The Angry Dragon by William Bode

How to babysit a grandpa by William Bode

The Book With No Pictures by William Bode

Bumpus Jumpus Rumpus by William Bode

Bumpus Jumpus Dinasaurumpus by William Bode

Merry Christmas by William Bode

Christina Buckinx at Genk by William Bode

The Modified Stationary Panic at Driehoeven by William Bode

Bode Christmas Bible Reading at Driehoeven by William Bode

Bode Christmas Bible Reading at Driehoeven by William Bode

Further Teachings of Rancid Crabtree at Genk by William Bode

Sunday, November 10, 2013 Meditation doesn't have to be taught. The art of slow thinking is natural. I can remember each of my children at some point in their very early life 'coming out with something unexpected'. These statements or questions could arise in any situation or at anytime. These gems of cognitive connection may bear no discernable link to the current circumstances but they always evidence meditation. It very likely that meditation performed properly, slowly and naturally will produce a crystal clear concise and relevant question. This question will reveal more about the heart and motive than the casual inattentive listener might ever realise. Suppose your child overhears a conversation about whether or not grandparents will be able to come for the child's birthday party. It seems grandma and grandpa may not make it because thier car had to go into the shop to have the transmission replaced and so they would not have a car for a week. The plan couldn't be changed because the garage was very busy and they were doing the job for grandpa for half price. Grandma and grandpa live three hours away so it was unlikely they'd make it to the party in two weeks. Days later you are in the check out line at the store buying wiper blades for your car. And your child blurts out, 'Couldn't they barrow aunt Sharon's car?' Now here is the unknown chain of thought behind the statement. The news of grandpa's absence from the birthday party means your child thinks they won't get the money grandpa always gives at birthdays. This is a real disappointment to the child. A few days later your car's wipers cause a lot of stress on a trip home from school Now it is raining hard again so you borrow the neighbour's car to quickly get some wiper blades. You need to do this before you drive to get the older kids from camp. It's pretty urgent since the weather forecast is for heavy rain. While waiting for the checkout your youngest child sees a snickers and remembered that aunt Sharon bought a snickers for grandma last time we visited. 'Then the light comes on', aunt Sharon lives near grandma and grandpa's house, aunt Sharon has a car, we just borrowed the neighbour's car...... ... 'Couldn't they barrow aunt Sharon's car?' One form of meditation is driven by the recognition of a need and the patient search for a solution to your dilemma. A lot of good meditation happens because of an acute awareness of need or desire. The child's active but relaxed mind accepts they can't solve the issues that are out of thier league. But they looking for an answer. They are listening to all the new information and sifting through the old information. Snickers, the lack of money, grandpa's gift, aunt Sharon's proximity, wiper blades, and borrowing the neighbour's car all converged on a solution. As you consider meditation and the reading of God's word this week, let me encourage you to identify your needs or the needs of the world. I've often noticed in my children a period of relative quiet during the mediation process. It is easy to miss this because you are busy and the quiet is a welcome break from nonstop requests and questions. But this quiet is the evidence of mediation. It doesn't mean that all of life stops, it does mean at times we need to concentrate. But we can concentrate in chunks while doing the washing up or standing in a queue. Meditation sees the complexity of life and draws on it all no matter how seemingly unrelated to find formerly unrecognised connections. I say unrecognised but often meditation isn't comparative between people. It is usually a personal journey. It is possible Grandpa would send the money, it's reasonable to think that grandpa had already considered Aunt Sharon's car and probably no one except the child realised the severity of the need. But meditation isn't about what others may have already considered, often it is highly personal and so it takes responsibility to weigh all the data themse

Meditation at Driehoeven by William Bode

Hanna Duts at Stadsbibliotheek Genk by William Bode

12 Year Old Girl at Zaal 'de Ontdekking', Bibliotheek Stad Genk by William Bode

Message on Psalm 23 translated live while spoken at Vrije Evangelische Gemeente Paulus Genk 29th September

Tuesday, October 01, 2013 Mind the Gap So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. Hebrews 2:1 Daarom moeten wij al onze aandacht richten op wat we gehoord hebben, dan zullen we niet uit de koers raken. (Hebrews 2:1) Every single day we have to believe the truth again. This is not to earn favour with God. Nor is it because God isn't capable of saving us. Jesus' work on the cross is enough. The gift is complete. Nothing needs to be added or topped up. Yet we stray. We forget. We jump to attention when sin calls us to action as if we are still under Sin's command. We are free, but we have developed a habit of obeying sin rather than God. We are easily deceived and we need to regularly remind our hearts of the truth. Jesus must be our focus. Jesus must captivate our hearts. Do you have a daily spiritual check list? When life gets difficult do you have a truth list you tell yourself? Here are some of the items on my check list: God is good! God loves me. God is in control. Nothing happens by chance and nothing is out of God's control. God knows best. ( God knows better than me!) Jesus died for me. Jesus loves my enemies. Jesus forgives all my sin, past present and future. I need to do nothing to earn God's favour. I am not a slave to sin; Jesus has set me free. Jesus rose from the dead to give me an abundant life. An abundant life does not consist of things! Jesus will meet my needs, not leave me alone, cares for my soul and has shown me the way in his Word and will guide me through the church and the Holy Spirit speaking truth from His Word. To follow Jesus requires suffering and persecution. (and more depending on what my heart must hear.) What is your list? Can you find some of the truths I tell my self in Hebrews Chapter 2? Why not have a look for yourself. http://bible.com/116/heb.2.1.nlt

Eating With Your Enemies at bushalte G4 by William Bode

Friday, September 27, 2013 Fatalism Revised 1JN 2:1 NLT My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. ------- Jesus advocacy warms our hearts! The person who knows Jesus can make real choices. Before we are received into God's family by grace through faith we are slaves to sin, Paul says. We have no choice. Everyone who isn't a believer in Jesus can't help but sin. Sin is their master and they are not free agents. If sin says jump, they must jump. And the deception of sin is powerful. We know nothing else. What is sin? Sin is disobedience to God. Sin is disbelief in his promises. Sin is an inextricable headlong run toward death. Sin is self destruction. Sin is selfishness. Sin is loveless. Sin takes and destroys. Sin murders when it cannot have what it wants. Sin leads to death. So sin requires judgement. God is just. He will not allow sin to ruin everything. God will save some from sin. He has set some free. He has released some from the slavery of sin and the fear of death. But we who are free to choose life, the ones able to obey, may still fall prey to sin. Although we are free from the hideous, cruel master that wants our destruction and uses us to lash out in rebellion against God, we sometimes still sin. We should hate sin. We should find sin repulsive. We should see past the moment of selfish pleasure and we should loathe the harmful, hateful former master of our torture and destruction. We should feel the sting of being a pawn in the full on assault against life. We should feel the shame of being a treacherous traitor who has deceived the vulnerable and harmed the neediest of this world. We don't have to sin, but we do. We sin against God. Even more, we sin against Jesus who died for our sin. We add to his suffering. And what does he do? He defends us. The Father and the Son must execute justice against our sin. This sin we cling to in many ways is a greater offence, for it is the sin we chose. We were washed, we were saved. We had a choice. We knew better. And the one we keep hurting the most is the one who defends us. Jesus stands up for us. He says, I died for them. Jesus is the only one who is right. We are wrong. And yet he makes us right even when we are a traitor. Choose not to sin! You can. You are not a slave. You are free. But if you do sin, Jesus defends you, Jesus protects you, Jesus is your advocate. Jesus loves you. He has chosen you to be his. Jesus knows you are a sinner. Jesus knows your heart, your motives, your fears and he knows your selfish heart. Jesus knows your disbelief and your stubborn selfish pride. And still he defends you, still he protects you from his coming wrath. Jesus sees you sin and try to hide it and, even so, he will treat you as righteous because of his own righteousness. So stop sinning. You don't have to; you are free. But if you do sin, repent without fear. Return with no reservation. You are safe. Oh sinner, you are safe

Lorries Loading Ferry at Dover Ferry Terminal by William Bode