The Strain of Following Christ
Our Lord’s teaching can be summed up in this: the relationship that He demands for us is an impossible one unless He has done a super-natural work in us. Jesus Christ demands that His disciple does not allow even the slightest trace of resentment in his heart when faced with tyranny and injustice. No amount of enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His servant. Only one thing will bear the strain, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself ~Oswald Chambers

A Lost Harvest
Living in the Czech Republic now for nine months we have had the privilege of enjoying a sample of all four seasons. As we have driven throughout this beautiful land, we noticed the roads lined with fruit trees, mostly apple and some pear trees. Now, when I say lined I am not exaggerating. For miles and miles these quaint little European roads were completely bordered by fruit trees. I have to confess that on more than one occasion while out on a family drive we would pull the car over and just help ourselves to some delicious fresh fruit. The interesting part about these trees is that they appear to belong to no one. There is no orchard and no farmer; indeed these are wild trees. As

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving from Czech
Happy (late) Thanksgiving! We enjoyed a Czech-style Canadian Thanksgiving this past Monday with our friend and fellow missionary, Steve Belzner. It was a great time of food, fellowship and more food! Hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as ours was!

The Success of the Cross
The success of the CrossClose your eyes and picture the cross. Now picture Jesus on the cross, nailed to it bleeding and beaten, hanging for all to see. Picture the crowds mocking and scoffing, hear Jesus as He says “it is finished” and gives up His spirit. See the Roman solder pierce His side with a spear, watch as they take Him down from the cross and what few friends He had left wrap His broken body and lay Him in a borrowed tomb. Imagine what those who followed Jesus while He was alive must have thought seeing all this. Jesus the promised Messiah, the one who would rule with Justice and be the King of Israel is dead, killed like a common thief. Where was the power peop

Bouquet of Virtue
I have always loved a good story. But to me, a European story is the best story. Somehow, everything always seems more beautiful. The heroine is always more beautiful, her hero is always more handsome, the food always looks tastier, the sun always looks warmer, and there is always violin music playing in the background. Even the difficulties of the main characters always seem less, well... difficult.I don't think that before moving here I expected my life to turn into a European movie. But somewhere along the line maybe I wondered if things really were better in Europe. Having lived here for a bit now, I can tell you a few things: the food really is tastier! Yo