Claire

Intimacy with God. That is the focus of the music from Claire van Duyvenbode. As a young girl Claire loved to sing. As a teen she was in different bands and began to write her own songs. Claire grew up without a father and without God. When she was fourteen she became depressed. She wrote many songs about her wish to die. Through a difficult and hectic youth she came to rebirth as a Christian when she was sixteen and decided to give her music back to God. "You have saved my life. The music that I write from now on I only want to write it for You".
Claire is a worship leader in one of the biggest churches in the Netherlands, 'Nehemia Ministries Zwijndrecht', and she continues to write songs. After coming to know God she wrote songs every night on paper for a year long. During the day she thought about the music that would fit with the help of a piano from her grandparents. Claire: "I have wrote many songs about intimacy with God. I think that they all center on a relationship with God: Do you have intimacy with God or not? Do you share with Him the deepest things in your heart? I think that God wants nothing more then that His children are close to Him, looking to Him, and worshipping".
Claire finds that songwriting is the best way to express herself. Sometimes God clearly gives me a few words and another time the words that I want to share with God comes from the depths of my heart. To sing about what lives in my heart is a way to keep going through difficult things. Also in my daily time with God, I sing a lot, it makes me strong!
In the beginning of 2005 Claire began with constructing and recording her first official CD: NO ONE BUT YOU. After this album, Claire is making a new CD & DVD: NOT ALONE that will be released in january 2007. Artists who have inspired her are: Shawn McDonald, Bebo Norman, Jessie Rogers, and Jason Upton. Different christian musicians worked with her to make the CD and DVD.
The production of the CD's was a dream that came to life for Claire. It was often proficied that I would do this and God showed that to me now. Claire wants her CD to help people come into worship with God. My wish was to make a CD which brings people to their knees and helps them into an intimate time with God. I hope and pray that the works of this CD's will be used for people who do not know God that through the music and text people will catch a glimpse of who Jesus is!
Claire is certain about the decision she made to follow God and continues on in this decision. "Everything is for God", she says, "He is my all in all, all I am is in Him, and who I have become. I experience it like that. Without God I would not be here. I stood at a point and could not go further, but God has made me into a new Claire! He has turned my life around and made everything come out for the good. Thats why I am so thankful to Him! But I am also thankful for the offer Jesus gave on the cross for you and me personally. It just makes me stand still. That is something so precious! If you can understand that then there is no other reason to live. He gave everything so that I could live with my hands of inability to serve Him and give Him the glory. Thats my life motto".
Claire feels that her ministry is one that depends on God. "Really I have more problems from incertainty than from pride. But I am happy about that. The incertainty was something I just had to break through. I am still nervous if I have to get up on the stage. And when I am standing there God says I stand behind you, girl, everythings going to be okay..."