Because Dutch Spings are rainy as they are...

This,

This is why I arranged to be in Den Haag (The Hague) on Thursday last week.

My dad took these two pictures.
It was spring... and how could I NOT go there.
I know, I know... all over the world you'll find beautiful hills and fields filled with flowers...
But somehow for me, this is my ultimate spring-picture.
Flowers in the centre of Den Haag.

mmm
Sigh

(Because these days are... rainy, let this remind you all of the few sunny day's we DID have during the first week of spring last week.)

Spring

"Some may say,
Birds sing to attract another bird to mate with, or to mark their territory.

I'd say
Birds firstly sing to praise their Creator.
That they, by doing so, happen to attract a bird to mate with is just so much to the good."

- Herman Finkers



This statement came into my thoughts today, as I was enjoying a blackbird singing and thought about this new season. How much I enjoy Springtime and what the Bible sais:
That we sould seek to love, think of, enjoy and praise the Lord first,
and that He than will just give us the things our hearts long for and the things we need. (this includes practical things like food and clothing)
I could babble on about it, but believe the words are clear.

The essence of the Ascension

“The issue of the church is the issue of the Glory of God.

It’s not a church – fetish I’m in,
But a hunger to glorify Him, to know His will and to be His will.”

Sermon "Ascend" Bob Gladstone


I downloaded this sermon from Bob Gladstone on fireonthealtar.com about the ascension of Jesus.
Because the sermon lasted like 70 minutes, I wasn’t able to hear all of it attentively. Even not after three times. But somehow I knew this message was very important.
So this morning I listened to it again (persistent I know). And though I wasn’t able to listen to the whole sermon all at once, I DID get some of it. I'll summarize it:


Two parts of the bible are very clear about the power of the ascension. Jesus was wounded and tortured terribly to take away our sickness, He died a horrible death on the cross to pay for our sins, He rose from the grave to save our souls. He has overcome death. He is risen and He was able to save the ones He loves (every living creature on this earth).
We ARE saved and the relationship with the Heavenly Father has been restored. The veil was teared. When He died He said: “It is finished”
He had done his job. Why is it then, that He couldn’t just stay with us to enjoy our company? So why then, did He ascend?

Two scriptures are very clear on that.

Ephesians 3:21 - 4:16 (4:8)
When He ascended on high,
He led captives in His train and GAVE GIFTS to men.

The church needs more than salvation only, they need gifst to be able to individually and corporately Glorify God and represent God as it is explained in this chapter of Ephesians. He knew the church needed His gifst, and His Holy Spirit.

John 20:11-17
Stop clinging to me!
Because I have not yet returned to the Father.

He is stopping a worshipper from worshipping. Why? He knew He had to ascend first. Why?

Acts 1:5 + 8
To be able to baptize us with the Holy Spirit.

The Bible sais clearly that we need to be babtised in both water AND Spirit.
It was essential in order to give us POWER (to serve this nation with power) by the Holy Spirit. We needed the ascension in order to be witnesses to the ends of the earth.

Well... I couldn't help sharing this. It may not be really practical YET, but It's been on my mind since friday and I just know it's an important issue.

Preparing the works

My contract is lying in front of me
ready to be signed.

Before I had my final conversation last monday, I briefly told the Lord I'd like to have a few days off, before I start.
One of the first things that came to pass, was that both parties talked about my training and agreed that it would be best if I took a few days off and start monday instead of immediately.
I didn't need to ask.

Sweet to experience how God is going out in front of me to prepare the works and to equip me for every GOOD job.

The language they will teach me will be C#, which was what I was hoping for.
So what can I say
The new season has started... in every way
:-D

Sweetness

This morning I woke up smiling with this one thought:

It's nearly spring!

I kept this smile on my face for the rest of the day.
Sweetness.

At lunchtime Marjo, David and Dan came to Zeist to have lunch. We went to the restaurant where I live next to. The greek salad was good. But... to lift this lunch to a higher level, we went off to buy chocolat-truffle-pastry.
again... sweetness is the word.
Seriously, It was such a privilege to have them. It was fun.
To me it was really encouraging...
Hope the rest was blessed as well.

It was also fun to know that next monday will be my last day at work. At the end of monday, I will go to my new employer to go into the training-scedule and to sign the contract.
With the official start of spring... my personal new (job-)season will start.

30,000 !!!

In the year 2004 29,094 unbourne children have been aborted in the Netherlands. Think about it... nearly 30,000 children who just aren't there anymore!!!
- numbers are from an article on the soulsista website.

Ladies and gentleman...
This country is sick... by assuming a child will have no future... not even giving the child a start.

I don't want to judge women here, who just never knew there was actually a Way.
I'm just so mad at the fact that the government never promotes an alternative. Or - better said - THE WAY.
I'm mad at the enemy that he has been able to twist the view of so many young people today.

There IS hope, there IS a Way... God promises us, that He IS the LIVE, that He is ALL about LIFE and that when life get's tough, His thoughts are thoughts of peace and of hope to give us a hopeful future! He is THE living Hope for this (literally and spiritually) dying soceity.


THE FOLLOWING LINKS SHOW PICTURES. IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD TO SEE WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS, BUT PLEASE BE CAREFUL TO WATCH THEM IF YOU'RE TOO YOUNG OR FOR WHATEVER REASON KNOW YOU SHOULDN'T SEE THEM.

Picture of a anti-abotion poster
Picture of an aborted baby 22!!! weeks
I don't even know what this is
A website with more pictures

?

But I still don't know the answer to this day

- k's choice

Study and Work

I still work 9 till 5 at some office near my place… “financial advise for mortgages”. But today I had a job-interview.
The interview went totally wrong.
A bit absurd; I was so nervous that I presented myself totally insecure and doubting my choice. While in fact I wanted this job and knew I’d be good at it too.
Strangely enough… this guy who was leading the interview concluded he wanted me to work there. I was surprised, relieved and glad!
The people were nice and (praise God) not too formal, the building is beautiful with a great view on Zeist. And the job… as far as I can judge it… is about as good as it gets!
But I’ll get back on this… because I’m not in a hurray-mood until I actually sign that contract.


Also…
Last weekend I was finally able to visit the youth group of our church. I actually offered to share something about “reading the Bible”, because that is on my heart to share.
I prepared the whole thing the week before, and I wasn’t really so sure about the whole idea. I never read the bible so poorly as last week (actually a confirmation to me that this message was really important). Happily, I got two real constructive confirmations… all together concluded it was good to share something about it.
But when It was my turn to talk I kind of lost it.

Maybe this is the theme of this week. It’s getting all exited but when the moment is there, I loose words to express what is inside. –

And afterwards I started to doubt, if God really wants me to teach. But I know He does. And I know He promised me that I WILL BE ABLE TO DO IT.


While I’m concerned about how I’m going to tell my colleagues, that I want to quit this job ASAP, a lot of things are happening around me; At the most hectic point of the day, my colleague starts asking me how I started believing in Jesus. My best friend is getting married… a lot of things are going on in my family (both my mothers as my fathers side)
I won’t go into details, but It’s just great to open your eyes for the things that are going on. Because in this case the following quote is very suitable to me nowadays: - Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.

DREAMS

With His Spirit within me,
I could put my own dreams and visions aside, and live for the revelation and fulfillment of His.

- Art Katz

JOY!!!

MY BEST FRIEND IS ENGAGED!

It was just a matter of time. But there it was... finally... He asked her to marry him last friday.
She told me this morning... and I never thought I'd get emotional receiving news like that, but I did. cheezy huh?!

I'm so happy about this.
JOY is an understatement in this case!!!

Cow am I doing?!

I'm sorry,

This is kind of a Dutch word-joke I'm trying to visu-elise here.

Couldn't help working it out in photoshop.

Cubism turned into Cow-bism... but in Dutch it's more fun.
However... this blog is like the best way I could share this.
I think, for ten minutes effort, it worked out quite well.