Welcome to Christmas market 2007 in Bratislava. Most European cities have these Christmas markets which is a celebration of the season with great food, live music/choirs and handmade gifts of all varieties. Enjoy the photos and their descriptions as I share some thoughts about my faith journey.
The longer I live the more I think about hope. I often wonder how many other people ponder the realities of hope and are those moments of pondering happening more frequently as they get older (its true for me)? It seems to me there are not too many things in this life more important than hope. The treasures of our hearts are brought to the surface of consciousness by hope. I believe that people can clearly understand what really motivates or inspires them in their lives when they ponder what gives them hope.

This is a wonderful gathering of people from all over this region. The atmosphere is quite festive as people talk and laugh and just enjoy community.

Hope part 2
What is it that gets us out of bed in the morning, keeps us pressing forward in the face of so many trials, disappointments and discontentment? The world offers so little real fulfillment and true intimacy, which is what human beings crave so deeply. And yet we just continue to put one foot in front of the other, trudging forward as if all that we long for is waiting just around the corner. But how do we find the energy, the perseverance to do it? Hope! Hope for something bigger or better, for something new and improved. Consider this however, is hope always a good thing no matter what the circumstances?

The beverage of choice at this event is a certain type of wine which is cooked which provides a warm drink on a brisk winter night.

Hope part 3
Every individual ever created is completely unique in who they are and so it is with their hope. The definition of hope is sequestered secretly within the heart of every person, often times without their conscious awareness of what it looks like. Hidden or unacknowledged hope does not mean a powerless or insignificant hope. Hope is too powerful a force to remain impotent, it will always find a way to drive us to certain beliefs and behaviors in our lives. All of us have a silent urgency to arrive somewhere special in life be it relationally, intellectually, physically, financially or spiritually.

Europe is certainly not immune from a certain degree of Christmas commercialism, however its not nearly on the scale of the U.S. This particular event has a real quaint, small town feel to it. There in the backround you can see the Japanese embassy (green building). The French and Greek embassy's are also located in this square. This square is a hub of community activities throughout the year in the city. It is known as the Hlavna Namestie or Main Square.

Hope part 4
As a watcher of human behavior I sometimes marvel at the destinations and achievements people strive toward using hope as their fuel. All too often the messages and experiences of childhood play such a pivotal role in determining what people hope and strive for. Sadly, on more than one occasion I have met people who are driven toward occupational success by an old tape playing in their head with the voice of their father on it saying “you will never amount to anything.”

The food is mostly of the grilled variety which works good for me. Here we have pork, chicken and a crowd favorite, different types of sausages (klobasa). Good eats indeed!

Hope part 5
All of us have a voice or two echoing around inside of us giving shape and form to the decisions we make regarding what is really important in our lives. And I can’t help but ask the question: is it possible for hope, this fuel for fulfillment, to bring someone to a place of utter disappointment? Are there right and wrong ways to express hope in our lives? Can hope be misplaced? I was watching a movie recently where the main character grew up in a terrible family and received many hurtful and hope depriving messages along the way. But she demonstrated remarkable courage and captured a dream no one gave her a chance to reach. Basically the dream was two fold: to rise to the top of her chosen profession and to receive the respect and adulation of a multitude of adoring fans who she did not know in any personal way.

And of course no meal is complete without a little something sweet. Here we have a number of delectible goodies sure to give anyone 2 or 3 cavities.

Hope part 6
However, just as she reached the pinnacle of that dream a devastating accident sentenced her to a fast approaching rendezvous with death. Rather than waiting for that to happen she persuaded her friend to end her life for her because, she reasoned, she now had everything she wanted and could die a happy woman. Hope was a powerful force in her life and carried her to where she decided she wanted to be. Her dream having been realized, she no longer needed to hope for anything more.

Anyone who enjoys handmade crafts would be in heaven here. There is quite an amazing variety of crafts made from wood, glass, ceramics, fabrics and even corn husks.

Hope part 7
I found myself being pulled into a state of sadness because this poor young women fought against all the unfairness and trials in her life and was able to overcome them only to be deprived of savoring her achievement. However it didn’t take long for me to feel an uneasiness in my heart about her life story. I found I couldn’t be sad for the reason the director and producer of the movie wanted me to be sad, namely that she was able to be triumphant in the face of tragedy and then had it taken away so suddenly. Instead I found myself being sad for another reason. I was sad because no one told this poor girl that there is hope for so much more beyond the acclaim, adulation or respect of other people. I was yearning for someone to tell her that there is more to hope for beyond overcoming an unfulfilling, sad childhood. I wanted her to know that the creator of the universe has ensured us that hope rooted in the sacred can lead us so much higher than what we can reach for or design on our own.

This is the largest nativity scene I have ever seen. As I looked at this photo more closely I noticed the McDonalds in the background. I couldnt help but think about the clash between the secular and the sacred, especially this time of year.

Hope part 8

God has not only offered us the very best that this life has to offer but also the life yet to come, which is the best of the best. I wish she had known the love and acceptance that her father God had extended to her in Jesus. But of course we must remember God has left the decision with us. If we choose to set our sights on hoping for only what we can achieve and experience here on this planet indeed that is all we will ever receive. When we choose to spend our time and energy on earth investing in a life of our own design and powering it with our own source of hope, we tragically exchange the very best for the very worst. In reality that’s much like going to a garbage dump and sifting through the stench for something to eat when we could be sitting at a table full of gourmet food in a palace. Or like wading in a pool of sewer waste when we could be frolicking in a pristine aqua ocean.

My friends and I had a very nice evening together which helped us to begin getting ourselves into the mindset of the Advent season. To my left is Carol (American), Zuzka (Slovak), Sarah (American), Janet (new American teacher at a local school), and Beata (Slovak). Merry Christmas from us to you!

Hope part 9
Our father God has made it possible for you and I to hope for the stars…and have them, to hope for an unimaginable eternity of paradise…and to possess it in full. The very fulfillment of the ultimate hope for every human being was born in an animal shed and rested in a feeding trough. Jesus has given me a hope I could never find anywhere in this world. May we all have hearts that trust in the hope that Jesus gives and the wisdom to bow on bended knee before the infant savior. May we all hold out for God’s very best for us rather than selling out for cheap imitations. All it takes is hope properly placed.

The rich, warm colors of fall have been replaced by the stark beauty of winter here in SK. About 2 weeks ago we experienced a good blast of snow and cold however we have since returned to mild temps and melting snow.

While it was here though it made for some picturesque scenery as well as...

...plenty of hard work. This is a view from outside my living room window. For those of you readers who live in a winter region you know what fun it is to shovel snow and scrape your car windshield. Driving in Bratislava in the snow is extra challenging because this is quite a hilly city, especially where I live. On this particular day it took me more than one try to get up the hill and back to my garage.

Recently I had another opportunity to go to some prisons here in Sk for the purpose of teaching and encouraging. The same two guys I have traveled with in the past were again here on this trip. You may recall they are both named Jan (john) so I refer to my young translator as Janci and my friend from the Mass Media center Janko. On this particular trip we went to central Sk to a town named Banska Bystrica. There is a medium security facility here in the city and also one which is more maximum security. We had the privilege of going into to both. Here in this photo you can see in the background the lights of the individual prison cells.

The gentleman on the far right is Lubos who is a Catholic priest. Lubos works full time as a chaplain in both of the prisons we visited today. In between prison visits we went out for lunch and got better aquainted. Lubos told me one of the most difficult parts of his job is building trusting relationships with the guys and helping them to set and achieve realistic goals. The gentleman on the far left is a man who works as sort of a social worker in the prison. He conducts group and individual counseling with the guys and also is attempting to affect some positive change in their lives. After hearing me teach he asked me if I might consider coming to the prison on a regular basis to do seminars and group work. Uvidime (we'll see).

We also made a return trip to a prison which we had been to months ago and again had the privilege of having lunch with this dear family before we went into to teach. The topics for teaching at these facilities range from anger to forgiveness to healthy relationships. Each message is imbued with a look at how Jesus modeled compassion, mercy and forgiveness in His earthly life. There is also encouragement given to the men to accept the on-going invitation from Jesus to walk with Him in freedom and forgiveness. Usually there is 20, 30 or 40 guys in the room all of them hungry for something new, looking for a way to improve their lives or just seeking for truth. The response has been quite positive from the men. They always seem eager to hear more and they frequently have great questions for discussion.

As you can see, I've saved the best news for last. I am an uncle for the 15th time as of yesterday. Fantastic! This is my older brother Rick, his wife Magda and my new neice Hania. We have been anxiously awaiting her arrival and she's finally here. Mom and baby are doing very well and from what I hear dad stayed conscious through the whole process. Way to go dad!

Magda is from Poland and so I am hoping that they will bring baby Hania to Poland soon so she can meet her cousins and grandparents here. At that point they would only be a 3-4 hour car drive away from me and I could go and snuggle up my new neice. Hania's middle name is Patricia which many of you know is in honor of my mom. Hania already exemplifies some of my mom's characteristics; beauty, gentleness and tenderness.