Basics - Let's talk about them!

Today I want to talk about BASICS.

As the theme indicates nothing difficult, nothing confusing or complicated is coming towards you!

Probably you are like me a professional in some field: an accountant, a programmer, a singer, a nurse.

Whatever you do professionally you will have some basics related to it.

As I cannot speak about other professions, I will let you know some basics of ballet.

There are 5 basic feet positions and 3 basic arm positions. Movements always pass through them. Like a train never leaves its rails, a classic dancers’ a

rms always move between these positions.

You will have that for your work too. Just take a minute and you will discover your work basics. Without them you couldn’t continuously do what you are.

When we talk now about the most important theme in the world: God - and in which relation we are with Him - BASICS count the same way.

Jesus gave Himself the best example for it:

A man wanted to bring Jesus in a difficult situation by asking Him what is the most important law to follow.

(Jews had 613 laws at this time; so if Jesus picks one out he can immediately question him...).

But Jesus gave him the BASICS:

‘Love the Lord your God, with all your hear and with all your soul and with all your mind.‘ [Matthew 22:37-40]

That gives me a clear guidance how important BASICS are in our life!

We know that God exists and His son Jesus became flesh and lived under us 2000 years ago. Then we know from Jesus Himself that a Holy Spirit exists and this spirit was sent to help us after Jesus died.

Besides the humans, who are flesh and spirit we know other beings exist, which consist only of spirit: angels.

One of those angels Angel refused to follow God and became the Father of all lies. This is Satan.

At the same time there are other angels which refuse obedience to God and follow instead Satan, the most powerful Angel turning away from God.

We know from the Bible as the Word of God too, that there is a fight between these worlds (which we cannot see with our eyes or hear with our ears).

Under the leadership of Satan the fallen angels tempt permanently to increase our sin. Which makes it more likely that we refuse to ask for redemption - which can only be done by offering our sins to Jesus for forgiveness.

Jesus, whose mission was to absorb like a sponge the sin of all of us. So that we are admitted into an eternal life into the so called “Kingdom of Heavens”.

What should we do, when we face questions like these:

• “do our fathers walk around as spirits on the earth and protect us?”,
• “can we stay lucky by having a special bracelet?”, or
• “when I visit a shrine, clap my hands 3 times and pray to the local God of this temple, will it help my soul?”

What we have to do is, we have to come back to the BASICS.

They are the guideline we can trust and rely on!

Then the answers come more easy, inspired and guided by the BASICS which were set in place by the Creator of the universe Himself!

Japan: an amazing puzzle to be put together

7 days after the quake, tsunami and radiation problem a rather strange question comes up in me:

Does God, our creator know everything?

As God indeed knows everything - whatever happened, happens and will happen - He is called “all knowing”.

If you can agree on this we climb the next step:

When God created this universe billions of years ago, He already knew in detail what you and me face on this very day.

Look at your calendar. Incredible, but God knew before the creation of all, what is now on the left side of your hand as well as what snack will be eaten after reading this...

As God is a loving person, He equipped us each one of us with exact the right amount of talents, gifts, character and passion what we need today.

Like a master baker, who gives the perfect mix of salt, oil, flour and water into his bread. Nothing missing - a perfect balance of all.

Deep within our potential and heart is everything necessary planted. For Japan, my family and myself today. Handcrafted by God billions of years ago.

Today looking around me in Tokyo I see how God has distributed passion, talent and love perfectly:

• seeing people rushing to church preparing emergency packages
• seeing people working in atomic plants, exposing them to life threading levels
• seeing people planing charity events for the victims
• seeing people who work, teach and rehearse to give dancers a future and hope
• seeing foreigners staying, praying, helping, donating time and finances, getting involved.

When we look at our destroyed cities and areas in the north east our first impression is chaos and helplessness due to the sheer size of the disaster.

Japan is shaken, parts are literally lying like a puzzle on the floor. You cannot even imagine how it looked before the tsunami. There is yet no chance in the moment to see how it will be rebuilt.

But we have to take a second look; see the part of reality which is hidden for our eyes.

Seeing this hidden invisible part is even more important, than seeing the visible part.

Seeing the invisible part will decide about our future!

In God’s eyes the hearts of us, wherever we are, are not pieces of a puzzle, thrown in a chaotic fashion onto a floor;

Through our individual gifts and passion we are masterwork of God’s creation.

Each one of us.

We all fit perfectly together in God’s blueprint (plan) of creation.

It becomes the task of this generation to rebuild this now chaotic puzzle on wet and snowy earth, drained with blood of victims.

We, who live today in Japan are the people whom God wants to rebuild this country.

We are the people today whom God wants to take care of the orphans and victims.

And to do so He has equipped us all with the most amazing and outstanding talents and characters.

There is no question, if we are able and sufficiently equipped putting the puzzle in Japan together or not.

Yes, we are equipped by God Himself to do so.

The question is only if you and me dare, have the courage, to use our gifts and passion to create with Him together new.

Building an amazing future out of a puzzle already molded and shaped by God into an amazing future.