If you’re reading this and you speak French… you will no doubt be surprised to see this as the feature image for today’s post… “God’s a rip-off”. Keep reading and you’ll see what’s up with that!

 

Back to School

Social media from back home has been replete with First Day of School photos for the past few weeks. Well… La Rentrée has finally hit here as well.

While Sophie started 3 weeks ago, Dominic & Timo went back this week – Timo, to the same school as last year and Dominic to a high school in Poitiers, roughly 30min away.

Since the “big yellow school buses” don’t exist here… the easiest way for Dominic to get to school each day is by train. It’s very common for high school students to travel by train so it’s rather like getting a bus pass back home. The 25min by train and 15-20min by bus is a whole lot harder on mom than it is for our high-schooler though… let me tell you! 🙂

Timo, while in familiar surroundings, was actually a bit hesitant about going back this year. He even tossed out the idea of going back to homeschool.

I’m honestly not sure what that was about but we were pretty confident that, once he got back in the groove and saw his friends again, homeschool would again be pushed off the horizon.

He’s in a new class with largely a new group of kids, but one of his very good friends is still in his class – so all is well.

Wanting to Impact his School

While at NAYC this summer Dominic was challenged. There was great emphasis put on students reaching other students for Christ through the P7 format (similar to the ISCF of my day… Interscholastic Christian Fellowship), where students meet weekly for a Bible study and time of prayer.

P7 materials are not translated into French and he is in a new school where he doesn’t yet anyone in administration to help sponsor a group. That’s what’s going against him, BUT … he’s determined.

Because he attends a private school, there is an onsite chapel where he has committed to spending one lunch hour, each week, praying for teachers & students and reading his Bible. We are confident that as he honors God, God will begin to honor his desire to take Christ to someone hungry people around him.

“God’s a Rip-Off”

While walking the dog this week, I came across the following graffiti:

“Dieu est une Arnaque”
(God’s a rip-off)

Coincidentally, or perhaps quite on purpose, this was written on the foundation of a building attached to a church parish, though not the church itself. It pretty much sums up the attitude of many young French adults. Sad isn’t it?

For many, the only experience they associate with the notion of God is that which comes through the media, from grand-parents or from someone else who is far removed from a regular, vibrant relationship with Jesus.

I’m glad that’s not my case, nor our kids’ case. I was encouraged, as a young person, to discover the Lord… the living God who longs for relationship. I’m glad that there were people to help me along the way.

God is SO not a ripoff!

That’s why we’re still in France… many in this part of the country are hungry and thirsty for they know not what. So when you’re praying for us, all of us, even the kids, pray the prayer that Paul requested of the Colossians:

“Pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ… Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should”
Colossians 4.3-4

A Bit of Fun

Let me end on a light note today… Here are three fun facts from our week:

1. Discovered a new flavour of Pringles chips… ready?   ……….. Ham & Cheese!
2. On the day before Timo went back to school he asked to do something special as a family… we opted for Monopoly. The game was so old that prices were in French Francs… not Euros!
3. Finally… one night I went out to close up the chickens after it had already gotten dark. The next day I realized that I hadn’t JUST closed in the chickens…. a hedgehog had gotten in there and ended up spending the night.

Thank you & Please Pray

Thanks for spending a few minutes with us again this weekend. Keep us in your prayers… particularly for the scripture mentioned above… for our whole family.  Also pray for Liz & I as we start a new Bible School year today…. more on that next week.

God bless you today friend!

 

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