Dordt College

I want to proclaim that Jesus is Lord, and when I say that the Lordship of Christ matters in every area of life, I want to be ready with specific examples about what it means to live Christianly. 
Posting about working towards Christ-centered renewal in all areas of life from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining a faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life—until all is made new.
Living Christianl

Zuidema, Leah A.

Dordt Digital Collections 
Faculty Work Comprehensive List 
11-1-2024 
Living Christianly: Under the Lordship of Christ, Everything Matters 
Leah A. Zuidema 
Dordt University, leah.zuidema@dordt.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/faculty_work 
 Part of the Christianity Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Zuidema, L. A. (2024). Living Christianly: Under the Lordship of Christ, Everything Matters. Retrieved from 
https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/faculty_work/1502 
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Living Christianly: Under the Lordship of Christ, Everything Matters 
Abstract 
"I want to proclaim that Jesus is Lord, and when I say that the Lordship of Christ matters in every area of 
life, I want to be ready with specific examples about what it means to live Christianly." 
Posting about working towards Christ-centered renewal in all areas of life from In All Things, an online 
hub that offers insight into maintaining a faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while 
fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life—until all is made new. 
Living Christianly 
Keywords 
In All Things, Lordship of Jesus Christ, mission, students, faith 
Disciplines 
Christianity 
Comments 
In All Things is a publication of the Andreas Center for Reformed Scholarship and Service at Dordt 
University. 
This blog post is available at Dordt Digital Collections: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/faculty_work/1502 
Living Christianly: Under the Lordship of Christ, Everything Matters 
by Leah Zuidema 
 
The question people ask me again and again is a familiar one: “So what do you do?” 
While the question is routine, something about my answer seems to surprise many people. 
Typically, my answer sounds something like this: 
“I’m on the leadership team for a faith-based college, Dordt University. What we do every 
day is help students understand how following Jesus Christ makes a difference in every 
area of life. That’s not just for our theology majors; it’s for all our students, including those 
in engineering, nursing, agriculture, business, and so on. That’s a major focus of every 
student’s coursework.” 
That’s when the questions start—usually beginning with a puzzled look and a few extra 
seconds of silence before the words come. Most people are just curious; some simply 
aren’t sure what to make of this or say next. 
One conversation partner was memorably skeptical and didn’t hesitate to challenge me. 
We were sitting on a bench at the foot of St. John’s Cathedral in the city in the Netherlands 
colloquially known as Den Bosch. My husband was enjoying the tour of the soaring Gothic 
spires; I was glad to be glued to the ground talking with strangers rather than facing my fear 
of heights. I had been especially enthusiastic in my description of our Christ-centered 
mission at Dordt University, thinking that a fellow traveler visiting a cathedral might 
resonate with my perspective. I was wrong. 
“Engineering?! Christian engineering? What do you do, teach them to make cross-shaped 
bridges?” Perhaps he was just being direct, but his questions seemed to have an edge to 
them. I laughed and continued the conversation, trying to share specific examples from my 
admittedly limited knowledge of engineering (since he had earlier told me that he was an 
engineer), but the man wasn’t easily persuaded. 
I didn’t sense that I changed his mind that day about the connection between faith and life 
beyond the walls of the cathedral. Perhaps our conversation planted a seed of curiosity for 
him, but it’s hard to say for sure. I guess I’ll never know. 
What I do know is that I left that conversation wanting to be better prepared for the next one 
like it, and for all the conversations after that. As the old hymn says, “I love to tell the story 
of Jesus and His love.” I want to proclaim that Jesus is Lord, and when I say that the 
Lordship of Christ matters in every area of life, I want to be ready with specific examples 
about what it means to live Christianly. I have those stories from my own life, but I also 
want to have stories and insights that will help me to connect and open conversations with 
people whose professional and personal lives differ greatly from my own. 
If you are reading this today, I trust that there is a good chance that you share this same 
desire. Hopefully you already see some ways that following Jesus makes a difference in 
your life, not only within your church, but also in your home, your work, your friendships, 
and your everyday habits and decisions. 
Maybe, like me, you are hungry to keep learning more about how our Lord created the world 
and is at work in it today as our Redeemer. Maybe, like me, you want to be challenged to 
think more deeply about what it means to follow Christ in thought, word, and deed, 
wherever life may take you. If so, I hope you’ll keep coming back to In All Things. Week after 
week, you’ll find short pieces about the redeeming work of Christ in all areas of life, entries 
that help you to grow your imagination for Christian living that is responsive to the call of 
Christ. 
The In All Things blog and podcast are rooted in our Dordt University mission: “As an 
institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt 
equips students, alumni, and the broader community to work effectively toward Christ-
centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life.” In turn, Dordt’s mission—and 
therefore the mission of In All Things—is grounded in Scripture, including these words from 
Colossians 1:15-17: 
Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in 
Him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether 
thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through Him and 
for Him. He Himself is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 
Our hope as we educate students at Dordt University and share insights from our faculty 
and friends through In All Things is that we live faithfully into this vision. Under the Lordship 
of Jesus Christ, everything matters. We hope you’ll join us each week by reading and 
listening to learn more about how we can live Christianly in all things until our Lord and 
Savior makes all things new. 
 


English

Living Christianly: Under the Lordship of Christ, Everything Matters

Anema, Doretta Diekman

Volume 53 
Number 2 Fine Arts Issue Article 1 
December 2024 
Happy Birthday to Tim 
Doretta Diekman Anema 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege 
 Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Higher Education Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Anema, Doretta Diekman (2024) "Happy Birthday to Tim," Pro Rege: Vol. 
53: No. 2, 2. 
Available at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege/vol53/iss2/1 
This Poetry is brought to you for free and open access by the University Publications at Dordt Digital Collections. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in Pro Rege by an authorized administrator of Dordt Digital Collections. For more 
information, please contact ingrid.mulder@dordt.edu. 
2     Pro Rege — December 2024
Happy Birthday to Tim                                      
(a poem I buried with your body, one day short of your 59th birthday)
Doretta Diekman Anema — Executive Director of No More Sidelines, Kent County, 
MI., to her friend and former Calvin classmate (a transfer from Dordt College) from years 
ago, Tim Van Noord, after he visited No More Sidelines in his wheelchair, a victim of ALS, 
and they became friends and co-writers before his death in 2024. 
This must be
the best birthday party
you ever could have
dreamed of
in your whole life
greatest presents
Eternal presence
no more dancing
just in your head
just in your heart
feet set free
limbs unbounded
hands held high
and waving
fingers
unfettered
lips trading
words with The Word
haikus and hymns
shimmering like a Sea
all around you
beautiful Soul
purified so long
by earthly fire
finally living out
for yourself now
“most this amazing day”
Forever and ever God’s
Divine poetry
        Immortal Diamond, indeed.


Happy Birthday to Tim

Breems, Jenni

Volume 53 
Number 2 Fine Arts Issue Article 8 
December 2024 
Reflections on "When Peace Like a River" 
Jenni Breems 
Dordt University, jenni.breems@dordt.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege 
 Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Higher Education Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Breems, Jenni (2024) "Reflections on "When Peace Like a River"," Pro 
Rege: Vol. 53: No. 2, 9. 
Available at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege/vol53/iss2/8 
This Essay is brought to you for free and open access by the University Publications at Dordt Digital Collections. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in Pro Rege by an authorized administrator of Dordt Digital Collections. For more 
information, please contact ingrid.mulder@dordt.edu. 
Pro Rege — December 2024     9 
“We get to sing ‘When Peace Like a River’,” 
I whispered to my sister. She looked up from 
the church bulletin and smiled back. Sunshine 
poured in through the stained-glass windows.
In February 1984, the stained-glass win-
dows had been grey and dreary. Wind and 
cold mist tapped lightly on windows and splat-
tered the cars waiting ominously in the park-
ing lot. My extended family walked somberly 
down the aisle and filed into the front pews. 
The packed church was stiffly silent. My nine-
year-old body did not feel like crying in public. 
Much of Dad’s funeral service is blurry in my 
memory, but I remember singing “When Peace 
Like a River.” 
Philp P. Bliss wrote “When Peace Like a 
River” after his wife and children drowned in 
a storm. He understood “billowing sorrows.” 
Somehow that comforted me, even though his 
next lines were puzzling: “Whatever my lot, 
thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well 
with my soul. …” How could things be well 
when I had lost my dad? 
I did not want to go to high-school choir 
rehearsal that March morning. We were sup-
posed to have songs memorized for upcoming 
church concerts. Invariably, we were not pre-
pared. Mixed-formation practice made it hard 
to hear others who were singing the same part. 
Rehearsal was lousy. We forgot our words. The 
basses were late. The sopranos were flat. Mr. H. 
abruptly cut off the song. 
“Take your folders home and practice! If 
you want to sound like this when we perform 
on Sunday, go ahead and leave your folders in 
the rack tonight! We cannot afford to spend any 
more time drilling parts that we’ve gone over 
since the beginning of the semester,” he said, 
searching the choir piercingly. I stared at the 
floor, hating the thick, uncomfortable silence.
After a brief pause, Mr. H. called us to re-
hearse our next number, “When Peace Like 
a River,” as arranged by Dale Grotenhuis. At 
least we had a fighting chance of rehearsing 
this number more intelligently. However, I was 
unprepared for the nearly flawless music that 
filled the choir room. The emotion that we 
poured into that song made me feel light-head-
ed. It was beautiful. I could feel God’s peace as 
we sang. It became a prayer of joy. 
“Oh Lord haste the day when my faith shall 
be sight. The clouds be rolled back as a scroll. 
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall 
descend. Even so it is well with my soul. It is 
well. It is well. It is well with my soul.” Images 
of heaven filled my mind, and peace continued 
to grow.
Now it is 2023. Our living room is full 
of music. My youngest son sits on the piano 
bench, experimenting with new chord arrange-
ments for the old hymn. I think of it as the 
equivalent of musical doodling. My daughter 
walks over and begins to sing. Both of them 
have been learning jazz, and they improvise 
together. Sometimes, it’s the familiar words of 
“When Peace Like a River.” Sometimes, it’s the 
emotive nonsense syllables of jazz vocals. My 
son throws her a wonky chord, just to see what 
she will do. They burst out laughing, resolve it, 
and try again in a different key.
I pause to listen as they make music to-
gether. The words of the song are taking root 
in their hearts and minds. This is what makes 
“When Peace Like a River” so meaningful, not 
only in heaven, but here and now.
Jennifer Breems — Director of Library Services, Hulst Library, Dordt University. This narrative was 
originally written in the mid-1990s for an Advanced Expository Writing class at Dordt University. 
Reflections


Reflections on  When Peace Like a River

Donahue, Vaughn

Volume 53 
Number 2 Fine Arts Issue Article 12 
December 2024 
Adventure time with a boy and his beast 
Vaughn Donahue 
Dordt University, vaughn.donahue@dordt.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege 
 Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Higher Education Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Donahue, Vaughn (2024) "Adventure time with a boy and his beast," Pro 
Rege: Vol. 53: No. 2, 19. 
Available at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege/vol53/iss2/12 
This Artwork is brought to you for free and open access by the University Publications at Dordt Digital Collections. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in Pro Rege by an authorized administrator of Dordt Digital Collections. For more 
information, please contact ingrid.mulder@dordt.edu. 
Pro Rege — December 2024     19 
Adventure time with a boy and his beast
Vaughn Donahue — Instructor of Graphic Design, Dordt University
Mixed Media Photography


Adventure time with a boy and his beast

Eckert, Ryan

Volume 53 
Number 2 Fine Arts Issue Article 16 
December 2024 
Loop of Reoffenders 
Ryan Eckert 
Dordt University, ryan.eckert@dordt.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege 
 Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Higher Education Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Eckert, Ryan (2024) "Loop of Reoffenders," Pro Rege: Vol. 53: No. 2, 23. 
Available at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege/vol53/iss2/16 
This Artwork is brought to you for free and open access by the University Publications at Dordt Digital Collections. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in Pro Rege by an authorized administrator of Dordt Digital Collections. For more 
information, please contact ingrid.mulder@dordt.edu. 
Pro Rege — December 2024     23 
Ryan Eckert 
2024
14” h x 10” w 
Watercolor & ink on paper
Loop of Reoffenders


Loop of Reoffenders

Vermeer, Bruce

Volume 53 
Number 2 Fine Arts Issue Article 23 
December 2024 
Sola Scriptura: St. Peter's Cathedral, Geneva 
Bruce Vermeer 
Dordt University, bruce.vermeer@dordt.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege 
 Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Higher Education Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Vermeer, Bruce (2024) "Sola Scriptura: St. Peter's Cathedral, Geneva," Pro 
Rege: Vol. 53: No. 2, 33. 
Available at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege/vol53/iss2/23 
This Artwork is brought to you for free and open access by the University Publications at Dordt Digital Collections. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in Pro Rege by an authorized administrator of Dordt Digital Collections. For more 
information, please contact ingrid.mulder@dordt.edu. 
Pro Rege — December 2024     33 
Bruce H. Vermeer, Psy.D. — Professor of Psychology, Dordt University
2024
36” h x 24” w 
Dye Sublimation of Photograph
This is the chancel of the former Roman Catholic cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland. John Calvin spent much 
of his ministry in this church. It was constructed around A.D. 1160 but was stripped of its ornate decor by 
members of the Protestant Reformation movement around 1535, when they converted it into one of the ear-
liest Protestant churches. This image captures the rather stark result: Sola Scriptura. Calvin has often been 
“accused” of placing excessive emphasis upon the practice of Christian piety. Does this scene support that 
accusation? Perhaps. But is there another way to characterize piety? Careful analysis of Calvin’s written work 
suggests that he was not railing against appreciation of beautiful artwork and furnishings as much as he was 
confronting the apparent loss of the Catholic Church’s focus upon the essentials of the Christian faith—in-
cluding an emphasis upon the Word of 
God as a primary source of truth for 
living in this broken world. The psalm-
ist extolled the exceeding richness 
of God’s laws in Psalm 19 (English 
Standard Version): “More to be desired 
are they than gold, even much fine 
gold….” Likewise, Psalm 12:6 states, 
“The words of the Lord are pure words, 
like silver refined in a furnace on the 
ground, purified seven times.” In this 
context, the “radical renovations” to 
St. Peter’s Cathedral that were made 
by Calvin and his Protestant contem-
poraries may have enhanced its beauty. 
What do you think?
Sola Scriptura: St. Peter’s Cathedral, Geneva


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Living Christianly: Under the Lordship of Christ, Everything Matters

Happy Birthday to Tim

Reflections on When Peace Like a River

Adventure time with a boy and his beast

Loop of Reoffenders

Sola Scriptura: St. Peter\u27s Cathedral, Geneva

AGRI 241: Defender Cattle Investments

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