Happy birthday LEGO!

Today it’s 50 years ago that Ole Kirk Christiansen came up with the greatest Danish product in history – LEGO! Everybody loves LEGO bricks and kids play with them all over the world. Kirk Christiansen himself came up with the name LEGO which is a fusion of the two Danish words “LEg GOdt” (play well). So happy birthday, LEGO, and if you want to read more about the history of this wonderful toy, you can click here.

And on this great Danish day it seems appropriate to also celebrate what happened yesterday. Denmark beat Croatia in the final in the European Handball Championship for men. I saw the game online, and more than 2 million Danes saw the game on tv (and bear in mind that there are only 5,5 million Danes all in all…!). What a rush sports gives. A rush that you just can’t understand if you’re either not into sports, or you are not truly passionate about it. I allow myself to get really into sports, especially football, so I’ve had tears of joy and tears of sorrow in my eyes during and after various games. And I’m not planning on growing out if, even though I just turned 31:-)

Torben – who is going to Tbilisi, Georgia tomorrow where the weather experts talk about temperatures of -22 Celsius (-8 Fahrenheit) and snow the next few days while I’m there….brrrr……!

Everything

Tim Hughes – Everything

A powerful Paul-style song about Christ being my everything anywhere and at all times. “He shall become bigger, I shall become smaller”.
Torben

The quote of the week

I will introduce a new little thing here on abrokencup.wordpress.com. I love thought provoking and challenging quotes from people a lot wiser than me. And I love many of the wonderful songs that are to be found on youtube.com, so from now on I’ll post the quote of the week and youtube video of the week each Saturday. 

Hope you’ll enjoy it!

“To open yourself to another person, to stop lying about your loneliness and your fears, to be honest about your affections, and to tell others how much they mean to you – this openness is the triumph of the child over the pharisee and a sign of the dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit – “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17)“ 

Taken from Brennan Manning’s masterpiece Abba’s Child  

Torben 

To be or not to be clumsy

Some people are obviously born clumsy. I have met many of them. They drop everything. They break everything. They can’t catch anything, etc. I’ve never been a clumsy one. Then I met Jeannette. She is not super clumsy, but definitely a lot more than me. Then I married her. And I’ve gotten more and more clumsy the past two and a half years. Tonight there was a culmination. I had just finished making lovely, hot chili con carne for both of us.  I put Jeannette’s portion on the table, but thought I would eat mine on the couch. I put the plate down on the couch, turned around and sat right down on the plate! For no obvious reason. Jeannette sprained her face and stomach muscles laughing at me. And I had to face the fact that I’m getting more and more clumsy….. Is there any hope for me?
Torben 

Christmas joy:-)

Man of no reputation

One of my all-time favorite songs is a song written by Rick Elias and performed by the Ragamuffin Band on the amazing cd The Jesus Record that was recorded as a tribute to the late Rich Mullins.  If I had to pick my top 5 cd’s. This one would definitely make the cut. Unfortunately I can’t find the song on youtube, but here are the lyrics for it: 

It was said this man was of no reputation

Yet He could stop the rising storm

With a gesture of His hand

But He chose to use His hands to heal

Hearts of darkness hearts of stone

Just like mine would be revealed 


 

He was a man of no reputation

And by the wise considered a fool

When He spoke about faith and forgiveness

In a time when the strongest arms ruled 


 

But this man of no reputation 


Loved the weak with relentless affection 


And He loved all those poor in spirit just as they were 


He was a man of no reputation 



 

It was said this man brought only confusion 


That He’d achieve his ends by any means 


And the truth that it brings revolution 


And for once they were right 


The truth set us free 


 

The hearts of the captive were his only concern 


And the powerful knew their days were ending 



 

He was a man of no reputation 


And by the wise considered a fool 


When He spoke about faith and forgiveness 


In a time when the strongest arms ruled 



But this man of no reputation 


Loved the weak with relentless affection 


And He loved all those poor in spirit just as they were 


He was a man of no reputation 



 

One day soon the gates of heaven will open wide 


And the Prince of Peace will come back for His bride 


But for now we live on these streets 


Forbidding and tough 



Where push always comes to shove 


And it’s said love’s never enough 


Where a prophet in rags gives hope to a fearful world 


No injustice no heart of darkness 


Will keep this voice from being heard 



 

He was a man of no reputation 


And by the wise considered a fool 


When He spoke about faith and forgiveness 


In a time when the strongest arms ruled 



But this man of no reputation 


Loves us all with relentless affection 


And He loves all those poor in spirit come as you are 


To the man of no reputation

 The song often brings tears to my eyes, and makes me rethink my life. Am I willing to, like Jesus, be a man of no reputation? Am I willing to walk away from fame, prestige, security, admiration, etc. and choose the road less traveled and walk with the Man of No Reputation no matter where he leads me? The road of brokenness, the road of poverty in the spirit, the road of abundant and fulfilling life with Christ – is that my road in life?
Torben – if somebody can find a link to a place where people can hear this wonderful song, I would definitely appreciate it.   

Renew Me – 2008’s first video

One of the songs that spoke to me many times in 2007. It has a beautiful focus on God doing the changes in me. It’s not about me pulling it together. It’s all about him changing me from within.

So renew me
Remake me
Undo me
Unbreak me
Come into the empty spaces
Of my broken places
And consume me
Complete me
Pursue me
Redeem me
Let Your Holy Spirit living through me
Renew me

Revelations

And to conclude the list of top experiences of 2007 here is a little list of some of the greatest revelations that God gave me during a very interesting, hard, frustrating, fruitful, joyful, exciting, passionate, and fun year:

 – I’m loved just the way I am, NOT in spite of who I am or the way I am 

– I’m a friend of God

– I don’t have to defend, promote or explain myself, because I know who I am in God, and he’ll do all of that if he sees it’s needed 

– I don’t have to do anything to improve myself, even if I all I do is sit in a chair and eat donuts the rest of my life, God wouldn’t love me any less

– I’m a broken cup, and God’s water will run through me, bless me and bless other people around me. Brokenness is a life long experience for me as a Christian (brokenness: having been fractured or damaged. No longer in one piece or in working order)

– All God asks of me is to abide in him and believe in him, he will love and live through me and change me and the world through me. It’s never about me pulling it together so I can make a difference!

 Wow…..I’m amazed just sitting here writing about some of the wonderful things the living God has chosen to reveal to me in the past year. And I continue to pray that he’ll give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation so I may know him better and better (Ephesians 1:17)

Torben 

 

Wonderful songs

Top 10 songs – many of the songs are not new, but these are some of the songs that meant something to me in 2007 and continue to bless and challenge me. Click on the links to see some music videos. 

 

East To West – Casting Crowns

Cry Out To Jesus – Third Day

Renew Me – Avalon

The Real Me – Natalie Grant

Everything – Tim Hughes

When God Ran – Phillips, Craig and Dean

How Great Is Our God – Chris Tomlin

A Place Called Grace – Phillips, Craig and Dean

Holy Surrender – Aaron Keyes

Where Is The Love – Black Eyed Peas

 

Bible highlights

Top 12 Bible passages  – it was very hard to pick! God has been good and has revealed much of himself through his Word in 2007. 

Matthew 5: 3-12 – The Beatitudes – I could talk for hours about the impact these verses have had…! (Maybe some other time!) 

Psalm 23 – this wonderful and well-known Psalm has come alive these past seven months. Wonderful description of my journey with God “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me!”

Romans 8:15 (really all of Romans, but I’ll pick one verse for this purpose) “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry ‘Abba, Father’”

1. John 3:16 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” Universal truth. We actually do know what love is, because Jesus demonstrated it for us!

John 8: 31-32 “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!” I have loved this verse for years, but I see the simple truth of this verse more in more in my life and in other people’s. If you encounter and live in the truth in any area in your life, it really does set you free!

John 6: 28-29 “Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires? Jesus answered: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” Nothing more, nothing less!

John 7: 38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” When I believe in Christ and abide in him, the life of Christ flows through my broken cup

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” I’m dead, Christ is alive in me. He does his work through me, and he gets all the glory!

Ephesians 1:17 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” It’s all about God’s revelation. Without that all is just words and information without life.

2. Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness” When I’m weak, I’m strong – kingdom of God logic!

Hebrews 10:14 “because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” in Christ I AM PERFECT!! And nothing can or will change that!

Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, “God with us” God is with us. God is here. God is alive, and because he drew near first, we can draw near to him who will then draw nearer to us.