Twelve years ago, today, Marci and I were married.  Our first dozen years.  In some ways, it feels like that's quite a bit of time to have spent together; but when I think about the fact that three of our four sets of grandparents have made it to their 60th anniversary (five dozen years!), then I realize that we're still just starting out in a lot of ways.

This evening, we watched our wedding video with our children.  It's become something of a tradition.  Some things are really funny to revisit -- the way my Dad still had a moustache back in those days, the number of people with whom we've lost touch over the last twelve years, and the extreme youth especially among the wedding party (for instance, it's crazy to realize that my brother Alex was only a couple of years older than Elliot at the time of our wedding!).  But it's also really cool to remember some of the things that happened on that day.  For instance, at the end of our wedding ceremony, we had all of our families (parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) come up and surround us to sing a benediction, to the accompaniment of a (hired) string quartet.  It was really beautiful at the time, but even more so now realizing that some in that circle have since passed away.  That was a special moment to celebrate together as a family -- both on the surface level (beautiful music, surprisingly high-quality choral performance, unique aesthetic at the end of a wedding ceremony) and on the deeper, symbolic levels (surrounding us with their love and their blessing, initiating us to the wonder of two families becoming one).  I think that was one of the coolest things that we did on our wedding day.

But it was also refreshing to hear our vows to each other again.  I was especially struck by the Bible passage that we chose to incorporate into our vows -- establishing it as something of a manifesto to our lives and our relationship.  The passage was Galatians 6:9-10:  "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."  Both Marci and I have gone back to that passage specifically in the last month or so, drawing strength and sustenance from its exhortation.  So to hear those words again, in the context of our wedding ceremony, was a special confirmation of God's involvement in our lives and in our marriage.  With God's grace, we both hope and pray that we can continue so doing for the next several dozen years.

I wish I could sleep in Amsterdam's Artis Aquarium.  In the corral reef section.  The movement of sea anemones is so soothing.  And even if I couldn't fall asleep, I would never get bored.

Something about the Aquarium is so mesmerizing that I recently felt compelled to try capture some of the feeling of the space on video (albeit using a crappy camera phone).  I thought it might be interesting to share the results here.

What do you think?  Pretty amazing creatures, huh?

This weekend we celebrated the Church's birthday.  According to Christian tradition, yesterday marked the day of Pentecost (which also happens to be a true work holiday / three-day weekend in the Netherlands).  The Holy Spirit came down from heaven and filled the people who had been following Jesus, which suddenly empowered these very ordinary people to do some very extraordinary things -- things that are still happening in Amsterdam today, just as much as they were in Jerusalem two millenia ago.

Our particular church congregation (Amsterdam50) celebrated this "Birthday of the Church" not by meeting together for our regularly-scheduled worship gathering, nor listening to a sermon, nor singing Christian songs, nor by trying to organize some kind of birthday party potluck dinner... Instead, we encouraged our congregation to scatter throughout the city to serve on various service projects organized by an inter-church initiative called Serve the City.  To me, it seemed like a fitting thing to do -- just as God would want the Church to work...

But honestly, I have some doubts:  Was this really what was best for our church?

Pastors talk about growing their churches just like farmers talk about growing their crops.  And the collective wisdom of most pastors would seem to be that we need to "shepherd the flock" well, maintain consistency, fertilize our congregations with biblical preaching and excellent worship, and keep focused on raising up the next generation of leaders.  Frankly, I can't say that I disagree with any of these suppositions!  But the trick is that our particular "flock" is always in such flux (largely a bi-product of working with a lot of young, international people in the center of a highly transitory city).  We like to play with people's expectations of church -- which almost necessarily infringes upon the consistency factor -- trying to stay "outside the box," doing things in different ways at different times (like "having church" in the Vondelpark or delivering a teaching in the form of a musical).  We value preaching and musical worship, but only as one part of a varied "toolbox" of ways to glorify God and replace human wisdom with God-given biblical wisdom (which could also include panel discussions, coordinated prayer, testionies, workshops, etc.).  And for whatever reason, it seems that a lot of our "best and brightest" get farmed out to other ministry opportunities around the globe. Even as I type these things, I realize that we're not necessarily going about things in a bad way...

But it's clearly not the best way to grow a church.

Canceling a weekly worship gathering has got to be one of the last things that church growth experts would advise.  Emphasizing personal responsibility (insisting that the Holy Spirit is more than adequate to lead us in personal worship, and that the Bible is more than adequate to teach us with or without a prepared sermon) is not one of the best ways to deal with hungry "sheep."  And honestly, I sense that some from our church (or some who have left our church!) have been frustrated with these ways of doing things.  But my hope in all of this is that we are making and growing disciples of Jesus -- as well as doing our part to develop the world-wide Church (with a capital "C").  That's not to say that I don't have my own moments of doubt!  But that's what we're trying to do, as a church here in Amsterdam.

Happy Birthday, Church!  Lang zal je leven in de gloria.

One of my long-time favorite recreational activities has finally come to Amsterdam!  A new 18-hole disc golf course was opened on the west side of Amsterdam in January 2010, and I finally got a chance to experience it for myself yesterday.

Not only is it a course in Amsterdam (which is pretty exciting, in and of itself) -- I honestly think that it's one of the finest disc golf courses that I've ever played!  I've visited numerous courses in the United States of America (specifically in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois), I've visited a course in Toronto, Canada, and as far as I'm aware I've played on every disc golf course in the Netherlands (all three of them, now)... And the new course in the Sloterpark has got to be near the top of the list.

It's extremely well-designed, with a challenging variety of holes that test all aspects of one's game.  The course is well-maintained and clearly marked (more so than just about any other disc golf course that I've ever seen).  It's situated in an idyllic lakeside park setting, which feels like a true escape from urban Amsterdam -- and yet it's just a 20 minute bike ride from the city center.  The surrounding scenery encompasses everything from mature forests, to open meadows, to large-scale open-air sculpture (which serves as a very unique tee for the 9th hole).

It's beautiful.

One interesting characteristic of the course was the "wildlife" that could be observed throughout the course of play.  Especially the rabbits.  They were everywhere -- especially on the course's central hill (holes 8 and 9) -- and they were remarkably unafraid of humans .  You can see three of them grazing in the photograph below.

In another part of the course (hole 10), there were about a dozen stork nests, high up in the pine trees, and the enormous birds could be heard squawking loudly overhead as I played through.

Perhaps it's a little bit strange to refer to rabbits and storks as being "wildlife," but such wildlife is highly unusual in an urban environment such as Amsterdam.  Oh, the urban elements were there, too.  There were some particularly picturesque examples funky, urban, European architecture alongside hole 11.  So all of these elements coming together made the course that much more unique.  Like I said, it was one of the most magnificent courses that I've ever played.

I can't say that I shot very well (12-over par through 18 holes) -- but the course was so beautiful, I honestly didn't mind!  Even if I had been playing my "A" game (typically able to shoot at or just under par), I don't think I would have been able to keep up with the full demands of the course... But it's actually kind of good to have a course as challenging as that.

In case you're looking to experience the Sloterpark Disc Golf course for yourself, I thought it might be helpful to include a few practical details here as well.  First (before you go), I would strongly advise wearing full-length pants, socks, and shoes -- as there are quite a few stinging nettles throughout the course, which could be quite uncomfortable if they come into contact with your skin.  Second, of course, you need to know how to get there.  Here's a map of Amsterdam pinpointing the location of the park and the start of the disc golf course:

There is also a printable PDF file with a map and directions for how to get to Amsterdam's disc golf course in the Sloterpark (which also includes directions for those traveling with public transportation), made available by the course designers.

And then once you get to the course, naturally, you may want to know the lay-out of the course.  So here is a map of the course itself:

Again, there is also a printable PDF file detailing the layout of the course itself .  Even though the course is remarkably well marked out, I would recommend printing one of these out and bringing it with you, in order to save yourself time and confusion.

With these practical considerations in mind, then, it just comes down to playing some disc golf!  It really is a significant blessing, after seven years of living "in exile" from immediately-accessible disc golfing.  Yes, it's less than idea that it's still a good 35-40 minutes of biking from my house... but hey, I'll take it.  And you would too, if you knew what's good for you. :-)

The trash collectors' strike has finally ended.  It's nice to see the streets getting cleaned up again.

I've found it very interesting to note the public reaction to this strike.  By and large, I'd say that public sympathy has been with the trash collectors -- with the city being made out to be the "Bad Guys."  It's been framed as "poor, under-appreciated, blue-collar trash collectors" versus "stingy, heartless, evil, corporate / government monolith."  And likely due to this public sentiment, the trash collectors seem to have come away from this confrontation as the "winners," having gained more ground in the negotiations.  It would seem like most Amsterdammers would say "Good for them."  Everyone likes to see it when someone sticks it to "The Man."  Myself included.

But it's recently occurred to me that, in this case, "The Man" is us -- the citizens of Amsterdam.  That is:  the government is made up of publicly-elected representatives who have been charged with the task of managing the money that is collected by our taxes, right?  So that means that it was effectively us (the citizens of Amsterdam) against the striking trash collectors.  So even though our streets are getting cleaned up again now (which is definitely appreciated), we ended up being the "losers" of the show-down.  It will ultimately mean either higher taxes for us, or budget cuts in other areas of municipal government.

Strange shift in perspective, huh?  Am I missing anything, in thinking through the scenario (other Amsterdammers seem to be significantly better-informed in things like this)?  Or if I've got it correct -- that our interests really were more tied up in the government's side of things -- why do you think it is that we "sided" with the trash collectors?  I'm just curious.  Again, I'm very appreciative to have the trash collectors back on the job.  But I'm just confused about if I should really feel like a moral victory was won or if I should feel like I was unfairly coerced into making concessions (via my elected officials)... Strange the way that all of these things work.

Sometimes I can feel kind of sad about the fact that my kids have been forced to grow up as city kids.  It's so different from my own childhood -- building forts in the woods, stomping through streams, being free to walk "all the way downtown" (in small-town Midwest America) by myself with little concern for my safety...

I recognize, of course, that there are advantages to growing up in a big city, where something is always happening, where you're close to world-class museums, where you're able to build relationships with people from so many different walks of life.  But there just seems to be something aesthetically lacking, when you're constantly surrounded with concrete and brick and metal and all manner of man-made scenery.  It can feel like a certain element of beauty is missing.

This weekend, though, I felt inspired to go out for a walk with my kids and deliberately seek out the urban grit in our neighborhood.  I took along our camera and tried to capture the beauty of life as a city kid.  The pictures didn't turn out quite as well as I might have liked (I had a bunch of problems with getting the exposure right, given the shifting weather conditions and the significant contrasts in shade and color) -- but I still thought it was a beneficial experiment in finding the unique beauty of our world, and particularly my kids' world.

As usual with this type of post, in case you're interested, you can see more pictures from the weekend's "photo shoot" in the Family Pictures section of the website.

It's been a week and a half now since the city's trash collectors went on strike.  Today, the weather got warm enough for the smell to become noticeable at times.  Overall, it's not a pretty thing to look at.  But today, I saw this collection of recyclable glass on the sidewalk in our neighborhood -- and I actually thought there was some element of beauty in it.  All the different sizes, shapes, colors.  Dozens of parties arrayed on the sidewalk for all the world to see.

Is it just me?

Marci and I finished working out in the basement -- a grueling, gut-wrenching abdominal work-out -- just prior to getting the kids up for the day.? We opened their doors breathlessly and retreated to the dining room to catch our breath, while pouring bowls of breakfast cereal for the children.? As they started to emerge from their warm, tousled, sleepy stupor, the kids marveled at our hot, sweaty condition.? They could tell that we had worked ourselves especially hard.

Cor, in particular, seemed concerned.? He put his hand on Marci's leg to express his support.? Immediately, however, he lifted his hand and exclaimed, "Are you wet, Mama?!?"

Before Marci could answer, he switched to more reassuring tones.? "Dat's okay... Dat's fine, Mama."? He retrieved a nearby sponge and wiped his mother's leg, mimicking an action that he's seen performed a thousand times in his young life.? "I clean it up."

Amsterdam is drowning in garbage.

I think that a garbage collectors' strike has to be one of the most effective forms of striking that there is.  Just one week into things, and the face of the city is noticeably marred by the piles of garbage on every street corner.  Fortunately, the weather has been quite cool -- so the smell has been less-than-overwhelming -- but it's still an eyesore.

What's amazing for me is that this strike simply shows what's always there:  the incredible amount of waste that we produce in a city as densely-populated as Amsterdam.  That is, Amsterdam always produces this much garbage; it's just more noticeable in times like this when no one comes and "magically" takes it away.

There's an obvious ecological dimension to this build-up of trash (underscored by a recent family viewing of the Disney film "Wall-E").  But it also seems to me that there's an emotional and spiritual element as well.  So much garbage all around us, only visible when the system is disrupted... It's a mess of unimaginable proportion.  Even so, it's good to be reminded of it sometimes and be brought to the point of re-imagining a cleaner, better world.

We got to see the big race today!  And it was pretty cool.  The riders were close enough that we could have spit on them.  I was amazed by how quickly they rode past (especially considering the fact that we strategically picked a spot where they would be coming off of an S-curve and climbing a slight incline).  Very glad we could see it...

And to think it was just 1.5 kilometers (less than a mile) from our house!  In case you're interested, a wider collection of my photographs from the afternoon can be seen in the Amsterdam Pictures section of this website.

Link: http://proverbs365.ericasp.com/

It was bound to happen one of these days... And it turns out that yesterday was the day.  My Proverbs 365 project has now surpassed this blog (Amsterdam Asp) in readership.  I'm not necessarily presuming that it's permanent (yesterday also happened to have lower-than-average readership for this blog), but it's been building in that direction for the last couple of months -- and I'm actually kind of excited to see that it's happened now.  Just four months following its inception, it's now going and growing strong.

What can I say?  I enjoy the statistical side of blogging almost as much as the artistic (writing) side of things.  To me, the development of the Proverbs 365 project has shown that daily blogging with a highly-specific focus creates for increased internet presence.  And, if I do say so myself, I think it also happens to be a worthwhile project.

Have you visited Proverbs 365 lately?  The statistics suggest that there are more strangers visiting than Amsterdam Asp readers.  So maybe you need to be encouraged to check it out for yourself.  Consider yourself encouraged :-)

Let me start by saying that I can be a little bit slow sometimes.  I mean, it's been weeks already that I've been seeing the pink banners throughout town screaming "Giromania" -- and on a certain level, I guessed that this would probably have something to do with the Giro d'Italia cycling event.  But I never put it together (until yesterday) that Amsterdam is actually getting to host the official start of the 2010 Giro d'Italia!  And it's happening this weekend!

I guess I was thrown off by the fact that this is earlier in the year than I would normally expect the Giro d'Italia (a cycling race perhaps second in notoreity only to the "Tour de France") to be starting... And then, of course, there's the obvious fact that Amsterdam is not in Italy -- and not even close to being in Italy.  But regardless of these factors, it's happening!  I'm so glad that I finally figured it out, just four days before the event itself.  As it turns out, Amsterdam will not only be hosting the opening time trial (in which each rider races individually against the clock, to determine opening placements); Amsterdam will also be the starting point for Day 2 (Amsterdam - Utrecht) and Day 3 (Amsterdam - Middelburg).

So I'm looking forward to getting a first-hand look at some world-class cycling this weekend.  Unfortunately, Team Radio Shack (read:  Lance Armstrong's team) will not be participating in the Giro d'Italia this year... And likely because of this (i.e. the assumption that Armstrong seems to be prioritizing his preparation for the "grand prize" at the Tour de France), this year's Giro d'Italia will also be missing Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Frank Schleck, and Dennis Menchov.  But even so, I will get to see riders like Ivan Basso, Bradley Wiggins, Cadel Evans, Christian Vandevelde, Alexandre Vinokourov, and Thomas Voeckler -- among dozens of others.  So I'm pretty excited to see that this event is coming to Amsterdam.

What's also cool is that this year's Tour de France will also be starting in the Netherlands (though in Rotterdam, instead of Amsterdam).  Our family is also hoping to travel down there in July, to watch the beginning of the Big Race, when all of the "Big Cycling Stars" are also going to be there.  So this year, I should get to be an eye-witness spectator for both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France -- without ever having to leave the Netherlands!

In case you're interested in reading more about the Giro d'Italia's kick-off in Amsterdam, there's an excellent (tri-lingual) website set up for the occasion at www.giromania.nl.

Marci cut the kids' hair yesterday evening.  Elliot started out with getting just a trim (as seen above).  But then he decided that he wanted it to be even shorter...

A lot shorter.  And in a few minutes, his hair turned into this.

I can imagine the collective gasp from all the people at his school and at church, who will be astonished by his transformation.  Maybe gasps of shock?  Maybe gasps of appreciation?  It's hard to say.  But for better or worse, he's joined his father in the Buzz Club...

At least for now.

It's been a whole week since my last post in this space, which is kind of unusual for me (even in weeks when I've been traveling).  Even so, I have not slacked off in my Proverbs 365 project: taking a Proverb for each day of the year and then considering it and applying it for 21st Century living. I'm now officially one-third of the way through.  It's been a challenge to keep up with such a rhythm of daily posting -- including daily devotionals -- but I've found it to be a very worthwhile experience.

Since it's now the beginning of the project's fifth month, I'm going to continue what has now become something of a monthly tradition -- highlighting three of my personal favorites from the past month (and hopefully, in so doing, encourage some cross-over readership!):

My favorite post of the month may have been P2101 - Watercourse.  I wrote it based on Proverbs 21:1, where it says, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases."  And while the Proverb is cool enough in and of itself, it was especially meaningful to me because of the circumstances through which it came to my attention.  Literally the day before reading through Proverbs 21, my kids and I were at a park near our home, where we discovered a super-cool playground that was based around a manually-operated water-pump dumping its payload out into an inclined sand pit, which could be dug and dammed and channeled in a thousand different directions.  So when I read Proverbs 21:1, fresh off the context of discovering our own neighborhood watercourse, I felt like I received a lot of fresh insight into the Proverb's meaning -- not to mention receiving fresh hope for our world's gridlocked political systems.  You can read these reflections for yourself by following the link above...

Another highlight from the last month the insight I received on the character of God, through reading Proverbs 11:27:  "He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it ."  After considering this Proverb, I wrote a short story entitled P1127 - The Painter and the Retiree.  Loosely based on a recent personal experience at the local bank, this story was a more creative way to analyze and apply the wisdom of this Proverb.  In addition to appreciating any feedback on this particular entry, I'd be curious to hear what you might think of this form of reflecting on the Proverbs...

In addition to the above two Proverbs, I found myself being very challenged and encouraged by the wisdom of Proverbs 28:14, where it says, "Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble."  I personally found myself interacting with the text on a pastoral (ministry) level, seeing how I regularly find myself dealing with people who are going through the mountains and valleys of faith.  As I thought about things, I realized that we all sin and that (thanks to Jesus!) no sin is unforgiveable, but just about any sin can be catastrophic -- depending on the condition of the sinner's heart and his or her response to the sin that was committed.  As I explain in P2814 - The Trouble of Hard-Heartedness, it really comes down to how hard or soft a person's heart is.  It's challenging stuff to consider -- not just on the pastoral level, but on the personal level, too.  I'd challenge you to take a good, hard look at the condition of your heart in the light of Proverbs 28:14 and see what God might reveal to you through that...

For a more comprehensive listing of April's content, here are the titles of all 30 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the content.

• P131 - Fruit
• P207 - Where's the Shield?
• P301 - Flip the Script
• P413 - The Carabiner of Life
• P509 - Preventative Cancer Treatment
• P617b - A Lying Tongue
• P716 - Four Multi-Sensory Ways to Spice Up Your Sex Life
• P805 - Simplicity versus Folly
• P917 - Eating Disorders as Manifestation of Folly?
• P1018 - How to Handle Hatred
• P1127 - The Painter and the Retiree
• P1225 - Succes & Sterkte
• P1323 - The Paradox of Iceland and Zimbabwe
• P1423 - Profitability as a State of Mind
• P1515 - Oppression as a State of Mind
• P1609 - The Futility of the Five-Year Plan
• P1706 - A Vestigial Kind of Love
• P1816 - Schmoozing Reconsidered
• P1913 - "Chicken or Egg" Family Dilemma
• P2022 - Waiting for Answers
• P2101 - Watercourse
• P2202 - Poverty vs. Prosperity
• P2310 - A Case for Boundaries
• P2426 - The Insights of an Antagonistic Older Brother
• P2517 - No Toilet for a Family of Five
• P2604 - A Clear-Cut Contradiction in the Bible
• P2701 - Lessons from March Madness
• P2814 - The Trouble of Hard-Heartedness
• P2925 - Stepping Out of the Snare
• P3008 - Middle-Class Prayer

May promises to be another great month -- so check it out for yourself at http://proverbs365.ericasp.com.  Others are apparently getting some use out of it, too, as the blog is currently averaging 365 hits per day (a very convenient statistic for a project called Proverbs 365!).  So please feel free to spread the word, too... One of the distinct advantages of the Proverbs is that it's easy to tune into them, whenever one might so choose. It's not like if you missed the first four months, then you're "behind" or anything like that. The Proverbs are just like these little power pellets that can be consumed and digested immediately. So it's never too late to start enjoying them!