With Joy You Will Draw Water

The Harburg Castle was the first castle we were able to tour inside.

 

 

As we waited for our guide, we roamed the courtyard. I loved the old well because it reminded me of an important truth in the Bible. Our salvation in Jesus Christ is like joyously drawing water from a never-ending well.

 

"With joy

you will draw water

from the wells of salvation."

Isaiah 12:3 (NIV)

 

 

This castle has been dated back as far as 1150 and is one of the oldest castle fortifications in Germany.

 

 

It retains the feeling of the Middle Ages, as it was never seriously damaged by war or rebuilt.



 

 

Apparently, the singer, Michael Jackson tried unsuccessfully to buy it.

 

 

During the Reformation, the teachings of Martin Luther created much conflict, which led to a series of war between the nobility and their workers.

 

The Same As I Gave You

"I want to give

the one who was hired last

the same as I gave you."

Matthew 20:14 (NIV)

 

Brian, Daniel and I hiked a lot in Germany. I loved walking along and through the vineyards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These vineyards in Germany remind me of the mercy of God. In the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), the owner bestowed the same day's wages to all of his workers even though some were hired later on during the day; therefore working less hours. This may not seem fair, but the story was told to reveal the mercy of God in salvation. All those who accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour will enter the Kingdom of God, no matter how late in their lives they make this decision. The reward of eternal life will be the same to all God's children.

"So when those came

who were hired first,

they expected to receive more.

But each one of them also

received a denarius."

Matthew 20:10 (NIV)

After That Can Do No More



Ansbach was another town we visited in Bavaria Germany. Today is the home to a US military base.

 



 

It is told that at the end of World War II, a courageous nineteen-year old theology student in Ansbach tried to get the town to surrender to US Forces without a fight by distributing leaflets.



 

 

 

Horribly, he was betrayed by two members of the Hitler Youth and hung from the portal of the City Hall by the city's military commander at the time.

 

 

Over the years several memorials have been erected to commemorate the heroic actions of this young man who was not afraid for his body to be killed because after that, they could do no more.

 

"I tell you, my friends,

do not be afraid

of those who kill the body,

and after that

can do no more."

Luke 12:3 (NIV)

 





 

My favorite part of visiting Ansbach, was viewing the beautiful flower gardens of the Ansbach Residenz.

 

I also enjoying walking the enchanting trails in the park nearby.



Destruction Will Not Come Near You

Dinkelsbuhl was our favourite German town!

 

 

It was also once a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire.

 

 

Dinkelsbuhl was fortified by Henry V in 1305. That is how old it is!

 

 

During the Protestant Reformation, Dnkelsbuhl was noted for first having an equal amount of Roman Catholics and Protestants, each with the same rights.

 

 

Since 1534 the vast majority of the population in Dinkelsbuhl became Protestant.

 



 

Remarkedly, during all the wars, Dinkelsbuhl remained unscathed.

 



 

The famous movie, "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimms" was filmed here.

 

 



Brian, our son Daniel, and I were able to walk along the fortified walls around Dinkelsbuhl, as well as walk along the outside of these walls.

 



 

It was obviously, God's hand of protection was on this town during the terrible wars.

 

 

When we put our trust in God, a thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand may at our right hand, but destruction will not near us.

 

"A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you."

Psalm 91:7 (NIV)

Shine, Like The Stars In The Sky

There are only three towns in Germany that still have completely established walls surrounding their cities: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nordlingen and Dinkelsbuhl. In our time in Germany, we had the priviledge of visiting all three of these beautiful towns.

Nordlingen is a town built in a crater caused by a meteorite impact.

When the meteorite impacted a local graphite deposit, approximately 72,000 tons of diamonds were created.

Therefore, the stone buildings in Nordlingen are made of millions of tiny diamonds.

As I think about these diamonds embedded in the grey stone of these buildings, I am reminded that we, as God's children who hold firmly to His Word, are like these diamonds. We shine amongst the dullness and lifelessness of this world because God's precious radiant Spirit resides in each one of us.

"Do everything without grumbling or arguing,

so that you may become blameless and pure,

'children of God without fault
in a warped and crooked generation.'

Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

as you hold firmly to the Word of Life."
Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV)

We were once made of stone, but God has turned us into diamonds by impacting us by His Spirit.

The Name Of The Lord Is Our Fortress

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a well-preserved old medieval town in Germany built on a plateau overlooking the Tauber River.

From the late middle ages to 1803, it was a Free Imperial City.

In German, the name means "red fortress above the Tauber. The red refers to the many red coloured roofs of the houses.

Rothenburg has been hailed as the most German of all German towns.

Rothenburg is strongly fortified with very tall walls and towers. Brian, Daniel and I were able to walk entirely around the town along these walls.





As I walked along these fortified walls with my husband and son, God reminded how blessed we are. As His children, we don't need fortified walls to protect us. The name of the Lord is our strong fortress. We run to Him and are safe.

"The name of the Lord

is a strong fortress;

the godly run to Him and are safe."

Proverbs 18:10 (NLT) 

When Justice Is Done

The next city we visited in Germany was Wurzburg. When the Nazi rose to power, 2,000 Jews lived in Wurzburg at the time because it was an important rabbinic center. Of  those 2,000 Jewish people sent to concentration camps, only a few survived.

This city was then 90 percent destroyed in World War II by a 17-minute air raid of 225 British Lancaster bombers.

 

Afterward the bombings, it took 20 years for the buildings of historical importance in Wurzburg to be reconstructed.

 

They were painstakingly and accurately rebuilt mainly by women because most of the men were dead.

 

When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

 

"When justice is done,

it brings joy to the righteous

but terror to evildoers."

Proverbs 21:18 (NIV)

The World Hated Me First

Nuremberg, located on the Pegnitz River and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, was the very first city we visited in Germany.

 

It is the second largest city in the German state of Bavaria.



 

 

Nuremberg is often referred to as having been the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

 

 



 

Since the city of Nuremberg is centrally located in Germany, it was chosen by the Nazi Party as the grounds for their huge Nazi Party Propaganda Rallies.

 

The Palace of Justice in Nuremberg was where the laws were passed to strip all Jews of their citizenship. After World War II, the Palace of Justice was then chosen to be the appropriate place to bring to trial the German officials who were involved in such horrific war crimes and crimes against humanity.

 

The historical Church of Our Lady stands in the eastern side of the main market of Nuremberg.

 



 

It was built in the middle 1300's in place of the Jewish Synagogue which was destroyed by rioters blaming the Jews for the Black Plague.

 



 

Appalling, we see throughout history different ethnic or religious groups being hated, tortured and murdered. Today, I am alarmed that we still see this happening. But we must keep in mind that if the world hates you, the world hated Jesus first.

 

"If the world hates you,

keep in mind,

that it hate me first."

John 18:15 (NIV)