Wednesday has flown by. I’m writing well in to the evening.
HOLD THE PRESSES!!!!!
Just as I started to write today’s blog, an e mail that came in to my computer telling me that my wife fell and broke her arm. I have just spent quite a bit of time on the phone with her getting the update and all the information. She is in the New Richmond hospital and will have orthopedic surgery this evening (Wednesday) to repair her left arm. She cracked the ball in her humerus which is the ball in the bone that is situated between the elbow and the shoulder. The orthopedic surgeon was coming to the hospital to do a late hip surgery, so she will be added to the list tonight.
To be honest, after getting this news, I don’t feel like writing all I was going to write, telling about the past few days. I’ll attempt to do that some time tomorrow and get caught up. One of the challenges in being over here is that we are seven hours ahead. That means that, but the time she gets to surgery, it will be in the middle of the night here. I don’t expect the opportunity to talk with the surgeon. Thankfully, I have cheap phone calling here using my computer, so it is no problem to stay in contact.
So, thanks for reading. The ministries here are going well. The Bible Seminar has been very well received. We also have some other preaching opportunities. I’ll talk another time.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Good Morning from Belgium
Monday was a long and tiring day. But, it was a good day. We started out packing for the trip and getting the car loaded. We headed south across the Netherlands in to Belgium. Our destination was about four hours away. Arriving at the home of our hosts, Roger and Lilly, we had the opportunity to rest a bit and get caught up with friends we met last year when Andrea and I were here on our anniversary trip. They have spent the last twenty five years ministering in this general area. They are renting a small house that is set on the edge of town. Across the field we can see cows grazing.
We enjoyed some good old southern hospitality as Lilly prepared a vegetable soup. It was really good. Then we drove for an hour or so to Liege. Liege is a large city. It was good that we had Roger with us to guide us. We would have never found the church without his help. I’m amazed at how twisting and turning the streets are. In fact, he said that years ago he was trying to find the building and asked a man on the street how to get to the address. He thought and thought and tried to give directions and couldn’t figure out how to tell them. Finally, he said, "I know how to walk there, but I don’t know how to drive there." That’s because of one way streets and crazy curves and circles. The church there is right in the middle of that large city. They have a perfect location (because it is where the people are), but are facing real problems because they don’t have enough space. The church is growing and right now they have two services. The pastor and his wife are excited about the things that God is doing. They would love to find a larger facility, but they are not available in that large city. So, they are praying for God’s provision.
George and I got to present the Bible Seminar in French for the first time. It was a challenge for him because he has not spoken French on a regular basis for three year. It was all coming back to him quickly. Roger was there to help out if he got stuck on a word. For some parts of the seminar he did the speaking. For others, I spoke and he translated. It all went well. Again, the people there were very open to hear and learn how to use the study Bible in their lives. They were very receptive and excited at the things they would learn as they study. As the people we present to realize the potential and value of the study Bible, they get excited. I think that they will be good "advertising" for others to use the study Bible.
If you have never spoken or taught through an interpreter, let me tell you that it is a real challenge. You have to speak a sentence and then wait for it to be spoken in a language you don’t understand. Then you have to keep your train of thought so that you can go to your next sentence. Try this some time. As you are having a conversation with a person, stop after every sentence and have a third person make some noise. Then pick up your conversation, again having the third person talk, "interrupting" you. That’s what it’s like to speak through an interpreter.
We arrived back home quite late. It was a long and tiring day, but very productive. So, this morning, because we didn’t have any reason to push things, we just slept till we woke up. Then we had a great breakfast of toast. The reason why it was a great breakfast is first of all the bread. The European bread is really good. Then we had a variety of toppings. One of my favorite is a chocolate spread. It works like peanut butter but is made of chocolate. It’s amazing. They also had another similar spread, but it is the flavor of one of the popular cookies in this area. I love the creativity of the spreads they make for sandwiches. Why can’t we have cookies and chocolate to spread on our sandwiches?
The pictures in today’s post are from last night. You can see the building the church is using. It is right in the midst of the large city. The people really love the Lord. We could feel a strong sense of God’s presence. I ended up the time by praying for them. We had a powerful time of prayer. It was exciting. That’s another of the blessings of this trip, to be reminded that all believers in Jesus are connected through HIM, even if we speak different languages.
We get to present the seminar tonight to another group in another church. We are going to discuss ways to do a better job in the presentation and translation. Each time we try to do it better from what we have learned.
Thanks for reading. I’ll attempt to write again tomorrow.
We enjoyed some good old southern hospitality as Lilly prepared a vegetable soup. It was really good. Then we drove for an hour or so to Liege. Liege is a large city. It was good that we had Roger with us to guide us. We would have never found the church without his help. I’m amazed at how twisting and turning the streets are. In fact, he said that years ago he was trying to find the building and asked a man on the street how to get to the address. He thought and thought and tried to give directions and couldn’t figure out how to tell them. Finally, he said, "I know how to walk there, but I don’t know how to drive there." That’s because of one way streets and crazy curves and circles. The church there is right in the middle of that large city. They have a perfect location (because it is where the people are), but are facing real problems because they don’t have enough space. The church is growing and right now they have two services. The pastor and his wife are excited about the things that God is doing. They would love to find a larger facility, but they are not available in that large city. So, they are praying for God’s provision.
George and I got to present the Bible Seminar in French for the first time. It was a challenge for him because he has not spoken French on a regular basis for three year. It was all coming back to him quickly. Roger was there to help out if he got stuck on a word. For some parts of the seminar he did the speaking. For others, I spoke and he translated. It all went well. Again, the people there were very open to hear and learn how to use the study Bible in their lives. They were very receptive and excited at the things they would learn as they study. As the people we present to realize the potential and value of the study Bible, they get excited. I think that they will be good "advertising" for others to use the study Bible.
If you have never spoken or taught through an interpreter, let me tell you that it is a real challenge. You have to speak a sentence and then wait for it to be spoken in a language you don’t understand. Then you have to keep your train of thought so that you can go to your next sentence. Try this some time. As you are having a conversation with a person, stop after every sentence and have a third person make some noise. Then pick up your conversation, again having the third person talk, "interrupting" you. That’s what it’s like to speak through an interpreter.
We arrived back home quite late. It was a long and tiring day, but very productive. So, this morning, because we didn’t have any reason to push things, we just slept till we woke up. Then we had a great breakfast of toast. The reason why it was a great breakfast is first of all the bread. The European bread is really good. Then we had a variety of toppings. One of my favorite is a chocolate spread. It works like peanut butter but is made of chocolate. It’s amazing. They also had another similar spread, but it is the flavor of one of the popular cookies in this area. I love the creativity of the spreads they make for sandwiches. Why can’t we have cookies and chocolate to spread on our sandwiches?
The pictures in today’s post are from last night. You can see the building the church is using. It is right in the midst of the large city. The people really love the Lord. We could feel a strong sense of God’s presence. I ended up the time by praying for them. We had a powerful time of prayer. It was exciting. That’s another of the blessings of this trip, to be reminded that all believers in Jesus are connected through HIM, even if we speak different languages.
We get to present the seminar tonight to another group in another church. We are going to discuss ways to do a better job in the presentation and translation. Each time we try to do it better from what we have learned.
Thanks for reading. I’ll attempt to write again tomorrow.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Good Monday Morning
Just a quick post today as we are packing to head to Belgium. We will present the Bible Seminar tonight.
Sunday night went well. The fellowship where I preached is a new English service getting established and reaching out to English speakers. They are getting things organized and plan soon for some more specific outreaches. Of course they had coffee and cookies before and after the service. That is very important here.
The French Bibles are packed in the car. I have to get some clothes ready for the trip. I hope to have more posts soon. Thanks for your prayers.
Sunday night went well. The fellowship where I preached is a new English service getting established and reaching out to English speakers. They are getting things organized and plan soon for some more specific outreaches. Of course they had coffee and cookies before and after the service. That is very important here.
The French Bibles are packed in the car. I have to get some clothes ready for the trip. I hope to have more posts soon. Thanks for your prayers.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
A Powerful Memorial
Hi. It is Sunday afternoon here. We have been to church and had Sunday dinner. I just talked with the pastor in Belgium where we will be heading tomorrow. We will drive there in the morning. I know we will be going to another country, but it’s like driving to another state. All the details are coming together for the week. We will do the Bible Seminar on Monday and Tuesday evenings. He is pastor of two churches and we will minister at the Wednesday and Friday night services there. Then we will minister in the Sunday morning service next week. So, we will have a busy week.
The pictures included in this posting today are from our visit yesterday. The one fun food picture shows the amazing cream filled pastries that we had to sample. It was a struggle to eat it, but I forced myself to finish it. It’s too bad I can’t e mail one of them to you. We went to Haarlem and toured the ten Boom Museum. It is the house that Corrie ten Boom grew up in. It is the place where their family hid Jews escaping from the Nazis in WW II. If you have not read The Hiding Place or seen the film, you must read it. It shows the amazing love of Jesus for people. Casper ten Boom was the father, the patriarch of the family. God had so burdened his heart with love for the Jewish people that, when all the Jews were forced by Hitler to wear a yellow star on their clothes, he wanted one for himself.
We sat in the living room of the house and heard how the soldiers raided the house and brought them all in to that room to question them. I was trying to imagine the confusion, probably shouting at them demanding information about where the Jews were being hidden. They were safe in the hiding place upstairs. And, all of them in that secret room survived. The pictures are of the hiding place, the front sign and the alley that leads to the entrance to their house.
I also stood in front of the building and looked at the street lined with stores and houses. Hundreds of people were coming and going. A street musician was sitting at a keyboard playing classical music (she was really good). I tried to imagine what it was like when all the cars pulled up to the house to raid it. That sad day was the complete opposite of yesterday. We had enjoyed beautiful weather and the market at the town square about a block away. That horrible day back then was anything but peaceful.
The amazing thing about all of the sacrifice of the ten Boom family was that God has impacted countless people around the world with the story of God’s love. When Corrie was born, she was extremely small. Today she would have ended up in a special nursery unit in a hospital. Some people back then said it would be better for her to die, for she would always have health problems. One of her Aunties said no, she would do whatever it took to see her survive. She believed that God had something special for Corrie, and she was right.
Again, I encourage you to read the book or watch the film. It will not be easy, but it will show you the depravity that sinful people can reach. And, it will show you the power of God’s amazing love.
Tonight (Sunday), I will be preaching at the English service at Turning Point, where we heard Dutch this morning. I trust that the people will be there, because they made a mistake in the bulletin this morning and gave the wrong time. Another interesting glitch.
Thanks again for reading. I’m trusting that we will have some kind of internet connection available to us this week and that I will be able to continue my posts.
The pictures included in this posting today are from our visit yesterday. The one fun food picture shows the amazing cream filled pastries that we had to sample. It was a struggle to eat it, but I forced myself to finish it. It’s too bad I can’t e mail one of them to you. We went to Haarlem and toured the ten Boom Museum. It is the house that Corrie ten Boom grew up in. It is the place where their family hid Jews escaping from the Nazis in WW II. If you have not read The Hiding Place or seen the film, you must read it. It shows the amazing love of Jesus for people. Casper ten Boom was the father, the patriarch of the family. God had so burdened his heart with love for the Jewish people that, when all the Jews were forced by Hitler to wear a yellow star on their clothes, he wanted one for himself.
We sat in the living room of the house and heard how the soldiers raided the house and brought them all in to that room to question them. I was trying to imagine the confusion, probably shouting at them demanding information about where the Jews were being hidden. They were safe in the hiding place upstairs. And, all of them in that secret room survived. The pictures are of the hiding place, the front sign and the alley that leads to the entrance to their house.
I also stood in front of the building and looked at the street lined with stores and houses. Hundreds of people were coming and going. A street musician was sitting at a keyboard playing classical music (she was really good). I tried to imagine what it was like when all the cars pulled up to the house to raid it. That sad day was the complete opposite of yesterday. We had enjoyed beautiful weather and the market at the town square about a block away. That horrible day back then was anything but peaceful.
The amazing thing about all of the sacrifice of the ten Boom family was that God has impacted countless people around the world with the story of God’s love. When Corrie was born, she was extremely small. Today she would have ended up in a special nursery unit in a hospital. Some people back then said it would be better for her to die, for she would always have health problems. One of her Aunties said no, she would do whatever it took to see her survive. She believed that God had something special for Corrie, and she was right.
Again, I encourage you to read the book or watch the film. It will not be easy, but it will show you the depravity that sinful people can reach. And, it will show you the power of God’s amazing love.
Tonight (Sunday), I will be preaching at the English service at Turning Point, where we heard Dutch this morning. I trust that the people will be there, because they made a mistake in the bulletin this morning and gave the wrong time. Another interesting glitch.
Thanks again for reading. I’m trusting that we will have some kind of internet connection available to us this week and that I will be able to continue my posts.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Yes, It Really Happened
Well, it finally happened. I presented the Study Bible Seminar Friday night. We were given the use of a local church in Amsterdam. It is a beautiful setting. The congregation bought an old night club and have transformed it to a great place for church services. It is a large place. The main meeting room is specious and gives much room for a service, for coffee and fellowship and much more. Yes, coffee and talk is just as important to the folks here as it is in the States.
I didn’t count exactly, but about 50 people from several churches and ethnic backgrounds attended the seminar. It was well received. The evening was informal enough so that we had questions and discussion as we went. I think I was successful at pointing out the features and benefits of the study Bible. The people were excited as they began to realize the learning potential of what they had in their hands. Several people ended up getting Bibles for family and friends after they saw it and learned more about it. I think that several churches in the area will have many people in their church with the same study tool. That will add much to their studies and discussions.
We all (my brother, his wife and daughter) felt great as we drove back to their home. We were quite tired when it was all said and done, but well worth it. I now have the opportunity to critique my presentation and get input from my brother. The next time we present it will be a challenge, and a team effort. It will be in French. So, we’ll have to work on that.
The pictures in this post are from the church. I took a few before everything started. I will get some from during the presentation from my brother’s camera some time later.
This trip has also allowed time for study. I am working on two different series for back in Wisconsin. I have been writing them for a while, and still have much work to do. I’m doing this in a different format. I often do a series of sermons or studies, and have the themes worked out ahead of time. Then I prepare week by week as I go. My goal this time, and I’ll see how it works out in the end, is to have it all done and published at the beginning. So, I’m taking advantage of time here to get some of this work done.
This is it for now. More later.
I didn’t count exactly, but about 50 people from several churches and ethnic backgrounds attended the seminar. It was well received. The evening was informal enough so that we had questions and discussion as we went. I think I was successful at pointing out the features and benefits of the study Bible. The people were excited as they began to realize the learning potential of what they had in their hands. Several people ended up getting Bibles for family and friends after they saw it and learned more about it. I think that several churches in the area will have many people in their church with the same study tool. That will add much to their studies and discussions.
We all (my brother, his wife and daughter) felt great as we drove back to their home. We were quite tired when it was all said and done, but well worth it. I now have the opportunity to critique my presentation and get input from my brother. The next time we present it will be a challenge, and a team effort. It will be in French. So, we’ll have to work on that.
The pictures in this post are from the church. I took a few before everything started. I will get some from during the presentation from my brother’s camera some time later.
This trip has also allowed time for study. I am working on two different series for back in Wisconsin. I have been writing them for a while, and still have much work to do. I’m doing this in a different format. I often do a series of sermons or studies, and have the themes worked out ahead of time. Then I prepare week by week as I go. My goal this time, and I’ll see how it works out in the end, is to have it all done and published at the beginning. So, I’m taking advantage of time here to get some of this work done.
This is it for now. More later.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
This Is The Day
This is a day I have been looking forward to for longer than I can remember. It is the day I get to present the Bible Seminar to pastors and church workers in the Amsterdam area. I’ll talk more about that later. But, first . . .
. . . Let me talk about another fun part of the day. This is Friday, so it means that in Hoofddorp it is market day. Once a week many vendors set up on the public square and sell everything you can imagine. I was here last year and enjoyed the market and have looked forward to going back to it. We will get our lunch there after a while. Market day is a European tradition and I really like it. You can see by the pictures above that they have some of everything available – food, clothes, flowers. I just did a quick walk through part of the market to get some pictures. I can’t post all of them, just a sample. It is crowded. I’m going to enjoy looking around and getting some things there. Licorice anyone?
Now, to the most important part of the day. My dream to take a missions teaching trip has centered around the Fire Bible. Filled with study materials written by missionary Don Stamps, it is a source of much spiritual insight. I have owned one of these since the early 1990s and I believe it is the best study Bible out there. It is very practical. Many of the people at Cornerstone have one and use them regularly. I trust that more will get one for themselves and learn how to use it. I practiced on them this summer, giving the seminar to get the feel of it. I think it went well. Tonight I get to do it here. We have talked with several people who are planning to come and they are excited about it. I have pulled out the notes I wrote and studied them. I’m ready to go.
My goal is to help people learn how to use this study tool for both ministry presentations (preaching and teaching) and personal Bible study. All who follow Jesus must be students of the Bible, learning how to grasp the teachings and applying them in daily life. That is one of the blessings and benefits of this study Bible. If we can’t apply Bible teaching to real life, what good is it?
The 119th Psalm says that the Word of God is a lamp and light. It guides our path in life. So, more than just going to church and learning to say the right things, the Bible helps us make good choices and decisions in life. It lights the path so we don’t have to stumble in life over temptation and deceit. It makes life worth living.
This is Friday and it will be an awesome experience. I’ll write again and let you know how it all goes.
. . . Let me talk about another fun part of the day. This is Friday, so it means that in Hoofddorp it is market day. Once a week many vendors set up on the public square and sell everything you can imagine. I was here last year and enjoyed the market and have looked forward to going back to it. We will get our lunch there after a while. Market day is a European tradition and I really like it. You can see by the pictures above that they have some of everything available – food, clothes, flowers. I just did a quick walk through part of the market to get some pictures. I can’t post all of them, just a sample. It is crowded. I’m going to enjoy looking around and getting some things there. Licorice anyone?
Now, to the most important part of the day. My dream to take a missions teaching trip has centered around the Fire Bible. Filled with study materials written by missionary Don Stamps, it is a source of much spiritual insight. I have owned one of these since the early 1990s and I believe it is the best study Bible out there. It is very practical. Many of the people at Cornerstone have one and use them regularly. I trust that more will get one for themselves and learn how to use it. I practiced on them this summer, giving the seminar to get the feel of it. I think it went well. Tonight I get to do it here. We have talked with several people who are planning to come and they are excited about it. I have pulled out the notes I wrote and studied them. I’m ready to go.
My goal is to help people learn how to use this study tool for both ministry presentations (preaching and teaching) and personal Bible study. All who follow Jesus must be students of the Bible, learning how to grasp the teachings and applying them in daily life. That is one of the blessings and benefits of this study Bible. If we can’t apply Bible teaching to real life, what good is it?
The 119th Psalm says that the Word of God is a lamp and light. It guides our path in life. So, more than just going to church and learning to say the right things, the Bible helps us make good choices and decisions in life. It lights the path so we don’t have to stumble in life over temptation and deceit. It makes life worth living.
This is Friday and it will be an awesome experience. I’ll write again and let you know how it all goes.
Here in Holland
I know that I have not been faithful to my blog, so here is another start. This is a good time to do it. I’m writing from "across the pond" as they say. After years of dreaming that I would love to do something like this, I am in Holland about to do some teaching. More about that later.
For those who are wondering, the trip over here was uneventful. Air travelers always appreciate being able to say that about a flight. It was an extremely smooth flight. Yes, eight hours is a long time on a plane, but I had an aisle seat so it was easy to get up and move around. The A330 has tall ceilings so I can stretch. That always helps. I am always amazed that I can be in Europe this quickly. I think of the Pilgrims back in 1620 who came across the Atlantic in that tiny ship, at the mercy of the winds to push them. That would have been an amazingly difficult trip.
I enjoy the travel information that is available on international flights. It is like the GPS many people have in their cars. A few interesting facts from the trip – we had some powerful tail winds that pushed the plane along. The plane got up to 706 MPH, ground speed. And, the tail winds peaked at 169 MPH. That’s an amazing wind at about 37,000 to 39,000 feet altitude. The other interesting statistic is that the outside temperature stayed between 50 and 60 degrees BELOW ZERO. I always find that interesting that just a few inches outside the window it is that cold.
Even though they offer a variety of entertainment on demand on the small personal screen in front of each passenger, their selection of things to watch is kind of pathetic. I ended up listening to music, following the path of our flight, getting work done and also attempting to sleep. Attempting to sleep is a good description, as it didn’t really happen. I just can’t sleep on planes.
After we landed in Amsterdam, it felt like we taxied forever to get to the terminal. They should put the runways closer to the terminal.
I don’t know how the pictures in this blog will line up, but included are a few shots from around here. When you are in Holland you see canals everywhere. Amsterdam has many tour boats you can take. I hope we get to take one of the tours before I head back. Also, I have looked forward to enjoying some of the local fries, called friets. They made a great lunch.
The primary focus of my trip here is to teach on using the Full Life Study Bible as a study tool. We will have a group, hopefully large, on Friday night. I will get to do this one in English. Next week we will be in Belgium and it will be in French. No, I don’t parleze the French, my brother does and we will tag-team the presentation. We will also have some other ministry opportunities.
Well, this is a start. I will attempt to write about my journey over here again soon to keep you up on what is happening. Thanks for reading. Check in again soon.
For those who are wondering, the trip over here was uneventful. Air travelers always appreciate being able to say that about a flight. It was an extremely smooth flight. Yes, eight hours is a long time on a plane, but I had an aisle seat so it was easy to get up and move around. The A330 has tall ceilings so I can stretch. That always helps. I am always amazed that I can be in Europe this quickly. I think of the Pilgrims back in 1620 who came across the Atlantic in that tiny ship, at the mercy of the winds to push them. That would have been an amazingly difficult trip.
I enjoy the travel information that is available on international flights. It is like the GPS many people have in their cars. A few interesting facts from the trip – we had some powerful tail winds that pushed the plane along. The plane got up to 706 MPH, ground speed. And, the tail winds peaked at 169 MPH. That’s an amazing wind at about 37,000 to 39,000 feet altitude. The other interesting statistic is that the outside temperature stayed between 50 and 60 degrees BELOW ZERO. I always find that interesting that just a few inches outside the window it is that cold.
Even though they offer a variety of entertainment on demand on the small personal screen in front of each passenger, their selection of things to watch is kind of pathetic. I ended up listening to music, following the path of our flight, getting work done and also attempting to sleep. Attempting to sleep is a good description, as it didn’t really happen. I just can’t sleep on planes.
After we landed in Amsterdam, it felt like we taxied forever to get to the terminal. They should put the runways closer to the terminal.
I don’t know how the pictures in this blog will line up, but included are a few shots from around here. When you are in Holland you see canals everywhere. Amsterdam has many tour boats you can take. I hope we get to take one of the tours before I head back. Also, I have looked forward to enjoying some of the local fries, called friets. They made a great lunch.
The primary focus of my trip here is to teach on using the Full Life Study Bible as a study tool. We will have a group, hopefully large, on Friday night. I will get to do this one in English. Next week we will be in Belgium and it will be in French. No, I don’t parleze the French, my brother does and we will tag-team the presentation. We will also have some other ministry opportunities.
Well, this is a start. I will attempt to write about my journey over here again soon to keep you up on what is happening. Thanks for reading. Check in again soon.
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