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"The existence of language is one of the many phenomena – of which love and music are the two strongest – which suggest that human beings are very much more than collections of meat. They convince me that we are spiritual beings, and that the religion of the incarnation, asserting that God made humanity in His image, and continually restores humanity in His image, is simply true. As a working blueprint for life, as a template against which to measure experience, it fits."Click on the picture to enlarge
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
This is how we know we're living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He's given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we've seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
1 John 4:7-16 - The Message
All Christians believe that the blessed are the poor and humble, and those who are ill-used by the world; that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven; that they should judge not, lest they be judged; that they should swear not at all; that they should love their neighbor as themselves; that if one take their cloak, they should give him their coat also; that they should take no thought for the morrow; that if they would be perfect they should sell all that they have and give it to the poor. They are not insincere when they say that they believe these things. They do believe them, as people believe what they have always heard lauded and never discussed. But in the sense of that living belief which regulates conduct, they believe these doctrines just up to the point which it is usual to act upon them.... John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
Challenge: write a creative blog post for Easter Sunday inspired by this picture and this text If you want to share your Easter feelings in blogosphere - please invite other bloggers to join in too! Do leave a comment or reply, so that we can refer and link to each other's blogs.
Upload the picture, post a reflection, poem, painting or whatever. Reply by tweet or leave a blog comment. If you think that this is a good idea, please share this initiative and invite other Christian bloggers to participate too!
Only the first time it's really a stunt - so all credits for this great idea go to Paul, John, Ringo and George. But U2 are today's Beatles, if you'd ask me. Never too proud to be inspired by musical heroes from the past & standing on the shoulders of giants. Amsterdam Arena tickets were sold out within 10 minutes, by the way. Next stadium concert announced directly after that. This was to be expected. Bono promised also some cheap tickets because 'this is a recession'. Yeah. It's in the middel of Summer - we will probably listen to U2 in our car or somewhere else on a camping site / in a hotel. We'll see.
Let me know what you think about No Line On The Horizon. My opinion? Magnificent! ;-)
By the way - U2 played live on rooftop BBC building near All Souls Church! (John Stott, Rico Tice, Christianity Explored... So cool!!) Next time a REAL stunt - what about LIVE @ the Vatican? Ha, ha.
You will probably know that this is the real message on some busses. I am a happy believer, so I don't have to be worried about God or (after)life at all. But if I was an atheist, I wouldn't be so happy with the 'probably' word. And Jesus already told us to stop worrying, so that truly is a Christian message - believe it or not. Especially good to be reminded of these encouraging words in these difficult times.
I like Eugene Peterson's The Message translation of Jesus' words:
"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself."
"Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." Source
Just try to find these desolate dots on Google Maps. It looks like this is one little island in a big blue sea, but you need to zoom in and pay close attention. Why bother? Because both South Korea and Japan claim that these tiny pieces of rock belong to them and to no one else. I don't want to be the judge of this, so I don't know whether we should talk about 'Dokdo' (South Korea) or 'Takeshima' (Japan). Yeah, let's start World War 3 because of these disputed desolate dots.*
Read more here (and have a look at all the other amazing pictures on this great site) If you really care about this 'big issue', you can also visit this blog.
* Just to make sure: I don't really think this is a bright idea.
Today we had a nice day as a family. We went to Amsterdam to visit Madame Tussauds. We sure weren't the only ones visiting this place - I recognized many famous people - even some ones that I didn't expect to be alive anymore. They did look a bit stiff, by the way. But I am happy to say that all these famous people are excellent posers for portrait pictures. Just have a look and let me know what you think of these pics. (Click pics to enlarge). More to follow...
If I listen to the news from around the globe, I guess that one part of my blog friends must be sweating like crazy because of the extreme heat (Australia), while the other half will be shaking and shivering due to the extreme cold (North America). I just want to know from you, my dear blog friends, what you experience personally from climate changes in the area where you live right now. Please do leave a comment here and tell me
Let me start by saying that the weather situation in the Netherlands is quite normal for this time of the year. We were all happy that we had some frozen ditches and canals last month, because Dutch people love ice skating - as these pictures show you.Many "reply all" fiascos result in mere embarrassment, but American diplomats have been told they may be punished for sending mass responses after an e-mail storm nearly knocked out one of the State Department's main electronic communications systems.
A cable sent last week to all employees at the department's Washington headquarters and overseas missions warns of unspecified "disciplinary actions" for using the "reply to all" function on e-mail with large distribution lists.
British satirist Rory Bremner describes welcome note from Bush to Obama: “Welcome, Mister Osama, you might find some helpful things here. I’m afraid the Middle East is a bit of a mess, the economy is screwed and I’m afraid that Afghanistan is not looking too good. But on the plus side, Laura’s put some flowers on the kitchen table.” Watch this video.
The former Governor of New York, Mario Cuomo, once said: "You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose".
Best lines from president Barack Obama's inaugural address - if you'd ask me...
“...and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.”
“To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”
And my favourite quote - “To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.”
Congratulations, citizens of the USA and the rest of the free world! It looks like we have a bright new American leader who is able to inspire his people in these difficult times. May God bless, guide and protect him, his wife and their daughters.
This is what I wrote on my old blog on August 4, 2006 - regarding Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon:
I wanted to write something about the current violence in the Middle East, but where to begin? I do understand that Israel needs to protect its borders, but personally I think that their military actions in Lebanon are a) disproportional and b) counterproductive (i.e. making more innocent victims, killing more soldiers on all sides of this conflict and causing more hatred everywhere in the region). However, it is very easy for me to judge such a complex conflict – sitting in my lazy chair in Holland. The situation is just too complicated for easy answers and even the brightest diplomats seem to have no solutions. I just feel so sorry for all the men, women and children in Israel and Lebanon and I can only pray for peace.
Talking about violence, war and peace issues… I just visited Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog and was intrigued by this thought-provoking question he is posing:
Had the Apostle Paul lived to see the war of Rome with Israel in 66-73 AD, what would he have done? Here are some considerations:
I ask this consideration: Paul was not a soldier, but let’s put him either in that position or in the position, which is far more likely, to have been advising new Roman citizen Christians or Christians living in the Land of Israel.
1. Would he have fought on Rome’s side against Israel? (Citizenship duty.)
2. Would he have fought on Israel’s side against Rome? (Faith over citizenship.)
3. Would he have chosen not to fight because he was torn between two nations? (Pragmatics.)
4. Would he have chosen not to fight because he thought Christians should be concerned with the kingdom of God and the preaching and living out of the gospel? (Some kind of Christian pacifism.)
Personally my answer would be: 4. Paul was a Jew born in a Hellenistic environment (Turkey), but he also happened to be a Roman citizen. Yes, in many ways he was truly a man ‘of this world’ and I think these qualifications helped him to bring the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean area. But Paul only claimed these religious, cultural and national ‘identities’ if this turned out to be useful for the progress of the Gospel. Paul was first and foremost fighting a spiritual battle and I personally believe that he would always try to avoid physical violence. That certainly doesn’t mean that Paul was a coward, because physically he suffered enormously due to his courageous proclamation of the Good News (just read these words from 2 Corinthians 11:23-30).
There are already many interesting comments on Scot’s posting and I didn’t feel that I needed to add one more of my own. I fully agree with a comment posted by Kenny Chee - “I think Paul was a man consumed with a passion to preach the Gospel in regions where Christ is yet unknown. He would choose option 4, and be focused and faithful to the heavenly call and upward allegiance. As to what he would advise Christians on both sides of the conflict, he would probably ask them to follow their conscience and seek what would lead to peace of all men, something the leaders of both sides of the present conflict in Lebanon would do well to heed.”
Fantastic lecture and Q&A from Dr. Tim Keller @ UC Berkely. Downloadable MP3 (video didn't work for me) highly recommended! Just click this link.
PS Two of my pictures were published in a local news paper today...
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