Klauslis in Korntal

It's May 1, Happy ___________________?

Today is May 1--a holiday here in Germany. The question is, however, which one. As it happened, three holidays collided this year on the same day: On the Civic side, it is May Day, a European wide holiday similar to Labor Day in the US. On the church side is Ascension Day, remembering the end of Jesus' earthly ministry and anticipating Pentecost. On the Hallmark side, it is also Father's Day in Germany (a Nazi era substitute for Ascension Day that is still recognized--they don't have theirs on the 2nd Sunday in June).

The more practical question, however, is how should one celebrate? Split the celebration into thirds? Try to do them all simultaneously? It probably doesn't matter--but at least try to sleep in--or in our case since sleeping in is rarely and option, have some good family time!

Some fun new widgets

Check out the two new widgets on our blog site. The one to the upper right gives the current weather in Stuttgart (our large neighboring city) so you can see how hot, cold, or rainy we are having it. The one to the lower left (scrolling down) gives a German word a day. Just click on a word and it will take you to a site where you can hear the word and find its meaning. And while it is probably not as good as Rosetta Stone, remember that Rosetta Stone has no link to our blog! Have fun.

Getting to know the DMG

In a recent blog I mentioned my attendance at a mission conference put on by the Deutsche Missionsgemeinschaft or German Missionary Fellowship at their headquarters at Buchenauerhof near Sinsheim Germany (see picture). The DMG is unique among missionary sending agencies, not because of its focus on a particular field, but because of a lack of one. The DMG, with over 300 missionaries has no mission field of its own. Instead, it serves as matchmaker, linking up its missionaries with mission agencies around the world. For example, if a particular missionary feels called to work in church planting in Japan, the DMG will link them up with an agency that is doing that kind of church planting.

But why go with the DMG instead of just going with the agency itself? The reason is that some mission agencies have not German sending arm. By seconding missionaries to other agencies, the DMG thus enables German missionaries to serve in a wide variety of mission fields while maintaining a sending and support base in Germany.

If you would like to read more about this mission and their work (yes, they have an English translation!) see their website and look particularly under the link: DMG . . . a model.

Suffering: An Effective Motivator for Missions?

This last Sunday I had the opportunity to represent the AWM at a missions conference sponsored by the DMG or Deutsche Mission Gesellschaft (German Mission Society) at their headquarters about an hour north of Korntal. What intrigued me most about this conference (among other things) was its theme. Most missions conferences that I have attended have chosen themes that attempt to put the task of world missions in a "positive" or optimistic light: like, for example, "Reaching the Unreached" etc. The theme for the DMG conference was somewhat more sober. For this year they chose: "Suffering for the sake of Christ."

This theme was illustrated during the plenary sessions. In the morning meeting, missionaries from various fields were introduced, and where appropriate, were asked to share incidents where suffering and persecution have accompanied mission work and the life of the church in that country. The range was from dealing with social pressure to violent opposition and even martyrdom. The sermon developed the theme theologically.

Are we sometimes not realistic enough about missions and about what it is to be a Christian. Is not suffering a key concern in the New Testament as seen in one of Jesus' most famous sayings ("If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me"--Mark 8:34) as well as in lesser known sayings like this one of Paul recorded in Acts 14:22: "it is necessary for us to enter into the kingdom of God through many tribulations."

Is the DMG on to something in its theme? Have we glamorized missions too much? Is there also a danger of sensationalizing Christian suffering? What are your thoughts?

A bottle full of words?

(Note: this is a devotional that appeared [in German] in the March 31 edition of the Campus News here at the AWM).

Germans drink a lot bottled water. In fact, bottled water is so valued here that it is almost an offense to offer someone water from a tap. The favorite by far the favorite is sparkling mineral water that often comes from some local well. The varieties of water are almost endless and a trip through the supermarket usually reveals an entire row devoted just to this one product. My observation was confirmed by the website: www.mineralwasser.com (roughly translated!):

"Germany is mineral water land. Contained within its indigenous land is a treasure of water from which more than 500 mineral and 60 "healing" water brands are drawn from over 220 mineral water sources."

What this  tells me, is that when someone in Germany finds a good source of water, it is well worth it to bottle it. There is always a market here for good water!

When James asks his readers in 3:11 (ESV): "Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?" he demonstrates his understanding for what every producer of mineral water knows very well: the quality of water is based on its  source. Good water only comes from good sources, bad water from bad sources.

In this passage, however, James is not especially concerned about sources of water. Rather, he is occupied with sources of words. His concern is that Christians are capable of allowing two extreme types of speech out of their mouths. On the one the one hand "we bless our Lord and Father." On the other, "we curse people who are made in the likeness of God."  He continues:  " From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." (3:9-10)

Especially troubling with the duality of speech described in this passage is the source that James attributes to evil: namely the devil. (3:6) Speaking evil of others fits well with what James describes  wisdom "from below" that is "earthly, unspiritual, demonic." (3:15)

For Christians, however, the source and content of speech should be understandably different. Rathat then leading to "quarrels" and "fights" (4:1), it should come from the "wisdom from above" is "first peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." (3:17) Christian speech should only come from one good source!

The admonition of this passage is applicable for today. We need to always ask what is the source behind our countless words so that they don't result in destruction both in and outside the church. How many lives have been damaged by words that don't have their source in God's wisdom. But just as this passage provides a warning, it also provides an encouragement. For just as words have the power to destroy if their source is not from God, when their source is from God, they have an incredible potential for good. The have the potential to encourage, build up others, and even give life.

Depending on their source, our words are worth much more than the entire mineral water treasure of Germany! If our speech was water, would it be worth bottling?

A ministry with a blessing

One of the things that I have enjoyed most so far about our ministry here at the Akademie for World Mission is meeting and having fellowship with so many different missionaries. At the beginning of the year we started hosting a biweekly small group and a social about once a month for students who live at or near the school. At our social last night we had, what I thought, an incredible mix of people:

• Two Wycliff missionaries (one from Russiaand one from Chad)
• One former missionary from Colombia
• One missionary on furlough from Africa
• One person who is getting ready to leave for Brazil to work with street children
• A nurse who just returned from a 10 year term in Mozambique
• A couple who is getting ready to leave for Costa Rica in a few months
• An MK from Japan getting ready to go to Thailand
• A Swiss couple who just returned from Indonesia.

I am amazed and encouraged to see how the Lord has called each of these people to minister in all different parts of the world and I am blessed to be able to share in and learn about these ministries on all continents. It almost gives me a glimpse of what heaven might be like when we see all the things the Lord has been doing around the world.

I know I am back in Germany when…

• I can walk to the local bakery shop to get fresh rolls for breakfast
• I have to remember to bring my own shopping bags to the grocery store
• The instruction manual on how to recycle is 47 pages long
• I drive 20 mph on the famous Autobahn because of traffic jams
• My washing machine runs for two hours
• I have vast number of choices in the grocery store when it comes to sausages, cheeses and chocolates
• I buy milk in one liter containers (about 40 per month)
• I can often get places faster by train than by car
• I need to air out my house every day (since there is no central heating or air)
• I have not closets in my apartment
• The children can ride their bikes to the local grocery store
• My main means of transportation are my feet
• Applications for just about everything run through the government
• The local church bells tell me the time if I forget my watch
• I pay $8 per gallon for gas

The “MuKi”

One of the kids’ favorite weekly activities since we have moved here is the “MuKi” (moo-kee) at the church we are currently attending. The name stands for “Mutter Kind” (mother and child), and it is a weekly get-together for moms with little children. Each week’s meeting has the same structure: we sing, hear a story from the Bible, have Frühstück (a second little breakfast) and have a time to do rhymes and more songs. I especially enjoy that it is something we can all do together. Since moms stay with their kids the whole time, I learn the songs they learn, hear the stories they hear and get to know their new little friends. Naomi’s absolute favorite part is that for the last song the kids get to stand on their chair and all jump down at the same time (why am I not surprised?). It has also been a real blessing for the kids’ German as well as for me in meeting other moms from the church.

Albrecht Bengel-Haus

The process of reaching Germany for Christ is a complex task. On the one hand, some advocate a “missions” approach that advocates evangelization and the establishing of new churches. On the other hand, others emphasize working within the existing church structures that already exist to bring about renewal from within. A couple of weeks ago I had the unique opportunity to visit and institution who focus on this second way. Named after the famous 17th century German theologian, Albrecht Bengel, the Albrecht Bengel House in Tübingen (about 45 min. south of Korntal) serves students studying to become Protestant pastors in the "Landeskirche" or, as it is usually translated, "State Church."

In order to understand the ministry of the Bengel House a bit more, a little background on the German church might help. There are roughly 60 million people in Germany (out of 83 million) could be classified as “Christian.” Of these “Christians, about 30 million are Roman Catholic and 30 million Protestant. And while among the Protestants there exists a wide array of denominations, the vast majority still belong to the Protestant State Church. The name “State Church” does mean that the government runs the church. Rather, the government participates in the administration of the church by collecting the money needed to support it through the taxes of members (both Catholic and Protestant) and by providing training for pastors and priests at the state universities.

In order to become part of the State Church, one need to have only been baptized as a baby and have gone through confirmation in the early teens. After these two steps, the majority of these cultural Christians rarely darken the church door (with the exception of Christmas) or seek a meaningful personal relationship with God. To make matters even more difficult, the state universities, which are the only venue where students can be trained as pastors, tend to be very liberal in their approach to the Scriptures and often end up damaging the faith of students wanting to serve God.

Enter the Bengel House. Their basic mission is to provide spiritual guidance for students at the state university in Tübingen so that they remain true to their faith through the onslaught of higher-critical teaching they receive. The hope is that they can keep “believing” students spiritually strong through their theological studies so that they can go on to bring about a revival from within the churches to which already the bulk of cultural Christians already belong.

Although it is called “house” in German, the Bengel House complex consists of two large dormitory-style buildings that house about 100 theology students. In addition to dorm rooms, there is also a chapel, dining hall, classrooms and a decent sized theological library. To be a member of the Bengel-House, a student doesn’t need to live there. Rather, they agree to take one (or two) classes concurrent to the regular theological studies that provide an alternative to the liberal perspectives they are exposed to at the university. As a member they can take part in chapel services, prayer groups and other activities that seek to keep their Christian faith alive.

What was I doing at the Bengel House? No, I am not secretly going for another theological degree!! One of the guest lecturers here at the AWM (a former professor of mine from Columbia International University) gave a guest lecture there on the Emerging Church and I had the privilege of driving him there. Before he gave his evening lecture we had dinner with the director (Dr. Rolf Hille) and his wife where we both learned more about this ministry.

So that’s the Bengel House in a nutshell. If you want more information (in German, but they do have pictures) following this link: http://www.bengelhaus.de.

Do you have any questions? What do you think about it? I’d love to hear.

JuMiKo!

Last Sunday (Jan 6) I had the opportunity to be part of a team that manned a information stand at the largest missions festival currently in Germany: the Jugendliche Missionskonference ("young people's missions conference"), or JuMiKo, for short. In addition to numerous talks given by well known (for Germany) evangelical and missions speakers, there was a large missions fair where missions organizations and Bible schools (like ours) provided information for those interested in pursuing missions. Both surprising and encouraging were the amount of people who were there. During peak times, I think it would be fair to say that hundreds of people walked passed the various stands. Also noteworthy were there were the number of AWM alumni who came by--people who are currently in missions or in missions leadership. It is both exciting and sobering to assess the role played by the AWM in German missions. Thank you for your prayers . . . .

See the the photo album (to the left) for some pictures!