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In 1415, John Hus- a Czech religious thinker, philosopher, and master at the University of Prague in Bohemia- having been brought before the Council of Constance, was tried on the matter of heresy, convicted and subsequently burned at the stake. Four years before, Hus had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church on the basis of insubordination. Hus’ supposed “crimes” are more detailed than can be fully explained here. However, his main “offenses” centered on his public condemnation of what he saw as unscriptural teachings and egregious corruption of authority and power in the Church and on his refusal to comply with orders of the Pope.

Hus was born a peasant but proved to be a scholar. He advanced in training, became a preacher in Prague’s Bethlehem Chapel and later chaplain to the king and president of the University of Prague. In his preaching, Hus followed in the example of John Wycliffe- an English theologian who championed having the Bible written and preached in the native languages of the people and not in some distant tongue, unintelligible to the common layperson. Wycliffe, Hus and later Martin Luther in Germany wanted to bring God’s Holy Scriptures back to the forefront of the teachings and practices of the Church. They believed God’s Word was something for all of mankind to be able to read and hear- for each person to have the opportunity to try to understand it with their own eyes and ears and to reason using their own mind, thus ensuring the “priesthood of all believers” and better preventing political abuse of Biblical authority.

Today, there are more than 2,200 languages in which you find the Bible translated and many more in which it is preached. We can thank such persons as Wycliffe, Hus and Luther for their significant contributions toward this accomplishment.

With the Bible now available in so many of the tongues of mankind, we might begin to ask, “What is there for us to do next in order to share the Scriptures?” Answer: Share the Scriptures in a way so that they can be understood. Share the Scriptures in a way that is alive. Share the Scriptures in a way that communicates the Divine through the human.

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

We have the Scriptures in many words, in many tongues. Let us now share the Scriptures in the example of Christ, who in a form like ours encouraged, inspired, forgave, taught and served- doing all these things and more “in the flesh” with actions that go beyond mere words!

Joshua

I don’t write on my personal blog very often anymore, but I’ve just added some reflections on art and the church and would appreciate it if you’d surf over there to read them.

Thanks and many blessings, Mitch

Since the beginning of March, transportation engineers and construction workers have been making a mess of a main street that runs through the heart of our beautiful city. For us new residents who pride ourselves on the splendor of this eye-catching place, we can’t sometimes help but look upon this as anything other than a treacherous act against the magnificence that we call “home.” No cobblestone has been left unturned in the apparent quest to find and repair old, rusted pipelines that run just under Denisova / Pekařská street. What was once a peaceful route for us to take in our walk or ride to school has become a hard-hat, orange-vest, hazard-zone of an area. The only vehicles you’ll find here are backhoes, dump trucks, and bulldozers. Pedestrians have been pushed to the margins of the street and left on their own to navigate through the chaotic maze of footpaths created by the frequent rearranging of temporary fencing. There is little room to walk- three to five feet wide at spots- but there are just as many people.

Talk about eyesore! Talk about inconvenience!

However, just a few weeks ago I came across some interesting news. If I understand some of the Czech correctly, I read that as part of the street project the engineers either have to also excavate the area for reason of pre-confirmed, archaeological artifacts, or that in their planned street-digging the engineers unearthed some artifacts and are now working to secure the newfound treasure cache.

This news got me thinking. Our team has been here for a short time, but in that span we’ve realized even more as to how essential it is to have a strong spiritual foundation- whether as a person, family, team or church. We’ve tried to keep this realization at the forefront, and doing so has lead us to look intently at our beliefs and practices for the point of clarifying, verifying and giving new life and breath to the areas which needed a more resilient and refreshed groundwork. In our quest, we’ve tried to “leave no cobblestone unturned” and to “find and repair” areas in our lives that need rebuilding. We’ve also “unearthed some old treasures” and made them “to shine again as new.” In all of this, we’ve seen the necessity to rebuild using the finest tools and to do so one-step-at-a-time. We pray the final project will be one that is more solid and beautiful than ever before. It may seem for a time to be an eyesore or an inconvenience, but it shouldn’t be.

“There is a time to tear down and a time to build.” There are better treasures to be found with digging!

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103

As spring is in full bloom around us, and as we are constantly reminded by God’s beautiful creation that He can make all things new again, I have found myself reading and thinking over the praises to God written in the Psalms. I try to be thankful every day for my life, for the gorgeous landscape around me, and for another day to love others around me in a manner pleasing to God. God has blessed us with relationships that are growing here in the Czech Republic and I am thankful for these kind people and their desire to know me as a friend and invite me in to their lives. I ask that you keep these relationships in your prayers. The springtime around me is constantly drawing my thoughts towards things that are beautiful and blooming and new. Our relationships that are beginning here can be described in the same way. I look forward with great excitement and anticipation as to what God has planned for us here and for the people around us. I am thankful I get to be a part of His plan for the people of Olomouc. I want to praise Him every day for this life He has given us and for His unfailing love and compassion.

“May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works – He who looks at the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the Lord.” Psalm 104

Sarah B.

I wish that we could say that a whole lot has changed here over the past few weeks but, alas, the language train keeps rattling down the tracks and life continues to move along as normal. But that’s not altogether a bad thing, because we really do appreciate the quieter moments in between, when we don’t have to feel guilty for strolling through the park, for walking around taking pictures, or catching up on a good book. We all need those times in between, those moments of mortar between all the bricks of responsibility and duty and productivity. I think they just make us feel more human. And this is evident all around us. The sidewalks have become busier and the paces slower, more young families and couples have taken to the grassy areas of the park, and everywhere nature seems to be flexing its stiffened limbs as birds, trees, and sunlight all boast their intrinsic beauties. As the temperature creeps higher with each passing day, the newness around us is unmistakeable, and we are grateful to be a part of it, for this new energy comes as more than shaking out the physiological cobwebs. It’s a newness of the spirit, a newness of the heart, by which all things become possible. With the world around us snapping back into focus, things seem to be regaining their clarity and offering more vibrant expressions of hope and purpose.

The Kingdom is unfolding everywhere around us as mouths, trees, and the very rocks cry out in harmony to a God of sustenance and renewal. In each new friend we make we find but one more example of our acceptance here, which in turn testifies to a God of willful community, and as we continue to call this place home we find that our citizenship to the Kingdom takes on many more hues than once thought. We serve a God of revelation, of mystery, and of intimate nearness, with every new day challenging us to step outside of ourselves and see a God at tireless work all around us. May we transcend our often short-sighted views of God in order to embrace a Creation being brought back into relationship with its Creator. May we find our places in this grand work called Salvation.

Graham

Something has become apparent to all of us since we arrived a few short months ago, and it’s not something that we were prepared for. What I am alluding to is that our perception of Czechs, here in Olomouc anyway, was skewed.

This is partly our fault. Our initial perceptions stemmed mainly from our, and other’s, view of Czechs living in Prague. This was what we had to go with. But we have come to realize that Prague paints a much different picture than what we have experienced here in Olomouc. Prague is a cultural melting pot - a fast-paced, high density international hub of business and tourism vastly different than our city we now call home. And this difference influences how people react to others. It’s understandable that Prague is the way it is. But Olomouc is not Prague. Olomouc is influenced by far fewer external variables.

Because of this, and the fact that Olomouc is located in what has traditionally been the friendlier part of the country, the general populace we have encountered here have been exceedingly pleasant, patient, and helpful beyond what we envisioned. This is something to be thankful for!

Here are just some examples that have drastically changed our perception:

• Graham and Mitch’s landlord going out of his way to make sure they get the right shower - driving them all over the city.
• A neighbor that has already invited us up four times to just chat in Czech - or more less just fumble over Czech words, laugh at each other, and sit in awkward silence.
• An extremely friendly Pizza Shop worker who is always patient to help with grammatical blunders, or to just cast an incredibly infectious good mood with her wonderful personality.
• The man we saw helping a lady pick up her belongings that had fallen everywhere out of her bag. And he did it with such care and love.
• Our landlord has already had us over for dinner in her house with her family, and has implied that we will get together soon to go bowling.
• The young boy that helped a blind man get off of the tram and asked him if he needed any more help.
• Our teachers who continually exude the highest level of patience and professionalism despite our lack of both.
• Christie’s landlord routinely checking up on her to make sure everything is okay and if there is anything he can help out with.
• Josh and Sarah’s neighbor who allowed them to borrow his ladder with utmost generosity.
• The warm smile the elderly lady gave the young girl when the girl gave up her seat on the tram.
• A new friend who continually takes time out of his week to share his feelings and perceptions on the Czech Republic, life, and this world we call home.

And I could go on…

This brings hope! It’s like the feel of warm sunlight when all you expected for the day was clouds. It’s a springboard for discussions - about Truth already visible here, about living out the Kingdom of God, and about the community of love that God desires us to be.

And, this is the kind of stuff that drives us - knowing that these examples are Godly, and how He intended us to live out our life here in this world. May we continually experience God already here, and know that He is working ahead of us. May we have the courage to be lights that radiate the Kingdom of God. May we not only share with the citizens here the truth that He has shown us and His desire for all to be in a relationship with Him , but also engage in making this life the place that God intended it to be - much like the examples mentioned above.

May our perceptions about this city continually change for the positive. May it continually be more Godly.