Monday, January 28, 2008

Weekly Reflections automatically translated

Some of you know that I write weekly devotional texts (I call them Reflections). I used to write these texts in Dutch (my mother tongue) and translate them in English, but I only did the Dutch texts for the last couple of months due to a lack of time. I just have too many things to do and too little time to do them!

But you can use Google translate if you want to read my Dutch texts in funny English (yes, even funnier than my Dutch-English) because sometimes the Google translation is hilarious! But you will get the idea anyway and if not, please let me know. By the way: 'Superheld' is the Dutch word for Superhero. Have a look here!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Once and for all atonement

Believers in the Messiah Y’shua (Jesus) have received atonement once and for all through the sacrificial death of Y’shua on the cross. The blood of God’s own son, Himself sinless in nature, was the only sacrifice sufficient to make final atonement for sin. Interestingly enough, we have confirmation of this from an extra-biblical Jewish source. The Talmud records that on the Day of Atonement a scarlet thread would be hung outside of the Holy of Holies. If the scapegoat, the sacrifice for sin, was accepted by the Lord the thread would turn from scarlet to white, making real the words that the prophet Isaiah had written 700 years before: “Though your sins are scarlet they shall be white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18)

The Talmud goes on to record that each year on the Day of Atonement the thread might turn white or might not, reflecting the changing spiritual state of the nation of Israel. This continued for many years, until 40 years prior to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, after which the thread never turned white. It remained scarlet every year, until the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. This tractate of the Talmud bears evidence to the fact that somewhere around 30 A.D. – the approximate date when Y’shua was crucified – the animal sacrifices offered by the high priest of Israel were no longer accepted by God! This is because the blood of bulls and goats could never atone for sin for more than a short time. They were only shadows of a final sacrifice, a once and for all atonement for sin – the sacrifice of our Messiah Y’shua on the cross. Jesus is the fulfillment of Yom Kippur, as both our great high priest and a sacrifice for all of our sin. In Him our sin is truly forgiven and our consciences cleansed. Source: The Jews for Jesus Blog

And from another source: Talmudic Evidence for the Messiah at 30 C.E.
In the centuries following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70 CE), the Jewish people began writing two versions of Jewish thought, religious history and commentary. One was written in Palestine and became known as the Jerusalem Talmud. The other was written in Babylon and was known as the Babylonian Talmud.

We read in the Jerusalem Talmud: "Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open" (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157). [the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE]

A similar passage in the Babylonian Talmud states: "Our rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot ['For the Lord'] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine; and the doors of the Hekel [Temple] would open by themselves" (Soncino version, Yoma 39b).

What are these passages talking about? Since both Talmuds recount the same information, this indicates the knowledge of these events was accepted by the widespread Jewish community.

I think this is really exciting! I want to know more about these historic backgrounds. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me and my blog readers. Do leave a comment if you have questions or contributions!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Saving the planet by creating new synthetic life forms?

Dr. J. Craig Venter, one of the scientists who decoded the human genome, says he is about to create the first artificial life form. I saw him on BBC World today (The Richard Dimbleby Lecture - click here) and I was impressed by what he had to say. Some of these developments are really scary and I am still thinking about what this man said about "creating life which is not forged by Darwinian evolution, but created by human intelligence".

Dr. Venter is talking about 'reading the code of life' and 'writing the code of life' and I do hope that he is willing to give some credit to the original Author of this DNA code (but that might be wishful thinking on my part). Based on this lecture it is more likely that this man's motto is: "In Science We Trust". He expects to find bio-technical solutions for many of the major problems that we are facing in the world. Dr. Venter wants to do something against the green house effect by finding a renewable alternative biological energy source that can replace the carbon based fossil energy sources; he also talks about possibilities for better medical treatment by preventing illnesses in stead of curing them. It all sounds too good to be true and I also get the impression that this man expects only good things from science and is not too concerned about the possible dangers. Don't know what to think about this yet, but it worries me to be honest. Feel free to let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

More information here

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Make It Right

Dutch architect Winy Maas from MVRDV in Rotterdam has been asked to participate in a project that aims to rebuild Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. This is a poor quarter that was completely devastated by hurricane Katrina. New 'flood resistant' houses will be build thanks to the 'Make It Right' project (website) initiated by actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Have a look here and check this. SourceCLICK PIC TO ENLARGE

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

God Knows What He Is Doing


"You use the weak to lead the strong" (listen and see)

Sunday, January 06, 2008

And this is Pascalle's blue & white bed room

Today I finished Pascalle's romantic blue & white bed room too! She has the same bed and desk (with add-on unit) as her teenage sister Sosha - see last posting. The bed / sofa can also be used as a double bed in case nieces, nephews or friends want to sleep over. But we can also use these two double beds when we have grown-up guests!


We want to make a big wardrobe with sliding doors in the little corner next to the bed where we also want to hang an IKEA chair (see pic right). Pascalle still needs to decide where she wants to hang the green poster with the sweet little doggie. She assisted her daddy by keeping him company every now and then, by handing over the tools and screws - she persistently calls them nails - and by bringing soft drinks and chips upstairs. She even fell down the stairs yesterday with a plate full of paprika chips :-( but she's okay now and very happy :-) with her new bed room...

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Sosha's new black & white bed room

Just have a look in Sosha's totally new black & white bed room! I'm sure she will add some colourful objects and posters in the next couple of days.

If you are wondering about the music in the background, that is not me but Chris Tomlin singing on Sosha's portable CD player... I will upload a video from Pascalle's new bed room as soon as I am finished with putting together her new furniture. First I need to take some rest! Pffew, it's not easy to be a 'do it yourself' dad. But both girls are happy and so is my dear wife Lydia who is also tired now. Robin helped me with the floor and the furniture and Lydia assisted me with the black wall paper which wasn't an easy job because of the repeating pattern.

Friday, January 04, 2008

The next USA President

Click cartoon to enlarge. Source
I've heard about Barack Obama's victory in Iowa. I am not an expert on foreign politics and as a Dutchman I don't have a vote to give away in these elections - but the fact that there will be a newly elected President in the USA soon will affect all people of the world, so let me share my modest opinion with you. Personally I don't want to see a comeback of the Clintons in the White House. It's about time that a black man or woman becomes the next American president. I don't know enough about Barack Obama yet, but I am impressed by the way he is campaigning. I only visited Mike Huckabee's website so far. To be honest, I'd never heard about this Republican candidate before. I've had a look at the video clips on his website and he seems to be a decent guy. It looks like the former governor of Arkansas, a Baptist pastor, is a good father, husband and crisis manager (can you see the connection?) because he showed some real leadership in the aftermath of the Katrina disaster, while other government officials seemed to be powerless or paralysed, as if the people of New Orleans didn't matter to them. Bass players are always calm and collected - that's a plus for Mike Huckabee too! He also lost a lot of weight - which shows that he has at least some personal discipline. And he loves animals, because he hugs bees, eats fishes and chases deers.
I don't know whether my American blog friends want to be open about their political preferences, but most Dutch people don't mind discussing these things openly. We have many political parties in our country and as long as we respectfully can agree to disagree, that's just fine.
Two things really bother me and I'm just wondering what you think of these topics. First, I can't see how so many Americans can be pro-life and support the death penalty. In my eyes that is very inconsistent. Check this if you want to know just one important reason why I am against the death penalty. Second, I just can't see why American people can buy heavy guns and ammunition as if these things were some cool gadgets or fashion accessories. There are too many trigger happy people on this planet - that's what I think.
PS Today's Verse of the Day offers sound advice to all candidates and voters: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Thursday, January 03, 2008

New video and some pics

Click here and have a look!

Tallest people on Earth

“To a small man every greater is an exaggeration.”
~Henry David Thoreau

“Most of us are taller than our parents, who probably are taller than their parents. But in the Netherlands, the generational progression has reached new heights. In the last 150 years, the Dutch have become the tallest people on Earth - and experts say they're still getting bigger. It is a tale of a nation's health and wealth.” Source

Okay, okay, I know that I've been making too much of my Dutchness in recent posts. I'm sorry about that, dear blog friends – I'm really not that nationalistic. However... I just had to share this important piece of information with you and I also wanted to show the video below that I made yesterday on our beach to back up the claims about Dutch people being extremely tall. Have a look and judge for yourself!


According to the news paper article “prosperity propelled the collective growth spurt” in the Netherlands. But I know better - of course. This is my theory: as one of the most densely populated (392 people per km²), smallest (only 0.008% of the world's area), lowest and flattest countries on the planet we have so little space that we need to grow tall in order to get some fresh air. It's the evolution, stupid! The good thing about this is that we have the biggest skies in the world and more foreign territory than any other country (with the exception of Andorra) and we are tall enough to keep an eye on the rest of the planet from our modest point of view, which explains why Dutch people are excellent supervisors. And now you also know why the pope resides in Vatican City. But the pope is a German! Okay, let me explain... Unfortunately all the Dutch candidates were too tall and too heavy for the Holy See.

But I digress... So I went to the beach with my son Robin and daughter Sosha yesterday. You can see both of them from a distance at the end of the video. I needed this distance because they are real giants. Being on the beach with them was also great. As you can see it was a very calm sea and there were not that many people. You can't see it, but it was very chilly because of the East wind. I will upload some pics on my photo blog later today. Have a look!

And in case you're wondering why it's getting so dark in this world... I'm sorry to tell you that my daughter Sosha has swallowed the sun. So this is our last picture taken without flash light... © Robin

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Dutch Design and Engineering - Part 4

Let's hope that we can all do something against global warming and rising sea levels in 2008. To show you that the engineers from the Netherlands are already thinking ahead, have a look at this video showing the award winning floating city project from Delft University. This is their Deltasync website. There is also a floating city project from this University in Second Life - read more here. Today the new competition starts. Royal Haskoning is looking for students with inspiring, innovative ideas and creative solutions to adapt the Deltas of the world to Climate Change. Read more here.

Dutch Design and Engineering - Part 3

Excuse me for being so 'proud to be Dutch' on this blog recently... but it's just great to see how companies from our little country are conquering the world with their great designs. For example: this is an award winning design for the 180 meters high Wheel of Dubai. The outer ring with panorama rooms needs only 30 minutes to go round, the inner circle - with 384 hotel rooms (24 capsules x 16 rooms) including swimming pools - rotates smoothly within 6 hours. Just imagine what that will be like! Designed by Royal Haskoning (Thanks to Giovanni in Dubai)

Dutch Design and Engineering - Part 2

"Dutch plan to build a new island", according to the Herald Tribune.
"Funny shapes like tulips, clogs and windmills are a good way to start a debate, but they should not be considered as realistic," said Bert Groothuizen, spokesman for Van Oord, the builder of the Dubai palm island. Read more here

The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, photographed from the International Space Station. Source

New Year Fireworks 2008 from London / Dutch Design and Engineering - Part 1

Okay, our fireworks in Hoofddorp - see former posting - are not quite as impressive as this awesome display by French pyrotechnician Chritoph Berthonneau in London, England. However, there is a Dutch contribution visible in this fantastic video, because the beautiful London Eye was built in the Netherlands by the company Hollandia. And what about the next Hollandia project in Dubai? Looks exciting too, don't you think?

But wherever you are coming from - just enjoy this video and have a great two thousand and eight all over the globe!

Happy New Year From Holland!