Author Archives: Pieter Stok
Coming Home
The Atlantic Road
One of the reasons I wanted to visit Norway was to travel the Atlantic Road. This relatively short stretch of highway hops from rock island to island just south of Kristiansund through a nature park. The road swerves and weaves over islands and along water for 8 kilomentres. Without too much hyperbole it could be suggested that this road with its bridges is a work of art.
People were fishing, having picnics and generally enjoying the sights on the day that we went. It was cool but sunny and the road looked magnificent. All this is, of course, set against the dramatic backdrop of Norwegian scenery.
We liked it so much that we made three separate journeys along this road before we finally took the (expensive) tunnel into Kristiansund.
There are great coastal highways in the world. The Pacific Coast Highway in California and the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia but this 8 km stretch is in a category of its own.
It Was a Good Idea At The Time …
On the 10th of August 1628 the pride of the Swedish navy, the Vasa, glided magnificently 
from its berth in Stockhom into the harbour. The dignitaries and royalty on board were impressed as the sails billowed out and this brand new ship sped forth. After 1300 metres a gust of wind caught it. The ship rolled, water rushed into the open gun ports and the Vasa plummeted to the bottom of Stockholm harbour, not to see the sky again until it was dredged up in 1961.
Today it can be seen in the beautiful Vasa Museum in Stockholm. The wonderful craftsmanship, the carved figures and the ornate stern are there for us to wonder at.
The story goes, that the king was so eager to show off his ship that it was not properly equipped with ballast. Hence things went awry. The Swedes, at the time, were so ashamed, the ship was not spoken of again.
It is such a human story. Pride, carelessness, impetuousness, lack of foresight and so on. I am sure we have all been guilty of some or all of these at some time. In the Vasa case it cost lives, national pride and of course, one brand new warship. (Today, however, it is making money as the top tourist attraction in Stockholm.)
For me, this story reminds me that God is aware of my human frailty. He is aware of my failures and stumbles. Yet, he still loves me. Even my worst failures have been dealt with by his son. He has even forgiven the disasters that my brokenness has caused. That is a comfort beyond words.
Back to the Vasa. I wonder what the ship builders and artisans thought when the boat they had lovingly crafted for months, disappeared under the waves? Their work was irredeemable. Lost, they thought, for ever. They had little idea that it would become a money making tourist attraction.
We too, need not be hopeless. Christ can take us, you and me, and make us new again.
Getting a Perspective
When we were near Tarifa in Spain, my wife got very excited by the fact she could see Africa – namely, Morocco.
She got that excited that later she lost her glasses in the sea. (That, of course, would hamper her perspective!)
Perspective is a wonderful thing. It opens up vistas and horizons. We look beyond ourselves. We look with a framework, a plan or map and we see how various things, places and etc. fit together. It saddens me how many people I meet who have no perspective. They are focused on the here and now, in a very limited and temporal sense.
When we looked across the straits, we got out a map (on the iPad) to make sure it was Africa we were peering at and not just across the bay to another part of Spain. We needed a sense of direction to give our perspective an anchor or starting point.
My map, the anchor or starting point that enables me to have direction in my life is the Bible – the Word of God. Without it I would be stumbling in the dark in every facet of my life. It enables me to get a perspective on the past, present and future. The temporal and spiritual also also find their focus point in the Word of God.
It never ceases to amaze and encourage me that people with this perspective seem able to withstand amazing tragedies and traumas in their lives. Their view of what life is, and means, is not tied to the moment, but to eternity and God.
Jesus in Bubblewrap
Jesus in Bubble-Wrap
In the magnificent Cathedral/Mosque, the Mesquita in Cordoba, we came across a bizarre sight in one of the alcoves.
Large representations of Jesus and Mary, which had obviously been used for the Easter festivals, were wrapped in bubble-wrap protecting them until next year’s celebration.
Being an English teacher, I see metaphors in most things, but this metaphor was screaming at me!
For me it was a picture of how Jesus is so often treated: the Jesus of Christmas and Easter or the Jesus who comes out at hard times and forgotten about when things are OK. The token Jesus. The aspirin Jesus.
Even those of us who profess a strong faith have times when we remember to pray with a passion, only, because there is an issue that needs to be dealt with in our lives. At other times we have placed Jesus in “bubble-wrap”.
The image in Cordoba was a reminder for me personally, to be aware of how I treat our Lord. I am his child, He is not at my beck and call. Jesus is my 24/7 Lord, not my occasional remedy.
So from now on, whenever I see this picture from Cordoba I will be asking myself some hard questions. Maybe I should hang it on my study wall …
Public Statuary and Remembrance
A Part of the Battle of Britain Memorial
I will always remember the “Battle of Britain” memorial on the Embankment along the Thames in London. As I was looking for it, I slipped and fell down a set of stone steps and, as I have just found out, broke my my thumb.
Putting my thumb aside, my question is this, “How effective will this memorial be in reminding Britons of their “finest hour”? I ask this because in a different arena, Europe is saturated in Christian statuary but the Christian message is in decline. Statues and crosses, or even church buildings are not necessarily effective means of keeping the gospel alive.
Memorials are only as effective as the message that is attached to them remains fresh and alive. The 12 stones that Israel took from the middle of the Jordan as they crossed into the Promised land, didn’t stop their slide into rebellion. The Jews needed to keep their relationship with God real and personal.
Christians, the “living stones”, have the challenge of living out the gospel message and drawing people to it with our words and lives. At best, memorials are only teaching aids – never a substitute.
As the Travels Draw To A Close
Six weeks of travel are drawing to a close. In that time we have walked part of the Camino, traveled to the Arctic Circle, and visited friends and family. We have driven, and flown, thousands of kilometres. But there have been other journeys. Our marriage has reached 38 years and we still discover more about each other every day – especially in the tense traveling moments! There are the journeys of family and friends; the illnesses, the ethical dilemmas, the faith questions and so on. Each of these becomes a mirror we can hold up to ourselves and ask, “How would I respond? How would I deal with the issues and problems?” Often times there are no simple answers and no black and white truths.
Our lives have intersected with others: sometimes fleetingly – the grumpy Spanish waiter, the traffic police who caught me using a bus lane, fellow campers and many others. Even that fleeting moment can leave an impression. How did we respond to the grumpy waiter or the unhelpful garage attendant – especially when we were lost or seemingly helpless?
Our lives are enriched by experiences and our responses to them. So as I fly home on the last leg from Kuala Lumpur, the question I must wrestle with is: how will, or can this accumulation of experiences and events make me a better person, or more importantly, more Christlike.
The range of questions is as varied as the people we met and situations we encountered. For example, there are fellow evangelicals to support in Barcelona. Or, how should I respond to the beggars at nearly every door of the large churches across much of Europe? Are there ways my view of the world can assist my own society at home grapple with its demons. And how has all this advanced my understanding of God?
Now the busy-ness is over, and life returns to normal, there is much to reflect, and act, upon.
No Man is an Island
“No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as a manor of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. ”
John Donne – theologian and poet.
After near six weeks of traveling, meeting friends and family, the above quote has hit home. There are family members and friends with serious illnesses. Removing myself to Australia does not lessen the pain I feel that these loved ones are struggling. Having reconnected, in fact, makes their struggle part of my life too. Ironically, I am ‘pleased’ that it hurts as it reminds me that these friends and family members are important members of my human family and my life.
Lord, even with the distance of miles and kilometers that I feel, be close to those who are hurting. Be a source of comfort and strength,that is divine and eternal.
Amen
Some Scandinavian Photos
We are leaving Scandinavia. Our visit to Norway and Sweden has been fantastic. Although we have seen changes – even since our last visit in 2006, the marginalization of the Christian faith seems to be even more pronounced. Political correctness is the order of the day.
Some random snaps:
Church Bells In Orebro
I can hear the morning church bells in Orebro, central Sweden. This doesn’t signify as much as one would hope. Christianity is now a fringe activity – relegated to the quaint customs department.
When we were in the Ostersunde museum a few days ago, one of the Swedes with us, an older man, constantly reminded the guide that Christianity was a living religion in Sweden, because she tended to speak of it in historical terms.
This morning Hetty and I read Psalm 37. This Psalm is a powerful reminder that the people of faith will be victorious, even though the enemy may seem strong. Here in Sweden, secularism and Islam seem to be the strong “faiths”.
In every church I have entered I have prayed for the leadership and congregation. May the time come again, when the bells ring out a vibrant and living “Hallelujah” to a faith in Christ that is widely embraced. Now it may seem a dream, but Psalm 37 reminds us of the victor and victory.
Travels from Ur 