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A Goal to Remember

I love sports. But to be honest, there are only a handful of sporting "moments" in my lifetime that I will never forget - most of which have come from my beloved Kentucky Wildcats basketball team (Tony Delk's 4-point play in the 1996 championship game, and Cameron Mills's 3-pointer against Duke in the 1998 regional final are two biggies).

However, I added a moment to my list yesterday.

I understand if you don't enjoy soccer (or, football, to the rest of the world). As a teenager I despised the sport. Why? I can't really remember. Thankfully though, through the guidance of some dear friends in my early 20's - namely DJ Bass, Brian Phillips & Jamie Luttrell - I grew to love the "beautiful game".  For the past 5-6 years I have counted soccer second only to basketball.

Whether or not you follow the game, you've gotta love how yesterday's World Cup match between the United States and Algeria played out. It was a do or die match. Win, continue competing in the biggest sporting event in the world. Lose (or draw), go home.

Not only that, but there are multiple story lines that built into the drama of this match: USA's lack of success in the World Cup; the seeming irrelevance of the sport in America; Landon Donovan's journey; Bob Bradley's journey; the stolen goal against Slovenia; etc.  Any one of those story lines would have given this game weight worth watching.

But in the end, it was all about the goal. 

After 91 minutes of excruciating missed opportunity after missed opportunity after another stolen goal from the ref, the story-book ending actually happened.  And this is how it played out:



The goal certainly didn't win the World Cup - the US is likely a long way from even coming close to that sort of accomplishment - but with everything riding on this match, it felt pretty darn close.

I don't think I'll ever forget the scene that erupted in Eric & Julia Pickerill's apartment when the ball went into the net (and after a few moments of making sure the refs didn't call this one back, too).  Shouting, jumping, high-fiving, hugging jubilation.

When I asked Grayson later if he remembered watching the goal and what he thought about it, he said, "you scared me."  But then after a moment, he raised both hands in the air and said, "GOAL!"

Pure excitement.

Some Dutch World Cup commercials, for your viewing pleasure

The first two commercials speak for themselves, how could you not love Oranje?:



This next one shows the history of the "Pletterpet", a Dutch noise-making hat. All the grocery stores here are loaded with these things:

And a Dutch fan gets revenge on some German bullies, with the use of his new-fangled shirt that he got from the energy company NUON:

This last video isn't a commercial, but I had to include it; it's just a fan showing off his shirt that was featured in the previous video. Quite odd...and yet mesmerizing.


Don't forget to watch England v USA today!

The Entire World is Waiting...

Italy: World Cup 2006 Champions

Tomorrow begins the biggest sports event of the year: World Cup 2010.  I can't wait.  In anticipation, here are a few links to get you ready:

• Tim Howard, one of my favorite players and no.1 keeper for the US, is featured on Fifa.com

• Five questions about the US team that will be answered in the coming weeks

• Dutch midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart thinks that Holland has as good a chance as anyone to win the cup

• "The Evolution of the World Cup Ball" - pictures of the official voetballen (aka soccer balls) for each of the 19 WC's

And of course - though not World Cup related - the Dutch election results. Due to the political system here in the Netherlands, a coalition of parties must be created in order to form a government. The goal is to form a coalition that achieves of a majority of seats in the "Tweede Kamer" (i.e. House of Representatives). But that process can potentially take weeks to finalize, as the parties involved have to position and re-position themselves in order to make it work. That is, by the way, why the government collapsed in February: two of the three parties in the coalition decided that they could no longer work together. So, the coalition folded and the Prime Minister handed in his resignation to the Queen...which spurred on this whole election thing to begin with.

Hup Holland, Hup!

It's voting time...for the Dutch

Just after the United States presidential election in 2008, I wrote a post about some of the basic differences between the American & Dutch political systems. Today being the big election day here in the Netherlands (because, if you didn't hear, the government collapsed in February), I thought it would be good to dig up that archive.

Also, take some time to read the blog "Clogs and Tulips: An American in Holland", which has two great posts about the elections called Dutch Elections 2010 and Dutch Government for Dummies. Good stuff!

Links of the Day and a Picture from the Archives

Here are a couple things that I read today:

The Economist talks about the Dutch elections which take place tomorrow, and how the recent economic crisis will likely effect things.
The New York Times wonders if the U.S. is becoming a football (i.e. soccer) country, leading up to the World Cup.  It better be, 'cause I'm gonna be in Ohio for the knock-out round!

If you get a few minutes, take a read and tell me what you think. And please pass along anything of interest that you've been reading.

And, for the "awwwww" factor, a picture from the archives. This is Grayson playing in the "hiding place" where the ten Boom family hid some of their Jewish friends during WWII. It was a pretty incredible moment:

Taking the Plunge: Why Baptism isn't Arbitrary

Baptism is weird.  As a follower of Jesus, it is one of those things we do about which I sometimes ask myself, “hold on a second, why are we doing this again?  What does this have to do with my faith?”  It can just seem like such an arbitrary act.

Not only can it seem arbitrary, but it is also unbelievably divisive among Christians.  Infant baptism?  Adult baptism?  Dunking?  Pouring?  Sprinkling?  For ‘salvation’? For church ‘membership’?  In other words, there are both theological and practical interpretations of baptism that slice through the church in a hundred (a thousand?) different ways.

And yet, and yet, there is also an indescribable beauty that seems to enter the world the moment someone gets baptized.  I’ve noticed this for years, watching friends, family and perfect strangers get drenched to the bone in the waters of baptism—almost every time I have to choke back tears. 

Maybe it’s a silly comparison, but it reminds me of watching a cheesy movie, when the filmmaker orchestrates all of the cinematic elements perfectly to jerk out your tears...the music swells, the camera pans on a little orphan running into the arms of his long-lost mother, or two lovers separated by war finally reunite and share a kiss, or the Death Star explodes (that one gets me every time).

Why is that?  What is it that makes baptism a powerful experience?  Well, like those tear-jerking movies, baptism is actually telling a story.  What is so great and mind-boggling about this story is that on one hand it is so personal, so intimate, and on the other, completely cosmic and universal. 

Through the entirety of Christian scriptures, water—whether symbolically or literally—plays a central role.  On the very first page of the Bible, God hovers over the “waters”, preparing to create reality as we know it.  “Creation”, in other words, is “baptized” as God separates out the water from the dry land.  Later on, the people of Israel are “baptized” as they escape from Egypt through a separated Red Sea, and then again they cross through the Jordan River—both incredibly significant moments in Hebrew history which are told and retold to remember that God brings freedom, new life, and hope.

It is in this context that baptism as we know it began.  As a Jewish rite of purification, it was used by some—like the famous John the Baptist—to act out a return to God, as if to say, “we used to be a part of your great story, God, but haven’t really been acting that way lately…so we’re re-committing ourselves.”  Jesus himself even got baptized in this way.

But then, as with pretty much everything else, Jesus added new meaning.  In Luke 12:50, he refers to his impending crucifixion and death as a “baptism.”  Why?  He is re-centering the whole story of Israel through himself.  He is saying that he will die, but on the other side of his death is freedom, new life, and hope (just like those other significant events in Israel’s history). 

Baptism is what we are given, as followers of Jesus, as a way of saying “YES!” to the life of Jesus.   It’s like the ring on the finger in marriage—the culmination (and yet, at same time, the beginning) of a love story.  As the apostle Paul says, ^“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)

So baptism isn’t merely a symbol of what has already taken place, it is also a very real entrance into a new community, a new life.

Bible scholar N.T. Wright puts it this way:

The point is that the story which baptism tells is God’s own story, from creation and covenant to new covenant and new creation, with Jesus in the middle of it and the Spirit brooding over it.  In baptism, you are brought into that story, to be an actor in the play which God is writing and producing.  And once you’re onstage, you’re a part of the action.  You can get the lines wrong.  You can do your best to spoil the play.  But the story is moving forward, and it would be far better to understand where it’s going and how to learn your lines and join in the drama.  Through the water to become part of God’s purpose for the world. (Simply Christian p.215)

As it turns out, baptism may still be weird (and stir up controversy), but it isn’t arbitrary.  It is the act of stepping into and participating in God’s story here and now.

(Most of the ideas on this post were taking from the book Simply Christian, quoted above.  Check it out at amazon.com)

Why Church?

Here is a recent post that I wrote for our church's blog:

Not Vineyard Amsterdam (yet!)

“The church is a whore, but she is my mother.”  What?  I couldn’t think of a more harsh or awkward way to describe the church.  But apparently, a North African berber from the 5^th century thought that it was an accurate and appropriate description.  His name was Augustine, and he said a lot that has influenced Christians this past 1600 years.

I think that it is worth taking some time to analyze his quote – maybe it will help explain why we think having this church called Vineyard Amsterdam is a good idea.

When referring to a woman, there probably could not be two more extreme words to describe her than “whore” and “mother.”  The former connotes unfaithfulness, betrayal and disloyalty in the most carnal ways possible.  The latter:  belonging, nuture, love and comfort.

So why would Augustine go so far as to call the church a whore?  He may have had his own reasons; I can think of mine: the crusades, the inquisition, fundamentalist extremism, hypocracy,  and strange political agendas are a few off the top of my head.  All of these represent to me what I would consider unfaithfullness to God.  Not only unfaithfulness, but unfaithfulness in the worst possible way: that which represents him for what he is not.

But it is easy to brush off all of the wrong-doings of the church as merely historical or as an accusation reserved for extremists.  The reality is that the church is a “whore” because it is made up of people.  More accurately, it is made up of people like me.  I myself have played a part in mis-representing God to the world.  Whenever I chose to act out of hate and not love; whenever I turn a blind eye to injustice; whenever I rejoice in another’s misfortune; whenever I am a hypocrite (and I am a lot!), then I am unfaithful to the God of the Christian scriptures.

What should we do, then?  Disregard or even discard the church?  Become cynical at all the ways that we’ve personally seen the church fail?  Augustine’s answer is a resounding “no”.  She is my mother, he says.

When the church is faithful to God, when the church is actually a “mother”, then we can see some amazing things happen:

First, community happens.  The church isn’t a building, but a people.  One of the great tragedies of the western post-modern world is that many people live utterly isolated lives.  Loneliness is an epidemic in the West.  But God, through the church, offers an alternative.  He offers a family, a party, a feast to be a part of.  One thing is so unique about the church is that it is not merely made up of like-minded people.  Communities can form easily and quickly around common interests.  But the church is the “single great river formed from tens of thousands of scattered tributaries,” as someone once said.  It’s a single family formed by innumerable cultures, nationalites and backgrounds, united together through shared faith.  There could be no better place on the planet to experience this than Amsterdam – the most diverse city in the world.

Second, we fall in love with the world.  The church was never intended to be isolated from the rest of the world; it was also never inteded to be a factory of hate.  Rather, we read in the Christian scriptures that God chose the church to bless the rest of the world.  The church exists to love people; to provide help and support in difficult situations and to party together when there is something to celebrate; to offer justice to those who exist on the margins of society.  Ultimately, we hope to proclaim that God loves the world and wants to make everything new and right through Jesus.

Finally, we encounter a living God.  In a city like Amsterdam, where there is such an emerging spirituality and questioning of deeper reality, the Christian story needs to be told again.  It is the story of a God who is not only spiritual and powerful, but also personal and compassionate.  It is the story of a God who desires to give you purpose and hope.  It is in the church, where that story is told and retold again – through song, symbolism, scripture, and even through the everyday living of life – that you can find your place in the whole thing.  In the midst of hearing the story and taking part in it, we encounter and interract with God.

I think Augustine got it right all those years ago: the church is a mother.  Motherhood is a beautiful picture of self-sacrifice.  In the same way the church doesn’t exist for itself, but for others.  She draws us into family, teaches love and compassion, and points us to our ultimate purpose.  That is why Vineyard Amsterdam exists.  We hope to be one of many different wonderful expressions of church here in this amazing city.

Koninginnedag

We had our second Koninginnedag here in Holland yesterday. (a.k.a. "Queen's day" - the Queen's birthday celebration, for you Americans reading) We went out early and biked over to Vondelpark where kids from all over the city come to sell their stuff and perform all their amazing talents. We saw so many amazing things! One girl who was about 7 was playing a beautiful song on classical guitar. Other kids were dancing, playing violin, drums...one kid even dragged his huge keyboard into the park and was playing it! Kids came up with incredibly creative games and other entrepreneurial ideas like selling food and drawing people's portraits! I loved the creative vibe the kids had. Lucas and Connor were selling too. Mostly, they were trading junk with their friends. In the end, I think everyone brings all their junk out and switches it with everyone else, so you just go home with different junk. Check out the orange hair!

We walked around the park with some new friends, Karim and Annemarie. Annemarie is Dutch and grew up in Amsterdam, so we learned a lot about the day & celebration from her. Then we spent the evening with dear friends from home who are visiting Amsterdam. I even scored some free clothes at the end of the day - it was a dumpster diver's heaven here as people abandoned their stuff that they couldn't sell. We rode home through slight chaos and managed to avoid crashing.

Most of the day was just a sweet time with friends experiencing the city at its best (and its worst). The only way to describe koninginnedag is a city-wide non-stop party that lasts about 36 hours straight. A lot of fun, but also a lot of the 'junk' that goes along with a party/rave/mardis gras type atmosphere. I am grateful to be living here but I am reminded again of why we came. I found myself thinking as I was riding home, I think the new earth is gonna be a sweet party. But the joy of that party will only bring life and health and restoration...rather than the trashed city (and people) that remained here last night.

Can't wait for the Kingdom to come!

Spring in Amsterdam

We have now lived in Amsterdam for more than half of a year. The cold dreariness of Winter seems to have faded away, and Spring is in full force. Spring in Amsterdam is BEAUTIFUL. The whole city, not just the budding trees, has come to life. Outdoor cafes, flowers, parks, boats on the canals, tourists...experiencing A'dam this time of year is new and refreshing. Once we started feeling like we knew the place, it has completely changed, and we get to go exploring again.

It makes me think of the kingdom of God, and all of those perplexing parables that Jesus told in explanation of the kingdom. Just when I start to think that I've got it figured out - something new blossoms. His kingdom is always so much bigger, more beautiful and more sustaining than I expect. But it is so easy to get caught in the rut of what I think I know...just like living here in Amsterdam. It is easy to take Grayson to the same park; and not only the same park, but the same corner of the park; and not only the same corner, but the same shady-tree in that corner. After all, it's a nice and comfortable and safe spot. And Grayson loves the playground that is close by. But there is so much more of the park to see! And so many more parks in the city to visit!

But God's kingdom is big, and is always growing. That is our hope, and that is why I am excited to be here. Luke 13:18,19 'Then he (Jesus) said, "How can I picture God's kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use? It's like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard. It grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it."'

The fun of language learning

I've been having lots of fun starting my dutch classes this month. At first, it was overwhelming, all the new words and concepts. But after a few weeks, I am just having fun with it. I wish I could go back to learning like a baby does. I watch Grayson absorbing our words and starting to understand more and more. He can understand most of what we say now, but still struggles to speak. I am in a similar place...althought I don't think I understand as much dutch as Grayson understands english! Well...I am in process right?

I've started to try to use dutch when I shop, buy a train ticket or even ask where the bathroom is. I know that should be standard...but I still feel silly calling it a "WC". A lot of my learning is coming from watching Dora the Explorer in dutch and listening to Grayson's dutch toys talk. Gray just found the on/off button on his car and he is constantly pushing it. It turns off with the phrase, "tot de volgende keer!" which means, "until next time." I use it everywhere now and people think I am a natural. It's amazing what hearing something a million times will do.

The best thing about speaking dutch here is people are so happy if you just try to speak. I asked the guy at our little Natuur Winkel downstairs (kinda like a raisin rack - but not as good) how he was doing in dutch and he lit up like it was Sinterklaas (or Christmas for you Americans). He was so excited that he started speaking dutch so fast, I was totally lost. I didn't have the heart to tell him though, so I just said, "tot de voldende keer!" That was a winner.

I've made lots of mistakes too though. One time, when addressing a friend's mom, I neglected to use the formal form of "you". You are supposed to use the formal version when you address someone you don't know or someone older than you. She was both. But I think I won her back when she confessed how old she was, 85 I think...and I responded immediately with a phrase I'd heard a million times in class, "wat jong!" which means something like, "that's so young!" It fit perfectly.

It's fun faking it, but I am finding it difficult to really be able to communicate with a new language. I feel that I can relate to Grayson's frustration as he grunts and points to something (who knows what) and tries to communicate. I hope that I can move past the grunting and pointing stage soon. As long as I am having fun, I think I can handle the pain.

Tot de volgende keer!

Conference in Germany

This past week, our team had the opportunity to attend a church-planting conference in Germany. We had a such a wonderful time! We rented a 9 person van and drove about 8 hours down through the black forest to the south of Deutschland. John and Eric were champion drivers on the crazy autobahn - the highway in Germany that has no speed limit. Even though we were zooming along, cars would just fly right past us. It was shocking.

We were also surprised to find that what we thought was a conference center (where the conference took place) was actually a huge church! This church - called G5 - was such an inspiration to us. It was not only a church, but a restaurant, a cafe and also a hotel. The restaurant was packed out every night - mostly with people outside the church. We couldn't even eat there because every night, all the tables were reserved! During the day, though, we got to eat at the cafe. The coffee was a work of art...it was simply amazing. One afternoon I met two young German moms who were not from the church, but said that this was the only place they could bring their kids to get a coffee. They had always been curious about the auditorium (in another part of the building, where the church meets on Sundays), so I snuck them into the conference! Before we parted, they shared with me that they were going to visit the church! I was so encouraged to see outreach in action...it was amazing to see that even here in Europe there are churches like VCC that love the cities they are a part of.

The conference itself was a great blessing. It was put on by the Mosaic church in LA pastored by Erwin McManus. Erwin's talks were a confirmation of what God has already been speaking to us, and it was so encouraging to realize that God really is leading us here in Amsterdam. We also got to meet so many church planters from all around Europe. It felt great seeing how many people are out there trying to reach people for Christ. We exchanged ideas, encourgements and prayers. From all the teachings and converations throughout the conference, we felt God really giving us vision for what to do next and also dream about what could be in the future.

Grayson was a champ - we truly felt the grace of God on him. He seemed to enjoy the conference as much as we did; he's our little church-planter! On top of it all, it was so sweet to spend time with our team. We had so much time to talk, reflect, learn and worship together. The conference was near the border of Switzerland, so we went to Basel for a few hours on Saturday morning and just enjoyed the city. We are so grateful to get to do missions with such an incredible group of people that we love and respect. Be praying for us as we share vison with the rest of our team here. Pray that God would catch all of us up in a vision to see His Kingdom come in Amsterdam!

Christmas in Amsterdam

Our first Christmas in Amsterdam was such a beautiful surprise. We threw a little Christmas party in our apartment and invited everyone we've met so far. I didn't think anyone would come! But we had a good crowd of around 35 come by. There were people from all nations here (most of them people John has met in his language class) and lots of our new dutch friends, as well as most of our neighbors. It was so sweet meeting neighbors and seeing everyone connect.

We experienced so much love from our church in the states. We received 4 huge packages, all our christmas ornaments from home (some friends here for a wedding brought them along) and a pile of christmas cards from Joshua House. It has felt so amazing to know that people from home are thinking of us and praying for us. We also experienced so much love here. On Christmas Eve, some of our new dutch friends had us over for a candlelight dinner. We were blown away by their hospitality. We felt like we were family. I am reminded of a passage that I read a couple nights ago in one of Paul's letters: "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." That captures the welcome we've felt this Christmas.

We were also able to "Skype" often with our family in the states - we even got to watch some of our family open presents! That certainly took the edge off of not being with them this season. But even beyond that, my sister Emilee came to stay with us for a week. It helped me see the city anew taking her around and showing her this place that is starting to really feel like home. We have so much to be thankful for.

All in all, Christmas in Amsterdam has been a joy. Yes, we dearly miss family and friends, but at every turn we have felt the presence of God with us. There is something about being stripped away from all of your comforts and traditions that forces you to go to the meaning of Christmas: the coming of God into the world - the beginning of all our hopes and dreams come true.

Sinterklaas.

Amanda's Sinterklaas gift was inside this homemade treasure chest; it is now Grayson's favorite toy
Well, our first "Sinterklaas" has come and gone. Here in Holland they have a separate holiday apart from Christmas to celebrate St. Nicholas - the 4th century Turkish bishop known for his kindness to children & the poor. Today was his birthday, and it is the big gift-giving festival here, with a lot of unique and fun traditions. Amanda and I were fortunate enough to celebrate Sinterklaas with some Dutch friends, who taught us the traditions.

Many Dutch folks will celebrate on the evening of the 5th, the day before Sinterklaas's birthday. You get together with family or close friends, eat pea soup & peppernoten, sing songs, and of course exchange gifts. The gift giving is fun - but there are rules:

• You exchange names, so you're only responsible for one person. That way you can really spend a lot of time and creativity on the gift.
  
• You wrap the gift in a unique or silly or over-the-top kind of way, typically either reflecting the person's personality or going along with the them of the gift inside.
  
• Then you write a poem for the person - it is supposed to make fun of the person (in a kind way, of course!), while at the same time giving hints as to what the gift is.
• Then going in turn, each person first reads out loud the poem written for them, then opens their gift.
• You're not allowed to tell anyone who you had - sortof like "secret santa" - even after the person opens the gift!

The entire process is so much fun. And we had a blast last night, giving and receiving gifts, laughing at the poems (and in my case, people laughing at me as I had to read mine in Dutch!), and always saying, "Dankje, Sinterklaas" after each present. I think that everyone should implement part or all of the Sinterklaas tradition into their Christmas gift-giving!

All of that though - the wrapping, the writing of poems, etc. - is mostly for adults. The kids get to celebrate in another way. On the evening of the 5th, they put their shoes out (nowdays by the radiator) with treats for Sinterklaas's horse stuffed inside. Come the morning of the 6th, their shoes will be filled with cookies/candies/gifts...sortof like our stocking tradition. So for kids in Holland, it is the morning of the 6th, not the morning of the 25th, that is exciting. They wake up early and run to find what Sint has left for them.

We couldn't resist - even though Grayson is way too young to remember, understand, or even care, we set out one of his little shoes. So this morning he had his favorite teething-cookie and a little present from Sinterklaas waiting for him underneath the radiator. He got his first train set; Great-grandpa Gemeinhart will be happy. He hasn't quite figured out that the trains are meant to ride on the tracks, or for that matter that the tracks aren't merely handy teething toys.



So now we are officially Sinterklaas veterans. I feel more dutch having experienced it.

If you're interested in the evolution from the Dutch Sinterklaas to the American Santa Clause, or even just the Sinterklaas tradition in general, go here or here.

Tot ziens!
John

Biggabeckuhbemma

Some notes from the low countries:

• Grayson's new favorite word is "biggabeckuhbemma." Last week it was "buh." He's advancing fast - he's already learned the Dutch art of compounding smaller words into endlessly long ones. Here are some great examples.
• Amanda took Grayson to the pool today for his first swimming lesson! They had a great time, and he even successfully went all the way under the water.
  
• My brain is fried from trying to learn almost 200 Dutch words a week. Two weeks down, five years to go.
• Check out Brooke's blog post, "re-creating a holiday in holland" for an account of our Thanksgiving here in Amsterdam.
  
• Sinterklaas is this weekend, and the whole city is going crazy for it. The "Sint" and two zwarte Pieten even came into our class today, handing out peppernoten. Yum!
  
• Eric preached at the Utrecht Vineyard this past weekend, and just hit the ball out of the park! I'm so glad to be a part of this team...
• Yesterday was the first Sunday in Advent - the anticipation and hope of the coming of Jesus into the world. Here is the prayer for the day (slightly revised by me), from the Common Book of Prayer:

Almighty God, give us grase that we may cast away the works of darkness and put upon us the armor of light - now in the time of this mortal life, in which your son Jesus the Messiah came to visit us in great humility - that in the last day, when he shall come again in glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to immortal life. Through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

The Reason...

So today I (Amanda) was contemplating the question we get a million times here. “Why are you here?” It’s a simple question that can be answered in so many ways…but today I was thinking about a reason I haven’t really gone into.My favorite lake - minus the snow I remembered that day in the snow by a lake at one of my favorite places in the world where I decided I wanted to get to know this person Jesus. It seemed like a harmless experiment at the time. I picked up a bible at the nearest Christian bookstore when I got home and started reading about the life of this person Jesus. I wasn’t prepared for what would happen after that. I met him…

I felt like I had finally come home after a long long time in a foreign country. I felt like I was finally myself. I felt hope that things were going to be made right…that Evil would not have the final say. I felt passion like I never had before. I felt that I found what I had always been looking for…even though I didn’t know I was lacking anything. I remembered the first time that I felt the thrill of emotions well up in my heart that I didn’t know I could feel. I remember feeling the shame of who I was when compared with this person I loved…so amazing, so beautiful, kind, full of grace and truth…the embodiment of everything right and good. And I remembered the feelings of shame wash away in His love and how overwhelmed I was as I contemplated the terrible and glorious sacrifice He made…for me…so I could know Him. And I realized today…that was my reason for being here. I have experienced something so amazing – and I cannot keep from connecting Jesus’ people back to Himself.

Paul writes in a letter to the church in Rome, "Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ?" His answer: "I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us."

I pray that we can be instruments of God’s love here. That we can share with people “the incredibly appealing person of Jesus”…that we can help the Church be who she was meant to be. With the grace of this God we follow…I have all the hope in the world.

Moving into Stage Two

Amanda, Grayson and I have been in Amsterdam now for a little over six weeks. While we are certainly still in a bit of a "honeymoon" phase, enjoying all of the little quirks of a different culture and city, the first official stage of our life here is coming to a close.

I would call this first stage, "settling in." Getting settled has involved:

• becoming comfortable moving around the city (bikes, trams, metros, etc.)
• making our apartment a home
• learning how to live every day life, such as buying groceries

Though our learning curve will continue, there is only so long one can spend merely getting settled. It is time to move on to Stage Two.

Let's call stage two, "language learning." Similar to settling in, language learning will be something that takes quite a while - it will actually take our entire time here. But, these next few months will be devoted to spending the vast majority of time to the process of language acquisition.

Here is a brief description of what (we expect) our lives will be like. I will be in class four days a week, for four to five hours a day. Amanda will spend that time with Grayson (as he is doing some language acquisition of his own!), and will potentially be able to develop some friendships that she's made so far. I'm expected to put in as much time studying per week as I am in class, so Amanda and I will do a fair bit of studying together. That way not only will we get to spend time together, but she'll be able to get a head start for when she starts classes next quarter. For the most part, the only other things that we will be able to give our time to is our team, small group, and church.

Please be praying for us, because we're about to enter into a very busy and diffucult time! But we are incredibly grateful, because without the Lord's provision this certainly wouldn't have been possible. About a week ago we thought that we would both have to wait until February to start language school...but here we are.

And God has been so good to have blessed us with an incredible weekend as we are ending Stage One. We got to spend time with our team: eating homemade Chipotle burritos together, talking about church, and laughing a lot.

We also got to visit a great bookstore in town, Amsterdam's version of "Barnes & Noble." Grayson loved the Kinderboeken section. We even bought him his first Dutch book. On the way home from the bookstore, the little guy fell asleep in the bike seat for the first time! In a proud parenting moment, Amanda even got him all the way upstairs and into his crib still sleeping.

But the highlight of the weekend by far was the arrival to the Netherlands of Sinterklaas. Yes, today is the day that the "Sint's" steamboat from Spain docked in Amsterdam. He, along with his helpers, paraded through the streets to much joy of all the children - most of whom were dressed for the occasion. Grayson will never remember this, of course, but we got plenty of pictures to prove to him that he saw Sinterklaas when he was a baby.

All I have to say is, I feel sorry for those of you in America waiting until Thanksgiving day to see Santa ride his over-sized sleigh through the streets of NYC. We've got the real guy here in Amsterdam! And yes, this is a picture that we took of Sinterklaas as he rode by...

Be sure to check out our facebook pages over the next couple days, as we're sure to upload a ton of more pictures from the last week or so. You're not gonna want to miss some of the Grayson pics - way too cute!

UPDATE: For a great description of my first day in language school, along with the very philosophical question, "what would you say," please read Julia's blog entry for the day.

Movie, Map & More

Movie

For those of you who know me and Amanda well, you know that one of our great joys in life is to watch a movie at the cinema. Well, after more than five weeks here in Holland, we were finally able to make it out last Saturday night. Rachel Baransi came over to our flat to watch Grayson as we made it out to see the new James Bond film. Here's a quick recap of our adventure:

• 8pm - Leave Grayson & Rachel; bike to the metro station
• 8:15 - Hop on the metro
• 8:25 - Arrive at our stop & walk to the Pathe' movie theater
• 8:35 - After waiting in line for almost 10 minutes, we find out that the two showings of Bond in our time range are sold out...sort of. Apparently there is an online reservation system, and so all of the seats were accounted for. However, if you reserve a seat online you have to arrive at the theater at least 20 minutes beforehand to buy your ticket - if you don't, the ticket is up for grabs!
• 8:36 - Wander around outside trying to kill time until 8:55 (20 minutes before the showing we wanted)
• 8:45 - Impatient, we get back in line
• 8:55 - Buy two tickets that were left unclaimed!
• 8:56 - Wait in line 20 minutes for popcorn & soda
• 9:16 - One minute late, we enter the theater and find our seats (Row 7, Seats 17 & 18...they are assigned)
• 11:30 - Leave the theater fat and happy, and make the metro/bike ride home.

It's a bit of a different experience than back home. Plus, there are Dutch subtitles during the film. That makes it sort of difficult when the actors on screen speak a language other than English - yet another reason to learn Dutch!

All in all, though, we had a great time, and were so happy to finally get to see a movie. And now that we've had our first movie-going experience, I think the next time will be much smoother.

Map
For some reason, Grayson loves maps. Here's some evidence:
Too stinking cute. If you keep reading, there is a link down below to a video of the little guy crawling around on the map. Why was he crawling on the map? He just loves Amsterdam so much.

More

• Language School Update: I got in to the class this quarter! One spot opened up, and I just got an email today inviting me in. So I start this coming Monday (the 17th). Very exciting, and very scary at the same time. Please be praying that I'd be able to absorb it all quickly. Amanda will be waiting until February to jump in, but I'm sure that she will help me study until then. Julia is still sorting through her options.
  
• The Netherlands football (soccer) team is newly ranked 4th in world! The USA comes in at 24; down a few slots from the last rankings.
• Along with the video referred to above, I have uploaded several more videos (mostly of Grayson) onto youtube. Check them out.
  

Exodus 33:15

As we enter into this new era of American politics, it is clear that hope in some is mingled with anxiety & fear in others. This dividing line is seen almost as starkly in the Church as it is among party lines.

I'd like to share an open letter to President-elect Obama by my pastor back home in Columbus, Rich Nathan (though I know many of you have already read it...likely on Facebook). It is a very gracious letter while at the same time calling President Obama into a Christ-like model of leadership.

His encouragement to the future President, as well as reminder to us who are followers of Jesus, that "whithout God's help we cannot succeed," and "with God's help we cannot fail," should be written on our hearts...no matter who holds the highest office of our nation.

It reminds me of the beautiful passage in Exodus, when Moses pleads with God: "If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here..." Let that prayer unite us, Christians. Let's place our hopes squarely on the throne of Jesus, and lay our fears at his feat.

President Obama, on behalf of the Vineyard Church of Columbus, I offer our sincerest congratulations and encouragement as you assume the awesome task of providing leadership for our country and our world. As a Jewish-Christian pastor of a congregation that includes blacks and whites, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans, the able-bodied and the disabled, old and young, rich and poor, Republican and Democrat, we come together now to support you as our president. We pledge to pray for you. Without God’s help we cannot succeed; with God’s help we cannot fail.

The greatness of our nation will continue to be measured by our treatment of the least and the last. In our country the least and the last surely include the unborn and their mothers, immigrants, the medically uninsured, and those who still go to bed hungry in this land of abundance. Our congregation urges you to fulfill your commitment to reduce the number of abortions in our nation. Around the world, America is our brothers’ keeper of those suffering in the Darfur and the Congo. Please work on behalf of those enslaved by global sex trafficking, the billion people who live on less than $2 a day, and those who are the victims of religious persecution. As you lead, remember Jesus’ words: “As you have done to the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me.”

America has an extraordinary capacity to reinvent herself, rarely more so than in this election. We remain the screen upon which the world projects its greatest hopes and its most noble aspirations. Live a life worthy of our hopes. Be a reconciler. Be a peacemaker. May God bless you and your family. And may America bless God and the world.

As we continue to pursue the Kingdom of God and his righteousness in our nation and abroad, we should all commit - with Rich - to pray blessing on the President and his family, no matter our political affiliation or ideology.

St. Martin's Day

On a much lighter note, tomorrow is St. Martin's day! Time to make your paper lantern and go from door to door singing songs and collecting candy...oh wait, we don't do that in the States. Did you even know there was such a thing as St. Martin's day? Did you even know there was a Saint called Martin? There is so much I have missed out on in life because a) I'm American and b) I'm not Catholic. But now as an American Protestant living in Amsterdam I get to enjoy it all!

Love from across the Sea,
John

President v Prime Minister

If you haven't heard by now, the entire WORLD was very interested in the little event that took place this past Tuesday in the States that we like to call the Presidential election. Gor the past couple of weeks, when folks here in Amsterdam find out we are American, that is all they have wanted to talk about.

Not only are they interested because the results would inevitably have a global impact, but also (I think) because the system works so much differently here in the Netherlands. They are intrigued by the campaign process & how much money is spent along the way. The are intrigued by the electoral system. They are also intrigued because, well, they don't vote for a president here.

The Netherlands is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy (i.e. they have a queen, citizens have rights based upon a constitution, and they vote for a representational parliament). Allow me to be technical for a moment or two. The Dutch vote for their parliament based upon a "proportional representation" system...and they vote for parties, not candidates. So hypothetically, if one party got 80% of the votes, they get 80 members of parliament, 10% would get 10 members of parliament, and so on. This is overly simplified of the actual system, but that is the basic idea.

To the point. The Dutch only indirectly elect their Prime Minister. The party which receives the most seats in Parliament (based on elections) is given the power to form a coalition government with two other parties. And the leader of that party becomes the Prime Minister once the government is formed. The current Prime Minister of the Netherlands is Jan Peter Balkenende of the Christian Democratic party.

We elect our President through the system of the electoral college...which is only slightly less indirect. At least we have the illusion of voting for a person when we're really just voting for a vote. I leave it to you to decide which system is better.

So there you go. Your cultural lesson for the day. I suppose, of course that there are a few other differences between the US President and the Netherlands Prime Minister besides the election process (for example, a Dutchman I chatted with yesterday said that ours is "basically the President of the world," not just the States), but those are just details.

Until next time,
John