Please pray for the persecuted church

Read the comment section of this post for some news facts from several countries around the globe where Christians are persecuted today! Source: Persecutionblog

*UPDATE* Severe Persecution in India right now!

Why persecute Christians? Because, just like in England and America in centuries past, believers in Jesus are the ones today working and praying toward the liberation of millions of “slaves” on the Indian subcontinent. These slaves—the Dalits and other lower castes—make up the vast majority of the Indian population. Yet they are the ones harassed, abused, denied the right to worship, forced to live on the outskirts of villages, maltreated and even murdered—simply because of their social position. And today their desire for freedom is being threatened by the greed of a powerful minority . . . all for economic gain.

Please read this recent news and this background information from K.P. Yohannan from Gospel for Asia - please take some time to pray and raise awareness about the suffering going on right now!

Want some music with that?

Before reading my recent postings, please take some time to listen to Kirk Franklin. Turn on your speakers to the max and click this and - when you want some more - click this. And if you still want some more, be a good boy or girl and buy the CD in an official record store! By the way, I've nicked these links from Katrín - a young lady with a warm heart and two cold feet (just my guess, because she's living in Iceland. Although, on second thought, she might be living on a volcano so maybe her feet are on fire right now.) Anyway, she does have a good taste in music. First song: Hold Me Now. Second song: Lean On Me - easy to recognize Bono's voice on that second one. Two great songs for free - yes, Katrín, Life IS Beautiful and so is your artwork!

Forget your water jar

Forget your water jar
Who needs a drink
When the Source of Life
Poured out his love
Straight into your heart?

Forget your water jar
No need to contain
His love and your joy
Spill it all out, girl
Drown all your tears

Forget your water jar
Don’t put yourself down
He lifted you up
Your broken heart mended
And filled to the brim

Forget your water jar
There’s no need for it now
Run to the town
Tell all your people
Our Saviour has come!

Text © Paul Abspoel - inspired by this Bible passage

"I who speak to you am he"

If you are not afraid of some Bible study... check out or join the discussion that is going on here!

That you want to be seen with me

Lord,
That you want to be seen with me
That you are not ashamed of my company
That you are not avoiding me
But stop and notice me instead

Lord,
That you want to be seen with me
That you see right through my masquerades
That you know my deepest thoughts
Still not rejecting me at all

Lord,
That you want to be seen with me
That I can bow down before you confidently
That you are not going to throw stones at me
But overwhelm me with your goodness

Grace undeserved - that’s what it is
And nothing else

Text © Paul Abspoel - inspired by this Bible passage

Sosha lightens up the blogosphere

Sosha is following in the footsteps of her proud father: check out her very own brand new weblog and please leave a kind comment...

Thirsty?

Do you have a deep desire, an unfulfilled need? Are you afraid to approach the source of life because you feel guilty, rejected or unworthy? Check this out - it will do you good, trust me. The Stranger truly is a Friend.

Jan Mayen - One more friendly reply

Johan Hustadnes replied to my email about his expedition to Jan Mayen:

Hi Paul and thanks for your mail. Nice to see that you take interest in this beautiful island. Your blog is very nice. I think Dutch people have some kind of addiction to wild nature, I keep meeting them on strange places. You might have found my personal website before, but anyway, there is more about Jan Mayen. Keep up the good work! Johan :)

Yes, Johan, the Dutchies are everywhere ;-) Even in the wild wild world of the blogosphere! And - I hate to admit - i have been to Finland, Sweden and Denmark, but not to Norway yet. I know, I know, I must visit your beautiful country soon, but maybe I am just saving the best for last. But I will surely visit your website again. Thanks for your kind reply, my friend.

Check out Johan's website here!

If your teeth are jolly rotten...

Yes, I have been a bit inactive the last couple of days... due to toothache (on one side, upper and lower jaw - root treatment two days in a row... yippee). But hey, always look on the bright side of life! Whistle, whistle...

If life seems jolly rotten,
There's something you've forgotten,
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps,
Don't be silly chumps.
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing!

So, on this dull and rainy day I decided to skip church, feel a little bit sorry for myself, watch TV and do some reading and writing. I am a richly blessed man, let's not forget that.

Holiday in hell?

I just saw a very entertaining TV documentary on a Dutch commercial tv station. The program title was: Jouw vakantie, mijn vakantie (Your holiday, my holiday). Two families join each other and travel as one team to their favourite holiday destinations. Of course the producers make sure that they select completely different families and holiday destinations that are also each other's opposites.

In today's episode two English families went to Las Vegas (to check out the casinos and 'eat as much as they could') and to Yosemite National Park (for some good old hiking, mountain biking, climbing, camping - you name it, they did it all in one week). The three members of the family that wanted to go to Vegas were all clearly overweight - or big, as they preferred to call it themselves. They really loved to be in this luxury environment where both the parents were gambling while their 10 year old son was eating giant ice creams and playing video games. The only outdoor activity during this week was a guided tour in a chocolate factory where - yep, you've guessed it - you could eat as much chocolate as you wanted...
At the high point of this wonderful week of fun the parents renewed their marriage vows in a kitsch white chapel, the skinny couple with their thin daughters were invited to witness the whole thing and couldn't hide their embarrassment (or should I say utter shock and disbelief?).
During one of the diner conversations the 'big' lady said: "It's so good that everything is air conditioned here, you don't even have to go outside". I just couldn't believe my ears and eyes! In one of the shopping malls they even painted a blue sky on the ceiling to give you the real outside feeling. The 'skinny' lady told the camera that this reminded her of the Truman Show (a must see, btw!) and that she really wanted to escape from Vegas and run to the looming desert as soon as she could!

The skinny family - consisting of two parents and daughters of about 10 and 14 years old - went on their ideal vacation trip to Yosemite National Park. They were obviously very fit and active and that is why they hated about everything in Las Vegas - with only one exception: the helicopter flight above the city at night. When it was their turn to have their 'week of fun', they couldn't wait to smell the fresh air, walk some miles through the woods, climb some rocks, while camping at night in a spartanic environment. They did climb the half dome (see pic, click to enlarge) - but the other untrained family wasn't able to do that (which didn't surprise me at all) and were constantly complaining - be it in a very British, humorous way.

Of course this is a silly, fabricated situation - you can't expect untrained people to become hikers, mountain bikers and climbers overnight. Only the 10-year old boy was very enthusiastic about the experience - especially about the beautiful animals he saw. It really looked like this was his first encounter with wildlife in a natural environment. His dad was complaining about the fact that he was so far away from civilisation and he described the whole vacation as the worst thing that ever happened to him.

I felt sorry for the kid, because it seemed that he was really enjoying himself, especially during the hike and the mountain bike downhill ride, but he also wanted to stay loyal to his parents who thoroughly hated all these 'fun' activities. Anyway, this program really made me think. For me it is easy to choose - Las Vegas would be a holiday in hell for me and I would love to go to Yosemite National Park with my family. But first I have to lose some weight to get in shape myself and save some money to pay for such an expensive trip. Maybe I could go to the Dutch mountains to become a better climber and to a local casino to make some quick bucks... What do you think?

Setting the stage - time to reflect

Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession? Song of Solomon 6:10

Don't try to be a star in your own right. Reflect the light of the eternal One! Read more here.

And another comment from Jan Mayen!

"Theory is when you understand everything, but nothing works - practice is when all works OK but none understands why. At this station we combine theory and practice so nothing works and none understands why."

Per-Einar Dahlen writes, "I was the webmaster and constructor of the Jan Mayen website. We got internet on the island in December 2000 and a few days later the website was online. Jan Mayen was named after a Dutch sailor in early 1600's. At the peak there were more than 1000 Dutch on and around Jan Mayen. They catched whales around the island and making blubber ashore. A lot of the names on the maps are still Dutch and Beerenberg (Beeren-Bergh originally) was named by the Dutch sailors too" :-)

Thanks, Per-Einar - you are now by far the coolest guy from Jan Mayen! Thanks also for translating the sign, it is even funnier than I already thought it was! :-) And I do solemnly swear that I will never catch a whale (or hunt a polar bear) myself. Animals are cool too!

I just discovered something else. No, not an island this time, but a rock band called Jan Mayen! You see, I was right all the time: Jan Mayen really ROCKS!

You can also have a look at an old Dutch map of Jan Mayen here

(1670 by Joan Blaeu, Amsterdam, Holland: 1596-1673)

Clear sign of life from Jan Mayen!

Believe it or not, I just received a kind comment on my most recent posting about Jan Mayen! Elise Anonby Olsvik from Jan Mayen Metereological Station made my day by writing these friendly words:
Hello Paul and thank you for your e-mail. I will try to address some of your questions about life at Jan Mayen. As you might have seen we are 18 people living here, where 14 are employed by the Norwegian army. The 4 others are employed by the Norwegian meteorological institute, where I also work as a meteorological officer. The climate here is very special as it is almost always cold (usually between -5 to +5), but because of the almost constant winds it can get severely cold. Nevertheless outdoor activities are among our greatest hobbies, and as we have several cabins spread around the island, we can go for longer trips and stay overnight. The scenery is breathtaking and you never grow tired of walking outside. The ocean contrasts to the barren black mountains, which in summertime are covered by green moss. There is not much wildlife here except for thousands of birds. They keep up in small mountain posts but they are much less reserved than other birds as they have not learned to fear us. You can almost touch them when walking in the mountains. However, there are sometimes whales that come close to the shores here, and you can sometimes spot seals as well. It is difficult to describe living on this magnificent island, because I find it hard to know where to begin. It is a very special experience that changes the lives of the people coming here. This is a known phenomenon called the Arctic bug. The Arctic life enters your heart and will be there for ever. I have never regretted coming here, and it is highly likely that I will return at a later point. Six months here have flown passed, and I know that when I'm back at the main land I will miss this place. Ok, I think that's all I can say right now. Keep up your nice page :)
Greetings from Elise at Jan Mayen Meteorological Station.

Elise - you are one of the coolest, friendliest and most beautiful people of Jan Mayen - that's for sure! OK, I know there are not that many people living there, but nevertheless: thanks a million - your answer is highly appreciated! It's great to hear from your personal experiences and thanks for sharing them with me and with fellow bloggers from all over the globe. Now I really would like to walk on an island like Jan Mayen one day and get infected with this Arctic bug! You give us so many things to think about - like your information about birds that are not afraid of human beings. That sure sounds like a piece of paradise to me!
Making a weather forecast in a constant cold climate like that, shouldn't have to be so hard, I suppose - so you must have enough time to have some fun too. But I'm sure there's a lot more to working at a Meteorological Station than I expect...
Thanks again for your kind answers. Now I can't wait to hop to my next far away island in March. Stay tuned, everybody! Source pics

UPDATE: I also found a great site about a Norwegian / Dutch climbing expedition to Beerenberg on Jan Mayen with some cool pics. Check this out!

Jan Mayen rocks!

Yeah, I'm really getting into this! No reply from the volcanic rocks yet, but I did try to contact some islanders by email. I guess they are enjoying the weekend too (much to do on Jan Mayen, I'm sure). In the meantime, let's have a look at some lava rocks from this island - real nature sculpture... (click pics to enlarge). I borrowed these intriguing pictures from this website and hopefully I will soon receive a reply from a crew member of Jan Mayen's weather station. If you can find some things that I really need to know about this island, please do leave a comment!

Yes, it's Dutch and maybe we will reclaim it...

Ha, ha! Look what I found... My friends at the CIA also have a website (not as interesting as yours or mine, but they did gather some useful facts for us). And what do they tell me about the beautiful island of Jan Mayen? Yep, you've guessed it: it's discovered by a Dutchman and named after him. Well, the Norwegians are looking after it on our behalf now, but Jan Mayen was a Dutchman and if I have some spare time left, I might take a boat and plant our little flag on the volcanic island to reclaim it for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Or are my territorial claims going too far? And what about Australia? Remember Abel Tasman?
The last lines of the CIA fact sheet read, Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway. OK, Norwegian friends - we will not start a war about this desolate piece of rock - you can keep your island. But I do want to hear from you soon!
One more question - what on earth does this mean? Teori er når man forstar alt men ingen ting virker - praksis er når alt virker men ingen forstår hvorfor. My Norwegian is a bit rusty, but I guess they want to say that theory is what you are looking for and practice is what you actually get - or something like that. Look at this website, click on Olonkin City (in side bar left) and you will see why I want to know this...

Virtual Island Hopping: Jan Mayen

OK, new crazy idea for this weblog. I'm using Google earth to find little islands on this globe that are completely unknown to me. Just found one - a volcanic island north of Iceland that is part of Norway: JAN MAYEN. Yes, it's not a person but an island and it just looks great! No real population, only one giant volcano called Beerenberg (sounds Dutch to me - and yes the Dutch have been there too, but the name is probably Norwegian for Bear's Mountain).
Now this is my idea: I want to find out if there is a living soul on this island that is willing and able to leave a comment on this weblog. Mission impossible, for sure - but let's try it and have some fun. There are plenty of beautiful islands in the Ocean, so if this turns out to be a nice game, I will travel around the globe to do some island hopping - virtually, that is. Great idea, don't you think? So, here we go: hello Jan Mayen, this is Holland calling - anybody out there? I want to hear from you! (Btw, I did send an email to the station crew on Jan Mayen -maybe these friendly people will take the trouble of visiting my blog and leaving a comment?)

Oh, I almost forgot. I just want to ask some questions to the people of Jan Mayen who are going to leave a comment here (hopefully):
1. What is it like to live on this island?
2. Can you tell me some interesting things about yourself?
3. Is it any fun to be on this island? (If yes, why? If no, why not?)
4. Can you tell me a little bit about the animals, the scenery and the vegetation (if any)?
5. And finally, if you look to the stars at night, do you believe that Someone is watching you?

Let's wait and see. You can also leave a comment if you are NOT living on Jan Mayen, of course. Have a look here! And here! For a detailed map of the island, click here.

Do you want to have a live picture from this island? Well, more or less... Click here for a fresh webcam pic every 20 minutes. Cool! :-) The only problem is: I haven't seen any changed image yet... maybe nothing ever changes on Jan Mayen??

Who says we need to be born again?

Evangelists and TV-preachers didn't invent the idea that we all must be born again. Jesus, the Son of God, told us so! Can you ignore His command? Read more here

Visit to Urk

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking at a women's conference in Urk with approx. 350 participants. (Please read the next post if you want to know more about the topic of my presentation). I doubt if anyone of you has ever heard of this place, but Urk is a beautiful fishing village that used to be an island until it was connected to the mainland by a dike in 1936. Later in the 20th Century surrounding areas were reclaimed from the sea. Compare the map (from 1773) and the aerial picture below - you can still see the shape of the old island on the photograph!

In our country Urk is famous for its fishing industry, its rich tradition and mainly orthodox Christian population. Just like in other places of the Netherlands, the youth of Urk is partying in the weekends and many of them are using alcohol and drugs to have a "good" time.
It is good to know that many of the men and women of Urk remain faithful to their beliefs and that they are praying and working hard to share God's love in words and deeds. Some young people from Urk are also turning (back) to God and they organise meetings in their own youth church Naie Start (local dialect for New Beginning). The people of Urk are also well-known for their extraordinary generosity and hospitality - and I certainly experienced that myself, yesterday!

Shaped by the Potter's hand

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." Jeremiah 18:1-6

The theme for the annual Christian women's conference in Urk was 'Shape Me' - (based on the biblical image of the Potter and the clay). Together with Albert Brouwer, a Christian potter from a place called Tollebeek (near Urk), I was invited to talk about this theme. Recently I wrote a little book about this rich metaphor, focusing on the fact that we are "only" human, but that God can change us from the inside out. Our Creator took the clay of the earth and molded it into the shape He had in mind for us, people. And He still knows that we are made of dust: As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:13,14
We are all work in progress, because God is still molding and shaping us into the image He has in mind for us. That is, if we allow Him to do that, because first we need to surrender to our Maker and we have to be willing to become like clay. If we entrust our lives into God's mighty hands, He will use all of life's circumstances to accomplish his work. The molding of our lives and characters is not a physical, but a spiritual activity and it takes time and patience to finish it. It is also a painful process, because of the fallen state of this world and our disobedience to God. But, if we are willing to be in the centre of God's will (i.e. in the centre of the potter's wheel) He is able to shape us with his loving, powerful hands into the image that He has in mind for us: the beautiful image of His Son, Jesus Christ!

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:44-49

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17.

If you want to know more about my book VORM MIJ (Shape Me), please read this post on my old blog. Links for the book and CD: Ark Boeken and GMI.

Fun in the snow

Girls just wanna have fun...

Today winter has finally arrived in Holland!

Today, February 8th, winter has finally arrived in the Netherlands. These pictures were made at 13:00 in my street! I took the camera with me when I had to bring our youngest daughter to school. Not bad for an amateur photographer like me, right? Click pics to enlarge

Do you want to see more winter pictures from our country? Have a look at this site!

It's true. But is it the whole truth?

I read about this JESUS LOVES OSAMA billboard on The Journey, Rodney Olsen's blog.
I did post a comment which I would like to share with my blog readers as well, because I think we are discussing an important point here. The cross of Christ is a sign of love, but it also proclaims God's judgement. We need to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! And that is my problem with this thought-provoking billboard campaign in Australia (and my problem with many "thought-provoking" or "funny" bumper stickers and church signs!)

God so loved the world... John 3:16, but secretly we all have a black list with people that we want to exclude! That's a point well-made here. But I don't think that it's wise to communicate Christ's love like this, with a big billboard message that simplifies the truth. We all should think about the effects our messages have on people. Christ loves Osama - even if that's impossible for me to understand! - but He hates his evil crimes and He will not let him get away with it! Focusing on Christ's love without proclaiming God's demand that we should turn away from sin, repent and start living holy lives is a one-sided message and 50% of the truth (which is in fact the same as telling a lie). GOD HATES SIN is also a true statement, but it needs to be communicated in the context that GOD LOVES SINNERS.

I think that the people behind this JESUS LOVES OSAMA campaign didn't think enough about the pain and suffering that terrorists have caused worldwide. That's why I don't like this campaign at all - even though I want to believe in all good intentions that by God's grace might still have some good effects on people too. Anyway, I think that it's unwise to communicate the Gospel like this, because it gives a wrong impression to the world. That's my take on this, please feel free to let me have yours too.

Christian Leaders Arrested in Zimbabwe

The entire leadership of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) and some journalists were arrested during a meeting in Kadoma on January 26. The alliance is involved in a number of measures to support those suffering from the on-going political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe and to work toward a resolution. At least 1000 people gathered in and around a church building to pray for Zimbabwe when armed riot police raided the meeting and arrested the leaders. Eight senior leaders were charged with holding an illegal political meeting. During interrogation, they were accused of working to overthrow President Robert Mugabe. After being interrogated throughout the weekend, the eight were arraigned on January 29 and released on $100,000 Zimbabwe dollars ($415 US) bail each. They are scheduled to appear in court on March 5. Those facing charges are Jonah Gokova, Pastor Raymond Motsi, Pius Wakatama, Pastor Ancelemon Magaya, Pastor Watson Mugabe, Pastor Zvizai Chiponda, Lawrence Berejina and Gerald Mubaiwa. Pray those charged will be acquitted. Thank God for their release. Ask God to encourage the leadership of ZCA to faithfully carry out their God-given task. 1 Peter 5:1-4 Source

Lust or Love - which side are you on?

For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:16

Watch this video presentation on www.lifechurch.com and feel free to let me know what you think!

Outstretched arms

I don’t want to be just an admirer. I want to be a true follower.

Read more here

Persecution in Eritrea

Police and military authorities in Eritrea jailed 68 Christians in three official round-up operations conducted the first week of January.
January 4 - Military commanders at Sawa Military Center held "random check-up on the activities of Christian extremists" on teenage student conscripts. They found 250 Bibles, which they burned in front of the whole military camp. They arrested 35 students and ordered they be subjected to severe military punishment, including torture.
January 5 - Police took 8 government workers into custody. The Christians are being interrogated and pressured by police to identify leaders and name anyone supporting them.
January 5 - Thirty-five Christians in Assab were arrested by police. They were pressured to recant their faith. Source

Please pray for the release of all Christians in Eritrea who are imprisoned for their faith. Pray those being tortured will be strengthened and delivered by the Lord.

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3

Cruise of a Lifetime

Who needs the Holland-America line anyway?