{"id":101,"date":"2007-07-09T03:01:11","date_gmt":"2007-07-09T03:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2007\/07\/european-reflections-2007.html"},"modified":"2007-07-09T03:01:11","modified_gmt":"2007-07-09T03:01:11","slug":"european-reflections-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/07\/european-reflections-2007.html","title":{"rendered":"European Reflections 2007"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I often put up various reflections after my summer vacation. Mostly these are lighthearted bits that offer me a chance to mull over what I have experienced while away from my usual routine. (And, yes, by the way, one of the reasons I was posting passages from my latest book was that it allowed me to have a break from blogging while I was on vacation.)<br \/>\nI recently returned from a trip to Europe. My wife and I hitchhiked on a cruise sponsored by Hugh Hewitt, a radio talk show host. In exchange for giving a lecture and being part of the cruise-hosting team, my wife and I were able to join this week-long trip from Athens to Monte Carlo. We&#8217;d never be able to afford such a trip on our own, so I&#8217;m grateful to Hugh for inviting me to come along. (Perhaps a little later I&#8217;ll share with you some of the content of my cruise lecture, which focused on the New Testament and Ephesus, a site visited by the cruise.)<br \/>\nBecause I&#8217;m still jet-lagged, and therefore pretty groggy, I&#8217;m going to begin these European reflections with some literal reflections . . . pictures of water. Tomorrow, Lord willing, my mind will be in a place to generate some reasonable verbiage.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/monte-carlo-sunrise-5.jpg\" align=\"middle\" height=\"243\" hspace=\"75\" vspace=\"5\" width=\"360\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"center\"> Sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea, just offshore from Monte Carlo, with Italy in the background.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/tuscania-fountain-5.jpg\" align=\"middle\" height=\"252\" hspace=\"75\" vspace=\"5\" width=\"360\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"> A fountain in the Italian village of Tuscania<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/london-ben-5.jpg\" align=\"middle\" height=\"276\" hspace=\"75\" vspace=\"5\" width=\"360\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"> London: Big Ben and Parliament behind the Thames River<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/oxford-pond-5.jpg\" align=\"middle\" height=\"240\" hspace=\"75\" vspace=\"5\" width=\"360\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"> A pond in a park belonging to the University of Oxford, in England<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I often put up various reflections after my summer vacation. Mostly these are lighthearted bits that offer me a chance to mull over what I have experienced while away from my usual routine. (And, yes, by the way, one of the reasons I&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-european-reflections"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>European Reflections 2007 - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/07\/european-reflections-2007.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"European Reflections 2007 - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you&#8217;ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I often put up various reflections after my summer vacation. Mostly these are lighthearted bits that offer me a chance to mull over what I have experienced while away from my usual routine. (And, yes, by the way, one of the reasons I&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/07\/european-reflections-2007.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-07-09T03:01:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/monte-carlo-sunrise-5.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"European Reflections 2007 - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}