Listening for God

This past weekend I was privileged to teach at the Fall European Singles Retreat (ESR) in Gemünden, Germany. As I mentioned to someone who asked - I taught in English, not in German. The retreat is for singles from around Europe. We had people there from Germany, Romania, Belgium, Netherlands and the US. There were three people who had never attended before and had found the information at the website. The theme was “Listening for God”. 

What a challenge to think about how we listen for God, why we want to listen for God and what that looks like. In the end we also talked about how - even if we can hear God, are we listening “to” Him? This group had lots of questions and good and intense conversation time - especially at the campfire on the Saturday evening. But it is also a group that likes to laugh. 

I have always enjoyed being able to be with this group. Singles are at a different season in their life and have different questions in their walk with God. The Single’s Retreat has always been a good place to share those questions and encourage one another in faith. 

The first morning I went out for a walk as the sun was rising. I love walking in this area. The campground where the retreat is held is in the middle of the German hills. I am usually here in February for a different Bible study week, so seeing the trees with leaves was a bit different. But the beautiful quiet, the birdsong and blanket of silent mist, the peacefulness remains the same. 

God wants us to walk with Him. The most important thing that we can hear, and that he continuously tells us, is that He want to have a relationship with us. HE is making this possible. If we are listening, He continues to say this. He tells us through people (I am telling you right now), through the beauty of His nature, through songs that we hear and sing and through our conscience and minds that have been filled with His words. It is not that God is not speaking. It is that we need to listen. We can check what we hear by comparing it to His words in the Bible. 

And when we hear God - “Please come to me. Follow me. Turn around. Don’t fear, I am here. I am the mighty one. You can have true, abundant life in ME.” - we can truly listen “to” Him and do what is good and right and precious. Then we will truly be listening. Are you listening?

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”  Luke 6:46-49

Study and fellowship

Some of you may have noticed that we missed “Whensday” this past Wednesday. That is because I was off in Germany for a week of Bible studies at ABSS or Advanced Bible Study Series. This study week began about 50 years ago in the Belgian city of Verviers, not far from where we hold our Bible camps. A French-speaking church meets in Verviers. 

When the study week moved its locations to Germany after a few years, calling it by its original name of “Concentration” didn’t quite fit in a German context. So it was changed to the current Advanced Bible Study Series or ABSS. It remained a week of deeper Bible studies meant to help European Christians deepen their knowledge and faith and also serving as a great networking time. 

When I was an apprentice living and working with Jim Krumrei in Haarlem, the Netherlands in the early 80’s, I spent my first two times down at this study week in 1983 and 1984. It was a time to see other apprentices in Europe, get some good biblical training and even get some snow (that came much more easily to Germany than to Belgium). 

Since then, we have tried to make it in February. Shirley of course had to skip a few years as the boys were growing up (although they also came with us some of the time). After the boys left home we still had a dog. This year was the first real time that Shirley could have come along, but the week was also planned just a week away from the Ladies Retreat, which is also in Germany and organized by various congregations in Europe. This year the Ladies Retreat is being organized by the ladies from Switzerland. 

ABSS brings teachers together from around Europe and always includes at least one from the US. Although the lessons at first glance may not seem to be organized together, they all seem to work well together. This year was no different. We heard from a teacher from Marseilles about the gospel and the Romans, the kingship of Jesus. We heard from a Scottish brother working in Birmingham, England about the signs surrounding the death of Jesus on the cross. The main lessons on Galatians came from a brother from Alabama while a brother from Canada taught us online in the evenings about the Holy Spirit. 

In addition to all of this it was good to have some lessons from Gijs Bardoel who is now working with the church in Antwerp and whose mother meets with us in Maastricht. It has been good to see how Gijs has grown in faith and continues to desire to reach out in faith to all those around him. 

We had participants of several different nationalities, including Dutch, Belgian, German, Swiss, French, Ukrainian, English, Scottish and American, as well as various mixtures. The lessons are always in English, but we all try to help one another in understanding. The Thursday evening follies (“talent” show) is presented in the universal language of laughter. Paul Brazle, who has organized the event for the last 30 years or so, joins me in writing a song based on the teachers for the week to close out the talent show. 

Last week Shirley had to make do without me in the house. This week (from Thursday to Sunday) I will have to make do without her in the house as she goes to the Ladies Retreat with three other ladies from Maastricht. We are thankful for these times of learning, teaching and growth in faith. Pray for all who attend and for those organizing. 

(picture is from a few years back)

Where oh Where Wednesday: Visits

We are extremely blessed to be able to visit all sorts of places because of where we live and work. Many Europeans would love to visit all the places we see in the US on our Home Assignment. Many Americans would love to be able to see the places we see as a matter of course in our work here in Europe. And we are very thankful for the opportunities we have had to travel, but also to meet Christian family in so many places. 

We are only 4 hours from Paris, France, so have visited there a few times - just to visit. We also were able to take day trips (or a day and overnight) to Rheims. But we have also been as far as Marseille a few times to take a group down to “Christians on Mission” - a week of missions with the church in Marseille. And we visited the church in Lille, singing there with Listen Up! in those days.

In Germany we regularly spent time at a castle youth hostel in Bacharach for German youth retreats where we sang with Listen Up!. Cologne is only an hour away, so we have visited the church on singing days, but have also shopped at the Music Store with the boys when they were younger and growing their interest in music. We have also visited the church in Hannover and Hildesheim, gone on the Euro-American retreat in Rothenburg and visiting Scott’s memories from his youth in Berlin. 

We regularly visited Switzerland as well, taking groups of kids from Dutch and Belgian congregations to the soccer tournaments organized by the church in Schaffhausen. At other times we traveled to Zurich, Thun, Bern, Lucerne and Schaffhausen with Listen Up! on a singing tour. At least twice, Scott went with a group led by Doyle Kee on a hike in the Swiss alps. 

Another trip with Listen Up! took us to Graz and Vienna in Austria where we sang with and for the churches there. This same trip took us to Zagreb and Varazdin in Croatia. 

We have visited the church in Prague as well as taken a midweek trip there when we could get free. Other midweek trips took us to Budapest, Hungary; Rome, Italy and Barcelona, Spain. We have visited brothers in England and toured the British museum. When you can fly around Europe for 20 euro a person, it makes a short trip (the flight is often less than 2 hours) quite easy. 

Back near home, we have visited various places in Belgium and the Netherlands regularly - with the church and simply on a day trip together. Antwerp, Brussels, Brughe and Ghent are all cities we have visited with youth weekends and evangelistic campaigns as well as tourist trips. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Haarlem have also been places where we go as a matter of working with the youth and the church in the Netherlands. 

We are always thankful for the opportunities to travel places with the church and to be able to see and meet with the church in all of these places. God’s family is everywhere, it feels like. We are not alone. And we are not working alone. I regularly remember the verse in 1 Peter which reminds us of this and how good it is to be working together in the family of God. 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.  1 Peter 5:6-9

You can find some pictures from our travels here.