endirect

Run

After six years you would think that I'd be accoustomed to the annual "Courseton". Nope! This year we were under cloudy skies and intermittent rain.

Nevertheless the show went on.

Our son, who is in his last year of primary school, was with the in the first group to start running. 21 minutes! He covered a distance of 4,200 meters. That's 2.6 miles. The best runner in the class ran 5,000 meters or 3.1 miles!

Our youngest started 6 minutes later. She covered 2,400 meters or 1.5 miles. Not too bad.

Way to go you two...

 

What do you get for $100?

Boom, there it all went. Right out of the pump and into the gas tank of our car.

$100 dollars worth.

Generosity

Some of my faithful readers (no I won't make the bad joke about all 3 of them... there really are 4!) will have noticed that I will at time take a poke at American culture... After 16 years overseas, you start to see things differently.

But today I must sing the praises of America. A couple of years ago I heard Andrews Jones (tallskinnykiwi) talking about the fact that every nation has gifts that are unique to their situation which are to be given to the world.

I saw one of America's gifts in action today. Some of our American friends from the ICG once they had learned of a young Tunisian woman living in Grenoble, who had been chased from her home, generously helped her beyond what was expected.

I realize that generosity is found in other parts of the world. A good thing too! I also know that generosity is something that is learned. But there is something unique about American's and their willingness to give. Sylvie and I have seen this demonstrated time and again.

American's know the truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive. May it always be the case.

Fire!

It's that time of the year again. Our son is in his last year of primary school and it was his turn to make something that could be burned. This is all a part of the school's mardi gras celebrations. The timing is always off because they wouldn't do all this on a Tuesday but all the elements are there. The children put on costumes, as well as some adults. This year we had a parade around the neighborhood. Then they burn the bonhomme de carnaval.

I've tried to find some help on the net to explain what it all means. No luck. So this is what I'm thinking. Carnaval is related to lent. Burning the bonhomme is a symbolic way of giving something up. The classes spend weeks getting these things ready and then they are gone in a puff of smoke.

Now, I'm not saying that all this symbolism is clear to the everyone who participates. Most of them just like seeing a good fire! In any case it is great fun.

Learning about leading in France...

I was going to entitle this post, "The King of Grenoble, no more!" but I realized that would be a bit too much. You see for the last two years I've been the president of the Grenoble Pastor's Fellowship. 18 churches are a part of this group and it is very broad, Assembly of God, Full Gospel, Brethren, Baptist and more, under one roof. The great thing about it is that these pastors from very divergent backgrounds are actively seeking how we can work together for the sake of the Gospel.

I was "king" for two years and I'd like to offer some observations on what I saw from my throne... Yes, I use the "king" bit with my tongue firmly in my cheek. But it is pointing to one of the realities of French leadership that really needs to be understood and subverted. When I was elected to the position two-years ago I immediately noticed a change of attitude from the other pastors. Presidents in France are often perceived as being all powerful, which goes back to the whole monarchy leadership model. The problem with kings is we like to cut their heads off... If he is successful we let him keep doing the job and everyone is happy. If he's not then down comes the axe.

How does this work in the groups that I work with? Leaders need to be polyvalent. Stéphane Lauzet, the general secretary of the French Evangelical Alliance, is a great example of this all the best ways. Tireless in his communication, managing a number of projects at a time, mobilizing a large group of volunteers to get the job done are just some of his qualities. The French EA has just one full-time paid worker, that's Stéphane.

In the example of Stéphane's leadership, he measures up to the expectations. But I've seen a number of situations where similar expectations were place on a leader and they could not live up to them. The weakness of the model is that it depends on one person.

I wasn't all that good at being the "king". I tried but I just couldn't do it. Where I had the most trouble was getting things done. Running meetings, or organizing a conference, that I can do. Get a bunch of pastors to rally around an new project, much harder. And it's here that I realized that leadership has a component that is cultural. I just couldn't get certain things done because I'm not French. It will probably get better.

When I'm working in English I'm a different leader than when working in French. One of the great strengths of International Teams is our commitment to co-responsability. We recognize leaders and we expect them to be working in partnership. They aren't "kings".

If I did accomplish something for the Grenoble Pastor's Fellowship, I showed them that the monarchy model of leadership needs to change. Last night as we deliberated choosing a new president, we decided that the job could not be for just one person. We elected a team of three! The "king" is dead and I killed him.

Globalization taking its toll on French wine

One of the things I learned early on in my time in France is that the French labeled their wines by where they came from and not by grape type. You never would hear about Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Times are a changing.

Link: Meanwhile: Tearing at the heart of Bordeaux's vineyards - International Herald Tribune.

French labeling practices are under attack as too complex for all but the most dedicated wine fancier. There are 57 "appellations contrôlées" in the Bordeaux region alone. Recently the traditions have begun to weaken. Producers have agreed to start offering blended wines by grape variety such as merlot or cabernet sauvignon rather than labeling the appellation or chateau. This would simplify the product and align France with international competition.

I find this all a bit disturbing, because by losing the sense of where the wine came from you lose part of its history and why it is the way it is.

The 10 faithful readers of this blog will remember that I like to think about the ways wine and wine growing are metaphors for the church. And in this change for the French wine industry I find an unsettling parallel for the worldwide church.

It could be that one day models for the church in one cultural context will become labels that get stuck on the church in other cultural contexts. And instead of celebrating the diversity of the church we end up standardizing it to some idea that has nothing to do with the reality of what's happening on the ground. The article in the International Herald Tribune ends with this phrase,

Where do we go from here? Berger asks. "Will we see the small producers in France and Italy stand by and watch the 'death of real wine' in favor of beverages lacking all humanity?"

Could the same thing happen with the church?

French embracing evangelical church - World - The Washington Times

Link: French embracing evangelical church.

HT Russ

What separates us...

Our differences and our misunderstandings (between Christians) are due to us not being true to the Gospel.

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my brain both the depth of the phrase and the humility of the person who said it. The sentence was a part of a short speech given by the new Bishop of Grenoble, Father de Kermiel who was named the successor of Father Dufaux two years ago. The transition was completed last Sunday. Father de Kermiel was speaking to a group of leaders from the different Christian confessions in Grenoble who had been invited to an informal reception given to mark the occasion.

I am really far from having that attitude. I don't have much more to say other than to write it again.

Our differences and our misunderstandings (between Christians) are due to us not being true to the Gospel.

Good bye IUT...

That's where I taught English over the last two years. Yes, you're right it'd be pretty hard for students to get in there. The photo was taken during the student strikes...

Institut Universitaire Technologie is the name of the place. Their main program is a two year post high school professional degree that allow students to either enter the work force or continue on to an engineer school. I taught Mechanical and Production Engineers and Electric and Industrial Computer Engineers. I had five classes. That ended up being about 9 hours of teaching a week.

I was doing this because we needed some extra cash. A weak dollar and some unwise choices had got us in a big hole financially. By the end of the summer we will have filled that up. That's really good news and I thank God for how this has all worked out.

So what's on my mind...

There's a sense of finishing something. I cannot say I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. There were times when things went really well and I felt I was helping the students get a better grasp of spoken English. Other times it was me just punching the clock. It was good to get a chance to work among the folks there. I was definitely in a world that was new to me.

With my upcoming radiation treatment (May 16 - 20) I'm glad I got this off my mind. The way things are shaping up it looks like I'll be coming out of the treatment for cancer with a new world before me. And that's what's up. The end leads to a beginning.

I'm sure I'll miss teaching at the IUT. I wouldn't be surprised if the director calls me next September to see if could teach just one class...

For now I'm looking to what going to be new.

Good bye IUT.

Notre Chemin...

Where do ideas begin? I was in Prague nearly 4 years ago, hanging with a bunch of emerging church types. Andrew was the host and some pretty remarkable people were there. Mark Pierson was one of the speakers and he talked about Cityside Baptist Church.

One of things that stuck with me was the idea that exploring how we manage the space where we meet was just as important as what is said. Maybe he didn't say it that way but that's what I remember. I also tucked away the idea of a retelling of the stations of the cross.

Subsequently Brad Dickson, my colleague here in Grenoble, heard about the Stations exhibits at Cityside through a friend of his. We realized it was something that could be done at the Cep. The question was, "When?"

It happened from April 13th to the 16th and went really well. Here's what it looked liked...

We were able to completely transform our building. We borrowed exposition dividers from the town hall that allowed us to create a chemin (walking path) with 8 spaces in the largest room. We also borrowed about 250 square meters of cloth to cover everything. Candles and spot lights provided the lighting. Even in full daylight the interior was somber. Stéphane Andria, a young musician in the church, provided three original ambient tracks, the mood was set...

The first space focused on the Last Supper. Photos of children from the Cep acting out the events of that meal lined the walls. In the center of the room was a table surrounded by paper cut-outs of the disciples and Jesus. The visitor was invited to sit across from Jesus and partake of the bread and wine. Next there was a space that reminded the visitor of the solitude of Jesus and his commitment to do the Father's will.

The feel of the fist two spaces was relaxed and peaceful. It allowed the folks going through the exhibit to slow down.

The next space turned up the intensity.

Matthew Ducret created a short film the mixed images from a film about Jesus, bull fighting and hooligan violence.

The next room was prepared by Sylvie and focused on the mocking and abuse of Jesus.

Then there was a space that drew attention to the humiliation Jesus suffered in being stripped of his clothes. These three works drew the visitor into the story of Christ from the perspective that what he endured continues today.

Mob violence, verbal and physical abuse and humiliation of prisoners happens all the time. Jesus lived through the same things.

The next composition was red hands around the cross which brought attention to the hands that made this world and the fact that they were pierced for us...

Jesus forgiving his executioners was interpreted with pieces of a broken mirror attached to a cross.

The Cep's building has one room without any windows. In this I placed the bathtub we use for baptisms. It was lined with black plastic and I wrote out the angel'ss words, "Why are you looking among the dead for he who is alive?" The tub was filled and candles provided the lighting. Stéphane had composed an appropriately dark and gloomy piece for this room. The result was really good.

The chemin finished in a room that allowed people to reflect on the resurrection. Colorful paper for writing out prayers and a book for sharing thoughts.