Sunday, April 18, 2010

Sunday Faith Blog




These pictures were taken Saturday in Munich on the grounds of the Oktoberfest, where they have a yearly Spring Fest every April. Mr Z's daughter, Ms Z, took these pictures and I loved them so much I wanted to share them with you. But, for my Sunday Faith Blog? Yes, I thought how trusting those people are that they'll be kept UP there, dangling from strings and swinging through the air! And, they're adults who've temporarily thrown away their staid, familiar maturity, got into those seats, and are swinging in the air having a wonderful time with the wind in their hair, their troubles back on the ground!

Throw away your inhibitions! Be like a kid! Put aside your fear and worries and come with an open mind to BELIEVE! Sit tight and take the faith leap!

Luke 18:16: "But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.."

Have a VERY HAPPY SUNDAY .."Faith" is the most rewarding LEAP of ALL!
(By the way, for the sake of full disclosure, you wouldn't find ME up there on a BET!! :-)
z

42 comments:

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Swang it!

LA Sunset said...

Ahhhh, d’ Wiesn. Jawohl, Ich habe Erinnerungen.

I have been there. I remember there being so many people, it was unreal. In my day, they had beer tents and they were so huge they could fit 3 stages in them.

And when the beer ladies were bounding down an aisle carrying 2 liter mugs, full, you has better get out of the way. They were serious.

I want to go back someday, not necessarily to the Oktoberfest, but to Germany. My guess is that it has really changed, in 30 years.

Guten Tag, y'all.

Always On Watch said...

No way would I ride that contraption!

Beth said...

That is actually one of my favorite rides, I love to dangle my feet and I feel like I am flying. I would go on this easier than a high, fast roller coaster.

WomanHonorThyself said...

Happy SundaY Z!:)

Anonymous said...

okay...
1) I KNEW beamish would say that,
and you know I'll follow up with "I'd be on that ride in a hearbeat!"
2) I KNEW you'd mention your aversion to this type of ride(hehehe!) come on, Z! Even with dramamine??!! ;-)
3) I think these pics are GORGEOUS!
Fabulous! wow!
4) Love this message, Z. Hits me right where I need it!
:-)

Z said...

Jen, coming from you, that compliment to the pictures is HIGH PRAISE and I know Ms Z would be delighted! Thanks.

Yes, you can count on Beamish for that...
and yes, you can take to the BANK that I wouldn't go up there even with dramamine! :-) And that you WOULD!!!

VERY happy the message hit you like it did, that always means the most to me on my Sunday blogs, when friends say that. I could use that message today, too! Thanks.xxx

Maggie Thornton said...

Z, this reminds me of the huge divide between "trust" and "hope."

It also reminds me of riding to the top of the Zugspitze in Bavaria, twice, because I wanted to share it with the people I was traveling with, but dreaded the beautiful ride up -- couldn't look out of the gondola. So grateful I made it to the top, and then to look out and see 7 countries -- awesome! I was glad I conquered my fear (then it all began again on the way down:-)

Great pics!

Anonymous said...

This looks like fun to me. I'd go for it!

Pris

Anonymous said...

The pictures are great. I couldn't endure a ride like that, but I admire those who can.

All I could manage were the Bumper Cars, the Whirling Tea Cups and The Whip,

I have an inborn fear of heights. I've climbed the spiral staircase at the Statue of Liberty five times, been to the top of the Empire State Building three times, the World Trade Center once, and the Washington Monument once. None of this was ever pleasant for me.

Heck! I could never even climb a ladder more than six feet high. And I've always suffered from white-knuckle syndrome when crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

My cousin, who was eight months younger than I, always loved the big roller coasters at Coney Island -- The Cyclone and the Thunderbolt -- and thought nothing of going up in The Parachute Jump. Bless her heart!

Who knows why some love this daredevil stuff and others feel nothing but absolute terror at the prospect? It may be genetic.

Sadly my fearless cousin died of cancer at 53. That too may be genetic. Who knows?

I'm glad to be alive, and hope to stay that way as long as possible, so I ain't takin' no unnecessary chances no way no how no time.

Have a beautiful Sunday. It's drizzly and humid here. HURRAH! It's so great for the flowers!

~ FreeThinke

Z said...

MS Z, is that YOU I see at "Bayern, Munich" right now on my sitemeter? :-)

Z said...

By the way, come to think of it:

I might try it IF the lines from which the seats hang were solid but some look curved to me....??

but, probably not :-) I don't quite see the point!

LA, have you been to the Spring Fest there, too, or just Oktoberfest?

LA Sunset said...

Just Oktoberfest, Z.

Z said...

It's fun, isn't it, LA!
And your German's still pretty darned okay!!!

(((Thought Criminal))) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
(((Thought Criminal))) said...

My favorite rides will slap you with around 5 to 6 G's of force so that when you get off the the thing the horizon seems pointing the wrong way for a few seconds.

The first time I rode the Mindbender at Six Flags over Atlanta Georgia back in the early 1980s I was screaming the whole time for my Dad to make them stop the thing and let me off.

Of course, when it stopped, and me and my Dad get off the thing, I was like "That was fun, let's ride it again."

And thus, my fear of crazy contraption thrill rides was forever vanquished.

Karen K said...

Z, what lovely pics-- thanks so much for sharing!

I wonder how the weather in Germany is right now, though, with the volcano ash and all?

Z said...

Hi, Karen, so glad you liked the pix.
As of yesterday, my stepdaughter said they didn't feel anything or see anything in the air...a good thing!
She says they get a cold day here and there but, mostly, it's becoming a very beautiful Spring.

David Wyatt said...

Neat pics, Z! Isn't it wonderful that our faith in Christ & His truth is based on so much greater evidences of rock solid truth that these hanging strings? I like your mention of Jesus' words in Luke about child-like faith! Children have a lot more sense than we sometimes give them credit for, huh?! They can often sense when the person bidding them come can be trusted & when they cannot. That's really what our faith is built on anyway, isn't it Z, God's character? Oh, I apologize for preaching! I guess it just comes out, kinda like ol' Jeremiah, when his own people threw him in the dungeon for preaching, & he was delivered, he came out still preaching! (20:9) Thank you for that neat lesson! God's truths are often seen in everyday joys!

Anonymous said...

David,

Why apologize for "preaching" as you call it? If we're not here to express our honest reactions to the stimuli Z presents, what WOULD we be here for?

I thought your post was sweet, sincere and nicely phrased. You and I may approach things from different angles, but when it comes right down to it, doesn't everyone?

I may like and believe most of what I say, but I think it would be terrible if everyone thought as I did.

One of the miraculous things about humanity -- and ALL God's creation -- is that each one of us is UNIQUE, yet an integral part of the whole. I believe that is true of every one of the billions of living particles of which we and the entire Universe is made.

Why I am a physical coward and my late cousin and Beamish thrive on putting themselves in jeopardy I don't know. All I can say is that in many ways I envy them, but at the same time I say, "Vive la difference!"

~ FreeThinke

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

I always wanted to be a jet fighter pilot but alas my vision isn't good enough to meet the requirements.

Being flung about by a machine is the next best thing.

I got to "fly" a Navy F-18 simulator that also tilted and flung and spun the cockpit realistically once.

Best video game ever.

Z said...

David, thanks for your comments, I enjoyed reading them.

FT, didn't he do a great job of adding to my post? Kind, contributory, and staying on point.
I, too, don't think those nuts who'll fly in those things are 'better'...just 'different', as you said.

Beamish, you're NUTS :-)

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Not nuts, just an intensity junkie.

I need to do some riverside rock climbing this summer. I used to be a climbing fiend.

I saw a Parkour school opening up around here and I got excited.

But no, I'm not that crazy...

Anonymous said...

Whatever happened to Bungee Jumping? Remember that?

It may have been outlawed after they decided to do it without the cord.

Terminal Thrills would not bring many repeat customers anyway, would they?

Be careful, Beamish, we need you. Good minds are scarce these days -- as always.

~ FreeThinke

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Bungee jumping is still around, it's just not thr "random act of extremeness" it once was. Now you can bungee jump in a relatively safer, supervised environment at places like Six Flags.

If I get into parkour, I'm probably not going to be doing gymnastic flips from one rooftop to amother. I'll stay as closer to the ground as possible.

These days, my body occasionally screams "Dude, you're almost 40" at me sometimes. My ankles and wrists aren't as shock absorbent as they was when I was 20...

Anonymous said...

Wait till you start approaching seventy, Beamish!

Enjoy everything you can WHILE you can. It do go fast.

But, as they say, "Cheer up. The first hundred years are the hardest."

I sure wish I "approaching forty."

If I had it all to do over, I wouldn't hesitate for a second.

~ FT

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

My Dad is a few years from 70. If I'm as bad ass as him when I get there, I'll be happy.

I was in a car wreck around 7 years ago that jarred my left arm very fiercely. My wrist pops and tendons in my forearm throb with pain nearly all the time all the way up to my shoulder. My carpal tunnels are damaged, and will probably require surgery some day.

But for now "arthritis only happens to old people" is my mind over matter denial...

Z said...

FT...a friend is about to set to writing a book...a title she's considering is "What I learned about marriage I learned in the first 50 years!" Or something like that.

Beamish, I'm so sorry you're in that pain...I didn't know that. XX

Anonymous said...

Beamish,

I'm sorry you had that accident. WOW! There may be physical therapy that could help you avoid surgery. It's not exactly fun, and it tends to be expensive, but it might restore and help heal a lot of the damage.

I worked very hard at being a professional pianist, and was pretty good at it, but I tried too hard to force myself to do things I wasn't ready to do. Result? Chronic tendonitis.

I discovered PT late in life. Went to a chiropractor/physical therapist for another problem, and discovered the exercises he had me doing were a great help to the tendons that controlled my fingers. I started playing well again after years of frustration.

Wish I'd known about PT earlier. It could have saved a lot of grief and wasted time.

I hope you look into it.

Arthritis is a weird thing. I'm not sure anyone knows what really causes it, but exercise -- of the right kind -- can keep it at bay for a long time.

Take care.

~ FT

Anonymous said...

PS: The bad news about PT is that you to keep on doing it long after the problem seems to have disappeared, because once the body sustains an injury it can come back to haunt you if you don't keep after it.

PT isn't perfect, but it's a big help if you work with a good physiatrist.

And Z, if we had a thousand years to live, we would STILL have problems to work out and griefs to bear. I guess that Art of Living invoilves finding ways to rejoice WHILE you're suffering.

I'm sure there is no Heaven on Earth, except for tiny glimpses we get now and then "Intimations of Immortality" as one of the great poet called it. Was it Wordsworth?

~ FT

Anonymous said...

Free Thinke, have I ever told you how much I like you? :-)

Beamish: ice, ice, ice, every day, the natural painkiller ;-)
I hear it works wonders.

I didn't know you were hurting, either.

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

It usually only bothers me when it's cold or the humidity shifts. Occasionally it'll palsy up and go completely numb, which says pinched nerve to me, but a few vigorous shakes of my arm and it goes back to normal. At least "normal" for me... able to wriggle fingers and grasp things.

Pain is life.

Z said...

And life can be a pain.

:-)

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Pain makes everything else feel better, I guess.

Z said...

Beamish..true. I guess we wouldn't recognize great happiness without having had great sadness?

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Or at least a backrub over a beating anyway.

Anonymous said...

Z,
I never had perspective before I had tragedy.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if I can ice my brain?
:P

Anonymous said...

I should probably tell FT that I'm a physical therapist so he'll know why I said that...not that I don't like his thinking anyway, but it did seem a little odd to just say that.

Z said...

Jen, and sometimes we need ice on the brain for that tragedy.
xxx

Anonymous said...

so true, Z.

Anonymous said...

How would you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it's the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and green trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

~ Robert Louis Stevenson (A Child's Garden of Verses)

~ FreeThinke