Matt and I decided it was time again to treat ourselves to the South Beach Diet. We did this diet about 5 years ago and both of lost some extra poundage. We kept it off for a long time but over the past few years we slowly began to put weight back on. Even though we are more physically active now that we live in Europe and have no car we have found that traveling frequently and partaking in international culinary delights is not conducive to staying thin. Unfortunately neither is my cooking or baking as I am a serious foodie! 
Father Damien was a priest who became famous for his willingness to serve lepers. He moved to Kalawao – a village on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii, that had been quarantined to serve as a leper colony. For 16 years, he lived in their midst. He learned to speak their language. He bandaged their wounds, embraced the bodies no one else would touch, preached to hearts that would otherwise have been left alone. He organized schools, bands, and choirs. He built homes so that the lepers could have shelter. He built 2,000 coffins by hand so that, when they died, they could be buried with dignity. Slowly, it was said, Kalawao became a place to live rather than a place to die, for Father Damien offered hope.
Father Damien was not careful about keeping his distance. He did nothing to separate himself from his people. He dipped his fingers in the poi bowl along with the patients. He shared his pipe. He did not always wash his hands after bandaging open sores. He got close. For this, the people loved him.
Then one day he stood up and began his sermon with two words: “We lepers….”
Now he wasn’t just helping them. Now he was one of them. From this day forward, he wasn’t just on their island; he was in their skin. First he had chosen to live as they lived; now he would die as they died. Now they were in it together.One day God came to Earth and began his message: “We lepers….” Now he wasn’t just helping us. Now he was one of us. Now he was in our skin. Now we were in it together.
But the most amazing thing about Colossians 1:24 is how Paul fills up Christ's afflictions. He says that it is his own sufferings that fill up Christ's afflictions. "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,and in my flash I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions." That means then, that Paul exhibits the sufferings of Christ by suffering himself by those he is trying to win. In his sufferings they see Christ's sufferings.
Martin Luther is easily my favorite historical figure. I read Roland Bainton's most excellent book on Luther, "Here I Stand," shortly after moving to Europe and fell in love with him. My favorite part of the book was the chapter on Luther's marriage to the ex-nun Katarina Von Bora who Luther helped to escape from a convent by smuggling her and a dozen or so other nuns out in beer barrels. Only Luther! Anyway, I found cheap flights to Berlin recently and realized that Wittenberg was just a short train ride away so Matt and I went for one night. Wittenberg is a cute and cozy little medieval town full of Luther. We stayed in a hotel directly across the street from the Castle Church where Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door in 1517. Luther also preached here and is buried here. We also visit the Stadt Church where Luther preached his famous Lectern sermons and where he and Katarina got married. The University of Wittenberg where Luther was a professor is just on the way to the Lutherhaus Museum. The Lutherhaus was an Augustinian monastery where Luther lived with Katarina. They also housed students here and this is where the famous table talks took place after dinner in Luther's living room. All these places were very neat to see but my favorite part was just being in the town, walking down the main drag and thinking to myself this is where Luther walked, lived, preached, drank beer, and fought for the truth. This little town is where God chose to light the fire of the Reformation. Amazing.
I came across this book just before I went to Egypt and Jordan this fall. I had hoped to finish it before my trip but only got about 1/3 of the way through it before I went. Finishing up the two thirds that was left after my trip proved to be better I think. The book and the author are very liberal but having just come from most of the places the author visits in this book made the book a very enjoyable read for me. I guess I was able to chew the meat while spitting out the bones more easily because I was still on a high from my trip. I enjoy reading travel literature- particularly from Israel and the middle east. This is the first book I have read on this subject from the perspective of a Jewish man and I found it very interesting in spite of the fact that he is so liberal when it comes to the veracity of the Bible (as are all the scholars and people he interviews along the way). I was excited for a while as his faith seems to be growing as you go through the book. However, by the end he is just as unbelieving as he was to begin with (though he doesn't see it this way) and so this was very disappointing. Another sad thing is the amount of people he talks to throughout his trip who seem to believe that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all worship the same God. This is in no way, shape, or form true in the least bit. Anyway, this being said there are some very insightful and interesting passages and experiences in the book. If you long to visit the lands of the Bible but cannot this is a good book to check out. If you are interested in what people in the middle east are like and how they view the bible this is a good book to check out. If you are interested in biblical archaeology and history you'll find a lot to chew on in this book- you'll just have to read it with discernment and with a healthy grain of salt! 
