Crete

After two days in Athens we settled into our timeshare on the island of Crete.It's very nice, quiet, and relaxing. We rented a car so we have freedom to get away when we want to go exploring.

We are still trying to get acclemented to the time change. But since we have no reason to worry about it, we don't.

The island of Crete is situated between 3 continents. 100 kms from Europe, 175 kms from Asia Minor and 300 kms from Africa. It is the largest of the Greek islands at 260 kms long and 60 kms wide. With a population of 650,000 it is sparsely inhabited. With mountains rising to over 7000 feet and dropping down to the sea, it is limited in farmland yet is noted for its olives, goats and honey.

Yesterday we drove through the mountains and small villages to get to the south side of the island to find the port of Fair Haven. Acts 27 says this is where the apostle Paul landed on his journey to Rome. We soon found that no one, not even the Greek Orthodox church, knows of this event.  When I showed some of them the reference in Acts 27, it became clear they did not know what the Bible is, who the apostle Paul is nor that Paul had landed in Fair Haven. We looked at a place where it could have been. Then we stopped at a family restaurant in a small village for a Greek Salad and gyros.

Today we headed to Knossos which is where the Mineon Palace ruins are located. Dating back to the time of Abraham (2000 BC) it is evident they had a developed culture with large, 3 and 4 story buildings primarily made of Cyprus wood. The site's religious ruins reminded us that all cultures have sacrifices to appease their gods. As we watched the multitudes of tourists from the cruise ships docked a few miles away, we realized how few then or now have looked to the lamb of God, the one sacrifice that truly pays for our sins.

At night we took a drive to Agios Nicholas. It's a quaint marina town with narrow streets, sail boats and in July and August will be packed with people from the mainland. Glad we came in the off season.

As you can see from the pictures, NJ Blue Bear is having a great time, too.

Athens: A City Rich in History

Our second day in Athens allowed us to walk in the shadow of a combination of Athens in the height of its glory with the worlds leading philosophers, mathematicians, political figures as well as the remains of their works, the Acropolis with the Parthenon, the ruins of so many temples. We also walked in the shadow of the early church figures and saw the Agora where Paul preached as well as Mars Hills where he was summoned to explain his new teachings to the philosophers of his day.        

Finally we were able to walk in the shadow of modern Athens, a city attempting to deal with a host of financial problems and and unemployment rate of 25%. I kept telling Lynette I should bring my power washer! The streets are littered with actual garbage and walls covered with Graffiti. This reminds us that no culture has survived over time and that the best that man can produce returns to dust. It reminds us that our only hope is in Jesus Christ and someday we will be ruled by the Eternal One, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Athens

When the Apostle Paul entered into Athens, “his spirit was provoked within him as he beheld the city full of idols.” This is the Athens that we bumped into today, “a city full of idols.” As we walked the streets today, our heart was touched with a people who were trying to survive in an evil world.

But it didn’t take long and we felt at home and began to wander. Picking up the Red Tour Bus, we were able to hop on and hop off as we were able to pick and choose what we wanted to see. Of course, coffee and a greek salad were high on the list, ending up at Mars Hill where the Apostle Paul spoke to the philosopher of his day, proclaiming Jesus and the Unknown God that they were so curious about.

You can hear Rich's message by clicking on this link: tinysa.com/sermon/72706133711

Ready to Depart

We are packed and anxious to get on the road. Just a few housekeeping items to touch up. Last night we realized that our hot water tank has rusted out and therefore no hot water shower this morning. It was a disappointing setback, but then, that can wait until we get home.

Murphy said goodbye at the door and since he was not able to go with us, he talked his cousin NJ Blue Bear to tag along and remind us of home.

We take off at 4:25 p.m. and arrive in Athens at 9:25 a.m. (direct flight).

In the Shadow of Paul

At 7 p.m., on Wednesday nights, at Shawnee Baptist Church, Rich is teaching a class on The Acts of the Original Church.  When the Apostle Paul was called by God to take the Gospel to the known world at that time, he embarked on a series of three missionary journeys.

In 2006, Rich and I had the opportunity to spend 6 weeks in Greece/Turkey and explored some of the sites where Paul actually walked. On May 10 - June 2, we will once again embark on our own journey to discover more of that special place.

Join us as we blog about or experiences. Since this is meant to be a rest, we will not be posting every day, but if you check back a couple times a week we are hoping to keep you up to date.

Here is just a taste of what we will see.

A Week to Remember

About a year ago, my dear friend Jane, was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was a shock to us all. After many sessions of chemo which they thought was working, they found her liver full of cancer with only weeks to live.

On Monday night they called to ask if we would come and offered to help with the plane fare. So by Wednesday morning we were headed to the airport.

Because of storms in Chicago, we found ourselves stranded at the airport with thousands of others scrambling to decide what to do. Since our time was so important and so short, we decided to rent a car and drive the five hours to Waterloo. That was the best decision we could have made as it stormed for two days and the only flight that came into Waterloo was the one that took us back on Saturday morning. 

Unfortunately, we had plane - side checked our bags and they never did arrive. We picked up a few necessities and our bags met us back at home just a few minutes ago.

We stayed with some dear friends who had come to know the Lord during our tenure in Iowa. What a joy to sit on the couch with a cup of coffee and chat; just like we had done so many times before and hear how they are investing in others and sharing Christ in so many different ways. They loan us a car to come and go and we spent most of our time with Jane.

These two days were filled with Joy/Sorrow/Laughter/Tears. She was such a godly women, always investing in others. It was hard to say good-bye, but know that she will be safe in the arms of Jesus very soon.

On Friday night, we had a pre-funeral service at their home with a few friends. What a special time. We sang, prayed, gave testimonies and praised the Lord for her life. 

Thank you Lord for bringing Jane into my life and teaching me with your actions how to be a godly women.

On Love and Spider Plants

I recently read an article by Robyn Huck called On Love and Spider Plants. Here is a quote:

"Every spider plant on our shelves had many shoots that produced sprouts, and those sprouts produced more sprouts. Sometimes the little offspring landed in the pots on the shelf below, and they’d happily root and sprout again.  Eventually, the spider plants cascaded down to the floor. They made such an impact in that room that we called it “the spider room.”

As odd as it may sound, this wall of spider plants reminds me of Christian love. Just as there is something in the plant’s DNA that causes it to produce a never-ending bounty of sprouts, the same is true of godly love. Our outward acts of love toward others (making meals, helping with bills, lending a car, spending time, exhorting, encouraging, etc.) continuously sprout from a heart whose spiritual DNA is coded by the Holy Spirit. Loving others becomes endemic to who we are—part of our character—like sprouting is to a spider plant."

Since the last few years have been stressful; relationship hard; I think I have not watered the Love God had put in my heart. It seemed easier to just tuck it away so that the branches of this love were not trampled on or broken away. But now God is prompting me again to get back to reaching out. After all, "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:8), as we are reminded on this Good Friday.

Here are some of the points Robyn points out:

1.  Love is a character trait: I Corinthians 13 shares with us a whole list of how loves acts and responds

2.  Love makes an impact: It furthers the Kingdom of God. FUN FACT: spider plants sprout and hang in the air actually removing toxins and improve the air quality

3. Love connects us with something bigger: FUN FACT: after a few years it is impossible to pick out any individual plant because they are happily intertwined.

4. Love Cultivates Love: It's catching; it's hard to be mad at someone who is happy

After reading this article, I headed to Home Depot and picked up a small spider plant. I'm looking forward to it's cleaning properties (hope I don't have to dust as often) and as it grows and spreads, it will remind me to share the Love that God has put into the heart of every believer.

2 Peter 1:5-8

. . . make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with LOVE. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

PS: I've heard that Rubber Plants are really good at cleaning too - think I will put one of those in my bedroom too.