Ideas for Ramadan

I found the following ideas for Ramadan in a blog of a Christian anthropology student doing field research in Jordan: But Ramadan is a month in which people are supposed to focus on God and grow in closeness to Him... Weiterlesen

Great idea

I came across this blog entry about making a comics instead of lengthy explanations about your research:  Almost every grad student struggles with the difficulty of explaining your dissertation topic to strangers (not to mention friends and family) without launching... Weiterlesen

Information flow on Facebook

Over the last few weeks I had several interesting experiences with the information flow on Facebook. It really amused me how this sometimes goes. Two examples: - When the earthquake happened in California I knew it withing a few minutes... Weiterlesen

Of course! What else?

Last week I got another interesting insight while reading “He loves me!” by Wayne Jacobsen. The story where Jesus talked to the "businessman" (Lk 18:18ff) - who had asked him what he must do to inherit eternal life, and who... Weiterlesen

How to love imperfect people

Yesterday I found a very interesting reflection on unconditional love. Here is an excerpt: " .... When we love someone without condemnation, by seeing their heart in spite of their behavior, it teaches them that they are valuable and loveable.... Weiterlesen

Language of the heart

Over the last week I pondered what theme I should choose for the worship in our English speaking service this evening. Several songs that the Lord brought to my mind had a similar topic - God as our refuge in... Weiterlesen

Fear or love

I just started reading “He loves me!” by Wayne Jacobsen. In the third chapter he brings up the question of what motivates us to follow Jesus - fear of hell or love for God. Unfortunately, it is true that there... Weiterlesen

Joy strength

About two years ago I heard for the first time about the so called joy center in our brain.1 It was fascinating for me to learn how important joy is for the healthy development of our brain and for the... Weiterlesen

A Questionable Gift

On a recent flight a Malian discovered that his seat was next to a female traveler. He was very delighted and considered it a blessing to sit next to a woman. He explained the importance of women with a Mande... Weiterlesen

What is normal?

I am reading in 2 Corinthians at the moment. There are all kinds of things that speak to me and seem to be relevant to my situation. Possibly the most important insight happened this week, when I meditated on 2... Weiterlesen

God speaks through pain

When I wrote the last entry, I was reminded of a quote that has become very important to me about 10 years ago. Since then I have often quoted it and reflected upon it. "a significant question, that one of... Weiterlesen

Security

We all need security. Some of us more than others. In a talk with a colleague last week I realized how much I am struggling with my present insecurity, incertitude, lack of clarity about the future. I have a hard... Weiterlesen

The Agreement

The Agreement The Father knocks on my door He searches a home for his son. I answer, the rent is low. "I don't want to rent, I want to buy", says God. I don't think that I want to sell,... Weiterlesen

Waiting

Since waiting on the Lord is my present "job description" I found the following quote helpful and encouraging: "While waiting upon God we should continue to gather good data, seek godly counsel, and even begin to take action. God often... Weiterlesen

Praying for clarity

Over the last months, I have often prayed for clarity and asked others to pray for clarity. Today I found this interesting quote: When the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for three months at "the house of the... Weiterlesen