Nr.170 ended with,” Yes God is real indeed, we can certainly testify to that, He can be trusted. My trip to Belgium was to be repeated and that summer Marina and I, and Rosa, who was still well enough at that time, would travel to Europe for something very special………………..!” (See richardandmarina.net).

Wedding bells were ringing! Yes, our second daughter Lily was going to get married to a fine Belgian young man, Bart Vanhyfte, on August the 6th, 1988. So in July, Marina, Rosa and I flew to Belgium to prepare for the wedding, but also to move everything out of our house in Lovendegem, where we had lived for about 12 years. Lily and Renee had been living there the last 1 1/2  years, but now Lily was moving out and Renee also, who was moving into a student house in Ghent, not far from where Lily and Bart had rented a house. We took all our stuff to the church building in Eeklo, which had a large attic where everything could be stored. Some of this was done before the wedding and the rest after. Renee was a tremendous help as she really knows how to pack. We are always amazed as to how much she can get into a suitcase or back pack.

The wedding took place on one of the hotter days of that summer in Belgium in an upstairs meeting room above a restaurant. There were many people present, including relatives from Holland. In Belgium people get married officially at the city hall, after which usually a church service follows. It also happens that people get married “before the law” (as some call it) on Friday and in church on Saturday, after which there is the wedding feast. We had a wonderful service and experienced the Lord’s presence and blessing, how thankful we were. There was a reception afterwards. Lily and Bart went on their honeymoon and after they came back, Marina and Rosa returned to Canada and I stayed to help Renee get settled in and she helped finishing up packing and storing things, after which I flew back to Canada. The separation was difficult for us all.

It was at the beginning of September that I left Belgium with a heavy heart, wondering when we would be back and even, whether we would come back. Arriving in Canada and living in an apartment with a dear daughter who had an unknown illness, for which there seem to be no help, I spent many evening hours walking the streets of Elmira, crying to God for help and asking Him what His will was for us. Was this the work of the enemy to keep us out of Belgium? The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that he “wanted to come to them time and again, but Satan hindered us” and, strangely enough, God allowed it. It was not easy, not for Marina and me and certainly not for Rosa. But God…………! (Go to Musings).

 

Let’s go back to Nr.167, which ended with,” In 1987 we returned to Canada, this time for quite an extended, and also a difficult and trying period, when our faith was severely tested, but more about that next time………! (See richardandmarina.net).

I wrote about the health problems of our oldest daughter Rosa. Because of her we lived in Canada for the next three years, but I was gone a lot of the time. Allow me to say just a little more about Rosa’s illness. At that time it was not really accepted as an illness, but said to be something psychological. That has all changed and I recently read an article with the title, “It’s time for doctors to apologize to their M.E. patients. For too long the medical community has dismissed ‘Chronic Fatigue Syndrome’ or M.E. as a mental illness which can be cured with therapy and exercise.” (See nr.168.)

M.E. is Myalgic Encephalopathy or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, see: http://www.thegracecharityforme.org/what.asp. A major report from the prestigious US Institute of Medicine has concluded that M.E. is a “serious, chronic, complex, systemic disease that can profoundly affect the lives of patients. M.E. is not a psychological problem.” It is estimated that CFS/ME affects about 1 in 300 people in the UK, possibly more. So we need to realize that there may indeed be people around us coping with this, and one of their biggest problems is, not being understood. Dear friends, there are a lot of hurting people with all kinds of problems all around us and they need our love and sympathy. Jesus came to heal, we are here in His place.

During the first while that we were back in Canada in ’87, our first concern was looking for help for Rosa. After the summer our other two daughters, Lily and Renee went back to Belgium to continue their studies and work, living in our house, and as Lily had her driver’s license, using our car to get around. At the beginning of January ’88 I went back to Belgium for about six weeks, preaching, meeting with workers and church leaders and speaking at a conference in another European country. The Lord blessed and provided, we were always amazed at His provisions, He knew what we needed and put it upon the hearts of His people to support us. Gifts came in from people we had never met, really amazing! Yes God is real indeed, we can certainly testify to that, He can be trusted. My trip to Belgium was to be repeated and that summer Marina and I, and Rosa, who was still well enough at that time, would travel to Europe for something very special………………..! (Go to Musings).

 

Nr.168 ended with: “ More about His guidance and blessings next time……….!” (See richardandmarina.net).

As many of you may know already, we experienced a real blessing a few days ago when the surgeon, who had operated Marina for colon cancer on Dec.16, told us that she was cancer free, as no cancer was found in the lymph nodes. So no chemo and no radiation, just a blood test every six months and a CT Scan every year. We praised the Lord and so did many others who had been praying for us.

However, some questions arose, why were we so blessed and others not? Why was Marina’s cancer caught on time, while others are in stages two, three or even four? I am pretty sure that some who are reading this may be battling cancer, or have family members or friends in that condition. They have prayed and have had others pray for them, but they are still sick. I really feel for them and my heart goes out to them. Does it mean that we are better than they? Absolutely not. Was it because more people were praying for us than for them? I don’t think so. I know of a man for whom thousands of people all over the world prayed and yet he died of cancer. So why does one get healed and another not? Why did Jesus heal that one lame man at the Pool of Bethesda, but not all the others? I don’t know, but I do know 1Cor.13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, ………., now I know in part, but then……!”

Some might say, “Yes Richard, you are happy now, but what about the time before you knew Marina was cancer free?” Well, we can honestly say that right from the beginning, when we were told that Marina had cancer, we experienced peace in our hearts, we knew we were in God’s hands. Allow me to quote from “Our Daily Bread”, “When the pilot who landed that plane on the Hudson river in 2009 was asked about this life and death decision in the air, he answered, “One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. And on that day the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”

Marina and I have over the years made many small and regular deposits in God’s bank of faith and when the crisis came, the balance was sufficient so that we could make a very large withdrawal and have peace. Are you making small and regular deposits in God’s bank of faith……………? (Go to Musings).

Nr.167 ended with: “ In 1987 we returned to Canada, this time for quite an extended, and also a difficult and trying period, when our faith was severely tested, but more about that next time………! (See richardandmarina.net).

The last time we were in Canada was in 1983, now we returned there for furlough, also called ‘home assignment’, in July ’87. But this time it was different as our oldest daughter Rosa was not well at all. She was so weak, she was not able to function normally. When she was at Capernwray Bible School in southern Germany, she had picked up mononucleosis (mono). Because it was not treated right, it turned into something else. Here are Rosa’s own words: “I was finally after 8 years going to doctors in Belgium, Germany, Holland and here diagnosed with M.E. (Myalgic Encephalopathy, not CFS. (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). ( But for some people that’s similar, extreme debilitating CFS.) See, http://www.meassociation.org.uk/about/what-is-mecfs/

All types of people at all ages are affected. Severe and debilitating fatigue, painful muscles and joints, disordered sleep, gastric disturbances, poor memory and concentration are commonplace. In many cases, onset is linked to a viral infection, like mononucleosis. Other triggers may include an operation or an accident, although some people experience a slow, insidious onset.

ME/CFS has attracted more than its fair share of controversy. Initially, and for many years, there was a debate as to whether it was actually an illness at all. Although the situation is still not perfect, many influential bodies, (The World Health Organization, the Department of Social Security, the Department of Health, the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Psychiatrists and General Practitioners among them) are now in agreement that it is real.

About 30 years ago when we were here, Rosa had not been diagnosed yet with M.E. and there was much confusion as to what ailed her. It was an extremely difficult time, as we sought help, even going down to a Christian psychiatrist in the US, but not getting any help. I went to see a doctor in the London area who had the illness himself, but he was not able to help us either. And so we rented an apartment in Elmira and stayed with Rosa as we did not feel right to just leave her. But it was hard to not be in Belgium where the Lord had called us, so we kept on praying and seeking His will.

At the same time the Lord opened up all kinds of opportunities and ways of ministry, such as helping to start a new church here in Canada. He is faithful and blessed us wonderfully, in spite of the difficult circumstances. More about His guidance and blessings next time……….! (Go to Musings).

 

Due to the Marina’s cancer surgery and slow recovery, and the extra care that comes with it, plus my own tiredness, this is going to be a shorter edition. Trust you understand.

We will now go on with where we left off in nr.162, where I talked about the different workers being added to the work by the Lord. I will be saying more about that later as there were others added yet and some changes happened also.

However, the original purpose of “Musings” was not so much to write a story about the work, but rather about our personal lives, which of course includes the work. It is “our” story, our witness to how we experienced the reality of the living God, His presence, His guidance, His provisions, His protection, His faithfulness and His blessings.

I’m going to have to go a little faster or we will never get done with this story. In 1983 we had been in Canada visiting relatives, friends, our home church and a number of other churches. It was always so encouraging to meet each other and rejoice together in what the Lord was doing through their prayers and support. But now in ’84 we were back to the battle in Belgium and in the next three or four years all kinds of things happened. There was much to be done, both in evangelism and training of leaders and teachers. The churches were growing, what a joy, but not always without pain, as is usually the case with growth.

Our daughters were growing too. Rosa, the oldest had gone to Capernwray Bible School in Germany and in England. In ’84 our second daughter Lily attended the school in Germany and in ’85, our third one, Renee went to Capernwray both in Germany and England. It was quite costly, but we felt it to be worthwhile to give our girls a good foundation before they went into the world.

In 1987 we returned to Canada, this time for quite an extended, and also a difficult and trying period, when our faith was severely tested, but more about that next time………! (Go to Musings).

Onze 1 jan. editie eindigde met, ” Volgende week gaan we terug naar waar we waren, 1983…………..!

Nee, we gaan dat nog even niet doen, omdat ik eerst nog iets wil delen dat aansluit bij verleden week. Toen citeerde ik de apostel Paulus toen hij schreef, “……………. één ding doe ik: vergetende hetgeen achter mij ligt en mij uitstrekkende naar hetgeen voor mij ligt.” Met andere woorden, laat het verleden achter en strek u uit naar hetgeen voor u ligt. En wat een “verleden” Paulus had! Stel u voor, hij had christenen vervolgd, sommigen in de gevangenis laten gooien en anderen laten vermoorden. Kunt u zich voorstellen wat een schuldgevoel hij gehad moet hebben? Na zijn bekering is hij misschien wel de kinderen van sommige van deze mensen tegengekomen, wiens levens geruineerd waren, hoe moet hij zich wel niet gevoeld hebben? Maar hij wist dat hij het gedane niet ongedaan kon maken, hij kon het verleden niet veranderen. En dus, in plaats van voortdurend te betreuren wat hij gedaan had, waardoor zijn eigen leven geruineerd zou worden, aanvaardde hij God’s vergeving en ging voorwaarts, waardoor hij een geweldig verschil maakte over de gehele wereld.

Ik kan met Paulus meevoelen. Ik heb ook grote fouten gemaakt in het verleden, en ik heb daar echt spijt van, maar ik weet ook dat ik de klok niet kan terugdraaien of ongedaan kan maken wat ik verkeerd gedaan of gezegd heb. En de vijand van mijn ziel is heel knap en volhardend met het in gedachten brengen van het verleden en mij voortdurend aan te klagen over mijn fouten. En dat kan mij soms geweldig verlammen. Ik zou denken dat sommige van mij lezers, misschien zelfs velen ook rondlopen met schuld en spijt gevoelens ivm het verleden. En jullie kennen ook de aanklachten van de vijand. En op bepaalde ogenblikken wensen jullie ook dat je de klok kon terugdraaien om ongedaan te maken wat je verkeerd gezegd of gedaan hebt, maar dat is niet mogelijk.

Wat dan te doen? Eerst dienen we het verkeerde aan God te belijden om dan Zijn vergeving te aanvaarden. In de tweede plaats dienen we het verkeerde te belijden aan de gekwetste persoon of personen. En in de derde plaats moeten we eens voor altijd afrekenen met het verleden, zoals God eens voor altijd afgerekend heeft met onze zonden op het kruis, om ze nooit meer te herdenken, NIMMER! Laat ons dus niet blijven treuren, het verandert toch niets, behalve dat het onszelf kapot maakt. Laten we doen wat Paulus zei, het verleden vergeten en ons uitstrekken naar hetgeen voor ons ligt.

Wat een geweldige manier om 2016 te beginnen. Het verleden is gedaan, met schuld is afgerekend en nu gaan we voorwaarts voor God en onze medemens. Laten wij ook trachten de wereld te veranderen zoals die moordenaar, Paulus………………! (Ga naar Overpeinzingen).

 

 

 

Marina and I want to wish all the readers of our “Musings” a very Happy New Year, with much of God’s presence, peace and power. May you truly experience His blessing as you yield to Him and do His good and perfect will.

Years ago when I lived in California, USA, I met some young people who had attended Prairie Bible Institute (PBI) in Three Hills, Alberta. Several times I heard them talk about Maxwell 1:1. I became curious and asked them what they meant with that. They told me that Mr. Maxwell, the founder of the college had a certain message that he preached so often that the students started calling it Maxwell 1:1. I asked what the message was and they answered “Be Balanced.” Well, Mr. Maxwell has died and is in glory now, but I agree with him wholeheartedly. About the most important thing in life is being balanced, not going overboard one way or another. And this is good to be reminded of as we start a new year.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says it so well, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted,” and so on. I would like to mention two important things to keep in mind as we start 2016. The apostle Paul writes to the Philippians in chapter 3: “¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Yes, forgetting what’s past and pressing forward to what lies before.

Yet at the same time the Bible puts such emphasis on remembering. Again and again the Jewish people were reminded to remember what the Lord had done for them, just read Deuteronomy. The Psalmist was discouraged, until he remembered what the Lord had done in the past. Jesus asked us to remember Him and instituted the Lord’s table so that we wouldn’t forget Him.

So does the Bible contradict itself? Paul says, “forget”, while others say “remember”? No, I think what Paul means is that we are to forget the bad in the past, so that it won’t drag us down, as someone has said, “The past is past, because it has passed.” The others mean, to remember the good and be encouraged. Both are true, it is the balance we need. A good way to start the New Year, forget the bad things that happened to you and remember all the good you experienced, thank God and press on for Him and a dying world. Make a difference!

Next week we’ll go back to where we left off, 1983………! (Go to Musings).

Was Jesus born on Dec.25? Certainly not. Then when was He born, can we know? Please read, very interesting and very beautiful.

Luke 2:8, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” December in Israel is also winter and can be cold. Sheep en shepherds would not be out then. They do go out sometimes by the end of February, but certainly during March and April, the Hebrew month called Nisan. Why were they watching their flocks at night? Because it was the time of the year, Spring time, that the lambs were born. Lambs are not born during the whole year, only at that time. The lambs born by Bethlehem were special because they were used for the temple sacrifices. And therefore, those shepherds who were actually priests were carefully watching for the birth of those lambs. Jesus, God’s Lamb was born in Bethlehem, as the sacrificial lamb. Isn’t wonderful, that Jesus was born and the first people to see Him were shepherds? So Jesus was born in the Hebrew month Nisan, our March/April period.

Can we narrow it down? Yes, but space does not allow me to go into detailed explanations, suffice to say that one is able to figure out a time by looking at the stars, of which there was something special in the year 6 BC, which caused the magi to travel to Israel. It is also possible to figure out the time by starting with the ministry in the temple of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. And there are other clues. There is an early church writing in the Vatican archives, with a statement that Jesus was born in the month Nisan, but this is censored.

There are many “pictures” of Jesus in the O.T., the most perfect one is the Tabernacle, God dwelling among us. John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Jesus “tabernacled” among us. The tabernacle was built in nine months. How long was Jesus in Mary’s womb? Nine months. When was the tabernacle finished? On the first of Nisan when God instituted that date as the beginning of the year. Nisan means beginning, or a new begin. When was Jesus born? I believe on the first of Nisan, 6 BC., there was a new begin, even the calendar changed from BC to AD.

When we allow Jesus to be born in us, which the Bible calls “being born again”, there is a new begin, “old things have passed away, all things have become new.” Do you know and have you experienced what I am talking about? The date of His birth is not really that important, but whether He has come into our hearts, is very much so…………………..! (Go to Musings).