The Teacher

Legend has it that the scholarly profession can be a dangerous calling. The celebrated Iraqi author al-Jahiz, back in the 800's, supposedly met his death when a pile of books fell on him. I may not be at as much risk as al-Jahiz, but I do like books, especially old books, with thick bindings and yellowed pages and strange scripts. My favorite kind of book is the pop-up book. Not the kind for little kids with cardboard shapes, but the kind that pops up ideas. These ideas are like watering holes on the African savannah that bring together lots of different species to quench their thirst or hash things out. So I don't love books for their own sakes, but for the people gathered around their ideas–––beautiful creations, converging to ponder, struggle, and maybe even "think God's thoughts after him" (as the German astronomer Kepler once said).

Actually, my fascination with people started before I could read or even talk.  My mom tells me that as a baby, I would babble happily and tell incomprehensible stories so long as there was a face in front of me. My eighth-grade teacher in Illinois pegged me to be a "professional storyteller." She wasn't far wrong! People, with all their intriguing differences, increasingly allured me as I began to experience more and more cultures. I couldn't remember the first year and a half of my life, which I spent in Zambia, but it made me feel a kinship to the Africans I met in the U.S. and a desire to explore the world. As a preteen and teenager, the five years I spent in Ukraine were incredibly formative for me. Gradually, I began to recognize what cultural differences often hide: people everywhere ultimately have the same kinds of hopes and desires, the same kinds of needs, and the same kinds of questions. "Am I significant?" "Is there anyone that loves me no matter what I do?" "Why am I here?"

You can see why I decided to study, and ultimately teach, important questions like these where they bubble up between the seams of culture and history–––usually in old books! How can I do better than exploring these kinds of questions with other people? Germany has long been a watering hole for these types of discussions. These days they're taking place across cultural and religious divides, among Christians, Muslims, and those without any religious affiliation.

But this is not just an academic quest. For me, the most important points in answering those questions have involved people–––my parents, my siblings, my wife, even God himself. For instance, one of the times I felt an answer to the question, "Does anyone love me no matter what?" was when my beautiful wife and I were newlyweds honeymooning in North Carolina. We drove to a state park to see some elk, which we finally found peacefully standing across from a line of cars with tourists silently taking pictures. I opened our moon roof and stood up through it to snap a photo, but right at that moment someone started honking a horn, loudly and insistently. "What kind of jerk would honk the horn right now and scare off all the elk?" I thought. Then I looked down. The jerk was me. My knee was resting on the horn. Tiffany just laughed. She loved me anyway. Maybe it was a little thing, but for me, it was a symbolic moment, a moment when I realized that the woman I had just married would love me through anything. Yes, these kinds of questions about love, life, and significance are answered not just through ideas, but through people. So whether we're gathered around a book, around a whiteboard, or around the dinner table, I want to be one of those people.

The Artist

When you think of yourself as a child, what image comes to mind? I see myself as a gangly kid with long legs, big blue eyes and green glasses, and a pair of headphones glued to my ears. I love stories. I’ve always found them fascinating, intriguing and insightful. So, when my family discovered books on tape (literally “on tape”) my life was changed forever. Childhood chores were no longer boring if I could take a story with me. Historical fiction was my special favorite. I walked the battle fields of the American Revolution with Gilbert Morris, sipped tea with the British socialites of Jane Austen, and flew over Nazi tanks with Bodie Thoene. As I was learning about World War II, I had one nagging question that Thoene never really answered. What were the Germans like before, and especially after, the Great War? Most such stories ended when the heroes came home. I wanted to know what the Germans went through after the ceasefire. I had no idea that God would use this to spark in me a lifelong interest in Germany, its people and its culture that would later impact our decision to move there.

I’ll gladly admit that if it wasn’t for my amazing, scholastically minded hubby, I don’t think I’d be moving to Western Europe. The more he’s studied the history of Christian-Muslim interaction, the more he’s seeing the relevance those subjects have for our lives and world today. Through his studies, God's been developing Nathan's heart for being in a place where we can join the conversation among Christians, Muslims, and others. Then low-and-behold, we found out that Germans have been studying Near Eastern issues, tensions, and ideas for generations. It would be an amazing place for us to work, research, and be part of the conversations about interreligious interaction. For me, I get the extra blessing of finally experiencing Germany for myself–––no longer looking at it through the pages of a book, or hearing about it from those who’ve lived there. I get to answer my own question of who Germans are today. I’m also super excited about the bread and cheese!

My passion for baking is almost as great as my passion for listening to stories. Eating is a basic necessity for all of us, so why not make it a memorable experience? I love the challenge of making the act of eating an enjoyable and beautiful. Another reason I love to cook is that food is such a touchpoint for the soul. There’s just something about sitting around a table and enjoying something delicious that brings people together. I think that’s when I’ve had some of my most meaningful conversations. The community around food is something we were created to enjoy. So for me, I love the preparation time of putting something together that will stimulate that kind of meal. Maybe this is one way Nathan and I help to balance each other out a bit. He loves to challenge and stimulate the mind, I want to feed and stimulate the soul, and we both love to laugh a lot!

So if you ever happen to be in Germany, come over and share a cup of tea, a meal, and our lives. We’d love for you to take part in this adventure with us!