Life has been great as a F.C.København-fan this year. We're heading for a new Danish Championship and during this season we finally (!!!) made it into UEFA's Champions League and even beat mighty Manchester United ;-)
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
What is love?
What a rush! We've just had a wonderful week of teaching by Dean Sherman about Relationships and Love and Spiritual Warfare. Dean is a world travelling Youth With A Mission speaker and has worked as a full time missionary for YWAM for more than 40 years. He brings a wealth of experience and insight and it was a pleasure to sit and listen to his insightful teaching taken straight out of the Word of God!
He talked a lot about love, and I firmly agree with him that love is our message. And the world needs love. The world is desperate for love. There is no such thing as a human being who isn't longing for love. From the hardest criminal to the sweetest grandma there is a need to be loved and love.
And God has given us the answer to the question that many authors, singers, movie producers, etc. have made fortunes exploring their versions of: "What is love?" Most people say that they don't know...that it's too complicated to explain...that it's a warm feeling in your stomach....the impossible dream some might even call it?!!
John Gray, who has made millions writing about men and women apparently being from different planets, gives this rather vague definition: "Love is a feeling directed at someone which acknowledges their goodness". Another author, Paramahansa Yogananda says this about love: "To describe love is very difficult, for the same reason that words cannot fully describe the flavor of an orange. You have to taste the fruit to know its flavor. So with love."
But God is the Creator of love. "God is love", John tells us in his first letter (1.John 4:8), and God who is love gives us the definition of what love is in 1.John 3:16 (which corresponds very well with John's Gospel ch.3 verse 16!): "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (and sisters)"
Laying down your life is love. Jesus loved all people at all times so much that he laid down his life for them. Jesus told his followers that he was the only one who could choose to end his life. It was Jesus's choice. It wasn't the Romans, the Jews or Satan who chose to kill Jesus. It was Jesus who, out of his love for you and I, chose to give up his life.
And laying down your life for another person will always (!) in all cultures, in all religions at all times be the highest measure of love. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends", Jesus said. And it's a timeless, universal truth!
We are called to love because God loved us first. And we can only love in sacrifice and service. Nobody needs more talk about what love is. Nobody needs (Christian) theories. Nobody needs people who say one thing and do something completely different. We all need real love. And this is the kind of love that will change the world, nations, your city, families, relationships. Love is the answer to the world's problems. Love is the answer to my problems. But not any version of love. The love of Jesus Christ. The love that has transformed and is transforming me! Do your friends, colleagues, family members, yourself know this kind of love?
Thank God I'm loved!
Love, Torben
He talked a lot about love, and I firmly agree with him that love is our message. And the world needs love. The world is desperate for love. There is no such thing as a human being who isn't longing for love. From the hardest criminal to the sweetest grandma there is a need to be loved and love.
And God has given us the answer to the question that many authors, singers, movie producers, etc. have made fortunes exploring their versions of: "What is love?" Most people say that they don't know...that it's too complicated to explain...that it's a warm feeling in your stomach....the impossible dream some might even call it?!!
John Gray, who has made millions writing about men and women apparently being from different planets, gives this rather vague definition: "Love is a feeling directed at someone which acknowledges their goodness". Another author, Paramahansa Yogananda says this about love: "To describe love is very difficult, for the same reason that words cannot fully describe the flavor of an orange. You have to taste the fruit to know its flavor. So with love."
But God is the Creator of love. "God is love", John tells us in his first letter (1.John 4:8), and God who is love gives us the definition of what love is in 1.John 3:16 (which corresponds very well with John's Gospel ch.3 verse 16!): "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (and sisters)"
Laying down your life is love. Jesus loved all people at all times so much that he laid down his life for them. Jesus told his followers that he was the only one who could choose to end his life. It was Jesus's choice. It wasn't the Romans, the Jews or Satan who chose to kill Jesus. It was Jesus who, out of his love for you and I, chose to give up his life.
And laying down your life for another person will always (!) in all cultures, in all religions at all times be the highest measure of love. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends", Jesus said. And it's a timeless, universal truth!
We are called to love because God loved us first. And we can only love in sacrifice and service. Nobody needs more talk about what love is. Nobody needs (Christian) theories. Nobody needs people who say one thing and do something completely different. We all need real love. And this is the kind of love that will change the world, nations, your city, families, relationships. Love is the answer to the world's problems. Love is the answer to my problems. But not any version of love. The love of Jesus Christ. The love that has transformed and is transforming me! Do your friends, colleagues, family members, yourself know this kind of love?
Thank God I'm loved!
Love, Torben
The Political Situation in Ukraine
Hey!
Kiev is still filled with pink (socialists), red (communists), and blue (Yanukovich-supporters) flags and at another location also orange flags (Yuschenko-supporters), and nothing much has changed the past week since President Viktor Yuschenko decided to dissolve the Parliament and call for new elections at the end of May. The Parliament, led by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, still says that the decision was unconstitutional, and that they won't do new elections, and Yuschenko says that he will not back down either.
So we're at a very locked down point. Experts in law texts from Western nations such as Austria and Switzerland have been called to Ukraine to help understand the law text and to check what the constitution really says.
It's all a big mess. The excitement that surrounded the Orange Revolution in the fall of 2004 is long gone. People are disappointed that President Yuschenko didn't change things for the better in drastic ways in a year. And the political climate in the Parliament is one where no serious work and reforms can take place. Yuschenko felt he had to appoint his big rival from the Orange Revolution, Yanukovich, as the Prime Minister due to pressure from the majority in the Parliament. This in turn means that Ukraine is in a situation, where they have a President who has one agenda (working with the West, being integrated in Europe and eventually - hopefully - join the European Union) and a Prime Minister with a very different agenda (remain in a very close relationship with Russia).
What's the solution? Hmm...the Ukrainians need to agree. About something. As far as I can see there isn't much of a choice. In terms of financial prospects for Ukraine, the country needs to look West. There is no strong economical future in sight in a partnership with Russia. It's simply not gonna happen. And people need to understand that the idea of just working closely will Russia will never work either. Russia doesn't exactly have a history of working well with its surrounding nations. Russia and Vladimir Putin will like to control Ukraine, as they have already done for many years.
But Ukraine wants to and needs to be free. It's time to tell Moscow that Ukraine is Ukraine, and Ukraine will make its own decisions, regardless of what Russia thinks! It's time for Ukraine to elect politicians who will think at the future and make the necessary financial reforms instead of only focusing on what works today and gives me money today. It's also time for Ukraine to work more on rediscovering what is truly Ukrainian as opposed to Russian/Soviet Union-Ukrainian. Soviet Union succeeded in destroying much understanding of what Ukraine is and people are confused. But God has put his specific finger prints on all nations, including Ukraine, and it's the Ukrainians job to find out where they are and how God wants Ukraine to be a blessing to other nations. Ukraine is very new in terms of democracy. The 17-18 years of independence since the mid-90's is in fact the longest period in Ukrainian history where they have been there own master. Let's hope and pray that something good will come out of this political crisis. Something that helps establish Ukraine as a modern, independent, democratic nation. And something that unites Ukraine as a nation where people disagree on many important issues.
God bless Ukraine!
Torben
Kiev is still filled with pink (socialists), red (communists), and blue (Yanukovich-supporters) flags and at another location also orange flags (Yuschenko-supporters), and nothing much has changed the past week since President Viktor Yuschenko decided to dissolve the Parliament and call for new elections at the end of May. The Parliament, led by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, still says that the decision was unconstitutional, and that they won't do new elections, and Yuschenko says that he will not back down either.
So we're at a very locked down point. Experts in law texts from Western nations such as Austria and Switzerland have been called to Ukraine to help understand the law text and to check what the constitution really says.
It's all a big mess. The excitement that surrounded the Orange Revolution in the fall of 2004 is long gone. People are disappointed that President Yuschenko didn't change things for the better in drastic ways in a year. And the political climate in the Parliament is one where no serious work and reforms can take place. Yuschenko felt he had to appoint his big rival from the Orange Revolution, Yanukovich, as the Prime Minister due to pressure from the majority in the Parliament. This in turn means that Ukraine is in a situation, where they have a President who has one agenda (working with the West, being integrated in Europe and eventually - hopefully - join the European Union) and a Prime Minister with a very different agenda (remain in a very close relationship with Russia).
What's the solution? Hmm...the Ukrainians need to agree. About something. As far as I can see there isn't much of a choice. In terms of financial prospects for Ukraine, the country needs to look West. There is no strong economical future in sight in a partnership with Russia. It's simply not gonna happen. And people need to understand that the idea of just working closely will Russia will never work either. Russia doesn't exactly have a history of working well with its surrounding nations. Russia and Vladimir Putin will like to control Ukraine, as they have already done for many years.
But Ukraine wants to and needs to be free. It's time to tell Moscow that Ukraine is Ukraine, and Ukraine will make its own decisions, regardless of what Russia thinks! It's time for Ukraine to elect politicians who will think at the future and make the necessary financial reforms instead of only focusing on what works today and gives me money today. It's also time for Ukraine to work more on rediscovering what is truly Ukrainian as opposed to Russian/Soviet Union-Ukrainian. Soviet Union succeeded in destroying much understanding of what Ukraine is and people are confused. But God has put his specific finger prints on all nations, including Ukraine, and it's the Ukrainians job to find out where they are and how God wants Ukraine to be a blessing to other nations. Ukraine is very new in terms of democracy. The 17-18 years of independence since the mid-90's is in fact the longest period in Ukrainian history where they have been there own master. Let's hope and pray that something good will come out of this political crisis. Something that helps establish Ukraine as a modern, independent, democratic nation. And something that unites Ukraine as a nation where people disagree on many important issues.
God bless Ukraine!
Torben
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Easter and Passover
Hey!
It's an unusual Easter week this year, since Western (Protestant and Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) Easter and Jewish Passover all fall at the same time.
So happy Easter to all of us! May Christ's sacrifice not be in vain. I pray for Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox' Christians who might just be nominal Christians (we have many nominal Orthodox Christians here in Ukraine). I pray that they'll truly come to see and believe that CHRIST IS TRULY RISEN, and the he is alive today, and can make all the differene in their lives.
I pray for the Jews as well that they'll see Jesus in their Passover celebration. That they'll see that God made Passover to be a foretaste of what would happen when Jesus would come down to planet earth and give up his life as the eternal, atoning sacrifice for all sins past, present and future. Jesus wept over Jerusalem when he rode into the city on Palm Sunday, because they didn't believe in him as the Messiah. He still weeps, and he calls Jews to believe in him and experience the freedom he has bought for them.
And I pray for all believers that we will see Jesus for who he truly is, and stand in awe in front of him and worship him for his sacrifice for us. "It is finished!!" Christ yelled from the cross. And it is. Let's celebrate that!
Happy Easter everyone!
Torben - "In Christ Alone"
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
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