delphi is found in greece, about 3 hours away from athens. it was there where the most famous oracle was located. it was the most famous oracle because the oracle located there was the only one to get a prediction correct out of all the other oracles. oracles where used often back then and delphi was the most visited oracle of the day because of it’s reputation. the day oracles stopped being used was the day jesus christ was conceived in marry. history says that there was a vision of a young jewish boy that told the oracles to keep silent. an interesting piece of history there. besides being very popular because of the oracles, delphi was also known as the center of greece. delphi was my favorite place we visited in greece. it was there were something worth questioning and studying happened. something possibly spiritual. when i was at delphi i was thinking of how spiritually minded people use to be back then. even though some of their ideas were a little out there i find it hard to believe that their similar experiences were a coincidence. i found that by learning about more and more different history a realisation of a spiritual world becomes more real.

ephesus, a place paul preached and taught for 3 years, found in turkey. our visit here was a cold windy day that left the ruens with a more defined outline. there we saw the public toilets, the temple of the vestal virgins, the famous library of celsus, the temple of diana of the ephesians, and the theater where the ephesians dragged the apostles and almost caused a riot. having been to these places that i’ve read and heard about since i was a child has helped leave me with a greater sence of appriciation for what really happened at these places in history. you see public toilets is something we have today, and theaters are something that we enjoy today as well. things that we use every day were also used every day almost 2 thousand years ago. not to mention the biblical history with this place. was life really that different back then? i mean with thoughts and people’s struggles. was life something some one hated or was so confused about like there are those today. seeing these places is almost not good enough for me, because one can not really see a place untill they see how a place lived. i found myself pretending what it would be like in ancient ephesus, but something that also occured to me was that maybe the place i live today will be the same way in 2 thousand years. a place of just memory. but of course there are those cities like rome and rhodes that have for the most part withstood the test of time. what city will your life be? will you go on living after death, like rome went on living after technology came about, or will you die and be a place where no life is anymore? where will you set your treasures? will your tresures be set on things that vanish away or will they be set where they will be seen again?

mars hill, the place where paul stood up to the philosophers of his day and told them the truth in the line of sight of what they all stood so strongly for, the parthenon and what it stood for. paul had so much faith in what he believed in that he could stand on mars hill and prove why his God was the only true one to those of great intellect. mars hill was known to be the place where the greek gods held meetings and such, and paul marched up there to tell others that it was a lie. when i look at myself and paul, i understand two things: i need more faith in what i believe in and i need more knowledge behind what i already know. your life will be a waist if you can’t explain to others why you lead the life you lead. questions need answered and with out knowledge we are no better than the man that believes a lie. so when i think of my experience at mars hill i think of faith and the ability to stand up for what you believe in.

Aderation of the mystic lamb was a painting that was famous and unique for it’s opening and closing. a cathederale in gent, belgium was the home of this famous piece. this piece of art was so treasured by the church and others that it was stolen like 3 or 4 times, but then returned to it’s home in gent. there was even a man who stole some of the panels and held them for ransom but died before he gave them back. so somewhere out there, there are the missing panels for this piece. i didn’t see the real one but i did see the enlarged copy along with the actual size copy. seeing this piece of art has made me really start thinking about the significance of timing. timing is everything! because of the timing this unique, and thats all it was, painting became famous, and the man who painted it will forever be taught about. because of bad timing there are pieces of his work still missing. the thief’s death was bad timing! timing is also so important at that first kiss, a comical build up, or the ability to make some one express their excitment without being able to hold it back. timing is everything.

the trojan horse is a famous greek story about an army hiding in a massive wooden horse and jumping out of it onece they found them inside the gates of their enimy. they breeched the walls because the people of the city saw what happened to the trojan that told them not to except the gift. he got eatin by a sea monster and because of that they took the horse. that was their down fall. beware of greeks baring gift. if only they would have listened.

mostrich, which is in the netherlands, was home to hellsgates. it was the gates that entered into netherlands back when arrows were artillery. i find the name of these gates interesting. hells gates. was it because of amsterdam were was it to inspire fear into those that came to it. the grows that must be made for others to respect you makes me smile. we really live in a superfitial world. the strongest will survive and if you look stronger than you are than maybe others won’t mess with you. sy… always watching our backs. when do you let worry go? do we ever let worry go? can we trust anyone but ourselves really? put not your confidence in man for he will let you down every time, but put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

brugg, the place to be in belgium. a very nice city. the home to a famous statue of a peeing baby and waffles. we went to the famous brugg square where where all the markets and trading use to happen so long ago. brugg also had many canals that added to the beauty. we danced with a group of old locals as we listened to a mid evil tune. i was dancing at one point with this very intense older lady that swung me around like i was her baby doll. she gazed into my eyes the while time we were dancing with a intense glare that gave me goose bumps. i really didn’t know how to react to this awkward situation that i was in so i ust played along. i gazed intensely back into her eyes as i tried not to laugh. having this expeariance with these old people in this old city i realized that time doesn’t even stop for a major city or an intense lady. time is short.

proha is the most well preserved city in the cheque republic. we got there fri. night and walked around for about an hour or so. at 1 and 2 am. the streets were alive with emotion and people. there was music on every street, along with young men trying to sell drugs. along with this music and the drug dealers, there were also very many cops. there were a group of about 10 cops every 25 to 30 yards. this was the closest i’ve been to culture shock since i’ve been in europe. even the currency was very different. after experiencing the night life and sleeping in the train station we awoke to see the sun rise on the famous bridge of proha. well we made it for the sunrise and i loved it. it was a great experience. ya it was a sunrise just like all the rest, but the roots were somewhere different. isn’t that so true in our perspective of life. it’s where we are in life that makes something more beautiful or less beautiful. are we one of those people that could always be somewhere better, or are we those people that everywhere we are is where we want to be. 

the rhine river was located in germany. we rode in a boat that had a platform on the top of it where we could see the grape vineyards scaling the steep hillside, and the many castles that were built along the river. there was so much to take in that day because of how many castles we actually saw. the sky was grey that day, and it started sprinkling for a little while. i thought that the wheather was perfect for the things we were seeing. for some reason when i think of castles, it is always is under a grey sad sky. it is funny the relations people make in their memory about a certain thing.i wander if some one could take a relation as simple as that and find a trueth out about somebody? i mean there are reasons we look at things the way we do, and though many have a different way of looking at things, there are also many that see things the same way. Maybe there’s not a deeper meaning at all. but what if there is? is there knowledge to be learned behind the reason i think castles should be under a dreary sky? Ha mabey that’s extreme, but i wander if there could be a formula to figure out the human brain. just a thought. 

the louve is home to many of the most famous paintings and sculptures in the world. there are so many priceless things in there that it is impossible to take in and appriciate all that art in one day. the art you see does make an impression. what is art to man kind that can spark such emotion and appriciation threw looking at something. maybe it sparks encouragement or even inspiration, but i’ve noticed something. after the sparks, there it sets in the dark. it inspires us to what? self enlightenment, or fond memories? all things that are needed i geuss, but if art, something that is just there, can inspire so many. think of how man kind can inspire others with there actions in their life. the greatest art of the world, others. i’ve been thinking, have i inspired others to self enlightenment or do i inspire people to disgust. is my life a masterpiece or something someone looks at and goes, ” i could do that.” there’s beauty and ugly in art. but although there is ugly and beauty there is always something great behind that ugly or beauty. there is an artist. this is true to our lives as well. there is an artist in your life. is that artist beautiful or ugly. i guess it’s how you perceive beauty and ugly, or is it. is there something else greater than you that decides beauty and ugly, and lets you choose it or not.