Were not our hearts burning within us?

Here below is our latest newsletter. We have had some exciting meetings sharing Jesus with our neighbors and showing why and how God is real. How has God been blessing you recently?

Borrowed

The other day we were able to talk with our son, Stephan, and his wife, Natalie in Ohio. Technology is truly a wonderful thing. We were able to see each other and talk about their new life together. It seems just a few years ago that Stephan was a little boy climbing trees. Now he is a husband, starting a life together with his wife, planning their future together.

With children it is easier to see the truth that all we have is borrowed. Children are not ‘ours’ and that becomes clear when they leave home and start their own life. We never did own them; they were given into our care for a short time so that we could help them grow in their faith. They were given to us for a short time so that they could help us grow in our faith.

Everything we ‘have’ is actually on loan. It is not ours. We don’t ‘have’ anything. Our bodies do not belong to us. When the time comes, they will return to the earth from which they were formed. As Christians we should understand this completely. ‘This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through’. Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit; we are not our own, we were purchased with a price. Our possessions, wealth, houses, abilities – all are given to us by God for a time so that He can bless others through us. We are here so that righteousness is seen in the world, bringing glory to God (Titus 2:11-12).

So, what we have is not ‘wrong’ or ‘broken’ or anything else. If we have it, God can use it – if we allow Him to. Now, if I were renting this, I might run the risk of not valuing it properly. How carefully do we deal with a rental car, or the tools we rent from the hardware store? After all, they’re insured aren’t they? And I didn’t buy them. But I didn’t rent these things in my life. I didn’t pay anything. They have been given me to use – they are borrowed. It’s not ‘just’ a rental car – you know the owner. You are borrowing it and need to give it back. So I take care and cherish that which has been given me, knowing that it is given with a purpose.

Enjoy the moments you have with all that you have, no matter how much or little it is. God can do amazing things with what He has given us, much more than we can do with the same things. 

A picture is worth ...

If you would like to see some of what has been going on, head on over to our photo site. There you can see pictures of our time with Stephan and Natalie, some work we have been doing down at camp and a study week in Germany recently.

WoW, Willemien and Wonder

This past month has been busy with such a mix of different tasks. That is the reality of what we do here. I seldom know how to respond to the question: So what does a typical week look like? I am not sure I know what a ‘typical’ week is. But whatever we run into, we deal with, while we continue planning ahead.

So this past month we planned for our WoW course. ‘Wijzer op Weg’ or ‘Wiser along the Way’ is a course that I designed to teach people some simple tools to help read the Bible. It is just three evenings with some practical tips. We planned and prepared, got everything set up after having gotten the word out in the local newspaper and through distributing … and no one showed up. That can happen. It is frustrating, I must admit. It was Sean who encouraged us to simply put out some more cards and invite people again. So we will, and we will see what comes of that.

In the meantime, we were dealing almost daily with our dear sister, Willemien. She is 91 and now has a geriatric nurse coming every day to make sure she takes her medicine correctly as she has begun to move slowly into dementia. The only problem is that she can hardly hear, so no one is able to get in the apartment (she doesn’t hear the bell or the telephone). Add to that that she is stubborn and doesn’t always want people in her apartment, and things get interesting.

But I am thankful that we can be there for her. I am reminded of God’s care for us. We think that we are doing well, doing what we should, listening, but we are not always. Have we forgotten His name, His face? I have had some serious, clear talks with Willemien, letting her know that we are there for her, no matter what. I am thankful that God has brought us together to care for one another. What a real blessing that is.

And then I get a call from someone who has received one of the cards for the WoW course. He is interested, but wants to be sure that he will not be wasting my time, since he is a confirmed atheist and there is no way that I would be ‘winning souls’ (as he puts it). I thank him for his candor and let him know that I have no problem as long as he understands that I always desire people to come to Christ, knowing the power of God. We have met together for the first lesson and are planned to meet this coming Monday for the next.

I love seeing how my Father does things. It is definitely not the way that I think things should go, or the way that I plan things, but He is always there with His strength and guidance. That is wonderful (full of wonder)! Have a wonderful day!