The Eudaimonia Blog

I know I said I would write my first post on Germany on the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial where Greg, Chad and I spent an entire day. However, I thought I’d back up a bit and talk about what was most strengthening and encouraging to me about the trip to Germany. Here it is; friends. When Jesus says in John 15:15 that he no longer called his disciples servants but friends, I can’t help but think of these two men with whom I have walked with Jesus for over 30 years now. In fact, Greg, Chad and I got into a Bible Study together in 1991 during our university years and began our faith journeys as young men together. We would all be a part of one another’s weddings as well. Greg and I would go to Reformed Theological Seminary in Florida together where from 1995-98 we would work on our Masters of Divinity programs. And in 2011, Chad and I would work on our Doctor of Ministry programs together at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. Chad continues to serve in pastoral ministry. Greg, after a few years serving as a pastor, pivoted to the world of IT health systems where he works for a company in Wisconsin called Epic. Every five years, Greg’s company gives their employees an all-expense trip to anywhere in the world, provided that they have never been to that location in the world. He can take up to a total of four people. So thank you Epic for funding this remarkable trip to Germany! Some years ago Greg invited us to go with him to Israel, but with the horrific attacks of Oct. 7th, sadly we once again had to cancel our trip to Israel (we had two other cancellations through Covid). And so we pivoted to Germany, not knowing exactly what to expect since all the planning was last minute. But what an amazing trip we would have together, the greatest gift of all being able to enjoy friendship. Being able to ride in trains for hours through the German countryside and having great meals and conversations together, in the midst of seeing historic sites such as the former divide between East and West Berlin (have you heard of Checkpoint Charlie or the Brandenburg Gate?), pieces of the Berlin Wall, travelling to J.S. Bach’s birthhouse in Eisenach (the picture above is the three of us standing in front of a statue of Bach in front of his birthhouse) as well as seeing the north door on which Martin Luther pinned the 95 Theses on the Wittenberg Castle Church, as well as the Wartburg Castle where Luther was exiled for a year, translating the Bible into German, also the time we spent in memorial of the victims of the Holocaust. We even got to go to an American football game in Frankfurt! Yet, the greatest gift of all was having friends with the kind of history we have. These are friends where every sort of teasing is acceptable but also, to talk deeply about faith, struggles, grief (all three of us have lost our fathers in recent years), sending adult children into the world, getting older, what it means to have been married nearly three decades each of us, when we all knew one another as newly weds in the early 90s (our wives also all know one another)… being with brothers 24/7 with whom you do not need to be anyone other than yourself… where no topic is off limits, love and embrace is expected and commonplace… that was the greatest gift, to be with such great friends with so much of a rich and long history. I so needed the time and am grateful and strengthened. Thank you Lord and thank you Greg and Chad.