Prison visits

This week, if all goes well, I will be able to once again visit our former neighbor in the prison of Antwerp. I try to get to see him at least once a month. By now I have become familiar with the habits of this visit. It is only possible to make an appointment in person. This would mean that I would need to drive to Antwerp, park and go to the prison on one day in order to make an appointment for another day. The drive itself is close to 90 minutes with traffic. Instead, I simply drive to Antwerp and hope that someone who has an appointment won’t show up. 

At the prison, which is in a nice street with cafe’s and little shops, I first have to stand at a large iron door and press a green button, waiting until  I hear a click and can open the door. The door leads to a small room with two benches and what looks like a sort of post office windows behind which the guards sit. As a visitor, one is not allowed to bring anything in. There are lockers, most of which have broken locks, into which, if you find one that works, you can put your phone, jacket, keys and anything else you might have with you. 

Once you are called (because I am always on standby, you pass through a turnstile, put your coat if you have one in the winter through a scanner and pass a metal detector before standing at the next iron door waiting for it to be opened for you. Once through this door, you enter a small yard where everyone is waiting together to go into the visiting room. There are toys for little kids, who are often there with their mother visiting father. There is a place for those who need to smoke before they go inside for the visit. 

Once we are gathered by a guard to enter the visiting room, we all take a seat at the table which has been assigned us and wait for the prisoners to be brought in. My former neighbor always looks around for me when he enters and gets a big smile on his bearded face. He, like the other prisoners, is wearing a yellow vest over his prison clothes. We have about an hour to talk about whatever has been happening most recently. He likes to hear about my life since his is pretty much the same every day. 

This year I also started visiting a man who met my former neighbor while they were both in prison. This other man is now waiting in the psychiatric hospital just down the street from our village. He waits patiently, doing all that he needs to do to be able to join society again. I visit him once a month as well, sometimes helping with small tasks he might need done. 

Both of these men struggle with different things in their lives. Both are men of faith of a sort. Our former neighbor believes that he is his own pope and has created a sort of religion for himself. The other man is a muslim, though not really practicing. Both ask for prayers and we pray for them both regularly. 

I am always reminded when I visit them that our situation is not really that different. Without Jesus in our lives, we were slaves, lost, not really knowing where we were going. Paul says in the letter to the Ephesians: “without hope, without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12). But we have been saved to wake with Jesus sharing His grace to all around us. I am thankful that we are no longer prisoners, but are now servants of the living God. (Rom. 6:15-18). 

Camp conversations and challenges

We are in the middle of Bible camp season. Shirley and I started at Jongerenkamp (the 15-20 year-olds) and took the following week to recover at home. In that week the Benjamins (8-11 year-olds) were down at camp, enjoying a lot more rain that we had had. This week the teens (12-14 year-olds) are down at camp and next week the Families will arrive. IN that week I will go down each day and help with the teen lessons. We enjoy the various weeks that we get to help with these times of growth. 

Each week is different and unique every year. This year was the first time since before corona time that Shirley and I did the older young people. We had 24 campers and it was an amazing week. The questions that come from this group are very different than those which come from a Benjamin. And the conversations during the day are much deeper (and last much longer. It is always exciting to see how everyone at any of these camp weeks has multiple amazing opportunities to grow spiritually. 

During our week there were lots of conversations going on about the week’s theme (our identity in Christ) as well as challenges in daily life. We had all sorts of singing time with this group that loved singing and wanted to learn more. And our counselors - who were barely older than the campers themselves - could easily get a group together for an activity. The group mixed well and the young people even ran out for a game of soccer in the rain. 

We were thankful to have good friends from the past working with us that week as well. Rudy and Pam Schellekens joined us from Muscatine, Iowa after already having done good work at Midwest Bible Camp. Rudy taught the lessons and Pam helped in the kitchen. The kitchen team was a bundle of laughing, giggling girls at times and an efficient team for the group of hungry teens sat at every meal. Rudy sat patiently and fielded questions about the lessons and life all through the week, discussing patiently Greek words and their meanings as well as implications for our daily lives. 

Next week I look forward to dropping down to camp to help out and experience the group during Family Camp. We are blessed to live fairly close (an hour’s drive) and I can just drive down for the lessons and a bit of the afternoon. I will help out with the teens during the second lesson as we look at the Minor Prophets. I am also looking forward to the conversations I will be able to have with people I only see during this week of the year. 

In the meantime we are praying for the young people that were at our camp week, the young ones who attended the week after and for the teens experiencing camp this week. We are especially praying for the counselors - several of whom were campers at our week and counselors at the Benjamin week as well. Thank you for your prayers for these moments and for so many of you who also take part in camps and activities in your area. 

Giving Sunday

We often talk in our congregation about what the first Christians looked like. We aren’t interested in what they wore or anything like that. We want to know how they acted, what they found important, what moved them. And as we examine these things (most recently in our Wednesday night Bible studies together) we are continually struck by how they cared for one another. Even from afar, congregations saw the needs of other brothers and sisters and wanted to help in some way. 

This has been the example for our congregations’ 5th Sunday Special Giving Sunday. We knew that we could give out of our budget for various needs, but we had members who knew of special needs which they brought to the congregation. We then decided to have an opportunity, every 5th Sunday, to give specially, above and beyond our normal giving. We choose various needs (at least 1 and up to 3) and all the members have the opportunity to give as they see fit to these needs. 

It has been exciting to see how the love of God moves us to help others in so many different places and ways. Often these opportunities teach us that we have brothers and sisters in so many different places. We are one big family. We have helped after natural disasters, like in Myanmar, Laos and Sint Maarten. We have helped churches reaching out to the needy in their area, like Bibles and wells in Uganda, deaf orphans in Kenya, and a center in Ukraine that helps those escaping addiction in their lives and starting anew. 

We have also had opportunities to help locally, like paying for a wheelchair, financial assistance for visitors, travel costs for us when we wanted to visit family (and Shirley wanted to visit her dying sister), and helping kids go to a week of Bible camp.  Yesterday we gave for two children in Uganda with special needs as well as a water purification system at the facility we have helped before in Ukraine. 

These opportunities remind us that we are blessed and that all we have comes from God. We are blessed so that we can bless others. That is some of what we are seeing in the studies we have on the first church and it is working out in the lives of the members every day. We are so thankful for God’s grace that can work through all of us. 

The living Word

It is exciting to both os us to see how God works in our lives and others through His word, the Bible. When we get to know who Jesus is and begin following him in our daily lives, we are walking in the light, walking with the living Word. This is something that we just can’t keep from others. It is always wonderful to share with others and be encouraged by what we learn from the Word and what we learn through how others grow in the Word. 

We are thankful that we have various opportunities throughout the week to share this with members and seekers. On Monday evenings we are with a loving couple from church who live about an hour away from us. We began meeting with them years ago when they could not make it to the Wednesday evening study but still wanted to keep growing. They also wanted to learn about how to share what they were learning. So we have visited with them and continue to share what we know and learn from what they are learning. 

On Tuesdays Scott has a time at the building when people can come to ask questions about God. Through the years this has meant studies and conversations of all different kinds. Most recently he has been meeting with a woman studying about the old and new covenant, meeting with a mn who wants to understand his faith and daily choose to follow Jesus, and also takes time to encourage a sister in the faith who is shut in. 

Tuesday afternoons have become a time for a group of younger people who want to be encouraged and encourage one another. This is an English-speaking group and is held online. There are folks from nearby (our young Ukrainian couple who libre about 30 minutes away) and further away (two ladies from France and another even from Curaçao. Tuesday evenings we meet in person with a younger sister from the congregation who wants to grow in her faith. 

Wednesday evenings are what is our normal weekly Bible study. IN the past this was held at our house, at the building or at a different member’s home. But since Covid we began meeting online. This has meant that more members can be present. We still head over to our colleagues’ house (10 minutes away) and get online while sitting in their living room. This study (done in Dutch) is a great encouragement for all those who are able to attend. We are so thankful that so many are able to get online and encourage one another in this way. 

Thursday morning I head back over to my colleague’s house (in the summer I might even bike over, like I did last week) for a study we have with a man who wants to know more about the Bible and has plenty of questions about society, science and God’s will. I also uses this day about once a month to visit some people who nee encouragement - in prison in Antwerp and in a psychiatric hospital nearby. These are not Bible studies, but are conversations about the living Word. 

On Friday mornings Shirley gets online with the other ladies of the congregation for a study and prayer time together. As we let people know on our website (www.gvcmaastricht.nl) this is a study by and for women. It is exciting to see how the ladies take the time to help one another and encourage one another. 

We have always prayed that God can use us in the way that He sees fit while we are here (or wherever we are). These are moments that we can share so much of the beauty that we ourselves find in God’s Word. It is also so good to be able to discuss how the things we read fit into our daily lives. God’s Word is not just a study (a word we use a lot), but a discovery of how God works in our lives and what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Thank you for praying for the various opportunities we have to share this glorious news.

How does God’s word influence your live? What challenges have you experienced recently in reading and following Jesu as the living Word? How do you share what you find so beautiful? 

Walking into Spring

Officially Spring arrived more than three weeks ago, but In Belgium it kind of peeks around the corner before really arriving. In February the crocus flowers in the back of our yard poke their purple heads above the pile of leaves, telling us that Spring is truly coming. Sometimes we get a sprinkling of snow over them, but mostly they are followed by the little white flowers and then a batch of yellow flowers - all colorfully shading the bit of the yard under the walnut tree. 

Shirley and I have been trying to walk more regularly. Since we no longer have a dog, it takes more gumption to get up and go. But it has been working pretty well. And as we walk out of the house, up to the lock and around to the castle, we have been able to notice all the changes as Spring has arrived. We have a pair of swans above the lock and a pair below the lock. Both are more than willing to come say hello when we walk by. 

On the back side of our walk, we pass what used to be the pear orchard. All of the trees have been removed and replaced with a field, except for the line of trees that formed the fence. These have now flowered and are readying themselves to give the pears they have always given throughout the years. Across the way another field - sometimes corn, sometimes other crops - has turned bright yellow with rapeseed. The trees along the canal have turned from a light sheen of green to full-on leafy green as the Spring continues. 

We look forward to the warmer days (we are still wearing light coats on most days) and even more color as the year progresses. Even more exciting, we are looking forward to how God is bringing growth into the lives around us. This weekend many people will be celebrating Easter, some without even vaguely knowing what it is actually celebrating or means. But we are so very thankful for resurrection, for new life, for the defeat of sin and death and the victory of life in Jesus Christ. 

(You can share some of these spots on our walks at the album linked to the picture above - or click here.)

Reaching out through the years

This past weekend was a reunion. In the US schools are used to having reunions. Every 5 years there is another reunion of the graduating class of specific year. This year is my high school reunion. But in Belgium, this type of reunion is not common at all. So it was exciting to be part of a special reunion. 

Since at least 2007 I have helped with the kids from the neighboring village where our colleagues live. The group that helps the kids in their confirmation (a Catholic ceremony) came first to our colleagues (Ruud and Karla) because they are known in the village as the people of the Bible. They asked Karla if she would be interested in helping with the group. Karla was more than happy to help IF she could teach them something about the Bible. I was added to help with the “2-Day” - a time of two full days when the group goes off to learn more intensely and get to know one another. 

The people I worked with then (and up until last year) had been working even longer with this group of young people in the village. So this year a reunion was organized for the 20 years this has been organized with this team. Although a reunion is not that common here, and people have busy lives, we were still thankful to welcome several of the young people who are now adults and share stories from when they were young. 

It is always interesting to see how much people remember from the times they spent together. Many of the young people stay in the village, growing up together through high school and even working with one another. I was intrigued to hear if any of the things we talked about during the year of activities we shared still remained in their heads. 

I of course could barely recognize most of them. They are 12-13 years old when they come through the group. Now many of them were 25-35 year-olds, with kids of their own. Some could remember some of the activities or the things they had built together (John, the other male member of the team is very creative and always comes up with something to make). Some could remember the songs we sang together (which was usually my task for the group - along with teaching about the Bible). 

We continue to hope that a decision when they were young to choose for God in their life will resonant into their adult lives. We pray that they will remember some of the Bible texts we shared and how we learned to read the Bible together. We continue to thank God for opportunities to touch people’s lives with the truth, grace and love of Jesus. 

(Picture of the part of the reunion group - including the retired priest from their time - that walked from the village to the "party" venue)

Training to be a leader

One of the great things of our Bible camp (Ardennen Bijbelkamp or ABK) is that it is for and from everyone in the various churches in the Netherlands and Belgium. From the beginning this was a place to help church members grow, to grow contacts among church members, and to learn new skills - all in the wonderful beauty of the Ardennes. I know that I have learned and grown so much through the years because of the things organized at camp. 

One of the things that we want to make possible is that those who want to become a camp leader have the training necessary to do that. And those who don’t know that they can become camp leaders, actually can. We have done this in the past by inviting people to be an assistant camp leader and training them “on the job”. Those who have served as counselors have also grown into camp leaders. And we continue to use this way of training, because it is very hands-on and personal. 

In addition to this we have dreamed for some years of developing a training to help teach some of the things we have all learned through the years. This could be a weekend, a week or simply a day. It is always hard to find slots in schedules for people from across the country, so we settled this year, for the first time, on a day. This was a training session, as we called it: Inspiration for Aspiring leaders. We want those learning to lead to know that although it is scary to take this kind of responsibility, we are not alone. We are busy working with God and in His might. So His Spirit can lead us in these efforts. That is why I called it “Breathe”. 

I planned this together with pour colleague from Ghent, Luk Brazle, and with Shirley. We had a compact group of 5 others who in some ways had already helped at camp, either as counselors, assistant leaders or teachers, but wanted to learn more about being a camp leader. Our camp weeks take on the character of the camp leader who is leading them. There are some things which are always the same (like the age group of the campers, dates and some of the themes, but there is a lot that comes down to the style of the camp leader. 

The training day was a mixture of information that is necessary for a camp leader to run a week of camp as well as practical information and training on how to deal with certain situations that experience has taught us will always show up. “What is leadership?:” was the most important question and we looked at Jesus for our example and answer. 

We are so thankful to be able to be part of this effort. It is so good to see how camp has touched so many lives throughout the years and that it is still a place where members can learn to lead and serve. It continues to be a wonderful place and time where campers get to know who Jesus is, what God does and is doing, and how life in God looks like and works in everyday life. 

This summer Shirley and I will be working with a team leading the oldest age: Youth Camp (15-20 year-olds). We are thankful for the team we have been able to gather to help with sharing the beauty of this life in Christ. 

What experiences have you had with Bible Camp? Did you go to camp when you were young. Have you helped in the past? Are you a helper still? How else are you letting God change you and grow you in His grace and love? 

(In the picture - How do you work with a team to complete a task?)

Getting to know Jesus

One of the most important things we do here is help people to get to know Jesus. In our daily lives we want to be an example of the life we have been given in Jesus. We also want our speech to be full of the reality of living with the grace that Jesus has brought to our lives. This all means that we try to live intentionally in our lives together and our speech is full of the beauty of what we have found in Jesus Christ. And this takes different forms. 

When we meet someone who is wanting to know more about us and the life we are showing, that can come in different ways. Most recently we received a few phone calls from people who wanted to know if we could pray for them, if they could meet with us, if they could attend our worship time on Sundays. Sometimes these are short conversations on the phone. Other times they have turned into weekly Bible studies and conversations. 

I have often thought about set studies - booklets or programs that asre available. But in my experience, everyone is coming from a different place and meets Jesus in a different way. So I usually want to first hear where they are coming from and then start looking at the story of Jesus. In this walk together through the gospels, we inevitably touch on the points that need to be discussed in relation to life with Jesus. Then we can take more time where the need is greatest. 

This has been how my conversations have gone throughout the years. Sometimes people have met Jesus and have decided that they are not really that interested in what is being offered or the way it is being offered. Jesus is very exclusive and not everyone wants to accept this. In this case, sometimes my relationship with the person we have been talking to either ends or changes. Often times we may maintain a relationship, but it becomes one where I continue to help, but in a different way, offering mercy. 

This has been and continues to be the case with a few people in our lives - taking people to hospital visits and being there after the diagnosis has been declared, helping with physical limits and even being the person to help the family say goodbye when the time comes. 

Other times, the relationship turns into one of family as the person’s desire to know Jesus grows and they give their lives to Him. At this point then the relationship turns into one where we help one another grow in faith. It has been exciting to see how some of the new members of this family challenge us to be servants, to be listeners and to be faithful in times of difficulty. This has been true of several of our sisters who have been added to the church in the last 5 years. 

We recently put out an invitation for a series of “Getting to know Jesus” held at our building. We have usually held these at our home, which is a much less intimidating venue. But we wanted the neighborhood around our building to know of this opportunity. No one responded this time. We will look at offering the opportunity again in the Fall, but in the meantime we will continue with the conversations we have at the moment. 

This includes a conversation with a woman who originally called and asked about what we believe and if she could visit. She has been visiting for several months as well as reading through the gospels (getting to know Jesus) almost every week. Last week she said she has been confronted with the need to be bron again - everywhere she reads, every song she listens to, in all of her prayers. I think of Lydia (Acts 16) whose heart was opened as she listened to the story that Paul was recounting. We pray that we will soon be adding a sister to the family. 

And we continue to look for how God will use us, our example, our speech to touch those around us with the amazing story and life of good news in Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. Consider yourself - are you willing to follow Jesus wherever He goes, as He wants? This seems to be our biggest struggle as people. Can we submit to someone else and trust. If we know that He is God Almighty, come to save us and risen from the dead, then we can follow Him even into death, but certainly into obedience in daily life. 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Sowing seeds

A lot of what anyone sharing the good news of Jesus is comes down to sowing seeds. Although I have never been a Gardner and certainly do not have a green thumb, I can understand when Jesus talks about a sower sowing seed in a field. But there are many different ways to sow. 

One of the things that is true about this picture is that it requires some perseverance and plenty of patience. I feel like I am pretty good at the first, but I have definitely had to learn the latter through the years. I, like many in this life, want things to happen quicker and to be visible. But God works with lives. And lives develop through time. My life in Christ did not just spring into being, although I had a moment of birth, for sure. But God has taught me, formed me and shaped me through the years and all of the experiences He has given. 

This is also how things are with the people we are working with, the people with whom we share this wonderful news of a new life in Jesus Christ. We do not always see immediate change. Although often some change is more visible by some than by others. That is now down to us. God gives the growth - we sow the seed. 

Some of this sowing has to do with what we say, talking about our life in Jesus and about how to meet Jesus. Many of the people I have worked with started by learning about the Bible and how to read it. Although many people, certainly here in Western Europe, will say that they know about Jesus, most have never read the Bible. Most see the Bible as a large book written in the past which tells some weird stories and also has some stuff about this Jesus. 

I have always tried to teach people that the Bible is a remarkable library. It is not a book, but a library of books, a compilation of all sorts of different literature. This helps many understand immediately that it must be read in a different way than a book would be. But I emphasize that it is a remarkable library - a collection that could not be possible if it did not come from God. 

Besides helping people see what kind of library they have at their disposal, I take time to help people learn how to read the Bible so that they can get to know who Jesus is. It is in the Bible that we truly get to meet Jesus and see what he really said and did. Unless we go to the Bible, we cannot say that we know anything about this Jesus.

This is one of the things that I have done throughout the years with some of the Catholic kids in our villages. Years ago our colleagues were asked if they would help with the local Catholic confirmation kids. Our colleagues are known in their village as the people who know the Bible. So through the years we have tried to make sure that these kids-becoming-adults (12-13 year-olds) are not only presented with the Bible, but are taught and shown how to read it. We try to take away a bit of the mystery and strangeness and teach them how to become familiar with what is there. 

In the coming month I will be able to revisit some of this teaching when these kids organize a reunion. We are interested to see where they are now and to remind them of how good God can make our lives, remind them that at a time in their lives they made a choice. We would like them to remember this choice and consider an even more momentous choice for their lives. 

We will also begin another course of “Getting to know Jesus” in the neighborhood of where we meet in Maastricht. We never know how many people will be interested or challenged by such a course. We invite people and know that God is calling those who are ready at this time to hear. Then we try to not only pass on the information, but to live the true life that Jesus gives us so that people can see that the seed actually bears fruit. 

We have no idea how long we might need to wait to see if any of this seed grows in the hearts of the people around us. We may never see the fruits in that sense. But we trust the grace and might of God in doing what He is doing. I may not have a green thumb (or green fingers as they say in Dutch), but I know that God is the one bringing growth and He is truly mighty. 

Father's fun

Recently we have been having fun. This past Saturday we had a great day in the sun with our young people. We wanted to take the time to do several important things: show how important Jesus is for real life, connect with some other youth from around Belgium, show that having fun is something God has made possible. Christians know best how to have fun, since God is the creator of fun. 

On the second Sunday of the month we had a Games Day at the building after services. More than 20 members and kids stayed afterwards and had fun playing all sorts of board games and card games. Everyone is already looking forward to the e next second Sunday Games day. This was a time of bonding between young and old, Dutch-speaking or not. Fun can be had in every language and at every age. 

The youth day we organized this past Saturday was built around the theme of ‘Build your House”. We wanted to look at what Jesus says about the wise and foolish man as well as examine how we can be living stones to the cornerstone of Jesus. 

We moved the location to a community center close to Mario and Tonia, which meant that kids from other congregations could reach it more easily (Maastricht is a good way away from where most people live). Our age-group was fairly young: from 7 to 13 years-old, because that is the age of our kids in Maastricht. We were thrilled to welcome 8 kids from various other congregations for the day. 

The sun shone brightly, the rain stayed away and the kids enjoyed the time inside and out. Our two 13 year-olds prepared the first games outside. Scott brought the first lesson outside as well before we all headed inside for lunch. After some more play time outside the kids headed inside for some practical lessons focused on how we work together. Have you ever made a tower out of flat pieces of paper? These kids came up with some great ideas. 

By the end of the day we were thrilled with how God could touch so many hearts in such a short time. Several “shy” kids blossomed throughout the activities. All of the kids helped each other in the end. And the lesson points came through loud and clear. Fun was had by all in a way that God was glorified and amplified. We pray that a good bit of what was mentioned and done will stay with the kids in the coming days and weeks. 

In November we are looking forward to joining a football (soccer) tournament with a team from Maastricht. This is another time that we can experience having fun and getting to know others around us, sharing the joy that comes with being a child of God. Before that, several teens will be heading down to camp for Fall campo and the young kids will be able to experience a week at Vacation Bible Camp. Pray for our young people and for all of the team members making these sorts of activities possible. 

Super Bowl Monday?

Last night (or was it this morning) I watched the Super Bowl live - I think for the first time in my life. It didn’t kick off until midnight thirty here I the Netherlands and I got home just before 5 am. But it was an interesting experience. 

I volunteer as a board member for a local organization that gets people together for activities. It helps to link older people who have fewer contacts with others, helps those who don’t have much money for food, is a place for caregivers to come and rest while their partners with Alzheimer are cared for and tries to help neighbors get to know one another. One of the other board members is a young man who also happens to play American Football for the Maastricht Wildcats. 

In the US this might not seem so strange - except that this young man is recently into his 30’s. In the US every self-respecting high school has some sort of football team. But if you talk about football here, you usually mean soccer. Everyone plays soccer. There are even teams for 5 year-olds. 

American Football is something else all together. But Maastricht has a real team, in the first division of the Dutch league. And I was invited by this young man to come watch the Super Bowl with his teammates. So I made sure that I had taken a quick nap and headed off to see if Kansas City could beat Philadelphia (I am a Bronco’s fan, but the Chiefs are a close second for me). 

I spent much of the evening/morning talking football in Dutch and English. Many of the players are international, so speak English. Most of the people present were Eagles fans, so it made for a fun tension. And the game did not disappoint. The most interesting thing for me were some of the conversations. 

One of the players was introduced as “our church-going player” who also sang in the choir. I was introduced to him as someone who would know what he experienced, since I was also an active Christian. 

During the game two ads were shown about “He gets us… Jesus”. One of the guys I was sitting with asked: “Who is this?” 

I looked a bit surprised and asked “Jesus?” 

He responded, “Yeah, I know who Jesus is. But an ad like that cost big bucks. Who is behind it?” 

This led to a conversation about what the ads were saying and how the focus was on Jesus. I do not really know who paid for the ad, but it gave me an opportunity to focus conversation on Jesus as well - for a moment. In the meantime my board member friend had apologized for his rough language and we continued with good topics, including football and life. 

By 4 am we were all cleaning up and heading out to our cars or bikes to go home in the very thick mist that had set in. Everyone was happy. Well, no. Me and one other fan of the Chiefs was happy. The others were resigned and tired. I am sure some of them would need to study for the next day (some are students). Others would have to go to work. But I was thankful for this opportunity to get to know some people because of a sport event. 

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:2-6

A completed life??

Last week a friend of mine - an atheist who I talked to every week - decided that he had a "voltooid leven", that his life was complete. This is something that can be done in the society here in the Netherlands. “A completed life” means that you have decided to kill yourself. Society in general agrees that this is okay.

The man that I knew disagreed with me on lots of things that we talked about. Politics. Economics. Morals. But we also agreed on many other things. The value of people. That things are not the most important in life. Still, our world views differed greatly. 

I believe that God created us, is not the same as we are, and has the right to let us know how best to follow Him. I believe we have good evidence for this and a wonderful way to not only find truth, but to follow truth in Jesus Christ. This also means that our life here on earth is not all that exists. We are spiritual beings and look forward to eternity. 

My friend believed that we all were creations of chance, thrown together throughout the millions of years he believed had existed before our current age. He believed that we were basically noble animals, slightly better than most animals and often worse than all other animals. He believed that dying was the end of existence - despite the evidence he himself brought up concerning love, hope and the need to believe in one another. 

He was dying. We are all dying. He had pain and believed that dying quicker presented him with the answer to his pain. We talked about the reality - in my view - that there is a much worse pain than the pain he was now feeling, an eternal pain of the body and soul. 

I struggle to understand how a society can ask people to be “good”, to care for others, to do what is “right” and build on hope when this same society accepts and lauds the idea that there is nothing more than physical life and that each person can make a choice that is purely selfish, egocentric. 

Such a mixed message can only create a society of lost souls. People searching for truth and love and value, but unable to find it because they have blinded themselves to the very truth in front of them in every piece of nature. 

This society has always been present. It was so in the time of Jesus Christ, in the time of the first disciples, in the ages following as the church grew. And it is still present today - in every country around the world. And the answer, the antidote, the solution is still the gentle Healer who has come to present life. I pray that I will not tire of presenting this life as best I can. 

Where oh where Wednesday - Margraten cemetery

Just up the road from Maastricht, about 15 minutes away, is a solemn place where history connects the US and Europe and solemn solitude tries to break through the raucous chaos of everyday to remind that there are some things more important than others. Here the fields are sown with white stones laid out in beautiful rows. 

Margraten cemetery is a monument to the US soldiers who died in World War II liberating the Netherlands. About 90 minutes to the south is where the Battle of the Bulge was fought and the fields turned red. Here outside Maastricht Us forces cam to liberate Maastricht, one of the first places in the Netherlands to be freed from the enemy. 

The soldiers buried here did not all die here. Some died further away and on various days. Walking among the stones, you can read their names and dates. You ca be amazed at the variety of men who fought for their country. There are crosses, stars of David and stones. There are young men and older men. As you stand among the white rows, lines stretching out softly over a hill toward the trees, you are aware of the sacrifice given. 

Presidents have come here to show their support for Europe. Every year on May 4 the fallen are remembered. Dutch families adopt the graves here so that the fallen soldier’s family know that all is well cared for, even now.  

When you walk here it is easy to remember that this was horrible. That we are glad that it is over. Then we drive on to the next city and life continues. War continues. Soldiers and citizens die once again. There is a peace that must come from somewhere else than a memorial, as important as such a memorial is. Every Sunday we remember - in a beautiful and solemn ceremony - how important it is that One died. But do I just walk away and continue? Or do I let it change my life, daily?

Whodunit Wednesday - Kings and queens, princes and princesses

Royals. It’s something Europe is certainly well-known for. Although in the US people might be most familiar with the British royal family (William and Kate), there are plenty of people here who are enamored of their own royals and those around them. In Belgium and the Netherlands this is no different. 

Belgium has only been a monarchy since 1831 when King Leopold took the throne as its first king. This Leopold could have become King of England (he was married first to Charlotte, heir to the British throne), turned down being king of Greece and in the end became king of Belgium where he oversaw the first railway line on continental Europe in 1835. 

It was Leopold II who is better known in Belgium. This is not so much because of his amazing accomplishments, but because of how poorly he treated people in his conquests of the Congo. Following Leopold comes some very interesting history with Albert (the first), a third Leopold, Baudouin and a second Albert. The current king of Belgium is Philippe. His wife is Mathilde. But most people these days are keeping a close eye on their daughter, princess Elisabeth. She, in her time, will be the next royal and the first Queen of Belgium, if all goes normally. 

In the Netherlands, they know what it means to have a Queen. Although they started out with a king, the first of three Willems came in 1815, by 1907 the monarch was Wilhelmina. And so the Netherlands entered into quite a long period of queens. Wilhelmina was followed by Juliana who was followed by her daughter Beatrix. In the Netherlands they had understood early on that it was okay to have the oldest child become the monarch, even if the oldest was a girl. 

In 2013, Beatrix stepped down to allow her son, Willem Alexander to become King. His wife, Maxima, came from Argentina and quickly became a favorite of the people, even if Willem Alexander was not. This couple has three daughters, with Amalia being the eldest. So the Netherlands is preparing to welcome another queen when the time comes, although Amalia is only 19 at the time. 

It is normal here to speak of royals, kingdoms, kings and queens and being a child of the king. This month King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands will be spending his birthday celebration on April 27 in Maastricht. Many people will want to be able to see or be seen with him and his wife, Maxima and daughter Amalia. We ourselves are most thrilled to be known as children of the King of kings. 

It's been such a long, long time

That’s what many of our young people feel. In the past the churches in the Netherlands and Belgium have always tried to make sure that there was some kind of youth activity almost every month. The youth in the church need to have opportunities to grow and to grow together. Now, after two years of not being able to get together - except for the amazing oasis of summer Bible camp - we have begun again with youth weekends. 

In March, the annual “Console Weekend” was held again in Antwerp. Luk Brazle and others always know how to combine the fun of console gaming with the excitement and truth of God’s word in our daily lives. And this year was no different. As with so much in these times, the reality of depending on one another was also clear for this weekend as Luk had to pass off the leadership due to coming down with covid. 

In Maastricht we have always been active in organizing for youth and helping where we can. It has been a while since we had our own group of young people, but that has changed in the last year as well. We now have four families with children as well as possible Ukrainian youth. So we are planning our next youth weekend here in Maastricht. It may end up being only a a day (we have a few much younger kids who we want to include), but it will be good to have the opportunity to organize again and get members involved in this way. 

Our kids are already getting to know one another. The past few weeks have been an interesting mix of Dutch, English and Ukrainian. What a challenge for the sister leading the children’s class! Most of the Dutch speakers also speak English, though not all of them. The Ukrainians don’t speak anything else. And the English speakers can understand some German, but Dutch is still a challenge. 

Still, when the singing is finished and the adults are all standing about drinking coffee and tea and sharing good conversation, the kids are standing at the white board drawing, playing drawing games (tic-tac-toe) or laughing at one another - in all languages. We are thankful for these challenges and look forward to how God will continue using these opportunities to His glory. 

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.                            Mark 10:13-16

Back to "normal"

In the Netherlands, the corona rules have been dropped and all sorts of activities can go back to “normal”. In the congregation in Maastricht we have decided as  congregation to set up our seating differently. 

The last two years we have been seated in a circle around the walls of our meeting room. This gave us the ability to keep some distance from one another and still meet together. In addition to the seating change, we changed how we do the Lord’s Supper and what our worship time together looks like. We even instituted some traditions around how we interact after our worship time. 

Now we as a congregation have decided to “return” to the old way the meeting hall was set up. But almost half of our members actually came to be part of this family during the corona years. This means that - to them - the corona set up was “normal”. And it brings up the question: what is essential and what is normal? 

For the Lord's Supper during corona, each member (or family member) approached the central table where the bread and cup were, took bred and cup and returned to sit and wait until all members had done the same. Then we prayed for the bread and partook together after which we prayed for the cup and partook together. 

Now the table will no longer be central and we will no longer be seated in a a circle facing one another. Now the table will be in the front and we will be seated in a semi-circle. The brother leading the supper will pass the plate and the cup. For many this is a well understood and familiar thing. For many in our congregation, this is new. 

It has always intrigued me to think about and study the bits of our communal worship time that are traditional. What is essential? And how can we do that? During corona years we dropped the sermon and increased the time for the word during the Lord’s Supper. And yet, Jesus remains central to it all. During corona we made a conscious decision to make this time central to our time together. It remains so.

Now things are changing again and we can look at and wonder how to do things together. We are thankful for the changes that have come. We are most thankful that we are a family which can work through these things together with the grace of God. In other parts of the world - Ukraine - other changes are having to be made. We pray for the church there that they, too, can continue to rely on the strength and peace of the Father as they continue to live out and show the love and grace of God, even during very difficult times. 

 

Once upon a time Wednesday - When Romans walked

Maastricht has been around for quite some time. The name of the city is originally “Trajectum ad Mosum” - Latin for “trajectory over the Maas”. The Romans built a fortification at the point where the river could be traversed. There are still remnants of the old Roman civilization downtown. 

Our house in Belgium, just across the border, is in Neerharen, which was another spot where the Roman army could ford the river. The main road running not far from our house was a Roman highway (and is still called the “heirbaan” which means the road of the army). 

In the next village, archeologists found parts of an old Roman villa. Some well-to-do Roman citizen established his home out in the fields not far from the river. So the Roman army and plenty of Roman citizens were well established here in this area around the time that Jesus was walking on the earth in Jerusalem. 

I love making that point with people as we read the gospel of Luke, that great historian and gospel writer. Everyone here understand perfectly that the Romans were here. It brings things home when you can point out that Jesus was actually here on earth as well. 

Conversations

1st Friday conversations

Isn’t it amazing how God loves to talk? Look at the Bible. It is full of amazing stories. God has been telling us His story for a long time. But He also loves to listen. He is constantly asking us to talk to Him (pray) and has promised us that He is listening - very closely. Listening and talking are part of being with God (goes along with that walking bit I talked about recently). 

Our lives have changed a bit in our most recent season of life. We (Shirley and I) have more possibilities to go together and listen to conversations, take part in conversations. I am so thankful that we have these chances. Sometimes we are meeting with members from the congregation in Maastricht - on Wednesday evenings, Thursday mornings with the men or Friday mornings with the women (or Monday evenings further away). Sometimes we are singing and speaking to one another in spiritual songs - on first Fridays or third Wednesdays. 

But more recently I had also added some other options. On Tuesday morning and evening I hold a consultation for those who have questions about God or the Bible. The Dutch allows me to make a play on words and offer a “Speaking hour” when they can come talk - about any question they might have. Mid-March I was going to start with a Bible study group in the city. That has been put on hold for a bit (corona), but we will see how that works out in the coming months. Modern technology and social media makes these kinds of meetings possible. 

But everyday we notice that there are opportunities to listen and speak - if we pay attention. And technology also makes this possible. And even necessary in ‘Corona” times. We call a member of the church who is housebound at the moment. We email or whatsapp other members who can use an encouraging word. We get a text message from people looking for help, or offering help. Everywhere, people are speaking. I hear the cashier repeating her litany and try to remember to look her in the eye and wish her a good day, thanking her for her work. I wave at the car behind me that just let me in, thanking them for their kindness. I listen to the young one tell all about the funny story (that he told me yesterday three times already). 

God wants to talk to me and you. He is always listening to me and you. And we are made in His image, made to be able to listen and speak. What conversations have you had recently? How has ‘social distancing’ affected your conversation?

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.                 Hebrews 1:1-2