Trip to Prague

We spent the past weekend visiting dear friends, Phil & Shanna in Prague.  We had a great trip. Seeing the city was fun, but most of all we enjoyed visiting with our friends and seeing their life as missionaries and church planters in Prague.  I was amazed at how life was so similar (kids love to play at the park) and yet so different (it took about 30 minutes of walking/riding public transportation to get everyone to the park).  They have lived there now for four years and started a church two years ago.   It was wonderful to be sitting in church with them, singing Shane Martin's "Jesus", feeling more at home there than I've felt since we left Charlotte.  It was a blessing for us to see their life and hear the many ways the Lord has worked among them.  

Seeing the city:

    

The kids enjoying ice cream after school pick-up.  I think that is a good Friday afternoon tradition to bring back to Charlotte.
  

We ate dinner with Phil & Shanna, as well as Chris & Laura.  C&L are also from Charlotte and moved to Prague to help with the church plant.  They run a hostel in town if anyone is heading to Prague for a visit.  It was great to have a good meal and uninterrupted conversation!
     

Phil & Shanna's kids, Lucy, Clark and Piper all provided the most fun play dates for our kids. At dinner this evening they all were begging, "Can we please go back to Prague?" because their family fit just perfectly with ours.  Lucy and Emma formed a kid's "Missionary Club" - the goal being to share Jesus with a friend who doesn't know about Him.  John and Clark played with cars, knights and dressed as pirates.  Piper and Kate had fun playing dress up.  For a look, check out the video below.  We left Prague feeling refreshed, encouraged and thankful for good friends!

  

 

 

Wimpole Hall

Last weekend, we visited Wimpole Hall, a country estate about 30 minutes outside of Cambridge.

On the property, there was a chapel that would have been used for the family and those in the area to have church services(it reminded me of Lady Catherine de Bourgh's home "Rosings Park" from Pride & Prejudice). 

 

Maybe Mike's OK with women in the pulpit if they have the name Kruger?

I kept waiting for Mr. Darcy & Elizabeth Bennet to walk up the lane.

           

Free food everywhere

Cambridge has fruit growing everywhere.  The Tyndale House Gardens have apple trees, pear trees and hazelnut trees.  Blackberries grow all over town and are free for the picking.  My neighbor brought me some great Plum jam she made from the plum tree in my backyard.  She inspired me to actually use the free fruit growing in my backyard.  So, I picked two pounds of plums and we all got to enjoy a yummy cobbler.  

Anglesey Abbey & Gardens

A couple of weekends ago we went to Anglesey Abbey.   Here are the pictures.

We got to travel around the Gardens with Princess Kate:

Kate's favorite color is pink.  This summer at the beach my mom read her the book "Pinkalicious".  Well, as soon as she saw this rose, she ran up to it and squealed, "Look mommy, a Pinkalicious flower."  We've seen pinkalicious bikes, sweaters, cars and every other item that could possibly be pink - all are met with equal delight.

My Average Day

Given that many of our blogs have been about excursions to castles, cathedrals, and English estates, one might wonder what my average day looks like.   So, I thought I would blog a bit about that.   Although we take some day trips on the weekends, during the week I am busy writing a book on the origins of the New Testament canon (due out with Crossway).  Tyndale House has one of the best libraries in the world for biblical studies, so I spend most of my time there.   My average day includes arriving at my desk (see pictures below) early in the morning and leaving at dinner time, and a number of nights each week I go back in after the kids are in bed.    The research and writing has been intense and exhaustive, but at the same time exhilarating and refreshing. Back in the states I have so little time for extended blocks of writing, so this feels like a real privilege.   At the same time, I regularly tell people that the hardest part of my job is writing.   It is the most difficult thing I do.  But, progress has been steady and I am confident that God will bless my efforts here.   So far, my first chapter is nearing 30,000 words.  Given that the whole book is only supposed to be 100,000, it looks like I have some cutting to do!   For the sake of Jake Hunt (!) I have included a picture below of my desk at Tyndale House.  At least I have a window...