Finding God In Amsterdam

The Wedding Blog

2009-09-16T02:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone

I want to announce our new blog: The Wedding Blog. It's where Tania and I will be recording news, stories, and progress about our upcomming wedding in February. Most of my posting will probably be there from now on, and after we're married, seanfilidis.com will probably be replaced with www.seanandtania.com!

Do check out the new blog. You can also find dates, and a wedding invitation you can respond to if you are interested in coming to our wedding.

Thanks!

SPF

UofN Amsterdam Urban Campus

2009-08-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a short clip of Armando Benner, the base director of YWAM Amsterdam, explaining the vision for further developing YWAM Amsterdam as a fully functional UofN campus. Very exciting stuff!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=260926610136

SPF

Colin & Zoë

2009-08-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the things God taught me as I spent last week in Germany with Tania visiting her family. They live in a beautiful area in the middle of nowhere, on land owned by a rich German count. We had to watch Tania's nephew and niece while their parents were away.

Colin:

While spending 2 days helping to take care of a 3.5-year-old boy, Colin, I somehow very quickly managed to become his hero. He wanted to spend all his time with me, wanted me to play with him, sit next to him, and even put him to bed. Colin, however, was incredibly loud and insatiable, and I am—ask my friends—not very good with kids. I found it extremely difficult to handle him, and to keep him entertained. The biggest problem was that we couldn’t communicate! He only spoke 3.5-year-old German, and I speak only English and Dutch. Besides the difference of age and interests that separated us, we also had this language barrier to deal with. It didn’t seem to bother him so much, but I was getting more and more frustrated. I asked God to help me with the situation, and he showed me something.

My relationship with Colin was comparable to God’s relationship with me in a number of ways. Colin was stubborn, he didn’t listen, he would constantly do things he knew wasn’t allowed, he was dirty, messy, threw lots of tantrums, and it always seemed to be my fault when something bad happened. Sound familiar? I realized that in a relative way, I act the same with God. I’m stubborn, I don’t listen, I keep doing what I know I’m not supposed to, and then I blame God when things go wrong. He has lots of grace with me, like I had to have with Colin.

This is what really got me though: Colin was probably convinced that I had some serious issues with my communication. From his point of view, I simply couldn’t speak properly… I was, well, rather stupid in his eyes, not even being able to correctly pronounce simple German words. Then I realized how often I accuse God of being a terrible communicator! Why does God always make such a feeble attempt at making his will known to me?

God showed me, through Colin, that actually the opposite is the case. See, in reality, it was I, the adult that was an excellent communicator. I speak two languages rather fluently, and am very experienced in other cultures. It was actually Colin that was too young to really listen, too rushed to really interpret, and too uneducated to really understand. In the same way, God is actually an excellent communicator, the best in fact! It is I who is too impatient to listen, to busy to interpret, too uneducated in spiritual matters to make sense of what God is always trying to tell me.

Zoë:

Zoë is Colin’s younger sister of one and a half years. She is very cute and easygoing most of the time, but is also sometimes prone to tantrums. It was my job one day to push her through the forest in her kid’s wagon. It was the kind of wagon that had a seat, a steering wheel like a bike, and pedals, but there was also a pole coming out the back with a handle so that the parent could push and direct the whole thing. Colin was being pushed in his own wagon by Tania’s dad, Tania was along side me, and Peter the cat was following us.

After a while of struggling through the forest, of which the floor was covered in roots and rocks, I noticed how cool the construction of Zoë’s wagon was. I realized that if I simply pushed, she could use the steering wheel to direct the wagon, and mostly she did a fair job at keeping to the path. Being so young and fragile, however, I still had to help her a lot. If I decided she needed to go left or right, I could easily control her direction no matter which way she tried to steer the wheel. In this way I was able to keep her from getting stuck in ruts and roots, or from tipping over.

God showed me something through this: In my life, it is I that makes the choices, right or left. I usually do a decent job of staying on track. But if God were not helping me, not only would I soon run out of momentum, but also I would get stuck in ruts all the time, and probably tip over now and then. In a literal sense, God has a handle on my life! He lets me steer, but at the same time he keeps me going in the right direction—as long as that’s where I want to go.

See every now and then Zoë wanted me to stop. She wanted to get out, look at something, or turn around. Even though I wanted to move on, I wouldn’t force her. My job was, honestly, just getting her to where she wanted to go so she could have a good time! Isn’t that what God wants for us? Isn’t that how he holds our hands and lays out our steps? Like a parent labors to bring joy to their child, so God labors to bring us joy.

SPF

Get Started Already!

2009-06-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

One tragedy of Christian thinking that I heard David Hamilton speak about once, is the popular mindset of being God’s servants waiting for him to tell us what to do. It asserts that we shouldn’t act until we are absolutely sure it is God directing us, not some other influence. So much value is placed on hearing God’s voice that we often remain idle until he commands us. Or our ministries remain stagnant until he forcefully prunes us.

God wants more than a servant/master relationship with us. Imagine if you had a girlfriend and you never bought her flowers. Finally she was so upset about this that she loudly commanded, “go buy me flowers now!” Now imagine you obeyed and brought her some flowers. Do you think she would be very pleased with this gift? Would it be very special to her? No, of course not, because she had to tell you!

God wants to be in a love relationship with us. In a love relationship you spend lots of time getting to know your partner, learning his or her desires, dreams, passions, and then working to fulfill those things before they have to ask. If, instead, you were to buy your girlfriend flowers before she had to ask you, it might be something that pleased and surprised her!

We are to seek God out and know him. We need to be familiar with his dreams, his desires, his passions, and then work to see those things come true! Let's get started before he has to specifically tell us! I think God waits and waits for us to do something that will bless his heart. He has made his dreams very clearly known to us through his word. But we sit idly for so long, trying to divine his voice that finally God has to command us to do something! It shouldn’t be like that.

Isaiah overheard God asking the question out loud, “Who will go?” The question wasn’t a command, it wasn’t directed at Isaiah. Isaiah simply became aware of God’s desires, and he jumped at the opportunity to bless God. He stood up and declared, “here I am, Lord, send me!”

Of course we are to remain mindful of God’s specific direction. He will reveal strategy to us once we get started. And if our heart is to bless God, and we unintentionally start down a wrong path, we can be sure he will redirect us! In this way we partner with him.

SPF

Defining Faith

2009-05-31T05:12:00.000-07:00

People tend to think of faith and doubt as mutually exclusive. It is typically said that one either "has faith" (in or for something) or they are "doubting". In this way of thinking, faith is reduced to a state of mind.

Christians continually feel guilty because they don't "have enough faith", and by this they seem to mean they don't "believe strongly enough." When they encounter things in life that cause them to experience doubt (wether in small or large matters), they usually see that as something bad.

I would define faith differently. I would even say that faith requires the presence of doubt. Faith is not just a state of mind, but an act of will, which by definition requires exercising. Faith is not the absense of doubt, but it is what you choose to do when faced with doubt.

Were I to tell you that flying elephants exist, you would not naturally believe me, nor could you choose to believe me because you cannot force your mind to accept something that is contrary to what it knows to be actual. Again, faith is not a state of mind. You could, however, choose to trust me, and make decisions based on what I have told you. In this you would be exercizing faith; not in flying elephants, but in me and in my character.

The above example is absurd. But in the same way God calls us to have faith in him and in his character through making decisions based not on what we naturally perceive, but on what he has said.

Taking all this into account, I would say that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but fear. God has spoken clearly that he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Exo 34:6). God has spoken clearly that he is our provider (Gen 50:21). In fact, the most repeated command in the bible is, "do not fear," or some variation of that.

When we are confronted with doubts or situations that cause us to doubt, we can either choose to be afraid and to worry, or to exercise faith by trusting in God's characteristics, and continuing to live in light of what God has said about himself.

This also releases the Christian from the guilt associated with doubt. Doubt is natural to the rational mind and is very healthy. Instead of trying to ignore it, avoid it, cover it up with endless religious activity, or feel guilty about it, we should engage it, wrestle with it, and allow it to send us seeking for answers. After all, an unexamined faith is not worth having.

Seeking truth should be any person's foremost agenda. By wrestling with doubts we obtain much understanding, and ultimately more solid grounds for our faith, and also the things we believed that turn out to be groundless, we can leave behind.

Why is God invisible? There would be no need to exercise faith were he not. But God enjoys being sought after.

So my friends, do not be afraid, take advantage of your doubts, and remember, we are to live by faith, not by sight.

SPF

Disciples Of Tolerance

2009-05-20T03:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was on one of the bridges in the red light district doing evangelism and worship with my team, when I saw a group of about 30 wide-eyed school children slowly walking through the narrow alleyways. They were 10 or 12 years old, wearing backpacks, and were being led around by their teacher.

I faltered in my song as sudden waves of rage swept over me. Trying to suppress the anger and maintain a graceful attitude, I handed my guitar to a colleague and went after the teacher. I grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around.

"What do you think you are doing, bringing these impressionable children through here?! Don't you realize you are exposing them to pornography, glamorized prostitution and sex-slavery, and that it will probably affect them the rest of their lives? Who on earth put you in charge of these kids' education? You need to leave now!"

All he could do was grunt fearfully and the mumble in Dutch that they were leaving.

I was harsh with the man, I know, but the reason I am so angry is that this is becoming a trend. I recently have seen school teachers bringing their class through the red light district regularly.

Through multiple confrontations, I've discovered that their motivation is not to show the kids what a terrible place this is, but to ingrain in them the Dutch principles of tolerance; to show them how wonderful this 'free' society is; to normalize prostitution in the eyes of the emerging generation.

I also observe that the teachers (at least the male ones) are having a great time strolling through and winking and the ladies. The children are always either in a state of shock, or some of them laughing loudly amongst themselves, pointing at the women and enjoying the excursion as if it were a zoo.

I love the Netherlands, but this neighborhood and the mentality it creates makes me more and more sick. I am becoming steadily more convinced that evangelism is not so much the immediate, primary, and most urgent need in this neighborhood; but social reform is.

My growing conviction is that our God-ordained mission is not only to preach the gospel of salvation, but also to 'interfere' with society, seeking to bring positive change. We are not only to wait for Christ's return and get as many saved as possible, but we are to work towards making this earth a better place; or in other words to advance God's Kingdom.

Thoughts on this would be appreciated.

SPF

Cigarettes & Prostitutes

2009-05-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

Following the trend of the rest of the European Union, smoking was finally banned in all public buildings in the Netherlands last year in July. Many neighborhood cafes around the country are going out of business because of the new regulations.

Many people were understandably outraged. What right does the government have to make such bans and take away our civil liberties? People should be free to do as they please, unless of course they infringe on the freedom of others. Non smokers are free to avoid smoke-filled cafes!

Of all the EU countries, the Dutch have been the most resistant to the new law. One cafe owner went to the extreme and moved his "bar" into a small storage closet, so that the rest of the building could officially be the smoking room!

In my thinking, such matters should not be up to government, but up to the free market. Were there enough people who disdained cigarette smoke, then more restaurants would open that do not allow smoking. The smoke-free restaurants would make huge profit, while smokers would still be free to acquire cancer in the locations that catered to them!

Some try to play the moral card; that smoking should be made illegal because it is bad. But I would say that people cannot be forced to be good. One can only be good when he has the freedom to choose. It's the government's job to establish justice, not to enforce a set of morals.

However, the argument that finally got me was the public health factor. Not the health of the public mind you (they can choose whether or not to expose themselves to a smokey environment), but the health of employees who have no choice but to be exposed to smoke all day because working in a cafe is the only job they can land.

Protecting the rights of cafe workers who don't smoke is what finally pushed the legislators into action, I think. And it makes sense... Peoples' freedom to smoke had begun infringing on other peoples' freedom to breathe clean air.

Well, Dutch government, I'm smelling some double standards here. It seems a bit funny to me, considering your new and intense concern for workers' well being, that prostitution is still legal and smiled upon!

What about the rights of women to work in an abuse-free environment? What about all those women who who cannot land another job?

If citizens are so helpless and incapable of making good decisions that the government needs to ban smoking to keep them from hurting themselves, why are they not banning prostitution? People should be free to do as they please, unless they infringe on the freedom of others.

Prostitution harms women as surely as smoke causes cancer.

Oh, but Sean, we must protect civil liberties! After all, we have an image to uphold...

...

SPF

My American Tour

2009-04-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic time I had in the States! It was a perfect 2 weeks, full of surprises, challenges, opportunities, and fun. A plethora of divine appointments! Being with my family was wonderful and even our cat, Lucky, was overjoyed to see me!

My parents and I went for a week to the Los Angeles area to visit lots of friends. It was an unfathomable 95 degrees (Fahrenheit) there (it was snowing when we left Colorado)! I spoke in an amazing church that has supported my grandma, AND my parents for many years. I challenged the kids in the youth group to dream God's dreams, and to take initiative in seeing those dreams come true.

I also saw my uncle Lynn (who works in the film industry) and his wife Georgette. They have a great little house in Mission Hills, and we enjoyed an afternoon of fish tacos, cold beer and soccer there. Gezellig!! Awesome to see them again.

Back in Colorado Springs, I had the chance to connect with a number of friends. The DTS running there in The Park invited me to share with them about my work in Amsterdam. It was a very good experience--the class was very engaged and asked many questions. I love to raise awareness about what is happening in the red light district, almost nobody knows!!

Then I flew over to Kansas City to visit one of my good friends and supporters. He invited me to speak in his church, and it was probably the highlight of my trip. It was an African American church, you see...

Out of the thousands of short-term missionaries that go out of the States each year less than 1% come from the African American community! They are a whole people group within the States that have yet to be mobilized for global missions. It was such a joy to share with them God's heart for the nations, and to let them know how desperately we need their contribution on the field.

I got lots of positive response from young and old. I think they really were challenged to get more involved in world missions. What a great church! The music! The energy! ... The hats!

I then spent many hours at the International House of Prayer, also in Kansas City (my friend lives just down the street). I randomly met a number of people I know from various places around the world! The IHOP prayer room is the most refreshing place to be that I know of, I always love being there.

Of all that God blessed me with on this trip, spending time with my family was of course the most precious. It was so cool just to have dinner together like a "normal" single-continent family! It was difficult to say good bye to them. I'll miss hanging out with my sister especially. BUT.. of course the thought of my girlfriend waiting for me back in Amsterdam made leaving quite easy! =)

All in all it was a very fruitful, very timely trip. I saw God's hand in everything--thanks for praying for me! I really look forward to coming back to Amsterdam. There is much work still to be done!

Be blessed,

SPF

Upcomming

2009-04-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Praise God, he's given me the opportunity to travel to the States this month! I will be visiting friends, family & supporters in Colorado; and also speaking about missions in churches in California and (hopefully) Kansas City!

I'll be in the country for 2 weeks. Please pray for my trip, and also that I can get things organized here before I leave, finding people to cover my leadership roles and various responsibilities while I'm gone. Thanks so much!

SPF

Prostitution In Amsterdam

2009-03-21T03:16:00.000-07:00

Here in Amsterdam prostitution is seen as a wonderful expression of personal freedom. It is seen as an integral part of the culture of the city. Prostitution is not only tolerated, but is celebrated as something that empowers and dignifies women.

Every day thousands of tourists come through the red light district, often with their kids, to have a good time. The atmosphere is like a carnival or a zoo. Women stand in windows all along the streets selling themselves.

Drunk Englishmen stumble around the streets yelling cat-calls and insults at the women. American families walk through, gawking at the ladies, their kids pointing and giggling amongst themselves. Dutch businessmen prowl the streets, their wives waiting at home.

The tourism industry, the mafia, and all those with a pro-district agenda say it's all "OK." Amsterdam is the city of freedom. Prostitution is harmless fun. It doesn't hurt anyone. All the women are legal, healthy, love their jobs and choose to work here. They voice these claims loudly, and the world readily believes them.

HELLO?! WAKE UP EARTH!!!

Prostitution remains alive and healthy here because of a host of lies that are constantly propagated by a few evil men, and embraced by a world that has abandoned common sense and morality in exchange for selfish hedonism. "I have the right to do whatever I want," we say.

Here are some of the lies we believe:

1. Prostitution doesn't hurt anyone.

The reality is that prostitution seriously damages lives. Even in a more controlled environment like the red light district, the women involved in prostitution suffer extensive damage to their minds, bodies, and emotions. Psychological trauma is inevitable when women are constantly being bought, sold, traded and physically abused, even when they are 'willing participants.'

2. All the women involved are willing participants.

The most recent independent and anonymous survey carried out by the Scarlet Chord here in Amsterdam showed that 50%-90% of the prostitutes working Amsterdam are victims of sex trafficking (modern day slavery).

3. The women love their jobs.

The truth is that NO woman EVER wants to be a prostitute! The world needs to get this into their collectively thick head! The reasons women sell themselves always have to do with poverty, control, abuse, or psychological problems.

4. Prostitution empowers women and gives them dignity.

Prostitution turns women into objects, steals their dignity, and encourages male-dominance thinking. Men continue to take whatever they want from women! Women involved in prostitution lose all sense of value because their self-worth becomes equated with how much clients are willing to pay.

5. Prostitution decreases rape and sexual abuse.

The idea is that if men have access to prostitutes they will be less likely to rape or abuse. The truth however is completely opposite. Prostitution works to increase men's sexual appetite and continues to fuel their lust, making them more likely to rape or abuse. Also, prostitution dramatically affects the way men see women. It causes them to see women as objects instead of people, making it much easier to commit crimes against them.

These are just some the lies perpetuated by those who profit from this industry, in order to keep the demand high and the world approving. As long as these lies are believed by the public, countless women in Amsterdam will continue to be oppressed in the name of 'freedom' and 'civil liberty!'

Want to make your voice heard on this issue? One thing you can do is join my facebook cause, End Prostitution In Amsterdam, that is, if you think prostitution should be made illegal, that the government should make fighting sex trafficking a priority, and if you want to help transform the world's thinking about this issue!

SPF

Teaching Notes

2009-03-04T06:32:00.001-08:00

If you would like to have the notes from my teaching last week about inductive bible study, you can download them here! It includes color-coding examples, and Philemon interpreted. Cheers!

SPF

Life-Risking Ministry

2009-03-01T06:45:00.000-08:00

This week I had the opportunity to teach in the local DTS for 2 full days! It couldn't have gone better, thanks to those of you who prayed.

During day 2 I had a sudden memory: During my own DTS several years ago, a speaker prophesied over me that some day soon I would be teaching them! How very cool of God to remind me of that!

I taught on the general topic, "God's Word." I gave an overview of the bible; what it is, what's in it, why it's important, etc. I also gave a fun and interactive chronological bible walk-through; something I realize most Christians are clueless about, and something I always get great feedback on.

The remainder of the time I walked them through the inductive approach to study the bible, and we delved into Philemon, exploring the depths of mysterious theology and together conquering great heights of inspiring revelation!

The students were great, they took lots of notes and asked lots of good questions. I was very excited to watch them get it. Many told me afterward that it was a huge eye-opener, especially the idea of reading books of the bible from the perspective of the original audience. I hope they all run with it!

I was very sick during the whole week, and teaching those 2 days nearly did me in... I had some throat infection and all I could do was croak into the microphone. I told God though, that I would teach them until it killed me! So I had to keep my word..

SPF

FIRE!!!!

2009-01-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

We had a close call a few days ago! There was a fire in our top-floor apartment late at night; it was totally God's mercy that we caught it in time and didn't die in our sleep!

I happened to be up late and smelled something burning. From somewhere underneath the water-heater in the bathroom I discovered a trail of smoke coming up out of the floor.

I woke everyone up and we searched out the apartment beneath us, but found nothing was on fire. We realized something inside the floor was burning.

Anyway, we debated whether to call the emergency number because we weren’t sure if it was serious enough. We eventually called, but they said it didn’t seem something to worry about.

Of course we couldn’t sleep after that, so we decided to stay up in shifts to keep an eye on it. I stayed up first and after half an hour it seemed clear to me that something down there was really burning and getting worse! So I called again and told them to come.

The fire department showed up after about 15 minutes, came upstairs, and immediately started tearing our floor and walls apart. They discovered a whole pit of burning embers inside the floor that had been smoldering for hours!

Eventually they put everything out, but left a trail of destruction behind them. They said we were very lucky to have caught it in time and that it was very good we called because it could have burst into flames at any moment. The way our apartment is built, we probably wouldn’t have been able to escape had that happened.

Apparently our water heater was improperly positioned and without sufficient ventilation. After years of use it finally decided to set fire to the floor underneath.

We spent all the next day repairing and cleaning. Our house still smells like smoke several days later, and we wont have hot water for another week probably until we can get a new (concrete) floor placed and our water heater reinstalled.

It was quite a middle-of-the-night adventure! God was really merciful towards us, and we are going to be taking fire safety much more seriously now. I have to say that I was impressed how all the Clefties handled it. We were calm and efficient in the midst of an emergency. It could have been worse!

Thank you God, and thank you fire brigade!

SPF

Revelation & Aspiration

2008-12-31T04:22:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of 2008--I can hardly believe it. I don't feel like writing a whole summary of all I've seen and done this year because it's all in the archives, instead I want to write mostly about the Leadership Training School (LTS) from which I just graduated, as well as some other recent items. It may be a bit long, but I'll try to make it interesting!

LTS is over! It was (to use some common superlatives) fantastic, dramatic, challenging, inspiring, and also frustrating at times. We really had some incredible people come share with us including the Cunninghams and Mark Anderson. I can honestly say much of what I learned is already bearing fruit in my life and vastly affecting the way I think and live.

LTS Highlights
One of the many areas I've been deeply challenged in is financial diligence. God clearly showed me that when it comes to money, as a leader, he needs me to come to another level in diligence, transparency, and faithfulness. I have since developed some creative tools for budgeting and tracking all my income and expenses in an effort to analyze my spending habits and hold myself accountable. It's a first step in making money my slave, rather than letting it be the other way around.

Also, through this process of compiling information about my finances in the last year, I was astonished when I saw the numbers and filled with a deep gratitude when I realized the extent to which people have supported me!

Another more unusual area God highlighted was my physical health. We had Coach Tim Powers come for a week (some of you probably know him) to lead us in excruciating, worshipful exercise! I know it sounds bizarre.

Tim travels around the world teaching missionaries how to take care of their bodies. His challenging message is about how we can no longer separate the spiritual element of our being from the physical. God wants everything. The dichotomous thinking we tend to have that our spiritual health is somehow more important than our physical health needs to be broken!

It made me realize that my failure to stay in good shape is not only unhealthy, but sinful! So one of my aspirations for this next year is to begin exercising more consistently, eat better and do everything I can to take care of this incredible body God has given me. After all, what else to I have to change this world with?

My thinking patterns have drastically changed too. I am totally into presuppositional and implicational thinking. I automatically analyze everything I see now looking for its roots and predicting its implications. This is really David Hamilton's influence on me, and I enjoyed his teaching most of all!

Now every time I see a need around me, or something that breaks God's heart, my brain switches to 'innovation mode' and is already developing plans to tackle the issue. As a result, I am filled with more vision than I can handle! Especially for Amsterdam, I have countless ideas of how to stimulate transformation in this city. I really have to spend time seeking God as to which ideas are actually feasible and which to run with.

A deep understanding of God's heart for the nations of the earth is another thing God instilled in me. I see now that the bible is all about the ethnos or nations of the earth, from Genesis to Revelation.

The idea was really driven home that there is not one biblical culture that we are all meant to conform to, but that God loves the variety in culture and is busy redeeming and perfecting them. The end goal of all missions efforts is that all nations would worship together, NOT as a 'melting pot' but as a fruit salad, not merely accepting each others' differences, but celebrating each others' uniqueness!

In addition to the lecture phase of the school, we were given the task of developing plans for a project that we are to implement in the coming years. Along with another I worked very hard praying, listening, brainstorming, and then carefully planning a project. It was incredible how God formed the vision in our hearts and gave us all the details. I will try to lay out the basic vision for you:

CLUSTER7
The global prayer movement that is currently emerging throughout the world is the largest so far in history. All over the earth, tens of thousands of young people are gathering in prayer rooms to seek the face of Jesus and intercede for the nations. This is a vital element that will help to prepare the Body for the second coming of Christ and usher in the consummation of the Kingdom of God on Earth.

Imagine now that these young people were not only spending time in prayer furnaces fully focused on God, but they were also being discipled, trained, and given a task. Imagine they caught the vision for world missions and were committed to the completion of the great commission!

We believe that God wants to marry the current missions movement and the emerging prayer movement into one. We believe that missions will be successful when youth reach out to the world from a place of spiritual intimacy, rooted and grounded in the passion that is cultivated in prayer furnaces. So we have decided to initiate CLUSTER7, a new youth movement aimed to marry prayer and missions together.

The central idea around this movement is multiplying mobile fellowships of youth that spend lots of time in the prayer furnaces, but also are being discipled, trained for missions, and stimulated in their creativity. We call these groups CLUSTERS.

CLUSTERS are basically youth churches without buildings that are passionate about missions, prayer, and discipleship. They are groups of youth committed to sharing life with each other and holding each other accountable. They meet together to pray, to learn, and to reach out to the world. All CLUSTERS have four main areas of focus: to spend time in prayer furnaces, to disciple one another, to actively engage in missions, and to eventually multiply into at least 7 other groups.

That is a basic overview of the vision without going into many details. We actually have a very clear 7-year plan laid out filled with milestones, supertasks, subtasks, goals, projected budgets and so forth. In fact, I've never been so detailed in my life! As to when we begin actually implementing this depends on when my partner returns to Amsterdam, and when and whether YWAM Netherlands approves of this as a new ministry.

Other Stuff
Another recent development in my life is that I met a very beautiful someone! Tetyana (or Tania) from the Ukraine is my official 'significant other'! We have been dating for about 3 months now, and enjoying every moment of it. We have lots in common in terms of passions and direction, so it's very exciting!! Check out my facebook for lots of pictures ;)

This next year is going to be busy with traveling and a variety of new ministry. I have been invited already to speak in 3 YWAM schools, and go on a number of international trips to speak and lead worship! I'm very excited about the new doors God is opening for me to use my giftings (though also filled with an appropriate amount of healthy fear!). God is great!

I also plan to continue my Dutch lessons. I am still at the stage where I can only have basic conversation with people, but my goal is to become fully fluent as I plan to stay here long-term.

My focus here in Amsterdam will also be changing a little. I will be working slightly less with the Cleft, and more with the Tabernacle of the Nations (our pioneering 24/7 prayer house in the district). I still will be leading the Cleft's street evangelism ministry and be part of their team meetings, but I feel that God has called me for the comming year to really invest a lot in the Tabernacle.

Prayer Points
- Clarity in vision (I've got plenty of it, I just need God's wisdom and direction in how to implement the many things he has filled my heart with).
- Please pray for God's continued grace to live here in the red light district; it is a tough place to be sometimes.
- Pray that I would be able to channel the frustration and anger I have towards what happens here every day in the district into constructive intercession and action!
- Please pray for Tania and I and our relationship.
- Pray for the red light district. Things are changing a lot here, but not always in the right way or for the right reasons. Pray especially that God would finally bring an end to prostitution, but not simply through legislation but by changing the mindset of the Dutch people!
- Pray for my language learning.
- Please pray for my finances, and consider giving if you believe in what I do! I am living with an income far below what is usually considered necessary for Amsterdam, so I need to see some breakthrough!

Thanks a lot for reading all of that. I always have so much more to share, but busy lives and short attention spans don't usually warrant that! I appreaciate your comments and encouragements! Please feel free to contact me regarding anything

God Bless, and happy new year!

SPF

Until the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Berlin

2008-11-09T23:13:00.000-08:00

What a fantabulous week it’s been having my family in Europe! They came to Amsterdam for a bit, and then the 4 of us went to Berlin for four days to visit my Dad’s parents and some friends. It was the best vacation!

I just said goodbye to them this morning, and right now I’m on a train (I love trains) back to Amsterdam (I have class tomorrow and cant miss ANY more!).

We are so casual with hellos and goodbyes and visits it seems. I think we’re just a family that is so used to travelling a lot that when we’re around each other its great, but if not then it’s not the biggest deal. We always know we will see each other somewhere in the world soon enough!

Berlin seems to be such a great city but each time I go I end up hanging out mostly around the Zoo Station area and not getting the chance to see much more. I want to check out more of East Berlin next time. Oh well... It was still great, and I walked away with another Hard Rock Cafe Berlin t-shirt (yes!!!!).

My Deutsch Oma and my Greek Opa were sooo happy to see us. It was difficult to say goodbye. My Opa is such a tough guy, but he really cried when we had to leave. And the way my Oma fed us, man... Neither of them speak English so I had to use a combination of Dutch, sign language, and my dad to translate!

I spent lots of time with Noelle, my sister. We don’t often connect very much and so it was really fun getting to know her as an adult woman (we spent lots of time fighting, and I actually have a few bruises).

Back to class tomorrow! I think Loren Cunningham is speaking.

SPF

Faith & Fatalism

2008-10-29T05:02:00.000-07:00

It is now week six in our Leadership Training School (LTS) and we have Darlene Cunningham, the cofounder of YWAM, speaking with us about YWAM DNA. It's very good!

The speaker that has impacted me so far the most though, has been David Hamilton (provost of UofN and founder of YWAM Chile). His stories and teachings provoked me so much to be a person that not only dreams and has vision, but that has faith to actually implement vision. It put such a burning desire in my soul to be someone who makes things happen, someone who is not satisfied with the status quo but who can co-create with God to make a real difference in the world.

I realized for the first time how fatalistic my attitude towards the world is. I know now that FAITH does not go along with fatalism! I need to change my attitude, and though I may feel inadequate, I can't be afraid to trust God for big things!

Part of our assignment on the LTS is to each develop and plan a project (something that should take at least 5 years). Already God has put so much vision in my heart for several projects I would like to pioneer. They are things that are way above my head, but I guess that's what faith is about. I'll talk about them more another time.

SPF

Training Time!

2008-10-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

God's plan for the ethnos or nations of the world and his love of cultural diversity is one of the things I am learning about this week. Our own Jim Mellis is teaching us biblical foundations in intercultural studies--it’s fascinating, revealing and wow is my worldview being shaken! I have to say that he is an excellent scholar, anthropologist, and just all-around genius!

Incase you didn't already know, I am currently a student in the Leadership Training School (LTS) in Amsterdam. It is a 3-month course designed to equip and train missionaries in the area of transformational leadership. We are supposed to develop and plan a project that we will implement during the next years. My desire for this time is that God would release vision to me about what long-term contribution I can make to the Kingdom—or as Armando (my base leader) likes to put it, "that I would find my voice."

The week before this one, Mark Anderson who is the president of the Global Pastors Network and founder of Call2All spoke to us. It was so inspiring to hear all about what God is doing throughout the earth from one of the most informed Christian leaders. It caused lots of renewed excitement among all of us about being involved in the global missions movement!

While I have laid down some responsibilities for this time, I am still involved in most of my regular activities as YWAM staff, and so this is quite a busy time for me! I am learning vast amounts of information and have little time to process it, yet I know I am still benefiting greatly. I am learning skills that I'm certain will be useful for the ministry to which God has called me.

Today I discovered that I am more atmosphere/relationship oriented than time-oriented, more group oriented than individualistic, and slightly more of a dichotomist than holist. Very interesting...

Please continue to pray for me, especially that I would hear God's voice strongly, and that I would become a more effective and Christ-like leader through this course.

A Short Break

2008-08-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

It's been nice to have this week off; it's been super relaxing. I have a whole apartment to myself, with a kitchen, and even a bath (baths are very rare here)! I could certainly get used to this. Downstairs is the Tabernacle of the Nations, where I've been spending lots of time in prayer. Monday I am back in my closet...

I've also spent lots of time in preparation for my trip to London in 2 weeks. I will be speaking for 4 days in a retreat specifically for young people who have Korean parents but have grown up in Europe. I would very much appreciate your prayers for this, that I would be able to impart things that will be useful and edifying for them!

Please also continue to pray for a new guitar for me! I still need quite a bit of money.

SPF

Guitar Eulogy

2008-05-26T01:15:00.000-07:00

*between sobs*

I received terrible news the other day. I went to the local music store to get the intonation on my 12-string guitar adjusted. The Tabernacle of the Nations had agreed to pay for it, because I use the guitar primary for my worship ministry there. But when the guitar guy and myself examined it, we realized that it was in CRITICAL condition. The tension of the strings, and the heavy use has caused the wood to begin to warp, and also cause the bridge to start pulling away from the body. It could GO at any moment, and it's actually quite dangerous to play! I'm thankful that it hasn't exploded in my face yet!

So basically it is not repairable, and I need a new guitar.

What a great guitar it was, though. My dad bought it for me after my DTS; after I gave my life to Jesus. I was planning to go to the School of Worship in Australia, and I wanted a good instrument to bring with me. It has really served me well since then. I've grown so much over these last years in both playing, and in leading worship with this guitar. The natural 12 string chorus effect and its light body created a sound that, I think, brought refreshment to lots of ears.

I remember several years ago, giving the guitar up to God, telling him that it was his, and he could do what he wanted with it. Well, it didn't ignite into a burnt offering or anything, instead he gave it back to me and told me it was a tool for the advancement of his Kingdom.

I've only ever used it for worship, or composing music that would glorify him. I remember about a year ago, someone anointed my guitar with oil. Haha, I was a bit upset about the oil on the finish (they didn't ask me first)! Since then, in the last year the worship times I've led have been really exciting and powerful. Of course it's God who makes worship times exciting, not my magic guitar, but I really feel like he gave me a good tool to help lead others into his presence. And I've tried to do my best with it.

But now it's played its last note. *sob*

So, I'm praying that God would provide me with a new one. Worship has become the main thing I am involved with in Amsterdam. I play every singly day. And with the level of playing I've achieved, and the amount I play, I think it best if I get something on the higher end. I would like another 12-string, and I would like one that will last more than a few years. I think I'm probably looking at a $1000 range.

I visited my grandma a couple days ago, and told her about it. She said she believed God would provide another guitar soon, and not to worry about it. That was encouraging!

So, if you would pray with me that God would provide a new tool soon, so I can continue bringing him high praise with stringed instruments, and so we can keep raising the roof over here in Amsterdam, I would appreciate it!

Sean

Paris

2008-03-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

I just had a wonderful 3 days in Paris with some friends. I decided spare of the moment to go with them, since I am technically still on vacation, and I would rather not hang around Amsterdam while I'm off.

One of the highlights was attending the Easter service in Notre Dame. It was so interesting, I really enjoyed it! The mass was in several different languages, including some English. What I understood, I found beautiful. I've always been fascinated by Catholicism...

A very smooth Parisian guy tried to pickpocket me, but I caught him! It was very well attempted, but he didn't quite pull it off, so he got yelled at by an angry American (me)!

We visited the Eiffel Tower, but didn't go up because the lines were enormous.

Sean

Pictures!!

2008-03-15T11:23:00.001-07:00

I've added some pictures from my recent trip to Jak.art.a. I just selected a handful from the hundreds that Martijn & Marijke shot to give a bit of a visual on what it was like there. Click here to see them! Enjoy!

Sean

Finished The Race

2008-03-08T01:02:00.000-08:00

With only 3 days left in Jak.art.a, I look back in amazement at all we have been able to see and do. This has definitely been the best outreach I've been a part of! I feel like we really had something valuable to bring to the Christian community here, and we really gave everything we had.

In our 8 weeks here, we were able to run 6 full seminars about the inductive approach to studying the bible. In most cases it was all new to them. Most were shocked even at the simple idea that the bible wasn't written directly to them, but to people thousands of years ago! The thought simply hadn't occurred to them before.

We taught theology students, discipleship groups, regular church goers, and even groups of pastors each with their own congregations. We even fully trained an x-Mus.lim who had just given his life the Lord how to study the bible well! We continually stressed the importance of putting the teaching into practice, and passing the knowledge on, so that it would continue to be a blessing long after we were gone.

We also visited and spoke in about 25 churches throughout the city, teaching and preaching about things like missions and our call to influence society, and cultural equality & God's heart for the nations. We were able to share countless testimonies and short words about our experience in missions, and about our journey of studying the bible. And we were able to give one one one training to different people.

Both Martijn and I have grown so much in our teaching skills, in our ability to communicate and especially in our love for Indonesians. They are such a kind and humble people, and they've blessed us so much! I feel very proud to have made a number of Indonesian friends!

All in all, it has been an amazing time, and I feel confident that God used us to impart useful tools to Christians here, along with a greater desire to study and understand the bible. Praise Jesus!

On Monday I return to Amsterdam. I plan on taking some time off before going back to work at the Cleft. Please keep me in prayer while I adjust back to the cold climate and cold culture!

Thanks so much for the prayers, the support, and the encouragements!

Sean

Lions, Tigers & Natural Disasters

2008-02-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

Well, three weeks have gone by here in Indonesia. This is by far the best outreach I’ve had. We’ve been able to do so many amazing things! We’ve spoken at about 20 different locations already. (I’m beginning to really love preaching and teaching!). We’ve prayed for dozens of people, and we’ve even seen a salvation!

One of my favorite things to preach on is a message God gave me about cultural equality. I am trying to encourage the people here to worship God and do church in the context of their own culture, and discover their unique gifts and treasures. Every church we’ve been to is very western in every way. They dress western; they play western music (which there’s nothing wrong with that, but I want to see some Indonesian-ness in the church!). I’m using Colossians 3:11. The Colossians were in a situation where they thought they had to accept certain traditions (from the Jews) in order to be real Christians, but Paul wrote them to say, “STOP! You have all you need! You have come to a fullness in Christ! You can be Colossians! No culture is better than any other because Christ is all and is in all!” Well, that’s my paraphrase…

We’ve also been able to give our first seminar of about 6 hours on the inductive study method to a group of theology students. It went extremely well. Martijn and I split the teaching, and they were very hungry for it. They asked us to come back. We did lots of reviews, and it showed that they really learned a lot!

We have moved out of Pamulang, and into the city proper now, to join forces with Megacities. I’ve seen quite a few old friends from Perth, which is exciting. The ministry here is at a much different pace, and we are still in the process of making contacts and setting things up. Please pray for us to get plenty of opportunities!

One crazy story: We visited this insane zoo where none of the animals are in cages! You stay in your car the whole time and drive by all these dangerous animals. These lions and tigers are huge, and there’s nothing in between you and them but your car window. We even saw one lion attack a car! It was nuts. I got some videos that I’ll post some time! I also pet a baby black leopard! =D

There is a lot more to tell... Crazy experiences. Amazing and exotic foods! Wonderful people. Oh, there was a terrible flood in the city, we drove through 2 feet of water, and thousands of poor people were displaced from their homes, please pray for that too!

Thanks so much for the support and prayer!

Blessings,

SPF

Jellyfish & Flying Hamsters

2008-01-21T06:22:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Pamulang, Indonesia!

This first week in Indonesia has been quite the adventure, full of new experiences and new acquaintances. We are staying in a village just south of Jakarta, in a family's home. I honestly have to say that Indonesians are the most generous and hospitable people I have met in all of my travels (I've been all around the world). Every time we go anywhere we are treated like kings. It's almost embarrassing because I feel we don't deserve it! And it’s not only because we are foreigners and teachers, but simply because we are guests, and it is how they treat guests here.

Summary:

We've already been able to speak in 5 Churches! We've given sermons and testimonies; we've led worship multiple times, and done lots of teaching--all in the first few days of being here. The lady we are staying with, Ayun, is extremely well connected and knows all the pastors and leaders of the churches in the area, which is a huge blessing and advantage for us. She's also a very fast-paced person, and feels we should be too, so she has given us a very full schedule of speaking and teaching and visiting. Our teaching has been new for quite a few people, and has been well received so far.

A Couple Stories:

Yesterday, after speaking in a Chinese church in central Jakarta, the pastor took us out to one of the nicest Chinese restaurants in the city. It must have been very expensive! We couldn't refuse because it would be extremely rude. We ate some amazing food, including many things I've never tried, like JELLYFISH TENTACLES and ROTTEN DUCK EGG. It was actually really, really good... as long as I didn't think about what I was really eating! All of the new tropical fruits they have here are great too.

I'm sure you are curious about the flying hamster in the title, so I'll tell you that story. The first day, our host took us to a super market. There was a section with some small pets, including a glass cage with a white hamster. I think the hamster had some issues already because he kept standing up on his hind legs to sniff the air, and then kept falling backwards. It was hilarious.

Well, I reached into the cage (it had an open top) to try to pet the hamster. As soon as my finger was in range, the thing BIT me! I reacted instinctively and yanked my hand back. But unfortunately for the hamster, it didn't let go of my finger in time, and so the hamster FLEW up into the air about 6 feet, in a beautiful triple-axel-like move, and then landed perfectly with a loud PLOP into a nearby fish tank! We all stared at each other in shock, and then all rushed to the tank, where we found him swimming around in a not-too-bad breaststroke! I scooped him up and put him back in his cage. Then we all looked at eachother and started laughing hysterically! I mean it was so funny, I have never seen anything like it. The thing just flew!

Amazing:

We also have had one (M&M) girl give her life to Jesus in what was probably the most beautiful moment I can remember since being involved in missions. I don't want to give the whole story here (maybe later on I will) because it was too precious, and emotional, and writing it down would kill it. But her name is Renie, and please pray for her protection and growth. We will try to see her again soon.

Us:

The three of us are having a good time together. We are safe, healthy, well fed, and working hard. The heat is difficult, and makes us feel really tired all the time, so please pray for that as well.

Upcoming:

On Wednesday we begin the first session of a seminar we are giving to a group of theology students about the inductive study method. Pray for Martijn and myself, as we will do all of the teaching.

Thank you so much for praying for us!

SPF

It's Over

2007-12-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

Today was a sad day.

My Bible Core Course is finally over. It was long and extremely difficult, but so fun and rewarding at the same time. Yesterday we had our graduation ceremony which was fabulous (I got an A on the course!). But today I had to say goodbye to everyone.

So now I'm sitting in Amsterdam missing all my classmates. It's unnatural, I think, to spend 3 months building such good friendships, and then just part ways so suddenly. YWAM Schools are so hard to finish in that way.

The day after tomorrow I fly, with my Grandma, to the states for 3 weeks!

SPF