Weary, I run to you...

... for your arms are open wide.

Ah yes, great song. Anyway, I really am worn out at present. We are plugging through some material in class that is outside of the well-defined rules and muddled in the murk of nuance. I detest nuance and I feel kind of lost. But, as my teacher told us, if you don't like dealing with nuance you can go back to B1. And I'm not going back there! So onward I go...

I also had a long weekend that went fast. I spent 10 hours at church and 6 hours on my bike riding to and from church. I didn't feel at all rested coming into a week loaded with exams and presentations. Then, last night I had a dream where I was attempting to escape from a gang and the leader was pulling a gun on me just as I was jumping down from a car roof. I tried to go into a combat role in mid-air, a maneuver that doesn't work well when one is actually lying flat on one's back in bed. So I jerked myself awake at about 4 A.M. and had enough of an adrenaline rush to not be able to fall back asleep. So now I am tired.

All this to say, say a prayer for me please? :-)

Peanut Butter or Chocolate?

A lot of people love Jesus the way they love peanut butter. They really like to have Him once in a while, but they wouldn't want Him all the time and He isn't very exciting just by Himself.

Imagine what the church would be like if we all loved Jesus the way Francophones love chocolate. They eat it at all times of the day. They love it on bread, in cakes, in their milk, in their bread, on their fruit, and I think their preference is just plain, pure chocolate. It is present at every social event. They love to share it with their friends. They consider it to be more a necessity than a desire.

May we seek Jesus at all times of the day and in everything we do. May we seek our sufficiency and satisfaction in Jesus rather than chasing around religious ideas of our own making. May Jesus be present in all of our conversations and interactions, and may we learn to be dependent upon Him.

Versailles

Quick blog before bed- Today I went to the garden of Versailles with one of my professors, one of my friends (who is French as well), and his mom. If you have been praying that I would have more quality interactions with French people, this counts. :-) Here are some pictures.


Some pretty building whose name I have forgotten.


A horse. Believe it or not.


My friend, my professor, my friend's mom, me. Taken at arm length when they didn't suspect it!


Trees. Believe it or not.


Some bronze guy and his horses.

Suisse

As you know, I visited Switzerland. And I loved it. Therefore I will submit you to my travel blog. Mwahaha! This shall be fun for me and mildly miserable for you, but you will read it anyway just to see what I have to say. Isn't blogging wonderful?

Day 1

I started my day at 2:30 AM when I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about the dog poop on my shoe. Despite the fact that I had only gone to bed an hour earlier, I got up and cleaned said poop off of said shoe. After that I slept peacefully until my alarm went of at 3:45. I grabbed all of the clothing that I had carefully laid out for myself 4 hours prior and rushed out the door. I caught the bus as planned without breaking a sweat. This was going too easily!

As I rode along I noticed that we weren't stopping at all the stations. How was I supposed to know when to push the little red button for my stop? As I mulled this over, I saw a sign for the stop just before mine flash past the window. I pushed the red button and promptly got dumped off next to a bench surrounded by dirty glass and half of a poster. The next bus came 10 minutes later, and this time it had a little computer announcing the stops. That ride was easy, but I had to chat quickly with a bus driver to figure out which direction I was supposed to go for the the third bus. Soon I was at the airport.

The flight was beautiful. The morning sun made the clouds a more golden color than they have been on my other flights. As we dropped through the clouds towards Geneva I saw patches of sunlight and cloud sliding over the rolling countryside, and then flowing out over the clear blue waters of Lake Geneva.

I was told by my friends that Swiss trains are never late, but my luck with trains proceeded me. My train from the airport to downtown Geneva was about 15 minutes late. I got off the train and headed uphill. My friend and I had agreed to meet at a particular chapel at 2:00 and even though it was only 9:00 I figured my first priority should be finding that location. I didn't find it uphill but I did find a pretty little park. I made plans to come back and rest there later, and possibly do some homework.

I turned around and went back through the station. On the other side of the tracks I quickly found the chapel, and just beyond it an office of tourism. What a find! I grabbed a map and departed, this time with much more purpose. I soon found myself on a bridge with Lake Geneva on my left and an island on my right. On the island was a sign reading "The City of Time" in French. It was a fitting title. The whole city was full of shops selling watches, clocks, and of course, Swiss army knives.

As I admired the boats running through the harbor, I suddenly realized that behind me a behemoth had implanted itself in the flow of traffic. Lo and behold, a tractor was driving into downtown Geneva with a load of hay. Two more tractors came after it. This pretty much made my morning. What kind of major city has tractors driving downtown?


The City of Time (photo by Matthew)


Geneva Harbor


Market Day?

As I was trying to get a panoramic shot of the harbor, a gigantic wall of water suddenly appeared in my viewfinder. I lowered the camera and beheld a higher jet of water than I had ever believed possible, aside from perhaps a volcano or something. I'm sure most people who visit Geneva already know about this thing, but I am not a good tourist.


The geyser

On the other side of the bridge I found the "English Garden." The famous clock of flowers (which I also had never heard about) was unfortunately all ripped up to be replanted, but I was able to admire the trees.


English Trees

I also spent a good deal of time looking out at the lake. Paris doesn't have any lakes. Not respectable ones. And I felt like, since I was the first person out of all the people I know who have spent time at Lake Geneva in Minnesota to see the REAL Lake Geneva, I should probably take the time to appreciate it.


Geneva lighthouse


Geneva guard house (you can see spray from the jet to the right)


Swans!

I was hungry, and in the station they had been passing out samples of "Ovalmatine." Surely that's a copyright infringement. But it does communicate the idea effectively. I didn't have the customary milk that is used to drink the stuff, but I did have saliva in my mouth and I figured that would do in a pinch.

Refortified and possibly under the influence of a sugar buzz, I headed towards a yellow spot on my map identified as the "vielle ville" (old city). I started climbing stairs, and about halfway up I found a beautiful protestant church.



At the top of the stairs I discovered Calvin Avenue, which lead to St. Peter's Cathedral. I spent some time inside the Cathedral and then in a park next door.



Next door was Calvin's Chapel.



Reembarking on my adventures, I stumbled upon this sign.



I never knew that Miss Evans (George Elliot) was in Geneva! She wrote Silas Marner and several other famous books under a man's name because they wouldn't have published her if they had known she was a woman.

Two blocks later I saw the oldest building in Geneva. I didn't realize at the time that it was the oldest, but it looked cool so I took a picture of it. Later I was reading through my guide (in French) and realized that I had picked my photo well. I don't remember anymore why the wall was black, but they have repainted it that way to make it look the way it originally did. The flag is the flag of Geneva, which was once an independent city-state. They still fly their own flag beside the Swiss flag and see themselves as very much international.



The street ended in a park just outside of the old city wall.



By this time I had to go to the bathroom. I wanted to keep exploring but the only bathroom I had seen all day had been in the English Garden. So I started back that direction. As I once again neared the oldest building in the city, I saw a sign saying something about a museum and the word "gratuit" (free). I jumped inside, not really caring what the museum was, because most museums have a bathroom. To my pleasant surprise, it was a museum about the formation of Geneva. I love history, so seeing old tools and clothing is always fascinating. In the basement they had a special exhibition of photographs documenting the growth of the city. The basement itself was in 3 or 4 levels that had been excavated, and parts of which dated back to the time of the Roman empire. There was a substantial display of ancient coins that I really enjoyed. Looking at a scrap from the time of Jesus makes a wheatback penny significantly less interesting.

It was nearing 2:00 so I hurried back to the chapel and met up with my friend Matthew, who had skipped out of class 15 minutes early to grab the train and meet me. Together we headed back to St. Peter's Cathedral, and this time we climbed the towers. Especially having read the Hunchback of Notre Dame (a simplified version, but in French!) I have a fascination with cathedral towers.


The towers are always more skeletal than the rest of the building. It gives them a feeling of mystery and adventure. (photo by Matthew)

One very interesting part of this tour was the old bell player's chamber. I'm not sure if they poor guy lived here or just spent his days here, but there was a regular apartment way up on top of the cathedral.


(photo by Matthew)

The South Tower looked out over the old city and also offered a great opportunity to shoot the North Tower with lake Geneva behind it.



The North Tower offered a beautiful view of the lake.



This is looking down on the cathedral and out towards the mountains. Unfortunately the clouds were low and obscured some of the view.



We passed through the old city again and visited the city hall, where we found a courtyard named "Alabama." Unfortunately we found neither Susanna nor the banjo.


Welcome to Alabama!

In a corner of the courtyard was a spiral ramp. Not a staircase, a ramp. My tourist guide said that it had been made a ramp so that important people could ride their horses up to the fourth floor. I wonder what they did with them once they got there.


This is almost the top of the ramp. As you can see, it's not quite two horses wide. No passing zone! (photo by Matthew)

I showed Matthew the museum and then we headed to Neuchâtel. All in all, a great day!

note: pretty much all the photos have levels adjusted.

Switzerland

Hello from Switzerland! This will be short because I am using my friend s computer and he has a goofy keyboard so I am forced to hunt and peck. REALLY SLOW! So let us use pictures.

Day 1- Geneva


Day 2- Gruyeres (home of the cheese and a fantastic castle)

also a walled city named Morat

and then we did some indoor rock climbing before bed.

Day 3- Grindelwald (alpine village) The clouds were low all day long so I only caught glimpses of the actual alps through the clouds, but it was a pretty valley neverthless.



On the way back from Grindelwald we had to change trains at Interlocken Ost. As we got off the train we saw a big production crew with their camera pointed at us. We thought we were famous. But no, they were actually shooting a film. We entertained ourselves greatly watching and critiquing their moviemaking antics. We anticipate the release of this Tollywood film (not Bollywood, but another brand of Indian moviemaking) primarily because it might star the backsides of our heads. Unfortunately, the paid extras didn't know the name of the film they were being paid to extra in, so we will probably never get to see if we made the final cut.




Day 4- via feratta (the iron way). We climbed around on the face of a rock for about an hour and a half, linked on to iron guide wires. It was an interesting mix of rock climbing, alpine bridges, and sliding down muddy footpaths. We were praying that it wouldn't rain on us, and it didn't rain until we were on the way back home.

Lead me to the cross

I heard the same message twice in four days. The message was that Christians need to hear the gospel even more often than non-Christians. Why? Because we forget. When we forget the message we stop living as if we believe it.

I have been reading through the old testament for a long time and I have stalled out because it has gotten depressing. No, I'm not in Lamentations. I can handle Lamentations. I'm in 2 Kings, where Israel can barely hold on to a wretched king long enough for him to introduce the latest idolatrous fad before one of his generals or officials bumps him off and becomes the next wicked tyrant. All of this started when Israel rebelled against the king God had given them and rebelled directly against God's authority as well. They decided to keep worshiping God, but to do it their way. They forgot the covenant God had given them. They wanted to reject parts of it and ended up abandoning all of it. The consequences piled up and multiplied throughout the generations, with ever uglier results.

Meanwhile Judah had ups and downs but generally stuck closer to God. Then, all the sudden, after 4 good kings in a row, a king appeared in Judah who tossed out all of the wisdom of 4 generations and instead embraced everything that was going on in Israel. He instituted idol worship. He removed God's alter from the temple and replaced it with a pagan alter. He sacrificed his own children in the fire. Disgusting. Completely disgusting. And only one generation after the people were worshiping God.

This is the power of forgetfulness. Whether it happens because of overbusiness, laziness, or deliberate neglect, forgetting our relationship with God is dangerous and seriousness business. Our fall into slavery to the sinful nature might be slow or it might be shockingly fast, but it will happen. I may not sacrifice children on the fire, but I might roast my needy neighbor in self-righteous reproach. I might not worship a golden idol, but who am I turning to when I am lonely? Afraid? Looking for purpose? If it isn't God, I'm following the path if Israel. Just because we have had a good Sunday doesn't mean we can coast through the week on the spiritual after-glow. We need to encounter God each day. We need to talk to Him each day and sit still long enough to hear a response.

For me, these are some realities that I want to be actively aware of each day:

1. Who God is
2. What Jesus did on the cross
3. My lostness and insufficiency apart from God
4. Who I am in relationship to God (at least one major aspect thereof)

It is also very important to frequently remind myself:

1. What God has done in history
2. What God has done in my life

God set up lots of opportunities throughout the month and throughout the year for the Jews to review their history and praise God for all He had done. It is not for no reason that he told them to make sure that their children where aware of everything God had done. We must seek always to raise up the next generation in an active knowledge of the living God. We can not make anyone believe, but it is crucial that we model a life of faith grounded in the evidence of God's past works.

The Parisian Boat Community

Yesterday I had my eye exam for my driver's license. That went pretty well, all things considered. It put me back 100 euros, though. When all is said and done it is going to cost me about $200 to renew my driver's license overseas. If there wasn't the possibility that I will need to drive in Africa, I would gladly just pay $60 or whatever it costs to re-take my driver's exam when I get back to the states.
Anyway, after that necessary pain, I wandered along two different portions of the Seine and admired the vast community of boaters that lives there. Rather than owning houses, they own boats and rent space on the river.
The first boat I really looked at was this one, the Caracalla. The duck gives you a good sense of the scale.


Thanks to a bridge I was also able to get a picture of the whole boat.


I then moved into the center of Paris and strolled along the Seine there. This Mini sitting by the waterside was one of the most European sights I have ever seen. As evidence, I had to wait for another photographer to get out of the way before I could shoot it. The building in the background is the National Assembly.


And this is one of the most "Paris" sights I have ever seen.


Another view of the Eifel Tower.


Yes, I took this because of the cross.


Some of the boats were plain looking. Some, like this one, were quite pretty. My favorite is fashioned to look like an old gallion. Unfortunately I couldn't get a good picture of it because it was anchored next to two other boats.



And I got a self-portrait in a cabin window :-)

New Beginnings

I feel almost like I am starting school over again, now that I am in the new class. It is kind of exciting! This will be a short trimester- only 8 weeks.

There are also many new beginnings out in the park. God blessed us with beautiful, sunny days almost every day of our 2 week vacation. Since Friday the weather has gotten cooler again and it has been raining a bit. Everything is growing and sprouting. I love this time of year!

The test

I got 80.5% on the test, which is about 25% better than I thought I might have gotten. Praise God! It looks like I'm moving up.

I found out just now that my professor posted two responses to my current Facebook status ("John Gieske just finished the exam"). She wrote:

" And it's not too bad!!! Well done, that's the teacher who corrected it!!!!"

and

"J'aurais pu être plus sévère!! Depuis quand les femmes en France conduisent plus vite qu'aux USA quand elles vont à l'église!!!"

This means, "I could have been more severe. Since when do the women in France drive faster than in the US when they go to church?"

Haha! One of the test questions asked us to make 5 comparisons between France and our home country. Since she is my ride to church on Sundays, I thought I would play around with her a little and I wrote, well, just what she said- that the women in France drive faster when they are going to church. Good fun, good fun.