Despite all this we had a fantastic time. Our main objective was to sit in cafes absorbing the atmosphere, rather than rushing round sightseeing. So we had lunch in the Café Panis opposite Notre Dame (very good), 
we had cappuccinos in cafes looking onto the Arc de Triomphe 
and Sacre Couer, 
and the Place du Tertre in Montmartre where the artists do their stuff, and had coffee from a kiosk looking at the Eiffel tower. 
We cruised on the seine, shopped on the Champs Elysees, and walked around St Germain, Montmartre and various other areas each of which had its own atmosphere and culture while still being typically French. This included a walk past the famous Moulin Rouge, and on down the street which we knew was the red light district but were still taken aback by how explicit some of the posters where, with only the smallest stickers censoring the ladies’ naughty bits. For those of you who have read my blog in the past and issues of pornography in our marriage, you will understand that this was difficult for both of us. From my part all of my past addictions were straining to be released again, in total conflict with my opposing urge to demonstrate to my wife that I am now OK in this area. From her part, she could tell that it was having a strong effect on me, which she found upsetting. We also went into Sacre Couer, which was very peaceful but full of posters preaching Catholic theology that I couldn’t agree with. And we also went into Notre Dame while a mass was taking place. I really enjoyed this. There was a real sense of awe and majesty. When the priest said “behold the lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world” it was really a powerful statement, with the church members forming a large congregation in the centre and thousands of tourists clustered around the edges. Of course I have to take issue with the fact he was probably referring to the wafer in his hand, but even from my own strongly Protestant perspective I was strongly conscious that the priest was preaching the gospel to people who might otherwise never hear it, and although I would argue he preached it imperfectly with many Roman Catholic distortions of the truth the word of God is powerful enough to overcome those imperfections and call people to himself in that context. I really felt that God was present.
So, before the Holiday, Mrs announced that she would try to make a concerted effort to return to God on her return. And I believe that this will have been part of that return.
I should have mentioned that we left our children at home in England, with our 16 year old son in charge assisted by the 15 year old. Number 3 was our main concern, being of a very different personality to the others and hence at the centre of most rows. So we announced that while he wasn’t old enough to share responsibility with numbers 1 and 2, he was old enough to do his own thing, and so we gave him a supply of pies to heat up and money for the chip shop. So with him feeling proudly independent, we managed to separate out the main source of trouble without causing offence to anyone. The youngest two spent one night with friends. We returned to a tidy and peaceful household, so either it all went very well or they have hidden the evidence!
Mrs is now feeling much better. On Wednesday she went for a scan and was finally given the all-clear. They also announced that she had a ripe follicle ready, should she wish to start trying again. And so she came home in a very good mood, and without giving too much away she is making me very happy too.
we had cappuccinos in cafes looking onto the Arc de Triomphe and Sacre Couer, and the Place du Tertre in Montmartre where the artists do their stuff, and had coffee from a kiosk looking at the Eiffel tower. We cruised on the seine, shopped on the Champs Elysees, and walked around St Germain, Montmartre and various other areas each of which had its own atmosphere and culture while still being typically French. This included a walk past the famous Moulin Rouge, and on down the street which we knew was the red light district but were still taken aback by how explicit some of the posters where, with only the smallest stickers censoring the ladies’ naughty bits. For those of you who have read my blog in the past and issues of pornography in our marriage, you will understand that this was difficult for both of us. From my part all of my past addictions were straining to be released again, in total conflict with my opposing urge to demonstrate to my wife that I am now OK in this area. From her part, she could tell that it was having a strong effect on me, which she found upsetting. We also went into Sacre Couer, which was very peaceful but full of posters preaching Catholic theology that I couldn’t agree with. And we also went into Notre Dame while a mass was taking place. I really enjoyed this. There was a real sense of awe and majesty. When the priest said “behold the lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world” it was really a powerful statement, with the church members forming a large congregation in the centre and thousands of tourists clustered around the edges. Of course I have to take issue with the fact he was probably referring to the wafer in his hand, but even from my own strongly Protestant perspective I was strongly conscious that the priest was preaching the gospel to people who might otherwise never hear it, and although I would argue he preached it imperfectly with many Roman Catholic distortions of the truth the word of God is powerful enough to overcome those imperfections and call people to himself in that context. I really felt that God was present.So, before the Holiday, Mrs announced that she would try to make a concerted effort to return to God on her return. And I believe that this will have been part of that return.
I should have mentioned that we left our children at home in England, with our 16 year old son in charge assisted by the 15 year old. Number 3 was our main concern, being of a very different personality to the others and hence at the centre of most rows. So we announced that while he wasn’t old enough to share responsibility with numbers 1 and 2, he was old enough to do his own thing, and so we gave him a supply of pies to heat up and money for the chip shop. So with him feeling proudly independent, we managed to separate out the main source of trouble without causing offence to anyone. The youngest two spent one night with friends. We returned to a tidy and peaceful household, so either it all went very well or they have hidden the evidence!
Mrs is now feeling much better. On Wednesday she went for a scan and was finally given the all-clear. They also announced that she had a ripe follicle ready, should she wish to start trying again. And so she came home in a very good mood, and without giving too much away she is making me very happy too.
Haha, he most certainly was referring to what was in his hand, but you are certainly right that those people need to hear the gospel, need to hear that Jesus has and could yet take on their sins.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it was a good time.