I want to tell you about our life here this week by sharing three-word groupings and I’m already going to have to cheat on #1…

Spring is here (almost)

Today’s feature image looks like a perfect capture of Spring in Europe: Lots of stone, interesting rooflines & facades and just a hint of green as trees begin to leaf out. You could be forgiven for thinking that we’re well into Spring because, in comparison to many parts of North America, this city-scape is looking VERY Spring-like. However that photo was taken in between two downpours of rain and generally speaking, the calendar (as defined by trees, gardens and local bee-keepers) is roughly one month behind where it would be in a typical year.

Still though… folks back home woke up to a wind chill of -18 celcius yesterday… so I’m going to just stop talking and move on to the next three words…

God’s Amazing Grace

Last weekend we celebrated Easter and as you can see… a vase full of forsythia helped to brighten up the room.

In the same way that life is renewed each Spring… bursting forth in bright colour, so the power of Christ’s resurrection allows us the privilege of an open door to newness of life as well.

Timo gave a bit of a word of testimony if you will… sharing some of the things that he’d learned that week – it was cool to hear him ask to share and great to watch him do it.

We also experienced God’s grace this week in a few practical ways as well, as it relates to our trip home in just under 7 weeks!

are we panicking yet?!

… the next three words constitute a Biblical phrase… but these words are not just limited to Biblical usage:

Stiff Necked People

Is it just me or did the world’s “crazy-meter” just get majorly cranked up this week?

The three words given to this section are a summary of the three words that we’ve been hearing daily in France over the past week…

Let’s take a look at the strikes going on in France shall we…

• Railworkers will strike for 2 days, work 3 then return to 2 days of strike: they’ll do this on an ongoing basis for the next three months!
• Airline pilots are reducing traffic by 30% these days.
• Garbage collectors in major cities are going on strike.
• Some municipal bus unions are on rotating strikes as well (Dominic was impacted by both the rail & bus workers this week).

All of this is putting the country on edge.

What’s more… I showed up to teach at the university on Wednesday morning and you’d think it was a performance of Les Misérables: all the doors were barricaded and students were present to keep people from entering the buildings. I couldn’t teach because students were on strike.

No one wants to discuss, each one blames the other and everyone jockeys for position. I see it in Canadian politics. I see it in US politics. I see it in international politics (cue Russia) and I see it hitting close to home, impacting our daily lives through public services here in France.

Without wanting to be overly dramatic… this is part of the spirit of Antichrist… rebellion. It’s what caused the devil to be cast out of heaven and it’s what will wreak havoc in our countries (and personal lives) if allowed to go unchecked. A house divided against itself will fall!

The final 3 words for today….

Let’s be Careful

There were times when the term stiff-necked people was even used in reference to God’s chosen people, Israel, in the Old Testament. We can’t just point at someone else and accuse them of being stiff-necked (stubborn, unyielding)… we need to examine ourselves as well – to ensure that we’re not walking a little too far off to the left or the right.

Lord let me yield to you… so that I can be like those beautiful, alive, green trees… in a world of cold, hard stone.

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God bless you today friend,
Thank you for stopping by!