Martin Smith [Delirious?] - interesting interview!

On August 30th 1995, Martin (Delirious?) was driving back from a gig at the Grapevine Festival in Lincolnshire when, in the early hours of the morning and only around the corner from home, he was involved in a serious car accident. (The song August 30th on the 'King Of Fools' album was written about this event.) The crash turned out to be an important moment in Smith's life and the life of the band. [Read the complete interview text here].

More pics? Check this out! © Photo: Brian Elings (published here with kind permission). Click here if you want to read my concert review in English. Click here for a concert review in Dutch by Harco Ploegman.

I'll fight to the very end!

“While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now, I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight, I'll fight to the very end!”
William Booth, founder Salvation Army
Thanks to Jørund [Peacechild]

Vertaling nodig? / Need a translation?

Ga naar deze of naar deze vertaalsite en plak de complete adresregel (URL) van Panda's Ponderings in het opdrachtvenster. Kies English-Dutch en er komt een soort vertaling uit - inclusief grappige vertaalfouten... Probeer het maar eens!

Go to this or to this site if you want to read Panda's Ponderings in a different language. Just cut & paste the URL-line, choose your language and see what happens! (Be prepared for some very funny results!)

But God's Word is not chained!

Right! Again a brother from the HOLY HIP HOP scene in Holland is going to join the gang... Joshua Kotadiny will also be present on Fool's Day in Hoofddorp! It all started with a deep desire to reach lost people with the love of Christ and - no doubt - God is going to make this happen! Come over and help us!

Thanks R.I.V., thanks Mic Joshua and Jay! I don't know you guys, but I do know that we all are following the same Master. This is an exciting journey, God knows where it will lead us...

Just to avoid any misunderstandings: this meeting is NOT about HIP HOP or music (although I do like to hear some noises and see some moves) but it's about Tony Anthony's testimony. However, I am praying that this will also be the kick-off of a music ministry within prisons. Pray with me that this dream will also be realised soon! This is the goal: bringing the living Word of God in places where it's most desperately needed. Join us!

See you in Hoofddorp on Fool's Day! And yes: I do want to be there in Amsterdam on May 6th to return the favour... keep me posted.

To all of you in the Netherlands: think about the month of June (23-28). Tony is willing to come back to Holland and to go to prison as a free man - only to captivate the audience with his gripping testimony. If you want Tony to come to your church, your prison, your university, your school or your youth group: just let me know and I will see what I can do!

This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. (Paul - formerly known as Saul - 2 Timothy 2:8)

VORM MIJ [Shape Me]

Voor Nederlandse bloglezers: VORM MIJ staat op GMI site. Zie ook hier!

Short, sweet and way to shocking for some

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. (Isaiah 61:1)

Dear Father,
These are the prophetic words of your faithful servant Isaiah. Your Son, our Messiah Jeshua, read this same passage from the scroll when he was asked to read and teach from the Scriptures in the synagoge. Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down, Luke writes. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Wow, this is by far the strongest and sweetest sermon I’ve ever heard! No more words needed! Please come Jesus, and speak in our churches too!

Read on and check out the other MONDAY BOOSTERS here

I AM THE IDIOT IN THIS STORY - JESUS IS THE HERO

[Nederlandse Blog lezers: zorg dat je erbij bent!]
Saturday April 1 - FOOL'S DAY (how appropriate) there will be a press conference @ 10:30 and a public meeting starting @ 13:30 in Hoofddorp NL. Location: MEERKERK IJWEG. You can find a route description here (sorry - it's all in Dutch). This is NOT a joke!

British author TONY ANTHONY - three times World Champion Kung Fu and top bodyguard - will tell the media and the public his incredible story. Tony was raised by his strict grandfather as a Kung Fu fighter in China. He studied the fighting techniques of the tiger and became a master of the martial arts. As a young man he was working as a top bodyguard for the International Kung Fu Federation based in Geneva, Switzerland. He instructed other bodyguards in close protection and man to man combat.

Tony had a difficult upbringing, to put it mildly. It seemed like everything was going much better after he was engaged to a Swedish girl. During an assignment in Italy, Tony hears that his fiancée has died in a car crash. This is too much for him to handle. He starts to use his fighting skills in a wrong way and accepts illegal 'debt collecting' jobs from his VIP clients. Tony becomes a very violent man and a ruthless criminal.

One bad day Tony is arrested and detained in Nicosia's State Prison on the isle of Cyprus. This penal institute is more like a medieval dungeon where 'normal' criminals, political prisoners and violent psychopaths share their crowded cells. This place really is like hell on earth.

Tony is able to defend himself with his martial arts skills, but there is not much left of his self-discipline, Buddhism and high morals. The tiger within has taken full control. Until a stranger starts to visit him day after day, week after week, month after month. Little by little Tony starts to open up...

Read the rest of the story in his bestselling autobiography TAMING THE TIGER - CBC Book of the Year 2005 - and already translated in 14 different languages! Read this book review.

Tony Anthony visits the Netherlands for the presentation of the Dutch translation of his book: GETEMDE TIJGER (published by Ark Boeken).

After the press meeting Tony will talk to the public about the dramatic events and radical changes in his life. He is now working as an evangelist for Avanti Ministries in the UK.

Dutch HIP HOP ARTISTS NOA will also make some noise during this meeting. Be there and bring your friends if you want to see and hear something special!

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. [ROMANS 8:1-4]

Worship Warriors GET READY FOR THE FLOOD

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. [John 4:23]

Just One Day Later...

YES! Holy Hip Hop from Holland! Today I received an email with some information about NOA (Nomadische Onaantastbare Alliantie = Nomadic Untouchable Alliance) consisting of Rivelino (Alias R.I.V.) and Mic Joshua. I am praying for final confirmation, but I do hope that these guys will be present at our presentation on April 1st in Hoofddorp. Tony Anthony (see earlier posts) will give his testimony and I do expect that many people will attend. I really believe we are on a mission from GOD and He is confirming every step so far! (And I am not a blues brother).

Please pray with me for this event! I do want to see many broken people kneeling before Messiah Jesus! And how appropriate this is: NOA cooperating with ARK Boeken... Maybe some people will not believe me, but I am expecting a FLOOD of WORDS!

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." Hebrews (= Nomads / Strangers!) 12:22-29

Check out da'Truth!

This is my dream: Holy Hip Hop in my own language - speaking da'Truth of God's Word - but not in Double Dutch!

On April 1, 2006 we will have a book presentation and a press conference with Tony Anthony, author of 'Taming the Tiger' (CBC Book of the Year 2005). Tony used to be a three times World Champion Kung Fu, a professional body guard and - after everything went totally wrong in his life - a long term guest in Nicosia's state prison on the isle of Cyprus.

Tony is not a rapper (as far as I know), but as a changed man he now wants to bring da'Good News of Jesus Christ in all places, and especially in prisons! I know that Hip Hop music is very popular among prisoners in the Netherlands and it is my desire to produce some ORIGINAL Gospel Gangsta's Holy Hip Hop in our very own Dutch language! I am talking to some people from the Christian music scene in the Netherlands right now and I strongly believe that God will use Christian singers, rappers and dancers to spread da'Good News on the streets of our cities and in all the dark places of our society. Let's bring some joy and let's speak some positive words to the people who desperately need to hear about Messiah Jesus - the Champion of the Universe!

Please pray with me that this dream will come true. If you have any suggestions, drop me a line and let me know. Yes, on Saturday April 1 (Fool's Day, no kidding) I want to see people dancing, rapping and preaching in my church. This must be the kick-off of Holland's Holy Hip Hop Revolution. Any ideas? We need to hear da'Truth in Dutch! So speak up all of you brothers and sista's out there!

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. (MC Paul - formerly known as Saul - in 1 Cor. 9)

Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. (MC Paul - formerly known as Saul - 1 Cor. 14)

What a week!

Last week was very exciting! On Saturday I went to London Stansted with an Easyjet flight - together with my son Robin (13). We had a fantastic day in sunny London (!) and did all the typical things tourists do in a city like this. So here are some sightseeing pics - just to show you how great it really was!
Robin had received special permission from school to stay with me until Tuesday - he is attending a bilingual school - so this was also a great opportunity for him to talk English! Robin stayed with my nephew Kari who lives in Sutton with his wife Helmi and their kids Patrik and Kiara.

On Sunday I went to Notting Hill to meet British author Abidemi Sanusi (Kemi's Journal) and to visit her church Kensington Temple. After sharing lunch together (actually, a very late British breakfast), we went to the London Book Fair - which took place in a new venue in the London Docklands area: the ExCel Exhibition Centre.

Let me show you some pics from Saturday... (Robin took the camera with him during the other days, but didn't take any pictures... but these images will give you an impression).

On Monday I had an appointment with British author Tony Anthony (from the bestselling and award winning book Taming the Tiger - the true story of a former three times World Champion Kung Fu - READ THIS BOOK!) - Dutch title: Getemde Tijger.

I came back on Wednesday to hear that EO (an Evangelical Broadcast Company in the Netherlands) is planning to make a documentary about Tony's story which will be broadcasted on national TV this year! This documentary will be in English, so other (Christian) channels in the world will be able to show this documentary as well. Isn't that great? Tony will come to the Netherlands for a press meeting and for a presentation to Christians who are working in prison ministry. Please let me know if you want to have more information about this!

From Wednesday night until Friday afternoon I have attended the Marketsquare Europe convention - a gathering with representatives from the Christian book trade. I had many interesting meetings with publishing partners from all over Europe and I even did a presentation about the Future of Christian Publishing in Europe (a Word doc and PowerPoint presentation are available if you want to know more about this - just drop me a line!).

Today I visited a Christian book shop in Haarlem - where they had decorated the shop window with my latest book VORM MIJ (= 'Shape Me' - posters, cards and other material about the Potter and the clay...). A CD with beautiful Dutch songs about this same potter & clay theme will be available soon. I've heard the songs already and the CD will really be great! The Lord is doing some incredible things in my life right now - it's just too much to write about on this blog, but if you really want to know more: feel free to ask by leaving a comment or sending an email message. Blessings from the Netherlands!

Bijbel-in Haarlem - VORM MIJ shop window!

Gritty, deliberate obedience

"Hearing the testimonies from the Persecuted Church we are confronted countless times with the challenge that the Gospel is worth living for. Once you find something like that it changes the way you live. This is it, the gauntlet is laid down. Dare we pick it up? Dare we surrender our lives into the hands of God that something of eternal significance can be worked through us?"

"The Persecuted Church isn't all excitement and emotion; it isn't the romance that we often believe - reciting the Bible cover to cover from memory and sea-parting faith. It's gritty, deliberate obedience, choosing God's will even if it costs them their status, credibility, job, family, freedom. life."

"Where did they learn this lesson from; this counter-culture learning? From Jesus Himself who did only what the Father showed Him and spoke only what the Father told Him (see John 5:19 and 8:28). Nowhere is His obedience to the will of the Father made more evident than when in Gethsemane. He knew what suffering was ahead of Him and He prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. YET NOT AS I WILL, BUT AS YOU WILL.' It was a cold, deliberate choice for Jesus to be obedient. And that's where it starts for us. Choice by choice, foregoing what we want for what the Father wants."

Source: Crossrhythms

Stand for the cause: support the persecuted church!
Please visit Open Doors Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs

Let Him in!

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (Rev. 3:20)

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:14-20)

I'm still here...

Hi... long time no see! Yes, I've been very busy with my publishing work and with some DIY jobs in the house. Just want to let my blog readers know (what's left of them...) that everything is OK and that I pay a bit more attention to my Bible study blog (in Dutch) and to my weekly email prayers called Boosters.
I still feel that it was a good decision to stop posting almost every day on this blog. Blogging can become an addiction! I try to spend less time behind the PC (during my working hours in the office I am also sitting behind a desk, doing some reading, writing, translating and editing), so now I go out walking almost every evening to get some fresh air, physical exercise and - last but not least - some time to think and pray.
If you visit this page, please feel free to drop me a line - I like to stay in touch with people around the world!
Just for fun: watch me on this recent video tape from my friends at Medema publishing house: video (sorry, only in Dutch).
My new book VORM MIJ (= Shape Me) has recently been published. The book is about the biblical image of the Potter and the clay. The book is illustrated with some nice full colour photographs and right now GMI (Gospel Music International) is producing a CD with the same title that will accompany the book. Several well-known Dutch gospel artists will record songs about the Potter and the clay theme for this CD. Isn't that great? I'll keep you posted... This is a PDF with all our new books from Ark Boeken - (a Christian publishing house in Amsterdam where I work as a publisher).

Hi, it's me

Just needed to upload this picture for my profile... Didn't mean to scare you.
Photo copyright: Suzanne Obdam