1 Corinthians 1

⁵ For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— ⁶ God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. ⁷ Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. ⁸ He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
NIV

Ik geloof

Ik geloof dat ik op deze aarde ben
om iets moois, iets goeds
van mijn leven te maken

Ik geloof dat ik de verplichting heb
iets moois van de aarde te maken
speciaal ook voor anderen

Ik geloof, dat ik met volle teugen mag genieten
van alles wat deze aarde te bieden heeft
maar nooit ten koste van een ander

Ik geloof dat ik naar de geest van Christus
moet leven en mijn medemens
de hand moet reiken
door met hem mee te leven
en hem begrip en liefde te tonen

Ik geloof, dat ik door zó te leven
mijn leven zin geef; en dan
is het leven waard geleefd te worden

Amen

"Woorden van geloof, hoop en liefde" uitgegeven door de PKN www.pkn.nl/missionair

The River by Brian Doerksen

To the river I am going
Bringing sins I cannot bear
Come and cleanse me, come forgive me
Lord I need to meet you there

Precious Jesus, I am ready
To surrender every care
Take my hand now, lead me closer
Lord I need to meet you there

In these waters, healing mercy
Flows with freedom from despair
I am going, to that river
Lord I need to meet you there

Precious Jesus, I am ready
To surrender every care
Take my hand now, lead me closer
Lord I need to meet you there

Come and join us, in the river
Come find life beyond compare
He is calling, He is waiting
Jesus longs to meet you there

Precious Jesus, I am ready
To surrender every care
Take my hand now, lead me closer
Lord I need to meet you there

♫ MEDWYN GOODALL - Water Song (Music for Relaxation & Meditation)

Green Grass

Thought for the week….


The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence.
Fences have nothing to do with it.
The grass is greenest where it is watered.
When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.

Robert Fulghum (1937— )

Washing of the water

River, river carry me on
Living river carry me on
River, river carry me on
To the place where I come from

So deep, so wide, will you take me on your back for a ride
If I should fall, would you swallow me deep inside

River, show me how to float
I feel like I'm sinking down
Thought that I could get along
But here in this water
My feet won't touch the ground
I need something to turn myself around

Going away, away towards the sea
River deep, can you lift up and carry me
Oh roll on though the heartland
'Til the sun has left the sky
River, river carry me high
'Til the washing of the water make it all alright
Let your waters reach me like she reached me tonight

Letting go, it's so hard
The way it's hurting now
To get this love untied
So tough to stay with this thing
'Cause if I follow through
I face what I denied
I get those hooks out of me
And I take out the hooks that I sunk deep in your side
Kill that fear of emptiness, loneliness I hide

River, oh river, river running deep
Bring me something that will let me get to sleep
In the washing of the water will you take it all away
Bring me something to take this pain away


Peter Gabriel: Washing of the water
More lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/peter+gabriel/#share

Boats

Heard recently:

Remember that the ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was built by professionals ...

Work and play

Here are some notes from a recent sermon in our Open Church service about work:

1) Work is not pointless. It is intended to produce food, store food or produce the resources to buy food. Proverbs 6 says:

"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest."

Just because we are Christians, does not mean that we have an excuse not to engage in daily work; we should not consider ourselves to be too holy for work. 2 Thessalonians 3 says:

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

2) Our work should be done as if we are doing it for the Lord and not for the praise of men. Ephesians 6 makes this clear. Daily work can be seen as a 'calling' and as such is important.

3) We are more than our daily work. There is also more to life than work. The Sabbath (which means 'stop') makes the point that sometimes things are finished, enough, sufficient. In Genesis 2 on the seventh day, God created the opportunity to step back and review His work and see that it was good. In a balanced life, we will have time and energy over outside of our work to evaluate, consider, think, re-charge. Psalm 127 says that the Lord grants sleep to those he loves; sleep is a gift of love.

4) Ecclesiasts 10 points out that fools are often put in positions of power. It is important to realise this so that when stupid decisions are made, they do not break you. If you become your work then losing your job or changes in your workplace will be able to powerfully affect you, your self-image and your self-confidence.

5) We can entrust our work and the situations in our workplace to the Lord. Psalm 127 tells that that our work is in vain unless the Lord is in it. Psalm 27 says that the Lord is our strength and that He helps us as we trust in Him:

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."

Het Water

Ik staar over het water

Dat net als ik

Ooit in beweging was

Peilloos diep en dreigend zwart

Net als wat ik in je ogen las

Stekeblind, oostindisch doof

Wil ik voor altijd zijn

Om maar niet te zien of kunnen horen

Dat alles is verloren

Zonder jou kan ik niet

Eten, slapen, lopen, dansen, leven

En dus blijf ik hier nu zitten
En blijf ik hier nu wachten
Tot het water ooit weer in beweging komt
En dan drijf ik mee
Tot aan de zee
Waar jij
Op mij zal wachten

De lucht is licht
En eindeloos

En zo ver boven mij

Onaantastbaar en toch

Zo dichtbij

Net als jij

Het staat in de lucht geschreven

Maar op m'n lippen blijft het kleven

Zonder jou kan ik niet

Eten, slapen, lopen, dansen, leven

Dus blijf ik hier nu zitten

En blijf ik hier nu wachten

Tot het water ooit weer in beweging komt

En dan drijf ik mee

Tot aan de zee

Waar jij

Op mij zal wachten

Ik staar over het water
Dat net als ik
Ooit in beweging was

Marco Borsato: Het Water

Links

Meetings between people are like links in this pattern. Any meeting not only impacts on me but also on the people linked to me.

"The greatest work of God today is not what happens in people but what happens between people."