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Stress is not necessarily wrong. A little stress ensures that you react alertly to situations. Unhealthy stress is another story. When stress persists for a long time, you can develop chronic complaints that you can’t get rid of quickly. That is why it is important to do something about your stress symptoms. Because only then can you prevent overstrain and burnout. Holistic Approach Balance of soul, body and mind is important. If one of these three is out of balance it will affect the other two. As a result stress can have different causes. You can work on what causes you stress (if you already know), but as a coach I like to look at all three aspects of someone. I use the TotalBalance method for this. This involves looking at someone’s past, present and future. Awareness is key. Who were ...

Our camping trip starts out promising. The campground is truly breathtaking. An oasis of green and peace. The trees sway in the wind all day. The river rolls into the big deep blue lake. Jake and Tom are camping in France with a large group of friends. Finally, it’s time to go out together again. Away from the daily grind and away from all the restrictions. Fold out the camping chair, a beer in your hand and relax. However, that relaxed feeling will not last long. The men have no idea of the devastating storm that is lurking around the corner. Jake and Tom have fixed a large tent. Setting it up is a big test of their friendship. Missing poles, bent pegs. Tent fabric backwards. In short: misery. But the men don’t give up and when the tent is finally up, they toast the job done. And they are...

God in suffering? How does that work? A fair question. If we look around us we see a lot of misery and sorrow. Why does God allow this? A God of love, who as a father would take care of us? Sometimes that seems hard to reconcile. Many people experience God as cruel and ruthless. And why would you want to know more about such a God? A question for you. What answer would be satisfying enough for you? Would there be a good answer to why children are drowning in the sea as they flee with their parents? When you are caught in an abusive situation? Or when you have to say goodbye to someone you love very much? There is no answer that will suddenly make up for the suffering in this world.  We can get angry at God for why he doesn’t intervene. Why does he allow so much death and destruction? ...

Have you heard of it before: Global Day of Forgiveness? This day is perhaps not fixed in your calendar but why not? On July 7, the world reflects on: forgiveness.  The importance of forgiveness A difficult topic that we all have to deal with from time to time. People can hurt or disappoint you or maybe you are disappointed in yourself. On this Global Day of Forgiveness you will reflect on the importance of forgiveness. For the other but sometimes especially for yourself.  In 1994 some Canadians from the team at the Christian organization CECA (Christian Embassy of Christ’s Ambassadors) came up with this special day. Why? They wanted one moment in the year to reflect on forgiveness and pinned July 7 to the calendar. As a kind of kickstarter or motivation to forgive. By making it a...

Forgiving someone. Sometimes the most difficult thing to do in your life. If someone has caused you pain or injustice then forgiving someone is the hardest thing to do. Because often another person doesn’t deserve forgiveness at all. But is forgiving something you give to someone else. Or to yourself?  Desmond Tutu once said, “Forgiveness is something you do for yourself.” Get inspired by these quotes about forgiveness from other famous people. Forgiveness is not saying that the one who hurt you was right. Forgiveness is stating that God is faithful and he will do what is right.Max Lucado 2. If we really want to love we must learn to forgive.Mother Teresa 3. If I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I would still be in prison.Nelson Mandela 4. You should never be too proud to...

Claiming your inheritance. Completely squandering all your money. And then come back home with your legs hanging out? Would you be waiting for someone like that? In this Sandy Tales about forgiveness, this is exactly what happens. How will his father react? After all, he hadn’t died at all. He was pressured by his son to give him his inheritance. And then suddenly the son comes home.  What is Sandy Tales? Sandy Tales are stories told with sand. The sand creator Harm van Schaik creates together with Jesus.net the most beautiful videos with stories from the Bible. He uses special sand which lies on a lightbox. His hands paint in the sand as it were.  Storyteller Jesus is a true storyteller. His stories are also called parables. Using examples, Jesus tries to address difficult theme...

Forgiving someone is one of the hardest choices a human can make. These movies about forgiveness show the sadness and rawness behind forgiveness. Forgiving the murderer of your child? Forgiving oppressors that mistreated you? The nuns that took your kid? Or a father that never looked back on you. Not an easy task to do. These films about forgiveness are not only about forgiving the other, but sometimes also about forgiving yourself. Sometimes, that is even harder. Be inspired by these stories and reflect on your own journey with forgiveness. 1. Invictus [embedded content] Starring: Morgan Freeman and Matt DamonInvictus is a true story about leadership and forgiveness. In 1995, South Africa is hosting the Rugby World Cup. Nelson Mandela has just become president. With this sporting event, a...

Forgiving someone can be quite a struggle. The theme of forgiveness is often used in movies because it shows the dramatic side of life. Forgiving the other person for the pain they have caused you or forgiving yourself for the mistakes you have made. In these top 5 Christian movies about forgiveness you can discover what role God can play in learning to forgive. 1. Woodlawn Starring: Sean Astin, Nic Bishop, Sherri Shepherd and Jon VoightWoodlawn is about Tony Nathan, a talented American football player. He doesn’t have it easy at his school, Woodlawn High School in Alabama. After the racial divide is abolished, the football coach also accepts black players on the team. But this does not happen without a struggle. The arrival of predecessor Hank Erwin caused a radical change in the team. Ba...

Desmond Tutu on forgiveness As a little boy, he saw how his mother was abused by his father. “When I close my eyes, I can still smell the alcohol and see the fear in my mother’s eyes.” When you hear Desmond Tutu talk about forgiveness you hear a lived-in man. Not just with nice words, but spoken from his own experience. Desmond Tutu was the first black bishop in the Anglican Church and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts against apartheid in South Africa. [embedded content] The violence in the home had a deep impact on him. As a child, there was little he could do. “When I think back on it, I feel a rage rising up and I would like to hurt my father as much as he hurt my dear mother.” So for Desmond Tutu, the struggle to forgive is very personal. “I would so love to talk ...

If anyone in world history has changed the view of forgiveness, it is Jesus. The Bible is full of quotes from Jesus about forgiveness. He offers a very different perspective. The focus is not on ourselves but on the other and above all on God. The statements of Jesus are often radical and take time to ponder over. They go deep and challenge you. Here are the statements “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.Matthew 6:14-15 “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus says, “but seventy times seven!Matthew 18:21-22 “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Jesus at the crossLuke 23:34 Forgiv...

Missions organization Global Nomads reports that around their training center in Bulgaria many Turkish speaking Roma found Christ after experiencing a healing or deliverance of oppression. Eno, one of Global Nomads’ church planter trainers, reports: “One of our neighbours came to us with his horse that had not eaten for several days and was perishing. It grew weaker every day and its eyes were watering. He asked us if our God could do something for his horse. So we prayed for it with our children. Some days later I saw the neighbour in town, with his horse – it drew a cart! In big surprise I walked up to him. He told me overjoyed that his horse had been completely healed! This had been a very special experience for the children.” “Some weeks later the same neighbour’s sister-in-law came to...