Crazy Disciple

Crazy Disciple: The Mission to Paris

Welcome to CrazyDisciple.com!   If this is your first time here, you are definitely going to want to subscribe to my RSS feed.  My name is Scott, l'Apotre Fou or The CrazyDisciple, and this is the 'joint' where I lay it all out, and write about what's going on in this crazy world.  You will see a lot of writing about my time in Paris, the journey, the struggles, the battles, and the victories of trying to share a message of faith, hope and love with an entire country.  You will also find a lot of writing about being a believer in a modern world, and my personal efforts to make an impact.   I can't claim that everything I say on here is right, or even that smart, but I can assure you that it is always coming from a place of authenticity and a desire to find truth in my own journey with God.   I encourage you to come along and enjoy the spectacle...   heck, even participate, comment, and chime in.  Your voice is important here. So, have a look around and come back often!  Comment, read, discuss, and most of all... enjoy!   -Scott

Back to Normal, well sort of

I am certain that by now you are sick of my pictures from Switzerland, or maybe you are tired of hearing about all of my adventures with my friends there...  maybe you are not?   All I know is that I am on a very short break from the adventure.   I am back in Paris now, and I have let the blog sit for a couple of days.   It seems that this was a good time to rest the fingers.  I leave for Germany in just two days to take the next leg of this adventure.   This one however, will probably not have as much scenery.   I will be joining up with the Mosaic crew for a workshop and conference on building a community, church, and organization designed to be a catalyst for changing the world.   I am SO EXCITED for this conference...  SO EXCITED.   I will undoubtedly be twittering a lot, and hopefully spitting out some of my notes here for you to enjoy.  However, in the meantime...   Let me give you this wrap-up to my vacation time in Switzerland. 

In Switzerland, I was not only refreshed, but I also heard from God and found clarity for where I am to be, and what I am to do.   I shared AMAZING time with AMAZING people, talked about what God is doing in all of our lives, and extended prayer requests and dreams of where we want to be in the next year.  I got to  spend some time with Joe, who I think will always feel like an old friend, and also some amazingly life-giving time with her family.  (THANK YOU FAMILLE VITTOZ... you all rock my socks off!)   I also skied, which is COOL... and learned how to ski better from Joelle's Dad.   Man, he is such a teacher and pastor, and an amazing man.  It is such a blessing to get to know people whom feel as genuine and amazing as they do.   The Equey's too...  WOW, what a blessed time that was to share with you all.  THANK YOU.  

In Lausanne I found my way into deep discussions continually with my European family, the McCords.  We shared many meals, and many discussions, but more than any of that... we shared a hike up into the sky for the welcoming of a new year.   We prayed and dreamed, and cast vision together in the midst of a tackling match and a few snowballs from Pastor Mark.   We really connected deeper than ever, or so it felt to me.   Thank you so much for giving me a home in Paris and in Switzerland Mark and Catherine... you are such a blessing in my life.   Thank you!

So now, I get ready to go back to School.   I just had to get a good post up before I left.   There are a billion things to say about that trip, but the most important is that God showed up.   Everything else seems almost a moot point.  Thank you God, thank you so very much.  

A secret place

This was one of the locations visited this morning with Mark and
Catherine... WOW, what a way to welcome in the new year!

The sun comes up on 2009

Happy New Year

Moments in heaven

I am sitting on a terrace at 2200 meters, and this is my view.
Amazing isn't it? Well today has been amazing and also heart-
breaking... I broke my camera this morning. It wasn't a result of a
hard fall while skiing, nor even a soft fall, it happened while
cleaning the camera, safe in my hotel room.

I can surely get it fixed, but to say that it is a heart-breaking
moment is an under statement. To top it off, I have several days
left in Switzerland, and no camera... I had really thought that there
would be some opportunities to shoot some beautiful shots there.

I can't let this ruin my trip, nor be a source of negative self
thoughts, but man I feel wounded right now. It's funny, but it isn't
just the loss of a thing; it is the loss of access to my art, to my
form of expression, it's almost like the loss of access to a part of
myself.

Maybe I am being over dramatic, but from this place... 2200 meters
above the sea, in the amazing Alps, I really miss my camera.

I guess the iPhone will have to do!

Off to the mountains

The train has just started moving, and somehow I have found myself in
the rear-facing seats... That must be why they were so cheap.
Anyway, it's nearly 8am on Sunday morning and I have just departed
Paris. The time seems relevant as it it still dark outside, and I
will soon be blessed with the view of the sun rising over France. That
should be amazing!

It's always interesting to see how things work out, especially when
reality seems so different than the original expectation. I didn't
get to finish this post, and now it's nearly 10am! The sun has fully
engulfed the countryside and just in time to see the rolling hills of
eastern France. We just pulled out of Dijon, where we picked up a lot
of people heading this same direction. That is only significant
because I was sitting in a seat that was not assigned to me (better
view, and facing forward). That seats rightful owner boarded in
Dijon, so now I am back in "my" seat. No worries, I can still see
outside.

The views of the French countryside offer little in terms of
excitement, but there is an air of peace surrounding them. The quaint
little houses and vibrant-green lawns are exactly what you might
envision this part of the world to look like, the only surprise being
that the cold seems to have little impact on the color of the
grass... Crazy.

We're over half way now, and the semi-frozen ponds and creeks seen
through the window seem to reflect a cooling change in climate. I
still have yet to see real snow, but it IS coming.

So anyway, I should send this before I chronical the entire four hour
train ride without saying anything of significance. So much more to
come... It's exciting!

Leaving it all behind

I have been away from the United States now for more than 100 days, and at least 2 major holidays.   In the last few weeks, or maybe even month, I have been feeling some homesickness and just struggles in regard to being where I am at, and doing what I am doing.   In talking on the phone last night with one of my dear friends, the realization of why all this was happening finally hit me.  

Now in the eyes of most everyone (including myself) it was over 100 days ago when I left everything to come to Europe and be a part of this grand plan for a church, a faith, and my God.   The picture of that is almost magical, definitely romantic, and what so many Christians dream of being able to do.   (Admittedly many Christians think it is stupid, and wouldn't go that route with a ten foot pole... but that is another post.)  So physically, and visually, the departure, the letting go of all of that materialism and life happened when I departed the US, and came to France.   What I have just come to realize however, is that the *REAL* withdrawal, the *REAL* abandonment of materialism and "things" is what is happening now.  This is where the real work is done, this is where the *real* change come in to play...  this is the real deal.  It's not enough to walk away from something, I have to purposefully move the importance of that object in my heart to a lower priority, and let God truly take its place.   I wish I could say that was easy, or that I have done it completely over and over again, but moreover what i am realizing, every day is that I haven't done it.   There are still many many things in my life that are in a place of importance that only God should be.   I wonder if this will be an ongoing battle, or if there will truly come a point in my life when I won't have to fight for that balance any more...   I expect that when the battle is over, is when life is over. 

Joyeux Noel

Yes, it's Christmas... And you should be with your friends or family,
not reading a blog! I must tell you I am having a wonderful Christmas
with some wonderful people.. I hope you are too!

More updates and photos to come soon, but until then... Merry
Christmas my friends!

Holiday plans, and holiday wishes

 
I am sitting here after indulging on some rather interesting nachos made of French tortilla chips and Swiss cheese.  They may not be completely authentic, but Pastor Mark brought over some Pace Picante Sauce (Hot) from Switzerland and that seemed to bridge any gap between French "cuisine" and Mexican FOOD.  Man, what a TREAT!!!!!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I am almost surprised at how excited I am for the holidays this year.   All of my friends and family back home have really bent over backwards to bring (or ship) pieces of home to France for quite an amazing holiday.  I must admit, I feel so very deeply loved.  Thank you so SO much!!  So my plans for Christmas begin tomorrow at 5:30 PM, when I jump into a car with François and Geraldine and ride along to the Dinger (pronounced "Dawnjay") house out in the French countryside.   The Dinger's are an amazing family who do so much for the church, they have INCREDIBLE hearts, and always seem to be going above and beyond.   I cannot even begin to tell you how BLESSED I feel to be invited to spend Christmas with them.   I will do my best to blog and update as the festivities commence. 

ANYWAY, the most exciting part for me is that we will all be spending the night out in the French countryside, and waking up together Christmas morning.  I cannot remember the last time that I actually shared the experience of waking up Christmas morning with anyone...  what a joy that will be!!!!  I would love to brag about all the amazing things that will be happening out there, but the truth is that I have NO IDEA of how it all works...   But I can rest-assured that it will be a great time with some amazing people.   I will keep you updated!

After Christmas, I return back to Paris for a couple of days before taking a train over to Switzerland to meet up with the Vittoz family for a little bit of mountain goodness and expected insanity.  I have heard that the snow in Switzerland is AMAZING right now, and apparently I am going to get the opportunity to test that FIRST HAND!!!    Expect a BILLION pictures of blue and white...   Gotta love the alps!  After skiing and spending time with the Vittoz, the plan is to head back into Lausanne for New Years eve and then ultimately back to Paris in time for church on the 4th.   I wont even get my feet rested before jumping back on a train and heading to Germany for the Origins 2009 conference.   It's going to be a busy couple of weeks...   but man, what a ride.  

Christmas for C3Paris

The first annual Christmas dinner for C3Paris was a huge success!  It was an amazing time to share with each other, and the Christmas spirit was in the air!   It was especially nice to have the dinner at a restaurant, so everyone had the opportunity to just enjoy the meal and the fellowship.  We even ran the restaurant out of lamb, and then out of chicken...   we definitely put them through the wringer!   It was fun.

Now we are into the Christmas week, all of the kids in Paris and surrounding areas are out of school on vacation, and families are prepping for Christmas eve in just three days.  I am even heading out to FNAC (a little bit like Best Buy, but all French) with François today at lunch... it will be interesting to see if it is as big of a mess as I know the American stores would be today.  I hope not!

Joyeux Noel, Bonne Fête, and Merry Christmas!

Some old friends

I awakened this morning to two reminders of familiar faces gracing my wall.  This picture is of two Christmas tree ornaments sent to me by the Goolsbays...   While they aren't quite as soft, or as warm as my boys... it still gives a bit of a feeling that they are here with me.  Good stuff... very good stuff.  

It is however eight o'clock Sunday morning, and the cool morning air brings in some relief to my recovering lungs.   I still have remnants of this chest cold...  yuck.  The sun has yet to show itself, but the hints of it's existence peer over the facing buildings along boulevard Saint Martin.  Today is an amazing day, it's church day...  and our last church service before Christmas.   In fact, today after church, 35 members, friends and family of C3Paris will be converging on a restaurant next door, for our Christmas meal together.   It should really be incredible.

The reason we are doing all of that today, is that we don't have our own "church" space, we rent the use of a theater on Sundays, so that gets in the way of having a Christmas Eve service or anything outside of the normal schedule.   It's a minor thing though really, with some creative scheduling, amazing things can happen.  The best part is that we get to celebrate over many days...   that is a LOT of fun. 

Happy Sunday, and Merry Christmas (just a little early.)