Tag: Corrie ten Boom

Corrie ten Boom

Tapestry

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Have you ever found yourself confused and questioning God’s plan for your life? Certainly, God’s ways are often mysterious.

When Corrie ten Boom spoke to audiences, she would often hold up a piece of embroidery with hundreds of tangled threads hanging from it. Many wondered if she was holding up the wrong side by mistake.

As she held up the messy side of the embroidery she would ask “Does God always grant us what we ask for in prayers? Not always. Sometimes He says ‘No’. That is because God knows what we do not know. Look at this piece of embroidery. The wrong side is chaos. But look at the beautiful picture on the other side- the right side.” Then she would flip the cloth over and reveal an elaborately embroidered crown- symbolizing our crown of eternal life. The crown was intricately stitched and had threads of many colors, including gold, silver, and pearls.

“We see now the wrong side; God sees His side all the time. One day we shall see the embroidery from His side, and thank Him for every answered and unanswered prayer.”

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This mysterious tapestry of your life is an intricate combination of events, each added at just the right time and in the right order. You can’t see the pattern but you can trust God to complete the design.

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands. 

 – Psalm 138:8  NKJV

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

-Philippians 1:6  AMPC

Corrie ten Boom often shared the following poem.

The author is unknown. The poem is titled The Tapestry of My Life or The Weaving

My Life is but a weaving between my Lord and me; I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily. Oft times He weaveth sorrow And

Visit the Corrie ten Boom page to learn about her amazing life of faith.

 

 

 

 

 

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Book Reviews, books, Christmas, Corrie ten Boom

Christmas Books

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Sharing some favorite Christmas books today

 

A Christmas Carol 

by

Charles Dickens 

Christmas books (1)

 

God Is In The Manger

by

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Christmas books (3)

 

The Women of Christmas

by

Liz Curtis Higgs

Christmas books (2)

 

Corrie’s Christmas Memories

by

Corrie ten Boom

 

Christmas books (4)

Read more about → Corrie’s Christmas Memories

Please share your favorite Christmas books in the comments below

Christmas books

Corrie ten Boom, prayer, Summer of Prayer Series

Corrie and Prayer

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Summer of Prayer Series

Selecting things for the Summer of Prayer is enjoyable and a little challenging. It is causing me to realize that having an abundance of material on prayer means the best is sometimes hidden from easy view. The true treasures can be found and like all treasure, it is well worth the effort.

Here are some powerful insights from Corrie ten Boom on the subject of prayer.

45 minutes with Corrie ten Boom

Want to learn more about Corrie?

Visit the Corrie ten Boom Page

 

 

Faith, prayer, Summer of Prayer Series

Soliloquy

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“If you know God’s hidden companionship, your prayer will become a conversation instead of a soliloquy.”    – Corrie ten Boom
Soliloquy is an unfamiliar word that stands out in the above quote. Let’s take a look at the definition to fully understand the point that Corrie ten Boom intended to make.
Soliloquy is a device often used in drama when a character speaks to him or herself relating thoughts and feelings thereby also sharing them with the audience giving off the illusion of being a series of unspoken reflections.
If other characters are present they keep silent and/or are disregarded by the speaker.

Watch the first 45 seconds of this video → Soliloquy 

Andrew Murray also used the word soliloquy when writing on the subject of prayer.

One reason why the discipline of prayer is not attractive is that people do not know how to pray. Their stock of words is soon exhausted, and they do not know what else to say. This happens because they forget that prayer is not a soliloquy where everything comes from one side, but it is a dialogue where God’s child listens to what the Father says, replies to it, and then asks for the things he needs.

Then he gave a suggestion to those who encounter this problem.

Read a few verses from the Bible. Do not concern yourself with the difficult parts in them; you can consider these later. Take what you understand, apply it to yourself, and ask the Father to make His Word light and power in your heart. Thus you will have material enough for prayer from the Word which the Father speaks to you. You will also have the liberty to ask for things you need.

Keep on in this way, and prayer will become at length, not a place where you sigh and struggle, but a place of living fellowship with the Father in heaven. Prayful study of the Bible is indispensable for powerful prayer. The Word prayerfully read and cherished in the heart by faith will, through the Spirit, be both light and life within us.

– Andrew Murray

I challenge you to slowly read the Corrie ten Boom quote again.

Think about it and perhaps ask yourself some questions.

Please share your thoughts in the comments below ♥

Copy of “If you know God_s hidden companionship, your prayer will become a conversation instead of a soliloquy.”-Corri (1)
Bible, Jesus

Risen Indeed!

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But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.   -Mark 16:6

The precious blessing of Easter is that we have a living Saviour! The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed! We yearn to keep the precious blessing of Easter in our hearts throughout the year. Lord Jesus. Will You, through Your Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with the knowledge and surety that You live.   – Corrie ten Boom

I serve a risen Savior, He_s in the world today;I know that He is living whatever men may say;I see His hand of mercy, I hear

Please open your Bible and join me in reading Luke chapter 24.

Wow, don’t you love this chapter?

The disciples must have been overwhelmed with uncontainable joy.

And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,  and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.   –Luke 24:52-53

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Ask Jesus to show Himself to you today as you walk along with Him.

I pray we respond to our Risen Lord Jesus in the same way the disciples did.

Blessings

Lynn

Corrie ten Boom

Time with Corrie

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Let’s visit with Corrie ten Boom today.

(The following is gathered from Corrie’s writings)

We have a Father in heaven who is almighty. Trust Him and you will experience miracles. Is your future a friend this morning? Remember that God is in control.

We see Your miracles every day, Father, if we only open our eyes to them.

Trust in him at all times, O people

pour out your heart before him

God is a refuge for us

Psalms 62:8

She wrote the following about her parents.

“Father and Mother lived on the edge of poverty, and yet their contentment was not dependent upon their surroundings. Their relationship to each other and to the Lord gave them strength and happiness.”

Lord Jesus, with You close, what else do we really need? With Your love, we have the best; without Your love, we are truly poor, whatever our circumstances.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. – Psalms 46:1

We don’t need to know the answers because we have Jesus. Truly Jesus is the answer to our every need, question, desire and so much more. Our part is to believe and trust in Him.

So many times we wonder why God allows certain things to happen to us. We try to understand the circumstances of our lives, and are left wondering. But the Holy Spirit shows us that God does not make mistakes.

We cannot begin to understand Your aims, Father, and without that understanding, our lives often seem to be a great maze. But we know You see the end of the path. and we trust You to guide us through all the turns and blind alleys.

Time with Corrie (1)

Corrie ten Boom

Threads

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When Corrie ten Boom spoke to audiences, she would often hold up the back side of a piece of embroidery with hundreds of tangled threads hanging from it. Many wondered if she was holding up the wrong side by mistake. As she held up the messy side of the embroidery she would ask “Does God always grant us what we ask for in prayers? Not always. Sometimes He says ‘No’. That is because God knows what we do not know. Look at this piece of embroidery. The wrong side is chaos. But look at the beautiful picture on the other side- the right side.” Then she would flip the cloth over and reveal an elaborately embroidered crown- symbolizing our crown of eternal life. The crown was intricately stitched and had threads of many colors, including gold, silver, and pearls. “We see now the wrong side; God sees His side all the time. One day we shall see the embroidery from His side, and thank Him for every answered and unanswered prayer.”

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This beautiful poem that Corrie ten Boom often shared was written by an unknown author. It is titled The Tapestry of My Life or The Weaving. 

My Life is but a weaving
between my Lord and me;
I cannot choose the colors
He worketh steadily.

Oft times He weaveth sorrow
And I, in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the underside.

Not til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver’s skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

 

 

 

 

Bible, Corrie ten Boom, Faith, prayer

One Way Door

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Corrie ten Boom spoke to many groups of people all over the world. Sometimes she visited and shared her story in prisons. She made a video, especially for prisoners. Even if you are not living in a prison building, you may find that you are a prisoner. She had this in mind as she spoke on the video. Do you feel trapped in your life today?  Do you feel like things can never change? Perhaps you are just discouraged and tired. Do you long to be free from whatever is holding you down? There is a way to be free.

The first 3 1/2 minutes is a great introduction showing scenes from “The Hiding Place” movie. Some of Corrie’s best illustrations are in this video. She was 85 years old when “One Way Door” was made.

I would suggest that you get comfortable with a glass of ice tea. Have paper & pen handy in case you want to take some notes. Sit back and enjoy this time with Corrie. If you are not familiar with Corrie and her amazing life, this is a perfect way to meet her.

Corrie ten Boom – One Way Door

 

 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.   

– Matthew 11:28-30 

Jesus is the answer 

Thanks for watching Corrie ten Boom’s “One Way Door”

I pray that Jesus is speaking to your heart and you experience the new life that only He can give you.

Blessings,

Lynn

Be sure to visit the Corrie ten Boom page

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Bible, controversial, Corrie ten Boom, prayer

Christian Reaction

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As Christians, what should our reaction be to current events today?

We are observing the rapid decline of  values and way of life that we enjoyed for so long here in the United States. The Christian community is responding in many ways, but not all are ways that I recognize as Christian. I see some responses that make me cringe. I am referring to those who are engaging in mean spirited debate motivated by anger. Also those  who claim to be followers of Jesus but are following the culture of the day instead. Yes, I could go on with descriptions of other responses but the point of this post is to find the answer to the question. What was the question??

As Christians, what should our reaction be to current events today?  

To find the correct answer always go back to the Book. The Bible has much to tell us about living in this world in all kinds of circumstances. Right now much of the current events are connected to leaders and soon to be leaders of the country. Election, election …Sometimes the subject is the only one covered in the daily news. So I’m just going to focus on one portion of scripture concerning leaders in this blog post. I will focus on other scriptures that address living in our changing culture in future posts.

This is a portion of scripture that is great to read and study using more than one version. I love it in the J.B. Phillips New Testament. Note: his spelling is a little different for a couple of words (British).

1 Timothy 2:1-8    J.B. Phillips   

Here then is my charge: First, supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings should be made on behalf of all men: for kings and rulers in positions of responsibility, so that our common life may be lived in peace and quiet, with a proper sense of God and of our responsibility to him for what we do with our lives.

 In the sight of God our saviour this is undoubtedly the right thing to pray for; for his purpose is that all men should be saved and come to realise the truth. And that is, that there is only one God, and only one intermediary between God and men, Jesus Christ the man. He gave himself as a ransom for us all—an act of redemption which happened once, but which stands for all times as a witness to what he is.

 I was appointed proclaimer and messenger of this great act of his, to teach (incredible as it may sound) the Gentile world to believe and know the truth.

 I want the men to pray in all the churches with sincerity, without resentment or doubt in their minds.

Question: As Christians, what should our reaction be to current events today?  

Answer: Prayer should be the first response

May I suggest that we keep these verses handy to remind ourselves of what we should be doing.

Corrie ten Boom tells about something that happened concerning this subject in her book “In My Father’s House”. The time was 1914 when one after another, countries of the world issued declarations of war. Corrie writes about her father and a weekly prayer meeting. Her father’s name was Casper ten Boom. The following is a short section from the book.

Father continued to pray for the Queen and the government of Holland, as he always had. We were very patriotic and loyal to Queen Wilhelmina and her prime minister, Abraham Kuyper, who was also a prominent theologian.

A division of purpose developed in our weekly prayer group. “Casper, it’s not right to pray for those in government,” some of the people said. “The world is evil-Satan is prince of this world and we should only look at the Kingdom of God.”

But Father said, “As Christians we are in the world, but not of the world. We must not give over our country to the enemy, because then we would be disobeying 1 Timothy 2 which says  ‘First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.’ “(vs. 1,2).

As the weeks and months of World War I went on, the pietists became more uncomfortable as Father, Betsie, and I continued to pray for our government. The difference in these basic beliefs drove the group apart. The others began to draw more and more into their spiritual shells, until we could no longer meet together for prayer.

I invite you to visit the Corrie ten Boom page to learn more about her.

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This is what Joni Eareckson Tada says her response is to news stories. She says “I use what I’ve learned as fodder for prayer and intercession (there’s hardly a time I turn off the news that I don’t pray about what I’ve watched).”

I love her way of stating her prayer reaction. I want to begin to see each news story that I hear about as a call to prayer. How about you? Are feeling overwhelmed with bad news? Let us go to the King with everything immediately.

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Bible, Corrie ten Boom

Sit With The Word At His Feet

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Have you ever purchased an important item and found that the operation manual was missing? Depending on what the item is, the manual can be extremely important. The manual reveals information that you need to be able to use the item properly and safely. A manual includes directions for assembly, troubleshooting guide…

Corrie ten Boom said  “there is a complete manual, which we need to study, time and time again, which is the Bible. You may say, “But I don’t understand it.” No, we can’t understand it, not by ourselves. But the Lord Jesus promised us in Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” And the Holy Spirit will give you understanding, strength, and faith.”

Bible reading and study is for all believers. The Holy Spirit will gently guide you along on a special study program just for you. If you love to study and are able to learn new things easily, that’s great. But, natural abilities and study skills are not required. As Corrie’s quote above says, you will have the ability to learn because of the Holy Spirit.

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I sometimes think about how wonderful it must have been to actually sit at the feet of Jesus. What could be better than being with Jesus, listening to Him, as the disciples were able to do? However, Jesus says we are actually better off now than the disciples were when they sat with Him.

 In John 16:7, Jesus says “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” 

The Holy Spirit is just like Jesus in the flesh except the Holy Spirit is within us. Jesus sent the Spirit to help us, to be our guide, teach, remind and enable us. So we have all we need to learn at the feet of Jesus today because we have the promised Holy Spirit within us.

Sit with the Word at His feet ♥

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