The Kleager Khronicle

New Web Site!

2010-12-13T00:54:00.003-07:00

We have been building a new web site that will be a little easier for you to use and get information. Check it out at: www.thegrafhouse.com

Upcoming Activities And Thanksgiving

2010-11-18T21:58:00.001-07:00

THIS WEEK AT THE GRAF HOUSE

Friday Night Dinner and Study: Our potluck theme is "Comfort Foods" which such be nice for our grey, rainy weather! Bring your Bibles for some crazy-talk about lostness...

Sunday Night Football: Join us Sunday from 7-9pm to watch one of the "early" NFL games. This will be a "ohne Kinder" night--that is German for "without your kids!" Please find a babysitter or a friend to watch your kiddos and then come join us!

Thanksgiving Festivities
Wednesday
7pm: Young Adult Contemporary Service as normally held in the Graf Chapel Annex

Thursday
5:00pm Thanksgiving Dinner! Come enjoy turkey and all the fixings! Please RSVP so we know how many to anticipate (but if you find a soldier in the barracks on Thanksgiving morning, bring him or her along even if you hadn't RSVP'd.)

6:30pm: Watch the Patriots and Lions on the big screen.

Friday
2:30-5:30pm: Adult Sport Day--Meet at the Graf House and we will go to a nearby field to play some soccer, ultimate football, flag football, etc. Kids are welcome to come watch but they will need to be supervised by a parent not participating in the activity.

5:30-7:30pm: Party to celebrate the engagement of Nick and Alexis. We will have light snack foods to eat as you hang out, play cards or board games, and enjoy being together. There will be the opportunity for you to help them get ready for married life by purchasing a Pampered Chef item but by no means do you have to. (You can also buy Pampered Chef things as a Christmas present for your wife, parents, etc. Shopping made easy.)

Saturday
2:00 Leave the Graf Chapel for the Gutteneck Medieval Christmas Market. This is a really fun Christmas market about 45 minutes away that the whole family will enjoy. We will leave at 2pm sharp because the parade starts at 3pm. The market costs approximately 4 Euros to enter.

Sunday
10:30 Chapel (No Sunday School or AWANA's)
11:30 Brunch at the DFAC

To Know And Follow Hard After You

2010-11-11T02:33:00.003-07:00

My prayer for Aimee and myself. For our boys. For those God brings into our lives.

This Week at The Graf House

2010-11-10T00:54:00.001-07:00

For some reason my email is not wanting to send a mass letter this week. Did the postage rates go up? So here is what is happening this weekend:

Fall Work Day

The forecast for Saturday is partly cloudy with a high of 59 degrees! That is almost summer-like for this time in Bavaria. And what can you do with such fine weather? Glad you asked! You can come out to The Graf House and do some yard work! We are having our fall work-day at The Graf House this Saturday and would love anyone's help. Lots of trimming of bushes, raking leaves, cleaning out the garden, etc. We will begin working around 10:00 am and will be going throughout the day until approximately 4:00. Please drop in for a couple hours whenever it works for you. Aimee will be providing lunch around noon.

Friday Night Dinner and Study

Our dinner theme is "Breakfast for Dinner". For our lesson we will begin looking at some of the "lukewarm" characteristics that Francis Chan talks about in his book Crazy Love. If you haven't read this part I would highly encourage you to read the first few chapters and then this chapter as well. My hope is that everything about our night will not be lukewarm but will be on fire and passionate for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Blessings!

Brian

Proverbs to Shape our View of Media (22-25)

2010-10-25T01:45:00.005-07:00

I had a conversation recently with a couple of guys about what our standard should be for the movies and TV we watch and the video games we play. We decided to go through a Proverb a day to see what they have to say (not starting at Proverbs one, instead Oct 21 = Proverbs 21). Here are some observations with some questions. The questions are for us to ponder. I don't claim to have the answer to every question I pose. May you thoughtfully and prayerfully consider what you watch and play.

He who loves purity of heart,

and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.

(Proverbs 22:11 ESV) Do the things we watch and play contribute to our purity? Do they hinder it? Are we naive if we say they have no impact?

Be not envious of evil men,

nor desire to be with them,

for their hearts devise violence,

and their lips talk of trouble.

(Proverbs 24:1-2 ESV)

Whoever plans to do evil

will be called a schemer.

The devising of folly is sin,

and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

(Proverbs 24:8-9 ESV) Is playing video games than contain evil, evil? Again, how would you define evil? How would you define good?

I passed by the field of a sluggard,

by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,

and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;

the ground was covered with nettles,

and its stone wall was broken down.

Then I saw and considered it;

I looked and received instruction.

A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.

(Proverbs 24:30-34 ESV) Again, on laziness but I can't help but think that a lot of video game playing and movie watching relates more to laziness than relaxation.

Proverbs to Shape our View of Media (20-21)

2010-10-20T23:54:00.004-07:00

I had a conversation recently with a couple of guys about what our standard should be for the movies and TV we watch and the video games we play. We decided to go through a Proverb a day to see what they have to say (Yes, not starting at Proverbs One, instead Oct 21--Proverbs 21). Here are some observations with some questions. The questions are for us to ponder. I don't claim to have the answer to every question I pose. May you thoughtfully and prayerfully consider what you watch and play.

Proverbs 20

The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;

he will seek at harvest and have nothing.

(Proverbs 20:4 ESV) On Laziness (I think our movie watching and game playing sometimes is because we are lazy and not willing to make time to do profitable things. Thus we will have nothing to show come harvest time)

The righteous who walks in his integrity—

blessed are his children after him!

(Proverbs 20:7 ESV) Let's be sure that whatever our standard is, that we walk faithfully in it

A king who sits on the throne of judgment

winnows all evil with his eyes.

(Proverbs 20:8 ESV) Interesting. The ESV Study Note says, "That is, he sorts and separates it out, and then removes it." Should we sort and separate out all evil and then remove it from our movie shelves? What is evil?

Proverbs 21

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,

but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

(Proverbs 21:5 ESV) Again, on laziness...

The soul of the wicked desires evil;

his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.

(Proverbs 21:10 ESV) What does this say about wanting to watch evil movies? Play evil games? Do we desire evil by desiring to play with evil? Thoughts?

One who wanders from the way of good sense

will rest in the assembly of the dead.

(Proverbs 21:16 ESV) Does it make good sense to watch what we watch? If so, why?

A wicked man puts on a bold face,

but the upright gives thought to his ways.

(Proverbs 21:29 ESV) I think we are doing this--giving thought to our ways. It is a good thing.

Caving

2010-10-06T22:19:00.002-07:00

Monday Spelunking--Brian will be taking a group of guys caving this Monday (11th). We'll meet at the Graf House at 1130 and drive to Pottenstein for lunch and then onto caving. Let him know if you are interested. Hope to see you then!

Transition Week at the Graf House

2010-09-05T11:32:00.008-07:00

10 September

Friday Night Dinner & Study

Potluck Theme: Potato Bar
(Potato's and homemade chile provided ... toppings, sides, & desserts welcome)

Lesson:
"God Will Meet You Right Where You Are ... But He Won't Leave You There."

And ... this will be Bruce & Cathy's final week in Eschenbach. Brian & Aimee will be returning to the Graf House after a well-deserved vacation. Come welcome Jacob & Owen home ... and see how much Finn's grown!

No formal Saturday activity is planned for 9/11 ... however, maybe it's been too long since you've had a good long heart-to-heart with somebody you care about ... a friend, a child, a spouse. Saturdays are good days for caring!

Looking forward to continued fellowship ... Bruce & Cathy

This Week at the Graf House

2010-08-30T23:31:00.012-07:00

3 September
Friday Night Dinner and Study

Potluck Theme: Italian (yum!)

Lesson: We're going to look at the characters of Judas, Peter, and Thomas as they interacted with Jesus during his final hours ... and in the process consider how we might better allow His presence to show through our lives.

4 September
Saturday Morning: "To Serve and be Served ..."
The Kleagers are due back from their vacation on Wednesday, 8 September. They've given much to this community ... how 'bout saying "welcome home" in the form of a well cared for house. We're thinking we could spend a couple of hours (1000 to 1200) beautifying their yard ... weeds, lawns, trimmings. At noon we'll BBQ some hot dogs for the hard workers, wrapping it up at 1300 sharp. Any takers??

Saturday Afternoon: Unfortunately, Cathy and I will be unable to join you at Eschenbach Lake. May we nevertheless encourage you (weather permitting) to spend this time together in fun and relaxing fellowship. Those interested can coordinate their interests Friday night ... we'll be happy to help.

On a Side Note ... Wednesday night at the Contemporary Worship Service (1945 at the Graf Chapel Annex), Bruce will be teaching from John 3, that compelling story where Jesus dialogues with Nicodemus concerning what it means to be born from above. Perhaps you have a friend that might find value in exposure to the core of our faith ... please consider joining us.

And Then Finally ... While the ladies take a break from PWOC, the men will continue to meet Thursday 1145-1245 with lunch in hand, upstairs in the Chapel Annex where we'll continue to sit under the teaching of Dallas Willard. The next two weeks sessions are particularly powerful ... hope you guys can join us.

Looking forward to our times together this week ...
Bruce & Cathy

Coming Up at the Graf House ...

2010-08-24T05:50:00.025-07:00

27 August
Friday Night Dinner and Study
Potluck Theme: Casseroles
Lesson: Last week in considering the Gospel, we looked at the words of Jesus Himself ...

"Jesus then came into Galilee announcing the good news from God. 'All the preliminaries have been taken care of,’ he said, ‘and the rule of God is now accessible to everyone. Review your plans for living [repent] and base your life on this remarkable new opportunity.’” Mark 1:14-15 (paraphrase)

Friday night we're going to look at Stephen (Acts 6 & 7), a character who truely based his life on the remarkable new opportunity to follow Jesus and live in His Kingdom.

28 August

All are welcome to join the Graf House Family for a guided tour of Nurnberg. We'll meet at the Vilseck train station (mapquest or call us for directions) about 0915 for a 0930 departure to Nurnberg. The two hour tour will begin at 1100 followed by free time to eat, converse, explore, shop, etc. on your own. You're welcome to return at your leisure.

Cost for the Train: 6 Euro per person round trip; includes inner city public transportation in Nurnberg.

Cost for the Tour: Dependent on the number of participants, but expected to be between 5 & 9 Euros per person.

Looking forward to our time together ... Bruce & Cathy

Check Here for Updates

2010-08-13T04:07:00.001-07:00

13 August
Friday Night Dinner and Study—Potluck Theme: European. Lesson: We will wrap up our marriage series with one last lesson on Conflict Resolution. I know I promised a lesson on the Bible, Marriage, and Sex but last Friday left us with only half the answer on Conflict Resolution (and I would hate for you to only half-resolve a conflict!). We will also have the great opportunity for you to meet Bruce and Cathy Gilbert who will be running The Graf House while we are away on vacation!

14 August
Ice Cream Social—This Saturday from 2-4 the Gilberts will host an ice cream social at The Graf House. Come enjoy your favorite ice cream and toppings and spend a little time getting to know the Gilberts and hanging out with your friends!

21 August
Weiden Tour:--Bill and Cydney Kastner will be leading a tour of Weiden on Saturday, August 21st. Put it on your calendar to meet them at the ZOB (Bus Station) at 9:30am. Bill will teach you all the intricacies of the town and then you can shop on your own or grab some lunch with friends. More details next week!

No Lake Day

2010-07-24T02:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but the weather didn’t cooperate for us to have a day at the lake today. I am sure you didn’t need me to tell you that it is rainy and too cold to swim! However, I would encourage you to still get out with someone and find something fun to do: shopping in Weiden, a drive through the German countryside, a good movie, bowling, invite someone over to play a game, lunch out—find something fun to do with someone else! Have a blessed day whatever you choose to do!

BBQ this Saturday!

2010-07-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

We will not be having our Friday night dinner and study this week but will resume in one week on July 23rd.

However, we are going to have a BBQ this Saturday night (17th). Come out to the Graf House at 5:30 to enjoy some good food, good friends, good fellowship, and to meet good Finn! We’ll have burgers and hotdogs on the grill and you can bring a side-dish to share with everyone. Drinks will also be provided. We will not have babysitters so please remember to keep an eye on your kids in the yard. We hope to see you Saturday.

Baby Finn!

2010-07-07T02:00:00.001-07:00

We are very excited to introduce to you the newest Kleager Boy! Finnton Ray Kleager (Finn for short) was born Friday, July 2nd, at 5:37am in Amberg, Germany! Both Aimee and Finn are doing great. He weighed in at around 9 lbs. 4 oz. (4200 grams) and is 21 inches long--he is a big boy!
BABY FINN PICTURES

Here is a quick synopsis of our past few days:
Tuesday--Visit to our local doctor who recommends that we visit the doctor at the hospital.
Wednesday--9am visit to Amberg hospital and doctor. They schedule us to come in Thursday at 8am to be induced. They also send Aimee home with a castor oil "cocktail" to help speed things along. Low and behold, it sped things along! Wednesday evening around 7:30 we return to the Amberg hospital (45 minute drive from home) and they admit Aimee.
Thursday--8am they begin to induce. Things initially speed up with the assistance of LOTS of walking. However, in the mid-afternoon things slow down and we were a little discouraged. A visit with the doctor at 8pm and he recommends we get some rest and Friday morning they will induce her again. We return to our room, watch a movie, and as Aimee climbs into bed at 11:45pm she lets out a mild yelp and states, "Either my water just broke or I just wet the bed." Turns out it was the former. We return to the deliver room at midnight.
Friday--Aimee progresses quickly and requests and epidural. Unfortunately there was an emergency C-Section going on and she had to wait 2-hours for the epidural!! The epidural did help though and around 5:00am she began pushing and at 5:37 Finn arrived!

Monday morning we all returned home and are now getting some much needed rest. It has been good to have Aimee’s parents here while we get our feet back on the ground again! Thanks for the prayers from so many of you. We can't thank God enough for this special gift. This little guy has already blessed us with many smiles an tears of joy!

We will not be having any activities at the Graf House for a couple of weeks. We’ll let you know shortly when we plan to resume things.

We love you all!
Blessings in Christ,
Brian, Aimee, Jacob, Owen, and Finn

Pregnancy Update

2010-06-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

We have a baby! He just happens to still be in the womb! We know many of you are curious about our upcoming birth so we just wanted to post a quick update. We have been going to the doctor every-other-day since the due date (last Friday). Tomorrow we go to the Amberg hospital for the doctor there to do a check. We are not entirely sure what will come of this visit. It could be that we don’t leave the hospital and they actually induce her. However, we expect that the doctor will probably just discuss with us all the options and then schedule a future appointment to be induced.

All in all Aimee is doing great. Her parents are here which has been very nice. We will keep you updated as we know more. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement—they are greatly appreciated.

June Events

2010-06-02T07:12:00.002-07:00

Here is a rundown of what is happening this month! A little bit lighter schedule towards the end since Aimee is due with boy #3 on June 25th! We will be canceling Friday Night Dinner and Studies once she has the baby so please check back for updates!

June 4th Friday Night Dinner and Study (Potluck--Asian); CH Copeland will be leading our Bible study and talking about marriage!
June 4th-6th Men's Single Soldier Retreat in Garmsisch
June 12th--Pottenstein Day Trip
June 18th-20th NO Chapel Marriage Retreat as earlier indicated
June 25th--Baby Boy #3 Due!

April Events

2010-04-09T03:57:00.003-07:00

April 12th (Monday): Trip to Nurnberg Swimming Pool—Meet at the Graf House at 12:00 and join us as we go swimming at the Nurnberg Swimming Pool. Lots of fun for the kids!

April 17th (Saturday): Trip to Flossenburg Concentration Camp

Memorial Day Weekend Camping Trip to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland! Start thinking about whether you would like to join us and the Baumholder Hospitality House for some fun in the Alps. Here is the website to get you dreaming!

Day Nine of the Grand Adventure

2010-02-25T02:19:00.002-07:00

Aimee is out of town and we are on day nine of our grand adventure. People have been asking me if we are surviving as though we're treading water or something. We feel like we are at the water slide! We're having a great time! While we miss mommy dearly, we have had some great "guy time." We look forward to seeing her tomorrow!

The Boys Grand Adventure Day Five--Saturday

2010-02-21T15:39:00.001-07:00

Boys Adventure Day Six--Sunday

2010-02-21T15:15:00.001-07:00

Update from the boys in German!

2010-02-20T15:13:00.001-07:00

Jacob's Swim Team Medals

2010-02-20T14:47:00.004-07:00

Jacob got four medals and two ribbons today at his Swim Banquet! Here is a picture of the medals and one from a swim meet.

Day Four Update

2010-02-20T14:23:00.001-07:00

Here is the boys Day Four Update of their Grand Adventure while Mom's away...

Day Three of our Grand Advnture

2010-02-18T11:32:00.002-07:00

Aimee is out of town and the boys survived day three (albeit on corndogs)! Here is the boys recap...

War Wounds

2010-02-18T00:21:00.003-07:00

In the last couple weeks both boys have suffered some battle wounds! Owen got a black eye when Jacob's matchbox car zoomed too fast and hit his eye. (The red hair is from a costume he wore to school for "Fasching") Jacob had to visit the emergency room in Austria after cutting his head. He was on a tour of the castle we were staying in (now a Christian retreat center) and tripped in the dungeon and hit the wall with his head. One stitch later he is feeling much bettter!

Missing Mom

2010-02-18T00:19:00.002-07:00

Here is a video link of my "interview" with Jacob and Owen. We are surviving even though mom is away!

2010-02-04T01:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday: Ice Skating in Weiden! We will meet there at 2:00 (when it opens to public skating) and plan to skate until around 4:00.

Address for your GPS:
Freizeitzentrum Weiden - Eisstadion
Raiffeisenstraße 5
92637 Weiden i. d. OPf.
Telefon +49 9 61 / 67 13 - 225

Here are the prices from the website. I believe that the family rate is really what it says below, but no guarantees! You have to pay an entrance fee and a skate rental fee (if you don’t bring your own skates).

Skate rental fees:
Adults 3,50 €
Children and youths (up to 18 years of age) and students, soldiers and conscientious objectors w/respective ID cards 2,00 €

Entrance Fees
Adults (18 years and older) 2,90 €

Children and youths (up to 18 years of age)
and students, soldiers and conscientious objectors w/respective ID cardsn 1,30 €
Families
Families visiting the facilities pay for both parents and the first child; all additional children may enter free of charge. Single parents pay for the parent and the first child; all additional children may enter free of charge. This discount does not apply to youths over 18 years of age unless they are students and can show their school or university ID card respectively.

Weather to have Bible Study

2010-01-29T06:40:00.001-07:00

Based on the weather we wanted to update everyone on our plans! We are still planning to have our dinner and Bible study tonight. The roads in and around Eschenbach are clear but wet as of 1430. If you are comfortable driving in winter conditions, we would love to have you join us. Plan on a little extra time to get here and we will see you tonight!

Also, the men’s trip to Nurnberg tomorrow is still going to happen. I’ll check the roads in the morning and let you know if it is too bad to drive there. If you don’t hear from me, plan to meet at the Graf Chapel at 12:00. See you then.

Upcoming Activities

2010-01-21T02:20:00.001-07:00

Nurnberg Men’s Trip: January 30th-31st
Join a group of men as we travel to Nurnberg to visit the Documentation Center. This is an incredible museum that details the rise of Nazism in Germany. We will spend the night at the Nurnberg Youth Hostel located in the castle near historic downtown. Discussions will center around the reality of good and evil in the world and how the Bible accounts for both. Cost is approximately 40 Euros (includes museum entrance, lodging, dinner and breakfast). Scholarships are available if funding would prevent you from coming. Contact Brian Kleager (brian.kleager@cadence.org or 0151-5467-8686) to reserve a spot!

Presidents’ Day Family Retreat Sponsored by Cadence International (February 12th-15th)Location: Schloss Mittersill Austria (4-hour drive)
What to Expect: This will be a great weekend of fellowship, worship and Bible Teaching. Each evening we will gather for worship and a time in God’s Word. The Bible Teaching will be fun, interactive and family friendly. (We think your kids will love our meetings!) Singles are definitely invited to come as well!
Cost: The price includes three nights stay at the castle with 6 meals (every breakfast and dinner).
Dormitory-Style Room: $185 for adults and $120-135 for kids (based on age)
Hotel-Style Room: $245 for adults and $145-175 for kids (based on age)
Note: $50.00 non refundable deposit is required to hold your reservation.
Contact Brian Kleager (brian.kleager@cadence.org or 0151-5467-8686) to reserve a spot!

Hold Fast Philadelphians!

2009-12-14T02:13:00.009-07:00

This might be a headline in the Philadelphia newspaper when the Eagles are clinging to the final playoff spot in the NFL! However, that is not what Jesus had in mind when He commanded the Philadelphians to hold fast!

Above is a picture of an ancient fresco painted on the side of one of the ruins in Philadelphia, Turkey. I took the picture because a few of us were having trouble seeing what our tour guide was pointing at. Once I got what he was showing us I took the picture and then was able point out on my camera screen the painting. You can see a faint image of Jesus at the top center and a faint image of Mary in the lower left. (The white line at the top intersects the image of Jesus; the faint red at the bottom is the clothing of Mary and her arm is just above the red. She is facing to the right. You can see why it was difficult for us to see!)

As I reflected on our time at this site, and also the words of Jesus to the believers in Philadelphia, I realized that we need to hold fast to what we have too! Kind of like looking at this painting, once I understood what to look at, I got it! And once I got it, I could show others. A simple truth of life is that once you've got something, you've got it! Once I have a car, I have a car.

Jesus tells them to hold fast to what they have. We too need to hold fast to what we have been given. Now in terms of faith this needs a little explaining. I believe that once we have the gift of salvation that comes through faith in Jesus Christ, we cannot lose that salvation (see Romans 8:31-39; Ephesians 1, esp. verses 13-14; and Philippians 1:6 just to name a few).

However, we need to "hold fast" to our gift and not neglect it. Jesus commends the Philadelphians for keeping His word. The root word in the Greek for "keep" is teros and means "to attend carefully." Back to the car illustration—unfortunately this example doesn't work because it is possible for me to lose my car! But let's assume, that the car is like Christian salvation and it is not possible to lose. If I just leave that car in my driveway and don't "attend carefully" to it, then it will have little value. However, if we attend to the car, if we keep God's Word and attend to it carefully, then there is great value for ourselves and for others. And ultimately great glory is given to Jesus Christ!

One you get it, you get it. Once you have been saved from your sins, you have been saved! (And this Christmas remember that the reason Jesus was born was to save us from our sins--Matthew 1:21.) Hold fast to what you have been given. Attend carefully to the gift of faith and you too will persevere as the Philadelphians did!

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. --Revelation 3:7-13

Indiffernce Leads To Ruin

2009-12-08T01:34:00.003-07:00

Seven Churches, Seven Reflections. Reflection Three—Laodicea
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:14:22)

Indifference Leads to Ruin
The ancient city of Laodicea now lies in ruins like many of the sites we visited. For the church of Laodicea these ruins remind me of the warning Jesus gave them. He said that their deeds were neither hot nor cold. They were indifferent. They could care less about things. They were merely lukewarm and indifferent to what was going on around them.

It is important to remember when reading this passage that it was written to believers. This is not a message telling non-believers to get off the fence and be for Christ or against Christ. Jesus says in verse 15 that he wishes they were either hot or cold. Hot water is great for a bath. Cold water is refreshing to drink. Lukewarm water has little use. The town of Laodicea was close to a hot spring that still flows today. They had an aqueduct to bring water to the town but by the time it got there it was lukewarm and wasn’t very satisfying.

So too was the faith of the Laodiceans and Jesus tells them to be useful. Jesus tells them to be earnest and repent (verse 19). Be earnest. Don’t be indifferent to Jesus. And since you are not earnest, repent—turn back to Jesus. Chaplain Woodson pointed out during our trip that repent is a great word. We so closely associate it with sin that it carries a shadow of disgrace. However, Jesus is telling the people to turn back to him. Repentance is a good thing! Quit being indifferent! Quit being lukewarm! Repent!

Which brings us to the other place where it is important to remember that this passage is written to believers. We often use verse 20 as an evangelistic tool to say that Jesus is standing at the door of your heart wanting to come in and save you. However, Jesus is not speaking to unbelievers. Jesus is telling a church, that has become so indifferent, that He is knocking at the door wanting them to repent. He wants them to turn back to Him. He doesn’t want them to continue to live a life of indifference but He wants them to turn back to Him. He wants them to open the door and fellowship with Him again. He wants them to be useful—to be hot or cold.

The current site of Laodicea lies in ruins. It serves as a picture of what happens when we are indifferent to God and the things that He cares about. It is a picture of what can become of our lives when we are indifferent to sin. It is a picture of what can happen if we don’t maintain our relationship with God. The good news is that if you are living a life of indifference, God wants you to repent—to turn back to Him so that your life will be one that is useful, not one that will end up in ruins.

Turkey Trip Reflection Two--Ephesus

2009-12-03T02:45:00.006-07:00

I spent Thanksgiving in Turkey with a group from our chapel. Below is my second reflection on our experiences. Please scroll down to see my first reflection on Smryna.

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:1-7)

Jesus told the church at Ephesus that he knows their deeds, hard work and perseverance. I can’t help but think about all the hard work and perseverance it has taken to excavate the ruins in this ancient city. It is a tedious process that requires painstaking attention to detail and a long-term commitment.

Library in Ephesus

We were fortunate to have one of the lead archeologists accompany us through the ruins. I asked him when they would begin excavating an area that was still underground. He replied, “The next generation, generation, generation!” They might not even begin excavating that area for another century! They had another area that has a permanent roof over it because the excavation of it will take decades to complete (and it had already been going for decades)!

One thing I noticed about this archeologist is that he still has a love for archeology. He is retired but still is passionate about the work. He would see a roof shingle on the ground and gather us all around to tell us about it. He found an ancient nail that he passed around to us. We were late to the bus and he still had to stop us and spend ten minutes explaining some stones that served as road markers.

His passion and love for the ruins at Ephesus remains. This wasn’t the case for the church at Ephesus. While commended for their hard work, they were condemned for forsaking their first love. Jesus says, “Remember the height form which you have fallen.” Approximately 35 years before this Paul wrote to the Ephesians and commended them for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all the saints (Eph. 1:15). In 35 years their love had grown cold.

While continuing to work hard and serve they had forgotten what they first experienced. Could this be said of you? Maybe you serve in many ways but your love for Jesus is cold. You need to return to your first love! Doing things, even good things, doesn’t replace loving God. The Pharisees were good at doing religious things. They weren’t so good at loving God and loving others.

If your love for God has grown cold, make it your goal to rekindle that love. How? Think about any good human relationship you have and how that love is fostered. I would say that the most important ingredient might be time. Spend some time with God today by reading your Bible, praying, or singing some worship songs to nourish your soul and your love for your savior. Be still and know that He is God!

Turkey Trip Reflection One--Smyrna

2009-11-30T02:25:00.007-07:00

I was blessed to spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Turkey with a group from our chapel. We visited the seven churches that Revelation is written to. The revelation was given by Jesus Christ to John and addressed “to the seven churches in the province of Asia” (Rev. 1:4). However, it also says, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written it, because the time is near” (Rev. 1:3). Below are my post-trip reflections on each town we visited. I say “town” because some of the time we visited church ruins from the first century; some of the time we visited a church or ruins from later centuries. We didn’t always visit the church-site from the first century. I am glad for this because it reminds me that the revelation is for the churches in terms of people and not in terms of buildings as we so often think in our 21st century western culture.

Over the coming days I plan to reflect on our trip, what was specifically addressed to each church, and a few other thoughts I had about my time. I am writing in the order that we visited the sites and not in the order they appear in Revelation. These reflections will not always tied directly to the passage written to that church as some of my thoughts are more about what I experienced.

Smyrna (Present Day Izmir)
Our first day in Izmir we visited St. Polycarp’s Church. This is a modern-day catholic church (built in 1910) named in honor of St. Polycarp who was a convert of the apostle John and who was martyred for his faith. It is interesting because it is built where there used to be a cemetery and so they used the headstones as the marble floor for the church.

A couple days after visiting this church, I was standing in my hotel room on the 19th floor looking out at the harbor. It was a beautiful view; one that I had gazed at many times in my short time there. I even spent one evening in a comfortable chair just staring out at the harbor and lights of the city. On this particular day though, I got to looking straight down at the base of the hotel and saw that St. Polycarp’s Church was only ½ a block from us.

As I thought more about that I have realized that there are so many things in my life that cause me to overlook the important things. Now half of the battle is making sure that we have a right priority on what is important. But once that battle is won (and that might be an ongoing battle as life changes) we are still prone to overlook the important. I had looked so intently at many unimportant things in the harbor that I had overlooked that which was right at the base of my building. We often focus too much on things that, while good things in themselves, are not the most important. What things cause you to miss the important?

Busyness causes me to overlook important things. Some days I came to the hotel to quickly change and then go to dinner. In my fleeting glance out the window I had no chance to see what was important. Are you too busy to notice the important things?

Distractions cause me to overlook important things. A couple of nights college football was on TV and my glances out the window were momentary as I turned back to the TV. College football is not a bad thing (I’ll be the first to tell you that!), but it can be a distraction from what is important. What distracts you from the important things?

Busyness and distractions also make it difficult for us to reflect on what is important. It was one thing for me to know the church was there and to see it below. It is also one thing to know what is important and to see what is important. It is another thing to stop, reflect, and meditate on what is important. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Too often we aren’t still because we are the god of our own lives. When was the last time you slowed down and were still? When was the last time you reflected on the most important person in your life—the one who loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you? When was the last time you were still and trusted God to be God of your life? When was the last time you considered what was really most important and what causes you to overlook it?

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” (Revelation 2:8-11)

This Week at the Graf House!

2009-11-09T16:00:00.001-07:00

This Week at the Graf House--There is a lot to choose from around the Graf/Vilseck area and I know I am missing some activities!

Monday: Free Christian Comedian/Singer performance tonight at the Vilseck Chapel at 1800. Refreshments provided.

Wednesday: Vilseck Singles Bible Study in building 301 at 1830.

Thursday: Graf PWOC (9:00) and PMOC (11:45) in the chapel annex. Men, bring a lunch and join us this week!

Friday: Dinner and Bible Study. Potluck Theme—Casseroles! We will continue our Andy Stanley DVD series on “The Best Question Ever.”

Saturday: Graf House work day! Bring your gloves and old clothes and join us as we rake leaves, trim bushes, and clean up for the winter! We would love your help from 1:00-5:00!

We look forward to seeing you this week!

This Week at the Graf House!

2009-10-30T00:49:00.002-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came to hear Sareth Duong share his story of growing up in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime and surviving the Killing Fields. It was quite amazing to me how much we take for granite as Americans and as Christians. I was also encouraged by the incredible work God is doing in the lives of so many men in the miltary and police throughout Southeast Asia. Continue to keep Sareth and Paul in your prayers as they seek to further the Kingdom of God.

Friday Night Dinner and Study—Potluck Theme: Fall Foods; Lesson Three of “The Best Question Ever: Living on the Edge.”

Fall Festival—Saturday 4:00-6:00 at the Graf Elementary School. Volunteers are still needed! If interested, contact the chapel office at 475-1570.

The Graf House will be closed next week (2-8 Nov) for our staff conference.

From Oswald Chambers

2009-10-26T01:20:00.001-07:00

"We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the Divine guidance of God through childlike people who were foolish enough to trust God’s wisdom and the supernatural equipment of God."

(Chambers, Oswald: My Utmost for His Highest : Selections for the Year. Grand Rapids, MI : Discovery House Publishers, 1993, c1935, S. October 26)

A Thought

2009-10-21T23:03:00.002-07:00

This was in one of those "pass it along" emails. While it wasn't the main point of the story, I thought it was quite true.

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."

Owen and Jacob Bowling

2009-10-21T10:46:00.003-07:00

Here are videos of Owen and Jacob bowling! I think the best part is when Owen cheers after the machine clears his pins off the lane! Enjoy.

This Week at the Graf House!

2009-10-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday Spelunking!
We are going near Pottenstein to do some real spelunking! This isn’t your pay for the walking-tour spelunking. You will need to bring old clothes, gloves and a hat, flashlight, sack lunch, and knee pads if you want. We will LEAVE the chapel parking lot at 10:10. This is not suitable for little kids as it is dark and there is some difficult crawling.

A Special Opportunity Next Week!
Next Thursday we will have two Cadence missionaries staying with us who minister to the Cambodian military and police forces. Sareth Duong will be sharing his incredible story of surviving almost two-years in a child labor camp after Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge Party took power of Cambodia in 1975. Here is a summary of a few of his experiences:
• At age six, Sareh’s parents were told that he did not belong to them but to the government. He was taken from them and forced to live and work in a child labor camp.
• For almost two years he worked 12-hour days in a rice field with only a t-shirt and a pair of shorts for clothing. His subsidized his daily ration of one cup of rice soup by eating insects, charcoal, and even dirt.
• He endured cold and rainy nights with other kids huddled in neck-deep water standing by water buffaloes for warmth. He endured beatings and even once was hogtied and thrown into a cesspool of human feces for misplacing an officers drinking cup.
• Through all of this, Sareth clung to the hopeful words of his father, “Fight to stay alive; things will get better some day.”

Eventually Sareth became a Christian and the Lord has led him to minister to the military and police forces of his country. He has an incredible testimony of what it means to love your enemies.

Next Thursday, October 29th, Sareth will be sharing his story with the Graf PWOC ladies at 9:00am and then the chaplains are sponsoring a lunch at the Vilseck Chapel from 11:30-1:00. Attached are two flyers about Sareth and the luncheon. We hope to see you there!

Bowling

2009-10-14T11:31:00.002-07:00

Here is Jacob and Owen bowling during Jacob's Cub Scout bowl-a-thon!

Men's Paintball on Saturday

2009-10-14T11:29:00.002-07:00

If you are Army Strong and are not afraid of some freezing rain and snow, then come join us for paintball on Saturday. We currently have nine guys who are indeed Army Strong. Let me know if you are interested.

We will meet at the Graf Chapel Parking lot at 12:10 and the Vilseck Burger King parking lot at 12:45. I’ll have the big-blue van for anyone who wants a ride. Let me know if you live in Netzaburg and I can pick you up on the way to the chapel.

This Weekend at the House (9-11 Oct)

2009-10-08T12:24:00.002-07:00

Come on out to the Graf House this weekend! Friday night we will have our weekly dinner and Bible study. The potluck theme is Mexican. We will start at 6:30 and please bring your kids fed as we have a babysitter from 6:30-9:30. During our Bible study we will look at the idea of "Why we do things influences what we do and how we do it."

Sunday Brian will be preaching at the Graf Chapel at 10:30. His sermon is titled "Gifts for Criminals" and is based on Romans 3:21-4:12.

Sunday Night we will be showing one of the early NFL games on our big-screen. The game starts at 7:00 and the Graf House will be open after 6:30. We will have popcorn, chips, salsa, and queso. Feel free to bring some dessert or drinks to share.

We hope to see you soon!

A Few Recent Pictures Of Our Boys

2009-10-05T06:28:00.002-07:00

Paintball

2009-09-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

We are doing paintball this Saturday!! We have the paintball course reserved from 10:00-2:00 and we will eat lunch there. We are going to grill brats at some point in between games. Should be a great time. Below are the details:

Meet at the Graf Chapel parking lot at 9:15. We’ll drive around to the paintball course at Vilseck—I should be able to fit most people in our van. If you are coming from Vilseck, just let me know and we can meet at the Burger King parking lot around 9:50.

$10 per person--Fee includes: Paintball Marker, Mask, Air, and Trained Supervisor.

Paintballs:
500 rounds: $18.00
1000 rounds: $35.00
2000 rounds: $70.00 (Whole Box)

Stipulations:
Participants must be at least 18 years of age.
All customers’ markers must bear the “F” stamp in order to be used (no exceptions). CAMOFLAUGE IS NOT TO BE WORN AT ANY TIME DURING PAINTBALL. NO EXCEPTIONS.

**Be sure to wear clothing appropriate for paintball and weather conditions, i.e.:
Long sleeve shirt, turtleneck/neck gaiter, gloves and ankle protecting shoes**

Please let me know soon if you will be attending so that I know how many brats to get!

Berching Boat Trip!

2009-08-19T12:24:00.002-07:00

Where is Berching? It is about 1:15 minutes from here and is located southwest of Hohenfels (go to www.googlemaps.com and type in Berching, 92334).
Why go to Berching? Primarily for the boat trip along the canal which we have been told is very peaceful and beautiful! However, we have also been told that the town is quite fun to explore. Here is what one person online wrote: “Consider Berching to be an undiscovered Rothenburg, it's peaceful and walkable, with little traffic and few tourists. The town is ringed by 30-foot walls and protected by towers and turreted gates. Visitors can walk along the top of the wall or explore the maze of alleys and passageways.” We will also spend a little time in the town of Beilngreis which is where we will board the boat to go to Berching.

Our Plan:
8:30—Depart Graf Chapel Parking Lot and drive to Beilngreis (just south of Berching)
9:45-11:15—Explore Beilngreis
11:30-12:30—Boat ride to Berching (WE WILL BE RESERVING TICKETS FOR THE BOAT. PLEASE RSVP BY THURSDAY AT 6:00 PM—See below)
12:30-3:15—Explore Berching
3:15-4:15—Boat ride back to Beilngreis
4:30-5:45—Drive back to Graf

Cost for the boat trip:
Adult—9.50 Euros
Youth Fare (ages 6-16)—4.75 Euros
Children Under 5—Free
Family Pass—22.00 Euros (2 Adults and 3 Youth Fares)

Other Costs:
You can bring a picnic lunch or bring money to buy lunch in Berching (I’m not sure if you will be able to eat your picnic on the boat. They do sell coffee and cake on the boat.)
Money to shop?!
Money to help pay for gas if you ride with someone else.

Finally, please remember that we do need to make reservations for the boat trip. Let us know by Thursday at 6:00 pm if you plan to attend, how many will be with you, and the ages of your kids. If you don’t RSVP we cannot guarantee that you can get a seat on the boat (and thus you would have to stay in Beilngreis all day or drive up to Berching).

Vacation Photos

2009-08-03T12:51:00.004-07:00

More Vacation Photos

2009-08-03T12:35:00.003-07:00

Here are a few photos from our time back in the U.S.

Kindergarten Fest!

2009-06-29T13:03:00.003-07:00

Jacob and Owen's Kindergarten celebrated its 125 year anniversary on Sunday. Here is a video of Jacob's class doing a dance. Owen's video is below!

Kindergarten Fest

2009-06-28T12:20:00.001-07:00

Jacob and Owen's Kindergarten celebrated its 150 year anniversary today! Here is a video of Owen's class dancing. I'll but Jacob's up tomorrow.

Bogenberg Medieval Festival

2009-06-23T04:31:00.003-07:00

We had a great time at the Bogenberg Medieval Festival. Lots of old costumes, jousting, sword fights, horses, and of course...GOOD FOOD! That is one certainty of a German Fest.

A Good Word To Ponder

2009-06-14T23:48:00.001-07:00

Psalm 34:1-10

I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.

My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.

The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

TWATGH

2009-06-09T00:05:00.003-07:00

In a world of too many acronyms, one more can’t hurt: TWATGH—This Week At The Graf House. (FYI—The “G” is silent so it is pronounced “Twath” with a short “a”.)

Friday Night Dinner and Study: Potluck theme is All-American. We will also have a guest speaker: Dan Hash. Dan is a missionary with Josiah Venture serving in Poland. We are excited to have him share with us. Click here to read a little more about Dan and his family.

Saturday: Picnic at the Eschenbach lake from 4-7pm. Come join us for a chance to hang out, play sand volleyball, swim if you’re brave, rent paddle-boats, play corn-holes, and any other yard game you bring! They have plenty of grass if you have horseshoes or another fun yard game. They also have a small playground for kids. Bring your own picnic for dinner. There might be a minimal entry fee (1-2 Euros).

Upcoming:
20 June: Bogner Raufentage Medieval Fest:
In the Straubing area (just south of Regensburg) is the suburb of Bogen, which every year holds a Medieval Spectacular (in German, the Bogener Raufentage) on the nearby mountain, the Bogensberg. It’s held the weekend of June 19-21, and it’s all FREE!
It features a Medieval Market; a large display area showing how soldiers, nobles and peasants lived in the Middle Ages; lots of people in period costumes, demonstrating many different medieval handicrafts; falconry demonstrations; a variety of activities just for kids; sword-fighting and battle reenactments; and a medieval pilgrimage.
For further info (again, just in German), visit their website.
(Thanks to Margaret Bartlebaugh for getting us the information on this!)

27 June: Help Laurel Move In!Many of you know that Laurel Hoyt is moving from Heidelberg to minister specifically to single women in the Grafenwoehr-Vilseck area. God has blessed her with a wonderful apartment. However, the furniture cannot move itself into it. She has wonderful friends helping her move out of her apartment in Heidelberg. We would love for her to see that she has wonderful friends here that are willing to help her move in. Would you consider joining us in serving her? We will have more details in the near future. Read a little more about Luarel by clicking here.

3-6 July: Camping in Bertchesgaden
Info sent out earlier this week.

18 July: Bike Riding with the Howertons!

No Activites

2009-05-20T23:49:00.002-07:00

Just a reminder that the Graf House will not have any activites going on this weekend. Please join us next Friday (May 29th) for our next Dinner and Bible Study!

Gut Genug

2009-05-16T00:59:00.002-07:00

While I don't think this is an acutal German expression, it literally means "good enough" which also happens to be the weather forecast for the day! Good enough to go sand-boarding. There may not be a lot of sunshine but at least it is not raining which is gut genug for sand-boarding! See you there.

Sand Boarding Saturday!

2009-05-14T04:33:00.004-07:00

Saturday we are going sand-boarding in Hirschau (south of Vilseck) at Monte Kaolino. There is a lot more than just sand-boarding though. There is a rodelbahn (alpine slide), outdoor pool (probably too cold this time of year), sand-sledding, and playgrounds for the kids. We will be there over the lunch hour so you can bring a lunch with you (they have picnic tables) or get lunch at the café there. Please also bring money for the activities. You can rent sand-boards and sleds there or you can bring your own sled and see how they work!

We will meet at the Graf Chapel at 11:00 to caravan. If you are from the Vilseck area you may want to just meet us at the site. If you drive to Hirschau (zip code 92242) you will see the large “white mountain” as well as signs pointing to “Montel Kaolino.” Follow these signs south of town on Wolfgang-Drossbach Strasse and you will see a left-hand turn to Montel Kaolino.

Web Site for Montel Kaolino
Map Quest Location
Phone Number: 09622 81502

If it is raining we will have to cancel the event. I will send out an email Saturday morning around 10:00 if that is the case.

Weather Encouragement and This Weekend's Activities

2009-04-30T00:47:00.000-07:00

We hope your week is going well! I know the rainy weather isn’t as cheery as the sunshine, but it too is part of God’s grace for our lives. Read what the Psalmist says:

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make music to our God on the harp.

PS 147:8 He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.

PS 147:9 He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.

PS 147:10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of a man;

PS 147:11 the LORD delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.
--Psalm 147: 7-11

While we may think that he supplies this part of Germany with a little more clouds and rain than others, we can and should be thankful for it. It is part of His goodness to us. Sometimes it is more a matter of perspective and looking for God’s goodness in things. I imagine a few of our family and friends downrange would love to have this weather. They would consider it a blessing from God!

We hope to see you this weekend. For Friday night’s Dinner and Study we will enjoy Pizza (and salad if you want to bring some). Please cook your pizza’s at home and then bring them unless you call and talk to Aimee ahead of time. However, she will be baking her pizzas in the oven here so there probably won’t be much extra room! Our study is going to be on John 5:16-30 if you would like to read ahead.

On Saturday we will have a BBQ and games at 5:00pm. The grill will be going around 6:00—please bring your own meat and a side dish to share with everyone. We plan to play outdoor games if it is not rainy but will move inside if that is the case. We hope to see you here.

Not all was lost!

2009-04-22T07:34:00.003-07:00

We got rained out last weekend but not all was lost! Bowling was fun and The Princess Bride was "inconceivably" good!

Next weekend (2 May) we are hosting a BBQ and Game Night. If the weather is good we will play some outdoor games such as ladder golf, croquet, and whatever else you want to bring! Bring your own meat and a side dish to share. You're welcome anytime after 5:00 and we'll get the grill going around 6:00! If the weather doesn't cooperate we will just play some inside games! Hope you can join us!

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain...

2009-04-18T00:43:00.002-07:00

Which is exactly what it is doing in Nurnberg! The forecast is for it to rain in Nurnberg on and off all afternoon and so we are going to cancel our trip there this afternoon. However, not all is lost…

We have decided to meet at the Graf Bowling Alley at 12:30 for a couple hours of bowling. Feel free to go early and get something to eat or eat while you bowl. Please bring money for shoes and your games.

We are also going to show the movie Princess Bride here at the House at 7:00. (That’s the start time of the movie not the arrival time, mingle-time, get you coffee-time. If you want to do those things come at 6:30!)

We hope to see you at some point today!

Nurnberg Fest

2009-04-17T03:08:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow (April 17th) we will be going to a fest in Nurnberg. It sounds like it has a lot of rides for the kids and some booths and shopping for the parents. We will meet at our house at 11:00 and leave at 11:15. The fest doesn't open until 1:00 but bring a sack lunch and we will eat before it opens (and then we might find parking easier!!).

There is suppose to be some light rain so pack an umbrella, rain jacket, stroller, and whatever else will make your time more enjoyable!

Please also check back here in the morning around 9:30 to make sure that we haven't cancelled the trip because of too much rain!

Thanks for Praying

2009-04-06T02:53:00.002-07:00

Thanks to everyone who was praying for me this past Sunday as I preached in Chapel. It went very well, I received some great feedback, and most importantly I think that God's message was communicated. I pray that the Holy Spirit continues to work in both my heart and the hearts of those who were there as we consider Jesus this Easter week.

This Weekend!

2009-03-26T13:17:00.002-07:00

Friday Night Dinner and Study
Potluck Theme—Asian! This always brings out the best in the chefs!
Our lesson will be on John 4: 43-54 but we are going to tackle it from a little bit of a different angle. You’ll have to join us to find out what that angle is!

We are also going Ice Skating in Weiden from 3-5 on Saturday. The ice skating rink is located near the swimming pool in. We will meet there. The address is below.

Raiffeisenstraße 5
92637-Weiden

Train Yourself for Godliness

2009-03-18T07:40:00.002-07:00

Train Yourself for Godliness. That was the theme for our men's retreat this past weekend as we studied 1 Timothy 4:7-8. We had a wonderful time in so many different ways. I had asked before we left that you pray for the following things:

That God will be at work in the lives of each man that attends.
That God will be glorified as we worship Him together.
That men will develop lasting relationships with each other.
That God would be leading and guiding the speakers and the listeners.
That God would protect and bless the wives and families who will be at home without their men!

I wish I could write down specifically how each one of these prayers were answered but I can't. However, I do know that God was at work in some incredible ways and that many men shared some positive things they learned and seek to apply. I know that all of these prayers were answered in one way or another. One man emailed me the following after he returned home: "Thanks for inviting me to the retreat. I only hope everyone got as much out of it as I did. I feel energized and recharged today, even if I did have to go to my dreary dungeon of a work place."

We had five different sessions during which we all (30 men) gathered for worship and a lesson. We then split into three smaller groups based on the community each man was from. During these small group times we further discussed the lesson and its implications on our personal lives. These were very rewarding and encouraging times.

All in all I am so grateful for your prayers. This is the first men's retreat that I have had any part of leading and I am very encouraged to do another one soon! God's blessed us abundantly and we were grateful and honored to praise Him and make His name and ways known.

Men's Retreat

2009-03-09T23:19:00.003-07:00

I'm not sure what your motivation was to check out our blog, but now that we have you here, can we ask a favor of you? Would you be praying for the men's retreat that is occurring this weekend (March 13th-16th). Brian and three other men are leading a retreat in Mittersill, Austria with 26 other men from three different U.S. Army posts. The theme for the weekend is "Men, Train Yourself to be Godly" and they will be looking primarily at 1 Timothy 4:7b-8: "... train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." Please pray for the following:

That God will be at work in the lives of each man that attends.
That God will be glorified as we worship Him together.
That men will develop lasting relationships with each other.
That God would be leading and guiding the speakers and the listeners.
That God would protect and bless the wives and families who will be at home without their men!

Thanks for coming alonside of us in this ministry by praying for what God is doing.

He must become greater, I must become less.

2009-03-04T01:58:00.000-07:00

I hope our time together this past Friday was encouraging to you in a variety of ways to include the fellowship with each other and growing in your faith as we looked at God’s word. For those of you who were not with us, we studied how John the Baptist had a proper view of God and a proper view of himself. God is sovereign over His entire creation and we often over-inflate our view of ourselves. Ultimately, as John the Baptist said, “He must become greater, I must become less” (John 3:30). That is a simple and easy verse to memorize to remind yourself of having a proper view of God and yourself. Put “3:30” on a piece of paper in your pocket and each time you pull it out recite this verse. By the end of the day you will probably have it memorized!

This week we will be looking at the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at a well (John 4:1-42). Our potluck theme is Salads and Breads—I did promise a prize for the most creative salad! Saturday night we are going to watch the movie “Fireproof” at 7pm.

Additionally, this weekend is the last chance for you to sign up to attend the men’s retreat March 13th-16th. We currently have 26 men signed up! If you must work either Friday or Monday you can always come after work on Friday and/or return home Sunday night.

The Recession and Girl Scout Cookies

2009-02-23T05:54:00.005-07:00

What do the Recession and Girl Scout Cookies have in common? Not much other than the fact that they are the two things I want to comment on today. The important one first.

I listened to a great sermon recently about the recession. It is by one of my favorite preachers and writers, John Piper. His five points are below. And here is a link to listen and/or read the whole sermon (I recommend that you do so!).

(Some of) God’s Purposes in This Recession
1. He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
2. He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
3. He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
4. He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
5. He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.
(from www.desiringgod.org)

And now for the rough transition onto Girl Scout Cookies. I just wanted to let everyone know that after years of holding the top-spot on the Brian's Favorite Girl Scout Cookie Chart, Thin Mints have been dropped to number two. I was just as surprised as you are. The new cookie took over the top spot by the narrowest of margins and will have a tough time defending its position next year. But at least for one year, the new Top Cookie belongs to:
Do-Si-Dos®: "A sandwich cookie. The round, bumpy perforated oatmeal cookie top and bottom surrounds a peanut butter-flavored layer inside."

I am a big fan of the "round, bumpy perforated oatmeal cookie top." Check back next year about this time to see if the Do-Si-Dos can stay on top.

And for those of you who are curious, the only other two cookies that are good enough to be on my list are #3 Samoas and #4 Trefoils.

This Weekend

2009-02-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

The Graf House is back open and ready to see you all on Friday! The dinner theme is “Breakfast for Dinner!” The lesson will be over the first half of John 3.

Saturday we have the ladies “Drop and Shop”. If your husband is deployed you are welcome to “drop” your kids off at the Graf House at 2pm and Brian will babysit while you go shopping and to dinner in Bayreuth. If your husband is not deployed, you can still go to Bayreuth with the ladies but you just cannot drop your kids off at the Graf House. Make sense? If not, call us.

2009-02-02T13:55:00.004-07:00

Come join us for...

The First Annual
Club Beyond vs. The Graf House
Dodge Ball Bonanza!

This Saturday from 3:30-5:30 at the Graf Elementary School Gym.

We will eat dinner afterwards at the food court. Hope to see you there!

Weekly Events and New Singles Bible Study!

2009-01-27T14:18:00.005-07:00

Here is a quick summary of upcoming events! We will be starting a new singles Bible study this week!!

Wednesday—Singles Bible Study at the Chapel. Meet for dinner at the DFAC at 5:30 or just meet us in Room 205 of the Chapel Annex at 6:30.
Friday—NO DINNER and STUDY! Please come to the Grafenwoehr Chapel Talent Show! (At the Chapel of Course!)
Saturday—“Focus” has been postponed. No Scheduled Events This Weekend.

Wednesday (4 Feb)—Singles Bible Study
Friday (6 Feb)—Friday Night Dinner at Study. Potluck Theme: Italian. Bible Study on John 2: 13-25.
Saturday (7 Feb)—Dodge Ball vs. Club Beyond! This is tentatively scheduled for 3:30 as long as the request for the Field House is approved.

The Graf House Happenings

2009-01-22T14:57:00.003-07:00

Quick update...
Skiing on Monday was great! Not quite Colorado...Ok, nowhere near Colorado. But it was good for not being in the Rockies or the Alps. We had seven single soldiers join our family. Jacob and Owen both took half day lessons and then skied with us in the afternoon. It was right on the border with Czechleslavokia which meant that our nine-passenger van was a nice target for the Polezei to pull us over as we left the ski slope. They claimed it was routine for them to check identifications since we were so close to the border. They took all of our I.D. cards, phoned them into their headquarters, and then told us we were good to go! One Polezei stood and talked with me the whole time and was real friendly.

Here is what is going on in the coming days. Note there are a couple of changes!
Friday (23rd)—Dinner and Study. Potluck theme is pizza! Anything pizza related is great! We will then be looking at the wedding at Cana in John 2!
Saturday (24th)—Changed from the calendar. We are now going to Rothenburg, which is a really cool walled city. Following dinner we are going to Ansbach for a praise and worship concert in their chapel. We will meet at the Graf Chapel at 11:00. Please let us know if you are interested in joining us as we might schedule a city tour. We will have our “Focus” night a week later.

Wednesday (28th)—Singles Bible Study--6:30 at the Chapel Annex. You can meet me for dinner at 5:30 in the DFAC.
Friday (30th)—NO DINNER and STUDY!! Instead, join us at the Graf Chapel for a talent show. Please let Haila Hill know if you plan to display a talent (i.e. artwork, crafts, etc.) or perform a talent (i.e. sing, dance, etc.).
Saturday (31st)—Changed from the Calendar. We will have a special night of worship, encouragement, and more. We are calling it “Focus”! Please join us from 7:00-9:00pm.

Sabbath Rest

2009-01-18T00:37:00.002-07:00

There remains a Sabbath Rest. Why don't I experience this much? I know the answer--it's because of me! It is Sunday morning now. I am rested; I am at peace; I've been up long enough to have two cups of coffee and my deovtional; I even have time to be sitting here typing this! This looks so different than a lot of Sunday mornings. In part, we have almost two hours extra before Chapel since there is no Sunday School today (How does not having a one-hour Sunday School equate to almost two-hours extra? It's complicated but it does!). Which makes me think, if I had extra time most Sunday mornings before "rushing" off to chapel then I might arrive at church to worship God with a peaceful and rested spirit instead of being hurried and frantic. Does the latter describe you? If you have kids it probably does! Maybe an extra hour or two would do us all some good. But don't go cancelling Sunday School just to make it happen! Maybe the key is Saturday night... What if we ,me included, were better about going to bed at a decent hour so that I could be up before the "frantic" sets in immmediately after the alarm? Just a thought worth considering...

Graf House Happenings!

2009-01-14T09:04:00.003-07:00

This Friday we will continue our study of the Gospel of John by looking at Chapter 1:35-51. Two weeks ago we started through this gospel by looking at why John wrote it, the difference between recognizing and receiving something, and we were then challenged to testify to The Light. Last week we discussed testimonies (especially John the Baptist’s testimony) and baptism. Here are links to a couple of websites that offer good articles on baptism if you want further reading: John MacArthur’s Grace to You and John Piper’s Desiring God.

Please join us on Friday for a potluck dinner (theme: Family Favorites) at 6:30 and then we will continue through the Gospel of John at 7:45. And here are a few more upcoming events:

Saturday, 17 Jan: Guy’s Game Day (Wii, Risk, and other games generally not favored by the girls.)—4:00

Sunday, 18 Jan: Reminder there is NO Sunday School or Awana’s at Graf Chapel (due to four-day weekend).

Monday, 19 Jan: Ski Trip!
We will be going to Arber (www.arber.de) which is about 2 ½ hours from Graf. They do have ski school for those interested (30 Euros; 9:30-12:30) and lift tickets cost 25 Euros for adults and 18 Euros for kids ages 6-16. They have sledding available as well. We will be leaving the Hospitality House at 6:30 so that we can be there in time for ski school but you are welcome to just meet us there (the slope isn’t too big!). Single guys are welcome to stay at the House Sunday night.
Please let us know:
1. If you plan to come.
2. If you will carpool from here or meet us there.
3. If you will be staying the night.

We look forward to seeing you at any or all of these events. Check out more events to the right.

2009-01-01T03:25:00.003-07:00

A New Year's Resolution...For You!

Join us for our Friday Night Dinner and Study each week. We have a potluck at 6:30 followed by a time of worship and a lesson on the book of John. We normally kick worship off around 7:45. We are just starting John and look forward to seeing God revealed through this Gospel.

Childcare is provided form 6:30-9:30 and please bring your kids fed as dinner is for adults only. This provides many parents a night to enjoy "adult conversation" without kiddos in tow! We would love to see you this week!

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T03:17:00.002-07:00

We rung in the New Year last night with several single soldiers who came over for dinner. After that we had several families join us for dessert and games until around 11:00. We probably had about 25 people and the games were good and loud!

The German tradition is to light off fireworks for New Year's so we did that an hour early so the kids could go to bed. In the end only Owen went to bed and the rest of us stayed up to watch the rest of the countryside shoot fireworks at midnight. About 10 people stuck around until 3:00am playing Taboo! Aimee and I haven't been up that late for quite a while!

We hope your New Year's was good! Check back for more of what is going on here!

December House Happenings!

2008-12-10T02:16:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Dinner and Study (12th)—Dinner at 1830 (All-American Potluck)—please have your kids eat before coming as we have a babysitter from 1830-2130. We will then look at what it means to love our neighbor.

Saturday (13th): White Elephant Gift Exchange from 2:00-5:00. Fun for the whole family. Find a gift in the basement, attic, garage, or anywhere else and wrap it up. Before opening them we will then select gifts, trade gifts (aka, steal one that you think looks promising), and then unwrap them! You are welcome to bring a gift per person in your family (for example, if you have five people in your family you can bring five gifts and then each of your kids can select and participate at well.) The more unique your gift is the better!

Friday the 19th: Dinner and Study. Potluck theme: “Breakfast for dinner.”

Saturday the 20th: Christmas Caroling to our Neighbors—7pm

Sunday the 21st: Graf Chapel Evening Christmas Program

Monday the 22nd: The Chapel will be caroling through the barracks. Meet at 5pm at the chapel. See CH Hammond for more info and bring cookies to share with soldiers!

Christmas Day: Brunch for single soldiers at 1030 (let Brian know if you want a ride). Christmas dinner for everyone at 5:00 followed by games, puzzles, dessert, etc.

Tuesday the 30th: Swimming at the Weiden pool (4pm)

New Year’s Eve: Dinner for single soldiers at 1730. Pie and Game Night for everyone from 1900 until….??? Single soldiers are welcome to stay the night.

Past and Future!

2008-12-01T01:10:00.001-07:00

Past: It was great to have so many of you join us for Thanksgiving dinner and the Christmas Market. I think we had around 30-35 for turkey dinner and 40 to see a very cool (and cold!) parade at the Medieval Christmas Market! Thanks also to all of you who invited friends to join us.

Future: This Friday we will resume our weekly Friday Night Dinner and Study. The potluck dinner theme is Mexican! Please bring your kids fed as we will have a babysitter from 6:30-9:30. The study will be on loving God as we look at what is commonly referred to as the Greatest Commandment:

"Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?'

Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" Matthew 22:34-40

We will look at loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Next week we will look at the second commandment, loving our neighbor as yourself.

Please call or email with questions!

It Is Good To Give Thanks!

2008-11-25T22:58:00.003-07:00

Psalm 92: 1-5

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night,
With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp,
With resounding music upon the lyre.
For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done,
I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.
How great are Your works, O LORD!
Your thoughts are very deep."

It is indeed good to give thanks to God. Why?
1. For His Lovingkindness--How have you experienced His love towards you lately? Was it through the love of a friend? Through a good experience? Through salvation given in His Son Jesus Christ? We love because God first loved us!
2. For His Faithfulness--Keep your eyes open to how God is faithful to you. Consider what He has promised in the Bible and how He has been faithful to those promises. And give thanks!
3. Because He has made you glad. God's actions make us glad. Every good thing is from God. What has made you glad lately? It is a gift from God. Give Him thanks.
4. For His works. God works in marvelous ways still. Aimee and I have seen this first hand. Consider the amazing works of God. They may happen regularly (the sun does rise each day!) or they may be less frequent. Either way, keep your eyes open to how God is at work and then give thanks!

These are really just a few reasons to give thanks. Keep reading through other Psalms and you will find many more reasons to give thanks. My prayer is that your Thanksgiving holiday is full of thankfulness to God. It is good to give thanks to Him.

Thanksgiving Dinner

2008-11-24T14:48:00.001-07:00

Please join us on Thursday for a traditional Thanksgiving meal! Anyone is welcome! Consider your friends and co-workers in the barracks, those whose have a spouse deployed, or anyone else that would enjoy a home-cooked meal. Dinner is at 5:00 pm. Brian will be on post at the CMR at 4:30 in our blue VW van to give a ride to those who need it (if you are planning be at the CMR, give him a call so that he will be sure to look for you). After dinner we will watch some football, play games, put together puzzles, or whatever your Thanksgiving tradition is! Feel free to bring any games or puzzles you enjoy.

If you are planning to attend but have not let us know, please call or email so that we have an idea for numbers. However, no RSVP is required so you can always join us at the last minute. If you would like to bring something, just bring your favorite side dish to share. Again, there is no requirement or expectation for you to bring anything.

Don’t forget that on Saturday we will be going to a Medieval Christmas Market in Guteneck. We will meet at the Graf Chapel parking lot at 1:00 and caravan! Attached is a rough translation of their web-page .

We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Weekend Events

2008-11-18T01:38:00.004-07:00

This Friday we will have our first Friday Night Dinner and Study! We will have a potluck dinner at 6:30 followed by worship and a lesson on God's Love for Us at 8:00 . Please bring an Italian-themed dish to share for dinner. (If you are single you do not have to bring a dish!) Childcare will be provided from 6:30 to 9:30 but please bring your kids fed as dinner is for adults only.

Then join us on Saturday (1:00-4:00) as Brian's parents will be hosting a craft and baking day. They are bringing years of experience with them to teach you how to do such things as make your own sourdough, create fun Christmas bags, and several other fun projects. You are welcome to bring your creative projects and skills to share with the group as well. Childcare will be provided from 1:00-4:00.

Don't forget we will be hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner on the 27th!

St. Martin's Day Parade

2008-11-11T12:13:00.006-07:00

Our town celebrated St. Martin's Day this evening and Jacob and Owen's Kindergarten had a parade downtown. They both made lanterns at school and then sing songs and walk through town with their class. Here are a couple clips and photos from the night.

Our Patriotic Boys!

2008-11-10T14:52:00.002-07:00

Much Fun

2008-11-03T14:01:00.002-07:00

We had a great time this Saturday as we opened this new Hospitality House with a BBQ and dedication. Thanks to everyone (about 75!) who joined us for some great fellowship, burgers, dogs, and weather that was about 20 degrees above the forecast! We are especially grateful for those who helped cook, clean, and our wonderful musicians (thanks Phil, Susan, and Cydney)!

This Saturday we will be showing the movie "Amazing Grace" at 7:00 PM. We will also have a babysitter and movie going for the kids. We look forward to seeing you then!

A little info from the Amazing Grace Movie website:

Amazing Grace, based on the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce, is directed by Michael Apted (The World is Not Enough, Coal Miner's Daughter) from an original screenplay written by Academy Award® nominee Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things).

The film stars Ioan Gruffudd (Black Hawk Down), Albert Finney (Erin Brockovich), Romola Garai (Vanity Fair), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Benedict Cumberbatch (Hawking), Rufus Sewell (Legend of Zorro), Ciaran Hinds (Rome) and introduces Youssou N'Dour.

Gruffudd plays Wilberforce, who, as a Member of Parliament, navigated the world of 18th Century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire. Albert Finney plays John Newton, a confidante of Wilberforce who inspires him to pursue a life of service to humanity. Benedict Cumberbatch is William Pitt the Younger, England's youngest ever Prime Minister at the age of 24, who encourages his friend Wilberforce to take up the fight to outlaw slavery and supports him in his struggles in Parliament.

Elected to the House of Commons at the age of 21, and on his way to a successful political career, Wilberforce, over the course of two decades, took on the English establishment and persuaded those in power to end the inhumane trade of slavery.

Romola Garai plays Barbara Spooner, a beautiful and headstrong young woman who shares Wilberforce's passion for reform, and who becomes his wife after a whirlwind courtship. Youssou N'Dour is Olaudah Equiano. Born in Africa and sent as a slave to the Colonies, Equiano bought his freedom and made his home in London, where he wrote a best-selling account of his life and became a leading figure in the fight to end the slavery of his fellow countrymen.

Open House and Dedication

2008-10-26T00:06:00.003-07:00

This Saturday (1 Nov) we will be having an Open House from 1500-2000. Please come see the wonderful house God has provided for His work. Addtionally, we will be serving dinner at 1730 followed by a short dedication of the house to God for his use.

Address:
Jahnstrasse 47
92676 Eschenbach

Directions:
From the only stoplight in Eschenbach...
Go up the hill through downtown.
At the top of the hill, turn left immediately before the church and then turn immediately right on Jahnstrasse.
Go past the hospital on your left until the road splits. Where the road splits our gate is on the right (yellow 47 on the sign). Park outside the gate near the large, 3-building school and walk in!

Phone: 0151-5467-8686

Swimming in Weiden

2008-10-22T08:52:00.003-07:00

Here's the scoop on swimming this Saturday:

We will meet at 1300 at the pool and you can stay as long as you want. Waterslides for the kids and much fun to be had. And my handy-dandy computer translator told me their web-site says the following:

"For children the Weidener Thermenwelt is a true paradise! Gigantic water children's slide, Plantschbecken and white-water canal are only some of the highlights which must try out intrepid three cheese highs absolutely. The quite small dwarfs go it with mummy and daddy of course a little more quietly in. Indeed become the small water rats be from our toddler washbasin (33 °C) with play of water garden only more very much hard herauszulocken!"

So come be "small water rats" with us and have a lot of fun!

Cost for Adults
1-hr 3.50
2-hr 4.50
3-hr 5.50
5-hr 7.50
All Day 9.00

Cost for Children
1-hr 2.00
2-hr 2.50
3-hr 3.00
5-hr 4.00
All Day 5.00

Adults exceeding the time-limit are charged an additional fee of 1,00 € and youths 0,50 € for each additional half started.

Click here for a map.
Click here for the website for the pool.

Address:
Freizeitzentrum Weiden
Weidener Thermenwelt
Raiffeisenstraße 7
92637 Weiden i. d. OPf.

House Happenings...

2008-10-19T10:30:00.002-07:00

We had a great with about 30 people on Saturday at Pottenstein. The weather was a little cold at first but once the fog burned off it was a gorgeous day. We hiked up to the castle and ate lunch while looking around the grounds. Then 1/2 of us took a hike through the countryside to the rodelbahn (alpine slide) while the rest hiked down and drove. The slides were very fast and fun! A few of us did the cave tour but most of us will have to do it again another time! Pictures will come shortly.

This Saturday (25th) we will be going to the indoor pool in Weiden. We will meet there at 1300. Check back on here mid-week to get directions and details on cost. See you there!

Financial Disarray

2008-10-16T23:24:00.003-07:00

Good words to consider in these times of financial disarray...
Matthew 6:19-33

MT 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

MT 6:22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

MT 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

MT 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

MT 6:28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Pottenstein--Little Swiss!

2008-10-12T08:33:00.004-07:00

We will be going to Pottenstein next Saturday (Oct. 18th) to enjoy all the leaves changing color. This is a great little town with lots to do (castle with museum, cave with 1-hour guided tours, alpine slide down the hills, and lots of hiking). It should be beautiful next weekend with the leaves changing so bring a lunch or some money to buy lunch. We can hike to the castle or you can park near it if you don't want to hike. The museum is 4.50 Euros for adults and 2.50 Euros for kids. The alpine slide is 2.00 Euros per ride.

So meet us on Saturday at 1000 in the parking lot at the Graf Chapel (we will be in the dark blue 9-passenger VW van--its pretty hard to miss us!). We will caravan from there as it is about a 45 minute drive. Here is an English website I found about Pottenstein.

Call with questions or email (Cell: 0151 5467 8686 or briankleager@yahoo.com)

We hope to see you there!

First Day of School

2008-10-01T12:59:00.005-07:00

Owen's Backpack!

Owen and Brian with our friend's son Daniel.

Jacob crawling over the gators at Playmobil Land!

On their way to school!

German Definitions

2008-09-29T03:03:00.002-07:00

shrank \shrəŋk\ noun: Closets used in Germany to store clothes and dishes. They are not built into the house. Unlike other civilized nations, Germans take these closets with them when they move. The end result is that they probably don't fit in their new house and whoever moves into their old house probably doesn't have any to fit either. Problems arise when foriegners move into Germany without shranks.

shrank fatigue \shrəŋk fə-ˈtēg\ adj: The condition foriegners experience in Germany after looking for, buying, transporting, and assembling shranks. Extreme fatigue sets in after driving home one hour from the store and discovering the shrank in the box is not the one you requested. It is too small. After recovery, one may then return to the store, exchange shrank, and verify the box is the correct size. Hospitalization might be required if after returning home again, with the correct sized box, one discovers it is the wrong color...

The Rest of Jacob's Birthday

2008-09-27T13:57:00.003-07:00

The Boys at Playmobil Land! The last picture is Jacob, Toby, and Jesse whose parents run a Hospitality House 90 minutes from us.

Read the post below for the first part of Jacob's birthday...

Jacob was indeed treated like royalty the whole day at school. Later the teacher let him pick two other kids and they went out in the hall. They then called them back in and Jacob got seated in a special chair (he described it like a king's chair). All the kids had palm-branches or something like that that they waved as he came in. That night he got to choose what we ate for dinner: Mac and Cheese! And he requested a carrot cake which Aimee had made.

Today (Saturday) we met some friends and their kids who run a Hospitality House about 90 minutes from us at Playmobil Land. It is a theme park that is just like the Playmobil toys and all the activities are like the toys. Large pirate ships, castles, slides, etc. to play on. The boys had a blast.

And we finally have internet up and running so more pictures will be added frequently. However, it is 11:20 PM and I am off to bed...

Jacob the Birthday Konig (King)!

2008-09-25T02:43:00.002-07:00

Aimee dropped Jacob off at school today (his 6th birthday) and when he walked in all the kids came and surrounded him and were calling him the birthday boy! The teacher then sat him down and he started making a crown that he gets to wear all day. He was all smiles. He has been telling us for the past two weeks about what they do when it is your birthday and I think he had a lot of anticipation for it. And now that it is all coming true for him is very special. They are making him feel like royalty all day long. We are excited to pick him up at 1:15 and hear more about it. We will give a full update later.

(Unfortunately, still no internet at the house. But we will update his birthday events soon! Check back.)

Brian

Our Stuff Has Arrived!

2008-09-18T00:29:00.004-07:00

We were told that our container with furniture would arrive on Tuesday at 3:00 and that we would have three hours to unload it. We were thus surprised when it showed upt at 1:30 because none of our friends were there yet to help unpack! However, the truck driver said we could still have it until 6:00 to unpack. And to our surprise, we had more people than anticipated show up to help. We had 15 people there and it went very smooth. Aimee made them all brats for dinner and many stuck around to help put together beds and arrange furniture. By the time Aimee and I went to bed, our bed was put together and even had sheets on it (thanks to Sharon finding them in a box!). The only challenge was finding the bolts and hardware for the boys' bunkbed. I found them the next morning and while in the middle of putting it together, a friend showed-up unannounced because he figured we could use some more help! It was perfect timing. We got the bunkbeds up, my office rearranged, and a few other odds and ends done before we both had to go. The boys slept well last night (Owen's first in the bunkbed as he had been in a crib until we left Denver. He feels like a "big boy" now.).

And a few of you have asked about the boys' school situation (a big concern for us before we left). They are both in Kindergarten and there was no problem getting them in, although Jacob did get one of the last spots in his class. This is what we had been hoping and praying for (God continues to bless and bless). Jacob is in the oldest class and Owen is in the youngest. Both boys go three days a week from 8-12:15 and on the other two days Jacob goes from 8-1:15 and stays for lunch. They are both adjusting well to their classes and their teachers are great.

Hopefully the internet gets turned on at the hosue today! If so, I will try to get pictures posted in the next couple of days.

God's Blessings

2008-09-15T00:52:00.003-07:00

As Aimee and I reflect back on the past month, we cannot help but give thanks to God for His incredible blessings. Our last days in Denver were a whirlwind but we really got to experience the love of all our family and friends as they saw us off. And now that we are getting settled here in Graf, we again are experiencing the love of God through His people. We have been blessed to have multiple friends from our Army-days living here who have let us live in their house, eat their food, borrow anything, and help us out in anyway possible. Plus we have met so many people through the Chapel that have blessed us in similar ways. A few examples:
• One family loaned us their van until we found one to buy.
• When our air-mattress sprung a leak, the next day a friend brought cots for the boys to sleep on.
• We were given lamps after we forgot that Germans take all their lights when they move out of a house!
• Several families have brought toys for the boys to play with.
• And maybe most importantly, we were given a coffee pot!!!

In all this the most amazing blessing has been God’s people. I was reminded of this as I read 2 Corinthians 9 this morning:

“You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God or the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers of you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (verses 11-15)

We cannot tell you how many times over the past few weeks that we have given thanks to God for the generosity of his people. God has used them in so many ways and they have been faithful to serve Him and us through their actions. Just yesterday a chaplain’s wife said that she wanted to put together an old-fashioned “pounding” for us. I had never heard of this but it is basically when a bunch of people buy stuff to fill a new neighbor’s pantry and shelves and help stock the new house. This will be amazing in itself and she asked if we had a deepfreeze to store it all in. We said that we didn’t and she replied, “We will trust God to provide” and in the meantime can just get stuff for your cupboards. That night we had some people come by to bring us a big rug and they asked what was on our list of needs. We told them about needing a washer and dryer and the challenge of getting a larger sized American set. After hearing this they replied, “Well how about a freezer, you will probably need one of those too. We would like to give you a freezer.” Aimee immediately got tears in her eyes and we told them of the conversation we had that morning with the chaplain’s wife. It truly is amazing to see how God uses the generosity of his people. And similar to Paul’s expression to the Corinthians, we praise God for the generosity of so many people in sharing with us. And in our prayers for them our hearts continue to go out to them because of the surpassing grace God has given us.

And God’s grace has not only been extended to us in the generosity of their giving stuff, but also in the giving of their love. We have felt so welcomed, wanted, and loved. People have taken us out to eat, had us in their homes for meals, helped us paint nine rooms in our house, laughed with us, cried with us, and genuinely been our friends. We are so grateful for the many people who have extended the love of God to us.

I look forward to posting more about what God does in the coming days. A couple ways you can be praying for us in the meantime:
1. Praise God with us for all the above blessings. And pray for His blessings as we continue to develop these relationships and build new ones.
2. Pray for the people God would have come to our house. One brigade will be deploying in a couple of months so pray for our ministry to the families that stay behind.
3. Pray for Aimee and I to “start-well.” Seasoned Hospitality House directors have advised us that we are beginning a marathon and not a sprint and that we would be wise to pace ourselves at the start. Pray that we would indeed do this as our personalities like to jump feet-first into things.
4. Our 40 foot container with our furniture arrives tomorrow (Tuesday). Pray that we will have enough people to unload it as it will come during the workday. And pray for us in the coming weeks as we unpack boxes. We feel like we just finished packing them!

Thanks for all your prayers, love, and support. Check back in a few days as we should have internet service in our house by the 19th and shortly thereafter we hope to have some pictures up on our here.

P.S. As I just looked back over this I realized I had barely mentioned our boys! Jacob and Owen are doing great. They are both in German Kindergarten (similar to our pre-school). Jacob is in the oldest class and Owen is in the youngest class. They both love it and are doing well. I asked them as I dropped them off one day last week to each learn a new German word for me. Jacob is picking up a lot of words and when I asked Owen if he learned any he said, “bitte and danke.” “Please and thank you.” They both keep us laughing a lot and have really enjoyed “camping-in” (Jacob’s description) at our new house. They are making new friends and Jacob even started practicing with a local soccer team last week!

Two Weeks and Counting

2008-08-04T07:29:00.003-07:00

Two weeks from today we will arrive in Germany! Our household goods are packed and on their way to a ship in Seattle!? They should arrive in Germany around early to mid-September. Here are a few more pictures of our new house!

A Tree House For The Boys
Our New Town: Eschenbach
The Front Of The House On A Sunny Day!

Hosptiality House Eschenbach!

2008-07-08T06:53:00.005-07:00

God has provided a house for a new Hospitaltiy House! I wish any of you could have journeyed with me to look for a house so that you could have seen the provision of God. So many details worked together to connect me with this house that I can't help but thank God for the way He brought it all together. The house is going to work great for this ministry and we are excited to move there in August! It is located in the town of Eschenbach and is only 5-10 minutes from the Army Post at Grafenwoehr.
A few special features on the house:
1. A room in the basement the size of a two-car garage we can use for ministry events.
2. A good-sized kitchen for lots of cooking!
3. A porch that will be wonderful to hang-out with people on.
4. A yard big enough for fun activites such as volleyball, croquet, etc.
5. A beautiful garden.
6. And Jacob's favorite: a tree house!!

There are many more big and little features that make this house great for sharing our lives and the gospel with the military at Graf! We thank God for how He has provided. Here are a couple of pictures:

Peaceful Waiting

2008-06-13T06:22:00.002-07:00

I was praying for some friends this morning as they had requested I do. They had asked for me to pray that the Lord would give them peace as they wait on Him to provide for the specific things they are in need of. Without going into the specifics here, I realized that these two things are hard for our culture. Having peace and waiting. And somehow they really go hand in hand. It is hard to wait in a culture that is fast paced, always on the go, and looking for solutions to anything that doesn't happen quickly. And when we are forced to wait we have trouble experiencing peace in these situations. Just think about the last time you had to wait in a long line. Were you constantly watching the other lines to see which one was moving the fastest? Or think about the last time you sat in traffic. Did you have a sense of peace about having to wait? If you're anything like me, you have little peace because you are watching the other lanes so that you can strategically move back and forth and weave your way through the traffic jam!

Fortunately, God helps us in both of these things. His word speaks to both waiting and having peace. Isaiah 40:28-31 says the following:

"Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
He gives strength to the aweary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary."

Some versions use the word "hope" instead of "wait." I think if we had the confident expectation in the Lord that biblical hope exudes then we would be able to better wait on Him. And then we would be able to better experience the peace that is talked about in Philippians 4:6-7

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Maybe it all comes down to our trust in God. The more we trust His good character and nature the more we can wait patiently with the confident expectation that He is going to do what is best for us. And as we wait for this we will experience His peace that truly does surpass all comprehension. It is my prayer for you reading this, as it was for my friends this morning, that as you wait on God that you will experience the greatness of His peace.

Remembering

2008-05-26T06:26:00.002-07:00

God has taught us that it is good to remember. He even instituted special celebrations and ceremonies to help us remember things. For example, He told the Hebrews to remember the God who delivered them from Egypt, He established the Passover celebration to remember God's deliverance, and we still celebrate The Lord's Supper as a remembrance of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So it is good to remember.

Memorial Day is a day for remembering. I would encourage you to pause and remember the soldiers who gave their lives in service to their country. As you remember them, pray for their families and friends. Pray for the soldiers who were with them, who were commanding them, who were trying to protect and save them. They too will have a difficult day remembering their brothers in arms who died while serving next to them.

While it is good to remember it may also hurt to remember. But often the pain is deep because of how special the person was to us. Remember him or her for that and thank God for the special times you were blessed to have with that person.

Brennan Manning and the Kleagers!

2008-04-15T13:44:00.004-07:00

A TWO FOR ONE SPECIAL JUST FOR YOU!
On Sunday May 18th we will be sharing at Greenwood Community Church about our ministry with Cadence International. We will show a brief video during each service and then will host a lunch at 12:30 (following the final service). We would love for anyone to join us to learn more about what we will be doing as we serve U.S. soldiers and their families stationed at Grafenwoehr, Germany.

Service times are: 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00.

As a bonus item, Brennan Manning will be preaching at all three services! Manning is an acclaimed author and speaker. You can learn more about him at his website.

Easter Week--Three Small Betrayals

2008-03-18T07:44:00.006-07:00

Good Friday. Ultimately it was good for us, but it wasn't good for our Lord Jesus. Consider just a few of the things Jesus experienced both on that day and the ones surrounding it.

After having an intimate meal with his closest followers he goes to pray. He takes Peter, James, and John with him saying, "My soul is deeply greieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with me." He is grieved to the point of death and essentially asks his friends to be with him in prayer. And yet what happens? They fall asleep--Three Times!

Would you feel somewhat betrayed if you had just told your friends about your impending death and asked them to stay awake through the night to pray for you. What if you were in the hospital and you asked a friend to stay awake and watch the monitors for you. And when you checked on this friend he or she was asleep? How would we feel if we asked a friend to pray with us because we were exceedingly worried and we found him or her sleeping? If Peter, James, and John would have had the time to reflect on this I wonder if they would have thought they had fulfilled the betrayal Jesus had told them about at dinner that night (Mat. 26:20-24).

Take some time to ponder your own life and the ways you commit small betrayals of the one who gave his life for your eternal salvation. Confess these betrayals to the one who loves you in spite of them. The Great News is that while Friday was not so good, three days later Jesus rose from the dead and he now sits at the right hand of God where he intercedes on our behalf!

A little update on our journey...

2008-03-04T09:34:00.003-07:00

It is no March which means we are about five months from moving to Germany! It is hard to believe it is coming that quick but we are super excited. Jacob is getting ready to move as he is in a German pre-school one day a week and is starting to pick up the vocabulary more and more. He's counting into the twenties in German and surprises us with new words now and then. Owen follows his big brother's lead and is counting to three in both English and German! He is very proud of himself as are his parents!! Aimee has stopped working part-time at the physical therapy clinic but still fills in when they need her. This has allowed her to shift more attention to getting us ready to move. Meanwhile, Brian continues with his final semester at Denver Seminary and will graduate in May. Then we will shift gears to full-time preparation for moving although at times it feels like we are preparing full-time already!

The Truthfulness of a Leader

2008-02-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

A leader should always try to be truthful because this serves as a foundation for who he or she is.

Truthfulness is important for leaders because it serves as a key part of our ministry foundation. Once a follower believes that a leader cannot be trusted then everything the leader says or does comes into question. This questioning will gnaw at the minds of followers to the point that the foundation for which a leader presumes to stand on will no longer exist. A leader who cannot be trusted is like a boat with holes in the bottom of it—you just have to question why anyone would get in it.

Sadly, a lack of truthfulness will have the same effect in the mind of a follower even if it is just perceived (perception is reality for undiscerning people). For this reason it is important that a leader be above reproach in speaking and living truthfully. This includes avoiding negative sarcasm, admitting when wrong, and being consistent in speech and action. Hypocrisy between words and deeds means that we are not living as children of the light (Eph. 5:8-9). We are a mirror that reflects the light of Jesus Christ to others, and our truthfulness will ensure that this mirror remains polished to reflect The Truth.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth).
Ephesians 5:8-9