Blogoversary giveaway!

Yep! It's coming up: my 10 year blogoversary. Believe it or not, but I penned my first blog post in May 2006, not knowing where the adventure would lead me.

Not knowing that I would meet so many other bloggers and writers online, sharing the same passion and drive to be an encouraging and positive voice on the world wide web.

I have learned a lot from you all. I am thankful for your visits and comments on my blog posts and appreciate your likes and retweets. A blog will not survive without a faithful group of readers and it is time to thank you all again for following, reading and sharing.

Let's welcome the month of May and begin the celebration with a giveaway. As you may have read in previous posts my new book Spirit of Truth has just been released. The subtitle says: 'Finding certainty and standing firm in a troubled world'.

It is an encouraging message that will inspire and equip readers to stand up and say no to the negative voices of the world (lies, accusations, fear, worries, pain and defeat) and yes to the Truth of God's Word.

I will send you a signed copy of Spirit of Truth with some other goodies, wherever you live. You can enter this giveaway by:

• leaving your comment and
• sharing this post on your social media

Please do this before May 10th, 2016. I will draw a name and announce the winner on this blog. To further celebrate I will also host several bloggers@work...

Let's celebrate blogging!

Each one his or her own truth?

Have you heard it in a conversation lately: "You have your truth and I have mine ..."?

A strange idea actually, because if everyone has his or her own truth, truth has become a variable. Friends today, enemies tomorrow. Taboo today, acceptable tomorrow. Truth has become rather confusing in our society today. It is no longer regarded as a foundation upon which we can build our worldview.

Do we find the truth somewhere in the middle? Is it possible to find truth in the midst of many voices, views and opinions? What is wrong with having our own personal truth? Ethical questions that are interesting enough to dig into, and I did ...

In my latest book Spirit of Truth I have taken a closer look at three statements by three different people:

• Pilate, who proclaimed three times that he could not find any fault in Jesus
• Peter, who said three times in a row that he did not know Jesus and
• Jesus, who announced three times the coming of the Spirit of truth

Three men, each portraying their 'own' truth. In Spirit of Truth I am taking the reader to the courtroom where Jesus stands in front of Pilate, while Peter was outside denying his friendship with Jesus. Pilate confronts Jesus with a direct and desperate question: What is truth?

We are being challenged to answer that question!

Spirit of Truth is available on Kindle and Kindle unlimited for only $2.99.

Give me an L

In my Bible alphabet blog series L stands for Love.

Love. What comes to mind when we think about that word? Being kind to one another, tolerance, being in love, motherly love, charity ...?

We probably think of these different forms of human love, but Biblical love is supernatural love. That's not being in love, not a feeling, but love as choice.

God has made that choice: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

He therewith demonstrates the most beautiful and most difficult love there is, that is,

• loving your neighbor as yourself
• loving your enemies and bless them
• loving those who persecute you
• loving unto death

God desires to transfer this heart-rending love to mankind, to you and me. If we look around us, it seems impossible to treat God and each other that way .... but the Bible says love never fails!

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. And God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him. This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven (1 John 4: 7-10).

We can discuss it, debate it, sing songs and write poems, but the big change starts with our acceptance of His love!


Up next, giveaway of my new release Spirit of Truth!

The questioning of truth

"Imagine a court room. A humble, quiet man has been brought in. He is being accused of a crime. No one seems to know exactly what kind of crime, even the judge doesn’t know for sure. What he does know however, is that all kind of charges and complaints have been filed against this man. He is trying to sort things out. Justice must prevail!

During the trial several people come forward to tell lies about the defendant, who appears particularly quiet and peaceful during this ordeal. His sad but friendly eyes drift around the room only to rest for a mere second or so on some of his countrymen. They look back with hatred and spit in his direction as if to silence his kindness..."

So begins my new book Spirit of Truth. Looking back at the events in the courtroom, where Jesus stood before Pilate, we can see a desperate cry emerge. A cry that still lingers in our courtrooms today. As a matter of fact it lingers in our homes, schools, political arena, businesses, and even in our churches: 'And what is truth?' 

In Spirit of Truth the reader is being challenged to answer Pilate's question, not just inside the courtroom... but where it matters most: in our daily lives.

'A delightful book, well thought out and relevant to us today... A book you will certainly read often.'

Reader's Favorite USA

The message in this book is very inspiring and encouraging, especially if you find yourself struggling from time to time to stay hopeful and positive in a world  that has taken a free fall into lawlessness.

The paperback edition will be published and distributed in Europe (where I am residing), but there is also a Kindle edition which is now available at Amazon for just $2.99.

Spirit of Truth is the sixth book in a series about the Ten Commands in the 21st century. The message is related to the 9th commandment: 'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor'. 

New release: Spirit of Truth

I am happy to break in to my Bible alphabet blog series with some exciting news.... I have a new book coming up! (which is about time...)

Yep, when bloggers are getting quiet, they're probably hiding behind their computer screen and working on a book :) Spirit of Truth is my sixth (English language) book and for several reasons (such as procrastination) it took me quite some time to finish it.

In this new release I am taking the reader back in time to one of the most famous questions ever asked in the history of mankind... and that is the one Pilate desperately confronted Jesus with: ‘and what is truth?’

It is the very scene where Jesus stands before Pilate that I have used to unfold the historical case truth vs. lie. I have taken Pilate's question and related it to the 9th commandment which teaches us not to accuse anyone falsely or in other words: speak truth.

Today, as in Pilate's time, we live in a world that is made up of accusations, lies and gossip. We are constantly being bombarded with stories about people cheating, lying, and accusing others of being the reason for the mess they are in. Such practices have even gotten entertainment value. Pilate's question still lingers in our courtrooms everyday. As a matter of fact, it lingers in our homes, schools, businesses and churches. What is truth? A very relevant question for today.

It will be a few more weeks before the paperback version will be available, but... you can get your Kindle edition  right now for only $2.99!

Get your e-book copy of Spirit of Truth today and be blessed and encouraged as you read through the pages! In the coming weeks I will post some give-aways and recommendations.