Last 8 days summary

I have put off for too long this entry. There is no inspiring or cool title that encapsulates all that has happened. So here goes.

Last Sunday morning we visited the young church "Un Coeur pour Paris" ("a heart for Paris"). Starting this month, it meets Sunday mornings at the arts space where our art ministry center is located. I hadn't been there for a "church" type of meeting since our Jessica's memorial service. I couldn't help but flash back to that meeting on November 8. Pastor Michel gave another interesting sermon that was user friendly to artists. Our kids enjoyed playing with some other kids their own age. Trafic flowed nicely on Sunday morning and parking was easy to find as well. So we'll be back here again.

Weatherwise, we've gone from snow that stuck around for nearly a week to a warm day yesterday where our son got to try out a new bike. On Tuesday, some former neighbors with twins gave us their 2 bikes that they had grown out of. Then on Wednesday I went out to Maisons-Lafitte in the western suburbs to pick up another bike that some friends also gave us. So now we have 3 bikes for our kids. It's surprising how God provided for this desire.

Yesterday I met with a young couple who arrived in Paris 3 months ago with another agency. They are about the age I was when I first arrived in France 21 years ago. It was neat to get to talk with them. One thing that I hope to spend more time doing is coaching of new workers in Paris. I've been doing some e-mails this week dealing with some issues of new people arriving in Paris for ministry, such as housing and language acquisition. There seem to be a large wave of new people here or in the process of coming to Paris. I enjoy networking and coaching.

I've been doing some reading and reflection time this month in the Psalms, Proverbs, Nehemiah, and Acts. I've started reading a book called "Visionneering" by Andy Stanley of Northpoint Church in Atlanta. It's good to get back to some basics again.

Through Facebook, I've been in touch with some peers from youth group in the 1970s, as well as some young people I worked with in the 1980s. Interesting to be able to stay connected with so many through this tool. Like all technology, it is a double edged sword with potential for great good and great evil.

Tomorrow night we're planning on going as a family to "Verticale," the monthly prayer and worship evening that la Fonderie helps coordinate. I'm curious to see how our kids like it.

The son-in-law of the senior pastor of a supporting church was the pilot of a helicopter in an accident at Texas A&M University earlier this week. It appears to have been caused by mechanical failure. One of his crew died and another one is in critical condition. Ellis, the pilot, has some major broken bones as well, but doesn't appear in danger of dying. But I guess that this accident will also have some emotional and psychological challenges for him, as well as spiritual ones, in the days ahead. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. This is a reminder of how fragile life really is.