by Greg | May 29, 2010 | Blog Posts
It has been another beautiful day in the Eternal City. The local forecasters called for rain and it has remained sunny all day – some things, like predicting the weather, are international. Since today is Saturday there was not a scheduled class, but Michael Schwartz led a “field trip” for anyone interested to the Trastevere section of Rome. This meant that I needed to be up and waiting on the bus by 6:45 AM. It also meant that I was going to travel alone to meet up with Dr. Schwartz and the others. I left early because this was a completely new section to me, located just west of the Tiber River and south of Vatican City. I reached the agreed meeting spot with time to spare so I took advantage of the extra minutes by indulging in what would amount to three cups of cappuccino. Needed some more euros to tide us over for the weekend, I asked the barista owner for the nearest “bancomatic” or ATM. He was kind enough to walk me down the block and show me how to enter the bank in order to use the machine (I would have never figured this out because you have to slide your card along a reader outside the door, whereupon it opens automatically and leaves you securely inside to do your business). Three students and one other professor joined Schwartz for the full day before us. Trastevere, according to guidebooks, is considered by its inhabitants as the most authentically Roman. I am not qualified to make a judgment call on that, but it was filled with...
by Greg | May 28, 2010 | Blog Posts
The day began like all other days since arriving in Rome; gentle sunshine and mild temperatures. In fact, I do not think it has gone above the mid-70s in temperature. Since everyone else in our flat was asleep I decided to stretch my legs out a bit and of for a walk, which is kind of odd since that is all we have been doing this past week. I also was in search of a good cup of coffee. The apartment does not come with a coffee maker since the locals either make their own espresso or go out and buy a cup. At the last minute I bought about a dozen Starbucks instant coffee packets which Amy and I are trying to ration out. After about a block I stopped at a small coffee shop and had a cappuccino along with a croissant fresh out of the oven – all for about $2.50! I sat at a table and attempted to read the sports section of an Italian newspaper. About all I can report is that two soccer teams played but I have no idea who won. Speaking of soccer, we evidently have some neighbors that love soccer because they were up until midnight watching a game. They were loud and raucous and obviously having a good time. It was well after midnight before I drifted off to sleep. Once everyone was up and email checked we darted for the bus. By now a gentle rain had started and we realized that while we packed rain gear, we brought none of it with us for the day’s events....
by Greg | May 27, 2010 | Blog Posts
I have an apartment full of sleepy-heads – but then again they may think Dad is an insomniac. I, however, slept well and there was ready to go pretty early. Amy and I let the boys sleep a bit while we walked a few blocks to grocery shop. I am not sure how clear I have been in describing where we live, but let me add one other detail: no one speaks a morsel of English. In fact my Italian (which is nothing more than a Rick Steve’s cheat sheet) is better than local’s English. I have discovered that Clark has quite a knack with languages and has done a much better job than dad in helping us communicate. Yesterday he was very embarrassed by me when I said to a waiter: “grazie ya’ll.” Anyway, back to the grocery store: we bought some meat that looked like bacon but we found out tasted like prosciutto; some eggs; ciabatta bread; and some very tasty strawberries. No great surprise, but few things were recognizable including milk, juices, or even basic cuts of meat. Every meal is a surprise! After a late breakfast or early lunch, we walked to our bus stop and soon boarded. It is fun mixing with locals, especially when they are patient in showing us the basics, like how to properly insert your bus card and when your stop is approaching. It makes me feel good that we can provide the good citizens of Rome with so much entertainment and so many stories that they can share with their families at night. Our first tour/lecture did not begin...
by Greg | May 26, 2010 | Blog Posts
What a day! Well I should actually begin by saying our night was a restful one with a solid 8 hours from most of us. Aaron slept, as near as I could calculate, about 20. I was up around 7 AM and took a walk around our neighborhood to snoop and site see. It is definately a working class place with not much in the way of culture, but it was fun to people watch. Anyone that has traveled with me knows that my method includes getting lost and making new and interesting discoveries. Well, I did not happen upon anything covert or particularly noteworthy, but I did find a morning market selling fresh produce. I saw some of the biggest asparagus ever. Following a light breakfast of toast and apricot jelly we boarded the local bus and took a twenty minute ride to the city center. All I can say about seeing Rome for the first time is – wow. (yes, I know that is not a very academic word coming from a guy that is suppose to be on a study leave, but…well, wow!) We wandered around Rome for the next six hours just trying to understand how the streets are laid out and its patterns – there are no patterns in Rome. We enjoyed a great lunch of pasta dishes and pizza followed by the great European dessert – gellato! At 4 we joined Dr. Michael Scwartz, another faculty from Augusta State University and nine college students and toured several churches, including the great Pantheon. I have read and studied Carvaggio, Raphael, Bernnini and other great...
by Greg | May 25, 2010 | Blog Posts
The flight was happily uneventful and we arrived safe and sound in Rome this morning around 8:15. The good news is that we have the whole day before us. The challenge, of course, is staying awake so that we can have a better chance at a good night’s rest. Let me tell you, it is not easy. We took a harrowing cab ride from the airport to our apartment. Winding through the streets of Rome in a minivan was far more dangerous than our entire flight. Our apartment is a 15 minute bus ride from the city center. It is located in a residential neighborhood congested with similar apartment buildings. While not picturesque, it is more than adequate and we are only needing it for sleeping. At an effort to keep the eyelids open we walked a few blocks and found a nice place to eat a few servings of pasta followed by a shot of espresso (this was Clark’s first espresso. Amy passed and Aaron elected to stay in the apartment and engage in his favorite hobby – sleeping.) Tomorrow will be a full day, so I hope to have a bit more content as well as some pictures. I am gratefull to my First Baptist Family in allowing me this time away to take part in this study leave. I am most blessed among pastors. Peace,...
by Greg | May 18, 2010 | Blog Posts
As of this writing I have two teenagers that are eagerly counting down the days until the last day of school. Now that I think about it, I suppose there are teachers, administrators, and parents doing the same thing. Even though the approaching last day of school does not make much of a difference in what I do, I find myself anticipating with a bit of excitement that mark of completion of another year in the life of my children. They have gotten a bit taller, learned a few more things (most of which is constructive) and are one year closer to moving out of our home and beginning their own journey. The end of school also marks beginnings for many of us. Do you remember as a child day-dreaming about all that you wanted to do that summer? Sleeping late, riding bikes, swims at the lake, and vacation tantalized the thoughts of many a child in the waning days of the school year. What are your plans this summer; more of the same or new adventures? I am looking forward to my sabbatical leave, which I will write more about next week. Clark will go from part time work to full time, which may or may not be something he is looking to doing. Aaron will be in conditioning training for football, so most of his days will be full. With the long days I plan to read a few more books and pick tomatoes and peppers in the evenings. I suppose by the end of July Amy will be counting down the days until school starts back...
by Greg | May 12, 2010 | Blog Posts
…Plenty, if the first name is Erik. I admit that for most of us Erik Weihenmayer is not exactly a household name like Elvis Presley or Lewis Grizzard. Erik’s face was on the cover of newspapers and magazines about ten years ago. He became the first man ever to summit Mt. Everest – blind. Even for the best of climbers there is a one in six chance of death when attempting to summit the highest peak in the world. What are the odds when blind? I love to read stories of epic adventures. This morning I finished a book by the title In the Wake of the Jomon: Stone Age Mariners and a Voyage across the Pacific. The author, Jon Turk, retraces this ancient voyage of 3000 miles in a kayak! (I thought circling little and big Tybee Island was tough) Several years ago I read a book about Chris McCandless. The book, Into the Wild, is based on the true-life story of Chris, who, upon graduating Emory, hitchhiked all the way into the bush country of Alaska. Four months later moose hunters discovered his body. Some who set their faces towards adventure meet triumphal outcomes and others meet tragedy. When I reflect over my life, about the most adventuresome thing I ever did was con one of my “city friends” from town into thinking you could actually tip over a sleeping cow (contrary to the urban myth, there is no such thing as cow-tipping). Boy was that cow mad – and fast too! While I have no plans to hike into the backcountry of Alaska or summit Everest,...
by Greg | May 4, 2010 | Blog Posts
I wish. MoonPies are tasty and good for you…well, they are tasty. I would proudly tout their product. Alas, the makers of the MoonPie have not come calling and besides this space is not for sale. A few years ago in a New York Times article the focus was on the number of ads we see each day – about 5000. We are well accustomed to seeing advertisements on billboards and television commercials, but nowadays it seems every available space is for sale. Not so long ago I actually saw an advertisement for a church (not in this city) on – are you sure you are ready for this? – a urinal deodorizer! Sure, I noticed the ad and the name of the church but now I definitely don’t want to go there. Imagine what this could look like for the church. On Sundays when I step behind the pulpit I could begin the message by saying, “This sermon is brought to you today by Starbucks Coffee…” and then I could take a sip from my mug for the purpose of product placement. For certain endorsements I could preach on specific sermon topics. How about having brand placements on the baptistery from a pool cleaning company or sing hymns set to commercial jingles. Can you just imagine a big neon slogan perched on top of the steeple? Now that I think about it, I don’t want to imagine any of this! Advertisers are latching on to the concept of lifestyle marketing. The basic idea being that they are more likely to convince a buyer to purchase their product if...
by Greg | Apr 28, 2010 | Blog Posts
A denomination (not Baptist) has as their slogan: “God is still speaking.” That is certainly Biblical when you consider the many times God breaks into the scene and because of this people begin to imagine new possibilities of living and relating. All week long I have been working on my sermon for this Sunday and I am wondering about God still speaking. Yes, I believe God speaks to me (and hopefully through me) for the sermon. But specifically I am wrestling with how God is speaking in Acts 11 where Peter is “explaining himself” to the Jerusalem Church. The problem was the Gentiles. Not all of them, just the ones who, and here I am quoting, “accepted the word of God.” (Acts 11:1) This meant that Peter and the others were rethinking what it would mean to live and relate with others, specifically the Gentile believers. Peter concludes with these powerful words: “Who was I that I could hinder God?” (Acts 11:17b) I wonder about me; how do I attempt to hinder God and therefore stand in the way of God speaking something fresh and alive? What about you? Do you think God is still speaking? Of course this can all get rather dangerous, right? Many times I have heard people tell me something like, “the Lord told me…” in order to defend their prejudices or personal views. Hmmm….this whole business of God speaking can be tricky. It would be easier to just believe that “God said it, I believe it, and that is that.” Yet if God is still speaking that means there is more to be said....
by Greg | Apr 22, 2010 | Blog Posts
What is the “face” of a church? Bearded? Bespectacled? Steepled? Bricked? Anglo? African-American? Young? Old? Formal? Casual? Traditional? Modern? American? Latino? You and I know that there is no one face to the church which the Bible refers to as the body of Christ. There are many faces. This past Sunday the congregation of First Baptist Church welcomed 29 new faces to our church family who joined our membership. It was a great response for a single Sunday. What a gift we have been given with these who have come to call First Baptist church their home. They were of differnet ages, gender and ethnicity. No one face is “the” face of FBC but all of the faces help paint a more complete picture. Your face is part of the larger family too, wherever you worship. First Baptist has adopted the stewardship theme: “I am First Baptist Church” and throughout 2010 and 2011 we will celebrate the many images and faces that make up FBC. Of course our church’s theme could be any church’s theme. What do you picture or imagine when you here the words, “I am the church”? To the ancient but cosmopolitan city of Corinth, Paul the Apostle wrote to the church: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body– Jews or Greeks, slaves or free– and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 Indeed, the body does not consist...
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