by Greg | Sep 10, 2011 | Blog Posts
By now both the blogs and the mornings begin routinely enough: wake-up call that always seems to be a bit too early and a breakfast that is bigger than we normally consumer. Everyone has maintained both good attitudes and robust appetites! Today we traveled just a few miles to the beautiful and famous Meteora Monasteries. Christians arrived in this region in AD 800 initially occupying caves at the base of these huge natural spires. As our bus winded its way to our first stop we could easily view the countless “niches” carved out of the side of these mountainous spires where hermits would dwell to separate themselves from society. “Meteora” is Greek for “suspended in air.” In the 1300s entire monasteries were built atop these cliffs. Originally reached by hinged ladders there are now roads and stairs that provide access. During Meteora’s heyday there were 24 monasteries but now only five remain. Our first monastery stop was Varlaam, and while our bus was able to get us close to the monastery we still had to take 150 steps to make it to the top. The small church of this monastery was painted from ceiling to floor with 15th century frescoes. Byzantine in style they were all striking in spite of the muted colors that come with age. In the narthex the scenery was of the martyrdom of the saints. If a person was not baptized that person could go no further. On one level it was a bit ghoulish, with scenes of all kinds of ways a Christian could have been tormented and killed for his or her beliefs....
by Greg | Sep 9, 2011 | Blog Posts
Our day started off with another great breakfast (preceded of course by an inconvenient wake-up call at 6 AM). Amy and I had a little more trouble falling to sleep due to lingering affects of jet lag and air travel, but that is to be expected this early in the journey. We boarded the bus and toured the ancient city of Thessaloniki which is not so ancient anymore. To be completely honest with you, it is more or less a sprawling litter of neo-facist architecture that is rather monotonous and bleak. It is of course the second largest city in Greece, so commerce is vibrant. We visited the statue of Alexander the Great, since Thessaloniki is the chief city of Macedonia. It is a rather dominating statue (to fit the man I suppose) but place in a rather gloomy spot alongside the harbor. It turns out we left the city just in time. A few hours later protesters occupied city hall because of the Prime Minister’s visit this same day. According to our guide, Grecians are quite upset with the state of their economy – lower salaries, higher taxes and very high unemployment, especially for young adults. We had long since left the city so we knew nothing of the occupation until our guide heard it on the radio. It is interesting to discuss international politics and listen to the perception of others. It is a big world that is getting smaller every day. Just outside of the city we approached Beroea, where Paul visited a synagogue where we read, “for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined...
by Greg | Sep 8, 2011 | Blog Posts
Day 1 (or is it day 2?) For the last twenty-four hours 32 devoted pilgrims have hopped shuttles and planes making our way from Augusta to Athens Greece. In between we have experienced a three and half layover in Paris, which might sound extravagant but trust me this part of the airport looked as though it was designed by an architect trained in the Soviet Union. Everyone has kept a great attitude and a positive sense of adventure. We had a total of three flights to catch: Atlanta to Paris; Paris to Athens; and a short flight to Thessaloniki (in the Bible we know it as Thessalonica). I guess we should not complain since the first-century Christian travelers had to make the arduous journey on foot and small boats taking several months at a time. When we arrived at our hotel in Thessalonika they had a lovely dinner waiting on us, although it was already fairly late – 9:50 PM. I need to add, however, that many in Greece do not take their supper until about nine in the evening. Tomorrow begins our first full day of touring starting with the village of Philippi. Day 2 Even though we just spent the last day and half traveling nearly half way around the world, we were up bright and early with a wake-up call at 6:15 AM. Amy chose to ignore and told me to just tell her about breakfast when it was over. I had already been up for about a half hour because I do not want to be late for a meal, even if we did just...
by Greg | Aug 23, 2011 | Blog Posts
This past Tuesday at noon our church began a new ministry to the community: Faith@Work. It was, I believe, a great success made up of business leaders from all parts of the community. Here is an abbreviation of my remarks I shared at the Faith@Work luncheon. Four Things I hope My Son Packed for College Now that I have seen my first born off to college I guess that makes me an expert on family transition – well, not really. The most vulnerable part of dropping your child off to college is the feeling that he is not adequately prepared. The truth is, now that they are adults they have to make their own choices. Here are four things I hope my son packed for college and plans to take with him through life: Hard Work I grew up where hard work was not just valued; it was essential, yet I was a lazy student for many years. In Colossians 3:17 we read. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus… Don’t cut corners; whether you punch a clock or are salaried or a student or a volunteer. Your primary employer is God, to Whom we dedicate all our labors. Even the most menial and mundane of tasks are offerings to God. Honesty No doubt we all consider ourselves to be, by and large, honest folks. Indeed I hope so. We sure need more of it. One of the many reasons we are in the mess we are in regarding the economy is the lack of honesty in the workplace....
by Greg | Aug 17, 2011 | Blog Posts
This past Sunday I celebrated communion with the Sunday School Class called “Jesus’ Special Followers.” Many of you are familiar with this great class of adults who share at least two things in common: they love Jesus and they have some level of cognitive impairment. Week after week there is a loving team of volunteers who work with these students and their caregivers to provide safe and sacred space to feel loved, valued, and affirmed. This particular Sunday I was asked to gather with them in the Storey Chapel to participate in a worship service where we sang “This Little Light of Mine” and “Jesus Loves Me” and a few other choruses. They formed a choir and sang raucously and joyfully before quieting down for my brief meditation leading into communion. Just before sharing in the bread and cup of Christ, one of the class members ambled to the near center of the Chapel to sing “The Lord’s Prayer.” He sang the tune near perfectly as well as each word. Well, almost every word. When it came to the line, “Forgive us our debts…” he sang instead, “Give us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” This sounds similar, but it is of course a completely different meaning. Who wants to be given debts? I have enough, thank you very much, so I certainly do not want to go around asking for more. I have no doubt you probably feel much the same. Here was a gentleman who, one could argue, has been given his fair share of debts, physically and mentally. To my observation, he has far more...
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