cosas que pinchan

La Maroma's benevolently rounded peak gazes down on Malaga, and stands as the tallest mountain in all of the province. At over two thousand meters it even boasts snow in the winter on occasion. Although nowhere near the highest point in Spain, its terrain is typical for the warm southern climates and within a few steps I was struck by the inhospitality of the inhabitants. 

Very few trees grow on Tejada (its other name)'s slopes, and rocks dominate the landscape mixed with greyish-green plants most of which look on the surface soft and inviting but with closer examination or a gentle touch reveal their true thorny nature. The trees that do grow must be protected when they are young from the wild mountain goats, and are so encircled by menacing wire fences. 

On the day of my climb a vicious wind blew from the sea so strongly that at moments it was all I could do to stand. I arrived back at the house weary, sore and with a hand full of tiny splinters from a fall on one of the mountain's prickly dwellers.

As I reflected on my hike, I thought of the things that grew naturally in this part of the world and then I thought also on how further down the mountain, near the sea, they build big plastic greenhouses and are able to grow a multitude of plants year-round, exporting mangos and avocados among other fruits. Wonderful fruits and vegetables grow happily but not naturally--it takes a lot of care and work. What grows naturally, left alone, are all manner of weeds and plants that harm.

A few short weeks before I stood gazing over the hazy land of Malaga from the rugged slopes of La Maroma a woman was laid to rest in a niche after forty-one years of tilling the soil of the souls of one small city. She died seeing mostly natural plants still dominating the landscape, hearts unconcerned with producing fruit. It can be weary, thankless work in the blazing sun beneath La Maroma as in many a city all over the world. Yet as a sower of eternal seeds I must work on while it is still today, knowing that in His time and through His grace even the harshest ground may bloom.

boasting

(shout out to Voskamp for the reminder to practice Thankfulness)

i'm leaving on a jet plane tomorrow and as i struggle through the mess of emotions that is my heart i am reminded that giving thanks for all His faithfulness reminds me that He is still with me.
here are just a few that come to mind:

1. for the opportunity to face my fears and practice driving a manual car
2. learning German and experiencing life as a second-language speaker that gives me a better perspective on the lives of my ESL friends
3. time to spend talking with friends as they face difficulties
4. living life as a German--from speaking the language in shops to doing zumba in the community hall on stage to living with a German family
5. beautiful fall days filled with hikes all over the lovely countryside
6. spending time with friends and family here
7. finding daily bread (and lots of cheese and chocolate!) as i helped with the little jobs He sent my way
8. realizing anew how blessed i am with people who care about me, even though i am not geographically near them
9. a chance to again travel and visit dear hearts who live throughout the world
10. constant reminders that He holds tomorrow in His hands

"If you brag, brag of this and this only:
That you understand and know me.
    I’m God, and I act in loyal love."  ~Jeremiah 9

fahren

do not be misled by the unimpressive population of Basel Stadt (under 200k) to think that driving in Basel is easy. in the small area i routinely search for parking places (literally, it's part of "little Basel") i have come to intersections where it seems that every direction is marked with a blaring red do-not-enter emblem. which leads me to scratch my head and wonder why i was able to get there in the first place. or, how anyone accesses those streets since i swear it had the same sign at the other end...and i have not even mentioned the trams, whose horns continually remind enterprising drivers that in the bulk department it is better not to chance a contest. narrow streets have trams running in both directions, nonchalant pedestrians who conveniently forget they do not own the street, cars parking, lorries/semis unloading and that is all normal.
but now i come to the bicyclists. in all this daily mayhem i have watched bicyclists who seem to be going for medals of honor compete in the chaos. applauding them, i marveled at the bravery it would take to join in, and gazed sympathetically as some voiced their disgust with the actions of drivers. and so, because sanity is overrated, today i decided to attempt a journey across what i now refer to as the city by the river styx. i had not even made it out of the forest when i had already been chased by a doberman and yelled at in German (believe me, it feels more serious) for bicycling on what i can only assume was a pedestrian-only path.
now, you must realize that in this part of the world stop signs are a rarity. generally, every intersection is yield-to-the-person-from-the-right. which means, of course, that people barrel through glancing only right to make sure that way is clear. barely glancing. which puts bicycles at the mercy of their eyesight, which can leave something to be desired. fortunately, i made it to my destination with only a few blocks walking.
on the return trip i stumbled into the world of the underground velobahn, something every bicyclist should experience. there exists this underground highway for bicycles in Basel. zooming along next to railroad tracks under what i can only assume were building and streets it ran for miles, surfacing every so often for its riders to wait patiently until the little red bicycle turned green, allowing them to cross the street. in utter joy that here were no trams, crazy drivers and angry pedestrians, i let myself be swept allow until the usual autobahn malady occurred: the highway ended and i had no idea where i was. but i had enjoyed the experience and, with a little help from a city map and eventually red bike signs informing me the way to get where i wanted to be, i made it back. an older, wiser rider with the velobahn experience under her belt. 

thoughts on falling

on a day when the sun whirled in the sky with joy i took a long Wandern on the hill above where i currently lay my head. vineyards roll along the southern side like a net, catching the happy sun and turning its rays into juice. it's definitely fall, late october even, yet the strength of the sun warranted no jacket and i felt pleasantly warmed, except when a shadow crossed my path and the breeze which before felt refreshing revealed its chill underside that whispered of snows to come.
at moments the beauty of the red leaves dancing in the sunlight took my breath away and as i contemplated such display it gave me pause to remember that their beauty came only through dying. these leaves, most of the year green and strong, burst forth in vibrant hues for perhaps only days before they detach and fall to the ground.
falling, dying, beauty.
there comes this release, this falling in dying. i once heard that if you dream you are falling and you don't wake before you hit the bottom it means you died. true or not, dying involves letting go of the fight to live, the right to control my breathing moments. but this is not merely physical death for me. no, i choose daily to let go of this right. to recognize that Someone--the One--truly carries me and i no longer live in the sense that this grasping, dead world demands. and in that death--so, so unlike the end of this earthly life--is such beauty that it takes my breath away as much as those dying leaves. i am falling, every day, in every uncertain moment, and yet i know Who will catch me.

Deutsch Lernen

While I have some linguistics background, I am at best an amateur. So I begin with a caveat: these are merely observations and, if false, please take my amateurishness into consideration before you read me the riot act. =)
After 2 weeks of intensive German a few lingo-cultural observations have made their way into my brain. Based partly on general background knowledge compounded by experience I have noted a few words/actions/phraseology that reflect cultural biases.
1. Schnell: (Many) Germans answer before they have completely heard the question, mostly personally observed in my teacher but confirmed by others as well (on both sides). German is said to be a difficult language to master and as the poor learner is struggling to get the question out (with some semblance of correct grammar and comprehension) the teacher, efficient, direct, saves the learner the trouble and answers ahead of the entire question. Of course, this at my level often takes longer in the end because the answer does not pertain to the question. Rarely it does, occasionally I give up and let the incorrect answer stand if the question is deemed inessential, but mostly I am forced to say "Danke, aber das ist nicht meine Frage" and then struggle to (schnell!) make my question understood.
2. If/when: English has 2 subordinating conjunctions that are translated as the same word in German: wenn. If I am sick/When I am sick I must miss class looks the same. Splitting hairs in English you might now note but yet, in my heretofore limited experience the definiteness of the German culture comes through. Yes, the language is completely capable of handling hypothetical situations but it prefers not to.
3. Punctuality: This is a well-worn theme in teutonic cultural analysis but a new slant emerges when you learn how to tell time. For English speakers, when asked the time the "now" usually takes precedence and 6.40 is given for example. Some might say "half past", referring to the previous top of the hour, and occasionally you might hear "almost" or the minutes remaining to the top of the hour, when it is, say, under 10 minutes. Not so for the Germans. At 21 minutes past the hour that hour is finished and ALL further answers to "Wie viel Uhr ist es?" must pertain to the coming hour. Already in German is one thinking forward to the time when one must be somewhere/do something. Then, of course, there are multiple words for "hour" and "time": spät/mal/zeit/stunden/uhr...
 And then there is a non-linguistic note here: in the town of 37k that I am privileged to be staying in there are no less than 3 clock towers I can hear from my apartment EVERY hour telling me the time. Some do 15 minute notes as well, and I'm pretty sure I hear a special wake-up tower at 6.30 every morning.
Ah, c'est la vie when one is culturally adjusting. Fascinating, frustrating, exciting and exhausting!
Bis später!

Be near me I pray
Just this day
Tomorrow come what may
You will with me stay
Today.

Founder's Syndrome

Starting or growing an organization has been likened to child-rearing. Through sweat, tears, labor pains and blood you birth something that is very much a part of you. You feel ownership and strong emotional ties such that when anyone questions your method of caring for your “child” you react in real anger and fear. You put your life’s blood into this; you know best how to care for it. Usually it is less obvious this is what is happening; often the symptoms are frustration on the part of those you brought on to help you. They enlisted believing that they would have a say and find that even though you listen enthusiastically to their suggestions, when it comes down to it your way goes. You may justify it any way you like but if you find your ministry leaving a wake of frustrated and disillusioned people it’s time to ask if you have Founder’s Syndrome.

Founder’s Syndrome is often noted in large-scale organizations but in reality it is most rampant in smaller non-profits where the leader or founder has developed a system of top-down exclusive decision making. It’s easier to drop into this when the group is smaller since s/he has been forced by default to make most decisions and as it grows and s/he brings on new workers his/her pattern of control begins to be a problem. The need to control is part of a two-sided coin: to grow an organization from nothing requires a leader who refuses to compromise, works relentlessly and makes tough choices. The other side emerges when the organization becomes more stable and it is not necessary for him/her to do all the work. The very strengths that birthed the organization now morph into an obstinate refusal to stand correction or dissent. In the smaller groups this pattern continues easily as growth and potential stagnate and the organization can continue for quite some time before it implodes, often with the death of the leader. A larger organization would not last as long since the very scale would accelerate the arrival of a breaking point.

In order to avoid the dissolution of all that the founder has worked for, many writers on the topic advocate organizational checks and balances or a system that is set up for long-term maintenance. While practical and safe this is actually another death sentence on the vision of the organization. Instead, two main needs must be addressed: the essential foundation of the organization and the kernel that makes an organization viable.

Firstly, founder’s end up in muddy water when the organization becomes about them and not their mission. Any Christian organization, for example, should be founded upon the Founder: Christ. If He is truly the one leading and guiding as they strive to be His hands and feet, then the founder can remain humble and open to correction and suggestion. Challenges are no longer perceived as personal but opportunities to reexamine the functioning, direction or style of the group. Everything is checked against God’s will and not the leader’s will. Founder’s can remember that the early church had many examples of times when even the Apostles got off-base and needed to be reminded of truth (cf. Peter corrected by Paul Gal 2.11-14; Athanasius and the Council of Nicea AD325).

Secondly, the essence of any new movement that solidifies into an organization is not maintenance. The founder believes that something is lacking and he seeks in an innovatory way to pioneer and improve the situation. These are not stagnating words. Growth and change is as essential in the life of an organization as in the life of a human child. When the founder begins to entrench and demand a functional style that resists new methods of doing things (remaining true to the vision of course) he has begun a downward spiral. Just as a child who never grows up is seen as a developmentally stunted, so an organization that refuses to welcome fresh ideas becomes childish and outdated. 

In sum, founders and boards need to simply measure each decision with regards to the original mission and whether the decision grows or treads water. Realizing that the very strengths which bolstered the founder through the difficult times now become weaknesses helps the founder be aware of potential trouble areas. Often but not always this will lead a discerning founder to realize that s/he needs to abdicate and allow the organization to grow on its own. Not an easy decision, but one that successful major organizations have been forced to make. If your organization is known by its name and not the founder, this is a good sign that you have made that transition.