Really looking forward to downloading some of this year's talks from the Greenbelt Festival.
I noticed that Shane Claiborne was also there this year. I'm currently reading through his book Irresistable Revolution at the moment (in between house hunting and all the other craziness). It's the kind of book that dares you to step out of your comfort zone and live like Jesus in ways that are foreign to the status quo of modern day Christianity. I can't read this book and just say that I liked it or that it was great book without also saying something about how my life needs to change to some degree - lest I be guilty of profound hypocrisy.
If I've captured your curiosity about the book, I dare you to read it.
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30.8.06
Wellcome Immigrants in Dublin
The days continue to be full! Yesterday, we went into the city to get our immigration cards. We were warned that it usually takes 3+ hours of waiting in the immigration office, so we took the train in, reading material in hand. Five minutes after we took our numbers, they were called. Thirty minutes later, we walked out with our immigration cards – officially legal residents of the Republic of Ireland!
It gave us extra time to get out and see some of the city. The night before, we had seen the film Michael Collins with Jon and Stacey (highly recommended for anyone wanting to understand Irish history and culture) and the film starts with the Easter Rising incident at the General Post Office on O’Connell Street. With the film still fresh in our minds, we walked down O’Connell to the GPO, imagining what it was like 90 years ago.
After stopping by for lunch at the Bad Ass Café in the Temple Bar district (always a novelty, but certainly not the best food in Dublin), we headed over to Dublin Castle for a look around. The courtyard of the castle offered a special treat from Duthain Dealbh. They were sand sculptures created around a theme of the five senses. (Click on the picture below to see a bigger version. I'll try to post more pics on Flickr later on.)
Today, we look at a house for a second time to decide if it's the one for us. The more we think about this place, the more excited we get. And this particular estate agent has been great to work with. Stay tuned . . .
It gave us extra time to get out and see some of the city. The night before, we had seen the film Michael Collins with Jon and Stacey (highly recommended for anyone wanting to understand Irish history and culture) and the film starts with the Easter Rising incident at the General Post Office on O’Connell Street. With the film still fresh in our minds, we walked down O’Connell to the GPO, imagining what it was like 90 years ago.
After stopping by for lunch at the Bad Ass Café in the Temple Bar district (always a novelty, but certainly not the best food in Dublin), we headed over to Dublin Castle for a look around. The courtyard of the castle offered a special treat from Duthain Dealbh. They were sand sculptures created around a theme of the five senses. (Click on the picture below to see a bigger version. I'll try to post more pics on Flickr later on.)
Today, we look at a house for a second time to decide if it's the one for us. The more we think about this place, the more excited we get. And this particular estate agent has been great to work with. Stay tuned . . .
28.8.06
Weekend Break
On Saturday, we took a break from the house hunting and drove out to the ruins of an ancient Irish monastery called Clonmacnoise. You can view some pictures of our time here.
Sunday morning, we joined the Covell family (whom we're staying with) at their small church start-up called Ballycullen Community Church. In every church we've visited so far, we've been really blessed by the conversation with Irish Christ-followers who are keen to answer questions about their country and eager to help us get settled into life in Dublin. One book in particular that has come up several times in those conversations (Sunday included) has been The Pope's Children.
Sunday evening, we visited Core, a Church of Ireland congregation in the heart of Dublin. Historically a Protestant church with Anglo-Irish roots, the service we attended on Sunday evening was very creative, sincere, and worshipful. It's another resource that we hope to go back to at some point to get a feel for what God is doing in the country. It'll also be good to discover a Catholic congregation that is alive, vibrant, and active in the community. The perspective will likely be different and will give us a more holistic picture of the spiritual environment in contemporary Irish society.
Today we looked at another house that we really liked. And we may just be able to do work around the furniture issues, since it comes fully furnished. If it still doesn't work out, we've got several other places that we'll take a look at throughout the rest of the week.
Sunday morning, we joined the Covell family (whom we're staying with) at their small church start-up called Ballycullen Community Church. In every church we've visited so far, we've been really blessed by the conversation with Irish Christ-followers who are keen to answer questions about their country and eager to help us get settled into life in Dublin. One book in particular that has come up several times in those conversations (Sunday included) has been The Pope's Children.
Sunday evening, we visited Core, a Church of Ireland congregation in the heart of Dublin. Historically a Protestant church with Anglo-Irish roots, the service we attended on Sunday evening was very creative, sincere, and worshipful. It's another resource that we hope to go back to at some point to get a feel for what God is doing in the country. It'll also be good to discover a Catholic congregation that is alive, vibrant, and active in the community. The perspective will likely be different and will give us a more holistic picture of the spiritual environment in contemporary Irish society.
Today we looked at another house that we really liked. And we may just be able to do work around the furniture issues, since it comes fully furnished. If it still doesn't work out, we've got several other places that we'll take a look at throughout the rest of the week.
24.8.06
Just when you thought Starbucks was overpriced . . .
Kristy and I dropped by the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in our sporty Seat 1.2 rental car today to purchase a mobile phone. On the way out we stopped by the world's most ubiquitous coffee shop. When the barista told me that my total for the tall drip coffee was €2.30, my jaw dropped wide open and I considered reminding her that I'd only asked for ONE. At the current exchange rate, that means I'm paying $2.94 here for something that costs a buck fifty in the States. Yer killing me.
Time to open some more Bewleys.
Time to open some more Bewleys.
23.8.06
Car, Good to Go (house, not so much)
Today, we started out the day at Hertz to hire (“rent” in American English) a car, so it’s been good to feel a little extra freedom to get out on our own. Jon and Stacey Covell have been extremely hospitable and gracious in letting us stay with them while we look for a place of our own. (More on that below.) It’s been fun hanging out with them as well.
We also put a down payment on a car today. It’s a 2004 Opel Astra. Pretty much the same car I had in England, only 2 years newer, black, and a Saloon model (vs. a hatchback). Brought back good memories when I gave it a test drive. We also tried a 2002 Volkswagen Bora (which is a Jetta in the States), but it had some minor body damage and a few other small things on the negative end.
Finding a place to live is proving to be much more difficult. Aside from how expensive rent can be here, very few places are unfurnished and workable with the furniture we have on the way from Colorado. We’re also needing to limit ourselves to places that are within 10-15 minutes walk from the Luas or Dart tram lines into the city centre. So it feels like we’ve got a lot stacked against us, but there have been a few places that have come really close to meeting all the above criteria. And they say that landlords in Dublin will be coming home from their holidays in the next few days and posting their rental properties, so that’s something to be optimistic about.
Getting into a home is particularly significant because it's only when we have a utility bill that proves our address that we can also get such things as a bank account and mobile phones. Of course, it's also nice to have a place to live. =)
I'm also really eager to get into a place where we can start meeting our neighbours and discovering ways we can serve the community around us. One of the houses we looked at today had a single mother still living in it and Kristy and I both had the thought later that she looked like someone who could use some genuine friendship and attention.
21.8.06
First Sunday in Dublin
Had a great day yesterday, meeting lots of people and getting familiar with the areas of Dublin we’re looking in for a home. We started out the morning attending the Trinity Church service in the centre of Dublin. It was a lively modern/contemporary service of about 150+ people and the Trinity Church network is doing some great things in the Dublin area. (Click here to check them out on their website.)
After the service, I had a chance to meet Fergus Ryan (whom I blogged about a few weeks back. He had written a brilliant article on how European Catholicism hijacked Irish Christianity in a struggle for power.) I really hope to be able to connect with Fergus again to learn from him about Irish culture and what God is doing in the Irish church. He’s well-connected and a profound thinker regarding issues facing the Body of Christ. He seemed keen on getting together for lunch or coffee once we’ve had a chance to settle in.
We dropped by the Irish National Gallery for lunch (brilliant food, though a little on the spendy side) and on the way in, I spoke with an artist who was selling his paintings across the street from the gallery. He had some beautiful work leaning up against a park fence and I asked him if he’d had opportunity to show his work in any galleries in Dublin. He told me that it was just too expensive to show his stuff in a gallery and that he seemed to have great success just showing his work on the streets. I shared with him part of my dream of opening up an art house to showcase local artists and linking it to cyberspace and he seemed quite interested. People had experienced trouble finding him since he isn’t really based anywhere and doesn’t have a web site.
After lunch, we drove south out of the town centre and looked at various estate areas along the Luas tram line. In the evening, we dropped by Alan and Sheryl McElwee’s home who work with Christian Associates International and have developed the Serve the City project in Dublin. It was such a blessing to hear stories of what God is doing through their efforts and we’re really looking forward to collaborating with them in the future.
Today, it’s off to have a look at a 2002 Volkswagen Passat and then to view a rental home this evening.
Categories: life, Ireland
After the service, I had a chance to meet Fergus Ryan (whom I blogged about a few weeks back. He had written a brilliant article on how European Catholicism hijacked Irish Christianity in a struggle for power.) I really hope to be able to connect with Fergus again to learn from him about Irish culture and what God is doing in the Irish church. He’s well-connected and a profound thinker regarding issues facing the Body of Christ. He seemed keen on getting together for lunch or coffee once we’ve had a chance to settle in.
We dropped by the Irish National Gallery for lunch (brilliant food, though a little on the spendy side) and on the way in, I spoke with an artist who was selling his paintings across the street from the gallery. He had some beautiful work leaning up against a park fence and I asked him if he’d had opportunity to show his work in any galleries in Dublin. He told me that it was just too expensive to show his stuff in a gallery and that he seemed to have great success just showing his work on the streets. I shared with him part of my dream of opening up an art house to showcase local artists and linking it to cyberspace and he seemed quite interested. People had experienced trouble finding him since he isn’t really based anywhere and doesn’t have a web site.
After lunch, we drove south out of the town centre and looked at various estate areas along the Luas tram line. In the evening, we dropped by Alan and Sheryl McElwee’s home who work with Christian Associates International and have developed the Serve the City project in Dublin. It was such a blessing to hear stories of what God is doing through their efforts and we’re really looking forward to collaborating with them in the future.
Today, it’s off to have a look at a 2002 Volkswagen Passat and then to view a rental home this evening.
Categories: life, Ireland
19.8.06
Back from Hungary
Yesterday we arrived back from the GEM Annual Conference, very ready to get settled in to life in Ireland. (Click here for pics of our time in Hungary and Austria.)
At the conference, it became quite clear that while the leadership and members of the organization have been straining to get onto the same page regarding it's mission and focus, they have clearly not been on the same page regarding it's ecclesiological foundation. In some ways it feels like the same ol' traditional mistake of parachurch organizations - "it's all about evangelism and the local church is merely one way of many ways to do it." This is a problem when many of us in the organization are saying, "It's all about the forming of disciples and the church is the mission." In this way, I think GEM is a microcosm of the issues facing the North American church. Much more on this later. But for now, it's time to find a home in Dublin.
Phil Kingsley (our friend and supervisor here) really wants us to find a place that is close to a train line for easy access into Dublin town centre, but also close enough to the M50 (orbital motorway around Dublin) to have easy access to other colleagues. So we're thinking that Rathfarnham or Dundrum are going to have to be it. We've found several places online in Rathfarnham that are within our budget and have 3 bedrooms.
On the car side of things, I'm just waiting to get some proof of insurance from the UK company that I was using when I lived there. We'll probably try to get a 2 or 3 year old Opel Astra (pretty much the same car I had in England) or a Volkswagen Passat or Jetta. If it takes too long to actually get the proof of insurance from England, we may need to look into renting a car for a few days.
Once we get all of that in order, we're really looking forward to learning Irish culture and even doing some traveling around the island.
At the conference, it became quite clear that while the leadership and members of the organization have been straining to get onto the same page regarding it's mission and focus, they have clearly not been on the same page regarding it's ecclesiological foundation. In some ways it feels like the same ol' traditional mistake of parachurch organizations - "it's all about evangelism and the local church is merely one way of many ways to do it." This is a problem when many of us in the organization are saying, "It's all about the forming of disciples and the church is the mission." In this way, I think GEM is a microcosm of the issues facing the North American church. Much more on this later. But for now, it's time to find a home in Dublin.
Phil Kingsley (our friend and supervisor here) really wants us to find a place that is close to a train line for easy access into Dublin town centre, but also close enough to the M50 (orbital motorway around Dublin) to have easy access to other colleagues. So we're thinking that Rathfarnham or Dundrum are going to have to be it. We've found several places online in Rathfarnham that are within our budget and have 3 bedrooms.
On the car side of things, I'm just waiting to get some proof of insurance from the UK company that I was using when I lived there. We'll probably try to get a 2 or 3 year old Opel Astra (pretty much the same car I had in England) or a Volkswagen Passat or Jetta. If it takes too long to actually get the proof of insurance from England, we may need to look into renting a car for a few days.
Once we get all of that in order, we're really looking forward to learning Irish culture and even doing some traveling around the island.
16.8.06
Report from Hungary
We're having a great time here in Hungary, catching up with some of our colleagues and relaxing a bit before we go back to being homeless in Ireland. =) We realized today that by now, we've actually been in Hungary longer than we've been in Ireland. So while it's been good, we're also looking forward to getting back to Dublin to settle in.
Took a trip into Vienna today, just over an hour from where we are here in Sopron. Here a couple of pics. Plenty more to come. (No, my chin isn't actually in my coffee drink in the first pic.)
Took a trip into Vienna today, just over an hour from where we are here in Sopron. Here a couple of pics. Plenty more to come. (No, my chin isn't actually in my coffee drink in the first pic.)
10.8.06
Safe Arrival in Ireland
Kristy and I landed safely in Dublin yesterday morning. We were able to get some sleep off and on throughout the flight, usually resulting in a sore neck or back. Yesterday was spent working as hard as we could not to nod off so that we could get a good night's sleep and get onto Dublin time. We’re staying at the Taylors’ home in Leixlip and Stacey Covell, who lives right around the corner, has been helping us out with our meals and providing lifts here and there. Today, we’re scheduled to check out 3 or 4 houses and apartments to rent.
We had a great team of about 14 people helping us out with the moving last Friday. Probably too many people for the job. (Click here for pictures.) I went out at about 9am to get coffee and bottled water for our crew of volunteers and when I got back, a painting crew was taping up our front door and garage to paint! I couldn’t believe the timing. When I objected, they just told that they would get it done in 20 minutes, in time for us to start loading up the moving truck, which was supposed to pull up at around 10.30.
When I went inside, Kristy was livid. After calming her down and reassuring her that it would be just fine, we both stopped in our tracks. Was that a semi-truck outside our door?! Sure enough, the painters started pulling down their paperwork from our front door and motioning to us about the moving truck.
When I went outside to meet the truck driver, I said, “You’re early. Really early. We don’t even have our moving crew here yet.” In my mind, I was thinking, “God, do you have any other surprises waiting for us today?!” The driver assured us that we wouldn’t be charged the $75/hour until after the scheduled time (11am-1pm). Fortunately, this meant that as soon as people started showing up, we could start packing things into the truck.
After getting the truck about a quarter full, someone stuck their head in the back of the truck where I was arranging and packing with Aaron and said, “Umm, Brandon? The automatic sprinkler system just went on. And it’s getting the furniture on the driveway all wet.” Kristy promptly pulled a crew together to wipe down the furniture and cover the sprinkler heads. I'm pretty sure that was the last little surprise for the day.
It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to pack up the container and, thankfully, because the driver had it there a little early, we didn’t get charged for the extra time. As we finished, I felt pretty good about how well things were packed. Between Joe King (from the GEM office), my father-in-law, and the truck driver, it seemed like there was plenty of good advice being thrown around about packing to keep things from shifting too much on the open seas.
We'd appreciate your prayers for both finding a place to live here in Dublin, as well as finding people to rent our town home back in Colorado Springs. We're off to Hungary early Saturday morning to the GEM Annual Conference. Pictures to follow!
Categories: life
We had a great team of about 14 people helping us out with the moving last Friday. Probably too many people for the job. (Click here for pictures.) I went out at about 9am to get coffee and bottled water for our crew of volunteers and when I got back, a painting crew was taping up our front door and garage to paint! I couldn’t believe the timing. When I objected, they just told that they would get it done in 20 minutes, in time for us to start loading up the moving truck, which was supposed to pull up at around 10.30.
When I went inside, Kristy was livid. After calming her down and reassuring her that it would be just fine, we both stopped in our tracks. Was that a semi-truck outside our door?! Sure enough, the painters started pulling down their paperwork from our front door and motioning to us about the moving truck.
When I went outside to meet the truck driver, I said, “You’re early. Really early. We don’t even have our moving crew here yet.” In my mind, I was thinking, “God, do you have any other surprises waiting for us today?!” The driver assured us that we wouldn’t be charged the $75/hour until after the scheduled time (11am-1pm). Fortunately, this meant that as soon as people started showing up, we could start packing things into the truck.
After getting the truck about a quarter full, someone stuck their head in the back of the truck where I was arranging and packing with Aaron and said, “Umm, Brandon? The automatic sprinkler system just went on. And it’s getting the furniture on the driveway all wet.” Kristy promptly pulled a crew together to wipe down the furniture and cover the sprinkler heads. I'm pretty sure that was the last little surprise for the day.
It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to pack up the container and, thankfully, because the driver had it there a little early, we didn’t get charged for the extra time. As we finished, I felt pretty good about how well things were packed. Between Joe King (from the GEM office), my father-in-law, and the truck driver, it seemed like there was plenty of good advice being thrown around about packing to keep things from shifting too much on the open seas.
We'd appreciate your prayers for both finding a place to live here in Dublin, as well as finding people to rent our town home back in Colorado Springs. We're off to Hungary early Saturday morning to the GEM Annual Conference. Pictures to follow!
Categories: life
7.8.06
Off to Ireland
The last several days have been full of moving and spending quality time with Kristy's family. On Friday, we got all of our personal belongings shipped off to Dublin (aside from what we've managed to stuff into a few suitcases).
Lots of stories to tell, but unfortunately not a lot of time at the moment. Click here for a few pics of moving day and a going away party the night before with our neighbours and other friends. Tomorrow, we're off from DIA around noon, stopping off in Chicago to hang out with Kristy's best friends, Kristen and Carrie. ETA in Dublin, 08.40 on Wednesday morning.
(Also, quick shout out to my little bro who turns 28 today! Happy Birthday Ty!)
Lots of stories to tell, but unfortunately not a lot of time at the moment. Click here for a few pics of moving day and a going away party the night before with our neighbours and other friends. Tomorrow, we're off from DIA around noon, stopping off in Chicago to hang out with Kristy's best friends, Kristen and Carrie. ETA in Dublin, 08.40 on Wednesday morning.
(Also, quick shout out to my little bro who turns 28 today! Happy Birthday Ty!)