I did something that I never thought that I’d do. I planned a trip to a foreign country alone. This trip is to Budapest. Having visited nearby Prague in the past I had always wanted to go to Budapest. So I happen to find cheap airfare on the internet and booked my trip. All of my planning has been through Rick Steves’ books.
I flew from Nashville to Newark. Once I got to Newark I changed terminals and therefore had to go through security again. The Newark Airport Authority should make it to where if you go through security once you shouldn’t have to go through again. Having spent an extra several minutes going through security and getting lunch I just had enough time to make it on board my plane to Dusseldorf. At my terminal there seemed to be more non Americans than Americans. And why is it that European seem to dress so much different than Americans? For example I saw some Russian guys wearing a football jersey from the Pittsburgh Steelers, tight camouflage pants and Adidas shoes with fluorescent orange writing on them. Honestly the guy looked ridiculous but he must of thought he was hot stuff. Also I’ve noticed that anytime you see Tommy Hilfiger it’s always the European wearing it. Tommy Hilfiger went out of style in America in the early 2000s.
Throughout my whole flight going from Newark to Dusseldorf I was worried about my 45 minute layover in Dusseldorf to my connecting flight to Budapest. Honestly I wasn’t sure if I would be able to wait for everyone to deboard the plane (I was in the very last row), clear customs, find my gate, get my boarding pass in time to board the plane to Budapest. However I am pleased to say that I did make it with extra time to spare. I later found out there were several people on my flight to Dusseldorf you are also going to Budapest. Those Russian guys who were dressed strangely we’re on there. Also I met a nice couple from California who are spending a few days in Budapest and then going out on a Danube river cruise.
I had trouble finding the ATM but eventually I found it and withdrew some Hungarian currency. Hungarian currency comes in denominations much higher than US dollars or Euros therefore it’s kind of hard to do the math in your head when calculating charges. I am mostly using my credit card and keeping track of the receipts.
I boarded the 200E bus to the next subway stop. it seems to take longer than usual as I think there was a lot of traffic on the Hungarian interstate. What made it a little bit more difficult was I was standing the entire time. Budapest is notorious for not having a subway line all the way to the airport. And I get the feeling that they’re not going to build one anytime soon.
I got lost going to my hotel and started walking down the wrong street. I asked the lady in a bakery if she spoke in English and she said no. Eventually I found my way to the hotel. The young man at the front desk was thorough in his explanation of how things work. If you plan on leaving the hotel you actually give them your room key. You have an outside key to get in but I’ve later found out that that he really doesn’t do anything on the outside door unless I’m using it wrong. [Editor’s note: It was actually a plastic piece on the key ring itself that unlocked the outside door] The hotel is nice. The room is small but big enough for me. Although I wish we had more English channels. Right now only get CNBC in English and the rest are all dubbed in Hungarian. Currently I’m watching a show about rednecks on the Discovery Channel dubbed in Hungarian. I’m afraid that television watchers in Budapest might get the wrong impression about a typical American by watching the show. Right now they’re making references to Smokey and the Bandit which I’m not even sure was popular in Hungary.
After getting settled in my hotel room I decided to get my bearings straight on how the town was set up. I got lost a few times but I’m no worse for the wear. I found my way to Heroes Square which is a Square with statues of Hungary’s original founders and those who played a pivotal role in Hungary’s history. It is like Moscow’s Red Square or something of that nature. I got up my GoPro to make some videos and I’m not even sure how they turned out. I guess I’ll find out whenever I get home. Afterwards I went to the equivalent of Budapest’s Central Park. They have a miniature reproduction of a castle and church with in the park. Also I found a bust of Winston Churchill and a full statue of George Washington. Europe’s second oldest zoo is near the park.
I stopped by one of the baths but I did not go in as I would have had to pay to get in to actually see the outdoor swimming pool. I also saw the memorial to the 1956 Hungarian Uprising against the Soviets. Within this memorial for vertical metal pillars in brown. Off to the side there is also a political display of art which I’m not sure what it represented because all of the writing was in Hungarian.
I had heard that the Opera House gave tours at 4 p.m. in English so I headed toward the Opera House. As it turned out since the new season in the Opera House had started they were not holding a 4 p.m. tour today. Instead I bought a ticket for tomorrow store at 2 p.m. I figured this would be the best because it could go ahead and let me get the tour over with and move on to other things. I decided to go to the Memento Park which is basically a part of old Communist era statues. I had heard there weren’t very many statues of Stalin because he was so hated and they destroyed all of the statues at some point after his death. I enjoyed taking pictures of these communist relics and hope they turned out.
For my meals today I decided to stick to American favorites I had subway for lunch and KFC for dinner. Although people make fun of me for sticking to American foods while I’m overseas I feel as though this is my vacation and I should be able to eat whatever I enjoy eating without having to worry about whether or not I like the food. Also like the fact that their drinks are out to where you can refill them as much as you want which is a European anomaly.
I’m slowly finding my way around the Budapest transportation system. I’ve gotten lost a few times but I’ve always been able to find my way back.
For tomorrow I’ll be touring the Hungarian Parliament at 9:45 a.m. also as mentioned before I have a tour of the Hungarian Opera House at 2 p.m. there is a museum called the House of Terror which documents the atrocities committed by Nazis and the Communists during Hungary’s history of last century. I will try to tour the House of Terror tomorrow as well.
The weather forecast is calling for 100% chance of rain tomorrow with localised flooding. So I decided for all indoor activities tomorrow.
Right now I’m pretty tired because it seems as though I’ve been up for several hours without much sleep. I’m planning on going to bed early in order to try and let my body adjust to the jet lag.
What about Jesus?
Let me summarize the above video.
“What about Jesus?”
-Oprah
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
-Jesus, John 14:6
When someone states they believe in different paths to God, I feel very uncomfortable. I feel like I should stand up to them without shifting in my seat and acknowledging their statement. My acknowledgement of their statement does not put a rubber stamp of agreement with what they said.
Anytime someone makes the statement there are many paths to God, then they make Jesus a liar. Jesus is the ONLY way.
Snow Days for Churches
Before I begin this blog entry, let me remind you that here in the south, county officials do not de-ice the roads. They do not budget such hit and miss weather predictions which may or may not be used each season. Therefore we kinda are gambling each year whether or not we have snowy weather and if the county budget covers for just a little sand and salt on the roads.
While growing up it seemed like we had more and bigger snows throughout the winter. And consequentially enough some of these snow days happened on a Sunday providing with some conflicts with church services. I can remember going on snow covered roads from our rural Lakeview home to Sunday morning service in the heart of Mt. Juliet. Only a few hardy souls were there and the worship service was abbreviated and no Sunday school class.
Were we foolish to risk a fender bender and physical harm in order to worship our Lord? Depends on who you ask. After all Abraham traveled three days to sacrifice Isaac to Moriah (Genesis 22:4). Many Christians out west travel all day to attend worship services as churches are sparse. Shouldn’t we be willing to put some effort into worshipping our Lord with fellow Christians on the first day of the week? After all it is the most important act we do from week to week.
At times I believe we are too quick to cancel worship and watch a rerun of a past recorded worship service. And it seems that the secondary worship services are less attended due to the opportunity to watch online even when weather is good.
At times there was always something different among churches of Christ in that we have a tendency not to cancel worship services no matter what. I can remember a few years ago when Christmas feel on a Sunday. Ironically other churches cancelled their Sunday morning worship services opting to encourage parishioners to spend time at home with families. This was surprising because other churches see Christmas as a holy day equating to Jesus’s birth date. By contrast most churches of Christ did not cancel worship services and kept their own schedule as it is throughout the year.
So I’m conflicted in the risk of human safety vs. worshipping our Lord weekly regardless of the weather. I guess it is something each individual and each church eldership will have to decide each winter.
The Goodwill Bible
As I looked for my obligatory Cold War era globe at the Mt. Juliet Goodwill, I found myself in the inspirational section in the corner of the store. I spied a handful of Bibles.
Curiously I went through them seeing if I recognized the names or churches mention in them. I found this one
This Bible Belongs to Bryson
Given by Great Grandma Puckett
Date 12-8-14
Occasion: Love and Best wishes hop you will like to read & study your Bible. Be true to God, Christ, The Holy Spirit and The church.
Love Always
Great Grandma Puckett
Doing the math in my head I have surmised that this gift did not last over two months before being given to Goodwill. I wonder why it was given so quickly. A (young) great-grandson may not be privy to Goodwill, so I am guessing it might be a parent (possibly non religious or agnostic) who might have given away the Bible so quickly after the holidays. An unsuspecting Great Grandma Puckett is woefully unaware that her opportunity to impart her faith on future generations was squashed with a post holiday donation to the local Goodwill.
TV
It’s that warm nightly glow that inhabits our living rooms and bedrooms since our early years. I, like the rest of American of my generation, grew up with that television in the background. It was there during those historic moments. I can remember watching Reagan’s assassination attempt, the Gulf War and September 11th on television in my home throughout the years.
We had a cabinet Zenith which was a pain to move when it was time to get it repaired. (Funny thing about the concept of tv repair. In today’s day and age we just trash the TV and get a new one. We are thoroughly a disposable society). I can remember taking a magnet to the TV and being surprised that it did not reset itself when I changed the channel.
At first it was just a handful of channels. 2,4,5,8 and 17. Then cable arrived sometime in 1983 and suddenly my world changed to 30 channels including Nickelodeon.
My Granny had a black and white TV and it was a long time before I finally realized there were no black and white episodes of the Brady Bunch. I was gently admonished by Granny to allow her to watch her “stories” (a.k.a. Soap Operas). To this day I have a special place in my heart for the theme to “The Young and the Restless.” While at my Granny’s house in the summer I discovered what Pinko, and “Come On Down” meant and how to avoid the Whammy.
I can remember listening to the M*A*S*H theme as somewhat of a lullaby at 11PM during my elementary school years.
TV was my babysitter as a latch key kid during my junior high years. In the summer time my sister and I were entertained by the USA Network’s block of old game shows like Bumper Stumpers and Hollywood Squares. My sister and I would fight over the programming when she wanted to watch “Little House on the Prairie” or “The Waltons” and I wanted to watch Transformers.
Sometime in high school I got a personal Watchman TV and watched Late Night with David Letterman in my bed at 11PM.
I still have the small tube TV I watched in college. It sits on my dresser in my bedroom. I’ll continue to use it until it goes out.
And now I’ve entered into the world of flat screen HD TVs, even if it is about a decade late. It is amazing. This is the best TV I’ve ever downed and I can’t imagine what life was like before all this.
Friends
What to say about good friends? Over the next several days I’ll be visiting friends Mark and Megan in Kansas. I’ve known them for several years. We’ve had some memorable times. And they’ve got me through some difficult times simply by being there, showing their love and listening. I count friendship as not something that is expected, but earned. Friendship is a precious thing and it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Thank you Mark and Megan for being there. I look forward to making more memories over the next several days.
Outside Looking In
I remember that vacation I took out west through Colorado and Utah. The photo to the right was taken inside a port-a-potty in Four Corners area where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico come together. It’s a pretty desolate region. The area is on 2 Indian Reservations. There was no outside plumbing and only a few of the vendors took credit cards. Either the Native American tribe leaders were too proud to take government money, or maybe the government had an agreement that they would not give any grants in exchange for a “hands off” policy in tribal lands.
In any case it made for an interesting time in a geographic anomaly. And I’m not even sure they’ve really mapped out the correct positioning of the coordinates of the 4 corners boundary.
The photo is a reminder of how we as a society tend to look on the outside through a protective barrier. We see a vastness of sky and a desolate arid region below. Is this how we view Native Americans? Is this how we view the world?
Many times we sit back in the protective barrier afraid to explore and truly experience life.
No Soliciting
The church I attend is currently having a door knocking campaign in conjunction with special seminars on questions we’ve all wanted to ask God, but never really knew the answer to them.
I’ll preface this with the fact that I’ve never participated in a evangelistic door knocking campaign for various reason. I’ve always imagined getting rejected when I knock on strangers’ door.
The photo on the right was taken by one of our campaigners. It solidifies the reaction many have when presented the gospel. There are so many churches soliciting converts. How does one make their own congregation stand out apart from others? The Mormons do it, and what they do they do well. We could all learn a bit from Mormon conversion practices, after all its one of the fastest growing religions on earth.
The question remain? How do you make your religion stand out in front of more aggressive or appealing religions or lifestyles. I’m convinced that if we water God will cause the increase. But that shouldn’t stop us from being innovative in presenting God’s word to the potential converts.
Narrative Clip
I recently purchased a Narrative Clip which bills itself as small data logging camera. You can clip it on your shirt and wear it throughout the day. It takes photos of what you experience right in front of you. I’ve had the opportunity to use it for a few days and I am impressed by it. Sometimes I want to take a photo, but I don’t want to be intrusive with my surroundings. This where the Narrative Clip comes in. It’ll take that photo without a flash or as so much as an audible shutter click.
To the right is a photo that was taken by the Narrative Clip while I was walking around McMinnville, Tennessee, courthouse square. It was a unique accident that it got a great photo of the Central Church of Christ on the square. However many of the photos are of darkness (in my pocket) or of the ceiling. It really makes a difference of how you position the camera. You almost want to have it pointing down to overcompensate for what happens when the camera is clipped to your shirt collar. Because of the way one’s chest is curved, it will by default point up. I’m still playing with the idea of putting the camera on a hat.
I don’t plan on wearing it everyday, although the thought did occur to me to have a photo a day blog where I would post the best photo of the day from the clip. But that it still far off.
My primary objective is to wear it while on vacation or short day trips. If only to remember that quaint restaurant or attraction along the way. I’m a bit apprehensive about photographing people without their permission, even to the point of coming across as a voyeur.
The clip wouldn’t be for everyone. Someone who is concerned with getting the best photo would be better off spending some money of a true point and shoot camera. Rather this Narrative Clip is a true novelty camera. More of a toy. More of a “Oh wow, I remember that scene from today.”
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15
I learned the above verse in 1985 in my 5th grade Sunday School class. I remember who taught it to me. I remember what room I learned it in. I remember my Sunday School teacher. This verse has stayed with me throughout my adulthood. It’s interesting that simply by learning this verse, the reader is fulfilling the divine directive.
Did my Sunday School teacher envision that these memory verses would be remembered for so long after it was taught? Maybe. He was definitely an effective teacher.
And I wonder if I am an effective teacher. Are the students remembering what was said in class? Am I teaching in vain? I would like to think I am effective. But I believe there is a grey where some students remember some of what I said for a season.