Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 14 (On Cruising)

2010 © Gregory Scott

For most of my life, the idea of a going on a cruise was not appealing. My first cruise completely changed my opinion. We are now on our 5th cruise. Here are some of the reasons for my about-face.

Cruising is the most relaxing way to see the world.  A cruise offers you the benefit of returning to the same room every night. No packing and unpacking or dragging luggage through train terminals and airports. When I’m on vacation I want to relax. Acting as a part-time porter for two weeks is not my idea of fun.

Cruising usually allows you to see more major destinations on your vacation than traveling conventionally. On this cruise we have visited four different countries and eight cities.

2010 © Gregory Scott

There is usually a choice of excursions at each destination, and you don’t have to worry about how to get to the sites.  You sign up for an excursion, are assigned to a guide who leads your group, speaks your language and answers your questions about the sites. Or, you can hire a private tour guide.

My biggest objection to cruising was the thought of the days at sea with nothing to do. I soon found my fear unwarranted. Most cruise ships are huge. The big ones have movie theaters, Broadway-type theaters, casinos, swimming pools, spas, fitness centers, jogging tracks, multiple bars, restaurants and shops. I’ll never forget the experience of looking down on Venice from 14 floors up as I ran around the track on the top deck. This morning I made my run while we were in the middle of the Aegean. Nothing but deep blue water on all sides for as far as the eye could see. Very cool.

2010 © Gregory Scott

And then there is the food and the service. You will usually have your choice of multiples restaurants ranging from a grille to a buffet and a five-star restaurant or two. Room service, at any time, night or day, is usually included in the cost of the rooms with balconies.

Lastly, if you are a learner like me, there is another reason to cruise. On every cruise I’ve been on, there has been a college professor who gave lectures on the history and culture of many of our destinations.

On a cruise to the Baltic we had the added bonus of a “port lecturer” named Frank, who would narrate in the lounge as we entered or left the port. Frank had such a broad range of knowledge and was so interesting we made it a point to always be there to hear him. Halfway through the cruise we dubbed ourselves “Frankophiles”, though we didn’t tell him that because we didn’t want him to think we were worshipping him or stalking him or anything weird like that.

2010 © Gregory Scott

Prices for cruises vary depending on the destination, the cruise line and the level of room you choose.  I would recommend choosing a good reputable cruise line and-very important—a room with a balcony. One of our favorite things is to sit out on the balcony on a cruise, talking, sipping wine or reading the Bible. And besides, I imagine one could get a bit stir crazy in a room with just a porthole.

Tomorrow…Ephesus! GS

Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 9 (Odessa)

2010 © Gregory Scott

Today we were in Odessa, Ukraine, a port city on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea. It’s a major city with a population of more than 1,000,000. Movie buffs know Odessa as the site of the famous Communist Era (1925) movie, Battleship Potemkin, and the Potemkin Steps where the massacre in the film takes place.

The actual massacre, a government response to the stirrings of revolution in the city, did not occur on the steps but down the street in the city.  The uprising was aided by a Russian battleship (the Potemkin) that had been commandeered by its mutinous crew, unhappy with what was being served for dinner.

2010 © Gregory Scott

At the top of the Potemkin Steps, we got a look at the beautiful pre-Communist architecture that defines Odessa. My experience here is obviously limited, and I only saw part of the city, but it reminded me of what I had seen a few years before in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The beauty of St. Petersburg was found in pre-Communist design and architecture.  The uninspiring, plain, purely functional buildings were by-and-large built during the Communist era, while the beautiful, ornate structures, pre-date it. I’m sure there are exceptions, but this seemed, at least based on what I saw there and here in Odessa, to be the general rule.

2010 © Gregory Scott

I guess this shouldn’t be surprising. I can’t think of a single atheist renaissance in history. I can think of a number of Christian renaissances. The 9th century Carolingian Renaissance (Charlemagne), the 12th century Byzantine Renaissance and the 13th century French Renaissance (Saint Louis) all come to mind. In fact, many believe the Italian Renaissance was the result of the influx of the Byzantines into Italy after the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Perhaps the moral to this story is that the glorification of fallen man is an inferior inspiration for creative genius. GS

Wisdom From William Wilberforce

©iStockphoto.com/steve-goacher

One of my heroes is William Wilberforce.  Wilberforce, a Christian, was a champion of civil rights and was chiefly responsible putting an end to the British slave trade in the early 1800s.  I intend to blog on him here in the future as a Kingdom hero.

Wilberforce also wrote a book that was a bestseller in its day in England, and it’s one of my favorites: A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians in the Higher and Middle Classes in this Country as Contrasted with Real Christianity. He wrote the book in 1797, apparently before the age of marketing.  Modern marketing geniuses have shortened the title to A Practical View of Christianity.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is: “Christianity, be it remembered, proposes not to extinguish our natural desires, but to bring them under just control, and direct them to their true objects.”  I don’t know how one could say it better.

Many view Christianity as a set of rules which, if applied, take the fun out of living.  Quite the contrary, Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10).  The problem is that before people find Jesus they try to suck meaning and life out of things that were never created to give them.  Do you really believe your career or more money is the key to happiness?  If that were the case why, for example, do white male doctors have a suicide rate twice that of the general population of white males 25 and older?

I really began to live after I became a Jesus-follower and starting enjoying things for the purposes for which they were created.  I enjoyed golf more when I realized being a scratch golfer would not provide true meaning in my life.  I have a better marriage because I don’t expect my wife to satisfy my need for purpose and meaning.  I enjoy the blessings of money because money is not the source of my blessing.

I enjoy life because, first and foremost, I enjoy Him. GS

Confessions Of A Former Legalist

I used to be pretty legalistic, a sort of modern-day Pharisee; I probably still am in some ways and don’t realize it, but I’m doing better now.

The Apostle Paul warned the Colossians about being legalistic.  He asked them why, if they were Christians, did they submit themselves to such religious laws as “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (Col. 2:21).  Paul told the Colossians such rules have “the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion” but are of “no value against fleshly indulgence.  (Col. 2:23).  In other words, they look to others like a form of religion but they are spiritually useless.

When I was in law school, it dawned on me that some of the religious rules Christians keep really have nothing to do with true holiness.  They were matters of conscience, nothing more. (They do give religious people a way to monitor the supposed religiosity of others). As Paul said, they are “self-made” and don’t make one more like Jesus, which is the ultimate goal.

My wake-up call came when another law student, who was not a Christian, told me he figured I was a Christian because I didn’t drink.  Ugh!  The weird thing was my abstinence from alcohol was one of the things that made me feel confident I was a Christian.  It was a self-made rule I picked up somewhere, nothing more.

I decided from that day on I wanted to be recognized as a Christian because I was Christ-like, not because I kept arbitrary religious rules that had nothing to do with true holiness.  After all, is that the message Christians want to send to the unchurched, that being a Jesus-follower means keeping a bunch of self-made rules?  If the kingdom of God does not consist in eating and drinking (Rom. 14:17), neither does it consist in not eating and drinking.

That’s my confession.  Hope it helps you on your journey. GS

Are You Beer or Wine?

My parents and most of my extended family live in the same small town, halfway across the country from where my wife and I live.  And when I visit my parents for a day or two, I usually spend all my time with them.  As a result, I haven’t seen many of my aunts and uncles and cousins for years.

Yesterday, though, we had  a Fourth of July celebration with food, fireworks and family fellowship.  Seeing a person you know well in five year increments is a lot like time-lapse photography. It gives you perspective familiarity plus proximity obscure.  Change is highlighted instead of hidden. All this got me thinking about aging.

I’ve noticed as people age, one of two things happen. If they are not a Christian, they tend to become more self-centered and set in their ways and care less about the needs of others.  If they are a Christian, submitted to the lordship of Jesus and subject to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, with age they become less self-centered, more adaptable and concerned about the needs of others.

I realize this is a broad generalization, subject to exceptions and gradations, but the distinction is real.  It’s like the first group becomes more abrasive with age and the second palatable.

It’s the same with beer and wine.  As beer ages it becomes offensive to the palate.  This realization is what gave birth to the idea of “born-on dating” for beer.  A lot of people like beer, but I don’t know anyone who likes it when it is old.  Wine is the opposite:  as it ages it gets smoother and more palatable.  Even very expensive wine, if you drink it too soon will have a harshness to it, but age will transform it into something even a wine novice can enjoy.

Jesus is the Great Vintner.  He turned water into incredible wine.  (John 2:1-11).  So here’s the question: are you beer or wine? GS