Barcelona, May 24-25

We are in Barcelona, Spain this week. I am teaching a "Spiritual Formation" class for European Nazarene College. The class is being webcast to students in Madrid, Saracosa, and Manchester, England. There is about 25 students total attending the course.

On our first day of sightseeing in Barcelona we visited the Sagrada Familia church. It is a Goltic church designed by Antonia Guede during the turn of the century. Guede designed several building in the Barcelona area including Casa Mila "La Pedrera" and Casa Batilo. He also built a couple of house in the Guell Park where he lived. We visited the park on Tuesday.

On Monday we saw the following sites: Sagrada Familia; Casa Mila “La Pedrera”; Casa Batilo; Cathedral of Barcelona; Les Rambles; Catalunya Square; Hard Rock Café for dinner; Bethlehem Church; Royal Square; St. Monica Art Centre; Arch of Triumph.


On Tuesday we visited the Guell Park which includes two house designed by Guell and his house, which is now a Musuem. We visited the park and the museum. We also took a tram up the mountain to visit Expiatory Church of the Sacred Heart, a neo-golthic basilica built on top of mount Tibadido.

Rome, May 19-21

We spent several days in Rome visiting Basilicas and Catholic churches. We also had the priviledge of seeing Pope Benedict on Wednesday. He was giving a short papal addresss and greeting.


On Tuesday we visited the Vatican (St. Peter’s Basilica); Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel; St. Angelo Museum; Pantheon; and St. Maria Minerva Basilica.



On Wedneday we saw the Pope at the Vatican and visited the following sites: Piazza de Popolo; St. Maria Miracle (closed); S. Triniti del Monti; S. Maria Concezione (bones); S. Maria d. Vittoria; Santa Susanna Cistercian Nuns ; S. Bernardo; Basilica S. Maria de Angelo; Piazza de Republica; Fountain de Trevi; and Basilica S. Maria Maggiore.




On Thursday we visited Cheisa del Gasa; Circo Massimo; Basilica St. Giovanni in Laterano (St. John); and Basilica St. Paulo (outside the walls).

Ancient Rome, Monday, May 18

We spent six days in Rome touring the ancient ruins, bascilas, the Vatican, Vatican Musuem, and attended a papal service. We stayed in Villa owned by the Church of the Nazarene in the Northeastern side of Rome.

We rested on Sunday afternoon after arriving late on Sunday morning (1:00 a.m.). We were very tired after traveling to Epworth on Saturday and we could not buy a bus ticket on Sunday, so we decided to make it a day of rest.

On Monday we toured ancient Rome (Colassae, Palatino, and Forum). We decided to go with a guided tour, something we usually don't do, but given the massive amounts of people we felt it would give us the best experience. We also visited St. John's Lantern Basilica (Giovanni), St. Mary D. Angelo Basilica, and the Pizza De Republica. Here are some highlights of our first day in Rome.

Manchester, England (May 11-15)

I taught "Introduction to Christian & Religious Education" with Professor Chris Cope at Nazarene Theological College in Manchester, England. During our time there we explored the city of Manchester, Chester, and Epworth. I am including a picture of the cathedral in Chester, a picture of me at Wesley's primary preaching point in Epworth, Samuel Wesley's grave, Epworth Rectory (home of the Wesley's), and a picture of John Wesley and me (See I am taller than John:).














On Friday we traveled to Chester and visited the Chester Cathedral and the wall around this historical city.

On Saturday we drove about an hour and half to Epworth to visit the home of Susanna and Samuel Wesley (Driving in England is an experience in itself, especially when you get lost:) The Epworth Rectory is the home where John and Charles Wesley were reared and the place where the rectory burned and John was "plucked from the fire." Some say the fire was started by members of the community because of Samuel's inability to pay his debts. Susanna believed that because John was spared God had something special for him. Some say that the Wesleyan movement began in Susanna's kitchen where she meet with her children for prayer and devotions.

We also visited the Church at Epworth where Samuel served as rector for nearly four decades. Outside the church is the grave of Samuel Wesley where John preached when he was not allowed to preach in the Church of England. He stood on his fathers grave and preached to the masses. We also visited the Red Lion where John stayed when visiting Epworth after leaving for College.

London, England (10-11 May)

We arrived in London on May 10th which began our three week trip to the United Kingdom and Europe. We did sightseeing in London on Saturday and Sunday. We visited Big Ben and the House of Parliment, Westminister Abbey, the Tower of London bridge, Buckingham Palace, Monument, and St. Paul's Church.

Book Chapters Completed

I completed my final chapter and Introduction to the book I am co-authoring with Dean Blevins. The project expanded into two books instead of one. We will be talking to the publisher next week about the details of the project. Dean is doing a final edit of both books and then we will send it to the editors.

Since finishing all my writing projects I am spending this week and next week taking care of some home projects. Sherri and I leave for Europe on Friday, May 8. I will be teaching at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester, England; Vacation in Rome, Italy; and then teaching at Barcelona, Spain. I am looking forward to finishing my sabbatical in Europe.

Sofia, Bulgara

During my last day in Bulgaria I was in Sofia, Bulgaria. Cassie Lara and Joe Heath gave me a tour of the city. Cassie is one of my former students at NNU and Joe is from the church I served in Pennsylvania (small world)!

We visited several Eastern Orthodox Churches and a Russian Orthodox Church. The highlight of the day was attending the mid-night Easter Service on Saturday night at the patron church in Sofia. This Eastern Orthodox Church was built only about 200 years ago. The service included bringing in "holy flame" from Jerusalem. The priest brought the flame into the service, blessed it, and then lite the candles of the people. We lite our candle and carried it to our house. The story is if you can do that your home and family will be blessed for the year. During the service there were several secret service men in the audience. Later in the service the President of Bulgaria attended the service.

My time in Sofia was a great way to end my trip in Bulgaria. We finished the evening by eating spaghetti at 2:00 a.m. (Cassie made Joe and I dinner).

Varner, Bulgaria--Black Sea

Yesterday I travelled to Varner, Bulgaria, a city on the western side of the Black Sea. The city attracts tourist from Russia and southeastern Europe. Most people come to Varner to enjoy the beach during the summer. We had a 90 minute bus ride from Razgrad to Varner.








We visited a couple of Maunday Thursday services at the Eastern Orthodox Church in Varner. I had my picture taken with a Eastern Orthodox Church priest and he blessed me!














On Thursday evening the Church had a Maunday Thursday service. Everyone was seated at a long table and served a lamb dinner. After the dinner we participated in a foot washing service and then shared in communion. Everyone dressed up as first century disciples for the service. It was a fun and meaningful service. I served communion with pastor Nicholi.

Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria

Yesterday I visited Veliko Turnovo, one of Bulgaria's most ancient cities. It was founded in the 4th century and became the centre of Bulgarian power during the 12-14 century. During that time it was the political, economic, cultural and religious center of Bulgaria. It was the capital of Bulgaria and included the castles of Tzarevetz, which housed the king and military on Tzarevetz hill. The fortress was built on two banks surrounded by the Yantra River between two hills. The two main architectual complexes are the King's Palace and the Patriachal Church. The fortress was conquered by the Turks in 1393.

Also, situated in the city of the place where all of the kings of Bulgaria are burried.

I visited two eastern orthodox monasteries. Before the destruction of Bulgaria by the Turks in the 14th century there were forty monasteries in Bulgaria. In Veliko Turnovo and its vincity there were over 14 monasteries built during the 12-14 century. I visited the Petropavlovsky monastery situated on the Arbanassi plateau. It is referred to as the "Peter and Paul" monastery. During the time of slavery in the 1700's it became a prominate place for Bulgarian revolutionaries. In 1913 the monastery church was destroyed by fire but rebuilt during the communist period.

The second monastery was the Kapinovo monastery fromt the 14th century. It was being refurbished due to smoke damage from lighting of candles. You can see the difference between the old "smoked" area and the new cleaned area.

Teaching in Razgrad, Bulgaria

I arrived in Razgrad, Bulgaria on Friday at 9:30 p.m. It took me 26 hours to get here. I flew to London to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and then a six hour bus ride to Razgrad. I began teaching a course of Christian education on Saturday evening. There are twelve students in the class from congregations in Bulgaria and Romania. The class is meeting for the weekend and each evening next week. The course is part of the extension program at European Nazarene College, Switzerland. The church has been in Razgrad for about a dozen years. Pastor Nicholi has been served as the pastor for over most of this time. Several work and witness teams have worked on the building of a new church, including Nampa First Nazarene.


On Saturday afternoon I visited anient Roman ruins in Razgrad. They were escavated in the 1950's when they were discovered while building a new factory. The ruins date back to the second to forth century.
On Sunday I taught Sunday school, preached, dedicated a baby, and played the drums. I also taught class from 4 to 9:30 p.m. I had a very busy day.

Another Article Accepted

I received word on Friday that my article, "Transformational, Experiential, and Non-Formal Learning Theories: Foundations for Christian Adult Education." was accepted by the Journal of Religious Education and will be published in May, 2009.

I also completed another chapter in our book. I have only one chapter to complete. I will finish the final chapter after I return from Bulgaria in a couple of weeks.

Article Accepted

I received word today that my article, "The Clergy/Laity Dichotomy: A Model of the People of God," was accepted for publication in the Christian Education Journal (Fall, 2009).

I also completed my eighth chapter for my book project. I only have two chapters to finish. I hope to complete one more chapter this week before I leave for Bulgaria next week. I will complete the last chapter when I return.

Three More Chapters to Go...

I completed the sixth and seventh chapter this week toward the two books on Christian education. I have only three chapters to be completed. I plan to complete two more chapters next week before traveling to Bulgaria on April 8th.

I also had the following articles accepted for publication:

John Wesley’s Small Group Plan, Holiness Today (September-October 2009)

James Michel Lee’s Social Science Theory: A Critical Analysis of His Theory and Implications for Christian Education. Journal of Christian Education and Information Technology. Vol. 15, Spring, 2009.

I am still waiting to hear about two other articles being accepted. Hopefully I will hear something in the next few weeks.

Writing Continues....

The book project is going well. I have completed six chapters with only four chapters to go. I plan to complete the next three chapters by April 3 before I teach in Razgrad, Bulgaria.

After returning from Bulgaria I plan to finish the remaining chapter and have the project completed.

I also am waiting to hear on two more articles for publication in the Christian Education Journal (CEJ). Hopefully I will know something final this week.

Faithful Discipleship Book

I am co-authoring a Christian education textbook with Dean Blevins from Nazarene Theological Seminary. The book, Faithful Discipleship includes two volumes, one focusing on foundations of Christian education, the other on principles and practices.

I have completed four chapter (7 to go) toward the book project. I hope to have the bulk of the book completed before traveling to Europe in mid-April.

Kentucky vs. Gerogia

While traveling to the WTS meetings in Indiana, I attended the Kentucky vs. Georgia game at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Jay Akkerman, Joe Bankard, Brent Peterson, and I traveled three hours south from Indianapolis to attend the game. Since I am a "huge" Kentucky fan it was allot of fun to attend the game (a birthday gift from my wife, Sherri).

Kentucky lost to Georgia. The Cats didn't' play very well and the game was disappointing. Attached area a couple of pictures of the game.

Also, on the way back from the game we stopped at the "Creation Museum" in Petersburg, Kentucky. The Creation museum, a twenty-seven million dollar facility, lead by Ken Hamm it is designed to uphold a literal seven day creation and a 6,000 year view of the earth. (All of which I disagree with, as does most sciences and theologians). The museum was closed but we got a couple of pictures outside the gates.