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O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what [God] requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 NLT)

The world needs more worshippers - those who will embrace mystery, music, prayer and word as God's catalysts of change and will allow their love for God to overflow into lives of love, compassion and justice for others.

Since learning to play guitar at age 16, worship has been at the centre of my life. It took too long, though, for me to realise that what we do in church needs to impact what we do outside of it. When I really begam to grasp the message of the kingdom - I prefer the word 'commonwealth' - of God that Jesus preached, I realised that worship is the place where we are confronted with God's love for the world, and God's desire for justice to fill every corner of it.

And so I began a quest to unite worship and the needs of the world. In prayer and preaching I have longed to carry the suffering of the world into the place of worship, and I have prayed that my worship would transform me into a person of compassion, justice and integrity.

This CD is an attempt to express this quest musically. The songs are tried and tested for congregational singing, and attempt to bridge the divide between 'contemporary' and 'traditional' styles of worship. The themes range from poverty and economic justice (Jubilee) to creation care, compassion and inclusivity, My aim has been to provide worship songs that enable us to engage these issues in the light of God's character and purposes. The prayers and readings reveal my commitment that worship is more than music, and, I hope, strengthen the message of the songs.

I pray that this project will be a blessing to you, but will also, in some way, help you to be a blessing to "every God-beloved life" that you encounter.

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"Ever since first meeting John van de Laar several years ago, I have been struck by his unique gifts of mind and heart that have enabled him to make a significant contribution to the worship life of the local congregation. Whatever John does in worship is consistently characterized by a deep respect for the past, a creative openness to the new and a deep love for God and God’s people. I have learnt more from him about designing worship events within the contemporary context than from anyone else I know." Trevor Hudson

 John is a Methodist minister and worship leader with nearly thirty years' experience in a wide variety of church and musical settings, and was the Worship Director for the 2001, 2003 and 2005 National Conferences of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.

John is regularly called on to lead worship events and seminars drawing all language, race, gender and cultural groups together both musically and spiritually, and has been a sought-after speaker, conference leader and preacher throughout South Africa.

Over the last few years John's ministry has expanded into the rest of the world through the Sacredise consultancy which he established, and which has taken him around South Africa and to the United States. The Sacredise website offers a wide variety of resources for worship and  has subscribers from approximately thirty countries.

He holds a Masters degree in the Theology of Worship Music from UNISA, and is a published song-writer, musician, and author.

John has been married to Debbie (also a Methodist minister) for over twenty years, and they have two teenage sons.

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