Is this a dead blog???

Nothing new happening?
Well, we are studying, studying, studying…the grand finale of three years as student at St Mellitus College.
A bit scruffy around the edges, Edda's endless essay deadline extensions, staring at a computer screen to make sense of some pretty challenging conundrums, never enough time for anything else, yet….we wouldn't have wanted to miss the amazing opportunity of the training we received over these last three years. After all, this is what we thought we would be doing right at the beginning of our married life almost 18 years ago…
"In their hearts human beings plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." Proverbs 16:9
"Des Menschen Herz denkt sich einen Weg aus, aber der Herr lent seine Schritte." Sprüche 16.9 
Christoph's ordination will be at the end of June - as you can see he practiced really from the age of two.
Edda will complete the foundations degree in May 2013, once she submitted two further assignments in the course of the next academic year.
For now it's two more assignments for both of us before the end of June.



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Our photo of the year...

…looks like it was set up by a professional, but was pure chance: We were minding our own business, strolling through Bristol on a day off when suddenly a gang of men (stag do? professional mimers?) grabbed Edda. They must have seen me take pictures with our new SLR and made us this lovely gift. Did they hope we would invite them all for a pint?

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Prince Charles at St Mellitus - the photos…

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(From left to right: HRH the Prince of Wales, Graham Tomlin (Dean of St Mellitus) with his wife Janet, Nicky Gumbel (Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton) with his wife Pippa, Ken Costa (Church Warden at HTB and chairman of Lazard investment bank) And here is the whole set on flickr... And the official St Mellitus Report is here...

Spacious place // Weiter Raum

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[ENGLISH] "You have set my feet in a spacious place." Psalm 31:8b Spending two weeks in a small hospital room has been much less claustrophobic than anticipated. Not only does the world come to me in the form of doctors and nurses from all over the world, but my excursions around Chelsea have also been wonderful 'bubbles of freedom'. I have discovered new things (very interesting exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery about Indian art - the taxidermic camel in the photo (Huma Mulji: Arabian Delight, 2008) certainly does not luxuriate in a lot of space!); I even bumped into a colleague of mine from St Mellitus College (in London!) and got a tour of his church. A third way in which I can break out of my confines is the book I am currently reading: Rob Lilwall's "Cycling Home From Siberia". I first met Rob about six years ago when I was doing a diploma in theology at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. He was a fellow student in the first year, then decided to go on an epic bicycle trip around the world. It took him three-and-a-half years in the end and he met his wife during the trip! A few weeks ago we met again at St Mellitus College and he told me about all the things he had been up to. So I ordered his book and am now travelling around the world with him (so to speak). For my time in hospital Edda has given me Lonely Planet's "The Travel Book", with four pages on every country in the world. Together these two books make the perfect combo for a virtual trip around the world. (I will give you a taster from Rob's book in due course.)
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[GERMAN] "Du stellst meine Füße auf weiten Raum." Psalm 31:9b Zwei Wochen lang auf ein kleines Krankenhauszimmer beschränkt zu sein hat sich als viel weniger beklemmend herausgestellt als erwartet. Zum einen kommt die Welt zu mir in der Form von Ärzten und Krankenpflegern/-schwestern aus der ganzen Welt. Zum anderen sind meine Ausflüge hier in Chelsea kleine "Freiheitsoasen". Ich habe neue Dinge entdeckt (sehr interessante Ausstellung im Saatchi Museum über indische Kunst - das ausgestopfte Kamel im Foto (Huma Mulji: Arabian Delight, 2008) schwelgt auf jeden Fall nicht in zu viel Raum). Ich bin sogar einem Kollegen vom St Mellitus College mitten auf der Straße begegnet - er gab mir gleich eine spontane Führung durch seine Kirche… Eine dritte Art wie ich aus meinen Begrenzungen hier ausbreche ist meine augenblickliche Lektüre: Rob Lilwalls "Cycling Home From Siberia"  (Nach Hause radeln aus Sibirien). Ich traf Rob zum ersten Mal vor sechs Jahren als wir beide ein "Diploma" in Theologie in Oxford machten. Nach dem ersten Jahr entschloss er sich, den Lehrerberuf an den Nagel zu hängen und um die Welt zu radeln (na ja, fast um die Welt: Sibirien, via Australien und wieder quer durch Asien nach England). Vor ein paar Wochen traf ich ihn wieder bei St Mellitus und er erzählte mir, dass sein Abenteuer dreieinhalb Jahre dauerte. Er traf unterwegs auch seine jetzige Frau! Habe mir also gleich das Buch gekauft und reise jetzt mit Rob. Edda hat mir fürs Krankenhaus das Lonely Planet Travel Book geschenkt: vier Seiten über jedes Land der Erde. Zusammen ergibt das die perfekte virtuelle Weltreise. (Einen Auszug aus Robs Buch gibt es demnächst.)