Sunday in Paris

Sunday (June 17) was my last full day in Paris. I saw two more beautiful churches (one with real-life flying buttresses!
















I was very excited to be able to order a crepe de chocolate (chocolate crepe) and some hot chocolate for my dinner. My waiter laughed at my chocolate dinner, but I was excited to order a complete dinner (and pay) all in French. I was also ridiculed by other customers for taking a picture, but it is a beautiful crepe, is it not?









One of my final destinations of the day was the Palais Royal. These are two of my favorite pictures of the day. I had thought "man with skateboard" in the foreground and "man strolling" would detract from the picture, but now I am glad they are there, I feel they add to the tranquility of the scene...

Tiny French Things

I like small things. I don't know why, but I do. I should add, tiny functional things. I think that's part of it - it's so tiny, but still functions like a regular-sized object! Perhaps it is because I am a girl, but I just don't know. I have always liked doll-houses, little boxes, etc. Anyway, there are many tiny things in France! It is a tiny-lover's paradise. I previously showed a picture of one of my tiny hotel rooms (http://lulia.blogspot.com/2007/06/versailles.html). So tiny, but very functional!



It was very hard to take a picture of the tiny elevator in Paris (they put mirrors on all sides!), but if you look at the ceiling, you can see that the elevator is about 3 ft x 3 ft. Maximum capicaty = 3 (though I think you would have to be pretty good friends)


Next was tiny transportation. I wish I had taken a picture of a tiny car (They are called 'smart' cars - see http://www.smart.com/ for details - they are coming to the US in 2008!) next to a normal sized car, because they are unbelievably tiny! and I have seen folding bikes before, but only on the internet, never in person! what a great idea. See http://www.dahon.com/ for details and pictures of folded bikes.











And now finally, for breakfast each day, we had the option of tiny jars of honey and jam. In the US, you would get little plastic containers, but not in France! Little glass jars! Very exciting.

More Sightseeing Pictures...

These pictures are from Saturday, June 16.

This is a men's clothing store - everything is pink! Shades of pink, pink stripes, pink ties.

This is the fôret (forest) on the west side of Paris. I didn't expect to find bike trails in Paris, so it was neat to hear about this and go see it. And of course ,the




















A craft store with a beautiful yarn display. I was tempted to take it all home! But I showed restraint and no French yarn for me :( Finally, the Arc De Triomphe, I did not know it was so large. It is beautiful (c'est bel I think)

Musée Du Louvre

I went to the Louvre Museum on Saturday (June 16). It was beautiful, but there were many areas where picture-taking was not allowed :(
The metro (subway) near the musuem was the most exciting entrance I saw in all of Paris - very unique and lovely.









From Wikipedia: The Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre) in Paris, France, is the most visited and one of the oldest, largest, and most famous art galleries and museums in the world. The Louvre has a long history of artistic and historic conservation, inaugurated in the Capetian dynasty until today. The building was previously a royal palace and is famous for holding several of the world's most beautiful works of art, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, Madonna of the Rocks, and Alexandros of Antioch's Venus de Milo. Located in the centre of the city of Paris, between the Rive Droite of the Seine and the rue de Rivoli in the Ier arrondissement, it is accessed by the Palais Royal — Musée du Louvre Metro station.





With all of the famous and fantastic art, I found the painting of the dead rabbit funny. It was very well-done, but it is of a dead rabbit! ("lapin mort" in French)

Favorite picture from Saturday, June 16

I am too tired tonight to write a complete story, so I will just put my favorite picture from Saturday, June 16. It is at the Louvre Museum. I thought the combination of the Egyptian sculpture + pretty window + pretty outside building was nice.

Orleans Cathedral

I am going out of order, I am sorry. I had forgotten about some more pictures I took last Friday, June 15, of a large Cathedral in Orleans. This was my first real-life view of a flying buttress, it is quite amazing. I think it is called the "Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans" and this is what Wikipedia has to say about it:















"The cathedral Holy-Cross of Orleans, was started in 1287. It partly collapsed March 24 1568 because of the damage caused by the Protestants. Henri IV posed the first stone of the new building April 18 1601. The northern wing is completed in 1643, the southern wing in 1690. Work was completed in 1829. The fame of the cathedral comes probably partly from its association to Jeanne d' Arc. The national historical heroine came to the evening mass on May 2, 1429 while in the city, to lift the siege." Thanks again, Wiki.

My first day in Paris

Day 1 in Paris went well - I will have pictures soon. Here was my schedule:

6:00 AM - Go to train station near Orleans
7:15 AM - leave for Paris on train
8:30 AM - Arrive in Paris and take first subway ride to the Louvre Museum
11:30 AM - Find my hotel, Victor Hugo and check in - take my first nap in Paris :)
1:00 PM - Go sight-seeing to
(1) Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel),
(2) Arc de Triomphe,
(3) Forest (Forêt) on the east (correction: west!)-side of Paris,
(4) Fruit & Légumes market for dinner
9:00 PM - back to hotel!

Good

Thank you h-j for the link:



What is the Gospel then? The Gospel is the only reason for hope in this world of suffering - the only answer to pain and evil. The Gospel is God in human form, Jesus Christ, sacrificing Himself to death, to cover the sins/evil/wrong-ness of His people. But Jesus did not only die for the sins of the world, God resurrected him and overcame death and evil. Followers of Jesus have peace and hope because of this, but not necessarily physical prosperity.

More Photos!

Here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lulia/

Versailles

We went to Versailles Wednesday night - Thursday! We had a very late dinner, but our hotel was only one block from the Palace of Versailles, so I woke up early to see a few pictures. Speaking of my hotel though, it was very tiny!















There are beautiful statues and iron work. It is difficult to describe how ornate everything is. It seems as though everything is beautiful here...



















About the Château de Versailles (from Wikipedia): When the château was built, Versailles was a country village, but it is now a suburb of Paris. From 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789', the Court of Versailles was the center of power in Ancien Régime France.

In 1660, royal powers from the advisors who had governed France during his minority, was casting about for a site near Paris but away from the tumults and diseases of the crowded city. He had grown up in the disorders of the civil war between rival factions of aristocrats called the Fronde and wanted a site where he could organize and completely control a government of France by absolute personal rule. He settled on the royal hunting lodge at Versailles, and over the following decades had it expanded into the largest palace in the world. Versailles is famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy which Louis XIV espoused.

Bonjour de France!

Today I am in France! The flight was long :( But on my flight from Cedar Rapids to Detroit, I found that I was sitting next to my friend Kelli's uncle! I could not sleep on the flight from Detroit to France, but I was surprised by the not-so-bad food quality. There was even a fresh salad with tomatoes. I had never been on a plane with tv's in the seats! The man next to me laughed at me because I took a picture :)

It was really neat, they had a real-time map of where the plane was, the outside temperature, and the speed of the head/tailwind.
I am glad I work with adventerous people - tonight we went to a non-English speaking restaraunt and our food was great.

We also went to see the statue of Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc). She saved the town I am staying in right now, Orleans, in 1429. It is a very old city! It was founded before 275. Everything is pretty much beautiful.

This picture is just a typical house outside of my hotel.

This is funny!

http://linein.org/temp/award.swf

A hymn to God the Father

I found this here: http://daveys2france.blogspot.com/2007/05/hymn-to-god-father.html

A hymn to God the Father
Wilt Thou forgive that sin where I begun, Which was my sin, though it were done before?vvWilt Thou forgive that sin, through which I run, And do run still, though still I do deplore? When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done, For I have more.

Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I have won Others to sin, and made my sin their door? Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun A year or two, but wallowed in a score? When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done, For I have more.

I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun My last thread, I shall perish on the shore ;But swear by Thyself, that at my death Thy Son Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore ; And having done that, Thou hast done ; I fear no more.

by John Donne.

This is...strangely (edit) fantastic

Fantastic, as in "ludicrously odd" or "extravagantly fanciful in design, construction, appearance" - I thought the choreography was inventive! And yes, I found the song catchy.

"Is Christianity Good for the World?"

I thought this was a fascinating set of articles between atheist Christopher Hitchens and theologian Douglas Wilson. I think there will be more than 3 parts, or I hope so.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Profound!

Tominthebox News Network: $40 Million Dollar Debt Paid, But Debtor Still Faces Prison

Arr-mini-ohs!

Now you should all be visiting Tominthebox daily, but just in case you haven't visited for a while - heehee!

Tominthebox News Network: Part of A Balanced Theological Breakfast

This is great

Make Disciples - from boundlessline

I read this over at http://www.boundlessline.com/ and thought it was pretty great, it is something I have thought about recently, as well.

HYPERLINKlast post was very interesting to me because it brought up a lot of things I've been thinking about lately when it comes to faith, evangelism and the Christian life in general. I have not read the book he's talking about, so I'm not going to comment on what he said about the author or his views. However, I do want to share my thoughts about the Great Commission and the Great Commandments.

To be honest, the evangelism I've seen (and that I've been a part of in the past) bothers me. I've counseled at huge evangelical crusades and I've been part of leading numerous campers to Christ each summer. What I've seen through this type of evangelism is the idea of making converts -- just ask Jesus into your heart and you'll be set! Where on earth did we get this idea? I don't think it's biblical at all. Take a look:

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

So, what do we have here? First of all, Jesus never says to make converts -- He says to make disciples. Unfortunately, we modern-day Americans have no clue what discipleship really looks like. To be a disciple meant trying your best, every single moment, to be like your rabbi. Jesus asked us to go show people how to live as He did, how to walk as He walked.

Now, the first step to becoming a disciple is obviously believing that Jesus is worth following -- that He is God's son, sent to save us from our sins. But in the evangelism I've seen, we often make belief the only crucial step, and I think that is a grave mistake. (By the way, you can learn more about biblical discipleship through the teachings of Ray Vanderlaan. Good stuff.)

Secondly, Jesus says to make disciples and teach them "to obey everything I have commanded you." What did Jesus command? He told us to love the Lord with all we are and love our neighbor as ourselves. These are the greatest commandments -- the things we should be striving for every day. 1 John talks about this over and over again:

"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands" (1 John 2:3).
"This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another" (1 John 3:11).
"And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them" (1 John 3:23-24a).

"This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands" (1 John 5:2-3a).

So, those who love Jesus will obey His commands -- the commands to love God and our neighbor. As we strive to live these things out, we should desire to bring others along with us on this journey -- on this road of discipleship. Our evangelism should be entirely entwined in showing our love to God by obeying His command to love others.

I do think we are called to evangelize -- I believe we have the Truth and should share it with others. I just hope that we go about it in the most biblical way. We need to show non-believers that following Christ requires belief, action and love -- and the only way to effectively show them this truth is to live it out in front of them.

O Happy Day

Ok, so I was trying to find the lyrics for "O Happy Day", and aparently the "gospel" version that we sing today comes from an 18th century hymn by Philip Doddridge:

 

1. O happy day, that fixed my choice
   On Thee, my Savior and my God!
   Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
   And tell its raptures all abroad.
   • Refrain:
     Happy day, happy day,
     When Jesus washed my sins away!
     He taught me how to watch and pray,
     And live rejoicing every day:
     Happy day, happy day,
     When Jesus washed my sins away!
2. O happy bond, that seals my vows
   To Him Who merits all my love!
   Let cheerful anthems fill His house,
   While to that sacred shrine I move.
3. It's done: the great transaction's done!
   I am the Lord's and He is mine;
   He drew me and I followed on;
   Charmed to confess the voice divine.
4. Now rest, my long-divided heart,
   Fixed on this blissful center, rest;
   Here have I found a nobler part;
   Here heav'nly pleasures fill my breast.
5. High heav'n, that heard the solemn vow,
   That vow renewed shall daily hear,
   Till in life's latest hour I bow
   And bless in death a bond so dear.