Mannheim Monday

We ended All Hallow's Eve at the Holiday Inn Mannheim City Centre, after wandering a little between Worms and Mannheim.

We unintentionally toured a little bit of Frankenthal and Ludwigshafen am Rhein, before stumbling onto our hotel for the next two nights in Mannheim!


After checking in, we had dinner at Andechser (more on that later), then turned in for the night.

This morning (Monday) we left the hotel just before noon, and walked to Mannheim Palace, just a few blocks from the hotel.


This Baroque masterpiece, several blocks long, is now a museum, and the wings house parts of the University of Mannheim.


It was built in the early 18th century by Elector Karl Philippe (if I remember his name right).


Its marble hall is beautiful, with two grand fireplaces, elaborate chandeliers, and paintings and statues of its builder's illustrious ancestors.

From there we walked just a few blocks to the elaborate Gottesdeienstblatt Jesuitenkirche:


Another baroque masterpiece, this church's interior is bright and beautifully preserved.


Our last stop on our short walking tour of Mannheim was the Wassersturm (water tower), an icon of the Jugendstil, or German art nouveau style, surrounded by the beautiful Rosengarten.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Worms Cathedral

Students of church history will remember the city of Worms as the site of the trial of Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms. The lovely Robin and I managed to find our way to this awe-inspiring structure in the High Romanesque style today, Sunday, Oct. 31.


It's four towers and two domes--and soot-blackened walls from a 17th century fire--dominate the old city of Worms.



We entered to the incredible sounds of the pipe organ and choir, practicing for a Sunday evening concert in front of the Baroque high altar by Balthasar Neumann:


The thirty voices filled the cavernous cathedral with music, all the way to the altar at the opposite end of the church:


Along the north aisle are hung five amazing Late Gothic sandstone reliefs from the demolished Gothic cloister, like this one of the resurrection:


The cathedral's exterior and grounds are likewise worth seeing, from an ancient staircase to a cross in the gardens:





What a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon--and especially on All Hallow's Eve, with tomorrow being All Saints Day!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Last Day in Herborn on the Dill

We began today (Sunday) in Herborn. We checked out of the Schloss Hotel, loaded our luggage into the car, and walked the 10 minutes or so to the conference hall for the final session of the Jesus Im Fokus congress.


We were one last time led in worship by an outstanding worship band from one of the Brethren churches participating in the conference:


And I delivered my final message on the theme, "EDGES: Smoothing the Sharp Corners of Ministry," speaking on Elijah under the broomtree from 1 Kings 19.


I was helped immeasurably in this by the ministry of others, among whom were my new friends Daniel (left, below) and my peerless translator, Frieder:


After many fond farewells, we walked through Herborn one last time, got into the car, and said "auf wiedersehen" to Herborn.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Herborn, By Day, By Night

The lovely Robin and I are enjoying the charming German town of Herborn, by day and by night.


In the center of town is the Ratthaus, a town hall of sorts. The fountain is a replica of an earlier fountain given to the city by the prince, Christian. This fountain has been here since 1914.


And the town is lovely also at night. Though there is nowhere to buy M&Ms after 5 pm.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wilhemsturm, Dillenburg

This morning I had the joy of accompanying my host, Lothar, to the publishers who publish several of my books here in Germany. The publisher and staff gave me a tour of their offices and bookstore in Dillenburg. I was also honored to visit Lothar's home, drive by his church, and visit his office as well.


Along the way, Lothar pointed out the Wilhelmsturm, or Dillenburg Castle, built atop the peak now called the Schlossberg (castle hill) in the 1870s to honor William of Orange (William the Silent), who was born in a previous castle on this site in 1533. He was the military and political genius who, with his brother Maurice, led the revolt of the Netherlands against Spain and Philip II and became the focal point of Dutch unity. He was also the great-grandfather of William III, King of England who, with his wife Mary Stuart, ushered in an epoch of immense achievement in the UK.

Speaking in Herborn, Germany tonight

I begin today a three-day speaking engagement in Herborn, Germany (northwest of Frankfurt):

It will be such a privilege to speak to nearly 500 children's and youth workers and pastors from all over Germany. I'll be speaking on the theme, "EDGES: Smoothing the Sharp Corners of Ministry" from October 29-31.

I wouldn't mind a bit if you prayed for me!

Burg Eltz

We started today, our second day in Germany, with a light breakfast at a Herborn bakery on a cobbled street just around the corner from our hotel (and if that's not enough prepositions for you...).


Then we jumped into the rental car and headed off on an adventure! With the aid of a TomTom GPS device on loan from our kind host, we drove through the Hessian countryside, and through one picturesque burg after another: Hohn, Rothenbach, Oberahr, Niederahr, the city of Koblenz, and Ruber, the hometown of Albert Schweitzer. Our object, though, was Burg Eltz, and its famous Castle Eltz:


Castle Eltz is the 850-year-old fortress on the River Eltz, which has been home to the same family--the Lords and Counts of Eltz--for 33 generations. The family first erected a structure on this site nearly a thousand years ago.


Trutz-Eltz, a medieval siege tower on the site, was built by Archbishop Balduin of Luxembourg in the mid-14th century. Despite many wars in the region, Castle Eltz has survived intact. In the courtyard remain 700-year-old stone balls Balduin's men lobbed at the castle in the 1330's:


Far below the castle flows River Eltz, surrounded by beautiful forest and hills:


We took a guided tour (in German, though the guide fluently answered questions in English when we asked) through the eight-story Rubenach house (over time, three separate branches of the family built homes in the castle complex--the Rubenach, Rodendorf, and Kempenich families).


Today the castle is owned by Count Karl, who was actually present today, with some sort of film crew (he lives most of the time in Frankfurt, though there are private living quarters at the castle). He spoke very kindly to me and the lovely Robin in English (guess we stick out like sore thumbs) as we exited.

We weren't permitted to take photos on the tour, so the only room we could photograph was the Eltz family chapel:


It was a beautiful Fall day...and a man couldn't ask for more beautiful company.


Not quite two hours later, we returned to Herborn, dined in the Hohe Schul restaurant nearby (below) and returned to our room for the night, tired and grateful.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone