So... it's 2012.

Happy New Year, everyone!
It's quite late so I won't write much. So far, the first week of the new year has been okay. The weather, however, made it quite depressing as soon as we looked outside. It has been very stormy and rainy here and I felt like not going outside at all. I killed one umbrella... no, actually the storm killed my umbrella on a ten-minute walk from the bus stop to a meeting at the small music label that I do some translating for. I couldn't even take my bike because storm and rain are horrible conditions for cycling. And it has been cloudy and grey outside, like a giant, dark blanket, shielding us from every tiny bit of sunlight and causing a most depressing darkness. Seriously, I'm done with this weather!

On a positive note, I'm still reading the book "Jesus - Safe, Tender, Extreme" by Adrian Plass and it is still healing in some way and it makes me understand so many things. I think my belief and my way of being a Christian are slowly changing: from the belief in a God who was just waiting for me to make a mistake and who would only truly love me if I was "good enough" to a God who loves me so much he gave his son for me and for many other completely imperfect people like me and who does not want us to live in fear of Him. It began to change before I started reading that book by Adrian Plass, and yet I understand some more things by reading the book and I love his honesty. Adrian Plass doesn't have a problem to admit that he is far from perfect and I've heard to many Christians or read to many books by Christians who do the opposite and try to tell us how great they are and that we need to become like them.

I know I seem to talk about Christianity an awful lot these days - mainly though, because it scares me what people do to each other in God's name, how they manipulate and control and hurt each other and how this might actually the exact opposite from everything that God ever wanted from those who follow Him. And I have a hard time understanding how so many people who claim to be Christians can behave like they're not.

For tomorrow I hope I will be less tired and courageous enough to leave the house and do some exercise despite the wind and rain!