Rest from God’s work
A short reflection on Exodus 35:3 “You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.” The Lord strictly forbids the Israelites to kindle a fire on sabbath. I am reminded of the Jews who, to this day, won’t turn on an engine or light on sabbath. It seems strange that … Continue reading Rest from God’s work
Read more →Recovering my shoes
As a child, when I just began reading, I had a couple of little books about ‘Kleine Beer’. My favourite one is about Little Bear visiting his grandparents. That book contains the wonderful story told by Grandfather Bear: about a gnome who was so frightened that he jumped out of his shoes. As he fled, … Continue reading Recovering my shoes
Read more →Contemplation (again)
Three years ago I wrote my first text, about contemplation, and now I pick up the topic again. High time to throw in some warnings, as seems to be quite the thing among contemplatives. One needs to speak about spiritual dangers, the courage needed, and the point of no return. Not to mention the need … Continue reading Contemplation (again)
Read more →Considering contemplation
Considering mercy
This morning, I woke up thinking: “Mercy! I must explore mercy!”. Admittedly a bit odd, but anyway, I went upstairs to my place reserved for being with God, to read the Bible according to some plan I am following, planning to pray about mercy afterwards. The appointed piece of Scripture was about Dinah, how she … Continue reading Considering mercy
Read more →Mourning in Autumn
Two years ago, I wrote a poem on a beautiful autumn day (see below, in Dutch). The poem still means a lot to me, it expresses so well my feelings of deep, deep longing, combined with the knowledge that all is fleeting, and my difficulty to cope with that. The poem describes the beautiful golden … Continue reading Mourning in Autumn
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