2017 in the Rear View Mirror

One year ago Doug and I had were ringing in the new year in our home in California with friends we had met in London, having absolutely no idea that a few weeks later we’d be moving to Paris. Such is life when God leads the way! As this unlikely year comes to a close, I could not be more delighted with how it unfolded. The opportunity to live in Paris, join a phenomenal staff at the American Church in Paris while shifting ministry gears to focus on youth and young adults have been the gifts of this year. 
 What a great adventure it has been. 

We have loved hanging out with kids again and discovered that we still have quite a bit of kid inside of us! 

Working with young adults has always been a joy of ours and to be able to journey alongside of so many young people, who are interested in living lives of significance and service all the while seeking a deeper faith has been wonderful. We will treasure this year in ministry and miss our colleagues, the kids, and the congregation very much as our interim ministry comes to a close in one week. ACP will welcome a new youth and young adults pastor in the coming weeks and we are excited for what awaits everyone! We will return to the desert on January 13 and begin a brand new adventure...one that we have no idea about right now! 

And as weird as this may sound, we actually got through 2017 without the death of an immediate family member. It’s been too many years in a row where we’ve lost someone near and dear to us so we are thankful for the health and well being of our family at this time.

Of course, having the opportunity to actually live in Paris and not merely visit has been a dream. Paris is the ultimate wander around and discover cool stuff city! I’ve greatly enjoyed stumbling through a new area and discovering yet another thing that stands out in this dreamy city. Indulging in the cuisine scene, drinking so much rosé last summer that my skin turned pink, walks along the Seine, discovering real crêpes Amorino ice cream, café cremes, and of course, the bread and the butter in all its glorious deliciousness...I will miss these things! Got to check going to Roland Garros for tennis off my bucket list. 

And of course, I was able to get two trips to Disneyland Paris in during these months! 

Additionally, the opportunity to take short trips in order to discover more of France has provided us with more beauty than I can adequately express. And the challenge and depth of walking the Chemin de Saint Jacques from Paris to Chartres will continue to linger in my mind’s eye. France is a truly remarkable county and while we’ve seen a lot of it, I still feel like there is so much more to discover! 

We’ve been blessed to have many visitors here in Paris, each person sharing in the joy of our life together. In addition to our travels throughout France, we’ve also visited friends in Belgium, Luxembourg, and returned to Stockholm for a glorious visit last summer. Additionally, the added bonus of attending yet one more International pastors conference in Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia was icing on an already wonderful cake.

So as we end this year and begin another one, I do so with an open heart and mind to what 2018 has in store for us. It is a real gift to be able to be open to whatever possibility might present itself. We are so thankful for our beautiful home and we look forward to living there again. The promise of deepening relationships with those in our community awaits us and this brings us joy. 

We will miss ACP. It has been a wonderful church to work at but more importantly, a wonderful community to be a part of. It has felt like home in much the same way Stockholm did and we have benefited from being part of a warm, healthy, vibrant, worship filled place. We do not look forward to the challenge of finding a new church but we do feel we have a much clearer sense of where we want to land.

So we wish you a very Happy New Year...and this year we also say bonne année! 

We’ll be drinking the last of the bottles of Champagne from Champagne and savoring every sip. 

Here’s wishing you and yours a wonderful new year and great adventures ahead in 2018.

Christmas in Paris

     What joy it is has been to journey through these Advent weeks in Paris. It's always so much fun to experience the Christmas season in a new city, taking in their traditions and decorations. Paris has certainly not skimped on the decorations, it is after all, the city of lights and the Christmas lights here are nothing short of fabulous. The French Christmas markets have also been charming and delicious! Having the opportunity to sneak two Belgian markets, Brussels and Brugge, on our way to Strasbourg, the mother of all markets, evoked my childlike wonder in a big way. The windows on display throughout the city are incredible. 
When I first saw these beautiful bears in the Ralph Lauren windows on Saint Germain, my breath was taken away. Who knew a bear could be so elegant?! I even caught a glimpse of Sweden in one shop window! 
One rainy afternoon we ventured out to the La Défense Christmas market. It was lovely but a bit marred by the rain and chill. We warmed ourselves up with vin chaud and good friends. I still need to get to Notre Dame area and wander around there a bit. Thus far, Avenue Montaigne has dazzled the most with its over the top fashion houses and the stunning Hôtel Plaza Athénée. The Champs Élysées has beautiful lighting but overall, it's just a bit too commercial for my taste. 
   Last Saturday, a group of young women who have been working with our youth came around to bake cookies for our youth Christmas party. Church received a basket of foie gras and terrines and other delectable items that we shared one lunch time. Chocolates have been given as gifts. We've had some lovely dinners out. We've shared some special time with the dearest of friends who took time for a weekend in Paris. Much laughter and joy shared around our table. All in all, it's been very festive and fun.   
     At the center of it all however has been the American Church in Paris, a joy-filled festive place with worship services and a Christmas concert that truly lifted us on high. It's been great fun to be part of a big traditional church, with big and bold music, gorgeous sanctuary decorations, and a festive spirit all around The contemporary service has introduced us to some wonderful new Christmas music as well. The lighting of the Advent candles, the music of the season, a memorable Sunday with the children leading us...it's all added up to a very meaning advent journey.
     We also shared in memorable end of semester Christmas parties with both the youth and young adults at church. These young folks have blessed our lives beyond expression and we are so happy that we've had these months to share with them.
     Now we're on the precipice of a big Sunday...4th of Advent combined with Christmas Eve, an oddity of the calendar. We will share in one traditional 4th of Advent worship service at 11.00 a.m. where I am preaching, followed in the afternoon/evening with 3 Christmas Eve services: A family service at 4.00 and two candlelight traditional services, on at 7.30, the other at 10.00. Both are preceded by a half hour prelude of magnificent music and the 10.00 pm is followed by cookies and egg nog as we anticipate the dawning of Christmas morning!
     Christmas day will start with a quiet morning, just the two of us in our cozy, remarkably undecorated apartment followed by Christmas dinner with our senior pastor's family and our intern and his wife, people who are more like family than friends here in Paris.
     I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to journey through this season at ACP and here in Paris. And while the mornings are dark here, the afternoon daylight stretches out much longer than the days in Stockholm did so I haven't felt the darkness bearing down on me as I used to. It's been unusually warm as well, which I'm thankful for given that we don't have our super warm winter clothes with us. Sure, a snowy Paris would be magical, but let's face it, it's all pretty magical, with or without snow.
     Merry Christmas! And may you have a happy New Year as well.

Easter at the American Church in Paris

The holiest of weeks in the Christian year is behind us. We've journeyed to the cross, entered the anguish of Christ's suffering and celebrated his resurrection. Easter is over but our new life in Christ lives on.

Easter at ACP was one that we will remember for the rest of our days. Services each night of holy week prepared us well for a weekend of meaningful worship culminating with an Easter day celebration that brought great joy and meaning to the day. It all started at 7.00am on the quai across the street from the church with a sunrise service.  

 It was a chilly but beautiful morning and it was a delight to watch people gather as we sang, heard the Easter sermon of St. John of Chrysostom read, and participated in the baptism of 3 people. What a way to begin the Easter celebrations! 
 We were all ready for some warming up and a beautiful breakfast awaited us in one of the fellowship rooms. The community life group really outdid themselves in getting things ready for this beautiful Easter breakfast.      Soon it was time to begin the 9.00 service.  The prelude featured three soloists singing pieces from Handel's Messiah. I was on the platform at the time so was lucky enough to be up close and personal when the soloist and trumpter played The Trumpets will Sound. It was so powerful and moving. I had no trouble being excited to stand and welcome people to worship with the words "Christ is Risen". The entire service got better and better with each element. The opening hymn was a blend of Jesus Christ is Risen Today and Thine is the Glory, a beautiful arrangement that the talented musical director put together. There were handbells and brass, choral music and a kids choir, all of it bringing praise and glory to our resurrected Lord.  These are the days when you are so happy that you get to do the service again! A mere 30 minutes separated the end of the first service and the start of the second. It was equally as joyous the second time around! There was a bit more time between the end of the 11.00 service and the start of the 1.30 contemporary service. What fun to see the transition in style with yet another full sanctuary.   Finally at about 3.00pm the worship services had ended and there was time for a cup of coffee with church members and friends. What a day! So memorable and so meaningful. 

That evening we were invited to join the senior pastor, his wife and two kids along with another couple for a fantastic Easter dinner. The meal was just perfect and beautiful in every possible way. The company was lovely as we relaxed and reflected on life and friendship. It is a true gift for us to spend this abiding time with Kim and Scott, long time friends through International minstry. It was great to connect with the 2 kids they have at home right now as well since we don't get to see a great deal of them due to the demands of their school schedules. They indulged our desire to hear them play guitar and sing towards the end of the evening. So much fun!

 For some time now I have made pavlova for an Easter dessert and it was great fun to put it together this year and serve it up. It turned out really well and we managed to eat most of it!  There was no shortage of good food and drink on Easter. Friends who were with us Saturday night brought us the most elegant, adorable box of delicious Easter chocolates. It is almost too pretty to eat. (Note how I said 'almost'). The box itself was really cool with the top shelf sliding out to reveal an ever more delicious second layer of yumminess.  Easter Monday was a day of rest for us as I'm sure it was for most pastors. It was a public holiday here in France so it was quiet in the church and in our  neighborhood. The joy of the day lingers for sure. And the beautiful Easter lily that we purchased in memory of my parents and Doug's father now adorns our home.   The fragrance and beauty of the plant remind us of the joyous promise of the resurrection, that death does not have the final victory. We miss our loved ones during these high holy days, but we remain thankful for the joy of this church, the ministry that unfolds in this place, the creative energy that leads people in worship and draws them ever closer to the joy of life in Christ, our resurrected Lord. Thanks be to God for his marvelous gifts.