Nice 2 Meet U

Nice 2 Meet U
Hi, my name is Paul Abspoel. I'm a Dutchman, a happy husband and a proud father. I try to follow Jesus, but He is a hard act to follow... I was born in Haarlem, the Netherlands on December 12, 1961. Today I live with my family in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands.
I married the love of my life on March 6, 1987. Her name is Lydia Bood (April 6, 1965). We met at high school in Haarlem (Marnix College). This goes to show that some school romances can actually stand the test of time! Now we are the proud parents of three children: a boy named Robin (March 26, 1992) and two girls named Sosha (April 12, 1994) and Pascalle (June 8, 1997).

Interests
I like to sing and play on my acoustic guitars (a black Ibanez western and a 12-string Fender) and I enjoy being with my family at home. I like reading and I also enjoy listening to some good music (check out my favourite authors and artists in my profile!). I am enthusiastic about the possibilities of the Internet, especially about blogging and about the world-wide contacts via email messages, but I also like to be in the company of family and friends in the real world… Oh yes, I almost forgot: I also write poems every now and then and I like exchanging some thoughts and ideas with interesting people.

Education and career
Following high school, I studied at an Evangelical College in Amersfoort. I escaped the military draft (lucky me) and could continue my study at a Teachers Training College in Diemen - near Amsterdam. I hold a degree in History and in Dutch language, but after finishing my study I only worked for a couple of months as a temporary teacher. Back then it was difficult to find a steady job in education, so I decided to pursue another career in order to pay the bills. During my study I wrote some articles as a freelance journalist for a local newspaper Haarlems Dagblad. My writing skills helped me finding a job in Public Relations. I worked for eight years for the Dutch office of the American Bell & Howell Company (Mail Handling Division). I was responsible for marketing communications in the Netherlands. After the eight years period I was asked to join Bell & Howell's European Marketing Team. I did like this new challenge and the international contacts, but all in all this turned out to be too stressful a job for a person like me. I was happy when all of a sudden a new opportunity came my way: in December 1997 I was offered a PR & Marketing job at Ark Boeken, a Christian Publishing House based in Amsterdam. I worked for three years in my new PR & Marketing role for Ark Boeken and became more and more involved in the actual publishing work (we publish Christian books, calendars, gift books and greeting cards). I followed a course in Publishing and in October 2001 I succeeded the Publisher - who then became Director of the organisation. I now feel I have found my destiny and a profession I can stick to until retirement… (what a horrific thought!). But seriously: I thoroughly enjoy my job. I like working together with my friendly colleagues in Amsterdam and keeping in touch with our international publishing partners via the Internet, personal visits and book fairs.

Family and church
I have shared some information regarding my study and career so far, but of course there's more to life then this. I was raised in a Christian family (5 brothers and 2 sisters!) and I am quite happy with this solid background. The family ties are still strong. and I am grateful for the fact that I can still visit my mother at my age... (My father went to Heaven on October 21, 2005). I am also happy with my extended family from my wife's side. We all get along just fine and we even go on holidays together. As a little child I attended the Sunday services in our small Christian congregation in Haarlem (Evangelische Maranatha Gemeente). I used to take my wife and children with me to visit the same place each Sunday - until we recently (September 2004) decided to join a Baptist church in Hoofddorp: de Meerkerk.

Keeping the faith
You could say that I've enjoyed a good religious upbringing, but that doesn't automatically imply that I have accepted everything for granted. Especially during my study years I had to re-evaluate all the things that used to be so self-evident. I had to come to grips with some 'big issues' myself - but quoting somebody else named Paul: I have kept the faith! (2 Tim. 4:6-8) .

My personal beliefs
My faith in God is not primarily an intellectual issue. It is a matter of heart and soul, a love affair - to put it more precise. As a child I once said a simple prayer, saying that I wanted to 'give my heart to Jesus' and that I wanted to belong to Him for the rest of my life. Looking back, I now see the importance of this early decision for my life's direction. Especially when the going gets tough, I experience that God takes care of the ones that belong to Him. (Of course that doesn't imply that God will keep all harms from us…) My life's motto is: 'better to be naive than to have too little faith'. I am convinced that God exists and that He is the mighty Creator of all living beings. I also believe that He truly loves people like you and me. I don't fully understand why God allows so much hatred, suffering, pain and injustice in this world and I don't claim to have all the answers. I believe that evil comes from God's enemy, and I also believe that Jesus has already defeated this troublemaker once and for all (the outcome is decided but the game is still on). I also believe that life has a purpose and a meaning and that every human being is loved by God; regardless of who or what they are.

What I don't believe
…that one gigantic cosmic explosion explains the intelligent design and beauty that is also visible in our mysterious universe. You need to be a strong believer in coincidence to accept such an idea! I don't rule out the Big Bang or evolutionary processes altogether, but Somebody has to say 'Bang!' to get things going and Somebody gave us the mind and the consciousness to think about these miraculous things… Nowadays we can logically explain away such wonderful miracles as rainbows and sunrises - but can we also understand the beauty of them? Do you know where zebras and leopards bought their designer suits? Have you ever looked closely at the feathers of a peacock? The nose of a dog or a cat? The eyes of your lover? Do you understand how chaos gave birth to such diverse beings as big elephants, impressive lions, funny giraffes, intelligent dolphins, dangerous sharks and sensitive, thinking people like you & me? Of course it is all coincidence and there is no God (…says the fool according to Psalm 14:1). I look at creation as a colourful painting. A Masterpiece, so to speak. A piece of art with many light and dark tones. If creation is a true work of art, there's got to be a Genius Artist somewhere…

My life so far...
When I look back at my life so far, I can testify that God has helped me through all of life's circumstances. I do love Lydia, Robin, Sosha and Pascalle with all my heart and every now and then I wonder why I deserved all this joy and happiness. Most of all I am astounded by a Man named Jesus. I understand that many people find it hard to believe that He truly is the Son of God and that He actually performed all the miracles that are described in the Bible. I agree: it seems just too good to be true! But I have learned to trust Him completely when He says: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

Let's Get Aquainted
I do respect everybody's personal beliefs and I don't want to force you in any direction, but if you appreciate a good conversation about the important things in life, please don't hesitate to contact me. I am looking forward to getting to know you! Email me! Please read this testimony from the original Paul (I am only named after him…) in 1 Timothy 1:12-17. It's quite a relief to know that nobody is a hopeless case in the eyes of the Almighty God!

I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength for my work. I thank him for considering me worthy and appointing me to serve him, even though in the past I spoke evil of him and persecuted and insulted him. But God was merciful to me because I did not yet have faith and so did not know what I was doing. And our Lord poured out his abundant grace on me and gave me the faith and love which are ours in union with Christ Jesus. This is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of them, but God was merciful to me in order that Christ Jesus might show his full patience in dealing with me, the worst of sinners, as an example for all those who would later believe in him and receive eternal life. To the eternal King, immortal and invisible, the only God-to him be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen