There’s been a lot of snow in Germany and as I drove down to the Odenwald on Wednesday in the Wehrenfennig’s little Opel, I wasn’t sure whether I should try to drive the “quick” route straight south or not. Sometimes the roads through the higher areas can be pretty treacherous. But the “Autobahn” was clear and I decided to go for it. As it turned out, this was a good idea. The alternative through Frankfurt always means traffic and I arrived safe and sound in time for afternoon coffee with Michael and Monika Wolf (Michael is the Geschäftsführer — “Business Manager” — for the OJC; Monika is in the leadership of the castle team.)

Michael & Monika, Dierk, Clark and Doro.
(Conny is on camera; Dierk’s wife, Ursula, and Ite are away.)

Later, in the evening, dinner with our old Lebensgruppe (“life group”) followed. (The OJC community is organized around “life groups”, each with several couples and singles who share the journey together. They aren’t organized by work areas, so it’s sometimes possible to avoid constantly “talking shop” when you meet weekly for a meal, sharing and prayer.) It was a wonderful time of catching up on what has happened in each our lives over the past year and sharing the story of “House Nazareth”.

Breakfast the next morning with Dominik Klenk, the leader of the OJC, was filled with a lot of laughter and warm memories. Dominik’s response to the opportunity we have in “House Nazareth” was an encouragement and challenge at the same time: “If you keep focused on the Center (Jesus), then everything will work together in balance.”

Lord, please help us to keep our focus on You!

Dominik & Clark in the Chapel at Castle Reichenberg

One benefit of having been part of a community for ten years is that there aren’t a lot of romantic illusions about what life together really means. I’ve noticed that sometimes people can get a romantic and “far-away” look when talk turns to living with brothers and sisters in a community committed to “head work, heart work and hand work”. Ultimately, though, when the reality of the daily grind and the self-centeredness of each and every human being becomes clear, this romanticism can turn into deadly disappointment and a resentment that can poison and even kill the real, concrete fellowship itself. This doesn’t just apply to life in a spiritual community; if our idealized image and reality don’t fit together, misplaced romanticism can wreak havoc in any relationship, from marriage to life in a local church.

Please pray that God will keep all of us involved in the “House Nazareth” project from naive romanticism.

As the Narnia film reminds us, we’re all “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve”.

A wonderful New Year’s eve to you and yours! I’ll write again next year!