One of the bells I write about in my book, The Bells Are Not Silent: Stories of Church Bells in China hangs in the bell tower of this old Lutheran church in Qingdao. Here’s how the chapter opens: Amy and I slipped quietly into the pew at the old St. Paul’s Church in Qingdao, now known…
Month: February 2017
Kung-fu Granny
No, I’m not talking about my mom, who is approaching her 90th birthday. But I do love this story coming out of China about a 94-year old woman nicknamed the “Kung-fu Granny.” Apparently she’s been practicing martial arts for 90 years. Way to go, granny!
Friday Photo: Street Performer
While visiting a Temple Fair in Beijing during Spring Festival one year, I spotted this street performer having a rest on a park bench. I love the colors.
Twin Bells?
The second bell that Noël Piper and I found in China was at a church in Ya’an, Sichuan Province. Like the bell we had found the day before, this one was cast in a foundry in Cincinnati, Ohio. The pastor didn’t know what had happened to the bell during the Cultural Revolution, and how it had survived….
Friday Photo: Delivering Coal
Snapped one afternoon during a stroll through one of Beijing’s remaining hutong (lane) neighborhoods. So much going on: the man delivering coal briquettes; the fresh fruit; the umbrellas. the sign for donkey meat hot pot; the “family style restaurant;” the white sky. Sigh. I do miss Beijing!
Bell Talk and Book Signing
I have two “Bell Talk and Book Signing” events coming up in the Twin Cities this weekend and next weekend. Here are the details: Saturday, February 4 @ Bethlehem Baptist Church (downtown campus) 720 8th Ave. S. Minneapolis Time: 7:15PM (following the evening service) Saturday, February 11 @ Bethlehem Baptist Church (north campus) 5151 Program…