P & L M

To us John was such a beautiful example of the gentleness of the Lord he loved; one of God's choice servants whose life was a testimony of the grace of the Lord triumphing over physical weakness and pain; displaying God's graciousness and love even to those whose understanding of theology was different. If all of us Christians had that sweet spirit that John had, our testimony would have transformed the world we live in, and unbelievers looking on would say "Look at how these Christians love one another!" They would be drawn to the reality of the gospel and surely the world would be evangelized by now. John's memory will always be an inspiration to us and we look forward so much to being together again with him in heaven where there is no parting.

D & J W

I'm sorry at my loss of a gifted writer and colleague in this work of Christian journalism. He meant a lot to Christian Renewal over the last many years. Always willing to take on assignments; generous with his time and his talents. He loved books, and loved to receive books from us. And I was glad to send them to him. We're going to miss his insights, and I know you will miss him dearly. The Lord was gracious in the years He gave to Johan after his work of active ministry was over.

JVD

Every conversation I had with John I thoroughly enjoyed. He was one of my favourite people to talk with. I always appreciated his sensitivity of expression, his eloquence, his deep passion and commitment for the Gospel, his intellect, the twinkle in his eye, which always seemed close at hand, even if the conversation was intense, his sly sense of humour, and his care for people, including myself. To some he may have come across as a bit "dark", but not once did I experience him that way. He had a great awareness of and love for cross-cultural issues and realities--all too rare, even in this age of "multiculturalism". It is a moment of sadness and loss.

M & A V

We were blessed to have him writing for us these last 13 years. I told him recently that he was our heavy hitter - we were becoming a little more milkish over the last few years, because that seemed to be what our audience needed, but we still wanted to challenge readers, so it was Johan's role to provide them with a good healthy dose of meat. And he did, on such a variety of topics! There wasn't much I could throw at him that he couldn't tackle and that was a wonderful help - I was able to have his articles anchor the theme in many issues.

So our readers will miss him as a writer and teacher. I will miss him too, but as you know, only for a time. I did not get to meet him face to face here on earth, but look forward to meeting him still.

Jon
Reformed Perspective

May God's truth, which John proclaimed, be a rich source of blessing and comfort.

The church has lost a faithful pastor and a courageous and valiant fighter for the truth. While his physical heart was wasting away his 'spiritual heart' never flagged in zeal for the Lord and his truth. I am sure that the Lord said to him at his home-coming, "Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord." Over the past years I have been blessed through John's book reviews and many articles in which he clearly defended our Reformed heritage. We are very grateful for his and your enthusiastic encouragement and support for our work in missions in Nigeria.

Gerald & Jackie

I have no doubt that he faced his death just as he faced his life: ever secure in the Lord Jesus Christ.

As a frequent contributor to The Outlook (and Christian Renewal), his love for the Lord and his courage in defense of the faith came through very clearly. He was a bold warrior in the Church Militant, and, although we shall miss him, we rejoice that he has been promoted to the Church
Victorious through his Savior.

Rev. Wybren H. Oord