BUT A POOR REFLECTION

This Blog Has Moved!

2009-06-15T08:45:00.001+02:00

Please visit But A Poor Reflection on WordPress and update your blog roll and links. Thanks!

We just couldn't agree

2009-06-01T13:50:00.002+02:00

Be Inspired!

2009-05-31T10:50:00.000+02:00

Quench not the Spirit - Wherever it is, it burns; it flames in holy love, in joy, prayer, thanksgiving. O quench it not, damp it not in yourself or others, either by neglecting to do good, or by doing evil! (Wesley's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:19)

I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine

2009-05-15T13:42:00.001+02:00

Playing for Change

2009-05-12T14:56:00.002+02:00

What a great project! Check THIS out.

Perfect Match

2009-04-28T21:58:00.007+02:00

PERFECT MATCH

I noticed both of you - of course
didn’t ask for your permission
just enjoyed this moment

as an observer, a fellow traveler
a spectator with an eye for
vintage beauty

camera in my lap
secretly taking this picture
I have to capture this

grown together, a perfect match
just as naturally
as your folded hands

wordless poetry
perfect rhyme

love & faithfulness

Conversion to atheism and return to faith

2009-04-16T10:04:00.004+02:00

"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."

Read this remarkable story here

Water's Mirror

2009-04-12T00:01:00.001+02:00

Click on the picture to enlarge

"Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.

After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.

Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth."

Hosea 6:1-3

At the Bottom of the Sea

2009-04-11T11:42:00.003+02:00

Then Jonah prayed to his God from the belly of the fish. He prayed:
"In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to God.
He answered me.
From the belly of the grave I cried, 'Help!'
You heard my cry.
You threw me into ocean's depths,
into a watery grave,
With ocean waves, ocean breakers
crashing over me.
I said, 'I've been thrown away,
thrown out, out of your sight.
I'll never again lay eyes
on your Holy Temple.'
Ocean gripped me by the throat.
The ancient Abyss grabbed me and held tight.
My head was all tangled in seaweed
at the bottom of the sea where the mountains take root.
I was as far down as a body can go,
and the gates were slamming shut behind me forever—
Yet you pulled me up from that grave alive,
O God, my God!
When my life was slipping away,
I remembered God,
And my prayer got through to you,
made it all the way to your Holy Temple.
Those who worship hollow gods, god-frauds,
walk away from their only true love.
But I'm worshiping you, God,
calling out in thanksgiving!
And I'll do what I promised I'd do!
Salvation belongs to God!"

Then God spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah on the seashore.

"Under water Psalm" Jonah 2 taken from Eugene Peterson's The Message
Source picture

This is how God showed his love for us

2009-04-10T20:13:00.001+02:00

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

It’s Friday. But Sunday’s a Coming!

2009-04-09T23:34:00.007+02:00

Sermon by S.M. Lockridge

Thought-provoking Quote from John Stuart Mill

2009-04-08T22:52:00.000+02:00

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

Easter Challenge for Christian Bloggers

2009-04-06T14:10:00.001+02:00

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!

Bursting Into Life

2009-03-27T20:35:00.005+01:00

Click on the pics to enlarge. And if you like my pics, check these too.

Man-making Contest / Creatio Ex Nihilo

2009-03-23T21:44:00.017+01:00

One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. They picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him. The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and get lost."
God listened patiently to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, "Very well! How about this? Let's have a man-making contest."
The man replied, "Okay, great!"
But God added, "Now we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam."
The scientist said, "Sure, no problem." He bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.
God just looked at him and said, "No, no, no. Go get your own dirt!"

Joke stolen 'out of nothing' somewhere in the public domain. Graffiti picture made by me in London; original graffiti created 'out of nothing' by this artist, I guess... (Still wondering whether he really exists or not). Check out this text too!

Rooftop gigs by U2 and the Beatles

2009-03-14T11:32:00.008+01:00

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.

Narrow escapes?

2009-03-13T13:12:00.008+01:00

Yesterday Dutch police arrested seven would-be terrorists that allegedly were planning to 'kill as many people as they could' in the city of Amsterdam. Today a Dutch boy was arrested after announcing that he was going to kill kids in a school in the city of Breda. Both threats have been detected by the police - tipped off by an anonymous phone call from Brussels (referring to the planned attack in Amsterdam) and by Dutch TV-journalists who read an anonymous school shooting announcement posted by a Dutch boy in an American chat box. (See screenshot above) The police was able to track down this boy and by doing so they've probably prevented a situation like we've seen too many times now on both sides of the Atlantic.

Pfew... Are we just lucky? It's a terrible thought, but sooner or later these kind of horrible things will happen here too, I'm afraid. But what can you do about it? We can only hope and pray that we will be protected against such senseless attacks. I'm happy and thankful that the police seems to do a good job in preventing these tragedies from happening so far.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people in Germany who are mourning now due to the act of one violent and merciless idiot.

Dutch news sources here and here.

Praying for Germany

2009-03-12T18:01:00.003+01:00

Turning Pain into Praise

2009-03-12T17:21:00.002+01:00

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah. (Click on the pic below to enlarge)

Dawkins takes wrong bus...

2009-03-06T13:30:00.004+01:00

...and gets totally lost with no sense of direction. Lets hope he still has a sense of humour.

Make Up Your Mind

2009-03-06T12:09:00.001+01:00

Source

British buses spread strange message

2009-03-04T00:58:00.006+01:00

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

Disputed desolate dots

2009-03-02T17:16:00.007+01:00

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.

Madame Tussauds Amsterdam

2009-02-26T23:45:00.002+01:00

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...

Turkish Airliner crashed near my hometown

2009-02-25T21:04:00.009+01:00

Today a Turkish Boeing 737 crashed near Schiphol Amsterdam Airport - close to some busy motorways, but luckily enough in a large field just before Schiphol's 5th runway. I first heard about this tragic accident - that took place at 10:31 AM local time - after returning in my Amsterdam office later this afternoon, after a meeting in Apeldoorn this morning.
The location of the crash is near the place where I live and very near a road that I use every day to go to the office and back home again. This afternoon at 17:30 PM I saw the wreck of the plane in the field, while many men were placing large screens along the motorway to shield the crash area of.
It is a true miracle that 'only' nine people died immediately during the crash (including the 3 members of the cockpit crew). More people are severely injured, but this could have been far worse if the plane had caught fire. It was very near the landing track and normally planes are still quite high above the motorway while they are slowly approaching the runway. If this accident was caused by motor failure, it is a miracle that so many people survived this crash. BBC News

My thoughts and prayers are with the relatives and friends of the victims.

In the unlikely event of an accident...

2009-02-18T00:50:00.006+01:00

First we heard about a collision of two satellites in space. With 6,000 satellites encircling the globe (3,000 inactive) this was an accident waiting to happen. A very unlikely event, they say, but still - it happened.
And yesterday they told us about the collison of two atomic submarines in the Atlantic Ocean that happened in the night from February 2 to 3. Both subs can carry 16 ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads - so we can all feel really save on this planet. Of course an accident like this is very unlikely and there's no reason to be worried - it will probably never happen again. Yeah, right. So we hope and pray.

Read these stories here and here.

Dutch MP Geert Wilders not welcome in UK

2009-02-12T17:18:00.023+01:00

Controversial Dutch MP Geert Wilders (I am not a fan - to put it mildly) is not welcome in the UK. I can see why. He wants to keep 'unwanted foreigners' out of our little country, so now he knows from personal experience what it's like to be refused entry to a free and democratic country and to be sent home as a persona non-grata. Thank you, Great Brittain!

I did like the funny combination of a news article on the BBC web site and a sponsored announcement from our very own 'national' airline KLM ('a journey full of inspiration' the add says - ha, ha). Now you can see that Dutch people have a good sense of humour too!

And now a message to my dear English friends: You can keep Geert Wilders in custody for as long as you like - but be kind to him. He may speak with a funny foreign accent - and yes he looks a bit strange too - but please keep in mind that he also is a human being. We have plenty of so called ‘unwanted foreigners’ already, so this one is for you! We will allow one more real political refugee / asylum seeker in, because the absense of Geert Wilders provides sufficient free breathing space for all people in our little country.

Climate changes in blogosphere

2009-02-05T16:39:00.016+01:00

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

where you live and what kind of weather you are experiencing right now
whether or not these are normal circumstances for this time of the year
if you are personally worried about climate changes and what should be done about it in your country and all over the world

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.

Maybe you can also write about the weather conditions in your area on your own blog and leave a link / trackback here in my comments.

Reply to All? Don't Even Think About It!

2009-01-23T11:23:00.000+01:00

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.

E-mail is a great communication tool, but please don't turn it against yourself or against all 'undisclosed' recipients. Sometimes things are running out of control and strong disciplinary measures are necessary! Read the rest of the story here.

Welcome note from Bush to Obama

2009-01-21T21:49:00.002+01:00

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.

Inspiring words from the 44th US President

2009-01-20T23:01:00.011+01:00

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.

Survival of the Predestined

2009-01-20T00:29:00.001+01:00

Just thought of a new combined slogan for the Darwin / Calvin Year: Survival of the Predestined.

Making History By Repeating It

2009-01-12T22:56:00.009+01:00

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.”

Spot the Odd One Out

2009-01-10T19:44:00.002+01:00

Click pic to enlarge!

Listen to Tim Keller's lecture!

2009-01-10T11:28:00.002+01:00

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.

Ice Cold Sense of Humour

2009-01-01T19:31:00.006+01:00

PS Two of my pictures were published in a local news paper today...

See my Dutch blog.

Too Good to be True

2008-12-29T11:24:00.012+01:00

I just found out that the amazing 'true' love story of Herman and Roma Rosenblat is a fabrication... I've blogged about this story here and I even received the manuscript from the USA because I was considering to buy the Dutch language rights for our publishing house in Amsterdam. But now I am glad that I decided not to go ahead with this, because this romantic love story turns out to be fake!

At Ark Media we did have a look at the manuscript, but because we are a Christian publishing house, we decided not to translate it - due to a lack of Christian content. I didn't question the story itself and didn't have any doubts about the credibility of this man.

But this is what I just read on the BBC NEWS website - "A US publisher has cancelled publication of a Holocaust memoir after its author revealed that he had made up crucial parts of it. Herman Rosenblat did survive a German concentration camp, but he did not fall in love with a girl who threw him food over the fence, as stated in the book. Instead, he met her on a blind date in New York and married her 50 years ago.
His book, Angel at the Fence, came under public scrutiny after a number of scholars questioned important details. The fabricated story says that when Rosenblat moved to New York after the war he met Roma Radzicki by chance and discovered she was the girl who had thrown apples and bread to him. They fell in love and married.
But some questioned Rosenblat's descriptions of Schlieben - a sub-camp of Buchenwald - and said it was impossible to throw food over the fence there."

To be honest, I do feel disappointed because I did like the story and thought that this was one of those examples that some things in life are just too extraordinary to be deemed 'coincidences'. But this fabricated story really turns out to be 'too good to be true' and it is sad that people are willing to tell and write lies, just to spice things up a bit (and earn some extra money on the side, I guess...).

Pretty Maria

2008-12-28T18:58:00.004+01:00

Okay, I am biassed - being her proud father - but I think that everybody will agree with this: Pascalle is a pretty Maria! Click pic to enlarge. Check also this picture Maria & Joseph. More pictures from this year's Christmas celebrations in our church here. All pics © Marcello Geerts

Christmas Service in our Church ON-LINE

2008-12-27T23:34:00.009+01:00

This year our church - Meerkerk in Hoofddorp - organized eight Christmas celebrations and approx. 6,000 people attended! Even if you can't understand Dutch, you will probably appreciate listening to the Christmas songs. Just to let you know that the family of God is celebrating the birth of our Lord all over the world. Christmas blessings from the Netherlands to all of you!

WATCH THIS DUTCH CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION ONLINE

Note: there is a full screen option on the menu bar of the player.

Wednesday 24 December - 40 years ago...

2008-12-24T23:39:00.008+01:00

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts; Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders did a live television broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and Moon seen from Apollo 8. Lovell said, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis.

I would like to add JOHN 1 to this reading and I wish you all a Happy & Blessed Christmas!

A Call to Die

2008-12-19T13:02:00.005+01:00

Not a very attractive book title... But I am reading this devotional book/ forty days journal written by David Nasser right now and, although I am only at page 116 (from 350 pages), I think this book conveys an important message. "To live is Christ, and to die is gain..." as Paul puts it in Philippians 1:21. Intense words and thoughts - easy to repeat, hard to live by!
Paul is writing about his desire to depart physcially and be with Jesus. But he was able to think and write like this because he was willing to die spiritually to self. It is so easy to sing: "I surrender all", but it is so difficult to really give everything to God. It's so tempting - and so natural - to keep some areas and 'secret treasures' in our lives where we don't allow God to reign and be LORD! Do you recognize this?

Keeping me humble

2008-12-19T12:42:00.002+01:00

Just signed in to a new service called Disqus (a tool for web comments and discussions). Look at the encouraging piece of information they have given me: no friends and zero fans. Well, thank you very much for reminding me and for keeping me humble!

Jesus as the Centre

2008-12-17T10:58:00.002+01:00

"Jesus as the centre is only unifying for those who repent. For everyone else he is not a unifying centre, he is a dividing line." - Mark Driscoll (If you have 50 minutes left: listening to this panel discussion is not a waste of your precious time!)

Jason Upton - Dear John (Born)

2008-12-15T14:39:00.000+01:00

Lauryn Hill - I Gotta Find Peace Of Mind

2008-12-12T16:23:00.004+01:00

Just watch this clip till the end. It's moving, so get your handkerchiefs ready... (thanks to my daughter Sosha for showing this MTV unplugged music video to me)

Caught in the Act

2008-12-05T13:34:00.014+01:00

I looked outside the window and saw this cat sitting in our tree... Looks like he has a bad conscience. This food in our tree - some little peanuts and netted fat balls - is intended for birds, but this cat had some other ideas...

Together with all the saints

2008-12-03T21:15:00.027+01:00

I'm not the only one starin' at the sun
Afraid of what you'd find if you took a look inside...

Yesterday I copied these words, taken out of (the context of) a U2 song, on this blog. I was looking for some astronomical information about the sun, because I needed a metaphor to describe the loneliness and insignificance of human beings in the light of an eternal God. And the words of this song that I love - Staring at the Sun - came to my mind.

God is a consuming fire. He is so awesomely great that we are completely humbled just by considering his eternal existence, his endless power and the inaccessible light of his being. We can not approach him, because he is completely out of our reach. We can not picture him, because he is totally out of our sight. We can not fully appreciate him, because our minds and souls are not able to comprehend him. We are clueless, helpless, lost. We need a revelation.

We long to be loved. We didn't create this desire, it just welled up in us, consumed us from the inside out and confronted us with our loneliness. Hopefully we have experienced love. Human love - great affection, but always imperfect and often conditional. We want to hear that we are desired, that we belong and that we will not be left alone in the dark. Most of all we need to hear from our Maker that he loves us.

I didn't ask to be born. It just so happened. And I'm one of the lucky ones, because I was raised by loving (albeit imperfect) parents and I have no reasons to complain about the love that I receive right now from the people surrounding me. Don't worry about me, because I'm fine. But I want to be more than fine, I want to be embraced and fully accepted by God.

Aren't we all aching for pure love? We want to reach out to each other and to our Creator, but something is withholding us and this is what it is: The fear of being rejected. What if the ones that you love could have a look inside your heart – just like the U2 lyrics say? Would they still love you, accept you, praise you, admire you? And what about God – who is really able to look straight into the secret chambers of your soul – will he still accept you, love you? I believe that he does.

"It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing." (Ephesians 2:3-10 - the Message)

Human love can be close to perfect, but it will always be human. The best we can do is to accept and forgive each other's shortcomings and brokenness. And we can only do this if we dare to be honest and vulnerable ourselves. Face it. We are imperfect and incomplete, we desperately need compensation - each and everyone of us. We need other human beings to guide us, oppose us, confront us, unmask us, heal us. And we also need other people to get a better understanding of our Creator. Together with all the saints, in the company of true followers of Jesus, we will be able to grasp the immeasurable dimensions of Christ's love. We are not the only ones searching for light, love, life. We're staring at the sun together, blinded by its light, vulnerably exposed to its burning power.

If the sun stops shining right now, it will take approximately eight minutes before we will notice this down here on earth because this is the travel time needed for every ray of light from the sun to our planet. But as soon as God pulls the power plug of his love we are gone in an instant. His grace is still supporting us, even if we are not aware of it, even if we don't give him any credit for keeping us alive.

"My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19 - the Message)

Staring at the Sun

2008-12-02T19:58:00.012+01:00

I'm not the only one
starin' at the sun
Afraid of what you'd find
if you took a look inside
Not just deaf and dumb
I'm staring at the sun
Not the only one
who's happy to go blind
- 'Staring at the Sun' lyrics U2

Staring at the sun is not a bright idea because it can damage your eyes or even destroy your eyesight completely - "No one is immune to sunlight-related eye disorders. Every person, regardless of their background is susceptible to ocular damage from UV radiation that may lead to impaired vision." Source

But, if you still want to have a closer look at the sun, I can offer you a good alternative that is safe, cheap and 100% up-to-date. Just click here and see for yourself. And if you want to listen to U2 too... Be my guest and watch this eyeblinding (not really) video clip!

Praying for the people of India

2008-11-28T16:30:00.010+01:00

Another senseless blood bath - this time in Mombai, India. I really don't see how anybody can achieve anything positive with violent attacks like these. The killers will be killed and the only thing that they will have achieved is more hatred, more suffering and more killings of innocent people. Why? What on earth do they think they are doing? Do these murderers really believe that they are heroes? God will judge them, I'm sure.

There is something terribly wrong with human nature. This is our only hope: we need to follow Somebody who is not fighting-back and who is not calling us to take revenge. I have a clue who He is. We need to change from the inside-out, and that's not just true for terrorists - it's true for all of us!

To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. (Jesus in Luke 6, The Message)

Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." (Paul in his letter to the Romans, Chapter 12, the Message)

Do not starve yourself any longer

2008-11-28T12:16:00.002+01:00

"O begin! Fix some part of every day for private exercises…whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way; else you will be a trifler all your days…do justice to your own soul; give it time and means to grow. Do not starve yourself any longer. Take up your cross and be a Christian altogether. Then will all the children of God rejoice..." (John Wesley, Letters to Mr. John Trembath, in Works, Vol. 12; page 254. Quoted in 'Three Simple Rules - A Wesleyan Way of Living', by Rueben P. Job)

Got Up Early

2008-11-23T10:31:00.002+01:00

Have a look at my photo blog too...

Amazing Pics

2008-11-23T00:08:00.003+01:00

Want to know what this is? Have a look here and be amazed...

Dilemma

2008-11-21T18:00:00.006+01:00

Today I brought Sosha (daughter, 14) to school. She is recovering from a broken leg and is not able to bike or walk, of course. On my way back home I saw another girl, about the same age, standing next to her bicycle in the pouring rain. We live in a flat area (polder / reclaimed land) and the wind can be very fierce.
I stopped and asked this girl if she needed help. She looked cold and wet and told me that she had to go to her school in Nieuw Vennep, which is a distance of approx. 5 kilometers. I was hesitating. I wanted to help this girl and give her (and her bike) a ride to school, but at the same time I knew that I wouldn't approve when one of my own daugthers accepted this kind of help from a total stranger. I told her that she could make a phone call and ask for permission from her parents, but she had no cell phone on her and didn't want to use mine. I told her that I was willing to help, but that she had to make her own decision about it. She accepted my help and was happy that she arrived a bit earlier, dry and warm at school today!
Still, I don't know if I did the right thing... and I hate the fact that I even have to think about this. Because only a couple of people can't be trusted, it is getting hard to be kind to a girl that needs help. Any thoughts on this? Let me know.

Go to their rescue!

2008-11-10T20:49:00.003+01:00

"All who are not on the Rock, are in the sea. Every soldier must go to their rescue!" - William Booth

Obama's victory and Jesse's tears

2008-11-06T20:54:00.015+01:00

I did't write about the newly elected president of the United States yet. I know that many of my fellow Christians in the USA were supporting the Republican candidate John McCain, but I am excited about the choice that the majority of the American voters have made and I have high expectations of president Barack Obama. I pray that the change that he has promised to bring, will be a change for good.

In our country about 90% of the people were 'supporting' Barack Obama, but according to Dutch on-line news bulletin NIS they often have the wrong idea about Obama's views on several important issues:

Obama is against same-sex marriage, but 62 percent of the Dutch believe he is in favour of this. No less than 78 percent wrongly believe that Obama wants to abolish the death penalty, and 90 percent failed to believe that the statement "We will kill Osama bin Laden" was made by Obama. And three-quarters think that Obama wants to reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan, while in fact he wants to send more troops there.

Another observation... I saw some TV images showing the Rev. Jesse Jackson tearing up, right after he had heard that Barack Obama was elected 44th president of the United States. I think that this emotional reaction says it all. His tears tell the story of the suffering and the joy of the black people and I fully understand his emotional reaction. Asked about the reason for his tears, Rev. Jackson explained the next morning that he was thinking about "...the martyrs and murdered whose blood made last night possible. I could not help think that this was their night." source

Another racial barrier has been removed and finaly a black man has reached the highest elected political office in the world. Race shouldn't be an issue in politics, but in real life it unfortunately often still is. I am happy that the Americans decided to elect an intelligent, eloquent and inspiring new leader, and the fact that he is a black man (well, more or less) is a bonus! Only half a century ago black people were totaly excluded from positions of power in the USA and many other parts of our world, but now Obama shows that this really belongs to the past. I hope and pray that president Barack Obama will be able to inspire people of all colours, faiths and backgrounds, that he will lead his country out of the current economic and politcal crises and that he will make some wise decisions in both domestic and foreign politics. May God bless, guide and protect him.

Church Sign Challenge

2008-10-25T22:29:00.003+02:00

Inspired by this blog entry I decided to make my very own fake church sign today - hope you all like it. I challenge you to do the same and leave a comment here with a link to your blog post showing your own virtual church sign with appropriate Bible quotation or funny / thought-provoking text. Have a look here.

Please support Rebecca and School for the Girls

2008-10-25T19:42:00.022+02:00

Picture left: Lydia showing our kikoy. Picture right: our daughters Sosha and Pascalle with their beautiful bangles from Kenya.

Some time ago I asked Rebecca Opetsi Alitsi from School for the Girls to give me some more information about her life and work in Kenya. Rebecca left a comment on one of my blog entries and through her own blog I learned a bit more about the good things she's involved in in her home country. Rebecca landed on my blog via Cori's blog.
I just want to tell you that I believe that Rebecca deserves your respect and support, because she is helping girls to earn some money by making beautiful kikoys that can be bought via Rebecca's website.
I did order such a beautiful kikoy and I would like to encourage other bloggers to do the same. Please have a look at Rebecca's website and do read the following information that Rebecca kindly gave me.

I am in Kenya which is my country and I am disabled with spinal cord problem, I am at the Catholic university of Kenya where I am doing social sciences so that I can work with the community, but I live in Kibera which is the biggest slum in Africa and the second in the world and I am handling the girls from the same area who have disabled parents or are disabled themselves. In total we are nine and trying to fund raise for our school fee and as well as to encourage each other.

Kenya is a very beautiful country with many beautiful animals like elephant, lion, cheetah, girrafe and many others. The only problem is poverty whereby children are not able to afford money for their fee and hence drop out of school and engage in bad things like drug abuse and even early parent hood which is very bad for them. And hence I decided to start this project whereby we make the kikoy and sell them so as to fundraise for the girl school fee.

Mushroom

2008-10-25T16:28:00.001+02:00

Yes, this pic is very down-to-earth.

Impressions from Texel

2008-10-23T23:55:00.016+02:00

Tomorrow we will be back home, but I am sure that I will come back to this beautiful island again! Texel is the largest Wadden isle and the only one belonging to the province North Holland (which is where we live). I have been here twice as a little boy, so it was about time for me to return. The only other Wadden isle that I know from personal experience is Ameland. I would like to visit all the Wadden isles (including the German ones!) to take some more photographs...

Sosha still has pain in her right leg and foot - she wasn't able to do as much as she wanted to, but all in all she had a good time here too. We do hope that she will soon recover completely so that she will be able to play soccer again and join us with all family activities.

I want to share these panorama pics with you - I took these photographs today during a long walk along the north side of the isle. The first pic has a strange bend in the horizon - it is hard to avoid this with an automated digital photomontage and such a wide angle! Please visit my photoblog if you want to see some more! (Click pics to enlarge)

For those of you who want to find out more about the Waddensea and Wadden isles (Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog) - please click here

Pics from Ecomare, Texel

2008-10-23T00:06:00.001+02:00

Visit my photo blog for more pics...

Greetings from Texel

2008-10-21T20:07:00.001+02:00

Just an impression from Texel - we are enjoying ourselves here on this beautiful island!

Just to say (almost) everything's okay

2008-10-19T17:01:00.005+02:00

Haven't been blogging for a while - just because I am too busy living my life ;-)
This is a busy time of the year with book fairs and many other things to do. I am also involved in alpha in prison ministry and that activity takes some of my time too.
Just an update... Sosha (our eldest daughter) broke her right leg two weeks ago (at the end of her soccer training). She's doing well, but this was a very painful experience and she needs several weeks to recover from it. Her right leg (shinbone and fibula) was broken just above the ankle and the doctor has places a metal plate with some little screws under her skin to re-connect the broken bones.
We will go on a short holiday to the isle of Texel with our family - just as planned. But of course we will take it easy because of Sosha's situation.
Haven't been reading any blogs recently - sorry about that too... Just drop me a line if there's anything I really need to know. Blessings to all of you!

Another shock - this time in Finland

2008-09-23T20:48:00.007+02:00

Dear blog friends, please take some time to show the people in Finland that we care about what happened to some of their students. I guess that you've all heard the sad news about another tragic shooting spree at a Finnish school today. A gunman has killed 10 people at a college in the town of Kauhajoki before shooting himself. What is going on in this crazy world of ours?
I feel powerless and angry, but at the same time I know that we are in the midst of a spiritual battle and that God's Light Force is winning this fight against the dark powers of evil - whatever people may think and see right now. Jesus is stronger! Let's pray for the people of Finland and please send some words of encouragement to our blog brother Markus. I have many relatives in Finland and this sad news really resonates with me.
BBC news story.
Heavenbound weblog from Finnish brother / blogger Markus.

We don't like Ike - let's pray for a change!

2008-09-13T15:07:00.022+02:00

'We like Ike!' - that was the slogan that once helped President Dwight D. Eisenhower to take the White House by a storm caused by waves of public support in 1952. I am very old - approaching 47 - but far too young to remember this. But as an educated History teacher I've learned my lessons. And I sure hope and pray that the same is true for the American people today - caught in an election with slogans about winds of change, threatened by an economic disaster and beaten up by hurricanes - such as Ike.
My God, what's going on? I live on the other side of the Atlantic - the problems seem so far away. And most American families will live their lives as if nothing serious is happening to them.
Hurricanes have always been there. And our global economy has weathered some storms before. Leaders will rise and fall - nothing's really new - except maybe for the size and the frequency of the disasters and challenges.
In the meantime I am praying for the people of America. For the families that are isolated, for people caught in the winds and the waves. I am a Dutchman and I know about the threat of water, but thanks to God not by personal experience -yet. Let's do what we can and let's ask our Lord to silence the storms once again. And let the body of Christ on this side feel the pain of the body on the other side. My prayers are with you, friends! Trust in the Lord, keep the faith - Jesus is still the Lord of the winds and the waves.

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. Ephesians 4

This blog entry is my reply to the news here.

Misguided Butterfly

2008-09-08T18:20:00.007+02:00

This butterfly landed on the colourful logo on the front side of our office building in Amsterdam. This logo looks like a gigantic flower, the butterfly must have been thinking... This is why I am happy that I always carry my camera with me nowadays!

Click on the pics to enlarge and enjoy the details!

Like a Ship in the Night

2008-09-07T08:53:00.002+02:00

Check my new pics on my photo blog...

Click pic to enlarge...

What's wrong with Condoleezza?

2008-08-30T10:57:00.012+02:00

I was expecting a very smart move. John McCain, Republican presidential hopeful, was surely going to surprise us with a brilliant running mate... Condoleezza Rice, of course! But wait a minute... I've just heard that he's now running with Sarah Palin! Sarah Who?
I haven't made up my mind about the US presidential elections yet - don't have to, being a distant Dutchman - but I am honestly impressed by Obama. Don't understand why he didn't select a strong female dance partner for this ball, but maybe he wanted to compensate his lack of experience in foreign affairs by asking an expert in this field (Joe Biden) to join him. Unfortunately Condoleezza wasn't an option for the Democrats... But my goodness, why on earth is John McCain dancing, excuse me, running with Sarah Palin? Okay, she's smart and beautiful, she's a mother at home and a governor in Alaska too. And let's not forget one major qualification: she is pro-life. Let's wait and see. But I still can't believe that McCain didn't ask Condoleezza Rice to become his strong, smart and beautifuly coloured female vice-presidential nominee.

Dutch blog

2008-08-29T20:35:00.021+02:00

Yes friends, I'm still bloggin' on. In English, because I like to stay in touch with the rest of the world, but from this day on also in Dutch. My English language skills are okayish, but it's so much easier for me to express myself in my own mother tongue. So, I am making a brand new start today and this time I am betraying my faithful friends at Blogger / Google. I am going to use WordPress for my Dutch blog, but don't worry - I will keep this blog too. VRIJSPRAAK is the name of my Dutch blog - which literally means free speech, but also absolution. This name refers to grace and mercy, of course. Curious? Have a look here - maybe it will make some sense to you...

Let Freedom Ring

2008-08-28T18:16:00.012+02:00

"With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."

Forty-five years ago today, Martin Luther King delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech. What a great example of courage and faith this man still is! Read more here

The beautiful fight and the full reality of grace

2008-08-24T09:35:00.001+02:00

I am reading 'The Beautiful Fight' by Gary Thomas. This book is packed with insights and food for thought. In Chapter 8 the author writes about setting our minds on God. He stresses that we are in control of our minds and that our will can be stronger than our emotions and passions - if we allow God's Spirit to guide us.
"Neurologists tell us a startling truth that has major implications for spiritual formation: Our choices and experience shape our brain, both literally and physiologically. What we choose cognitively helps make us into who we are. (...) In a neurological sense, our character is the sum total of the moral decisions we have made. In a theological sense, our behavior and our thinking are interconnected. Here's how the apostle Paul describes it: Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God." (The Beautiful Fight, p. 110)

Another quote that I want to share with you: "I have seen men who don't practice holiness start preaching nothing but grace - forgetting all about real change and transformation. I have also seen men who are deeply convicted about unrepented sin preach with anger and venom, forgetting all about forgiveness and mercy. Both camps miss the totality of God's grace, because they see it from only one side. They are led into either misunderstanding forgiveness, which exalts 'tolerance' over transformation, or misunderstanding God's judgment, which leads only to condemnation. Because their souls have grown weak, their minds can't grasp the full reality of grace that pardons and transforms.
What we do affects how we think. There is no getting around this truth. Right living supports right doctrine; right doctrine helps us to keep living right. We desperately need both." (The Beautiful Fight, page 111)

Panorama Pics II

2008-08-23T14:35:00.006+02:00

Click pics to enlarge

These pics are all taken in and around Hoofddorp, Haarlemmermeer - the place where I live with my family, near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The panorama pics in the former entry are all taken during our holidays in France. Just let me know what you think!

Panorama Pics

2008-08-21T21:28:00.003+02:00

Some pics I made during our holidays in France - using the panorama function of my digital camera Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS. The camera stitches 3 pictures together. I did not use a tripod. More pics to follow. Click to enlarge!

My rain picture on website national TV!

2008-08-07T19:30:00.010+02:00

It rained today. And it rained a lot! I took this picture out of my office window and uploaded it on a website of our national TV-station (NOS) where people from all over the country can place their weather pictures. Some time later I received an e-mail from an editor informing me that she had used my picture on the news front page and their weather report page. How cool is that? Ha, ha.
PS Update August 8 - The pictures are already gone... :-( That's what happens with yesterday's news. But I did make this screen dump...

He's not remote, he's near

2008-08-06T08:54:00.003+02:00

"The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn't live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn't take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don't make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him!"

Acts 17:24-28 from the Message (Bible in contemporary English)

Picture taken in France, but the sky looks the same almost everywhere, doesn't it? And we're all living on the same planet, under the same sun. Look at the moon tonight and you and I will see the earth's only natural stable satellite reflecting the sun beams and stabilizing the earth's rotation axis to give us seasons and tides while we are moving through space with a speed of 108,000 km/h or 30 km/s. Imagine that.

The ratio of distance to the sun to that of the moon is same as the ratio of their respective sizes (source) and that's why we can have a total eclipse of the sun on earth. Some people call this a coincidence... But I believe we all look up to the same Creator. The One and Only. Seek Him and you will find truth, grace, love and strength. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him!

Complacent to God

2008-08-03T17:57:00.001+02:00

We’re complacent to God. Churchgoers pack the pews and sing to the back of someone’s head. Fellowship is lost in formality. One, two, three times a week people pay their dues by walking in the door, enduring a ritual, and walking out. Guilt is appeased. God is insulted. Are we so naive as to think that he needs our attendance? Are we so ignorant that we put God in a box, thinking he can be taken in and out at our convenience?

Max Lucado, On the Anvil, p. 26, Tyndale 1985

Beijing beware!

2008-08-01T12:14:00.008+02:00

I do think that we must use the Beijing Olympics to show the Chinese government that we are watching them closely and that they can't distract us from human rights issues by putting up a spectacular show.
In the Netherlands we have developed a special training program for our contenders. I did give you a sneak preview some weeks ago (sheep sprinting training session, check this), but soon we will send our full grown secret sheep to China in order to change this huge country from the inside out. Like lambs among wolves, that's right!
I have captured these two secret sheep on camera yesterday, but soon they will be heading for Beijing / Peking or 北京 if you want to be 100% accurate. Please also read this serious entry.

Glasshopper

2008-07-31T18:42:00.007+02:00

This 'little' guy landed on our Office Windows™ today so that makes him a glass-hopper. The things insects do, just to get some attention on my blog! Anyways, I'll bet you've never seen a close-up of a grasshopper's belly before. Click on the pic if you really want to get up close and personal with this interesting insect.

How much risk can we take for heaven’s sake?

2008-07-30T16:56:00.022+02:00

“DNA tests confirmed that a body found off the coast of Brazil is that of a priest who disappeared while flying over the Atlantic buoyed by hundreds of brightly colored party balloons, authorities said Tuesday.
The Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli set off from the Brazilian port city of Paranagua on April 20 strapped to 1,000 helium-filled balloons in an attempt to raise money to build a rest stop and worship center for truckers. But the 41-year-old Roman Catholic priest soon lost contact with his ground team, and the cluster of yellow, orange, pink and white balloons was found in the water a day later.” Source

This news story really makes me think. Of course I feel terribly sorry for this courageous priest and for all the people he has left behind here on earth. But was this really God’s calling on his life – to be airlifted to the heavens above by 1,000 party balloons!?
Okay, who am I to judge this poor man... It is just another tragic story, but I can’t help thinking that this was also a silly stunt and a misguided, naieve idea.

In my own country we just heard about a group of young volunteers and the tragic ordeal that they’ve been through while they were working for a Christian aid and development organization in Kenya. They came there to rebuild a school and paid for this ‘vacation’ out of their own pocket. And this is what happened to them: five young Dutch women between the ages of 17 and 25 were raped by a group of Kenyan men. Source

Now I am outraged, shocked and sad at the same time. And of course I can’t help asking myself – why on earth did God allow this to happen? That is a tough question to answer and I truly don’t know what to say. I only know that bad things happen to good people all of the time all over the world and Christians are certainly not immune to violence, crime, war, persecution, abuse and disasters. Come to think of it, Jesus – God’s Son, was not immune to violence, pain and humiliation either. He gave his life for us on that horrible cross and God didn't stop him because this was a price that needed to be paid and Jesus was the only one who was able to pay it. Can’t understand it fully, but I wholeheartedly believe it.

So God took a huge risk when He allowed his Son to go down to this dark pit we call earth. Excuse me for mixing up these tragic non-related stories, but again I have to think about the Brazilian priest who decided to go in the opposite direction. There’s nothing funny about that. It just makes me wonder what we are called to do down here on earth, how much risk we can sensibly take and which price we are prepared to pay in order to help our fellow human beings in the service of our God.

Waiting for the Big One?

2008-07-30T12:45:00.008+02:00

“There is a 99 percent chance of California experiencing a quake of magnitude 6.7 or larger within the next 30 years, according to the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, the California Geological Survey and the Southern California Earthquake Center and published in Science Daily in April.” Source

Today I’ve heard about the ‘small’ earthquake in California. This again is a reminder that – from a geological point of view – that part of the world is a dangerous place to live. But… I live with my family in an area 4,5 meters below sea level and with rising oceans, where on earth can we be safe?

Well, to be honest, I believe I do know the answer to that question. Read these words and listen carefully if you want to know it too.

So, are you waiting for the Big One, or are you putting your trust in the Almighty One, just as I do?

Drinking Cat

2008-07-29T21:42:00.004+02:00

I am just fooling around with Photoshop Elements 6. I saw this cat drinking from a ditch today - click here to view the original pic.

Do we need more darkness?

2008-07-29T13:45:00.007+02:00

Read Mike's interesting blog entry about light pollution. I agree with Mike, in a literal sense I think we need more darkness down here!

More info about light pollution here

Bee-ing Busy Too

2008-07-29T13:21:00.001+02:00

Picture taken during my lunch break, just in front of our office in Amsterdam, believe it or not!

Reunited

2008-07-28T10:16:00.009+02:00

Last Saturday Robin, Sosha and Pascalle came back home after their Summer camp. They had a great time; they all need to get some sleep now! Lydia and I enjoyed our week together but it is good to be reunited again!

We did replace one piece of furniture in our living room while our kids were away. You don't want to change the interior too drastically when your kids are away, do you? Home, sweet home...

Sand Sculptures Noordwijk

2008-07-27T19:37:00.008+02:00

Today I went to the European Sand Sculpture Festival in Noordwijk together with our friends Michel & Sita de Boer. This year's theme for the sand sculpture competition was... Disney! (But you've guessed that already). Visit my photo blog for more pics!

Sunflower

2008-07-25T15:34:00.000+02:00

Picture taken in my own backyard today... Check my photo bog.

Creatio ex nihilo

2008-07-24T16:23:00.001+02:00

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:3

"Creating something out of nothing" - graffiti I saw somewhere in London. It looks like somebody is claiming TM rights for this creation, but I think only God is entitled to do that... ;-)

Tired of tires?

2008-07-22T15:21:00.011+02:00

Tired of your old tires?
I know where you can get rid of them easily...

You can leave them behind in the beautiful hills of the Dordogne area in France.

Where else?

Off to Summer Camp

2008-07-19T18:27:00.016+02:00

All three of our children are off to summer camp. They stay at the island of Schiermonnikoog, one of the Waddensea Islands north of the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen.
Robin, Sosha and Pasalle love to go there and they were really looking forward to meeting their friends again. They go to this Christian youth camp each year - which gives us time to do some projects in our house and spend some time together with 'just the two of us'.
Pics - Robin (16) is relaxed as always. He is looking forward to playing on his electric guitar with his friends... Sosha (14) never has a problem to 'fit in' - she will especially enjoy all the sports and games activities... It's easy to see that Pascalle (11) is very excited too - she was immediately reunited with a friend she got to know last year. She is a sensitive girl and the look in her eyes (picture above) tells you that she has some mixed emotions about leaving home for a week.

We are happy for them, but of course we can't wait to have them back home next Saturday!

Robin,
Sosha and
Pascalle

Chartres by night

2008-07-18T17:18:00.004+02:00

Chartres, France. June 27, 2008. More pics (to come) on my photo blog.

Praying for China and raising awareness

2008-07-17T12:45:00.009+02:00

The eyes of the world will soon be on the Olympics. But the eyes of God remain on His children and especially those who suffer for their faith.
Despite what you may hear in the news, Chinese Christians who refuse to register with the government controlled church are being persecuted. Many have undergone horrific suffering. Read more here and get your free prayer band here (if you are living in the USA).

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

First Cause

2008-07-17T00:51:00.005+02:00

Let me tell you something about the first cause. In the Netherlands we have something called "domino day". Each year they invite a VIP to push the first domino stone. Without a push of one finger, the first stone will not fall. Without cause, no effect. Think about that - it's very scientific.

I selected this YouTube clip because of the very appropriate Supertramp lyrics: At night, when all the world's asleep, the questions run so deep for such a simple man.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:1-4 NLT)

PS This blog entry is part of my reply to an anonymous comment - check this

With Robin in Rotterdam

2008-07-15T22:01:00.020+02:00

Today I went to Rotterdam with my son Robin. We had only three goals: having fun, eating and drinking something delicious and buying him a new acoustic guitar. We succeeded three times! I also wanted to take some pictures as part of the fun, but today was a wet and dreary day, so I switched my camera to sepia. The window of the music shop was decorated with old instruments (probably traded in by their former owners), so this was a nice addition to my nostalgic mood. It was a great day, no matter the weather. And Robin is very happy with his new Yamaha western guitar, of course.

Click pics to enlarge.

Ripples

2008-07-15T10:03:00.008+02:00

"Don't break the silence unless you can improve it". Don't know who said that first, but I am glad somebody spoke these words (or maybe they were written down in complete silence somewhere in an isolated cell in a monastery). Picture taken in Hoofddorp, last night.

It's a Dog's Life

2008-07-14T11:27:00.010+02:00

A busy day in Sarlat, France. The streets were crowded because of the local market. But not all streets. I went to the silent alleys, where all the loners go. This friend didn't even notice me - sighing, looking down, but slowly making progress. Anyway, I was happy to meet him. Check my photo blog for more pics.

Baby Safe for Baby Dumping

2008-07-14T10:40:00.004+02:00

Please take some time to read this article on Floyd & Sally McClung's blog. Thank you.

We're back!

2008-07-13T18:30:00.021+02:00

Yes! We had a great holiday in France (Dordogne) and it's good to be back again! I want to give you some photographic impressions... click pics to enlarge and see the details! Please do come back soon to see some more photographs. I did use my new Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS camera quite often and to be honest, I can't wait to share some of my best shots with you here and on my photo blog!

Just want to thank my blog readers for visiting and sometimes even leaving comments while I was away with the family. Thanks for keeping this blog alive, guys.

The picture above is dedicated to an anonymous commenter - please check the comments section below (in my former blog posting). My question for this commenter and for all of you is... did these rolls get there by accident or did somebody put them there on purpose? And how do you know this?

By the way, we have no complaints about the weather in France. We've had sunshine and blue skies most of the time. And when it rained (one or two nights) I was grateful for some new photo opportunities the next morning. Life is great.

No blogging for a while...

2008-06-26T15:57:00.002+02:00

It will be very quiet here for a while because of our holidays which are due to begin. But don't worry, there's plenty of cyberspace left to explore... In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line abspoel at gmail dot com - and I will reply later.

Whatever you are planning to do this Summer: have a great time too!

Cosy Cats

2008-06-24T08:15:00.003+02:00

No stress.

So we're out...

2008-06-22T19:03:00.020+02:00

Dutch football hero Ruud van Nistelrooij looks into the camera during our national anthem. I didn't go to Switzerland to take this pic, I was sitting at home on the couch, watching the game and taking a screen shot with my new Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS camera.
I haven't been blogging for a while, because I was too busy living my life :-) And of course I wanted to see the games with our great orange football team. The Dutch did well during the first round, beating Italy (3-0), France (3-1) and Romania (2-0) and finishing on top of the 'group of death'. But a great team from Russia, coached by Guus Hiddink from the Netherlands (thank you, Guus) kicked us out of the tournament yesterday and I have to admit they really deserved to win. So: come on, Russia!
I like football, but I am not as mad as some of my neighbours (see picture below).
The day after the night before...

Now I am hoping that the Russians will win the European Championships. But Spain and Turkey have great teams too. We all know of course that Italy or Germany will have the last laugh - as always. Playing bad games but winning tournaments is also a quality, I guess.
But you know what? This week I will go to France for a vacation with my family. And the French people don't want to discuss football either, so we're okay.
Check out my photo blog for some new pics and as always, feel free to leave a comment here or over there!

Pascalle = 11

2008-06-10T14:24:00.004+02:00

Last Sunday, June 8, we celebrated Pascalle's 11th birthday. To quote Stevie W: Isn't She Lovely? Yes, she is my beautiful 'little' girl!