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a story from Paris

What's so great about Paris? Ah, I think the better question is, what's not so great about Paris? And the answer is probably nothing. Paris is beautiful and charming and has a quaint vibe despite being a huge city. It's also richly historical with a lot of deeply rooted French living there. 

But my favorite things happening in Paris are the things this little church plant is doing to make a big difference in their neighborhood. As Samy said, If you can reach the deeply rooted French population in Paris, you can reach anyone. But if you reach only the others, you'll never reach the French.

Community for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

This post was originally posted on Redeemer City to City's blog.

Good community is hard to find. And, it's even harder in a large international city like Brussels where the Christian population is so small.

Despite this reality, I found my time in Brussels to be quite the opposite. The community that Matthieu and Olivier are cultivating through their new church plant is rich and deep. It's full of diversity, open hearts, and friendship.

Laura and I were guests in Matthieu's home during our short stay in Brussels and this is where I experienced community the most; he and his lovely wife, Christella, were such gracious hosts. They fed us delicious food, told us wonderful stories, and shared their lives with us. But what made the stay even more grand was the constant influx of community and friends.

We would wake up each morning and hear beautiful hymns being sung by Matt, Christella, and ... three or four other core group members. Each morning. Before work! (Did I mention Laura and I weren't even out of bed yet?) It was a sight to behold. We would all sit down at the table together for breakfast. We would pray, we would chat, and we would enjoy life together. The bonds were so strong that I felt a part of it after having been there only one day.

This breakfast experience only scratched the surface of the community there. Members from the core group met us for lunch. They hosted us at their office cafeteria. They toured us around the city in the evening and gave us a crash course in Brussels history.

So, why does any of this matter? I'm glad you asked. Since there hasn't been an evangelical church planted by Brusselites, for Brusselites in this neighborhood in the last 13 years, having an approachable, friendly, deep community is quite important. Église Protestante de la Cambre is blessing their neighborhood already. They're displaying the love of Christ to those around them in the way they love each other so well.

You can partner with Matthieu and Église Protestante de la Cambre and help them reach their goal of $5,000. 100% of your gift goes to this project. 

a story from Brussels

If I were fluent in French, I'd pack my bags and be on the next plane out to Brussels. I loved my time there—the food, the delicacies, and, most of all, the people at this church. They hosted us with warm generosity and kindness and were incredibly fun to spend a few days with. 

Now, we're so happy to tell the story of their church plant, Église Protestante de la Cambre. I bet after watching this, you wouldn't mind moving there either.

(ps, hear the jazz piano at the beginning? That's Matthieu, the church planter, at a casual dinner party they had while we were visiting. Impressive, huh!)

brooklyn, brooklyn take me in

Many moons ago I met a girl during the meet-and-greet time at church and actually became friends with her. I know, it's unheard of. And it's something that had never happened to me before—or since, for that matter. But the one time it happened, I met a rare jewel of a friend.

It was the summer of 2007 and I was an intern, trying to find my way in a big city where I knew no one. Suddenly, within a period of two weeks, there were 5 of us interns attached at the hip for 12 weeks. All of us ended up back in New York, except one.

Thankfully Amy makes it to visit as often as she can. And she keeps us entertained through stories and photos of her grand life in North Carolina. It just so happens (lucky for us) that she made a pit-stop in Brooklyn on Sunday night on her way to Berlin. So we gathered at LeeAnne's house and enjoyed our beloved and way-too-far-away AmyJ with the best memories and stories a group of girls could possibly ask for. Until next time...

a story from Frankfurt

You got a quick glimpse of what my time in Europe looked like from my perspective: it was primarily seen through the lens of a Canon EOS 7D camera.

Now you can finally see what happened on the other side of that lens.

During our 4-city escapade at the end of March, our itinerary included meeting with church planters in European cities, shadowing each of them for three or four days, conducting video interviews, learning as much as we could about their city and neighborhood, and building stronger relationships with those church planters and their core group members. 

Upon returning home, my team's next task was to make a video to tell their story. This is the story Nordstern.Kirche in Frankfurt, Germany shared with us, and—get ready—because it's a tear jerker. Our team is thrilled about sharing their story and stories from the other three cities over the next few months.

hope tonight

I have a terrific music recommendation to share with you. It's a new album by my dear friend, Melanie Penn, that is hot off the presses–just released May 20th.

I've been listening to her songs for years now, practically since I moved to New York. I first heard her on an album called In The City produced and written by a group of local singers and songwriters. Then, through a mutual friend, I met her! Fast forward a couple more years, and Mel and I became cubicle neighbors at work. Funny how things work out isn't it? (AND, yes, sometimes she sings at her desk which is an absolute day-maker for me.)

There are so many things I love about Melanie, but one of my absolute favorites is how beautifully she sings. Just take a listen for yourself on her new album Hope Tonight. She's talented, she's creative, and the lyrics are profound and meaningful and will stick with you for days. So don't say I didn't warn you.

hi there, baby Ty

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A few weeks ago I made a quick trip to Alabama to meet this little fellow. He was born while I was in Europe and I couldn't get down to Birmingham fast enough after he arrived. 

He was almost 8 weeks old but so teeny-tiny and just as sweet as they come. We ooh-ed and aah-ed over him and he slept like a little angel (during the day at least). I am so glad I got to grab his little cheeks and squeeze them because, as things always seem to happen, I'm sure he'll be heading off to kindergarten before I can count to ten.

Baby Ty, your aunt Perryn loves you. Be a sweet little boy for your momma!