SWAINLIFE

The SWAINLIFE blog has moved!

2006-11-19T12:41:00.000+01:00

Visit the new and improved Swainlife blog at http://swainlife.blogspot.com/

This is how I feel

2006-11-12T16:09:00.000+01:00

This is a song called Aleluya (click to listen) that I wrote and posted about a month ago. It really describes how I have been feeling in the midst of this year. I hope you enjoy it! Cheers, Mateo

Solitude/Community

2006-11-09T09:32:00.001+01:00

"Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. He will only do harm to himself and to the community. Alone you stood before God when He called you; alone you had to answer that call; alone you had to struggle and pray; and alone you will die and give an account to God. You cannot escape yourself; for God has singled you out. If you refuse to be alone, you are rejecting Christ’s call to you, and you can have no part in the community of those who are called….

Let him who is not in community beware of being alone. Into the community you were called — the call was not meant for you alone; in the community of the called you bear your cross, you struggle, you pray. You are not alone even in death, and on the Last Day you will be only one of the great congregation of Jesus Christ. If you scorn the fellowship of the brethren, you reject the call of Jesus Christ."

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Did not our hearts burn within us?

2006-11-07T12:16:00.000+01:00

Here is a great post by Jacob about the road to Emmaus. It served as the basis for our discussion at church this past weekend.

Swainlife Highlights

2006-10-30T09:17:00.000+01:00

(1)This past weekend I ran in a 12K race here in SdC. It was my first time ever participating in a race. I finished in 58 minutes. (2)On Saturday we took the girls to the house of one of their friends from school for a Birthday Party. (3)Last Thursday the cafe launched the new web page with a party and web quiz. Thanks again to Andrew Cooper for making this possible! (4)The girls being cute before school one morning! (5&6)Jacob and I went to Ribedeo to catch up with our IT advisor Rick Knox. We also had a chance to see the yellow house below that that a Dutch group is planning on restoring to turn it into a spiritual retreat center.

Ministry Travels at the Speed of Life

2006-10-26T12:06:00.001+02:00

I found this post on an old blog of mine that I let die. I still agree with what I said:

Life does not really slow down or pause to give us a chance to "do" ministry. Ministry takes place in the midst of everyday life and everyday conversation. Ministry happens in the midst of work, school, washing dishes etc... It is not some "other" thing or something that we do on the side kind of like some kind of hobby. Ministry is something that does or does not happen in the midst of every relationship we have. I often sit back and ask myself,"Am I keeping up or am I letting life pass me by?"

Bible Geek T-shirt Contest Winner

2006-10-25T00:49:00.000+02:00

Jonah Bailey is the official winner of the Bible Geek T-shirt contest and will receive an original handmade t-shirt. His equation "YHWH + Lord (Adonai) = Jehovah" is a correct literal translation of the Hebrew symbols and below is an explaniation of why.

The Name of God

"At some point along the way-It's hard to be sure historically when exactly this happened- the ancient Israelites came to know their God by a special name.

This name was regarded as so special, so holy, that by the time of Jesus, and perhaps for some centuries before that, they were not allowed to say it out loud. (One exception was made: the high priest, once a year, would pronounce God's special name in a place called the Holy of Holies at the heart of the Temple.) Since Hebrew script only used consonants, we can't even be sure how the name was meant to be pronounced: the consonants are YHWH, and the best guess we have at how the were pronounced is "Yahweh." Orthodox Jews to this day won't speak this name; they often refer to God simply as "the Name," HaShem. Neither will they write it. Sometimes they write even the generic word "God" as "G-d," to make the same point.

Like most ancient names, YHWH had a meaning. It seems to have meant "I am who I am" or "I will be who I will be." This God, the name suggests, can't be defined in terms of anything or anyonelse. It isn't the case that there is such a thing as "divinity" and that he's simply another example, even the supreme one, of this category. Nor is it the case that all things that exist, including God, share in something we might call "being" or "existence," so that God would then be the supremely existing being. Rather, he is who he is. He is his own category, not part of a larger one. That is why we can't expect to mount a ladder of arguments from our world and end up in his, anymore than we might expect to mount a ladder of moral achievement and end up making ourselves good enough to stand in his presence.

With God's name the is another confusion which we must sort out. Because God's personal name was not to be spoken, the ancient Israelites developed a technique for avoiding doing so when reading their scriptures. When they came to the word YHWH, they would say ADONAI (which means "my LORD") instead. As a way of reminding themselves that this was what they had to do, they would sometimes write the consonants of YHWH with the vowels of ADONAI. This confused some later readers, who tried to say the two words together. With a bit of a stretch (and because some letters were interchangeable, including Y with J and W with V), they created the hybrid JEHOVAH. No ancient Israelite or early Christian would have recognized this word.

Almost all English translations of the Old Testament have continued the practice of discouraging people from pronouncing God's personal name. Instead, when the word occurs, it is normally translated "the Lord." Sometimes this is written in small capitals, as in "the LORD." This is doubly confusing, and anyonewho wants to understand what Judaism, let alone Christianity, believes about God had better get their mind around the problem.

From the very early times (indeed, according to the Gospels, since Jesus's own lifetime) Christians have referred to Jesus himselfas "the Lord." In early Christian speech this phrase carried at least three meanings: (a) "the master," "The one whose servants we are," "the one we've promised to obey"; (b) "the true Lord" (as opposed to Caesar, who claimed the same title); and (c) "the Lord"-that is, YHWH- as spoken of in the Old Testament. All these meanings are visible in Paul, the earliest Christian writer we have. The early Christians rejoiced inthis flexibility, but for us it has become a source of confusion.

Within contemporary Western culture, under the influence of Deism, the phrase "the Lord" has shiftedfrom referring either to Jesus specifically or to the YHWH of the Old Testament. It has become, instead, a way of reffering simply to a rather distant, generalized deity, who might conceivably have something to do with Jesus but equally well might not, and would probably not have much to do with YHWH either. Thus it has come about that ancient Israelite scruples, medieval mistranslation, and fuzzy eighteenth century thinking have combined to make it hard for us today to recapture the vital sense of what a first-century Jew would understand whenthinking of YHWH, what an early Christian would be saying when speaking of jesusor "the Lord," and how we might now properly reappropiate this whole tradition.

Still the effort has to be made. All language about God is ultimately mysterious, but that is no excuse for sloppy or woolly thinking. And since the title "Lord" was one of the favoriteearly Christian ways of speakingabout Jesus, it is vital that we get clear on the point."

Excerpt from Simply Christian, By NT Wright Pgs 67-9

The New Atheists

2006-10-24T09:53:00.000+02:00

"The New Atheists will not let us off the hook simply because we are not doctrinaire believers. They condemn not just belief in God but respect for belief in God. Religion is not only wrong; it's evil. Now that the battle has been joined, there's no excuse for shirking."

This is a quote from an article I just read in Wired titled Battle of the New Atheism

Evango-Spam

2006-10-21T10:51:00.001+02:00

I loathe spam! As I sign into my e-mail each day I am amazed by the sheer amount of spam that I get (upwards of 100 spam a day). I resent spam and any company that sends me spam. First, of all people I don'’t know are abusing my e-mail by sending me thousands of e-mails that I never asked for and don't want. They waste my time in removing them. Spam causes me to miss out on legitimate e-mails that accidentally get sent to the spam folder. With over a hundred spam e-mails a day I have stopped looking through them for real e-mails and I am sure that sometimes real e-mails get tossed.

So what? Why I am I talking about spam? It seems to me that in this world of junk mail, spam, and unwanted phone solicitors that the church sometimes stoops to the world's methods of delivering its precious message. During my time in Spain I have seen well-meaning Christians who are so passionate about getting their message out that they don'’t pause to think that the way they deliver their message might turn people off to exactly that. Often they go about with the same mentality of the spammers, thinking in numbers instead of the person - something like, "I don't care how many I offend with my message because of the one or two who do respond."

What happens is that they end up doing the same thing to people with the Gospel that spammers have done to me with copious emails. The result is then that people end up shutting out the legitimate messages along with the junk because it is all too much to filter, and quite honestly they feel abused. The real message is discarded because it is delivered in a trashy way.

When I was in junior high I got a new Christian rap tape. I was in love with the music and the message. When we were riding around town in our big old seventies Cadillac with no tape player I would hold my boom box up to my head near the window. It looked like I wanted to hear the music right by my head, but the truth is I wanted people in the car next to me to hear the words at the stop light and be touched by the message. Passionate? Maybe. Embarrassing? Definitely. What a horrible way to transmit a message! Blast loud music at people while they are sitting in their cars. Was it loving? Spirit lead? More helpful than hurtful? I don't think so.

Spamming our message is the easy way. We can say that we have communicated the Gospel to a vast number of people. If they don't listen, then we can blame them. It takes very little effort and does not make us change the way we live. It does not call for us to genuinely love people and get down and dirty in the realities that people deal with and struggle with in their everyday lives. Loving people is hard. Sometimes, biting our tongue and not saying something is more difficult (and yet, more helpful) than blurting out the four spiritual laws. After all James said,

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it he will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless."” (James 1:22-26)

Some closing thoughts:

-We live in a world where the manner in which we deliver our message is a message in itself.

-The world is inundated with information so we must be creative and seek ways to deliver the good news in ways that speak louder than just words.

-The message that we have should be incorporated into everything we do and say in our daily life and not just something that is reserved for accosting strangers in the park or those brave souls who are still willing to go to an evangelistic church activity.

-We need to discern when we should speak and when we should be silent. We are not part of a Christian factory that is producing Christian clones. We are organic, we are a body that is striving to live like Jesus, and Jesus himself had times of both silent ministry and public ministry.

-We must avoid the bait and switch tactic (basically lying). That is, purposely attracting people to one thing, while knowing full well that we are going to change gears and bombard them with the gospel when they are not looking.

-People are treated by spammers and advertisers as just numbers. There is no love, only using others to serve the spammer’s own purposes. That is the opposite of how Christians should treat people who are of the highest value to a loving and just God.

I leave you with three quotes from St. Francis of Assisi:

"While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart."

"It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching."

"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."

I love my wife!

2006-10-18T22:11:00.000+02:00

This song is called Sunshine, Moonlight and I wrote it for her! To see more of what I have been working on, visit the Songwriter´s Corner.

Sing a New Song

2006-10-14T09:46:00.000+02:00

Here is a new song that I just wrote this week. I played it last night for the first time for some friends to hear. The rest of my songs are hanging out here as I record them little by little. I hope that you can hear them soon.

Aleluya

(vs1) Today has been a day Where everything seems to go my way The things I've touched have turned to gold The things I've read have stirred my soul The things I've said have made friends laugh The things I've heard have made me whole

Chorus:

And I'll Sing

I'll sing my song

I'm gonna sing it all day long

Alleluyah

(vs2) Today had been a day Where nothing seems to go my way The things I've touched have broken down The things I've read have made me frown The things I've said have made friends cry The things I've heard have let me down

(vs3) Today has not yet begun I'm waiting for the rising sun Some days are bad, some days are good But no matter what I'll still sing this tune Cause no eye has seen, no ear has heard No mind has conceived what he has in store

Fall Prayer Requests

2006-10-12T11:38:00.000+02:00

Alpha Course- We are opening the cafe on Sunday evenings for some friends of ours from the "Vida Nueva" Church in A Coruña to lead an Alpha Course. Please pray for these times that they will be a blessing to all those involved.

Help Wanted- We are looking for people (especially European Union citizens) to come and help our team as soon as possible. We have way more work to do then we have people available to do it and we feel stretched really thin. Here are some of the Job descriptions we are hoping to fill. If you know any EU people who may be interested please have them e-mail me (matt.swain@iteams.org).

Lauren Pugh- Has begun the long process of support raising and the paperwork involved in moving to a new country. We would just ask you to remember her as she is in the midst of this process.

Our Family- Abi and Isa have begun the new school year and they both love their school, their teachers and their friends.

Interesting Article- This article gives a little bit of insight into working in cross-cultural ministry and maybe ideas of how you can pray for those who are doing this type of work.

Bible Geek T-shirt Contest

2006-10-11T09:27:00.000+02:00

For some time we have wanted to design Terra Nova t-shirts, but we have not wanted to invest too much (hardly any, like close to zero) of our hard earned cafe Euros towards this. Stencil art has become pretty popular here in Galicia. Most of the best stencil "artists" practice on buildings and doorways in dimly lit streets late at night. However, the other day I stumbled on a cool web site that shows how to stencil your own t-shirts (the appropriate way for law abiding but creative citizens like myself to stencil). Using photoshop and basic things laying around the house I began making stencils of friends, darth vader, and the cafe symbol.

Then I began making some that I have affectionately titled the "Bible Geek Series". The symbol in the photo is one from this series and I have decided to have a little competition. The winner will receive one free t-shirt that I will ship to anywhere in the world (that t-shirts are allowed to be shipped).

The rules are simple. In the comment section of this post explain what you think this group of symbols mean.

1) The winner will be the first person to accurately decipher and explain the symbols in a comment.

2) In the event that no one gives the correct answer the award will be given to the most creative and entertaining answer as judged by myself and Lori.

All entries must be turned in by October 25, 2006 to be considered. No purchase necessary. Multiple entries are acceptable. All members of team Spain and my immediate household are not eligible to receive the prize. In the event that someone leaves a post that is exceptionally funny I may send them a t-shirt anyway even if someone else gets the right answer, because I'm like that. That choice would be entirely up to me and would be beyond the scope of the contest rules and regulations.

New Web Site

2006-09-24T09:17:00.000+02:00

We want to say a special thank you to Andrew Cooper. We have been working with him pretty closely over the past several months to design a new web site for the cafe. He has been amazing to work with and has done some awesome work. If you are thinking about a new website for any reason and not sure who hire, definitely give Andrew a call or drop him an e-mail (mail@CooperTrail.com).

On any given afternoon the cafe has anywhere from 5 to 15 people using their laptops on our wireless network. Since the cafe is about building community and relationships we have been thinking about ways that we can connect with our laptop users better. This site not only explains a little bit about who we are, but also gives us a digital forum for leaving online announcements and having online conversations. We invite you take a look at cafeterranova.com

slideshow: just for fun

2006-09-22T18:16:00.000+02:00

So what is Christianity about then?

2006-09-19T20:16:00.001+02:00

So, I have not really had a lot of time to read lately, but I have been slowly plugging along in Simply Christian by NT Wright. Today I came to Chapter 7 he he spends several paragraphs talking about what Christianity is not about. I thought for a second that he might leave me hanging with the question "So what is Christianity about then?", but thankfully he didn't (smile and wink). As i have been thinking recently about misconceptions that I have had about what it means to be a Christian I appreciated this short passage and posted it here in my Secret Passages.

Bujumbura, Burundi

2006-09-17T19:26:00.000+02:00

Todd is a friend of mine who works with International Teams in Paris. He is currently in the African country of Burundi where he is doing some seminars on forgiveness and reconciliation. I have been following his blog posts which are direct from a Barundian cyber cafe and it is very interesting.

Taking the Plunge

2006-09-10T16:12:00.000+02:00

Lauren Pugh came to visit our team last spring and she is currently in the process of preparing to come to Santiago to join our team. The process of leaving your home country for another is a journey full of ups and downs. We are praying for Lauren as she just arrived at I.T. for her initial training! Blessings Lauren! We can´t wait to have you here with us.

Misconceptions

2006-09-09T10:52:00.002+02:00

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
When I was young I used to think something along the lines that if you were a true follower of Christ that bad things would not happen to you. I thought that you were somehow exempt from things like pain, sickness, poverty, etc. However the more I read the Bible the less I found this to be true. People of the faith have always endured hardships and troubles, in fact it seems like the greater the person of faith the more trying the troubles were that they had to overcome. Also, the stronger the faith the better equipped they were to handle their unique situations. In many cases that is what made them Heroes.
I think of people like Abraham who left everything and everyone he knew to follow God. When he came to his new land he was told he would have a son. He believed it, but year after year went by and that faith had to be harder and harder to maintain. It was a slow painful and formative process with some stumbles along the way.
I think of David and how after he was anointed king as a boy he still had to wait years to actually sit as king over Israel. Many of those years were spent hiding for his life in caves and the wilderness and even fighting as a mercenary for the Philistines. He must have been wondering what in the world God was thinking.
I think of Moses who Took God’s people into the wilderness. Not long after they were freed from brutal slavery they complained to God for where he rescued them to. Why the desert? Why a place where they had to rely on God for sustenance? This was worse than slavery, they griped, as they longed to return to slavery.
Then there is Esther and Daniel who lived in foreign lands under traditions that were often an abomination to God. There is Jeremiah who was known as the weeping prophet. We can’t forget Job who lost everything because of a wager that God made over his faithfulness.
So this year has been one of those times for me. It has been one of those years of trial after trial. A year of questioning what in the world is God doing? I thought that he had a plan for my life, but I catch myself wondering "if this is the plan what in the world is going on?" I pray, I cry out for help, but the only thing I sense (if anything at all) is persevere. I look at these heroes of the faith and their lives scream, "persevere in faithfulness and obedience". I see these dry desert experiences as times that the Lord uses to train and equip us for his work, even though it does not always make sense or look they way we had envisioned life in faith. But that’s what faith is about, isn’t it?
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” Hebrews 11:1-2

Psalm 63

2006-08-26T00:44:00.000+02:00

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

9 They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.

10 They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God's name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

August Art Exhibit

2006-08-24T16:30:00.000+02:00

Although this photo does not really do it justice this month´s art exhibit in the cafe has been one of my favorite so far. It is a collection of photos from around Galicia by a local artist. The ones on the right with the white mats and light colored frames demonstrate the what the artist see as good. It is a collection of photos of local wildlife and nature. The photos on the left side with black frames and mats demonstratesomee of the things in Galicia that the artist has captures on film which show bad or evil. They are various photos of industry, fires, oil spills or nature in jeopardy.

Free Derek Webb

2006-08-21T22:49:00.000+02:00

How rich are you?

2006-08-21T17:36:00.000+02:00

Go here to find out where your salary ranks in the world. You may be shocked!

Do Christians doubt enough???

2006-08-17T14:24:00.000+02:00

I just read a great article by IMonk about Christian doubt. If you ever find yourself doubting Christianity, then check it out. If you never find yourself doubting Christianity, it wouldn´t hurt to check it out as well.

Fires in Galicia

2006-08-08T10:11:00.000+02:00

Almost every summer Galicia is plagued with forest fires. Right now there are over one hundred fires burning in Galicia. These photos are taken from near my house. Monte Pedroso has been on fire for a couple of days and fire fighting teams are using planes, helicopters and anything at their disposal to get these fires under control. You can read more about it in the local paper or if you don´t understand Spanish you can flip through the photo albums. Also there is an article here in BBC

More Photos

2006-08-06T18:45:00.000+02:00

We are home now and I have posted some more photos in our Family Album.

Some photos

2006-08-04T15:35:00.000+02:00

Welcome to the Family Eden!

2006-08-03T15:28:00.000+02:00

Eden Olivia Swain was born at 6:45am this morning August 3, 2006 in Santiago de Compostela. She weighs 3.675 Kg (8.1 lbs.) and one of the nurses affectionately called her “gordita” (little fat one) all morning. We chose Eden because it reminds us of the way things in life “should be”. Olivia means “peace”. Lori labored at home a little and then we made our way to the hospital around 5:30 am. Once we were at the hospital everything happened very quickly. The doctor said Lori was a veteran and that he hardly needed to be there. Both Eden and Lori are doing well! Thank you all for your prayers.

(photos to come)

Thoughts From a Lebanese Christian

2006-07-30T21:08:00.000+02:00

I just read an interesting article in Christianity Today called: Another Point of View: Evangelical Blindness on Lebanon He also wrote: 'Who Is My Neighbor' in the Lebanon-Israel Conflict?

N.T. WRIGHT, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Durham, England

2006-07-30T12:10:00.000+02:00

When I went to college I absolutely loved my Bible classes. I remember reading books on hermeneutics (how to read something written for another time and another place and understanding what it means today). I remember reading about and studying Judah´s exile- it takes up about two-thirds of the Old Testament but is rarely taught on in most churches. I remember pouring over commentaries and reading books that discussed everything from covenant theology and dispensationalism to the workings of the Holy Spirit in the newly birthed church in Acts.

Then I remember going home for break. I went to a local Christian bookstore, because after devouring all of this rich theological meat I was hungry to read more. I was so disappointed, because what I found in the bookstore were titles like "How to be a better.... Mom, Dad, Pastor, daughter, son, preacher, etc", titles on church growth, Christian diet books, and Christian Fiction that taught weird perspectives on end times and other Christian topics. I would go through the whole bookstore and might emerge with one small morsel of something that would actually challenge me in my faith and my understanding of the Bible.

I wondered what happened to all of the wonderful books that I was reading at college. Who was hiding them and where were they keeping them? So ever since I have been on a quest for books that really challenge me and my thinking. Recently I have encountered an author that gives me that same feeling of being stretched and challenged that I remember in my college Bible classes. When I read his books or listen to his talks I go away thinking about what he said for days and weeks on end. I normally hate watching or reading something that I have already read before, but I find that with his works after I have thought about it for a while I don´t mind going back and listening again to see what I missed the first time.

Last night at our team worship time we watched a video by N.T. Wright that took place in the "National Cathedral" in Washington D.C. and I was so encouraged and challenged by his talk. If you desire to be challenged in your understanding of the Bible and who Jesus was and is than I highly recommendn getting your hand on one of his books, or going to his web site and reading one of his papers or listening to some of his mp3 talks.

Around the world in 80 seconds...

2006-07-28T21:30:00.000+02:00

Here are some interesting blogs that I have been following from around the world.

Woody from Costa Rica

Stepchild from somewhere in western Europe.

Chris in Russia

Simon in Minneapolis

Betty in Santiago, Spain

The Living room in Australia

Some things are too cool for words...

2006-07-25T21:19:00.000+02:00

The Big 29

2006-07-22T09:58:00.000+02:00

that's right. I just turned 29 this past week. It´s kind of crazy, because I don´t feel that old..or sometimes I feel older. Lori made me my favorite birthday cake- chocolate mint. There are not cake mixes here, so she made it from scratch and it was wonderful.

Lori had some contractions (not just brackston-hicks, but the real deal) on my birthday! I thought for sure it was time for the baby to come (I packed my backpack for the hospital), but it turned out they were just practice. It could be anyday now. Her due date is August 6.

I have posted some new photos here, here and here.

Random Facts

2006-07-16T21:21:00.000+02:00

Lori and I have spent more married years in Spain than in the States.
The cafe has gone through well over 10,000 napkins since it opened just over two years ago.
Both of our daughters (soon to be all three daughters) were born in Santiago.
Santiago has around 100,000 inhabitants, 40,000 university students, between 1-3 million tourist annually and over 1,100 bars and cafes.
Most lunch breaks happen from 2-5pm and then everyone goes back to work/school until about 8pm.
In the summer in Santiago the sun does not set in the evening until close to 11pm.
If you are a tourist in Spain you can rent a car on your passport without any knowledge of Spanish.
If you live in Spain more than 6 months and want to drive your own car you have to go through Spanish drivers ed (both written and driving).
Quite often one hears fireworks in Spain in the middle of the day. Everyday (literally) is a Saint day and Saint day celebrations include fireworks.
Spain is a Constitutional Monarchy which means it has a king and a parliament.

Geneva Alum Blogs

2006-07-12T16:47:00.000+02:00

Every once in a while when I am cruising the blogosphere I come across some blogs I want to share. These are all blogs of Geneva people that I have found. Mark Helsel went to Geneva and then was a Youth Intern at First Presbyterian Church when I was in highschool. I have been following Keith Martel´s blog for quite some time and just last weekend I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon Ben Kendrew´s Blog as well as Kent Chevalier´s. If you know of any other Geneva bloggers, drop their address in the comment section below this post.

Photo Albums

2006-07-08T10:44:00.000+02:00

I just uploaded som new pics to our Family Album and our Sights in Santiago page.

Short Film

2006-07-08T10:08:00.000+02:00

Abi and Caleb took part in their first short film yesterday. A friend of ours is directing a short film for a local competition and needed some children to stand in for a short part. Our friend explained their parts to them in Spanish and then Abi and Caleb acted out their parts. It was fun to watch the process. I am looking forward to seeing the final cut.

Love and Obedience

2006-07-06T12:54:00.001+02:00

I am currently reading The Jesus Creed, By Scott McKnight. I was struck by the following excerpt as someone who is not only Christian by as a "spiritual leader". It is easy to get caught up following the law (even the law of love) but miss the point (actually loving). The following excerpt is from Pages 52-53.

"GETTING CAUGHT BY JESUS

Jesus tells parables that catch his readers in the web of a moral dilemma so they can learn. A good example of this is the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

An "expert in the Torah" asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life. Jesus says, "What does the Torah say?" The expert answers, probably because he has heard the Jesus Creed from others: "Love your God... and love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus says, "A+!"

Riding a little wave of Jesus´approval, he gets a little chesty like a first-year theology student: "Well then, who is my neighbor?" What the scribe is really asking is not just "who is my neighbor?" but "who is pure and who is not?" He´s asking about the classification system. The "who is pure" question is also a "who is better loved?" question. Knowing that the question masks a larger concern, Jesus tells storyto catch this expert in the web of a moral dilemma so we can all learn.

On a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho a man is attacked by a gang of robbers, leaving him nearly dead. A priest and a temple assistant (a Levite) come upon him seperately, but fearing impurity from contact with a corpse, the skirt to the other side of the road. They are following the Torah, mind you. One of Moses´books spells it out: Dead bodies spread impurity. In another of his books, priests are told not to contract corpse impurity unless from the body of a "close relative." If close enough to a corpse to cast one´s shadow over the corpse, the person casting the shadow becomes impure. So, they suffle to the other side of the road. This is not heartlessness so much as it is obedience. Therein lies the learning.

There is not a Jew who hears Jesus´parable who thinks the priest (or the Levite) is doing anything but what the Torah regulates. The irony of this little plot is that in "obeying" the Torah the priest and Levite are disobeying what is at the bottom of the Torah: loving others. Ironically, it is a stereotyped character that does what is right: a Samaritan. Samaritan in this parable stands for social hostility and religious heresy. The priest and the Levite get caught while the Samaritan gets the teacher´s thumbs up.

If we are to love God and love others, Jesus is asking his audience, what happens when love-of-God-as-obeying-Torah (the Shema of Judaism) comes into conflict love-of-God-as-following-Jesus (the Shema of Jesus)? That´s a tough one, for all of us. But for Jesus the answer is clear: Loving God properly always means we will tend to those in need.

A plot within a plot. Jesus catches anyone who attends to the Torah (like avoiding impurity) but fails to attend the person in need."

Cultural Event

2006-07-02T14:15:00.000+02:00

Last night we had our third cultural event at the cafe. It was a fun event with the group Truesdell from California doing a folk/rock acustic set. We also have a new art exhibit from a local artist and it turns out that she lives in our neighborhood. That rocks! It is cool how many people we have been meeting through the art exhibits.

Cool Pix

2006-07-01T10:57:00.001+02:00

Chris Warren is an IT guy on his way to Russia. He stopped in Spain for a few weeks to hang out with our team and give us a hand. He has captured some great photos around the city, of us repainting the cafe (a special thanks to Lauren and Shayna for donating the paint), and of the night of Saint John tradition where people jump over fires to get rid of evil spirits (mostly people just jump for fun these days). You can see his photos here and read his thoughts here.

Should More Christians Live in the City?

2006-06-13T12:45:00.000+02:00

This article in Christianity Today talks about A New Kind of Urban Christian. The premise is "As the city goes, so goes the culture."

Here is an Excerpt from the article:

"More Christians should live long-term in cities. Historians point out that by A.D. 300, the urban populations of the Roman Empire were largely Christian, while the countryside was pagan. (Indeed, the word pagan originally meant someone from the countryside—its use as a synonym for a non-Christian dates from this era.) The same was true during the first millennium A.D. in Europe—the cities were Christian, but the broad population across the countryside was pagan. The lesson from both eras is that when cities are Christian, even if the majority of the population is pagan, society is headed on a Christian trajectory. Why? As the city goes, so goes the culture. Cultural trends tend to be generated in the city and flow outward to the rest of society."

To read more, go here!

Emergent Self-Critique

2006-06-12T14:43:00.000+02:00

"It’s always wise to listen and learn from criticism, but it’s even more important to proactively examine ourselves. As Paul said, if we judged ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged (1 Cor. 11:31), and Jesus told us to examine our own eyes for lumber before worrying about the splinters in others’ eyes. So, in that spirit, here’s an exercise in self-examination for the growing global generative friendship that is associated with the name “emergent” in the U.S. and in many places around the world. It’s based on my own observations, and includes proposals for how we respond to the issues I try to describe. "

I just read Brian McLaren´s critique of the Emergent movement (which you can read here). He seems very honest and brings up some very relevant issues. If you have been following the Emergent conversation, it is worth the read.

Mid Week Fun

2006-06-07T15:00:00.000+02:00

Rome- I have been watching a Discovery Channel 8 part special on the rise and fall of Rome. It is very interesting and there are many things that we Americans should pay attention to as our society has many parallels to Rome.

Well, speaking of Rome, Lori is in Rome right now with her Mom, her Mom's best friend Gail and Gail's daughter Adrienne. Our good friend Father Sal who is a retired Catholic priest here in SdC just happened to have a trip scheduled there for the Same time. Today he is acting as their tour guide and showing them the Vatican. Tomorrow they are going to check out Florence.

Home- Abi, Isa and I are hanging out a lot this week. We reduced my hours at the cafe this week to enable me to be a stay at home dad. Yesterday afternoon I took the girls to my favorite plant store outside of town and then they helped me plant some new flowers on our back patio. It was such a hot day that by the end I ended up watering them with the hose as well as the flowers. They squealed with delight. Today I am planning on taking them to a park and then to "Old MacDaonald's" (as Isa calls it) for some ice cream.

Gnome- If Lori was here she would groan and probably make me change this post because it really has nothing to do with gnomes I just wanted to keep rhyming (hey, I've been hanging out with a two and four year old this week so cut me some slack). Anyways, I have posted some new photos here, here and here.

Roam- Hah, different kind of Rome. OK, enough. No more. I gotta stop. Anyway I wanted to encourage you to roam the net to see some of my favorite blogs this week.

I wanted to Highlight Todd´s Blog in Paris. He has been writing some great articles about immigrants (a touchy topic, I know, but definitely a topic worth thinking about.

I also wanted to highlight Missions Misunderstood. This missionary works for the IMB, but his posts are often relevant for anyone taking part in short or long term missions.

Of Course, you can always check out my team mate Jacob´s blog to see more of what is happening here in SdC and some of the things that we talk about.

Rainy Spain is another cool blog by an American who lives in SdC

Also, if you have never visited the Tall Skinny Kiwi site you should. This guy blogs more in a day than anyone else I know. He definitely has his finger on the pulse of the blogosphere.

Cafe Event No-2

2006-06-04T17:42:00.000+02:00

Last Thursday we were able to hold our second cultural event in the cafe. We had an inauguration for an art exhibition of a local amateur artist who is also one of our regular clients. A Texan friend who lives and works with a church in A Coruña came down and created an awesome atmosphere for us by playing the hammer dulcimer. These events have been awesome ways for us to connect with and serve people in our community. We are looking forward to trying a broad range of similar events in the coming year.

School Trip

2006-06-04T17:37:00.000+02:00

Abigail and Lori spent Friday with students, parents and teachers from Abigail's school as they went to the country on a field trip. It was a hot day, but they had lots of fun. I am hoping to post photos of it here.

Family and Friends

2006-06-04T17:18:00.000+02:00

Lori and I have been blessed to have Lori´s Mom, her best friend Gail, and Gail´s daughte Adrian visiting us here in SdC. Next week the women are taking a trip to Rome together and I will be doing the single father thing with Abigail and Isa (feel free to pray for me). It has been fun showing them our favorite part of the city and Spanish culture.

Summer Intern

2006-06-04T16:58:00.000+02:00

We want to welcome Bri Kari. She is here interning with us this summer form Orlando, Florida. She has already been a great help to our team and we pray that God blesses her and those who she meets during her time here over the next two months.

Worth the Read

2006-05-30T14:12:00.000+02:00

I just read a great PCA article about the Emergent Church called More than a Fad: Understanding the Emerging Church. It is a very well-balanced article, challenging both the emergent and the non-emergent.

We´re Back

2006-05-21T10:59:00.000+02:00

Lori and I had a really rich time at IT´s International Leadership Forum in the Netherlands. It was a very beautiful experience to here IT ministry leaders from all around the world share how God was working. We heard stories from Iraq, China, Vietnam, Russia, Kenya,Ukraine, Bosnia, andBolivia to name a few. One of the coolest things to me is the fact that IT is a truly international organization. It does not just value Christian leaders that come from the western world and going to the eastern world. It does not even see itself as an organization that send people from rich countries to poor ones.

IT is truly living out it´s desire to be an organization "From all nations, to all nations". I like to think of it as "WikiMissions" or the "Bit Torrent Church". Paul described it like this to the Corinthians, "So here's what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight."

Also, just wanted to let you know that I have updated photos on both the Friends and Family Albums. Feel free to check them out! Shalom, Matt

Out of Town

2006-05-11T00:05:00.000+02:00

Lori and I will be traveling to Holland tomorrow for IT´s International Leadership Forum. This is an annual time of connection and training for It Leaders from all around the world. Please pray for our travel and for our girls who will be staying with our friends and team mates the Baileys. Also, we may be slow in answering e-mails but will try to get to them as soon as we can. Blessings, Matt and Lori

New Art Exhibit

2006-05-04T18:22:00.000+02:00

Last night we had an inauguration for a new art exhibit (The Chemical Orange) in the cafe. I met Luis a few weeks back at the cafe and he told me about his work with government art programs for youth. From before we opened the cafe we wanted it to be a place of art, music, and community. Last night was a blast as Luis talked about this exhibit and his friend mixed music live with two turn tables.

Bono talk

2006-04-22T21:18:00.000+02:00

I know it is old news but I find this a really powerful talk. If you have not yet stopped to listen to Bono's address at the national prayer breakfast, you can hear it on the podcast on the one blog. It is a podcast in the top right hand corner of the blog (Note- the One Campaign does some announcements and Switchfoot plays a song, but you can skip ahead right to Bono talking if you want to).

Google Mars

2006-04-16T00:37:00.000+02:00

Since I was a kid I have been amazed by anything dealing with Space. Google just launched a new page where you can look a some NASA pics of Mars. It´s pretty sweet!

Holy Week

2006-04-15T11:38:00.000+02:00

This week Spain has been celebrating Semana Santa. In Santiago catholic churches do processionals throughout the city and focus on different events that happened throughout Holy Week, but especially focus on the crucifixion. Yesterday we saw one of these processions with the girls on our way home from the park. The first time you see one of these processions it can be kind of freaky. If you don´t understand what is happening you really wonder why masked people are walking through town carrying heavy altars and crosses (in Spain it has nothing to do with racist organizations). A lot of the people who take part in the procession do so as a form of penance. I think that they cover their faces out of a mix of guilt and humility. Humility that they can´t say or think, "look at what a great person I am, I am carrying such a heavy cross for my penance".

Many of the ones that I have seen in past years have been very dark, focusing mostly on Jesus' death. I was pleasantly surprized by the one we saw yesterday. It was definitely solemn with the simple drum cadence and the eary trumpet blasts, but throughout the procession it had reminders that Christ did not remain dead on the cross. They also had children carrying various objects to symbolize different parts of the passion (bread, a cup, pieces of silver, a longe stick with a sponge, dice, a white robe, etc..). If you were paying attention it told the whole story.

One of the coolest things about it was that the girls kept asking us questions about all of the things that they saw. It was a great teachable moment, a different way for them to learn about the story of Easter. It all culminated with Abigail´s question "Dad, why did Jesus have to die?". I did not want to give her an easy or trite answer while we were distracted by drums and trumpets, so when we got home we pulled out her Big Picture Story Bible. We read about Jesus and the cross. It showed his disciples asking questions after his death including "Why did Jesus have to die?". This led into us having a great discussion about what happened to Jesus and why.

Welcome back

2006-04-14T13:36:00.000+02:00

Lori has been on a sort of blog fast for the past several months, but has returned to the blogosphere. I welcome you to visit her blog here.

Religion and Spirituality

2006-04-14T13:30:00.000+02:00

In the preceding post I put up some stats from a recent Spanish newspaper article. "The Other Bailey" has been working in Spain for ten years and left some great comments on Jacob's blog under this post. Here is a quote from him.

"These surveys are all about religion, but not about spirituality. My experience has been that Spaniards are very interested in spirituality (something they have not found in the Catholic church) and are not turning en masse to atheism and agnosticism."

Religious Stats in Spain

2006-04-08T00:30:00.000+02:00

Jacob just posted on his blog about an article in one of Spain´s leading newspapers, El Pais. It is packed with youth statistics and their views on religion. Here are a few quick stats.

Young people in Galicia between 15-24 who claim to be:

-Practicing Catholic 8%

-Non-practicing Catholic 40%

-indifferent and Agnostic 24%

-Atheist 20%

-Other Religion 1%

Level of importance in life: 1 is no importance 4 is a lot of importance

Health 3.89

Family 3.79

Friends 3.58

Studies 3.25

Politics 1.92

Religion 1.76

Image that Spanish young people have of themselves

Consumeristic 59.8%

Rebels 54.1%

Only think in the present 38.3%

Worker 20.3%

Generous 13.4%

Mature 11.4%

Technology Donations

2006-04-04T15:19:00.000+02:00

At the cafe we currently have two desktop computer stations available for our customers and we would love to have some laptops for people to check out and use to connect to our WiFi as well. If you have an old laptop that you don't use anymore that is good for connecting to the internet, please consider donating it to the Café to help us enrich our customers' experience at Terra Nova.

We are also interested in having a video projector for the café to be used for showing in-house films, movies, comercials, etc... If you know of any organizations or churches that are looking to donate an older VP, please let them know that we are interested.

"It is both a modern and spiritual place"

2006-04-04T15:10:00.000+02:00

That is how the article about the cafe starts off in the local Gallego newspaper Galicia Hoxe. If you understand Spanish you may be able to understand enough in the article to get the gist of what it is about (It is written in Gallego, the local language). It is a pretty fun piece that appears in the equivalent of the life section.

Our concepts of the Church That was the title of the discussion that I led at GBU (Spanish Inter-Varsity) last night. We talked about how church buildings are viewed and used in the contemporary church setting compared to what the Bible says about church buildings. It was a lively conversation with some really good thought processing happening among the students.

News in Spain

2006-04-01T11:41:00.000+02:00

Basque terrorist group declares cease-fire.

Spain intercepts immigrants.

Undercurrent of racism surfaces at Spanish Soccer games.

So you're looking for a new job???

2006-03-26T17:10:00.000+02:00

"Well, the first thing that you need to do is go down to your local church and get a letter of recommendation from your priest stating that you are a good citizen. Oh, what's that? You haven't been attending mass or giving any tithes? Yeah, I understand that you don't have work and money has been tight, but if you want this letter that is what you are going to have to do. So, why don't you come back in a few weeks after you can demonstrate to the priest that you have good attendance and that you are paying your tithes. Then, we'll see what we can do about getting you that job."

From the 1930s to the 1970s that was the reality in Spain. The church was in essence married to the state (or married to the power of the state), but had to sacrifice a lot of it's soul in exchange for the power it received. This was a time of extreme poverty in Spain, when the church could have been an element of health, life and change to the Spanish people, but instead partnered with a dictator who decided who should be oppressed and who should rise to power.

Fast forward some 30 plus years and what is the cultural climate in Spain? First, most Spanish people say something along the lines of "yes, I am catholic, but I am not practicing". The evangelical church was persecuted and forced underground and treated as a cult under the dictator Franco. Eventhough Spain has had religious freedom for over 20 years the evangelical church is still having difficulty coming out of hiding and in a "roman catholic" culture the evangelical church has trouble shaking the cult label. Not to mention that spending so many years institutionally separated from the mainstream culture it is often hard for evangelicals and non-evangelicals to relate.

Among a lot of youth and students they see the hypocrisy of the culture that calls itself Catholic and does not live it. They also look back and see the way that the institution of religion has abused this culture and other cultures in it's own history and want nothing to do with any religious institution. They look around the world today and see Muslim, Jewish and Christian nations fighting to promote their own ideas and ways of life and don't want to have anything to do with any of it.

For all the advances in technology people often act very much the same today as they have in the past. I am reminded so much of the climate that Jesus entered in Israel in the first century. There were those like Herod Agrippa, who even though he was a Jew was married to and lusted after the power of the state. There were those in the Pharisees who claimed to follow the commands of a loving God and be his light in this world, but instead lived a life contrary to that God and whom Jesus called "play actors" (or Hypocrites). There were also zealots who thought that the advance of the Jewish state must be done with the sword. These people were waiting for a revolution where you would either see things their way or die.

So which of these groups did Jesus belong to? None. Which group do I belong to? This is the question I keep asking myself daily? Jesus confounded the people of his day by calling them to a life that was very different from any of these and setting up a kingdom that was very different from all of humanity's preconceived notions. So, I ask myself, "Am I living as a citizen of the new "way" or new kingdom that Jesus set up or am I still participating in the manmade institutions that are the old way?" How about you?

A digital video look at SdC

2006-03-25T11:03:00.000+01:00

Our teammate Jacob is an awesome videographer and is excellent at telling a story through this medium. Check out this video he got of the Botefumeiro (really, really big incense burner) at the cathedral. Also, check out the Terra Nova Red video. It may take a few minutes to download, but it is worth the wait.

Blogs I Like

2006-03-23T09:31:00.000+01:00

My admiration for blogs grows each day. Blogs give us instant access to the world around us and is basically a place of international conversation. It is like a large electronic cafe where people hang out. The beauty for someone who lives far away from friends and family is that it gives you a place to post the major happenings in your life or work. There are blogs where ametuers write online novels, some of them get published and some don´t, but they are accessible and honest.

Just this week I encountered some International Teams blogs from workers all around the world (You can find them in the right column under "Blogs I Like") I love being able to see how God is working in people across cultures and races around the world. One blog that really stuck out to me was the Refugee Highway blog. Check it out and if you feel like it take a trip around the world visiting some other IT folks like Woody, Simon, Jacob, Tim, Todd, Matthew, and Tomanddonna.

Local News

2006-03-15T16:41:00.000+01:00

An article about the cafe appeared in a local newspaper today. You can go here to see it.

Road Trippin

2006-03-14T23:02:00.000+01:00

This weekend our family and the Baileys are leaving town for a vision casting and planning retreat. We have a lot of questions that we have been forming over the past several months to help us discuss both our short and long term vision for Santiago. We ask you to pray for us, our discussions and our sensitivity to the spirit during this time. Also, we have all been fighting sickness this week so we would ask that you pray for all of our health (kids included). We would also ask for prayer for the cafe and all of the managerial responsibilities that the Baileys, Lori and myself have taken over. Please pray that God grants us wisdom and favor with those around us as we deal with the myriad of details that need to be taken care of each week to help the cafe operate smoothly.

Hugs and Tears

2006-03-11T15:18:00.000+01:00

Today the house is quiet and the mood is sober as the girls sleep and I am left alone with my thoughts. We just had a week full of a lot of last things. We had a last meal, a last coffee, a last birthday party, etc.. with Scott, Shelley, Troy and Jen. We all knew that it was coming,but it seems like nothing can prepare you for the tearful tearing apart as a community is split up. I have mentioned before that the Striblings and Hellmanns were our friends, coworkers, pastors, counselors and family as we lived life together the past five years together in Spain. We have been there for one another as five of their six children were born during their time here. We have spent countless birthday parties together, and were there for each other during Passover meals, forth of July celebrations (just another day for Spaniards), Thanksgivings, Christmases and New Years parties. We have had countless conversations on everything from the mundane and ridiculous to the profound and very sensitive.

I was waiting for a friend the other day at my favorite place to get a Bocadillo (hot sandwich on homemade bread) in town. The waiter came up and asked me how I was doing and how the cafe was doing. I told him it was a pretty sad time as we were watching or very dear friends leave town. He said very matter of factly, "Well, that´s just part of life". He is right , but that does not make it easy.

I wonder how many people in life really get to know someone else as deeply as we have had the opportunity to know our teammates past and present. It definitely has not been something that I have experienced before. I praise God for it and say bring it on! Yeah, it is painful to love other people because it opens us up and makes us vulnerable, but it somehow makes us stronger.

As we gave final hugs to one another and blessed each others children it was impossible to hold back the tears and that horrible frog in the throat feeling that makes it impossible to talk. We said our farewells amidst promises to see each other soon in some unknown place and time in the future. Let it be so!

Shalom

2006-03-07T23:42:00.000+01:00

Recently when I was at a conference in France our team was hanging out with Mark Soderquist over a coffee in a small french cafe. He was telling us about something he had learned recently about the Hebrew word Shalom. It is a word that we often just translate to mean peace, but we really miss a lot of the significance if we just say peace. It is used both to say hello and to say goodbye. It is to bless someone and to also remind your self to be part of making things the way they should be.

"The Hebrew word shalom has a wider meaning than the English equivalent peace, for it signifies welfare of every kind: security, contentment, sound health, prosperity, friendship, peace of mind and heart, as opposed to the dissatisfaction and unrest caused by evil." Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts by Philip Birnbaum page 601 (previously published as A Book of Jewish Concepts)

Book recommendation

2006-03-07T11:04:00.000+01:00

I just read a book that you must read, especially if you are in a ministry vocation. Here is a quote that starts the book off. "Society...was regarded (by the Desert Fathers) as a shipwreck from which each single individual man had to swim for his life...These were men who believed that to let oneself drift along, passively accepting the tenets and values of what they knew as society, was purely and simply disaster." Thomas Merton This book, The Way of the Heart, explores the Dessert Fathers and their motivation for fleeing society to pray in the Egyptian dessert. It not only gives practical and useful advice for escaping the shipwreck of society but rescuing those who are drowning around us in the shipwreck as well. Definitely a guidepost for those of us who desire to live our life as ministry.

The One Campaign

2006-03-03T15:01:00.000+01:00

What in the world would ever bring democrats, republicans, movie stars, televangelists, Christians and atheists together to agree on something and speak with one voice? Believe it or not, poverty and Aids in Africa. I would never have believed it if I did not see it myself. You may have noticed a link that I keep on my blog to the ONE campaign . This past summer when I was in the states I saw an interview with Brad Pitt where he was talking about the ONE campaign and what it is doing to help the poor and suffering in Africa. I was really impressed to see a millionaire movie star walking around in a third world country allowing himself to be humbled by the lives of people living in poverty and dying from things that are preventable.

I also read a book about the lead singer of U2 called Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas where among other things he talks about both the one campaign and DATA org (Death, Aids, Trade, Africa). There is no single, simple cause to all of the problems facing Africa nor is there a single, simple solution. However, I believe that the ONE campaign is working diligently on behalf of the poor and dying in Africa and would invite you to find out more about them,what they are doing and how you can get involved.

Kind of Random

2006-03-01T15:14:00.000+01:00

This has been a crazy period of adjustment for Lori and I (and Jacob and Tania) as we have taken over a major portion of the cafe responsibilities and all that it entails to keep it running. Even with all of the craziness involved in keeping the cafe operating, I do occasionally get some time to read. I am reading a book right now that I am absolutely loving. It is called The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 Century Church and if you have not read it then I highly recommend it. It talks about both mission and the church and is very useful for those of us who are not satisfied with everything the way it has been done in the past, but are also skeptical of every new fad or Church in a Box that comes around the corner.

Some times those who work in cross-cultural ministry setting have a difficult time communicating what is happening in their ministry while trying to remain sensitive to the people to whom they minister. I have found this to be the case as there is way more happening in my life and around me than I feel liberty to talk about online or in letters. My basic rule as that I consider that whatever I write or blog may be seen by anyone, and so I try not to write something about someone unless I am totally OK with them reading what I write. Here is how someone working in Australia describes "What Mission Looks Like at LivingRoom ". I really resonated with this article!

Jacob has been writing and doing a great job talking about what has been happening around here in SdC. Check out this , this , and this.

I have been trying to keep up with posting our photos online, but have fallen dreadfully behind (sorry to all the grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles). I will try to keep up with posting photos of the most important people here ( Abi and Isa in case there is any doubt). In the meantime you are free to peruse the following albums whenever you would like. The Family Album, The Friends Album, or take a look at our city in the Sights in Santiago Album. I do hope to add some new photos soon.

Season of Change

2006-02-04T10:03:00.000+01:00

Six years ago this week Lori and I embarked on a journey through northwestern Spain with two other couples, Matthew and Anita Hanlon and Scott and Shelly Stribling. The six of us had quite an adventure driving from one city to the next and praying together in each place about whether this was the city God was calling us to. When we first stepped foot in Santiago de Compostela we had no idea how familiar we would become with this ancient city.

We had no idea that this would be the place where God would stretch and challenge us more than any other place we have been in our lives previously. We had no idea how much God wanted to mold and grow our thoughts of him and our understanding of him from outside our culture of birth. We had no idea that this would be the place where our daughters would be born knowing it as their home. We had no idea how God would use us as a bridge to bring groups of summer teamers and interns here to live their Christian lives in a culture that has rejected most of its religious heritage in exchange for the idols of self and secular humanism. We had no idea of the degree that God would weave us into the fabric of this society through friends, opening a café, and through our daily lives of work and school.

When I think back on that trip and the little that we knew about what our time in Spain would really be like, I praise and thank God for his faithfulness and the ways that he has worked in us, through us, and sometimes in spite of us. Today as I step back and look out over the past five years that Lori and I have lived in Spain I am also trying to peer into our future as well.

When I look into the immediate future I feel a mix of sadness and joy. The sadness being that our dear friends Troy and Jen Hellmann and Scott and Shelley Stribling have felt called to returned to the States in March. At that time Lori and I will be officially taking over as the team leaders for Spain. After the years that we have spent together with the Striblings and Hellmanns as friends, pastors, coworkers, and family it will not be easy for us to let them go (I'm quite tempted to steal their plane tickets so that they cannot leave). They have taught us so much about who we are and who God is by the myriad of ways that they have cared for and challenged us over the years. Troy and Scott will be starting a business together in Texas and we know that God will bless their new work and ministry there!

This past summer our team was joined by Jacob and Tania Bailey. Lori and I feel an amazing unity of vision for the future that could only have been orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. As we look ahead we are excited about the new season of ministry that God is bringing us into. The last two years a lot of our time as a team has been spent learning the ins and outs of running a business in a foreign country (which is no small task). As we look ahead we are excited about all of the plans and visions for ministry that we have, but we also realize that

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"

So we enter into this future with plans, hopes, dreams, desires and the realization that we must submit each of these areas to God for he ultimately knows better than we do. We ask you for your prayers as our team transitions into this new season.

-Please pray that God would abundantly bless Scott, Shelly, Troy, and Jen in their move back to the states and in their future business endeavors.

-Please pray that God will bless Lori and I with wisdom beyond our years as we move into the team leader position.

-Please pray for Team Spain and our plans, visions and dreams for the fututre and that we will be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Friends and Family

2006-01-29T11:38:00.000+01:00

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much... " -Jesus the Christ

Being away from family is definitely the hardest thing about living on another continent. I remember shortly after Lori and I moved to Spain I came across this verse and was intrigued by it. God seems to understand on a deep level the difficulty in leaving those who are closest to us for his sake and so he gave us a promise to bless us with family, fields, etc when we have left it all behind for his sake. He does not say that he will replace family (I don´t think that would be possible or desirable), but he promises to give us even more family. During those first days in Spain I wondered how that was possible and how that would play out in our lives.

One way that we have seen this verse come to pass in our lives here in SdC is through our friendship with Father Sal. He is a retired Priest that our team met several years ago. He was born in thePhilippines but spent a significant amount of time working in San Francisco. When we celebrate holidays he celebrates with us. He loves our children and our children love him. He is like a surrogate father, grandfather and friend. Occasionally we have a meal together and it is like having a meal with the family when we are hanging out with him. Yesterday he invited took us to a local Philippine restaurant where we tried some typical Philippine dishes. We praise God for his blessings and the ways that he works that are beyond what we could think or imagine!

International Cuisine Day Yesterday was a day of foods around the world. In the evening Lori, I, Jacob and Tania met at our house with a Cuban-Gallego couple who are parents of one of Abiga's friends at school. We had a mix of traditional American, Gallego, and Cuban dishes. It was a blast hanging out and trying new foods. We look forward to our future with our new friends!

Around the World

2006-01-23T12:41:00.000+01:00

Friends from Lancaster! Lori and I returned to Spain from our time in the States a week ago Friday and hit the ground running here in Spain. We were pleased to have Zack Altoff come last week to begin an internship here with us. We have known Zach for years as we both have the same home church in Lancaster, Ohio. Zach is living in Spanish student housing and will be giving us a hand in the cafe over the next couple of months. He also brought music recording equipment and some graphic design skills- that should be fun! Our good high-school friend Krista Rea also came last week. She too is from our home church of First Presbyterian, she is here for a visit and we praise God that we have this time to catch up with her.

Friend from Europe! This weekend (almost before recovering from jet-lag from my previous trip) I went with Troy, Scott, Jacob and Tania to Paris, France. We went to a conference that was hosted by IT workers in France for European Church leaders. The guest Speaker was Brian McLaren. While we were there not only were we challenged by Brian´s message to church leaders to work together. This is especially needed in Europe where so many Christian churches are deeply divided and fragmented across denominational borders. Some of the things he talked about reminded me of some of the positive experiences that I had in Lancaster, Ohio when all the youth Pastors would meet together and pray. I pray for and would love to see the Christian leaders here in SdC come together to bless and sharpen one another.

Todd Burkes is a an IT worker in France and he gave us a deep glimpse into the people and history of France. We got to see first hand the suburbs that surround Paris and were able to see France's racism play out before our eyes. Thankfully, Mark Soderquist who lives and works in inner city Chicago was there to keep us from becoming too self-righteous and to remind us that the United States has the same problems of of injustice and oppression of the poor in its inner cities that France has in its suburbs. I also got to meet Paul Voltmer who works in a counseling minstry in Strausburg and see old friends like Matt Glock who works in Grenoble, France and Al Feria who works in Paris.

I really had a great time with all of these guys. It is always so powerful to sit over a meal or a coffee and tell and hear stories about how God is working around the world. I really appreciated my time with these guys and the way that they challenged me to be a better disciple of Christ. I am sure that I will be processing our conversations together a lot over the next days, weeks and months to come.

What is up with the Swains?

2006-01-07T01:30:00.000+01:00

Well, we came home for Christmas and New Years and have had a good time with friends and family in Lancaster, Ohio. We have been very busy trying to see as many people as possible during our time here and so we have not had as much time to write about what is going on. This week we took a short trip up to Chicago to touch base with friends and coworkers at International Teams headquarters and talk to some potential future teammates. As always it was very good to catch up with people and being at IT always reminds me of the bigger picture of what God is doing around the world. Lori and I will be talking about Spain briefly this weekend at our home church First Presbyterian Church in Lancaster. We are heading back to Spain on Thursday and definitely appreciate your prayers for the twenty some hour trip that we will be taking with the girls.

Freedom- from religion? Or - to believe?

2005-11-28T00:20:00.000+01:00

I just came across this article which explains some of the differences between Europe and the USA and how we view religion. I thought that they really captured a the significant differences and did a good job of explaining how our different histories have led us to where we are today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2005-11-26T10:21:00.000+01:00

To see some Thanksgiving pics go here. We also have some other albums here, here and here.

A Walk in the Park

2005-11-22T19:06:00.000+01:00

Today was a beautiful day in Santiago. It was cool and crisp. Lori was working at the cafe this afternoon so the girls and I went to a nearby park to collect some leaves and enjoy the fresh air. This park used to be a monastery. They don't make granite playhouses like they used to 300 years ago. :)

Why are we here?

2005-11-21T14:06:00.000+01:00

Tonight I am speaking a GBU. It is a Bible Study for university students in Spain. I am going to talk a little bit about International Teams and the kind of work they do all around the world. Then we are going to do a Lectio Divina on Isaiah 61. I love this passage! It is what Jesus read outloud in the synagogue at the at the beginning of his ministry. It made some people so mad that they tried to kill him. My challenge for the students and myself is how can I take part in fulfilling Isaiah 61 where I am? Also, if God is challenging me to some specific ministry or place what am I doing about it? I often wonder what the world would look like if Christians all around the world lived out their life daily with a sense of their life being about ministry. When we pray "Thy Kingdom come" do we really mean it and seek it today? Do we really see our selves as anointed by the Spirit of the Sovereign? Do we see our selves as healers and rennovators of the ancient ruins in peoples lives around us? Do we see ourselves displaying the splendor of the Lord? What would that look like, the "splendor of the Lord"? Will we hear our calling as priests and ministers of God no matter our vocation or station in Life?

November News 2005

2005-11-16T12:26:00.000+01:00

Recent Visitors- We just spent a few days with visitors from IT. Barthe Companjen and Rick Knox stopped by on a journey throughout Spain as they look at future ministry opportunities for IT. Tim Barnes posted a few entries about his time here with us that you can read at his blog On The Global Edge. Todd In France- Todd works with International Teams in France. Lori and I have been reading his blogs lately to get an insider's view of why there is unrest and what is happening. We have found this really insightful and learned things that we would not learn just watching the news. Cafe News- It has been fun starting to meet some of the new students who frequent the cafe with new school year. In our very limited space we added a Laptop Zone last week. This allows us to free up some of our table space and provide electricity for our laptop users. We put it in the front window so our laptop users have a great view while they are doing their work. We also just put in a new art exposition by local artist Estrela Rua. Video Project- Gary Brunson is a freelance video producer from Texas. He has come for a few weeks to donate his skills to helping the team capture the atmosphere of SdC and the Cafe. This will be a great way for us to show what is happening here to prospective team mates and interns. Future Teammates- We are praying for future teammates, especially those who have a background in Spanish and Managerial skills. If you fit that description and have been feeling a nudge towards cross-cultural ministry send me an e-mail at matt.swain@iteams.org. Family News- We have some new photos posted on our family album page and If you have not had a chance to see what Lori has been writing about lately you can visit her page here. There is also a link to it in the right column. --->

Interesting Article

2005-11-03T12:58:00.000+01:00

Here is an article describing the refugee situation in Spain. This is a little about International Teams and and basic facts about refugees. The following quote on the IT sight made me wonder how we think about and treat refugees. "Refugees in the Bible include Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Joseph, and Jesus."

IT Websight

2005-10-26T15:34:00.000+02:00

Lori and I are so proud to be part of IT and love to see all of the ways that they are serving people and embodying the Gospel around the world. When we went through training and stayed at the headquarters in Elgin, IL one of my favorite things about that time was meeting people from all around the world and hearing their stories. If you would like to see a glimpse of some of the things that God is doing through IT, then I invite you to take a virtual trip around the world via internet. International Teams just totally refurbished their web sight and you can check it our here.

Seasons Change

2005-10-14T18:48:00.000+02:00

We have been enjoying an extended summer until today. We have had months of beautiful sunshine and cool evenings. However, I think that that has come to an end today with the dark rain clouds of winter. The kind of dark wet days that make you want to curl up on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea. Anyway, with the change of the seasons I have been thinking about the changes this new year will bring in the seasons of the ministry here.

The student life is returning to SdC and the tourists are fading away with the summer weather. As the students return I would like to ask you to be praying for our team and the café. Santiago has around 40,000 students and that I know of only two small Bible studies for University Students. One is Catholic and the other Evangelical, each with around 30 students. That is literally a drop in the bucket in comparison with the size of the University here.

I would ask that you pray for our team and the students that we meet. Pray that we would meet students with whom God is already stirring something in their heart. Pray that God will give us a voice into the Christian student groups here to challenge them in what it means to live their faith outside the comfortable walls of the Christian circles of friends that they have. Please pray that God will foster and bless our relationships with the small remnant of Christian leaders who are working here in Galicia (our province) and help us to encourage, bless, and challenge them.

Also, pray that God will give our team wisdom as we wade through cultural and historical religious mine fields. Pray that God would guide us in the best way to plant and water in this place. Just as the apostle Paul stated, ^“6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. ⁷So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. ⁹For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-9

We thank you so much for your prayers for our family and for this ministry!

Back Online

2005-10-07T15:10:00.000+02:00

Hey, thanks for your patience, everyone. Sorry about the internet fiasco and slow communication. We are now back online. It has been a great fall here in SdC with the students returning back to school. Santiago has morphed from a tourist town back into a college town. I always prefer the town with students more. Something about the students bring a vibrancy and life to the SdC. I had the privilege two weeks ago of going to Holland and visiting one of my good friends Marcel. We met in Santiago when he worked a Christian hostel for the group Oasis Trails. It was good hanging out with him and meeting his family. The were very hospitable and I felt like I received an insiders look at Holland. I was very impressed by their bicycling culture, something you almost have to see to understand. Besides visiting a lot of the tourist things like the VanGogh Museum and the Church tower in Utrecht, we also got visit a hostel ministry and a cafe ministry that reach out to youth in Amsterdam. It was great to see what they are doing in the midst of that beautiful country.

Internet Down

2005-10-05T19:22:00.000+02:00

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know that our internet has been down for about a week. All week wanadoo has been telling us it should be working tomorrow. So, if we are slow in responding to e-mails, that is the reason. Hopefully it will be resolved "tomorrow". :) Blessings, Matt

Happenings

2005-09-18T15:36:00.000+02:00

We have had a very fulfilling end of summer living here in Santiago. We have had prospective new IT international workers come and visit our team. We have two new interns that will be spending about 5 and 1/2 weeks with us. Our new teammates the Baileys are settling into their new apartment here and life in SdC. Jacob Bailey has been taking an intensive Spanish course which bringing back a flood of memories to me of arriving in SdC 4 and 1/2 years ago and trying to comprehend and communicate with those around me. When I called him the other day his words came out in a mix of Spanish and English. I remember learning Spanish making it hard for me to spell in English (not that I was a great speller to begin with). Abigail has started back to her preschool and her Spanish is returning rapidly. Isa is talking like crazy (in English). It this age when Abigail was quiet it meant that she was getting into something that she shouldn't. When Isa is being quiet it most often means we find her in a bed or on a chair reading a book (she must get that from Lori). I have been taking photos around the city some of which will be serving as inspiration for upcoming projects in Art Club and I continue working on some music. Yesterday I went to a conference on evangelism at a church in A Coruna. It was so good being with other Christians and learning about some of the things God is doing in the Church in Galicia. Please continue praying for the church in Galicia. Pray that God will bless our relationships with Christian leaders who are already here and that he will raise up new leaders out of this generation.

Castro de Barona

2005-08-28T18:39:00.000+02:00

Yesterday we drove the girls through the mist and fog of a typical drizzly Galician day. We made our way to the coast to this ancient Castro. It is on a tiny peninsula with jagged rocks on each side. It was discovered in 1933 but had been used by the ancient inhabitants of Spain. In the 1st century a.d. it appears that the Romans had inhabited it. In the rain and drizzle and crashing waves Lori asked, "Who would ever want to live in the cold dark wet place?" I said that it would be a good excuse to drink more cafe con leche.

Summer News

2005-07-30T18:54:00.000+02:00

Summer Interns We got back from the states a few weeks and as soon as we touched down in Spain we hit the ground running. First, we got to meet our summer interns who are here helping us in the cafe and in the ministry in general. We have been having a blast getting to know them and see them challenged in what it means to minister cross-culturally. Honeymoon in Spain We were privileged to have two different sets of honeymooners come and visit us in the last two weeks. Lori's cousin Matt Smith and his wife Kay passed through SdC on a tour of Spain and Portugal and we all had a blast hanging out and seeing the sights of SdC. This week Matt's college roommate Peter Marshall Came with his wife Stacy. It was awesome catching up on old times and telling college stories. New Cafe Adventures Also a good friend of ours, Belle, came through with a group of four friends. The are thinking of starting a cafe similar to TN either in Europe or in the USA. The have been cafe hopping around Europe to get ideas for their cafe and learn from the mistakes of others. New Teammates This Thursday our new teammates arrived in SdC. Jacob and Tanya Bailey and their two children Caleb and Hannah. The girls are having a blast with their new friends as they are staying at our house while they search for a new apartment. We are excited to have them here with us and pray God's blessings on their life and ministry here in SdC,

The Swains

2005-07-13T13:32:00.000+02:00

To see photos from our trip go here.

Back In Spain

2005-07-13T12:50:00.000+02:00

We are now back in Spain and still trying to get over the jet lag. Our flights all went well. Eventhough we flew through London the day after the attacks there we did not encounter any problems. There is a six hour difference between Spain and Ohio. So we want to sleep and eat at all the wrong times. We had a wonderful visit with friends and family while we were in the States. We came home to meet the 6 American interns who are here helping us out for a few weeks. We also got to met the Striblings new baby boy William Samuel Stribling.

Trip to USA

2005-05-23T13:10:00.000+02:00

We just wanted to let you know that we will be leaving SdC and traveling to the USA this weekend. Please pray for our travels. With a one and three year old it can be a long and exhausting trip, so please pray that God gives us strength and that it is overall uneventful. Lori's brother Eric is getting married and so we will be home most of the month of June. If you need to get in touch with us, we will be staying with Lori's mom in Lancaster, I will also be checking my e-mail frequently.

Ode to STARWARS

2005-05-20T11:59:00.000+02:00

After 28 years the saga of my generation is complete (unless someone picks up chapters VII, VIII, IX). We'll see. In the meantime I made this to celebrate.

SdC Happenings

2005-04-23T10:21:00.000+02:00

Jehovahjireh- The Lord provides We just wanted to share that we have 9 of the 12 new pledges we need this year. We want to say a special thank you to those of you who have pledged for the first time. We are constantly reminded of our faithful God. To read more, visit our support page. New Art Exhibit We just hung some new pictures at the café for a new exhibit. If you would like to see the exhibit, you can see it here. To see past exhibits, go here. Travel Book Two nights ago Troy, Scott, Brian and I were sitting in a café having our weekly team/café meeting. Troy looked out the window and said, "Hey, that's Rick Steves from the PBS travel show." Scott and I concurred, and Brian ran outside to give him a card from the Terra Nova. He told Brian that he had heard of the café and wanted to find us before he left SdC. The next day while I was working he came in and had a coffee. We talked about Santiago and various sights he had seen. Before he took off he asked if it would be OK to put Terra Nova in his new travel book. I said, "That would be great." Interns Wanted Are you interested in a cross-cultural ministry experience? We are looking for people interested in spend 1-3 months with us this fall and winter. If you have questions e-mail me at matt.swain@iteams.org Spain and Culture Following are some articles that talk about a new law that paves the way for homosexual marriage and adoption rights in Spain. To read more go here, here or here.

2005-04-17T19:04:00.000+02:00

Spain from a satellite photo.

Life in General!

2005-04-14T17:52:00.001+02:00

Café Life! We just celebrated our one year anniversary of the café opening on April 5th. It is amazing to me how much has changed in one year within the café. Last year at this time we were struggling to make some of the most basic Spanish coffees and now we are able to whip them up with an almost mechanical fluidity. When someone orders something like a "descafinado de maquina con leche doble largo de café con dos azucarillos"(double shot decaf espresso with milk and two sugars) we can almost have it made before they finish ordering. We have also made a ton of new friends from visiting interns, employees, local workers and students. There is always a buzz of life in the café and a sense of community. It is also often full of young people with laptops as they check their e-mail and international students are often heard talking in their native tongue with friends and family around the world over a free internet phone service.

Coffee Talk "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." 1 Peter 3:15 If God is good why does he allow tsunamis to happen or natural disasters in general? Why would God create a world with pain, and suffering, and things like cancer? The Old Testament is full of so many bizarre laws and stories. How are you supposed to know what is relevant for today? Why did God make the Israelites sacrifice lambs and bulls? That seems pretty weird. Why does it matter if you pray if God already knows everything already anyway? I am a pretty good person so why is it that God and Christians are so concerned with sin? These are just some of the topics a friend of mine brought up when we were out to coffee the other day. I really appreciated his questions and we had a great discussion. I think these questions are great not just for my friend who is looking for God, but they really remind me of the beautiful God that we serve as I step back and see the big picture of Christianity. It helps me understand my own faith better as I articulate my beliefs and translate them into words and ideas that my friend can understand. Lori and I would like to ask you to pray for this friend of ours as he is seeking God (and God is seeking him). Also, please pray that God would provide more conversations like this for both us and for you as well. We are his witnesses! If we claim to be a Christian we are called to make disciples no matter where we live in the world and no matter what our occupation.

Family Life Lori and I have been working through a ProTools manual in our free time. ProTools is a home recording gadget that I got for Christmas. It has hardware and software that allows you to set up a virtual recording studio in your house. Lori is technologically savvy and has the discipline to go through the manual chapter by chapter (Something that I find amazing about her. I just keep clicking away at the computer until something works or I get frustrated) . I enjoy seeing all of the pretty colors come up on the computer screen when I play my guitar. Well, hopefully in a few months we will have some music to go with my songs. The girls are doing well and Lori has been keeping a blog about them here.

Spain Life One major cultural difference that we have noticed living in Spain is the age that people move out of their parents' house. In the States most of my friends were itching to get out of the house by late high school and parents, while loving their children, wanted to see them become independent and responsible adults. In Spain, most young people I meet have no real plans to leave home and don't really think about it until they begin to approach thirty. Some just never move out. To them we are weird. To us they are weird. Well, for "young" ( 25-34 year olds) Spaniards who want to leave home sooner a big reason that they stay at home is simply because it is hard to find work. Some new options may be available for the adventurous "young" Spaniards in the near future.

Tech Life I use the internet service Gmail which is powered by Google. They just increased the amount of Space that they give their users to over two Gigs (and counting). The idea is that you never have to delete an e-mail unless you really want to. It is passed out by invitation only, so if you are interested in setting up an account e-mail me and I will invite you (until I run out of invitations). Contact me at my permanent e-mail address: matt.swain@iteams.org

Back in Spain!

2005-03-13T21:50:00.000+01:00

After 4 days, ten airplanes, and countless hours spent roaming terminal K in the Chicago O'Hare airport I am now back with Lori and the girls in Spain. Had a blast during my time in the states, it was very refreshing to catch up with so many friends and get to share what we see happening here in Spain. The hardest part of my trip was being away from the girls. When I got home we spent the weekend picnicking and enjoying a lot of time together. Lori and I feel so blessed when we think about the awesome friends that God has blessed us with all across the USA. Thank you so much for your prayers during my trip and for the ministry here in SdC!

Prayer Request

2005-02-27T10:06:00.000+01:00

Matt will be traveling around the states from February 28 to March 9 visiting friends. Please pray for safety in his travels and pray for Lori as she will be at home with the girls by herself during those ten days. We are so thankful for your prayers! Sincerely, Matt and Lori

February Update

2005-02-22T11:35:00.000+01:00

Great News! As you probably already know, this year Lori and I need to raise $800 for our monthly support to make up for the exchange between the dollar and the Euro. We are happy to say that we have already received two pledges of the twelve that we need to get us to our goal. We have received one new pledge for $100 a month and one new pledge for $50 a month. We want to thank you for praying with us! Art Club I have really been enjoying art club. We have been picking different themes each month and it has been a great time to get to know some other artists and students. I really love how the art work is coming out and look forward to our upcoming projects and themes. I have published several online galleries so that you can see a little of what we have been up to. You can go here or here. Family Life Lori has been keeping a blog of what the girls are up to. I have so much fun reading it and seeing the fun and interesting things that she has captured in print. Check it out here.

Happy Brithday

2005-02-13T11:40:00.000+01:00

Guess who turned 1 on February 11. To see photos of Isa's party visit our family album.

T.N. T-Shirts

2005-02-13T10:53:00.000+01:00

T-shirts with the cafe design are now available. If you are interested visit the TN Gear page. Proceeds go to the cafe.

The Body of Christ

2005-01-28T09:19:00.000+01:00

New Life A few weeks ago we visited a new church in a city an hour north of us. The Pastor has stopped into the cafe on several occasions and invited us to visit. The church is located on the edge of A Coruña, in a converted warehouse. The had a full band and overall a nice contemporary service, but that is not what impressed me even though it was stylistically lightyears beyond anything else I have seen here. What really impressed me was something that I have not witnessed in the other evangelical churches that I have visited in Spain. They had a time of prayer at the beginning of the service where they prayed for other churches in A Coruña and Galicia. They prayed that God would facilitate new churches being started in Santiago dC and various other cities through out the region. They prayed for the Catholic church as well and especially for a nearby priest who is starting an Alpha course at his church. This outward focus was very different from the typically introverted churches that I have experienced. I praise God for New Life and the way in which they are seeking to live up to their name and for the example they are. Ecumenical Mass I was invited to an Ecumenical Mass this week. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. First, I am very excited that the Catholic church is reaching out to evangelicals, in a land where Roman Catholics often view Evangelical churches s as cults. Evangelicals also remember being oppressed by a dictatorship in which the R.C. church was too closely aligned to the power and money of the government. Anytime I see people from either group break down the walls of division that have been built up over the centuries I am very encouraged. I say I have mixed feelings because while it was an ecumenical mass, I was one of only three evangelicals there. I don´t know if that's because evangelicals were not invited or because they did not want to come. So, it was great that the R. Catholic Church is reaching out, but I think there is way more potential for true followers of Christ to worship and work together for the Kingdom. I still left being overall encouraged and praising God at the first bloom I see in the winter of animosity. Pray for the Church Please remember to pray for the church in Santiago dC and in Spain in both your personal and corporate prayer times. While 98% percent of Spaniards would claim Roman Catholicism, the vast majority are not practicing Catholics. Last year in the Spanish Newspaper "El Pais" it said that the average age of practicing Catholics in Spain is 65 years old. Just this week I read the following article "Spanish Youth Survey shows 50% decrease in believers over 4 years". Business as Mission The following is an excerpt from Wheaton College's alumni magazine explaining the important role of business as mission. It caught my eye because it is a great example of Christians living their life as ministry, especially in the business world. It also gives some insight into the philosophy behind a cafe business as a place of ministry. To read more, it is on page 16 in the online Wheaton Alumni Magazine. "Business is the most underutilized institution in society in promoting Christian values of justice, stewardship, human dignity, and peace," says Dr. Norm Ewert, associate professor of business/ economics, and the facilitator of the business-as-mission work group on campus. The work group exists to identify ways in which Christians in business may holistically serve peoples needs in a way that demonstrates the reality of God. Dr. Ewert explains, "Pastors and missionaries preach on Sundays, but they don't have regular contact with great numbers of people. Businessmen and women, on the other hand, deal with customers and employees on a daily basis..."