--- Midweek Meditations:thoughts, inspiration and encouragementfrom ACF community members --- Shortly after the events of 9-11 twenty-five years ago, my family moved to a small village in Lower Saxony. One of our first contacts with the locals was at a VFD Open House event only a few days later. I was asked whether i could... Continue Reading →

--- Midweek Meditations:thoughts, inspiration and encouragementfrom ACF community members --- I lost my glove.  I lost my cat.  I lost my job.  I lost all hope. I lost my best friend.  There is nothing positive, nothing pretty, about this word.  It’s not something we wish for.  Loss signifies vacuum, emptiness.  A state that we do... Continue Reading →

--- Midweek Meditations:thoughts, inspiration and encouragementfrom ACF community members --- “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” Psalm 118:24  Last week my religion course at school went to the convent in Sießen, spent time with the sisters, learned about Saint Francis of Assisi and his... Continue Reading →

--- Midweek Meditations:thoughts, inspiration and encouragementfrom ACF community members --- Over the past week or two, the internet (or, to be precise, ‘my’ social media bubble) has blown up over one particular person: Erling Haaland! He is a Norwegian football player, who has, together with his national team, made headlines at the current men's football... Continue Reading →

--- Midweek Meditations:thoughts, inspiration and encouragementfrom ACF community members --- During the period of the novitiate in Jesuit formation, every novice lives an experience of pilgrimage that emulates the journey of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder. The purpose of this experience is to place one’s trust in nothing and no one other than the good... Continue Reading →

--- Midweek Meditations:thoughts, inspiration and encouragementfrom ACF community members --- In the youth group at the Protestant church, we recently discussed a method for reading the Bible. It is designed for reading the Bible together, but you can also adapt it slightly to use on your own. It consists of the following steps: Invite: we... Continue Reading →

--- Midweek Meditations:thoughts, inspiration and encouragementfrom ACF community members --- I often struggle between responding to God's call for us to exercise faith – not only in our salvation but also in our personal and wider lives - while at the same time responding to His call for us to exercise prudence. Faith is trusting... Continue Reading →

--- Midweek Meditations:thoughts, inspiration and encouragementfrom ACF community members --- The Lord bless you and keep you;the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24–26) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts... Continue Reading →

--- Midweek Meditations:thoughts, inspiration and encouragementfrom ACF community members --- The laws of entropy/thermodynamics states that ‘as one goes forward in time, the degree of disorder of any isolated or closed system will always increase, or at least stay the same.’ More popularly expressed: left to itself, any closed system will deteriorate to a lower... Continue Reading →

--- Midweek Meditations:thoughts, inspiration and encouragementfrom ACF community members --- As many in our church family stepped away this weekend for a time of retreat and getaway, it feels fitting for us to reflect on the gift of rest, especially in a world that constantly urges us to move faster, do more, and stay busy.... Continue Reading →