Schluss mit “eigentlich”!

Sorry, this is for my German friends, it's about the undeniable voice of God, forever reminded us of our inobedience, if we didn't choose to obey right away.

Hinter diesen Slogan als Ermutigung zu Enthaltsamkeit während der vorösterlichen Fastenzeit vergangenen Jahres möchte ich eine Ermutigung zum kompromisslosen Gehorsam des Drängens des Heiligen Geistes stellen.

Wer von uns kennt nicht Situationen, in denen er ohne Zweifel weiß, auf eine bestimmte Art und Weise handeln zu müssen, weil Gott ihn dazu ruft? Sooft wir auch betonen, uns im Hören auf Gottes Reden so unsicher zu sein, ich glaube, das kann kein Christ leugnen: Dass wir zumindest einen von Gottes Wegen zu uns zu reden kennen, den wir – wenn wir bloß ehrlich sein würden – nicht als von Gott leugnen können.

Das Tragische hinter diesem unbequemen Wissen ist die ewige Reue danach, wenn wir uns nicht von Gott zum Handeln herausfordern lassen. Denn sooft wir an diese Situation erinnert werden, steigen die Worte in uns hoch: „Eigentlich hätte ich …“ Eigentlich … – eine nicht zu leugnende Tatsache, dass Gott gerufen, wir jedoch nicht gehorcht haben.

Ich wünsche mir für jeden von uns, dass, je länger wir mit unserem Herrn unterwegs sind und ihm näher kommen, weniger und weniger „Eigentlich hätte ich dies und das tun sollen“-Situationen unser Gewissen quälen. Und dass wir uns immer öfter, wenn die erschreckende Gewissheit in uns hochsteigt, dass Gott genau jetzt will, dass wir für ihn eintreten, dafür entscheiden, den kurzzeitigen Kampf um Überwindung dem ewigen „Eigentlich“ vorziehen.

The Nativity Story - "Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit"

Watch this movie to find new access to what is so familiar to us that it is not much interesting to us anymore! Besides, that it clearly tells the world that “God became human”, it speaks some clear language about some spiritual truths.

Based on the Old Testament promise of the Messiah, the film pictures how everyone knows about the power behind these words spoken so long ago. The interesting fact is, how this penetrating knowledge is absolutely not related to faith or unbelief of the person, the pious Jews know the truth behind it as well as the pagan king Herod.

This reminds me of the words of an evangelist, Jan Eriksen, claiming, that our proclamation of the Gospel plants some seeds in the heart of the hearers, which non-deniably grow and cause inner turmoil, because there is something powerful, new rising up inside of them.

At one point teenage-girl Mary desperately asks: “Why, for heaven’s sake, did God chose me?” After watching the film there is no doubt about the often forgotten fact, that God’s calling on Mary’s life, at least in the beginning, was much more burden than pleasure. Watching her causing rejection and shame against herself, her family and her future-husband Joseph, only by the grace of Joseph escaping stoning, just because she holds on to the words of God spoken to her and her purity makes me understand the cries of the prophets under the heavy yoke of God’s calling.

Nevertheless, at the moment of Jesus’ birth all sorrow is turned into gladness, which I claim for my own life and hold on to as a basic truth about God’s calling as much as the heavy weight of it.

welcome - a year's review

Welcome to a new start of an old blog! I actually found that I missed this way of communicating what God is doing in the world and in my life, and that's why I believe it's worth it to try again.

The start of a new year often is a time to review what we accomplished throughout the passed year. To put everyone in the international Salvation Army on the same page about this every year the "Salvation Army's yearbook" is published.

Now listen to what seems to be the greatest accomplished goal in 2006 in my home corps Hamburg, according to the yearbook: "At Christmas 600 underprivileged, elderly and lonly people were guests of the corps in Hamburg for seasonal hospitality." - Judge by yourself it this is the only thing worth it to be mentioned!

I believe it is not. Simply because this is not what we can call the fulfillment of our calling, which is to win the world for Jesus.
Thank God this is not the only thing that happened throughout 2006 here!
I wish that God gives us eyes to review our year's accomplishments according to what he considers worthwile to be mentioned or simply rubbish. And to to better next year.