Robin, Sosha and Pascalle in Italy

Top down: Robin (14), Sosha (12) and Pascalle (9)

Taking a break...

Downward spiral or upward allegiance?

I wanted to write something about the current violence in the Middle East, but where to begin? I do understand that Israel needs to protect its borders, but personally I think that their military actions in Lebanon are a) disproportional and b) counterproductive (i.e. making more innocent victims, killing more soldiers on all sides of this conflict and causing more hatred everywhere in the region). However, it is very easy for me to judge such a complex conflict – sitting in my lazy chair in Holland. The situation is just too complicated for easy answers and even the brightest diplomats seem to have no solutions. I just feel so sorry for all the men, women and children in Israel and Lebanon and I can only pray for peace.

Talking about violence, war and peace issues… I just visited Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog and was intrigued by this thought-provoking question he is posing:

Had the Apostle Paul lived to see the war of Rome with Israel in 66-73 AD, what would he have done? Here are some considerations:

I ask this consideration: Paul was not a soldier, but let’s put him either in that position or in the position, which is far more likely, to have been advising new Roman citizen Christians or Christians living in the Land of Israel.
1. Would he have fought on Rome’s side against Israel? (Citizenship duty.)
2. Would he have fought on Israel’s side against Rome? (Faith over citizenship.)
3. Would he have chosen not to fight because he was torn between two nations? (Pragmatics.)
4. Would he have chosen not to fight because he thought Christians should be concerned with the kingdom of God and the preaching and living out of the gospel? (Some kind of Christian pacifism.)

Personally my answer would be: 4. Paul was a Jew born in a Hellenistic environment (Turkey), but he also happened to be a Roman citizen. Yes, in many ways he was truly a man ‘of this world’ and I think these qualifications helped him to bring the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean area. But Paul only claimed these religious, cultural and national ‘identities’ if this turned out to be useful for the progress of the Gospel. Paul was first and foremost fighting a spiritual battle and I personally believe that he would always try to avoid physical violence. That certainly doesn’t mean that Paul was a coward, because physically he suffered enormously due to his courageous proclamation of the Good News (just read these words from 2 Corinthians 11:23-30).

There are already many interesting comments on Scot’s posting and I didn’t feel that I needed to add one more of my own. I fully agree with a comment posted by Kenny Chee - “I think Paul was a man consumed with a passion to preach the Gospel in regions where Christ is yet unknown. He would choose option 4, and be focused and faithful to the heavenly call and upward allegiance. As to what he would advise Christians on both sides of the conflict, he would probably ask them to follow their conscience and seek what would lead to peace of all men, something the leaders of both sides of the present conflict in Lebanon would do well to heed.”

No arms, no legs, no worries!

Twenty-three years ago his parents had planted a church in Australia. Six months later his mother delivered him. "The last two words on my parents' minds was 'Praise God.'"

Doctors had no explanation. His birth was considered a tragedy. The whole church mourned. No one could see any good coming out of a boy being born with no arms or legs.
As he grew up, he alternately doubted God existed – questioning what sort of a God would do such a nasty thing – or he was angry at God for the same reason.
He remembers reading a Biblical verse in Sunday school which purported that he was created in the image of God. "And I'm like, 'Yeah, riiight."
When he was 10, when the teasing was unbearable, he wished he was dead. He fantasized about asking his parents to put him on a kitchen stool -- and then he could "fall" off and, he hoped, break his neck.
When he couldn't bring himself to end it all, he begged God to let him grow arms and legs -- for God's benefit, of course. (A modern-day miracle! Think of how many people you could convert!)
It never happened. But he began to realize that maybe he didn't need to grow arms and legs for his life to mean something. Maybe his accomplishments were enough of a miracle.
He can walk/hop almost anywhere (including up steps), using his only foot. And he can type with his only two toes (43 words a minute, thank you very much). He is brave enough to plunge into pools, trusting he will bob to the surface where he paddles around on his back using his foot as a paddle. And he writes, gets dressed and opens doors with his mouth.
He began to realize he was impressive, if not downright inspirational.
At 15, Nick officially thanked God that he was alive. At 17, he gave his first talk to a prayer group. The requests to speak snowballed. And now, at 23, that's all he does. His nonprofit is called Life Without Limbs.

"It turns out having no arms and legs has gotten me into some doors I would not have been able to walk through."

Read the entire news article about Nick here - also have a look at the amazing video on that website (it only works if you have Flash). And here you can read all about this amazing man: Nick Vujicic's website

Question: Do you believe God is able to use you and me - despite our so called 'problems' and 'shortcomings' ?

The Chinese church is experiencing persecution and exponential growth

In China we are probably seeing the biggest revival in world history...

“Despite on-going persecution, the Chinese church is experiencing exponential growth. China is probably experiencing the biggest revival in World history and Tony Lambert, former British diplomat to Beijing and Tokyo, explains why. A gripping collection of stories, photographs, facts and maps, this comprehensive guide will help you see the triumph as well as the cost of the Chinese revival.”

Please have a look at this site and make sure that you find out what is going on in (the church of) China right now! As a Publisher at Ark Boeken Amsterdam I have been working on the Dutch edition of this book that will be published in September. Dutch title: China voor Christus (China for Christ) (published in close co-operation with OMF International).

In 2008 Beijing will host the Olympic Games and of course the Chinese government will try to make a good impression on the world. China has many reasons to be a proud country... but there are also things to be very ashamed of. Just some cases that need to be exposed:--------- -

• Zhao Yu who was a New York Times correspondent and is now imprisoned in China, and may not receive a fair trial.
• Chen Guangcheng who is a blind rights activist and was detained Sept. 6th, 2005 for exposing violence against women in the name of family planning policies. His wife and mother were also kidnapped and their locations are still unknown.
• Wu Hao was in the processes of making a documentary in China about the persecuted church and was thrown in jail for it. He was just released on July 11, 2006.
• Jiang Zongxiu, who was martyred by beaten to death for carrying scripture. Her family has not seen any justice as her remains are still in the hands of the government and her abusers are still free.
• Pastor Cai Zhuohua who is in Chinese prison today for being accused of printing Bibles. Pastor Cai’s wife is also in prison while their 5 year old son is living with grandparents.
• Pastor Zhang Rongliang was sentenced to 7 and a half years imprisonment on July 4, 2006 after he was arrested on December 1, 2004 for his leadership in the House Church movement.
  
  PrisonerAlert.com recently stated, “Religious persecution by the government appears to be increasing as the Olympics are approaching.” Source

Please also visit Persecution Blog from Voice of the Martyrs

Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament

"I vividly remember the first time I seriously confronted Isaiah 53, or better still, the first time it seriously confronted me, " Barry explains. "Being rather confused over the identity of the Servant in Isaiah 53, I went to my local rabbi and said to him, "Rabbi, I have met some people at school who claim that the so-called Servant in Isaiah 53 is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. But I would like to know from you, who is this Servant in Isaiah 53?"

Barry was astonished at his response. The rabbi said: "Barry, I must admit that as I read Isaiah 53 it does seem to be talking about Jesus, but since we Jews do not believe in Jesus, it can't be speaking about Jesus."

Barry didn't know a lot about formal logic at that point, but he knew enough to say to himself, "That just doesn't sound kosher to me! Not only does the rabbi's so-called reasoning sound circular, it also sounds evasive and even fearful." Today Barry observes, "There are none who are as deaf as those who do not want to hear." (From: Geisler & Turek - I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, p. 332).

Barry Leventhal is the Academic Dean at Southern Evangelical Seminary where he has taught since 1997. The grandson of Orthodox Jews who immigrated from Russia and Hungary, he was raised in a Conservative Jewish home in Southern California. As a student at UCLA, Barry was co-captain of the 1965 UCLA Football Team, which won the Rose Bowl in January 1966. Also active in the band, he was graduated as a Blue Key Honor Graduate. Most significantly, however, as a senior, Barry came to faith in Jesus as his personal Lord, Messiah, and Savior through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.
Source: Pasche Institute of Jewish Studies