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What is worship?
Picture this. A father and daughter are sitting in their church pew on a sunday morning. Topic today: What is worship? The preacher talks about Psalm 23: ‘the Lord is my shepherd’. As an experiment he has asked several musicians to play that old Psalm from the Bible. In their own favorite worship style. First one up is a cantor, a singer who solemnly sings the song without any musical support. Next is the organ player. He gives a slow and steady performance of the psalm and the congregation joins in. Up comes the lady with the harp, who sings and plays the song. Last is the worship band: drums, guitars, the violin and a saxophone. The lead singers get everybody up on their feet and singing along. My question to you: what is the best way to worship God? Best way to worship? The ...
What are famous songs about prayer?
Faith in God is a great source of inspiration for many artists. And certainly not only for performers of Christian music. You will also find many references to God and prayer in pop music. It is interesting to see what prayer means to the artists: a direct line to God, a habit or is it a nice expression? Through the songs you can often also discover something about their own relationship with God. And so you can reflect on your vision of prayer. Top 10 songs about prayer This top ten includes songs about prayer by the likes of Sam Smith, Kesha, Kendrick Lamar, Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin and more. Listen to the songs, read the lyrics, and think for yourself: what does prayer mean to you? 1. Pray | Sam Smith ft. Logic We know Sam Smith from the James Bond title song Writing’s on the Wall ...
How can I stop worrying?
An old gray-haired woman sits in her bedroom. On top of her suitcase. It just won’t close. She can’t stop worrying. The suitcase is so crammed. With her full weight, she sits on it and then she hears *click*. The suitcase is finally closed. But now she has to get the suitcase down. The old lady stands at the top of the steep stairs. She tries to stop fretting, takes a deep sigh and takes her first step. Behind her she hears *click* again. This time the suitcase does not open, but bursts at the seams. Her belongings find their way out. The suitcase throws her off balance. And then… Suitcase full of worries Have you ever had such a full suitcase? A suitcase under high stress?Sometimes your heart and your head can feel like that too.Like a suitcase full of worries. You worry about your job, y...
Problems? Get the best advice here!
Taking exams? Problems with your family? Arguments with your friends? Discover the best advice you’ll ever get. Dani and Dannah don’t beat around the bush. In three little words (Pray about it) they explain exactly what you can do when you’re at a loss! [embedded content] Pray about it! In other words: pray for it! With the advice of these two girls, you can take on the world again for a while. These two sisters Dani & Dannah Locket have their own YouTube channel and like to send a piece of positivity into the world. Their videos have not gone unnoticed. After their video “Call Jesus” went viral and the invitations to appear on television poured in. Meanwhile, the girls are even acting. [embedded content] Why should their videos inspire so many people? After all,...
What if the sky remains silent?
“It’s STILL across the street. It’s STILL across the street. STILL across the street!” Have you ever sung this along at the soccer stadium or in the schoolyard? Laugh it up! But do you ever feel like it’s really quiet across the street? Or rather the top? What if the sky silent? That it stays quiet in heaven when you pray. That you can’t get in touch with God. What do you do, when heaven remains silent? The silence of God It’s enough to drive a man crazy, it’ll break a man’s faithIt’s enough to make him wonder if he’s ever been saneWhen he’s bleating for comfort from thy staff and thy rodAnd heaven’s only answer is the silence of God The silence of God. It is maddening, painful and sad. There is a great sadness hidden in this song by Andrew Paterson. What if heaven remains silent whi...
What does the Bible say about rest?
Do you have a restless heart? Do you fail to quiet your mind? The Bible is full of texts about rest. Already in the first Bible book Genesis it becomes clear how important God thinks it is for us humans to take rest in our lives. The Bible book tells how God made the world and how God himself takes rest to enjoy his creation. In addition to physical rest, the Bible often speaks of rest and peace for the soul. What does the Bible say about rest? Let these texts quiet your soul. The bible about rest God is not a God of disorder but of peace 1 Corinthians 14:33 +++++ Throw everything you’re worried about into God’s hands He cares for you 1 Peter 5:7 +++++ Come to Me when you are tired Come to Me when you are bowed down under the weight of your problems! I will give you rest Matthew 11:2...
How do you experience rest and peace after a Parkinson’s diagnosis?
“I didn’t know what hit me. I went to the family doctor for a blue palm and later stood outside with two referral letters. One for the cardiologist but also one for the geriatrician. I ended up in the merry-go-round of all kinds of examinations with the diagnosis being Parkinson’s.” The lives of Stieneke and Martien are turned upside down. Yet they experience rest and peace. How? Parkinson’s is not something you have alone “Funnily enough, the diagnosis didn’t overwhelm us. When we had to fill in the long questionnaires, we recognized so much. It was also a confirmation of what we had already seen ourselves such as difficulty walking and in memory. But yes, after the diagnosis we did think…what now?” “Parkinson’s you don’t have alone, you have it together,” says Martien. “Stieneke may be t...
How do I find peace with God?
Sometimes life is one big mess. Everything is in knots. At least in your head. Then you can long for rest. That your thoughts can come to rest and you can just let go. Here you can discover to find peace with God. Peace with God In the Bible there is a beautiful book, namely the Psalms. As a result it is packed with songs that are close to life. Songs for example about: depression, anger, forgiveness and how to find rest with God. Psalm 23 is such a song. Poetry actually. This psalm can help calm your soul. What is a psalm? The psalms are spoken songs with music. The word “psalm” is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word “mizmoor” and means “spoken song with string accompaniment. In the Bible, there is an entire book of the Bible with 150 psalms. As a result in many churches, th...
Take it easy: “My sister ruined my special meeting.”
“My sister ruined my special meeting. I had been so looking forward to it. Finally he would come to my house. What an honor. I don’t have posters hanging over my bed just yet, but this man is my hero, my idol. My sister is also a fan. So she would help me. And what does she do? Nothing. Nothing at all! In fact – she claims him completely. What about me?” “I could hardly sleep because of it. That’s how excited I am. I still can’t believe he’s coming over to my house. I’ve heard so much about him. So many special stories. What would he be like in real life? Would he be disappointed? But I also think about it: what will he think of me? I want to make a good impression, of course!” Everything perfect “Look there he is. So he really is coming along here. Fortunately, I have prepared well....
“Finally I found inner peace”
How do you find inner peace? “Anxiety has actually always controlled my life,” Delja Pruis tells us. From an early age, she experienced a lot of turmoil in her life. “As a teenager I was convinced that I would die before my 40th birthday. I don’t know why, but maybe because a friend of mine died in a car accident when I was 16 years old. No matter how hard I tried, I never felt good enough. I just couldn’t experience inner peace to really enjoy life.” Quest for inner peace “I come from a fine family and grew up with the Christian faith. But I was afraid of God. Afraid that I would never do well enough. Until one time someone said to me, “Delja, you are trying so hard to do your best that you forget that Jesus already loves you just the way you are.” It seemed like some puzzle pieces were f...
Where can I go on a silent retreat?
Silent retreat: “Withdrawing yourself for a while. Separations from the world. Shutting yourself off completely.” All meanings behind the word: retreat. Entering into a period of reflection. Getting away from it all for a while. But where can you find a good place in this busy world to find this silence? Where can you go on a silent retreat? Overview of silence retreats In the Netherlands there are several places where you can go on a silent retreat. Special places where you can catch your breath or shift your focus. To reconnect with yourself and with God. Dominican Monastery in Huissen This monastery is an open house for people to reflect, be inspired and get in motion. As a guest you can participate in the monastic rhythm and celebrations or follow a theme retreat. 2. De Spi...
Tips to de-stress | What does Jesus say about rest?
The self-help books hardly fit on the shelf anymore. The collection of podcasts endless. Magazines are full of them. And coaches galore who want to help you. With what? The search for peace. A popular theme in these busy times. So who is the ultimate rest coach? The answer may surprise you: Jesus! What Jesus? What does Jesus have to say about rest? Well – quite a lot actually. Jesus about rest Jesus lives full of gas. He always has people around him. Often people with sky-high expectations. Always going against the grain. That must have been exhausting. Yet Jesus perseveres. What does Jesus say about rest? What is his “secret”? Pressing the pause button Anyone who thinks Jesus was always “on” is wrong. Jesus regularly hit the pause button. If you read the stories about Jesus in...
