Change

 Spring has finally made its debut in the Western Hemisphere and kitty cats who nap in the rays of warm sunshine and white-skinned girls who long to produce myriads of freckles are now happy again.

However the warmth and light moves the blood in mysterious ways and many are faced with what is affectionately termed "Spring Fever". Peter and I were not overwhelmed with white snow banks and Arctic temperatures this year in our soggy Dutch winter, but I still felt a feverish flow coursing through my veins and find myself itching to do... SOMETHING. Change something, renew something, create something.

Peter is a patient man.

He gave his consent in response to my feminine request to get a hair cut, (was that a smile I saw beginning in the upper left-hand corner of his mouth?) while patiently pointing out, "You just want to move again." And he is right. I do. When one has moved every Spring for the past four years, an inner-clock for change develops... even if you don't truly want to.

It is going to be a time of change for us again and because of that, I have decided to update on this blog every week. No more news-less reflections that are few and far between. We plan to continue a more purposeful "pointing" (read first blog for definition!) with news, reflections, plans and direction. These past six months (the happy half-a-year date of Being One that we celebrate today!) have been topsey-turvey, lovely, adventurous, hard and beautiful all rolled into one. Rest assured that the next six show no signs of change and we want to share with you what God is doing in us, through us and around us. Feel free to communicate with us and for those who dearly love (as I do!) a smooth envelope in the mail that tears open deliciously to reveal hand-written lines, provide your address and let us know.

Oh! And for those of you who were wondering, I opted out of the hair cut. Bought a bottle of cheap nail polish instead (something I never do!) and content myself with rearranging the house and dreaming up new projects. Happy Spring and bring on the change!

                   

Blooming

Is there anything more revitalizing and yet peaceful at the same time, than a bulb about to flower? Whether crocus, tulip or amaryllis, with the promise of colour, growth and coming warmth, it is a glorious reminder of life.

We have some bulbs in our windowsill and they have been sweet friends of mine this wet winter. Sometimes it seems like it will take forever for them to open and yet at the same moment, they do it so quickly and quietly that it catches us unawares. We marvel to each other at the steady swiftness of each flower as it unfurls its petals... but they are so silent and humble in their exquisite progress that it catches us unawares and all of a sudden, we are face to face with a red burst of amaryllis or a pink flare of crocus.

As we continue in this new year, perhaps we need to be more aware of the quiet yet beautiful progress that we have made as individuals. Like the flowers in our window, I find myself surprised at the progress of the "work" that is being done within me. Even the tiniest bloom of transformation is beautiful. Instead of becoming bogged down with the have-not-done's and the impossible's, I want to encourage you to examine yourself to see how far you have come with what you have and to rejoice in that growth and its signification... and I will rejoice with you as we cherish the colour of it all.

Beholding

Sunset in Amsterdam

Our woods

There are dark misty days in this sea-bordered country, the moisture of which can dampen the spirits of any young transplant. Grey feelings, the likes of melancholia and loneliness, can occupy these similarly colored days. After a bit, however, I strove against these feelings  choosing instead to look for the beauty hidden in the fog all because of something that my wise mum once told me before I left home: The best tool for battling any desolate emotion is thankfulness. As I began to look, I developed an admiration for the moist droplets on the leaves and petals of the immaculate Dutch gardens, a black bird's silhouette against the clear white-grey of the sky and the opportunities to take walks under an umbrella only to return to a warm home. Since those first days, I have continued searching for beauty. Look for it in a cup of fragrant German tea, the passionate cry of a Keith Green song, a tree bark's gnarled grace, the woolen cabled-ness of a sweater, a well-kept home and a simple "Hallo!" from a stranger. It can also be found in the grooves of an old brick wall, a forgotten mushroom on the forest floor, the swish of a bike chain or the satisfaction of a meal well-made. It would seem that this new practice is not only enriching me, but also the process of learning this new culture. The acknowledgement of these aspects of life is not only a generation of joy and contentment, but greater insight is gained and true appreciation is given to the Maker of Beauty through this recognition.  Many times I forget to look and be thankful... but when I remember to again, I can't imagine why I left off.

An old spiral staircase

Autumn

  

    A wee mushroom found by Peter

      

North Stars

"I am constant as the northern star,
Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament."


(from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar)


Existence as we know it, is mobile and dynamic. History is all about change and progress because the humanity that has written and continues to write history is a creative and developing race. There are few things on this planet that do not evolve or transform, that are not revised or refined. The seasons change with each year, plants flourish and die and civilizations rise and fall. There are only a few things  through all these natural occurrences that have a reputation of consistency and predictability. When one is found however, it can often draw attention because of its provoking difference in nature to the rest of the universe.  The North Star is one of these rare, faithful few. Historically it has proven itself a friend to the traveler and sojourner because of its constant qualities. It may not be the brightest, eye-catching light in the sky, but while the earth spins on its axis, the North Star remains steady.

We, Peter and Sarah Frinsel, are part of this progressive time and people on this spinning planet. Our lives change constantly and are full of growth and learning. We seem to be always on the move. Because of all this, it seems now more than ever that our one constant in life is found in Jesus and our relationships with him. If there ever was a more faithful North Star, it was him and is him. Not only did Jesus point to the Way but he was the Way. He still points and still is. As Michael Card says in his lovely book, "Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity": "(Jesus) constantly calls out to turn around and behold the dazzling dimness of his light... to find our way to it, and then to find our way by it." It is our belief that we are called to have these same qualities if we are followers of the Christ. It is our desire to be North Stars in this world, not flashing meteors or mystical Milky Ways or dancing constellations. We have just to be and just to point in the lives we were given. This blog will be worthless or worse than worthless if it does not does not revel in  reflect and Christ's "dazzling dimness". May this documentation of two lives under One point the Way to seekers and pilgrims, while at the same time encouraging others to take on the life of a North Star. 

Sarah ♥ Peter