Geneva Day 9

Today we all went to Annecy with David and Leila. It was great to see them again. We parked at the Hotel de Ville car park and walked through the old town, eventually descending on our restaurant - La Coupole.

La Coupole

It was a nice restaurant but the waiters were in a bit too much of a hurry. Also the duck (Becky and Mum) was under-cooked.

Windows in Annecy

We then went back to David and Leila's to watch football and chat. Becky went home to sleep and Andrew came back to pick us up.

Andrew & Becky in Annecy

Geneva Day 8

I took an early morning walk around Challex on this beautiful sunny day. There were no people around and the village had a deserted feel about it.

To make the most of the sunny day we then drove to Mt. Saleve - a mountain range south of Lake Geneva with spectacular views of Geneva, the lake and the Alps. Sadly the cable car was closed and so we simply admired the views from the summit aat 1097 metres. The toilet was closed and so we asked the man in the refreshment kiosk if he could let us in, which he obligingly did. After taking many photos, we went for a walk a little higher up the summit.

After our time in the mountains we went to Migros shopping mall. Sadly we took a right turn too many and ended up on the highway heading for Chamonix and having to pay a toll. We returned by a non-motorway road and did our shopping. After that we headed back home but again took a wrong turn and ended up on another motorway and having to pay another toll.

Becky stayed at home today to rest.

Geneva Day 7

Challex Church

Arose late - around 9am. Another cloudy start to the day although the sun started to appear around 10am.

Midway through the morning we took a stroll around the village. First stop was the church and this time we went in. It was cold, plain and uninviting. All the pews were in rows with an aisle down the middle. There was the occasional stained-glass window faintly patterned but without any biblical scenes.

Nativity Scene

The one redeeming feature of the church was the nativity scene. Nothing outstanding but well presented.

Also there was a wooden crucifix at the front of the church. This had been decorated with a branch of leaves. I tried to climb up to the balcony but the doors giving access were locked. I wouldn't like to attend this place. There was no atmosphere and it was totally formal and traditional.

Crucifix at the front of the church

Snow-capped Jura mountains

Snow-capped  Jura mountains

After our visit to the church we walked along the road heading out of Challex towards the Swiss border. On the left were the Jura mountains which seemed to be laden with snow more so than in previous days.

Geneva Day 6

This was a difficult day as the weather was poor. It rained all day and was very windy when we drove home. We started the day by sorting out insurance and test driving a VW Polo. Then we drove to Geneva to shop in Manor. We had a drink and a good rest in the café. Then we went to the outskirts of Geneva to look at the Happy Baby shop where we inspected a number of buggies for Kissbaba. Then we drove home in pitch darkness and high wind.

Geneva Day 5 (Boxing Day)

Saint-Cergue

After a late breakfast we fulfilled our desire to walk in the snow by driving to the top of the Jura mountains. We stopped at Saint-Cergue where we went into a cafe for a snack and drink. Then we donned our boots and coats and walked up into the hills. Arriving at the summit we had a stunning view of Lake Geneva although it was mostly cloudy. We then went into a supermarket for provisions and then drove home.

View from the summit

In the evening we drove to Ornex where we had a curry in one of our favourite Curry restaurants - Rajpoute. It was an excellent (but not cheap) meal with excellent service. It was nearly empty when we arrived at 7:30pm but was packed out when we left.

Map Saint-Cergue - click to enlarge

Geneva Day 4 (Christmas Day)

Just outside of Challex
in between Switzerland and France

Today is Christmas Day. After breakfast we opened presents. Andrew cooked lunch single-handed. We Went for a short walk after lunch along the road into the country. We arrived at the boundary between France and Switzerland. It was a cloudy afternoon but not cold. We looked at the snow-capped mountains and dreamed of a walk in the snow. We had more pumpkin soup and then skyped Esther and the crew in Nottingham.

Before bed we watched 'The Iron Lady' DVD starring Meryl Streep.

Andrew & Becky's VW Sharan

Geneva Day 3

Challex Church

Andrew is working this morning and so we look a stroll around the village of Challex (not that there is much to see apart from a closed auberge and a bakery).

We then caught the bus at 12.30 to La Plaine where we transferred to the waiting train. It was an excellent ride into Geneva, stopping off a couple of times on the way. It cost 3.5 euros each.

The bus from Challex to La Plaine

We were eventually joined by Andrew and we went to The Coop shopping complex where we had a snack and drink. We drove back to Challex by the scenic route and played Mandarin which Margaret won (quite by chance). We opened one present each before bed.

Map of La Plaine (see Challex to the west) - click to enlarge

Geneva Day 2

Gruyere Cheese Factory

Woke around 8:15 and slowly prepared ourselves for breakfast. The view from the bedroom was of the Jura snow-capped mountains. Breakfast was at Andrew and Becky's which was much warmer than our place.

We are staying in the landlord's house next door. It is a sprawling house on two floors. The heating system leaves a lot to be desired. Either the heating is on or the hot water, never both. To adjust the controls you have to reach into a room with water beneath the boiler.

Montreux at sunset

After breakfast we all piled into the Sharan and drove to Gruyere where the famous cheese is made. We started off in the restaurant for soup and a drink. Then we went around the factory to see cheese being made but sadly we were too late so missed the action. The scenery was splendid with snow-capped mountains all around.

Montreux Christmas Market

On leaving Gruyere we drove to Montreux for the Christmas Market. The traffic was intense but we eventually parked under the casino. We strolled around the market and rested for a drink of gluhwein followed by a crepe. We then drove back to Challex in the dark. For evening meal we had pumpkin soup and pizza. I uploaded my photos and videos and then we went to bed at 11pm.

Map of Gruyere and Montreux - click to enlarge

Off to Geneva

We drove down to Luton airport in torrential rain and some flooding on the side roads on the approach to Airparks. As always, the Airparks drop off was trouble-free. Arrived at Luton Airport in plenty of time and sat in the eating area killing time.

We boarded the plane on time and took off in the rain. On arrival at Geneva it was also rainy. Andrew and Becky picked us up in the new Sharan. A half hour drive to Challex where we settled ourselves into the house next door to Andrew and Becky which is owned by their landlord. Fortunately he has gone away to New Zealand for a few weeks so we have the house to ourselves. It is a spacious house on two floors with long corridors and wood floors.

Map of Challex - click to enlarge

Christmas Letter 2012 – Margaret and Roger Johnson

Andrew & Becky are married in Budapest

As years go this has been eventful to say the least. Andrew, after meeting Becky, the girl of his dreams, proposed to her in February on the anniversary of their first meeting. It happened on top of a mountain overlooking Lake Como on a very snowy weekend – how romantic is that! She said ‘yes’ of course and so from then on all the talk was about the forthcoming wedding which took place at the Hilton in Budapest, Becky’s home town, on September 8th, Margaret’s birthday. It was a wonderful day with Roger taking part in both the wedding ceremony and the reception afterwards. Both talks were translated into Hungarian and spoken interleaved in the two languages. Guests came from many parts of Europe and beyond including family and friends from the UK. After the wedding we enjoyed several days in Budapest meeting Becky’s family and sight-seeing. After their honeymoon in Lanzarote they moved into a new house just outside Geneva in a small village named Challex. Andrew continues to work at the UN and Becky is also trying to get on their books after she completes her PhD.

The two of us took a short breather in May after Roger’s small operation and we tasted the delights of Menorca for the first time. It was a beautiful island and we were blessed with good weather, much relaxation, a chocolate fountain in the restaurant most days and a teenzy bit of Sangria.

At Castle Godolo

Esther continues her work at Range Master in Long Eaton, cycling to work along the river whenever she can. She completed the 50 mile Greater Nottingham Bike Ride this year (Dad sat this one out). Esther also continues to pursue her interest in crafts and has also become a Phoenix trader (greeting cards).

Margaret continues to work at the Cheshire Home as Activities Organiser inspite of changes of staff which have made life harder for her. She enables the residents to get out and about on trips and events. She has no plans to retire. Church commitments are high on her agenda with the on-going Alpha Course (around 27 so far) and she helps lead her Cell Group. We both play badminton on a Monday night and Margaret enjoys her body conditioning and Zumba classes.

For Roger this has been a taxing year on both fronts. He had to restructure his web design business and re-focus on new markets. Church work has been unexpectedly challenging and the two together have meant long hours with too little time for relaxation.  He sometimes wishes life would return to ‘normal’ but it seems that these days, ‘normal’ has been redefined with a constant stream of emails demanding instant attention and an ever-increasing backlog.

However, in spite of this we enjoyed a belated Anniversary weekend in Whitby in November. For the first time ever we tasted the delights of the Magpie Fish and Chip restaurant – excellent!

On a sad note, Roger’s Mum died peacefully in hospital in September. We had just returned from Andrew and Becky’s wedding when she was taken into hospital on a couple of occasions but they never got to the root cause of the problem and in the end she suffered from a pulmonary embolism. The funeral took place in October on a bright sunny day at Wilford Hill. We paid tribute to The Oaks, the care home where she spent the last months of her life and who treated her brilliantly.

On a final up-beat note, we are looking forward to spending Christmas in Geneva with Andrew and Becky and making preparations for our initiation into ‘Grandparenthood’ at the end of January. We look forward to a new phase in our lives as ‘oldies’.

We wish you all every blessing for Christmas and the New Year.

Bulletin 259 – Christmas Journeys

It must have been a long, tiring, and for Mary, anxious journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census. No cars, trains or buses to ease the journey. No Holiday Inns or Premier Inns for cheap accommodation as a stop-over en-route. Just a hard slog to an unknown town, all for the sake of a census. Just think how much lost earnings Joseph would have suffered while being away. Just think how many misgivings he would have clung to about his pregnant bride-to-be.

From a distant eastern land, a group of star-gazers journeyed westwards, inspired by the appearance of an astrological phenomenon which suggested a new king was to be born. Stopping off in Jerusalem seeking clearer guidance as to the exact location of the birthplace, they met a neurotic Herod who summoned his advisers and sent the star-gazers away to Bethlehem – the birthplace of King David and the expected birthplace of the Messiah. Imagine the anxiety in Herod’s heart at the threat of a successor to the throne he currently occupied.

After welcoming the star-gazers and receiving their amazing gifts, Joseph is warned in a dream to escape to Egypt – away from a child-slaughtering Herod who was enraged by the trickery of the star-gazers. Another long journey to another unknown destination for Mary, Joseph and the young Christ-child.

Journeys are an essential part of life. Some people journey more than others and see more of the world. But life is never static – neither is our faith journey. I wonder how many adults will approach this Christmas with the childhood faith and naivety of their earlier years. I wonder how many of them have failed to journey onwards in their faith. I wonder how many of them have failed to recognise that for faith to be real, it too has to journey onwards – beyond our childhood naivety to the realities of a harsh, violent and often tragic world. Childhood faith will not sustain people as they grow older unless they mature spiritually as well as physically and mentally.

Today we look upon faith more as a journey than a one-off encounter with God. Without decrying the importance of our encounters with God through his Spirit, to simply look back at an experience that happened many years ago will soon reduce faith to a distant and fading memory rather than an everyday, living reality. Our testimony will simply be a history lesson rather than a dynamic retelling of what God means to us today.

Journeying in our faith extends our faith. The journey which Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem opened their eyes to the reality of adult life and parenthood in a hostile world. And yet we are told that Mary remained faithful and obedient to God. The journey from the East in search of the new-born King will have opened the eyes of the star-gazers to the tyranny of Herod and the prospect of a new kingdom-rule promised centuries before in the Hebrew scriptures and glimpsed in the baby in the manger. The journey of Mary, Joseph and the Christ-child to Egypt will have opened their eyes to the harsh reality of being refugees in a foreign land.

And yet – God was in all of this, working out his plan for the salvation of the world. Has your faith journey moved you beyond your childhood experience of Christmas into a mature, dynamic, everyday faith which equips you for the challenges of everyday life in the 21^st century in a country full of disillusioned people, struggling leaders, addiction, materialism, hedonism and threats of war across the globe? For Christians to be a relevant force in society, we need to outgrow our childhood faith and develop maturity in a world that is increasingly godless and desperately searching for answers to the big questions. These answers can be found in and through the Christ-child.

For many of us, Christmas will be a time of happiness, family, gifts and relaxation. For others it will be a trip to a drop-in centre, hostel or foodbank in order to access the essentials for survival. Let’s not forget that Jesus, in his early years, knew what it was to be homeless, friendless and a refugee in a foreign land. When we see such people this Christmas, let’s not forget that we are looking at people who walk in the steps of the Messiah – looking for somewhere that they can call home.

May the real meaning of Christmas delight and sustain you, preparing you with joy for the year to come and all it may bring.

Bulletin 258 – The Power of the Unspoken Word

We live in turbulent times as few would deny. Rainfall is causing havoc in many parts of Britain. Fields are flooded, train services disrupted, houses in Whitby are having to be demolished brick by brick because of a landslip caused by heavy rain. Economic unrest is still unsettling the people of Europe with unthinkably large debts having to be repaid in countries like Greece, Spain and even here in Britain with an ever-growing crescendo of opposition to austerity measures. And yet while all this goes on, people across the globe are rushing to the internet or retail stores to purchase the latest highly-priced tablet computers which are avalanching onto the scene week by week in a desperate effort to outdo their rivals. Has the world gone mad?

The Power of the Written Word

Lord Justice Leveson has now released his report on press standards which was actioned as a response to quite appalling and illegal intrusion by the media into the private lives of grieving individuals. This highlights just how powerful the written word has become. Not only is it powerful in destroying the lives of those who, through no fault of their own, fell victim to these crimes but it also shows how insensitive the general public can be by continuing to buy discredited newspapers in the hope of reading even more extreme stories.  And then the Prime Minister promises to implement the Leveson report unless it is “bonkers”. I suspect that word will haunt him for days to come. Has the world gone mad?

The Power of the Spoken Word

Not a week goes by without some argument breaking out over whether the government’s economic policies are producing fruit. George Osbourne again has to admit that the recovery in Britain will take longer than he expected and Ed Balls continues to protest that the government’s policies are the wrong ones. Which voice do we believe? Are we convinced by the spoken word or have we become cynical about the hollow promises made by politicians. Before we jump to conclusions let us ask ourselves whether the words we speak are genuine and true and whether we, in their position, could do a better job. We have recently seen a faithful remnant of British people voting to elect Police Commissioners. Will the promises made by these newly elected men and women deliver the change and improvement we all crave for? Has the world gone mad?

The Power of the Unspoken Word

I was recently privileged to act as a group coordinator at a gathering in Methodist Church House to discuss the Methodist Church’s approach to evangelism over the next few years. People from all over the country came to share their views and help shape a policy for the future. It was fascinating to hear people being able to express freely their concerns about this emotive subject and how too little focus has been given to this aspect of our calling under God. In a real sense it was a moment of liberation as people were able to articulate what they had found hard to express elsewhere.

But I was heartened by the number of people who said they had been brought up, often under sufferance, to go to church and at their time of liberation (usually when leaving home) stopped attending.  All of them said how, when they returned to church some years later, they were able to reconnect with the things they had learned in their earlier years. It showed how valuable our work with children can be, even though we may see little tangible fruit at the time.

I was also impressed by the way people now recognised that evangelism is not simply about a crisis moment and a sudden decision to follow Christ but is a life-long process of growing into mature disciples, often with many setback on the way. One of the questions posed to the forum was "What will the person who says ‘yes’ to Jesus be expected to become like?” The summation of the responses was “expect the unexpected”. There is no set formula for how people will respond nor how they will turn out. And so this forum at Church House allowed people to articulate their unspoken words – words they would have loved to express earlier but were unable to put into coherent thoughts.

It was in the famous setting of Holy Trinity Brompton, the birthplace of the Alpha Course, that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, gave his final address to a Fresh Expressions forum. No sooner had he stepped on stage to present his address than bit by bit the audience rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation. No word had yet been spoken and yet, in that moving moment, the unspoken words of love and appreciation were gushing towards him for all that he has done, and endured, on behalf of Christians throughout the land.

But the greatest example of the unspoken word is the one we celebrate today at the start of Advent. There was no fanfare, no policy statement, no press release – simply a baby born in humble surroundings with a mission to save the world from its madness. Could it have happened any other way and been more effective? I doubt it. Would it have had more impact on Facebook and Twitter? I doubt it. This was true divinity coming to us in the form of true humanity in order to bridge the gulf that had opened up between a sinful world and its creator. It came to us in the form of God’s Unspoken Word.

As Christmas approaches, a large segment of the world’s population will be waiting in eager anticipation of the festivities. For many it will be with their minds set upon the gifts they will give and receive. For some it will have the added value of celebrating the gift of God’s Unspoken Word, made flesh among us. For others it will mean precious little and they will go on buying their newspapers, checking the stock markets and living for today with little hope for tomorrow and no belief in the life to come. Has the world gone mad?

Bulletin 247 – Coming to yourself

I was recently invited to lead a healing and wholeness service and was tempted to take the traditional line and use one of the many healing miracles in the Bible as the primary text for the sermon. However, for reasons which did not seem sensible at the time, I was being urged to go back down a well-trodden path and focus on the parable of the Prodigal Son. The phrase which kept coming to mind was in Luke 15 v17 which is translated in the King James Version as ‘when he came to himself…’.

The story of the Prodigal Son is well known and focuses on three main characters – the father who despairs at the rebellious and ungrateful nature of his younger son yet longs for his return, the elder brother who is strong on loyalty and hard work but incapable of recognising the virtue of forgiveness. And then there’s the younger son who does everything wrong, ends up in despair over his actions and then, when at rock bottom, ‘comes to himself’.

Now what’s this got to do with healing and wholeness? Well that was my question until I looked a little more closely at it. Too often Christians have associated healing purely with our physical selves. It’s not surprising when you read the healing miracles of Jesus as they invariably focus on a person’s physical make up. However a closer study shows that Jesus was not simply interested in a person’s physical well-being but in wholeness – the well-being of the whole person. Another understandable mistake is to think that healing is an event rather than a process.

It soon became clear to me that God was urging me to focus on wholeness. The notion of ‘coming to ourselves’ is the beginning of the healing process. I detected two aspects to this verse in Luke 15.

1. False gods – the first mistake that the younger son made was to put his trust in false gods. Typical of our 21^st century hedonistic society, the temptation is to assume that happiness comes through wealth and pleasure. How illusory this notion is and we only have to look around at the faces of people in the streets to find them riddled with tension and frustration.
   
   
2. Modelling ourselves on others – we are all in danger of looking with envy at other people and wishing that we could have what they have. What we don’t see is what other people face on the inside and how they, like us, struggle with the person they are.

Verse 17 depicts a turning point in the young man’s life. To his credit, he acknowledged his mistakes and determined to do something about it. So often we fail to resolve our problems by assuming that this is our lot and we should grin and bear it. That’s not God’s view.

Words like ‘sin’ and ‘repent’ are not popular today but that’s precisely what happened here. He recognised his mistakes (sin) and determined to turn his life around (repent). Nothing could be more positive. Failure to respond in this way leads to so many illnesses of the 21^st century – both physical and emotional. It is in taking responsibility for our own actions and standing up for what we truly believe that we become the real person God created us to be. That’s wholeness!

One thing we can’t be sure of in the parables of Jesus is to what extent they were original to Jesus and how much was borrowed from contemporary wisdom. I suspect that the bulk of this parable was already known to the people of his time. After all, the parable reflects the history of the Israelite people as depicted in the Old Testament – a people who started off in the idyllic setting of the Garden of Eden, then became a rebellious people who spurned the grace of God and worshipped other gods, ended up in exile (pig sty), came to their senses and returned to the true God in repentance (and so the cycle repeated itself). This on-going cycle is summed up in 2 Chronicles 7 v14 ‘…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.‘ Again it’s interesting to note that healing is not just about our physical make-up. If ever our land (nation) needed healing, it’s now.

What seems to be original to Jesus is the appendix – the bit about the elder brother. It seems to be a deliberate ‘poke in the eye’ for those among the Pharisees who, like the elder brother, were strong on personal morality (keeping to the letter of the law) but struggled with the notion that God is a God of ridiculously extravagant grace. Like the labourers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) we have to accept that God’s grace is simply not fair.

But the appendix as I call it highlights the most important truth of all – a truth that many struggle with. It is that we should live constantly believing in the extravagant grace of God who, in spite of who we are, what we have done, or what we may think about ourselves, loves us to bits and wants to transform our lives. In other words, we should not listen to the negative impulses which so often permeate our thinking but hold fast to the picture of the younger son’s homecoming.

After all, the greatest healing agent the world has ever known is - LOVE!