alone in grand place

last night at around 5pm i was blessed with the opportunity to get away downtown by myself. most of the time going downtown with the boys is not that big of a deal. their faces light up even with the suggestion. it means they can ride their bikes all the way to the waterloo train station and then ride a train all the way downtown. not having a car has its benefits while forcing us to use public transportation. public transpo humbles everyone. that is a totally different post.

last night i rode my bike to gare de waterloo, locked it up, took the 1657 towards anvers-central, and rode it for nearly 30 minutes to my spot downtown. unbeknownst to me the train actually terminated at gare du midi. there must have been train issues. this detour didn't bother me as i was on my own. actually it forced me to either get on another train or ride the metro to the stop arts-loi (french for art law), which would give me the transfer metro line to gare du centrale. i chose the metro and stopped at ave. louise for a possible meal. nothing was appealing so i got back on the metro to hit my original destination of grand place.

grand place has many many different eateries. many nations and cultures bring their style of cooking (except the mexican cuisine, which would be very advantageous for me and my crew). however, there is no other place like pita row. pita row is a street of greek style pita shops which are all fast and very tasty. not so much good for you as much as dora the explorer would say, "delicioso!" it can satisfy the hungriest of the hungriest. i sat down had my meal and watched the euro 2012 challenge on the tele. the whole street was full of excitement as italy and croatia were competing. what an atmosphere.

from there i walked towards the american embassy inside central station...STARBUCKS! had my usual, black coffee. i sat there and did what i love doing downtown...people watch. had my journal out, wrote down observations and prayers for the city and family. i will leave you with part of my entry:

i love being able to ride my bike to the waterloo train station and it being only a 5 min bike ride
i love being able to get on a train that gets me downtown in 30 min
i love having enough time to read a chapter of a book while on the trip to downtown
i love having a starbucks at central station so that i can sit and drink familiar coffee
i love that this is the meeting place for my wife and me
i love sitting at the station and watching the rush of people
i love walking a few meters out of the station into history and all that is magnificent of grand place
i love having a friterie of my own downtown
i love discovering new areas of this great city alone without fear or time limits
i love having famous pita row
i love you brussels

easy does it

i hate this woman...

...having to take public transportation while being pregnant. it really has taken a toll on her. it does mean she works from home more which i can enjoy. however, she is unable to do much during the week and the moment she gets home from work, when she does go, she is wiped due to the walk from to the train station and back again.

i love her and actually think she is pretty hot and tempting sittin there all fine with her pregnant self. it taxes me in a different way as well coming from a culture (american, christian) that speaks loudly the male's role in the household. i am NOT in that role from that perspective. so it is rough mentally.

a car looks doable but still lacking in funds is holding us back from going with the best thing that becomes available. 

more above the clouds

the knowledge of god and of his son jesus christ is obtainable. we search the scriptures for who he is and we call on the spirit to reveal him. however much we petition for this revelation we can still attest to our limited scope. we climb and climb; yet, there is more mountain top above the cloud line. i ask myself over and over every moment of temptation to compare my understanding with another's level of insight, "surely it mustn't be in the ability to achieve the highest level of wisdom as much as it is the actual pursuit of knowing him, right?" in other words...

its the journey AND the destination right?

obtaining the level of some of my literary heros or some of my friends may never happen. i am ok with that. i am not ok with, however, having this desire to know god on a deeper level, than i know now, and doing absolutely nothing about that desire. between a self righteous religious zealot and a young man who is hungry and doing everything to find the true nature of god, give me the young man every time. i would rather walk in a relationship with some one who is active in their pursuit of knowing god on a deeper level, realizing mistakes, persevering through hard realities, accepting the justice of god despite what the world teaches, and teachable. more so than one who will not budge upon a fresh move of the spirit to know him on a deeper level.

reading through 2 peter i found these truths in verse 2 of chapter 1. the author is requesting that grace and peace be multiplied to the one in pursuit of knowing god more and his son more. lord knows we are quickly throwing in the towel and giving up upon the first obstacle proving to change us from our self righteousness. knowing god's standards, his purpose, his direction, his peace, his love, his desires, and his wisdom not for our lives only but for the community in which we operate.
knowing him...

1. it's a participation on my part. i will be actively engaging in ways to know him more than what i am doing now. my activity is all motivated by his glory (verse 3). not more programs, but more as in growth, and a deeper pursuit. this is a personal struggle on a personal level. ask yourself, "what level is my participation in getting to know him? could i be doing something more/else that would grow me in achieving greater knowledge of who he is and bring him greater glory?"

2. it's a devotion to his standards. it's a devotion to what he has placed on the earth to be; unmovable and unshakeable. this proves to reveal your absolute need for him as more constant than the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. the moment you cease to pursue, you will feel the longing and the appetite will rise. ask yourself, "do i purposefully look for inconsistencies in god's word? do i see a correlation between a lack of devotion and an increase in my appetite for a greater fulfillment?"

3. it's a manifestation of a life devoted and a life actively participating in pursuing god. your life will reflect to the world around that you are indeed a follower of god and hold to his son as the way the truth and life. you will manifest his radiance and his glory. a life that does not manifest this is one that can be questioned as to what its greatest devotion belongs. ask yourself, "what is the fruit of my labor? is my fruit producing glory to god or is it removing glory from him?"

i needed this today...but then again i need it everyday.

less manipulation

within the depths of my heart you would find a longing for a continual flame to burn. the flame that just seems to slowly tenderize my passion for the lord in every area of my life. all aspects, all words, every action, and every reaction i eagerly anticipate to become consumed with this fire until my entire being is formed to the image my creator intends.

often times, as a worshipping aspect of the ministry, it is a risk going into an opportunity not knowing anything about the partners in ministry, namely the speaker. there have been some very embarrassing moments as expectations of what the speaker is desiring are completely misunderstood by the entire worship team. you can see it, sometimes you can feel it, and more times than not you can definitely hear it. it is frustrating to witness these awkward moments when it is completely apparent that the flow of the spirit is missed and the anointing in the service is dropped. please, as one believer to another, do not under appreciate or underestimate the power of the spirit's anointing. especially those of you who aspire to be involved in ministry that puts you in different places at a moments notice.

last weekend there was yet another clear demonstration of the value of this flame for the believer. traveling around and doing ministry in many different cultures, on different continents, with different people groups, age groups, all with theologies ranging across the board one thing must remain essential in order for the proper effect to take place. it is the move and flow of the anointing of the holy spirit that makes the work seamless and the connection between worship team and unknown speaker operate in unity. we witnessed this working in amsterdam this last weekend. not knowing the speaker from the barista at starbucks didn't seem to interrupt what god wanted to do in the lives of young people. all we needed was a look from him to know how loud to get, to change the dynamic, to go big, to go quiet and all of this as we are moving in the anointing that is poured out by the spirit in the moment. after the service chatting with the speaker his comment rang loud and clear with me, "it is so good to work with people who can sense the anointing and move with it." it was as if we had clearly communicated with him beforehand our song list, or style, and who was leading our team.

the greatness of the meeting was confirmed by the spirit and the anointing that flowed. the connection of words from the speaker and songs from the worship team were confirmed by the spirit and the anointing that flowed. the changed lives of the young people was done only through the work of the spirit and not the manipulation of the speaker or worship team as the anointing flowed.

praise the lord for such an opportunity. i thank him for granting me the eyes to see this magnificent demonstration of his power and gearing me up for the next great manifestation through the anointing of his spirit. my heart is highly anticipating his next move!