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Ain't this a party
Celebrating the Queens birthday today... by eh, taking my mom to the airport on 4 am,
and spending the rest of this morning too awakened to sleep again... and to cold to want to go outside.
It's been a while since I've posted, my mouse refused to work... so I can only use my keyboard... Tab-bing and Ctrl-ing
- not really encouraging me to use the internet...
But I DO want to share this

Tuesday evening I went to Rotterdam... Art Katz was speaking there.
They'd start at 7pm. Due to circumstances I could not make it 7pm.
I was so NOT at rest once I knew I couldn't make it on time, because I desperately wanted to be there
And I HATE being late...

Every ten minutes I was thinking: Ohw no, I won't make it on time...
Followed by a quick prayer: Lord, excuse me for worrying
Followed by His brief answer: Don't worry

Once I arrived together with my mom (who was as 'at ease' as I was worried)
at 8pm (an hour later!) They were just about to start the evening.
I didn't miss anything!!! As God said :"Don't worry"

As was to be expected, the sermon was good. Not quite a "let's get my ears tickled"-sermon,
And I cannot really give words to what i've heard that evening, but everything within me said it was true.
The LORD WILL JUDGE us all one day,
IN HIS LOVE, he judges...
And He is NOT PLEASED with SIN!
There IS something like the end-of-times, and
We should really understand what exactly it is that He saved us from.
This reality is more real than anything else. We should LIVE in God's reality instead of flirting with the world


I also enjoyed seeing Jayne there! And other familiar faces again. Somehow I really feel at home everytime I'm there.
Jayne told me there'd be another summerSchool this year... that would be great!
Though I'm thinking about going to Minnesota this summer... God willing...
I'd be fine to NOT go there, but I think it would be a great oprtunity.
So if that's what I should do this summer, than I'm not sure if I can combine that with going to summer school

Anyway, please pray for people who are involved in arranging the Summer School!

This is what I wanted to share...
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It's a new day
faced with 5 hours of sleep in a noisy Zeist
I'm going to face the supermarket and people dressed in orange now...

Longing for FOOD

Three pictures to illustrate the Sinai desert.
As far as I know, that is the desert where Moses exercised his patience. First he was called... but couldn't do the job yet... then he was a shepherd for 40 years... and than God told him to go to the Pharaoh to ask him to release Gods people. The Pharaoh had the authority to take Moses as a slave for the rest of his life.
Personally I wouldn't dream of a ministry like this. But God said (loose translation): Moses maybe you are not able, but I Am, so don't worry.

Anyway...
to make a long story short...
Gods people were slaves in Egypt... and they cried for years to be delivered.
Finally God managed to lead his people out of Egypt. Making way through a sea... and all that.
His people were delivered!
NEVER TO BE A SLAVE AGAIN
Isn't that amazing!
If that wasn't enough... God wanted His people to enjoy Him in a land He prepared for them... And He was determent to lead them there. Using Moses to do so.

God took care of them; He provided food from heaven, even made water spring out of a rock to drink them, He made sure their clothes would grow with them...
And the most beautiful thing is: He was with them! His presence all day long!

It must have been the weirders thing, to go around in the desert with Gods people though the desert... for 40 years with so sign of that promised land or whatsoever.

As I was preparing myself a very nice salad this evening... with fresh parmasan cheese, tomato, fresh olives - I could even imagine people'd start to long for Egypt again. God fed them every day! But it was no "haute cuisine". It was manna.
Instead of clinging to the promise of the promised land with milk and honey (illustrating good FOOD)... they longed for Egypt's food - flesh.
They forgot they were enslaved in Egypt, they forgot they were tired, unhappy and miserable there, but walking around in a desert for years can make one less picky.


Anyway
God was with them... they were out of bondage - free - experiencing Gods provision , goodness and presence...
Yet walking through the desert for years. I can imagine this was not the most thrilling way of spending your youth.
And it struck me, how I was longing for my own Egypt.
I stepped into freedom with God a few years ago.
Enjoying His presence, His care, His provision, His love -
But if that means I'll be in some kind of desert for years... because He has got something better for me in mind...
While the whole world is going after thrilling experiences, theaters, performance,
will I be satisfied just being in His presence, even if that means I won't have a great ministry, perform, develop my skills, for years.


My point... ?


There's something about food and biblical theme's;
God loved Daniel when he choose not to eat from the Kings table, because he had a covenant with his God.
The goodness of the promised land is illustrated by food (milk and honey)
Heaven is illustrated by a festive wedding - meal - sigh - can't wait to enjoy that one!

Liesje bij Loesje

This is her:
Loesje
The cat
(And a smiling dad holding her...)
I've been looking after this animal since sunday-evening

Yeah Yeah... she's beautiful and all
When she shifts to "crazy-mood" on an unexpected moment, she tends to scratch whomever...
And I happen to be around... (sour smile here)
She also managed to wake me up in the middle of the night by playing with pieces of dust or something undefinable like it)

But... what can I say
I actually like her
she's funny and sweet... and a bit crazy

Besides that... I enjoy having this week in another environment... lots of quiet-time
More constructive news coming up...

Control - or - Freak?!

I guess I still want to explain to you all, why the Bible is more than just a book.

• Consider the story of the two fellows examining the uniquely-designed, high-powered machine.
  As they look, they know it holds great potential TO EITHER BENEFIT OR DESTROY THEIR LIVES – AS WELL AS OTHERS.
  “Whew!” says young Chip, “This machine is dy-na-mite! Start it up NOW”
  “Hang on,” Gary cautions, “First let’s get the scoop on how it operates.”
  “Where do we look?” Chip asks.
  “In the manufacturer’s handbook - where else?” After all, it’s written by the guy who designed the machine. If anyone ought to know about its operation, it’d be him.
  Spending a few minutes studying it, young Chip gets impatient and says: “Look at all those dumb rules and regulations. That designer’s trying to ruin all our fun. Scrap it! Let’s just do it the way we feel.”
  “Are you kidding?!” retorts Gary, “THE DESIGNER IS NOT AGAINST US. He just wants us to learn how to control this thing for maximum use.”
  “Are you sure?”
  “Of course! Why’d you think he designed this thing in the first place – to make our lives miserable or more ENJOYABLE?”
  Young Chip sulks a bit and then lifts his eyes, “Gary, are you sure we should do it his way and not the way we feel?”
  “Shhhh! Let’s get back to studying the handbook so we do everything right. If we do, we’ll keep things under control and GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS THING.”
  

So the Bible is not like some Christmas gift God gave us, to have a life filled with some real boring lectures and sermons… but He gives it so that we would enjoy Live, and KNOW HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF IT.

When I don't know what my purpose in life is... I check in my Creators/Designers Manual; Bible. For my Designer knows best what He made me for, why He created me. NO OTHER RELIGIOUS STANDARD can point that out for you. I don't care how spiritual some religions may appear... It was God who created you and you need to seek your Creator to know HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE MAX!
To be free! To feel loved, To be able to help, To have joy more than any party/drug/relationship could give you.

This is eternal life… that we KNOW JESUS. And Who is Jesus?
Jesus is the Son of God. He is God's deity in bodily form. Jesus is the Life, He is the Word of God. The Bible is the Word of God.
If I want to live life to the max, I need to know Jesus. How can I do that… by reading AND obeying whatever He says. How do I know what God says? By reading the Bible. :-)

Quoted this from the book “Straightforward” by Larry Tomczak. A book I’m now reading for the second time, I will be reading it more often.