If you were at our worship service this past Sunday, you recall I spoke from Philippians 1:21, where the Apostle Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul was revealing in this statement what was at the core of his life, what his
Continue readingDear Members and Friends of IBCZ, One of the themes we see often in Scripture is how God works through the most difficult and challenging circumstances we face to bring about His good will for our lives, and in the process for others as well. We might think of Abraham,
Continue readingDear Members and Friends of IBCZ, You probably know that every year, Forbes magazine publishes its list of the world’s richest people. This year Forbes calculated that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the world’s richest person with an estimated wealth of $112 billion. Bezos headed up a list of 2,208
Continue readingDear Members and Friends of IBCZ, One of the best aspects of my seminary experience was meeting weekly with three fellow students. We came from very diverse backgrounds, yet God knit our hearts together as we gathered for breakfast, along with Bible reflection, prayer, and sharing our needs, joys, and
Continue readingDear Members and Friends of IBCZ, This week Daniela and I had our first German class. We both have a bit of a background in German, but let’s just say we have a long way to go! I know most of you have been in the same situation, whether that
Continue readingDaniela and I have been here for almost two months now. We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know so many of you, and look forward to getting to know all who are a part of IBCZ in the coming weeks and months. It has especially been gratifying these past couple
Continue readingDear Members and Friends of IBCZ, Last Sunday we considered the first half of the Great Commandment, that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mk. 12:28-34). Along with loving our neighbor (the second half of the Great Commandment), Jesus said there is no
Continue readingDear Members and Friends of IBCZ, We’ve been continuing our study of people in the gospels who encountered Jesus and the impact Jesus had on them. This past Sunday we looked at Mark 2:1-12, which records the healing of the paralyzed man who was carried on his mat to Jesus
Continue readingDear Members and Friends of IBCZ, This past Sunday we continued our study of people in the Gospels who encountered Jesus, and the impact He had on their lives, by looking at a most unlikely disciple of Jesus – Levi (Mark 2:13-17). Why was Levi such a surprising candidate to
Continue readingDear Members and Friends of IBCZ, Today (Tuesday, July 24 as I write) Daniela and I received our residence permit cards (Aufenthaltstitel) in the mail. That really made our day! We began the process of applying as soon as we arrived three weeks ago, and other work was done in
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