Finding Purpose - Song of my Life - Kristine van Dooren

At the end of the last episode, you heard the song about living with the Holy Spirit. Thomas and I, were taught as new Christians that it was God’s Spirit, that would transform our hearts and minds. This is how we began living, with true purpose according, to the scripture. Thomas, as the narrator for the musical, had explained; “The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our teacher, our helper. He gives...

We have a new year before us, and I feel like this is a good time for me, to get a fresh approach to storytelling. With each episode I am always juggling, the past and the present, and I find that each chapter is intertwined. I began with the title “Finding Purpose,” because that is what Thomas and I, were looking for. Fortunately, our search for the light, while stumbling around in the darkness,...

So now, back to telling our story to the German women, in West Berlin in 1982. When I listen to this old recording, I am reminded of the reasons, that my family and I, have persevered, and still live in Germany. I would like to read from 1 Corinthians, Chapter 1, which explains what God’s will is for every person. There is no one that is special, we are all equal in His sight, both men and women....

It's all about the music; growing up in California in the 50s and 60s, the culture that formed and directed my life. This is the first chapter of my autobiography, "Das Lied meines Lebens," that eventually led to my first podcast in English. Much has changed since then, learning how to write and speak personally, about the details of my story. In the following episodes, I eventually...

The year of 2025 is coming to a close, and we all tend to look back and consider our experiences, the good things, as well as the difficult ones. I have posted some of my highlights in music reels online, that focus on family fun, and family music. But here on the podcast, I am looking back at a year of writing and recording stories, between 1982 through 1986. It’s fun for me, to know how my first...

After hearing Thomas’ recording in the last episode, it reminded me of the radical change that took place, when we moved to Germany. Even for Thomas, though he was back in his home country, he was not in his home town of West Berlin. He had no idea how the Christian way of life would be, compared to what he had experienced, in California. For me, besides the language, being a young mother and preg...

I hope you enjoyed my story about the long-lost letter. Well, to my great surprise, my friend Rosemary, found another one, this time by Thomas, written one week later. He was also congratulating our friends, on the new baby, but he included a lot more details about the changes going on at the ranch. I recognized his orderly, and easy to read, penmanship right away. Without even seeing the contents...

I received a copy of a letter today from an old friend, that I wrote exactly 51 years ago, in November of 1974. Reading it now, brought to mind this verse in Proverbs 25, verse 25, “Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land.” Actually the news, is not only from a distant land, but a distant time in my past. It's intriguing, that even though I have no specific memory...

After the summer vacation the new baby continued to be the center of attention. In the following months we celebrated birthdays, and went to church services, with our new daughter. At home we took lots of pictures, showing each new milestone; like her first smiles, bath time, or diaper changes in the middle of the night. The ultimate photo is of her laying on a shelf, directly under the boom box t...

Well, I have seen by the amount of episode views, that many people are interested in a home birth story. While writing the last episode, I was looking back on my experience, of having a series of home births. Each time it was in a different place, and full of interesting, and dramatic developments. But the most important aspect, is that all glory goes to God, for His protection and guidance. For e...

After that emotional ending to my last episode, I will continue with one of the most precious events of our lives. We had put aside for a little while, the music and the dancing, in our home. All of us were waiting, for the day and time, of the birth of our baby. The due date was for Sunday the 10th of August, but I wasn’t counting on that. The other four children, were either born before, or afte...

The finishing touch of the musical celebration, with 2000 Christians in Munich, was beautiful. After the final, joyful applause, many people lingered in the aisles, talking and praying with each other. The leader of the pastor’s circle, Helmut Nicklas, came directly up the stairs to where I was sitting. He could see that I was highly pregnant but that didn’t phase him at all. He had something to s...

This week I thought it would be fun to quote something I wrote, from my original book files. Between the years of 2000 to 2006, I was writing my autobiography in English. Sometimes I find in those pages, things that I have forgotten about, now that it is twenty years later.  At that time, I had no idea how it would ever get to book form. But it turned out that a German Christian publishing company...

Thomas and I, and our four daughters, were about to embark on a life-altering year. The day we saw the positive pregnancy test was exciting, but we had no idea what challenges were ahead of us. The first phone calls we made, were to my parents in California, and to Nadja in Berlin. Though they were both happy for the news, I think they had reservations about us having an even bigger family. But th...

As usual in preparing for a new episode, I have been looking through old notes and letters that Thomas and I wrote to each other. There I find confirmations of the things that I remember. In a card at the end of the year after our fifth child was born, I wrote; “Thank you for another special year together. You are a faithful and patient husband. Thank you for all your help with the children, espec...

Thomas and I, immediately shared the surprise with our daughters, that I was pregnant. With all the girls gathered on our bed, Thomas told them to put their hands on mommy’s tummy and pray for the little baby. We felt blessed that the Lord was adding another child to our family. As for many occasions, we had a song to express our joy. So Thomas said, “Let’s sing,” and we all chimed in; “Welcome to...

In each new phase of our lives, Thomas and I were learning how to live out the great commission. Simply put; "Preach the gospel, make disciples, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember; I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” With this foundation that began with faith in Jesus, the challenge was to seek him and to trust his guidance. Our confidence was...

Hope you enjoyed my Guatemala story. That was such a long time ago, but I am more aware now, of the influence that trip had on my family’s life. Also I realized how amazing it is, to know that God's hand that protected us, traveling to so many different countries that year. Today, before I get into my story, I want to take time to reflect again on the purpose of my podcast. With the radical an...

Today I am continuing on with our story from Episode 139 called “Dreams Come True”. The impact that musical had on our lives, started a whole new avenue of ministry, for our family. Following that episode, were two inspiring conversations, with the producers of the musical “Celebrate His Holiness”. God seemed to be using the creative gifts in our family, as a way to serve the Lord, and others. A s...

(This is a rerun story of our trip to California. Next week's episode will be about our big adventure to Guatemala in 1985! ) Thomas and I, couldn’t have known that after moving toGermany, we would be going back and forth to California, taking our children with us. It was my home and Thomas’ spiritual home. Both worlds, Germany and California, were an enrichment for our lives. This was definit...

Today I am talking with my daughter, Naomi, about raising a big family. She has alot of practical and interesting questions, about marriage, and loving being a mom of five daughters. It helps to have had a good example in your parents, but for example, my husband did not have that. The biggest blessing for both of us, was becoming Christians, and learning from the Bible's instructions, for mar...

Welcome back, Jim and Anne! All of the interesting details, and the networking of artists needed to create the musicial, "Celebrate His Holiness", (written by Rick and Patti Ridings.) Begining with willing hearts and trusting the Lord, Kirk and Deby Dearman, Randall Bane, Debbie Roberts, and many more singers and dancers came together in Southampton. The result; a musical experience that...

It’s amazing how our family was discovering, step by step, God’s plan for our lives. Thomas and I, came to Germany with one purpose, to share the gospel of Christ, that we had come to know in California. Our lives were transformed by Jesus, and we wanted nothing more than to share those truths. We were always a part of a team that worked together on each project at hand.   In a recent episode, I t...

In the podcast conversation with Jim and Anne, we talked about how we met in Munich, through planning evangelistic outreaches. Thomas, was part of the pastors circles and also had similar experiences as Jim, being the one to lead the group in song with their guitars. The difference was, that Jim brought a team from Youth With a Mission, that lived in Hurlach to Munich. This included a few women wh...

Today, I am talking with dear friends of the family, Jim and Anne. As missionaries to Germany in the mid 70s, we have had alot in common. Preaching out on the streets; using music, mime and dance, drew people into listening to the message. Over the years we worked with many of the same Christian organizations, and singer -songwriters. This led Jim and Anne, on a fascinating journey creating a netw...