Crazy Disciple

Crazy Disciple: The Mission to Paris

Welcome to CrazyDisciple.com!   If this is your first time here, you are definitely going to want to subscribe to my RSS feed.  My name is Scott, l'Apotre Fou or The CrazyDisciple, and this is the 'joint' where I lay it all out, and write about what's going on in this crazy world.  You will see a lot of writing about my time in Paris, the journey, the struggles, the battles, and the victories of trying to share a message of faith, hope and love with an entire country.  You will also find a lot of writing about being a believer in a modern world, and my personal efforts to make an impact.   I can't claim that everything I say on here is right, or even that smart, but I can assure you that it is always coming from a place of authenticity and a desire to find truth in my own journey with God.   I encourage you to come along and enjoy the spectacle...   heck, even participate, comment, and chime in.  Your voice is important here. So, have a look around and come back often!  Comment, read, discuss, and most of all... enjoy!   -Scott

Third Day - Born Again

The words "Born Again" almost have escaped the negative connotation that they held for so many years in my life.   Still, just typing that as a title to this post makes me cringe a bit.  If you've been a Christian all of your life, you may not understand.  For those of you who haven't been, or maybe even aren't now, I bet you get my meaning.   Anyway, I have been walking around Paris over the last few days listening to the new Third Day album.   It's kind of a funny paradox, enjoying a solid country/southern rock/gospel sound while walking through Paris.  Amazingly, that soundtrack does indeed change the scenery. 

So, the album is really quite good.  I have enjoyed it immensely, but the one song that just grabs me over and over again (it's on repeat as I write this) is "Born Again." Heck, it could be the #1 song on Christian and Secular radio, and I would never know, as I am cut off from that world now.  But assuming it isnt...  and maybe you havent heard it yet...   then check out these lyrics.   And even better, track the song down and hear it.   It's just a very powerful song that seems to encompass how I feel right now, walking through the streets of Paris, reaching for the life God is creating for me. 

Born Again - Third Day

Today I found myself
After searching all these years
And the man that I saw, he wasn't at all who I thought he'd be
I was lost when you found me here
And I was broken beyond repair
Then you came along and you sang your song over me

It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
In my life

Make a promise to me now
Reassure my heart somehow
That the love that I feel is so much more real than anything
I've a feeling in my soul
And I pray that I'm not wrong
That the life I have now, it is only the beginning

It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
It feels like I'm breathing
It feels like I'm moving
For the very first time
For the very first time
 
<bridge>
I wasn't looking for something that was more
Than what I had yesterday
Then you came to me and you gave to me
Life and a love that I've never known
That I've never felt before

It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
I'm living for the first time
It feels like I'm breathing
It feels like I'm moving
For the very first time
I'm living for the first time
In my life

Back to School

My French is embarrassingly bad, there I said it.  It has been one of the most intriguing studies into myself to determine why this is such an issue for me.   I usually pick up things so quickly, and in most situations a little effort goes a LONG way.  This has not been the case for me with speaking French.  

To most people back home, it would seem that I know a fair amount of French and can speak it fairly well, unless of course you know French.   Then you would see that while I can form sentences, they are not at all complex, and I stumble over them like a 2 year old with two left feet.   It's honestly very embarrassing for me. 

So, what am I doing about it you ask...  tomorrow I am going back to school.   I have enrolled in a moderately intensive French program that meets for two hours each day, five days per week.   These courses will last for twelve weeks, and it will be interesting to see where I am at the end of that time.   I have been warned that the first few days of this school will be exhausting, and completely intimidating as there will not be a single word of any language spoken but French.  It's sink or swim...   and dangit, I'm ready to quit doggy paddling. 

I was given a test to determine where in the program I would fit, and unfortunately, even after studying intensely for five months in both private lessons and TCC courses, I still was placed in a beginner level course.   Wow, that hurt.   That kicked me square in the middle of my pride.  My only recourse is to talk about it here, publicly and somehow take the bite out of the angst.

So if you think of it, and if you're up...   around 7am central time tomorrow will be my first class.   I can almost guarantee that I will be nervous and a little intimidated, so any prayer you could send my way would be a blessing. 

Here we come!

We hit nuit blanche by storm tonight...   In all honesty, I don't know that we did it right, because it seemed like we missed all the exhibitions.   None the less, it was just awesome hanging out in a group and acting silly.   And of course, you know that I *had* to shoot a lot of photos.   However, the French, and my friends here at C3 aren't quite used to having their pictures taken so much.  One of us will adjust...   Here are just a couple, obviously one I didnt take :-p

A taste of Home

I am sitting at Starbucks, yes Starbucks! There are actually several
here, but I am killing some time waiting to meet a new friend for
lunch and I decided to step in for a cup of joe. The unintended treat
or consequence was that inside, the smell of Starbucks smelled like
home... Nice! It's those little moments that really rock my day.

Apartment Hunting and just Living

I know that the blog has been a little quiet this week, it's just been a week of working to get further established here in Paris.  I have called on and answered ads for a few hundred apartments and rooms for rent.   Out of those few hundred attempts at contact, I have seen around five apartments.  Of those five apartments, only TWO have been acceptable enough to consider.   Wow, this is really a lit harder than expected.   I had no idea that when an ad was put up that there would instantly be hundreds of people answering it.   Consequently, I have been learning to play the game a bit, and get your ad response noticed.   It all feels strangely like Internet dating used to feel...  YUCK!

Also this week, I have signed up for and enrolled in 120 hours of French instruction that will last over the next 12 weeks.   For you math wizards, that is 10 hours per week, 2 hours per weekday.   I'm pretty excited to start on Monday, and from what i hear, it is EXHAUSTING.   We'll see...   nothing can be much worse than where I am at.   Well, I could be completely ignorant of French like I was six months ago... oh dear, I would be dead.  

So anyway, this week was a come back down to reality week for me a bit.   There has been a lot of "what have I done" moments and even a few "how do I get home" moments, but in the midst of them all is a general feeling of being exactly where I am supposed to be.   The fingerprints of God are all over the interactions and discussions I am having with people, the favor of God seems to be shining in everything I am attempting, and the people God is aligning me with are like old friends...   already!   I am very very thankful.

So, tomorrow we have church...  and guess who is doing the offering?   Yep, you guessed it....  MOI.   So I have some praying to do, especially considering that i have no idea how the French perceive offering and tithing, and giving in general.   So I guess I just get to throw it down GOD STYLE.   I feel honored to be given the privilege.

Last but not least...  tonight is Nuit Blanche.   It is a big festival that takes place all night, over all of Paris.   I don't know much more than that, other than that it is supposed to be REALLY cool.   So expect pictures and narratives and all sorts of fun stuff.  

BLESSINGS! 

Just some cool shots

I needed this

Man, I was praying last night for a little encouragement, a breakthrough on at least one of the fronts I feel like I am banging my head against.   This morning it came, my Navigo pass, which I have been waiting for FOREVER (about 10 days,) finally arrived.  This means that I no longer have to shell out large amounts of money traveling around Paris like a tourist.  This is a VICTORY!  So now I need to go charge this thing up and travel around the city showing it off...   well, maybe I wont do that, but I do think I will have to celebrate by going through as many NaviGo stations as I can.   In case you are wondering what makes this thing so cool, let me explain:   Not only is it a monthly, one fee pass for traveling all over Paris, but it also can just be passed over a turnstile as you go through the gates, as opposed to running a ticket through, which can be a real hassle. 

Two weeks

Hard to believe it, but two weeks have already passed.   It was two weeks ago, nearly to the hour that I arrived in Paris.   In that time, so much has happened, but there is still so much that needs to happen.   None the less, the start feels promising and "right." 

As I write about the adventure here, It's a challenge to know what to share, as so much of this journey (thus far) has been about me finding a footing here in Paris.   Meeting new people, establishing relationships, and finding the places in which I can have the most impact have at the top of my priority list.  Along with those primary tasks have been the mundane tasks of learning how to survive in a different culture.   Discovering how the grocery store works, determining which foods to buy there (it is a daunting task when nothing is familiar...   believe it or not.)   Determining how long it takes to get from one place to the other, and which methods work the best to get there .  I have even had the joy of figuring out where to buy a hair dryer, rubbing alcohol, and toilet paper.   Unlike the United states, you cannot buy all three in the same place, not even two out of three....    seriously.   Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING is different.  It's quite a journey just to learn how to be.

So now those two weeks are over, and I have learned a lot of those things.   Man, that is HELPFUL.  I twittered the other night that I was feeling the first suggestions of "home" as I lay on this cozy Ikea couch in Pastor Mark's apartment.   The vendors on the street are starting to recognize me now, and are helping me speak French by being patient and letting me struggle through the words as we try to communicate.   The Turks in the sandwich shop downstairs remember my order, and teach me a new piece of saying it correctly every time I walk in.   And even the homeless people are looking familiar to me...  I do need to say "bonjour" to them more. 

The culture that is Paris is also unfolding for me a bit, as I am finding the Parisians in the cubby holes and neighborhoods that they love.  I asked François and Geraldine the other night, "Where is the *real* Paris?"  Both seemed to agree that it was on the metro, amongst the emotionless faces all staring forward.   But it seems that the Parisians are also reaching for something in this city, reaching for a beauty and experience that supercedes the normal.   The metro definitely in NOT that, but that is the arterial veins of this organism...  If that is true, then the people are it's blood.  

I must also mention that C3Paris has quickly become my church, in the two weeks since I have been here.  I thought it would be harder to transfer that feeling of "home church" but it seemed to happen supernaturally.  The best feeling is to get off of a plane, in another country, barely speak the language, but still be able to walk into a church and instantly connect with a body of believers.   Even more than that, it is a miracle to not only connect, but instantly find a way to contribute and serve within that church.   Sure I had that groundwork laid out for me, as this was my overall objective and reason to come, but it still feels nice...   and I am still quite thankful for the opportunity to serve.   Wow, I still cannot believe this is real.

A great Sunday

It's crazy around here on Sundays, and it hasn't fully slowed down
yet. It was a fantastic service this morning, and then an amazing day
with Pastor Mark. We had dinner this evening with Francois and
Geraldine, actually just got back from there... Great people, great
leaders.

So anyway, I wanted to make sure and update you a little. I am about
to expose pastor Mark to "the office" for his first time... It should
be fun.

My View Tonight

I am sitting at my computer, writing some notes about this week, and I was suddenly struck by this view.   I still just cannot believe I am here.  It's almost been two weeks...     Wow it has gone by so fast.     Anyway, this is what I see, as evening approaches in Paris, and I am writing to you.