Finding Purpose - Song of my Life - Kristine van Dooren

It’s always interesting to me, reading old newsletters about our mission work, in Europe. Though our family lives in Germany, our hearts were often with our church friends, in different countries. Thomas began a letter in January of 1989 by saying, “God loves Europe and wants that many people would get saved, established and fruitful in his kingdom. By his grace, and because of your faithfulness i...

Actually, for the podcast title, I thought of these words first; let the light in! I was considering all the things we experienced and learned over the years. For some reason the idea of light, took me back to the iconic song, “Let the Sunshine In.” The single became an anthem in April of 1969. And this was also the year I was hoping to go to Europe, for the art, and for the music. The song was a...

Last week I mentioned a question that Thomas asked the congregation on Sunday; “Where will you be in ten years?” That made me think, about applying that question, to our children at that time. Where would they be when they became adults? Thomas gave the example, of Jesus telling his disciples, that the most important “work” they should do concerns eternal life. Jesus answered, it is to “Believe in...

As you have noticed in my episodes, I go through our varied experiences, in a chronological way. This has brought me up to the end of 1988. I have been reading the detailed outlines from Thomas’ German sermons, at the end of that year. His notes give me insight into our lives at that time. They are also an example of how God does miracles in people’s lives. In the"Good Shepherd" podcast,...

Today I’m reflecting on the past episodes about our experiences in the 80s. It stands out to me, that there was a culmination of both edifying influences, and misleading examples in Christian circles. Actually, this goes back to 1975 in our first year in Germany, as missionaries. I have talked about those days in my early podcasts. There were new teachings that proclaimed the coming of miracles an...

Finally, our family’s summer vacation time had come. After returning from the UK, my goal was to get our house ready, for my parent's arrival from California. We had not seen them for two years, and exchanging letters and tapes was just not enough. They were most anxious, to see little Debby for the first time, and celebrate her second birthday with us. Our lifestyle had also changed a lot sin...

I will get right into the story where I left off last week. Thomas and I, so appreciated, each one of the over a hundred people, who joined us in “Celebrating His Holiness”. The scriptural songs resonated in many of our hearts, because this was our spiritual foundation. We had been born again to a “living hope”, as the apostle Peter, so beautifully put it. The narrator text for the musical, descri...

This episode is going to be fun, especially for me, because we were doing our favorite thing. To get started on this story, I had to pull out boxes of videos, tapes and photographs of the musical, that we brought to England in the summer of 1988. I sent some pictures to our friends who participated asking for their memories. I found out things I didn’t remember, and one woman said, “I am smiling a...

Back to our beginnings; the continuation of PART ONE, from my "First Hand Accounts" episode. This true story includes recording excerpts of myself, from 1982 in West Berlin! Thomas and I, were telling about our dramatic journey together, from the time we met in 1970. We were true hippies, delving into new age practices and philosophies, looking for God. The first time I began to understa...

I have been reporting throughout my podcast on various Christian movements; that we were exposed to, or worked with. One good example for us, was the first Jesus March, founded in London, May of 1987. The church leaders were Gerald Coates, Roger Forster and Lynn Green, along with the musician Graham Kendrick. Shortly after that, on the 18 of July 1987, Thomas worked with the Munich pastors, to lea...

In my last episode I made the suggestion, to read the first chapter of the letter to the Philippians. I pointed out verse six that Thomas had read, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you, will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” But what was Paul’s reason for such confidence? He said that he continually prays with joy, in viewof the fact, that the belie...

This month we are enjoying spring in Germany after the cold, bleak winter. Blooming daffodils and flowering cherry trees, line the walkway of my garden area. Sitting in the sun on my patio, I have been reading a newsletter, that Thomas wrote in the spring of 1988. My last episode was about developing a heart of worship, and practical expression, based on the Psalms. Today, I will consider how that...

Something that had become a regular part of our lives by 1987 and ‘88, was doing seminars on the subject of worship and praise for families. As the girls were becoming older, they also helped out with the children’s program. The invitation for a seminar in Birmingham, England, included the information that we would be presenting the musical “Celebrate His Holiness,” at the Euro Fire Conference in...

Welcome back friends! Especially for those of you who are new here, I thought you might enjoy watching my daughter and I, talk about our lives. Our discussion revolves around raising children and all that entails; love, patience, and looking to God's Word for instruction and wisdom. Thomas and I, were from two different countries and family backgrounds. After we became born again Christians, w...

We had a wonderful time, talking about practical ways, how to follow Jesus. Three generations of my family, sharing specific steps, in learning to be lead by His Spirit and His Word. I tell how it started with Thomas and I, as new Christians. God transformed our minds and hearts, as we learned to understand the Bible, and put God's instructions into practice. Especially in marriage, raising ch...

Greetings to wherever you are in this world. I’m glad that you are interested in my stories, which include some elements of church history, in the 80s. Though our experiences took place mostly in Germany, I am sure people in other countries, can relate to these things. We had heard Reinhard Bonnke, speak at an evangelistic meeting in Munich, and enjoyed his refreshing style of preaching. It was si...

Today, I will continue with another experience that Thomas and I shared, at a conference in Frankfurt in the summer of 1987. This was just a month after the musical and the "Jesus March" that took place in Munich. Thomas was invited to help with translating for one of the speakers. We organized a babysitter, and a place to stay, with friends from “Youth with a Mission.” A leader from the...

Today, I decided to share a more personal story with music, that I haven’t used yet, on the podcast. With Thomas’ birthdate coming up, I am reminiscing about the musician boy, that I met in July of 1970. We were teenagers from opposite ends of the world. If he hadn’t spoken English at the time, our story would have turned out differently. Instead he began a conversation with me at the school-boy’s...

I hope you are enjoying the early signs of spring, like I am here in Germany. I had the honor of celebrating with my family, the wedding of my oldest grandson recently. It was fascinating, to see the fruit of the joy of the Lord, that we had planted in our daughter’s lives so long ago. The celebration began with worship in the church, and continued with the presentation of new songs, and dancing,...

Part Two - is titled Hippie Conversion - Episode 122- You can scroll back to that story!! Today, I will take you back to the beginning of our story, as we told it when we were 31 and 32 years old. My granddaughter recently said to me, it is such a miracle that you stayed together as a couple. If it wasn’t for God saving both of you we wouldn’t even be here today. So we must never underestimate the...

Just this week, I happened to see an article titled, "The 70 Best Life Purpose Podcasts, that are worth listening to in 2026." At the top of the list was Jay Shetty, a motivational speaker. I have seen a few of his interviews with famous people. Just out of curiosity I started to scroll down the list, only to find that my podcast is also on the list, as “number twenty.” What a surprise! The articl...

Together we experienced a beautiful transformation in our souls, the day we believed in Jesus our Savior. We used to sing a wonderful song from Isaiah 61, 3, that described this transformation: “He gives us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning. The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that we might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he might be glori...

Last week was about the music! Today, I am taking a look at the biblical foundation, which was the inspiration for our songs. I have enjoyed listening this week, to an old sermon from Thomas, and then remembered I have all of his notes. I discovered that the church secretary, had put them in order, listing them according to the date and title. I was so glad to find the matching page to that tape....

Seems like I am always talking about music, and especially during our lives in the ‘80s. Guess what? I found another tape that I hadn’t listened to before. It only says, “to grandma and grandpa -January 1988.” It must have been in a shoe box, that I brought home from my parent’s house, many years ago. To my great surprise, most of the content is the girls singing with Thomas. By that time, they ha...

Do you ever take time, to look back over your life, and consider where you came from and where you are going? The heart of life, that I see more clearly now, is simple. Time flies and there is nothing new under the sun! We get so wrapped  up in our work and making plans, but honestly, only God knows what tomorrow will bring. For Thomas and I, as we grew older and our children were becoming teenage...