new life

it's amazing how time flies and how much can happen while that time is flying! In the 2 months since my last entry I've had much to celebrate. This past weekend we experienced very moving and meaningful Good Friday and Easter services. Retrospective analysis can be easy when the story is already written but I wonder if I would have acted any differently or if I too would have shouted out "crucify him"? I realise that my actions today are just as much a part of why the cross had to be endured. What always strikes me is that while we remember the pain and suffering of the cross Easter is really about new life and the hope we now have that death and pain no longer have a hold on us, and praise God for that gift. I've also experienced new life recently more closer to home... I mentioned in a previous blog about my good friend who was seriously ill, well, 2 months later and he is doing remarkably well and we praise God for that gift of life too. And then there is my new grand daughter, who is 2 months old next week and I dare say is the most beautiful little girl on the planet! I'm amazed at how much of a profound effect she has had on me already and I am truly surprised how emotional I was about it all. Holding her in my hands and all the feelings I had when holding my own daughter for the first time came rushing back. I thank God for the gifts of new life given to me these past 2 months and I pray you can find ways to celebrate the life He has given you! peace, m

one voice

I have been truly amazed at the out pouring of generosity for the Haitian relief effort. Canadians have given the most on a per capita basis then any other country. Just this past Sunday I was able to participate in a benefit concert that was aptly named "many hands, one voice" and I was impressed by the talent that was assembled for this concert and how they all gave of their time so freely. For many our first instinct in a crisis is to step up and help, and this is a nation that really needs our help. The concert raised almost $9500 for World Vision work in Haiti and just the week ealier our church collected a special offering of $13,000 for the CRWRC work in Haiti... amazing. But you know, I hope we don't forget this feeling of generosity next week, or next month, or next year... because there are always people in need around us. Needs that may not be a result of a devastating earthquake, needs that aren't shown in graphic detail on the TV news, but needs none the less. Let's keep up with many hands and one voice in helping those around us whether they are a half a world away or right next door. peace, m

life is precious

It's amazing how much I take for granted. Like having a job... which I complain about, but it provides my income. My home... where there is always something to fix or maintain, but it gives me shelter. I have a car... which is also in need of repair, but I can get to where I need to go anytime. In the evening I complain there is nothing to eat in the house but I have a refrigerator full of food, I have an endless supply of clean fresh water which I let run down the drain while brushing my teeth. I live in a free Country, my health is good, I have a wife who loves me, my children are doing well and I even have a grandchild on the way! I have it really, really good and yet... sometimes I can still complain about not having enough when I compare myself to others who live in this very affluent society. But life is precious. When I compare myself to the poor in Haiti, when I see the devastation and suffering there... I dare not complain because life is precious. I have a dear and close friend in the hospital right now fighting for his life against an illness that has suddenly stricken him, and I'm reminded that life is precious. I pray God will heal my friend, and I have faith that He will... I pray that God will bring peace and relief to the people of Haiti, and I believe that He will. We who have so much need to remember that life is precious and give to those with so much less. peace, m

running on empty

a follow up on the "bad gas" theme, you know having no gas is worse. I had a car in which the fuel gauge didn't work, it was stuck on E... for empty. So every time I filled up with gas I had to reset the trip button by the odometer and then watch the kms and fill up again every 400km or so. There was a few times when I forgot to do that so I had no idea how much gas I had left, or if I would make it to my destination... because I really may have been running on empty! Whenever we plan to travel a great distance we make sure the gas tank is full so we have enough fuel to get to where we are going, that's common sense right? So before we travel through the different seasons and events in our lives we need be sure our spiritual, emotional, physical tanks are full so we can complete our tasks... because running on empty is dangerous. We have just come through another Christmas season and for me this is probably the busiest time of the year, and I was pretty close to running on empty. But last night we had a beautiful Christmas Eve service celebrating the greatest gift, the birth of Jesus. Later that evening and today I had a wonderful time with my family celebrating and sharing and taking time to relax and recharge. So make sure your tank is full, take time to appreciate family and friends and thank God for the gift of his Son, the gift of life, of joy and of peace... m

bad gas

the other day my work truck began to run poorly, it would hesitate during acceleration and kinda cough and sputter when idling at a red light. We learned that the company got a shipment of "bad gas" that had some moisture in it which interfered with the fuel system and spark plugs and made all the trucks run poorly. Not too long ago I got some "bad gas" of a different kind when I decided to forgo my wife's healthy cooking and dined out on way too much left-over spicy chili and taco chips and other assorted junk food. Apparently my body's fuel system and spark plugs don't react well to too much unhealthy food anymore... let's just say I wasn't running too well that day either. You know "bad gas" can get us into trouble on a spiritual level too. Jesus said that man cannot live on bread alone but we need to fill our minds with healthy things too, like the Word of God, the Bible. Too often we load up on junk food for the mind in the name of entertainment... you know what I mean, movies, tv, internet... hey I do it to and when I get all caught up in the show biz around me the "bad gas" catches up and I begin to run poorly. You've heard the saying "you are what you eat", well it's true, so be mindful what you're putting into your body, mind and soul... peace,m

another day

a few days ago on a cloudy rainy day one of my customers (I drive a delivery truck) commented on it being a lousy day to be out driving. My response was that it wasn't so bad and we need a couple of bad weather days to better appreciate the good sunny days. That got me thinking about good and bad days, you know the sun is always shining... even during bad weather, the clouds just get in the way for us to see it. Sometimes we have bad days unrelated to the weather and we can't see the good that's around us because the bad stuff gets in the way. God's love for us never changes. His Son, Jesus, is always there but sometimes the clouds get in the way and we can't see him. I think we have all experienced this, I mean we all have "bad stuff" in our lives and sometimes it can really cloud things up. But on those lousy cloudy days remember... behind the clouds awaits the sun to shine another day. I wrote a song about this, I'll include the lyrics below...
peace, m

Another Day
(C) 2009 Michael Broersma

I've been lost myself, felt the fear of being alone, an unknown
Could see no way out, like I was wondering round in a maze, mindless cliches
I've questioned myself, when answers seemed so hard to find, for I was blind
Wrestled with my doubts, struggled to make sense of it all, I felt so small

Sometimes it seems unfair and sometimes it's hard to even care
Is anybody there?
I felt my spirits drain cuz I've been caught out in the rain
But behind the clouds awaits the sun
To shine another day

I've been wrong done by, great injustice I've observed, so undeserved
But I've done wrong myself, memories shrouded in shame, no one to blame

Sometimes it's hard to bear, sometimes it's hard to find a prayer
And not despair
The rain keeps coming down and the storms rage all around
But behind the clouds awaits the sun
To shine another day

Sometimes we need to cry and sometimes it's hard to rely
But I can't deny
A faith that can't be seen and the promise all will be serene
When the clouds break way for the Son
To shine another day

lest we forget...

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we pause to remember those who lost their lives in wars past. We pause to remember the young men and women who answered the call to defend freedom and our country and sacrificed everything in doing so. Canadian soldiers have earned the reputation of being courageous, dedicated and tenacious in the face of some very horrific battles. I am the son of European immigrants, my parents were both born in the Netherlands during WWII. If the Allied Forces, of which the Canadian military played a large role, didn't join the fight and liberate what was then Holland then it is likely that my grandparents would never have been able emigrate to Canada. It it probable then that my parents would have never met and I dare say that I would not have been born. In essence you could say that I owe my very life to those soldiers who gave their lives during the liberation of Europe in WWII. Yesterday at 11am I took time to reflect on that. Maybe it's that I'm a little older and have learned to be thankful for things and maybe watching the repatriation processions on the highway of heroes has brought it closer to home too, but I couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion. I've never seen war or death, only in the movies, but I don't know if I could have done what they had to do. I'm proud to be Canadian and I'm proud of our Canadian Forces both past and present. I'm also proud to be a Christian. This Sunday at Hope Fellowship we're celebrating Communion in order to remember another sacrifice made on our behalf. God sent his son to take our place on a cross to battle sin and death for us... in reality I owe Him my life too. In Christ we have hope, hope of peace and victory over death. peace, m