surrendering my will and life to Him. There is so much to comprehend about these two deeply profound elements. Surely, I will spend my whole lifetime seeking to enter into a deeper trust and a more complete surrendering to Abba Father. Writing about them could easily consume many pages. In short, I have learned that trusting and surrendering in relationship with God involves nothing short of a total abandonment of all that I am to all that He is. I know there must be a recognition, as well as a consistently held mentality, that I am nothing, have nothing and can do nothing without my Abba Father.
It is almost too incredible to ponder the reality that God has made Himself and His character known to me and all of creation. When I meditate on this truth it is awe inspiring. However I am still inclined to ask the question, why would God give me a mind with the ability to grasp some of the complexities of who He is and yet an inability with regard to the extravagant love He lavishes on His people. I ask myself what would happen if it was the other way around, that I could understand and grasp God’s love but not who He is. Speaking for myself I know that I would get hooked on the love and end up paying no attention to the lover. God has stopped at nothing in my life (especially lately) to painstakingly reveal Himself to me in a way that would lead to a deeper dependence on Him, not the amazing things He offers. The reality is that I am wired in such a way that I will not be so open hearted to the love of someone I do not truly know.

Nice work Curtis. I enjoyed spending the day with this group, slinging a little paint and later showing them around the Bratislava castle.
Having been raised in a family which valued faith, church and hope in the eternal, it has been quite natural over the years to assume that my grasp of God’s character is valid and sufficient. Through the passage of time one thing has become clearly evident to me, because of the incomprehensible depth of His nature, I need a constant and on-going revelation of who God is. The result of such a process, I have learned, is a deeper knowing of God’s true character, by the power of the Holy Spirit, which has led me to a more intimate, trusting embrace of His relentless love for me. And as I look at the horizon of my faith journey well off into the distance I can see a vast and limitless path leading ever deeper into the heart of God and His unsearchable love. In addition I have also discovered that part of the answer to the question’ why do I go in search of another love’ lies in the way I was designed by my creator. My heart has been wired to desire love and acceptance of my fellow human beings. I want to feel connected to other people and want them to desire to be connected to me. This is, of course, all very natural and healthy in the context for which it was designed. The problem for me, and I suspect many others, is I am unable at times to keep this natural desire in its proper context. I find myself putting too much importance or emphasis on the acceptance or approval of others which ultimately diminishes my capacity for receiving and embracing God’s love. God desires and expects that He will be given the most prominent place in my heart. And He has every right to have that expectation. God is perfectly deserving to have all of my love and affection, mind, soul, body and strength. But with true love comes freedom and certainly God has given it. The freedom to give my heart to whomever I choose and the freedom to embrace or reject any love offered to me, including God’s.

This is my new friend Andrej. Just last week I invited him over for some lunch. I originally met Andrej the first time I called for a taxi here in the city. Andrej drives taxi here in Bratislava and speaks good english. We had a nice conversation that first meeting so I took his number and continued to call him when I needed a taxi. After I purchased my car I called to tell him I wouldnt be hailing his taxi anymore but that I wanted to stay in touch. He agreed. Andrej has experienced many difficult life changing events in his world lately and is beginning to ask some large, significant questions about the purpose and meaning of our exsistance. We have had some great conversations and I hope to continue the discussion in the future. Andrej seems anxious to continue as well. This is typical of the opportunities I have had in Slovakia to build relationships with different people and encourage them as they journey through life in all its complexities. What a great privilege it is to walk along side people like Andrej.

I recently went to visit a friend in a small community known as Levice (Lay-vee-say). As you can see, they have their own castle in Levice which is positioned right near the center of town. This is the first castle I have seen which is not perched high atop a cliff or mountainside. The castle is referred to as the Gothic castle.

The first written record for the Gothic is from 1318. The record says that its purpose was for many centuries a guard against Turkish forces who were attempting to raid the lucrative mining stations around the area. The castle has been in ruin since 1709.

My friend Laci and I decided to do some exploring. There wasnt much to see due to deterioration but what is there is quite nice. Laci and I first met at the 2005 baseball camp. He is actually Hungarian by birth but has lived in Slovakia most of his adult life. Naturally he is fluent in Slovak, English and of course his native toungue. After several years of doing youth outreach in Bratislava he is now using his gifts and talents here in Levice.

Sometimes you feel like you are in a Raiders of the Lost Ark movie.

Once you get out of the city into the Slovakian countryside the beauty is everywhere. These spectacular yellow fields are one of SK main crops. As you drive through the country you can see these fields everywhere. This crop is the primary producer of cooking oils. Not only do they look beautiful but they also have a wonderful aroma which is quite powerful as you drive by.

This is the view outside Laci's flat.

This is the reason Laci departed from Bratislava and moved to this community 2 hours to the north. The Kontact cafe is essentially a hang out for the youth of Levice. The cafe is open to the public as well but mainly exists to provide a safe and healthy place for kids to come learn about and discuss relevant life issues. The adults who operate this place seek to befriend young people, build trust and allow the kids to see what it means to live as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Here are some photos of the inside. The interior is filled with comfortable furniture and a relaxing atmosphere. There is also a room with computers/ internet for a place to do homework or other projects.

I was really impressed with this ministry. This is extremely cutting edge, not only for Slovakia, but anywhwere. Laci told me that he knows of only 2 other outreaches similar to this one in all of Slovakia. Imagine what the impact would be if there was a Kontact Cafe in every town. Teens all over the world are constantly looking for something to do, somewhere to go, a place to call their own. What an amazing opportunity for building significant relationships.

Great meeting rooms for speakers, presentations or just a movie night. Currently they are doing a program called "Jesus House" which originated in the States. After watching a video production of teens worshiping in a concert like atmosphere they listen to a speaker and then turn off the video and have a faith related discussion.

How amazing is this? They have a beautiful climbing wall out in a back court yard. There are tables and chairs, a service counter for food and drinks and outdoor speakers which keeps the music constantly flowing.

When I visited there were lots of young people enjoying the wall, hanging out with friends and attending one of the Jesus House meetings. There is a dance club right next door so the kids were going back and forth from one to the other. I think it is a unique set up (the proximity of the dance club) because the kids get to see and compare what its like to be in a wordly environment vs. a godly environment.

A few kilometers from Kontact is a place where Laci and his assistant are active in organizing a hockey ball league. Anyone in town can come and join. Hockey ball is quite big in Sk. There are leagues in many towns around the country. Its another great way to meet and build relationships with young people. The sad part for Kontact, as with many ministries in this part of the world, is they are really hurting for money to pay the bills. If you would like to help them out, contact Laci at his e-mail address: laci___@hotmail.com

Laci's church is part of the Cirkev Bratska denominaion which is where I attend in Bratislava. The service was filled with contemporary worship and a solid message. People stayed around after the service for fellowship. Nice community.

Speaking of Cirkev Bratska, my church in Bratislava had this picnic last weekend at a beautiful location just outside the city. About 70 people attended.

Cooking sauages over an open fire in the great outdoors. Velmi pekne (very nice).

Here we are at the famous Danube river in the heart of Bratislava. I recently learned that one of the guys I play hockey with is from a well known family here in the city. There are 3 rather popular restraunts here on the river which his family owns and operates. Here is one of them, a floating dining experience with a great view of the Bratislava castle and St. Martins church both of which are more than 600 years old. This boat is permanetly in port and re-opens every spring after being closed for the winter months.

Krivan is the name of this vessel which is also a museum for the history of sailing on the Danube. The host family put on a fantastic invite only party with amazing food, great music and lots of friendly people.

We also enjoyed a little boat ride down the river. After driving over the river countless times since my arrival in SK it was great to get a perspective of the city from down on the water.

A great time was had by all.