This is the 99,999,998th Swatch watch!
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Day of the Ascension
Today is a holiday in Switzerland, so I don't have school today or tomorrow! All of Switzerland closes down to celebrate the Ascension of Christ. I have never heard of this holiday before, so I spent some time today thinking about why one should celebrate it, and now I feel it is very important! Jesus' Ascension is one of the most thrilling stories and remains a key event in the lives of Christians today. Below are some reasons I found for why we should celebrate the Ascension:
1) Because Jesus conquered death. We celebrate this fact at Easter, but it's really the Ascension that clinches the deal. Other people have been raised from the dead, but they all eventually die and stay dead. Jesus rose never to die again. "Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay." (Psalm 16:10).
2) Because after Jesus ascended He sent the Holy Spirit. "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7).
3) Because now we can act and pray in Jesus' Name. "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father." (John 14:12-13).
4) Because Jesus is with the Father. "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." (John 14:28).
5) Because Jesus is exalted above all. "...That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." (Eph 19-21).
6) Because Jesus is preparing a place for us. "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2).
7) Because Jesus is coming back for us in the same way He went away. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:3). "They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.' " (Acts 1:10-11).
8) Because we are left here to do Jesus' work through His strength. "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." (Mark 16:19-20). "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.' " (Matthew 28:18-20).
9) Because it is cause for rejoicing and worship. "While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God." (Luke 24:51-53).
The country you are in may not be celebrating the Ascension today, but you can certainly take a moment to do so!
1) Because Jesus conquered death. We celebrate this fact at Easter, but it's really the Ascension that clinches the deal. Other people have been raised from the dead, but they all eventually die and stay dead. Jesus rose never to die again. "Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay." (Psalm 16:10).
2) Because after Jesus ascended He sent the Holy Spirit. "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7).
3) Because now we can act and pray in Jesus' Name. "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father." (John 14:12-13).
4) Because Jesus is with the Father. "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." (John 14:28).
5) Because Jesus is exalted above all. "...That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." (Eph 19-21).
6) Because Jesus is preparing a place for us. "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2).
7) Because Jesus is coming back for us in the same way He went away. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:3). "They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.' " (Acts 1:10-11).
8) Because we are left here to do Jesus' work through His strength. "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." (Mark 16:19-20). "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.' " (Matthew 28:18-20).
9) Because it is cause for rejoicing and worship. "While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God." (Luke 24:51-53).
The country you are in may not be celebrating the Ascension today, but you can certainly take a moment to do so!
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
A Visitor!
This week my friend Kristen came to visit! We studied French together at George Fox University and coincedentally she is now in Dijon, France for the semester, just a couple hours away from me by train. It was so great having another young American girl to enjoy the shopping with and it's nice having a friend who has seen a bit of my life here. We'd dreamed up this rendez-vous in Europe long ago, so it was awesome to see it come to pass! Below are photos of our time together, including a walk by the lake and a guided tour of the castle of Neuchatel. We also went to the Museum of Natural History which is featuring a fun exhibit on the use of animals in French expressions.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
A Pictoral Description of Raclette
Have you ever heard of Raclette? At first I kept calling it Ratcliff, but turns out you can't be in Switzerland for long without learning about this culinary treat first hand. Ate it for the second time yesterday, so thought I would take some pictures to illustrate for you. Scroll down through the photos for an essential lesson in Swiss cheese (not the kind with the holes).
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Signs of stress...and possible insanity
Ah, week four. There seems to be something special about this week, like I've reached a milestone...or the point of no return...or a breaking point perhaps.
Since I awoke this morning, my 27th morning in Europe, until this very moment that I am writing this to you, my left eyebrow has not ceased twitching. Have I developed a nervous tic?! If so, how perfectly dramatic of me to make such an outward show of my inward stress. It's rather pleasing actually, like a big bruise that doesn't really hurt much but that can be shown off to others. "See how pathetic I am? Won't you please recognize my pain?" the bruise calls out. Although perhaps a nervous tic sends out a message of a different sort, but I'd rather not think about that.
Actually, I've been practicing not thinking at all. Or specifically, not thinking using language. Have you ever tried it before? I'm not sure it's possible, but for the sake of my nervous tic I'm giving it a go. You see, the problem with thinking using language is that I'm not susposed to use English here, as it detracts from my French study. But my French study is detracting from my peace of mind, as my twitching eyebrow is attempting to tell me. Thus I would think it..or rather "feel" that it would be best to spend some time in tranquility, without thoughts of any sort running about. But I've found this state to be rather difficult to preserve for any length of time. This has taught me an important lesson: I will not judge the next vacant person I come across, but instead congratulate them on their intellectual achievement.
Well then, I suppose I must come up with something pleasant to say, after all the cynicism of late. I hope you can tell from my writing that I've been reading Oscar Wilde. He's terribly British, even when he's translated into French. His characters always say the opposite of what they should. I take his whimsical works very seriously. You should too. I recommend The Importance of Being Earnest. If you're not the literary sort, although to read that play you certainly don't need to be, I also highly recommend the movie of the same title starring two of my favorite actors: Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon. Francis Somebody-or-Other is also in it, and she stars in the movie Mansfield Park which is another favorite of mine. I also recommend Wilde's most famous novel, The Portrait of Dorian Gray. It is an interesting commentary on how our behavior affects our soul. I wonder, does my soul have a nervous twitch?
Since I awoke this morning, my 27th morning in Europe, until this very moment that I am writing this to you, my left eyebrow has not ceased twitching. Have I developed a nervous tic?! If so, how perfectly dramatic of me to make such an outward show of my inward stress. It's rather pleasing actually, like a big bruise that doesn't really hurt much but that can be shown off to others. "See how pathetic I am? Won't you please recognize my pain?" the bruise calls out. Although perhaps a nervous tic sends out a message of a different sort, but I'd rather not think about that.
Actually, I've been practicing not thinking at all. Or specifically, not thinking using language. Have you ever tried it before? I'm not sure it's possible, but for the sake of my nervous tic I'm giving it a go. You see, the problem with thinking using language is that I'm not susposed to use English here, as it detracts from my French study. But my French study is detracting from my peace of mind, as my twitching eyebrow is attempting to tell me. Thus I would think it..or rather "feel" that it would be best to spend some time in tranquility, without thoughts of any sort running about. But I've found this state to be rather difficult to preserve for any length of time. This has taught me an important lesson: I will not judge the next vacant person I come across, but instead congratulate them on their intellectual achievement.
Well then, I suppose I must come up with something pleasant to say, after all the cynicism of late. I hope you can tell from my writing that I've been reading Oscar Wilde. He's terribly British, even when he's translated into French. His characters always say the opposite of what they should. I take his whimsical works very seriously. You should too. I recommend The Importance of Being Earnest. If you're not the literary sort, although to read that play you certainly don't need to be, I also highly recommend the movie of the same title starring two of my favorite actors: Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon. Francis Somebody-or-Other is also in it, and she stars in the movie Mansfield Park which is another favorite of mine. I also recommend Wilde's most famous novel, The Portrait of Dorian Gray. It is an interesting commentary on how our behavior affects our soul. I wonder, does my soul have a nervous twitch?
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Tour of the City
On Sunday another church came from out of town and shared the service with us, so afterwards we went on a historic tour of Neuchatel. Had opportunity to take some interesting pictures, so enjoy.
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