Building Bridges.....

Today I had a small chat with a colleague. We talked about problems in our city. It is important to recognise that we have problems, what the problems are and be humble and open about them. What is not so good though is that media and politicians focus on the problems and not on the solutions. I remember when my son had a big concert with his chamber orchestra, the principal for the music school said that : It is amazing to see all this young boys and girls performing as they are, spending so much time practising their instruments day by day, not running around committing crimes". "where is the press now?" Yes that's a good question. No focus on the good things The bible tells us " as you sow , you ripe". I would say were your focus are you are heading yourself! You are not what you think you are, you are what you think.... Change focus....

Do you believe in miracles? That's a question I got the other day from a colleague. Yes I do believe in miracles. I in a way had the experience once . I know many are waiting for a miracle to happen. It can be a lot of things: Get that job you so desperately want, get well from a sickness, get that call from a family member you been loosing track of, many many things. God hears you, God works all the time, God helps you but he does that in HIS time. I believe in miracles, I want miracles to happen, but miracles require one thing! It requires you to be in a so to say desperate state. When God do miracles to us we are in great need. I love miracles do doubt about it, but I do prefer to live with blessings. Do be blessed all the time. To understand what He does to me. It is great to have a miracle recovering from a severe sickness, but it is a blessing to live day by day with good health.. I once heard a preacher said: It’s always better to avoid problems, whi...

And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men (Mark 1:17) Jesus walked by the seashore and called for Peter. Come follow me. And Peter did. The bible says, He left everything behind and followed Jesus. Peter did what Jesus told him to do, even though Peter didn't really at that time knew Jesus. Peter didn't asked :why? For how long? Why me? Well let me asked my wife first! He just did it, just as in the "Nike commercial" "Just do it" To follow Jesus is like steeping out on very thin ice and when you done that, realise that its solid rock... When Jesus calls us, when he asks us to follow him or to do certain things, he is doing that because he know that we can make it. He know what we are capable of. He would never ask us to do things he know we cant handle. Its like if you ask your child to do things that you know they cant. You would never do that. Still we hesitate to follow Jesus, when he is calling us, ev...

At the west harbour in Malmö, very close to the water, among all the big stones that are used as a seawall, a fig tree is growing. Figs are not a natural part of the Swedish fauna. I guess that someone, sitting there on a very nice day dropped or threw away a fig and it spread. The wind and the winters are hard for a fig tree here in Sweden, and the soil is not the best there among those stones. Still the fig tree is there, fighting. I checked it yesterday and it's still there. Clinging I'm not sure it will survive another winter, but now we are in spring so I guess the tree does not care. We also need to hang on to something when life gets though. We need to know who to trust, who to rely on. That's Jesus. We have to realise that Jesus is all that we really need. We don't need more money, another car, bigger house, a new cell phone. We need Jesus. Like the fig tree clinging to those big stones, we need to cling on to Jesus. Hes all we need..

February 5 : Sunday and as usual, the first Sunday of the month we had a combined service at Church celebrating communion. After the service we went downstairs to have a combined fellowship time with the Filipino group. Enjoying 4 birthdays. I went after a while to be a part of a Chinese baptism service in our church and after that I just sneaked in to the Vietnamese service. Amazing ha!!? February 10 : Drove my son to church. The whole weekend it was a big youth camp with lots of fun. February 11 : We had a Men and Boys fellowship at church. Not many showed up but it was the first time so.. Many teens in church today. The youth camp is going on. in the late evening our Pastor and I drove to church to pick up my son who is a bit "under the weather" In the main hall there was a great youth concert. Wonderful songs and many of them in English! Great. February 12: Sunday and our International pastor continued to speak on "get a grip and get going" g...

Today I saw a documentary program on Swedish TV about an elderly woman named Elise who helps prostitutes in Stockholm Sweden. She is there on the streets every Friday evening with tea, coffee, sandwiches etc and with prayers.Shes been there for 15 years now. Almost all prostitutes want her to pray for them and sometimes these women comes to church. Elise is energetic, caring, full of love and forgiving, but also strait forward, critical and sometimes angry. She has passion. With her straitforwardness she tells the women that they should not be there on the streets, they have to repent, stop doing what they are doing. In her own childhood she was sexually abused for many years. She had hate towards men but then one day that hate turned it to forgiveness. She found Jesus... It's amazing to see her helping this vulnerable women. She is a true hero in my eyes!

Two Iranians who converted from Islam to Christianity was stabbed by masked men in Norway last week. The attackers shouted "kuffar" - an Arabic term of abuse against unbelievers - under the assault. Many people who convert in to Christianity risk their lives all over the globe, but when it creeps up this close to that of Norway or even in Sweden, it feels unreal .. People are persecuted and murdered, yet do they gratefully accept Jesus in their hearts and make him their Lord What hinders you? What do you forsake? I have many Iranian friends who converted and who are active Christians, pray for them, for protection and help. God will never leave them. He is with them always just as he is with you.