Road trip to Turre

Last week, I went on a quick 4-day road trip to the south of Spain and back to Germany again. A friend of mine (Jesús) was moving down to the town of Turre in Almería with his wife (Damaris). He asked me if I could help him drive down with him in another van to move their stuff down and I was ready for the adventure. It just so happened that another friend of mine from Holland (Osmir) was on holiday in Germany at the time and he was happy to join us. We picked up the van on Tuesday after work. I think it was the first time for me to drive a Mercedes Benz and it was certainly the biggest vehicle I've ever driven! The journey started Tuesday late afternoon when we drove 1 1/2 hours to Biedenkopf to load the van and 1 1/2 hours back home again the same evening. On Wednesday, we drove all the way to Barcelona (over 12 hours). And on Thusday we went on to our destination Turre (about 7 hours), where we unloaded the van again and then went out for Tapas and pizza in the evening and walked to the beach before going back to the house to go to bed. On Friday, Osmir and I woke up early and were on the road before 6am, arriving in Elche by 8am, where we had breakfast with Pedro and Tila Victoria who are very good friends of my family. Then we went on to Barcelona where we were able to see a bit of the city and enjoy the nice weather. We got up at 6am on Saturday and made our way home to Germany, stopping for lunch in Lyon where we met up with Franca and Edafe who had married only a few weeks ago. (Franca was a member of our Spanish-Italian church in Darmstadt until she moved to Lyon.) And then we went on the last leg of our road trip, arriving in Weiterstadt before 10pm. What a trip! Lots of driving but it was fun and great to spend some time with friends I hadn't seen in a long time. Praise God for His hand of protection over us and helping me to stay awake and alert while driving! It didn't feel too tiring throughout the trip but once I got home, I was ready for my bed and a loooooong sleep! Below are some pictures from my trip...


The van!


On the road


Destination: Turre


Jesús' and Damaris' new home


The church in Turre


With Osmir in Barcelona


The Pyrenees


Franca and Edafe in Lyon


A weird photo taken on the road just before getting home at night


Receipts for petrol and road charges (one way)

Quest for Joy

Are you looking for true happiness? Do you know where to find it? I have found Jesus' words to be true when He said: "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:11) There is no greater and more enduring joy than the joy that is found in Him. I recently translated the following message by John Piper into German. (Click here to see my German translation.) Please take some time to read the following and consider where you stand before God. God loves you and can give you a whole new life, full of deep and lasting joy.

Quest for Joy
Six Biblical Truths
By John Piper January 1, 1995

Did you know that God commands us to be glad?

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

1) God created us for his glory

"Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth,... whom I created for my glory" (Isaiah 43:6-7)

God made us to magnify his greatness - the way telescopes magnify stars. He created us to put his goodness and truth and beauty and wisdom and justice on display. The greatest display of God's glory comes from deep delight in all that he is. This means that God gets the praise and we get the pleasure. God created us so that he is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

2) Every human should live for God's glory

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

If God made us for his glory, it is clear that we should live for his glory. Our duty comes from his design. So our first obligation is to show God's value by being satisfied with all that he is for us. This is the essence of loving God (Matthew 22:37) and trusting him (1 John 5:3-4) and being thankful to him (Psalm 100:2-4) It is the root of all true obedience, especially loving others (Colossians 1:4-5).

3) All of us have failed to glorify God as we should

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

What does it mean to "fall short of the glory of God?" It means that none of us has trusted and treasured God the way we should. We have not been satisfied with his greatness and walked in his ways. We have sought our satisfaction in other things, and treated them as more valuable than God, which is the essence of idolatry (Romans 1:21-23). Since sin came into the world we have all been deeply resistant to having God as our all-satisfying treasure (Ephesians 2:3). This is an appalling offense to the greatness of God (Jeremiah 2:12-13).

4) All of us are subject to God's just condemnation

"The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23).

We have all belittled the glory of God. How? By preferring other things above him. By our ingratitude, distrust and disobedience. So God is just in shutting us out from the enjoyment of his glory forever. "They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

The word "hell" is used in the New Testament twelve times - eleven times by Jesus himself. It is not a myth created by dismal and angry preachers. It is a solemn warning from the Son of God who died to deliver sinners from its curse. We ignore it at great risk.

If the Bible stopped here in its analysis of the human condition, we would be doomed to a hopeless future. However, this is not where it stops...

5) God sent his only son Jesus to provide eternal life and joy

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:15)

The good news is that Christ died for sinners like us. And he rose physically from the dead to validate the saving power of his death and to open the gates of eternal life and joy (1 Corinthians 15:20). This means God can acquit guilty sinners and still be just (Romans 3:25-26). "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). Coming home to God is where all deep and lasting satisfaction is found.

6) The benefits purchased by the death of Christ belong to those who repent and trust him

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out" (Acts 3:19).
"Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

"Repent" means to turn from all the deceitful promises of sin. "Faith" means being satisfied with all that God promises to be for us in Jesus. "He who believes in me," Jesus says, "shall never thirst" (John 6:35). We do not earn our salvation. We cannot merit it (Romans 4:4-5). It is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a free gift (Romans 3:24). We will have it if we cherish it above all things (Matthew 13:44). When we do that, God's aim in creation is accomplished: He is glorified in us and we are satisfied in him - forever.

Does this make sense to you?

Do you desire the kind of gladness that comes from being satisfied with all that God is for you in Jesus? If so, then God is at work in your life.

What should you do?

Turn from the deceitful promises of sin. Call upon Jesus to save you from the guilt and punishment and bondage. "All who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). Start banking your hope on all that God is for you in Jesus. Break the power of sin's promises by faith in the superior satisfaction of God's promises. Begin reading the Bible to find his precious and very great promises, which can set you free (2 Peter 1:3-4). Find a Bible-believing church and begin to worship and grow together with other people who treasure Christ above all things (Philippians 3:7).
The best news in the world is that there is no necessary conflict between our happiness and God's holiness. Being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus magnifies him as a great Treasure.

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11)

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Click here to listen to an excellent sermon by John Piper on this subject.

A new year - a new life?

It's 2008! Happy new year!

In thinking about what I could write about at the start of this new year, my thoughts were directed to this year's Bible verse from the Moravian Church. Way back in 1731, Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf started the tradition of choosing a Bible verse by lot for every day of the year and printing them in a book called "Losungen" in German ("Daily Watchwords" in English). This tradition has continued until the present day and now published in some 50 languages with a circulation of over 1.5 million, thus making them the oldest and most widely read devotional work in the world (see Wikipedia article).

The Bible verse for the year 2008 is from John 14:19, where Jesus says:

Because I live, ye shall live also.

What a wonderful message for the new year! Jesus lives and He is the reason that we, too, can live. And Jesus wants to give us life. Not only the physical life He has already given us, but true life: life with meaning, life with purpose.

A few chapters earlier, in John 10:10, Jesus says:

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

And not only that, but also eternal life:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)

How can this be? Simply because Jesus Christ Himself is "the life" (John 11:25 & 14:6). If we live with Him, we can have a completely new life. This was also the experience of the apostle Paul, who said:

I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Jesus is life! Will you take Him at His word and trust Him? If you do, I guarantee you that this will be your happiest year ever! Live life! And have a very happy 2008!

And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
(John 17:3)

And we know that the Son of God is come,
and hath given us an understanding,
that we may know him that is true,
and we are in him that is true,
even in his Son Jesus Christ.
This is the true God, and eternal life.
(1 John 5:20)

The true meaning of Christmas

In this age of commercialism, it is easy to miss the true meaning of Christmas. It comes down to a simple truth that brought hope to all people in this world. In this short clip, Linus explains to Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about...

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:8-14)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

In the footsteps of Jan Hus in Prague

This past week, I had the chance of attending a seminar on the functioning of the European System of Central Banks, which was held in Prague. It was my first visit to the city and I really enjoyed seeing all the old historical buildings there.

Prague is also the city of Jan Hus (aka "John Huss"), one of the early leaders of the Reformation, a man I had heard a bit about but did not really know too much about. So I was interested in learning more about him during my time in Prague.

Jan Hus was born in 1369 and became a Catholic priest and then also a professor at the University of Prague. He was so prominent that he even became the head of the whole university. However, Hus went against the religious establishment of his day by seeking to preach the Word of God in the Czech language and not in Latin as the Roman Catholic Church prescribed. Hus was appointed preacher at Bethlehem Chapel in Prague (see photo above), where he was able to preach God's Word in the heart language of the Czech people.

For him, the Word of God was the ultimate authority in life, not the teachings and traditions of the Church. Thus, he spoke out against the Church's practice of selling indulgences which supposedly granted forgiveness of sins. It was these beliefs that earned him persecution from the Chruch. Jan Hus was excommunicated by the pope, tried as a heretic and, since he refused to recant his beliefs, sentenced to death. On 6 July 1415, he was burned at the stake in Constance, Germany. Hus prayed that God would forgive his enemies and died while singing a hymn to God.

(Photos from the Jan Hus exhibition in Bethlehem chapel)

Although most Czech people today are Catholic or non-religious, Jan Hus remains their national hero and his death is honoured with a public holiday on 6 July, aka "Jan Hus Day".

Jan Hus memorial in Prague city centre

If you're interested in learning more about Jan Hus, have a look at the following websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Hus
http://www.johnhuss.org/
http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/john-huss-faq.htm

Better than football

What's better than being the best football player in the world?

According to Brasil and AC Milan star Kaká, the highest calling in this world is to preach the Word of God. As I read today, this is what he himself wants to do when he retires from football (click here to see the article I read on the website of the International Herald Tribune).

Kaká is certainly one of the best football players of today and may well be named both the best player in Europe and the best player in the world in the next few weeks.

Now I am a Liverpool supporter and was 100% behind Liverpool when they played AC Milan in this year's Champions League final. Unfortunately, Liverpool couldn't repeat their success of 2005 and lost 1-2. But it was great to see what happened after the final whistle. While all other Milan players started celebrating like crazy, Kaká pulled off his jersey to reveal a shirt that said "I belong to Jesus" and he fell on his knees and gave thanks to God.

Bill Shankly, one of Liverpool's greatest managers is reported to have said: "Football isn't a matter of life and death - it's much more important than that." With all due respect for Shanks - that's just pure nonsense.

I join Kaká in saying: "Football is great, but Jesus is so much better!" Football can never give me anything of any eternal value. Only Jesus can give eternal life and only Jesus can give meaning and fulfilment in this life. Jesus said: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

I wish Kaká all the best for his future footballing career, hope he will play for Liverpool some day, and pray that God will use him as a servant of Christ in football and after football.

Christians and Halloween

I've always wondered why any Christian would want to celebrate Halloween. And yet there are many Christians who do. But being a Christian means being rescued from the powers of darkness and living in fellowship with Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13). So how should Christians respond to Halloween? The following is an excerpt from an article by John MacArthur that addresses this issue.

The Christian Response to Halloween

Today Halloween is almost exclusively an American secular holiday, but many who celebrate have no concept of its religious origins or pagan heritage. That's not to say Halloween has become more wholesome. Children dress up in entertaining costumes, wander the neighborhood in search of candy, and tell each other scary ghost stories; but adults often engage in shameful acts of drunkenness and debauchery.

So, how should Christians respond?

First, Christians should not respond to Halloween like superstitious pagans. Pagans are superstitious; Christians are enlightened by the truth of God's Word. Evil spirits are no more active and sinister on Halloween than they are on any other day of the year; in fact, any day is a good day for Satan to prowl about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). But "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). God has forever "disarmed principalities and powers" through the cross Christ and "made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them through [Christ]" (Colossians 2:15).

Second, Christians should respond to Halloween with cautionary wisdom. Some people fear the activity of Satanists or pagan witches, but the actual incidents of satanic-associated crime are very low. The real threat on Halloween is from the social problems that attend sinful behavior--drunk driving, pranksters and vandals, and unsupervised children.

Like any other day of the year, Christians should exercise caution as wise stewards of their possessions and protectors of their families. Christian young people should stay away from secular Halloween parties since those are breeding grounds for trouble. Christian parents can protect their children by keeping them well-supervised and restricting treat consumption to those goodies received from trusted sources.

Third, Christians should respond to Halloween with gospel compassion. The unbelieving, Christ-rejecting world lives in perpetual fear of death. It isn't just the experience of death, but rather what the Bible calls "a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume [God's] adversaries" (Hebrews 10:27). Witches, ghosts, and evil spirits are not terrifying; God's wrath unleashed on the unforgiven sinner--now that is truly terrifying.

Christians should use Halloween and all that it brings to the imagination--death imagery, superstition, expressions of debauched revelry--as an opportunity to engage the unbelieving world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has given everyone a conscience that responds to His truth (Romans 2:14-16), and the conscience is the Christian's ally in the evangelistic enterprise. Christians should take time to inform the consciences of friends and family with biblical truth regarding God, the Bible, sin, Christ, future judgment, and the hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ for the repentant sinner.

Copyright 2007, Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

The full version of this article originally appeared here at Grace to You.