Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 253

King Street

It is not good that the man should be alone (Gen 2:18 ESV)

King Street

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

I learned to ride a bike when we lived on King Street,

but I mostly remember the wall that I ran into first.

The wall was next to a turn in the sidewalk

And it was made of brick—I went too fast.

That was the year that President Kennedy was inaugurated,

but I mostly remember the snow drifts that I jumped in

which were almost as tall as I was.

Dad and Mom preferred to watch the speeches and parades.

I attended first grade when we lived on King Street,

My teacher used to read us stories sitting on a chair

while we sat on the floor

wondering why she did not wear any underwear.

That was year I learned that guys were supposed to have girl friends,

but I do not remember why.

So I walked around the cafeteria table and

Asked each girl—will you be my girlfriend?—until one said: yes.

After that we played together in school and out.

7. Prayers of a Life in Tension by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Oh dear Lord,

I give thanks that you are ever near to me.

Not too proud to linger with your servant and call me friend.

Bless me with your spirit of humility and generosity—

Generous in time,

Generous in friendship,

Generous in sharing yourself.

Keep me safe from bad company,

Keep me safe from pious arrogance,

Keep me safe from my own sinful heart.

Let me always be ever near to you,

Now and always.

Through the power of your Holy Spirit,

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bugs and Shells

Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens

and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. (Gen 2:19 ESV)

Bugs and Shells

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Dad collected things that were just amazing.

He shot rabbits and squirrels, but the best thing he ever shot was a bright colored pheasant. He had a turntable and about a hundred albums with all sorts of music. For a long time, an album came in the mail about once a week. And he played them just about every evening after I went to bed.

He brought home a television set with black and white pictures of all these famous people—Like Billy Graham who was always asking us to come on down—he’d wait—he was a patient man because so many people did come on down to pray with him. And like President Eisenhower who was a general and who came on now and then to let us know how things were going here and there. But I mostly watched RomperRoom and the Micky Mouse club and Captain Kangaroo.

Dad had a great rock collection, some big shells, and many, many stamps and coins. I collected those things too, but I really liked the butterflies and bugs that the teenage guys upstairs collected. I had my own net and I chased every bug in town—I even caught a green parakeet one time! The guys upstairs also had all kinds of neat model boats and planes that they built—too bad that they moved away. Dad helped me build models too, but I am not sure that he cared much for the bugs…

6. Prayers of a Live in Tension by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, Spirit of Holiness,

We praise you for blessing us with life, a vision of how to live it, and family to share it with.

We praise you for your faithful presence on good days and not so good days.

Forgive us for our willfulness.

Forgive us for sins against those around us and sins against you.

Plant in us seeds of forgiveness and the patience to watch them grow.

Plant in us the desire to follow you and to prosper your kingdom.

Not just asking for blessings, but becoming blessings to those around us.

Blessing not only those easy to love but those who are not so easy to love.

Grant us strength for the day,

Grace for those we meet,

And peace in all things.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Seat

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you

that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

(John 14:1-3 ESV)

The Seat

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Kindergarden in California was unsettling.

To get to class I had to walk east down the street,

out of the neighborhood,

across a big road and left around the cornor with lots of palm trees.

Then, it was just around the  side of the building,

up the steps and into the room.

My seat was in the middle.

But I missed my friends.

They all attended a school on our side of the road.

It was north through the neighborhood,

Then you just followed the street up a hill.

Then, it was just around the other side of the building,

Up the steps and into the room.

The empty seat was against the wall on the left.

My friends told me about it and there it was.

…On the way, a man in a car offered me a ride.

But my mom told me not to accept rides with strangers

So I told him: no thanks…

My friends were happy to see me.

The teacher at this school seemed a bit worried and upset.

She asked me a bunch of questions

and did not seem at all interested in teaching.

Pretty soon my mom came to get me.

She took me back to the other school

where they told me that I missed the Christmas party.

But because there wasn’t any snow I did not believe them

5. Prayers of a Life in Tension by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty Father, Beloved Son, Holy Spirit—

We praise you for being willfully present in our lives—

present when we are paying attention

and present when we are not.

We confess the need for holiness—

Let your example shine through us.

We confess the need to be reconciled

with those that pain us and those we pain.

We confess that we are too often attracted

more to culture and less to you.

We thank you for the witness of your son, Jesus Christ,

and many spiritual gifts showered on us by your Holy Spirit.

Grant us strength for the day,

Grace for those we meet along the way,

and peace when peace seems distant.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Albany

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (Matt 6:13 ESV)

Albany

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Albany was a place where I learned to ride in a bright red wagon.

We lived on a hill and I dreamed of riding my wagon down it.

Someone told me it was a bad idea.

Someone dared me to do it.

So I rode down the hill steering with the handle.

Until I got to the corner.

where the wagon turned over and threw me out.

I scraped my knee but good.

I cried and cried.

And Mom put a bandaid on it.

Our house had a bathroom with a big tumb.

I loved to run the water and run my electric speedboat in it.

But my sister would always come running and want to play too.

I hated to share my boat—the batteries would run down and

I would not get new ones til Christmas.

So I told her what fun it was to put soap in your eyes—

She cried and cried.

And Mom came running.

Thanksgiving Praise from Psalm 103, New Living Translation

Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.  Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.  He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

The LORD gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly.  He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.  He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.  For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.  He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.  For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.  Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.  The wind blows, and we are gone– as though we had never been here.  But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!

The LORD has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.  Praise the LORD, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands.  Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!  Praise the LORD, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom.

Let all that I am praise the LORD.

4. Prayers of a Life in Tension by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Father God,

Thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ into our lives to reconcile us to you.

Unstop our ears, open our hearts to the promptings of your Holy Spirit.

Sanctify our thoughts; give us a heart for your word; grant us the mind of Christ.

Open our eyes to our sin, free us from our iniquity, cleanse us from the filth of our transgressions.

Save us from our own evil thoughts and feelings.

Teach us to lean on your law and to share your grace.

That we might become sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s work in the world around us.

Transform our hearts into servant hearts that we might become true disciples.

Blessed to hunger and thirst for your righteousness.

Blessed to be merciful.

Blessed to pursue Godliness in all we do.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit and

Grace available to us through Jesus Christ.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

My Name

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,

for the LORD will not hold him guiltless

who takes his name in vain.

(Exod 20:7)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

What is a name? Is it a blessing, a curse, or prophesy?

My first name, Stephen, is a bit of each. The name, Stephen, comes from the Greek word for crown (στέφανος) [1]. The biblical story of Stephen describes him as: “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). He was one of the first persons chosen to serve as a deacon in the church. He succeeded in his work “doing great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). He also persuasively argued the faith attracting enemies who chided for being unable to debate him and instigated false charges against him (Acts 6:10-11). Guided by the Holy Spirit, Stephen was stoned and martyred [2]. Stephen’s story speaks to me.

Stephen is a family name in my father’s mother’s family. Her name was Gertrude DeKock. When I was born, she insisted that I be named Stephen after her grandfather, Stephanus DeKock, like my dad. Stephanus was born in the Netherlands (Herwijnen) and immigrated to Pella, Iowa with his parents in 1856 at the age of 17. In August 1862, Stephanus volunteered for the Union Army and served in the 22rd Iowa Infantry (DeCook).

Stephanus was not the first Stephen in the DeKock family. The oldest known, Stephen, in the family was Stephanie, the wife of Philip of Naples in twelfth century France. Her son, Rudolf Chatillon, received the title of Count LeCocq from the King of France because he reported early every day for battle—like a rooster (leCocq). Later (around 1200) he received a grant of land in Gelderland, The Netherlands and the title, LeCocq, was translated into DeKock (DeCook).

In keeping with the DeKock family tradition, Gertrude used to vacuum my bedroom at seven o’clock in the morning.

The Hiemstra influence was more subtle.

The family originates in Dokkum which is a Frisian city alone the North Sea in the Netherlands. The Frisians have their own distinctive language which, unlike other dialects, shares little in common with German and Dutch. The Frisians kept their independence from surrounding nations until the Dutch revolt against Spain in 1568—a political manifestations of the reformation [3].

The name, Hiemstra, divides into two parts: hiem and stra. A Frisian friend of mine, who I met as a student in Germay, informed me years ago that “hiem” means home while the “stra” indicates a Frisian origin. My grandfather, Frank Henry Hiemstra, spoke Frisian along with Dutch but he never taught his sons. Instead, he insisted on raising them as Americans speaking English. According to my father, the family move away from Pella to Oskaloosa and attendance at Central Reformed Church in Oskaloosa served to separate the family from daily ethnic Dutch influences—a very Frisian idea!

Frank’s identity remained in Christ. Frank left behind no autobiography or list of accomplishments. Instead, he composed a short piece entitled: Grandpa’s Favorite Bible Verses and Quotations (1998) which starts with:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Further on he writes about prayer and concludes that: “the purpose of prayer [is] to glorify the name of God”.

Frank was subtle; he left room in his life for God.

 

[1] (BDAG 6819). στέφανος means: “a wreath made of foliage or designed to resemble foliage and worn by one of high status or held in high regard, wreath, crown.”

[2] The charge against Stephen was twofold:

“This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” (Acts 6:13-14)

Stephen never disputed the charge and offered no defense. Instead, he accused the Jews of false worship and not keeping the law (Acts 7:48, 53) effectively validating their charges. What drove them crazy, however, was when he reminded them of Jesus’ words during his trial:

“But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matt 26:64)

Jesus was paraphrasing Daniel 7:13. This was clear a claim of divinity. Stephen’s stoning was spontaneous and illegal under Roman law (John 18:31).

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frisians.

REFERENCES

Bauer, Walter (BDAG). 2000. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. ed. de Frederick W. Danker. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. .

BibleWorks. 2015. Norfolk, VA: BibleWorks, LLC. .

DeCook, Stephen and JoAnn. 1999. “DeKock, DeCook Ancestry”. July. Also manuscript “The DeKock Group” (both unpublished).