Baustelle Berlin Archives

Yesterday’s announcement from Chancellor Merkel that Germany is entering another lock-down for the month of November was, more or less, expected, given the headlines of similar announcements around Europe, but it is discouraging, nonetheless. We … Read More

Fear and anxiety are natural reactions to pestilence, sickness, tragedy, financial loss and other uncertainty. In fact, they may be appropriate reactions. Those who do not acknowledge God have no reason not to panic whenever … Read More

Another rainy dreary day in Berlin, today, and I’m feeling a bit contemplative on what is supposed to be an off-day for me. The fact that we are already well into the third month of … Read More

In our previous post we began looking at the epistle reading for Septuagesima Sunday: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such … Read More

We have entered our annual “liturgical countdown” to celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus. This past Sunday in the church calendar is called Septuagesima, or the Sunday closest to 70 days before Easter. It is the … Read More

A few minutes walk from our apartment is the 120-meter high, man-made Teufelsberg (Devil’s Mountain). This hilltop plateau with views of the city and the surrounding Grunewald (Green Forest) was made from some 75 million … Read More

Sunday before last, we finished our year-long sermon series in Luke/Acts, ending with Luke’s amazing narrative in Acts 27, in which he records his first-hand experience with a storm at sea. It is high drama, … Read More

Thank you for your prayers for Patricia and for me during our time away from Berlin the last two weeks. Our trip included a week of vacation in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to visit friends, who … Read More

This past week, while considering the promise of Jesus to be forever with us, it struck me that the good news of the Christian Faith is simply Jesus. Not the Gospel of Jesus is . … Read More

I sometimes wish that the book of Job simply ended without the epilogue, that last “happy ending” part. (For those of you unfamiliar, go read Job!) I think it tends to raise false hopes that … Read More