{The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism}

THIS BOOK IS PHENOMENAL!!!

Occasionally, I buy books then wait months or even years to read them. Not good! This happened to be one of those books. I bought it probably my junior or senior year of college, and just read it last Spring. Bad decision! This is one of the best Christian books I've ever read, and it is absolutely relative to the postmodern world we live in today. The Reason for God is unlike any other Christian apologetics book I've read. Tim Keller is brilliant, and I'm amazed at how the Lord is using this man to spread the truth of Christ throughout the world. Tim Keller is an extremely intelligent and theologically sound pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.

What I love most is that the book answers some of the most common questions that believers and non-believers alike have about God and Christianity without solely using the Bible. It is overflowing with citations from philosophers, historians, scientists, and sources other than Scripture. Keller's answers to these difficult questions are not only logical and reason-based, but also supported by extended research and evidence. He not only challenges atheists or non-Christians to doubt and examine their beliefs (or absence thereof) but also challenges Christians alike to doubt and examine their faith so they can fully and completely know the reason they believe what they do and so that their faith becomes their own.

Here's a sneak-peek:

Chapter 1: There Can't Be Just One True Religion

Chapter 2: How Could A Good God Allow Suffering?

Chapter 3: Christianity Is A Straightjacket

Chapter 4: The Church Is Responsible For So Much Injustice

Chapter 5: How Can A Loving God Send People To Hell?

Chapter 6: Science Has Disproved Christianity

Chapter 7: You Can't Take The Bible Literally

(these are all accusations people have about Christianity)

Chapter 8: The Clues Of God

Chapter 9: The Knowledge Of God

Chapter 10: The Problem Of Sin

Chapter 11: Religion And The Gospel

Chapter 12: The True Story Of The Cross

Chapter 13: The Reality Of The Resurrection

Chapter 14: The Dance Of God

After reading this book, I knew it would be perfect for Spain! I excitedly shared it with my co-workers and we decided to study different chapters during our Bible studies for non-believers in the Fall. I was even able to find some Spanish copies to give students to read. The weeks we studied at our house with students were great and everyone seemed to enjoy it and understand better the Bible, Gospel and how they don't go against humanity, science, or the typical stereotypes that people have against Christianity. The week we studied God and Science was extremely helpful for a lot of seeking students and we even had Biology and Physics professors come to share how their fields encourage their faith instead of discouraging it.

If you have any seeking, questioning, or skeptic friends, I highly recommend that you give this book to them! And be sure to read it yourself too!

{Run, Lauren, Run}

So in the summer, I met some friends who have a running club. Apparently, that's how runners roll here...they all have clubs. (You know you live in a communal society when people can't even run races by themselves!) But it's been fun running races with these guys (unfortunately there are no girls besides me and Lauren...Spanish girls aren't really into exercising)! Our team is called "Cruzcampeones" and we have bright neon yellow jerseys as seen above. Cruzcampo is THE beer of Andalucia (Southern community of Spain) and ALL Andalucians are obsessed with it! So of course these guys wanted to name their team after it...literally their team name means "beer champions." And after every race, they celebrate by drinking Cruzcampo beer. It's actually funny because after every race I've run here, there is an infinite supply of beer awaiting me at the finish line but it's impossible to find bottled water! That's another way I know that I live in Spain.

So the first race I did with the group was a 7K (random I know), which is almost 4.5 miles. I really hadn't been running much lately, so I knew I would do badly. The whole day before and the day of the race I had been freaking out! Seriously, I looked at every running website on the internet to see what I should eat, drink, breathe, smell, touch, wear, speak, make, feel, assume, excrete, etc. Whatever I was supposed to do that would help me finish!

When we arrived at the race, my friend Enrique said, "Oh by the way, there are a lot of hills in this course." PERFECT! Now I definitely knew that I was destined for failure! Before the race began, I was looking around scouting out the competition and such and realized that there were mostly men (duh) and all the women were older like 40+. With a sigh of relief, I thought, "at least I'll finish before most of them...surely." The race began (late as is custom for Spain)...GOING UP A HILL! Who does that?!?!? Plan a race up a hill?! Stupid. So I took off, breezing past most of the middle-aged, older, and more out of shape participants. "I can do this," I told myself, "it won't be so bad." Well then my ipod stopped working about 3 minutes into the race. Crap. The first lap around the city wasn't difficult, especially since there were tons of people cheering us on and kids singing and high-fiving us. The hills were really small and not nearly as bad as I had imagined. Well, then came lap #2.

To my surprise, lap #2 was not the same as lap #1. After about half a mile, I looked up and there was a ginormous mountain in front of me! Seriously this thing had a 90 degree incline, and it went on forever. My legs were pushing harder than ever before. About halfway up, this old woman yelled to me and said, "Come this way. It's a short cut and you can cut through to the other side then go down." So great! I just laughed and said, "Thank you but I'm going to keep going up." I have to admit, I did stop to walk a bit, but after a few seconds feeling really lame and loserish, I started jogging again. At the top of the hill was a beautiful view but unfortunately I wasn't able to enjoy it so much because I still had to keep running and finish the race. By this time, I was definitely at the back of the pack, and I couldn't really tell how many people, if any, were still behind me.

Although I never looked back, I knew I was the last person. Nearing the finish line, me and an older man began to run together and talk. He was encouraging me to keep going, and I asked him if we were the last ones. He said yes, so I responded that we should finish it together. As we neared the finish line, I urged him to run faster with me so we could finish sooner. I took off sprinting, expecting him to be right beside me, but he stayed behind allowing me to finish second to last out of about 500 people!! What a disgrace, but I was glad to have finished and also actually pleased with my time as it wasn't so bad for me.

This was a great experience with new Spanish friends, and they were all so encouraging afterwards. Since this one, we've run a few more races with them, and I've definitely improved a lot since the first one. In the fall, I trained hard 7 weeks for a half marathon, but after a trip to Germany, I lost my rhythm and motivation. So I'll be starting up my training again this week to hopefully complete the half marathon in February.

{Summer Lovin'}

This summer was so incredible! Besides the fact that the first student, Sebastian, in Connexxion since I've been in Spain accepted Christ and my friend and fellow co-worker, Abraham, got baptized, I also had some amazing adventures throughout Europe and Morocco visiting friends. I've been so blessed with friends all over the world, so this summer I took advantage of that and visited them in their hometowns.

This is my amazing friend Catherine who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. She's American but I met her last year in Seville while she was studying here. This was an extremely encouraging weekend with her sharing life, struggles, victories, and prayers! Not to mention, Edinburgh is freaking beautiful and full of life and culture!

Not a very significant photo, but a beautiful lookout over Edinburgh. When we were up there this scary storm came and I got this cool shot with the sunlight coming through the dark clouds. Images like this with rays of light always remind me of Jesus for some reason. May His name be worshipped forever!

In the above, me and Lauren went to San Sebastian in the North of Spain to visit our precious friend Marta! Her family is wonderful and her city is breathtaking! We spent a great week hiking, taking in the rays, experiencing authentic small town Basque (a culture of its own within Spain) culture, seeing her family's vineyard and wine-making factory, growing in our relationship with her, and having some great spiritual convos too! I'm so grateful for this sweet friend in my life! Please PRAY for her salvation!!

Wow, what can I say about Morocco?! An incredible experience!!! Like none other I've had before. Lots of firsts: experiencing Ramadan, functioning in a country where I absolutely don't speak ANY of the language, seeing many different animal skulls for sale in a market, couchsurfing in a 3rd world country, getting really sick and having to jump out of a taxi to, well...you can figure it out, and many more.

Gosh this place was unbelievable!! It's called God's bridge and it's a bit outside of Chefchaoen. Absolutely beautiful, clear but freezing water!! We hiked through the river up to the natural rock bridge (that you can see behind us in the picture below). There was hardly anyone hiking and it was some of the most incredible nature I've seen in my life. Me and my friends Adam and Simon decided to cool off a bit by jumping in the bone-chilling water on this sweltering August day.

The picture above is from Chefchaoen which is known as the blue city. Seriously, like the whole city was blue and white. Absolutely breathtaking!!

These are two Jewish-American friends we met in Chefchaoen and toured around with one day. Such a God-send!! Without these guys we would have been lost. Plus we had some amazing talks about Jesus/Christianity and Judaism!! Really one of the most interesting days on the trip! Please PRAY for David and Ezra's salvation- this was the first time they had ever heard the Gospel.

Vendors in Marrakesh selling everything imaginable from tea to watermelons to fake Nikes to jewelry to soap and spices. The whole city was red too as you can catch a glimpse of on this wall. Definitely worth visiting (just not during Ramadan)!!

In Tangier, we stayed with our two Moroccan friends' family. They are the two boys next to me...Simo on the right and Anass on the left. They're family is precious and was so hospitable...so much that they almost killed us with food!! Because it was Ramadan, we had a feast every night from about 730pm to 4am. We ate seriously non-stop...all very delicious but after about the 3rd meal, I just wanted to puke. Please PRAY for this family to see the truth of Jesus!!! The boys are very interested in Christianity, come to our Bible studies often, and are even reading the Bible at home. I believe the Lord is strongly pursuing them, so pray for them to not be afraid of the consequences following Jesus may bring.

My friend, Manu, invited me to an awesome music festival in Spain. Although I had no idea who any of the bands were, it was a great experience, and I am so thankful for this trip where I got to know Manu better. He's now one of my close friends in Sevilla, and the Lord is working greatly in his life.

Berlin!!! Seriously, I think it's one of my favorite places in Europe!! Can't wait to go back!

Very cool lock bridge in Cologne, Germany, although it does kinda make me want to vomit seeing all these people in love. Maybe one day...

Heidelberg, Germany, is probably one of the most beautiful German towns you can visit. Very typical German architecture with timber-framed homes and an enormous castle to the left side. I also couchsurfed with a really interesting girl named Cassie, and we had some great spiritual conversations and amazing falafel. Please PRAY for her!

{La Feria}

La Feria de Sevilla is a huge flamenco celebration here every April or May. There are hundreds of small tents called "casetas" decorated on the inside and outside to look like houses. Different families, businesses, and social clubs own casetas. Each day thousands of people, all dressed in traditional flamenco dresses and suits, go to the casetas to eat, drink, fellowship, and dance! There is a traditional dance called Sevillanas that I was fortunate enough to learn last year. It's a combination of four different parts with similar footwork and the same arm movements. It's very fun to do but also a bit complicated because you have to move your arms a lot while at the same time moving your feet and also spinning occasionally, but it's very beautiful to watch. During the Feria, there are also tons of rides and food and game stands like you would see at a fair in the US.

These are my sweet friends Miren and Elena who taught me how to dance Sevillanas. One day we went to the Feria and just danced for 2 hours straight.

All the streets along the Feria are lined with beautiful paper lanterns and all lit up at night along with huge, colorful light decorations.

The Feria originally started as a horse fair, so now to continue the tradition, there are lots of horses prancing along the streets and horse drawn carriages that you can ride in around the fair or even take from your home to the fair.

These are the casetas where people spend hours upon hours each day socializing, dancing, eating, drinking, and listening to typical flamenco music. Sometimes the casetas even have live bands. Most of the casetas in Sevilla are private, so to get in you have to know someone and have them invite you. There are a few public ones, but they are typically really big and really crowded.

Me in my Feria getup! Most girls wear huge flowers on the very top of their head in addition to enormous earrings. I'm not so showy, so I opted for smaller accessories. And I loved wearing the beautiful, long flamenco dress covered in ruffles (even though it was skin tight and a bit hard to breathe in at times). Oh and in my mouth, I am eating a snail. They are called "caracoles" and a very typical springtime Spanish dish. Just boiled snails still in the shells that are typically in a spicy soup. You just take it, bit the head, and suck it out of the shell. But beware not to suck the whole thing because of course after I did, a friend said, "No, Lauren, you can't eat all of it because the end part is it's poop!" Thanks. Good to know this after I've already eaten a handful.

Sweet friend Alejandra who also joined us to dance Sevillanas for 2 hours one afternoon.

Dancing = Love

My flamenco dress!! I love it AND got a super amazing discounted price too!! Sometimes people take out bank loans to buy these dresses and there are some incredibly extravagant ones that can cost up to 800 Euros!! It's definitely a competition to see who can have the best dress! And this is my friend Ana who invited me to go to her hometown with her to experience their Feria. Most of the towns and cities in the South of Spain have this festival, but it is not celebrated in the Central or North.

{Semana Santa}

Semana Santa is the week before Easter. It begins on Palm Sunday and goes until Easter Sunday. This week is one of the most celebrated and well-known in Spain, if not Europe. Thousands of visitors come to Sevilla this week to see the week-long processions of bands, Nazarenos (the men dressed in robes with pointy hats covering their faces), and statues of Jesus and Mary. It is a few thousand year old tradition that brings enormous amounts of passion, emotion, and religious dedication that is not typical here during the other 51 weeks in the year.

Many Sevillians feel a great pride for Catholicism this week one of the year and are very dedicated to going to the processions each day, participating in the processions, praying to the virgin Mary, and even mustering up tears and sadness. The processions begin Palm Sunday and go until Easter, with the most famous and popular beginning Thursday at midnight and going until Friday around 4 or 5am. Thousands of people crowd the narrow streets of Seville, standing in complete silence, to watch the processions pass. The statues are enormous and this night is one of Jesus being crucified on the cross. It's interesting how much importance they put on his death and how much sadness and tears are shown this day; however, on Easter Sunday, hardly anyone is in the streets celebrating the resurrection of Christ. The most important day in history is hardly even noticed by the city. Pray that the victory over sin and new life we have in Christ because of the Resurrection would be made a reality here during Semana Santa, and that people's eyes would be open to the true hope there is in the death and resurrection of Christ!

Above is one statue of Mary that is carried on the shoulders of about 40 men for hundreds of miles through the city.

These are the Nazarenos above who come from different churches throughout the city. They normally walk barefoot for miles carrying candles and banners of Christ. Each church has a procession that leaves from the church, goes around the city, then ends in the main Cathedral.

This is a statue of Jesus on the cross that is on it's way to the main Cathedral.

{Answered Prayers}

Sometimes it's really easy to forget how powerful prayer is. Often we may pray flippantly without truly believing in our hearts that the Lord will answer. Or we only pray small things and aren't willing to pray big, extraordinary prayers. Oh what little faith we have. I have. How easily we forget the power and greatness of our God. And His promises. But what great promises we have from the mouth of Christ in Mark 11:24 and John 14:13-14. "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Since being in Spain, I have seen a great need for prayer. It's an incredibly dark and spiritually dry place in need of the powerful work of the Spirit. I have seen a growth in my prayer life and a great desire to pray more for this country and the people around me. And I'm blessed to have people around me who have a great burden to pray for Spain as well. And God has answered! Prayers for boldness answered. Prayers for students to be interested answered. Prayers for hearts to be changed answered. Prayers for Christian community answered. What a great reminder that the Lord hears our prayers and answers.

So about a month ago, I was supposed to go to Morocco to renew my passport stamps as I've been present in Spain illegally without my visa. As many of you know, I've had many problems obtaining a visa, so every three months I leave the country then come back in. Well a few days before I was supposed to leave, the logistics coordinator for Spain called me and said there would be a change of plans. The company would be sending me back to the US to wait until my visa was ready! My heart sank quickly and my eyes filled with tears at the sound of these shocking words. I was devastated. On one hand it would be great to go home and see family and friends; however, I was extremely scared that my visa would never come, and I would not be able to return to Spain, a place I had come to love so much!

Later that night I proceeded to tell my roommate what had occurred, and immediately she said that we should pray for my visa (it's not like we hadn't been praying like crazy beforehand). So we sat down and prayed together. Literally like 10 seconds after we finished, my American cell phone rang and it was a lady from the Spanish consulate in Houston saying that my visa was ready and I could come pick it up any time!!!! Holy Smokes!!! This was so unbelievable and ridiculous!! Me and Lauren started screaming and jumping up and down in amazement at the incredible goodness and perfect timing of the Lord!

The next day, I flew to Texas to pick up my visa then on to Birmingham for a few days. It was such an encouraging week and a needed rest and time of renewal! The weeks before in Spain had been a bit frustrating and just plain hard ministry-wise. I felt like I was doing all this work for the Lord, but nothing was happening. I had forgotten that my purpose was just to be obedient and share the truth and love of Christ, and the changing lives part was up to God! My time with family, friends, and church was absolutely needed, and in the midst of this week God kept on with the miracles: a long-lost Christmas box was finally mailed to my house in Spain without having to pay any expensive fees AND my flight from Houston to Birmingham was moved up to an earlier time without having to pay anything!

The six months beforehand, I was continually wondering why God wasn't answering my prayers about the visa. I knew He was capable, but I just didn't understand why it wasn't happening when I thought it should. But God's plans were absolutely perfect because a trip to the US couldn't have come at a better time for me. And when I returned to Spain, I was rejuvenated and had a new fervor for constant, expectant prayer!

{I'm a Ginger}

So for the past forever, I've been wanting to dye my hair red. I'm not sure why, but for some reason I've always just loved red hair (I'm even typically attracted to guys with red hair. ha.). But anyways I've always been scared to dye mine permanently because my natural hair color is pretty, and I didn't want to mess it up. So, what to do?? Well, fortunately, the good Lord has blessed me with a precious Spanish friend here who has dyed her own hair before, and she used henna. Henna is a natural, organic hair and skin dye that highlights your natural hair color and washes out in a few months. PERFECT!! So the adventure began, and we went to buy some henna. Well the interesting thing is there are no pictures on the box, so you don't really know what color your hair will be. It just says for example, "if you have light brown hair then your hair will become bronze." Great. I love suprises!! Here we go.

First step: Put an entire bowl full of green mud in my hair! My head was so heavy, I thought it was going to fall off. Seriously it was like a bowling ball for a head. And I had to sit like this for 2 HOURS!! But at least it smelled like green tea and not chemicals!

Second step: Wash it all out (seriously took like 30 minutes!). Dry and style to see new look! And this was the result: Ariel from the Little Mermaid!! Seriously, my hair was bright orange and this picture totally does not do it justice. I was a little shocked at first and not quite in love with it because it was a lot different than I expected and wanted. But, fortunately, I got used to it after a few days and really started liking it.

With every wash, it fades a bit, and now it's at a color that I really like a lot. So this is me now, and it's definitely more muted than it was at the beginning. This first experience with hair dye was definitely a good one. And I think I will do it again very soon. Stay posted for future hair color updates!