Today is Karolien's birthday. Bought her two bundles of red tulips.

Met some nice folk at the European G12 conference. Enjoy these quotes:

"If you want the vision to take off, choose young leaders." (Cris van Dusseldorp)
"12 percent of the new believers become multiplying leaders." (Larry Stockstill on the G12 model)
"I've been a leader over the past few years; now I'm learning to be a father." (Wilkin van de Kamp)
"God's agenda is not to fill your church, but to transform cities and nations." (Ken Gott)
"If you don't provide the place, you won't find the time." (Ken Gott on the discipline of prayer)

Did a little restyling of the Joel Ministries pages.

This weekend we have Rubens & Steffi da Cunha over from Frankfurt. Let me tell you their story...

We met Rubens four years ago in our home town Utrecht. He was part of a group of crazy intercessors from Brazil who had a vision for Europe and decided to come over and pray. It was a great experience and we were humbled by their love and prayers.
In the Summer of 1998 we joined an organized trip to Brazil and spent some time with Rubens in Goiania (if you want to go there, it's just 18 hrs by bus from Sao Paulo). At that time this city was in revival and we reported about it in Joel News.
One and a half year later Steffi, a young lady from Germany, picked up one of these reports and decided to travel to Brazil to check it out. In Goiania she happened to come across Rubens (happy coincidence in a city of 1.5 million people) and... you guessed it, at that very moment God asked: "Could you marry that guy?" And to him He said: "This is the right one for you." So in August 2001 they married and settled in Frankfurt.

I never imagined Joel News could be a means to unite hearts, but I love it!

For the fans, here is our latest family picture.

Today was tax day. I hate the paperwork involved. The good news is that I get some money back, although I have no clue why...

My friend Dan Grether from Spokane, Washington, just mailed me this article on apostles, along with some good advice on how to form 'servant leadership teams' on a city level. A quote: "Business models, hierarchical leadership and strategic plans do not make an apostle. It is the Father's heart that is the core of the issue." The writer introduces two new definitions of an apostle: "foot washer" and "a weeping father crying out for his sons to overtake him."

Is it possible to live as a Christian without passion and revelation about what God called you to do? Mail me your feedback.

Yesterday I wrote a story titled 'Jethro's piramid'. Karolien and I had a good laugh about it. It's very funny. Will publish it in the Dutch edition of Joel News.

On the regional housechurch day I shared the story of Zaccheus. Jesus invited himself into this tax collector's house, leading to Zaccheus' conversion and him blessing the community. Interesting thought: maybe housechurch is not so much about starting a church in our own house, but about bringing Jesus into the houses of others. And why just houses? How about the other places of social life: universities, community centers, cafes, offices, downtown, children's playgrounds, elderly homes, hospitals, sport halls, shopping centers, parks... anything is fine as long as it is not in a churchbuilding at Sunday morning 10 o' clock. :-)

Henk Vink also came up with an interesting thought: he observes that in many program-based churches Christians don't get older (spiritually) than 12 years or so. When they become teenagers and start questioning the system and thinking of their own, they get in trouble. And consequently many Christians in church don't reach the age that they can multiply themselves and become spiritual fathers and mothers.

Dirk-Jan Timmer dropped a little bomb by explaining how the Church in the time of Constantine adopted a worldly, even idolatrous, church system and leadership. Also he introduced us to some Jewish thinking on leadership, discipleship and church. Quite shocking and refreshing.

Holy Revolution! The Germans are taking hold of God's promises for their nation! And it's the young people who seem to carry the banner.

More funeral talk. A company I'm involved in (also my main sponsor) is close to the drain. Will God rescue us or will we die? These days I hear so many prophecies about corns of wheat that have to fall into the ground and die in order to bear fruit, that I'm not sure where this is heading. Today in the clear blue sky I saw a cloud like a man's hand; would that help?

Today we had Reinhold Scharnowski from Switzerland over for the official funeral of DAWN Netherlands. I like it when old things die... it creates room for new things to be birthed. For those of you who don't know DAWN: it is a worldwide strategic vision to disciple whole nations. We are currently praying for a new apostolic network team to come into existence, bringing together at least six streams of saturation church planting: the housechurch movement, cellchurch/G12/M12, city reaching/transformation, denominational churchplanting, postmodern churches and youth churches. If you feel you should be part of this vision, mail me. :-)

This morning in our meeting with the Dutch Transformations Team (a platform for prayer and revival) we decided to issue a national call for '10 days of prayer and fasting for the Netherlands' from 9 to 18 May, 2002. We sense it's time to mobilize the 'Gideon's army' in this nation: intercessors, church leaders, young radicals and others who want to press in for the fulfillment of God's purposes for the Netherlands. Join us in prayer for the right people to help out in communication, mobilisation and organistation. We also welcome your input.

Just read this article on leadership by Doug Pagitt. He compares established church leaders with allopaths who believe that something additional and often foreign to the body is best introduced for healing. Emerging church leaders are compared with naturopaths who hold that if the body is freed from what is holding it back, the body will heal. So the approach is taken by the naturopath to strengthen the body, and eliminate blocks to healing - not introduce cures for the symptom, but get to the cause of the body’s inability to heal.

Well... this movie is surely not for the fainthearted! The fight between good and evil is pictured in a very dramatic and intense way. And yes, there are a lot of demons, monsters and sorcerers involved (I guess that's why the charismatics don't like it). But I enjoyed it, especially the great scenery of New Zealand.

Plan to see Lord of the Rings this afternoon. Will let you know how it was. The movie got a real bad review in the Dutch Charisma Magazine, so that's an extra reason to check it out. ;-)

Hey, this is my first blogspot! Tallskinnykiwi, one of my friends on the DAWN Europe team, inspired me to create this space in cyberia to help you keep track of me. Mail me your comments!