It had been roughly 12 years since we’d been in Holland. Sophie & Dominic were half-pints and Timo was not yet of this world. MAN! It was good to be back! Continue reading
AIMLong in Holland!
Monthly Archives: April 2017
A Heavy Frost…
A heavy frost on leaves in the field
For many of you, particularly in the south, today’s image will seem out of place for an April post, yet it is not entirely impossible for parts of Canada, the northern or high-altitude USA and even northern Europe to experience frost at this time of year.
(I promise though… I won’t post any Frost-pics in July!)
Matthew 24 speaks about what is typically referred to as “the last days” or the time preceding Christ’s return.
The disciples ask Jesus when they might expect Christ’s return and rather than answer them using a calendar, he refers to what life on Earth will look like preceding those days.
(It bears a striking resemblance to the days we’re living in)
One of the signs of the end times will be that the love of many will grow cold, as a result of an abundance of iniquity or selfish thinking… thinking only of ourselves.
In this world, radical individualism is constantly being hammered into us and the more I think about myself, the less room I have in my head and in my heart to think about someone else…
to love as Christ loved.
So Lord, today, my prayer is … don’t let my love grow cold!
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STM can be… Humbling!
Shortly after Christmas, my wife and I got to laughing.
You know the laugh… the one that’s half hilarious, half pathetic, sillier than silly and for seemingly no good reason. That was us. Continue reading
New Attack, Old News
It’s happened again. Another attack in Paris, this time directed at police officers and along the famous Champs Élysées. Such events, along with the political rhetoric that’s being whipped up at a frenetic pace in the closing hours of a national election (the first vote of which happens tomorrow), make for a bit of a toxic cocktail. But interestingly enough, I’ve been reading about the life of France’s King Henry IV (16th century) and we see that there really is nothing new under the sun. Continue reading
Healed Followers
Paris’ Eiffel Tower, seen from the Trocadero Esplanade
Crowds.
Jesus had a thing for them.
There were times when he went out to find a solitary place, but somehow, the crowds often “found him out” so to speak; they flocked to him.
Some followed him only to get a healing &
some got a healing because they just wanted to follow him.
My initial reaction is to assess the second group as being the more noble, but my assessment is really of very little value in the end.
“Many followed him and he healed them all.”
Of course the first thing we think of is physical healing and a contradiction comes to mind… there are still those Christ-followers that die of cancer. We can be tempted to deduct that this verse can’t hold true today, but scripture is unchanging.
They all had a healing of sorts:
Some were perhaps physical, emotional or psychological…
but since God is not a liar, they were all healed of something.
At the very least… they were all healed of the eternal sin problem…
The condition….
They followed him.
Will you follow him today…
There’s a healing that awaits you.
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Sophie @ l’Université de Poitiers
Well… for a day at least, let’s not put the cart before the horse. She only came for a day but the uneasiness soon gave way for a confident, well-spoken girl to address the class!
Silence + Setting = Peace
Bridge over the Clain River, Cenon-sur-Vienne.
When you’re a night-owl like I am, early mornings don’t come naturally, although they used to when I was younger. Nonetheless, I love the early morning and when Dominic was on a 3-day Work-Practicum he had to be there by 8:00am.
Since it was located outside of Châtellerault, not only was I up early, but I was out of town. Sometimes I opted to explore on my way home and on one such morning, I discovered this bridge over the Clain River, just on the outskirts of Châtellerault.
The morning was cool and the sun had not yet truly broken over the horizon, giving a magical feel to this image, as the mist rose from the water’s surface. There was little to no traffic so between silence and setting, I experienced God’s peace in a wonderful way.
Silence and Setting…
If you need to experience God’s peace today:
Aabandon the noise and the traffic. Get alone with God. Experience his peace.
God bless you and may you know his peace today!
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Biking around Paris – the ECO-option!
There are a number of ways to get around Paris and the first to come to mind is typically the metro.
Without question, the metro is the easiest way to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. Not only that, but it’s one of the quintessential Paris experiences… you’ve just got to try it at least once!
That being said, it need not be your only choice for sightseeing your way around the capital. Did you know that you can rent a bicycle for either short rides (which can be very inexpensive) or for several hours (the price, of course, increases according to rental length).
Velib’
…a contraction of:
vélo (french for “bike”) + liberté (freedom)
As the name suggests, it gives you the freedom to visit Paris in a different way… many would say “a more romantic way”.
That being said… while cycling through the streets and up the avenues sounds like a wonderfully romantic thing (and it is… when there’s no traffic), it can also be somewhat stressful when regular Parisian traffic is present (and it almost always is!).
In my book, Paris 3 Days No Stress, I give you 10 options for fairly low-traffic yet sight-rich bike rides around the French capital, allowing you to experience the romance of biking without the stress of heavy traffic… allowing you to get the most possible enjoyment of the experience.
Tip:
If you are planning to bike around Paris, don’t assume that all open, grassy areas welcome cyclists. Although wide open areas like the Champ de Mars, the esplanade in front of the École Militaire or the Tuileries gardens may be very inviting, you need to watch for signs prohibiting bikes. There may be external pathways where bikes are permitted, but bikes may not be permitted in the parcs themselves (such is the case for the Tuileries gardens).
Click here to purchase “Paris 3 Days No Stress” on Amazon
(in eBook or paperback format)
Have you mowed your lawn yet?
I’m treading on thin ice here and I know it. Perhaps not with friends reading this from the southern states or elsewhere in Europe, but with friends in the north-eastern USA and many parts of Canada… there’s a strong possibility! Continue reading
Teach me to Walk in Righteousness
Vittorio Emanuele Bridge, over the Pò River, in San Mauro Torinese, Italy.
So the contradiction is obvious… this is a photo that we took while visiting a friend in Italy’s Torino Province, but I’ve added “France” to it. Doesn’t make sense. …or does it?
I’m using this photo to illustrate the verse from Amos 5.24.
The word “Let”, with which the quotation begins, frames the rest as the heart-filled expression of a desired state. Amos is expressing God’s desire: that among his people righteousness would be so free-flowing, so common, that it could be considered like a mighty stream.
That was not only God’s desire for his people in the Bible’s Old Testament, it is also his desire for you and I, today.
In that sense… whether France, Italy, Canada, the USA, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, etc… it really makes no difference. God still desires that those who call themselves by HIS name, be characterized by righteousness.
Lord, let it begin with me.
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AIM Long 