Podcasts about betsie

In this third week of Advent, Pastor Nate explores the theme of joy through the powerful moment when God reveals His glory and the message of Christ's birth; Not to kings or religious elites, but to ordinary shepherds in the fields. Drawing from Luke 2:8–20 and 1 Corinthians 1:27–29, we were reminded that God delights in using the overlooked and the humble so that He alone will be glorified and no one can boast in their own merit.We also reflect on how an encounter with God's glory produces lasting joy. This joy then overflows into witness, even in suffering, as seen in the life of Betsie ten Boom. True joy is not tied to circumstances but rooted in Christ, and it shines as a powerful testimony to the world.Never underestimate what God can do through a surrendered, ordinary life, and to ask Him to fill us anew with the joy that comes from encountering His glory. As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5:14–16, we are called to let that light and joy shine to everyone around us!

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV) We have so much to be thankful for, it can be difficult to know where to start offering our praise and gratitude to our heavenly Father. Certainly, we all have stories of how God came through for us during a major crisis in our life. But there are countless “minor” blessings that we enjoy every day that shouldn’t go unnoticed—or unmentioned in our prayers of thankfulness. In her remarkable book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom relates an amazing story about the importance of being thankful. Corrie and her sister Betsie were held in a concentration camp known as Ravensbrück, where they lived in barracks that were plagued by fleas. Fleas were everywhere—in their beds, in their clothes, in their hair, and on their bodies. One day Betsie told Corrie that they needed to give thanks for the fleas. Corrie thought Betsie had gone too far. She couldn’t imagine thanking God for fleas. But Betsie insisted, reminding her sister that the Bible says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV). Still, Corrie didn’t want to thank God for the fleas. But as it turned out, Corrie and Betsie were trying to reach the other women in their barracks with the message of the gospel. They had been holding Bible studies, which was forbidden in the camp. They found out later that because of the fleas, the guards would not go into their barracks. That allowed the sisters to hold their Bible studies with no fear of being discovered. As a result, they had the freedom to minister to their fellow prisoners. One obvious takeaway from this story is that God can use even fleas to accomplish His work. A less obvious takeaway is that we should do a major expansion of our concept of things to give thanks for. If the Bible said, “In some things give thanks,” I would say, “No problem there!” But it says, “In every thing give thanks.” And that’s not an easy thing to do. We’re conditioned to say thank you for things that obviously benefit us. We treat gratitude as part of a transaction. You do something nice for me, and I say something nice to you. But that’s not what God is looking for. That’s not what the apostle Paul is saying in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. God wants us to maintain a spirit of thankfulness that isn’t dimmed when things don’t go our way. He wants us to recognize the endless supply of things we can and should be grateful for. The verse doesn’t say we should give thanks for every thing; it says we should give thanks in every thing. We don’t have to be glad or thankful that tragedies occur. But we can be thankful that, in spite of the tragedy, God is still on the throne, and He is still in control of all circumstances that surround our lives. Reflection question: What common, daily blessings are you thankful for? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Presented by Julie Busteed I've been looking at what it takes to build healthy relationships. And I've saved the best for last: forgiveness. This verse in Matthew always catches me short. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15). I need to take to heart this command! Relationships are living, growing things because they involve people who are growing and changing. And because you are human, there will be times when words are spoken or actions are taken that hurt someone in the relationship. You and I need to forgive others and also ask for forgiveness—things that are not easy to do, except through the power of the Holy Spirit. But wait—there's more! Jesus said we should love our enemies. I look at Jesus' example of laying down his life for you and me. When he was on the cross, suffering, he forgave those who crucified him. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). That's the ultimate in forgiving your enemies. It really seems quite impossible, doesn't it? Jesus was fully God and fully man. But I don't think that excuses you or me to forgive even our enemies. Corrie Ten Boom and her family helped many Jewish people escape the Nazi's in WW2. As a result, she was arrested and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. She survived and wrote books and spoke about her experience. Corrie recounts the following as she was speaking about forgiveness at a church in Munich in 1947: Afterward, I saw him—a man moving toward me through the crowd. I recognized him instantly: a former guard from Ravensbrück, the concentration camp where my sister Betsie and I had been imprisoned for hiding Jews. He approached me, now dressed in civilian clothes, and said, “A fine message, Fräulein. How good it is to know that all our sins are at the bottom of the sea.” Then he extended his hand. “I was a guard at Ravensbrück. I've become a Christian, and I know God has forgiven me, but I would like to hear it from you. Will you forgive me?” I stood frozen, remembering Betsie's suffering and death. Forgive him? I could not. Yet I knew Jesus' words: “If you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive yours.” Forgiveness is not a feeling—it's an act of the will. So, I prayed silently, “Jesus, help me. I can lift my hand; You supply the feeling.” Mechanically, I reached out—and as I did, a current seemed to pass from my shoulder to our joined hands. A warmth filled my heart. “I forgive you, brother,” I said, “with all my heart.” In that moment, I felt God's love more deeply than ever before.[1] May you and I be obedient and lift our hands and trust God to fill us with his love. --- [1] Corrie Ten Boom, Sherrill, E., & Sherrill, J. L. (2008). The hiding place. Chosen Books.

When a ww2 concentration camp guard came to Corrie Ten Boom and asked forgiveness for hurting and punishing her sister, Betsie. We must always forgive from our heart.

Betsie tells Corries that when they are free, God wants them to open a house of love and hope to encourage those who have lost so much in the concentration camp. They can experience the love of God even in darkness.

Betsie and Corrie Ten Boom were in a concentration camp filled with fleas and lice. This stopped the guards from entering their room and they could share the gospel daily to the women in camp.

During WWII, Dutch Christian Corrie ten Boom and her family hid Jews from the Nazis, saving nearly 800 lives. In 1944, they were arrested. Corrie's sister Betsie died in Ravensbrück, leaving behind a legacy of kindness. Years later, Corrie was approached by a man who had been one of the cruel guards. Now a believer, he asked for forgiveness. Corrie froze—until Ephesians 4:32 came to mind: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Though it was hard, she forgave him—not out of emotion, but obedience. She said, “Forgiveness is an act of the will... regardless of the temperature of the heart.” That act of kindness wasn't natural—it was supernatural—evidence of the Spirit of God within her. Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Kindness isn't about being “nice” or having a pleasant personality. It's a fruit of the Holy Spirit—a sign that God is alive in us. In a world that rewards cruelty and mocks compassion, true kindness is radical and powerful. We can't manufacture fruit—it's the natural result of a life rooted in Christ. When the Spirit leads, kindness flows. It's not about rules—it's about transformation. [EPHESIANS 4:32 (NKJV)] “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Kindness comes from a soft heart. A hardened heart, however, leads to the kind of "bad fruit" Paul warned about: [2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (NKJV)] “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves…unloving, unforgiving…brutal, despisers of good…having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” If we see this fruit in our lives, it's a call to repentance. God wants to produce kindness in us from the inside out. MAKE IT PRACTICAL – SIX WAYS TO CULTIVATE KINDNESS Gratitude Softens the Heart Grateful people are kind people. Key Thought: “The more I'm grateful for God's kindness toward me, the kinder I'll be to others.” Purity Protects Kindness Unrepented sin hardens the heart. Love Fuels Kindness Kindness is love in action. Forgiveness Makes Space for Kindness Bitterness blocks kindness. Key Thought: “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was me.” Devotion to God Develops Kindness Romans 2:4: “God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.”

Following Lamine Yamal dazzling on Champions League duty, the guys are back to run the rule over the weekend's slate.Sam has another run-in with BETSiE as Scott attempts to build on some very impressive Podcast form. Elsewhere, in Norfolk, Daniele attracts crowds.Head over & subscribe to our brand new YouTube channel (please): https://www.youtube.com/@TheFootballBettingPodcastTIMESTAMPS:(00:00) - Intro (05:20) - Reading vs Barnsley(11:00) - Manchester City vs Wolves(17:00) - Inter Milan vs Verona(24:10) - Huddersfield vs Leyton Orient(31:40) - Brighton vs Newcastle(36:40) - West Ham vs TottenhamBest bets, tips, and predictions from the Premier League, Serie A and League One in England on the Football Betting Podcast, powered by bettingexpert. 

Corrie ten Boom, her father Casper, her sister Betsie: what a tradition of glory.

Wat heeft een varken te maken met klanten aantrekken? Meer dan je denkt. In deze aflevering neem ik je mee naar de tijd waarin ik een culinair mini-hotel runde in de Ardennen en vertel ik hoe varken Betsie zorgde voor een uitverkocht weekend. Niet met ingewikkelde strategieën, maar door een verhaal te delen dat echt bij ons paste.Veel ondernemers proberen klanten aan te trekken op een manier die niet klopt met wie ze zijn. Ze volgen strategieën omdat het “zo hoort”, terwijl ze diep van binnen weten dat het niet werkt. Maar wat als jij klanten kon aantrekken op een manier die moeiteloos voelt? Wat als je durft te vertrouwen op jouw manier?Luister mee en ontdek hoe je jouw creatieve flow gebruikt om klanten aan te trekken—niet door te forceren, maar door te spelen, experimenteren en jouw unieke verhaal te delen.Wat zou jij doen als je helemaal los mocht gaan in je eigen creatieve flow? Ga het eens proberen en zie wat er gebeurt.Laten we verbinden! Je vindt me onder mijn naam Monique Lavec op ⁠LinkedIn⁠ en ⁠Instagram⁠.

Originally aired on January 20th, 2025.

Join cohost Athena and Mims for an interview. Betsie Barker has an approachable style of hospitality that inspired Athena to reconsider what it takes and how to to embrace imparting the gift of hospitality. Listen in to hear how Batsie approaches preparation to host, shares that experience with her family and encourages Athena, Mims and the Torn Tribe to lean in to extending an invitation, open door and warm welcome! Check out the podcasts new Torn Thought Thursdays on socials. Reach out with feedback, torn moments or mends to tornmlb@gmail.com - Listen, Follow and Share the podcast at IG, Facebook and Twitter: @tornmlb. Choose Grace, Torn Tribe!

What does it take to stand resolute against tyranny and injustice? Explore the profound strength of Diet Eman, a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II, whose story embodies the courage and faith needed to face insurmountable odds. This episode of Starting Right with Danny Mac promises a deep dive into the inspiring legacy of Diet, a woman who risked her life for her Jewish friends, guided by her unwavering belief in God's greater plan, as depicted in Isaiah 55:8. Discover how her brave acts, like forging documents and creating escape routes, became beacons of hope during the darkest of times. Her encounters with fellow prisoners like Corrie and Betsie ten Boom in concentration camps reveal the power of divine intervention, even in the bleakest circumstances. Tune in to hear a riveting testament to God's mysterious ways and how Diet Eman's story continues to inspire generations with the message that faith and courage can forge a path through the unknown.We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show

Durch unser langjähriges Sprach- und Kulturstudium haben wir nicht nur gelernt, wie wir uns mit unseren einheimischen Freunden verständigen können, sondern sind auch ein Teil der Gesellschaft geworden. Hier ist das Verständnis von Privateigentum so gut wie nicht vorhanden. Alles wird geteilt, geliehen oder erbeten. Die wörtliche Übersetzung für die Frage »Dürfte ich bitte etwas davon haben?« lautet: »Gib mir meins!«. Nicht einmal die lästigen Läuse sind Privateigentum, sondern werden aus den Haaren der anderen gepickt und in die eigenen gesteckt!Im Januar 2024 hatten wir eine Läuseplage im Haus, die uns über Wochen auf Trab hielt und an der wir fast verzweifelten. Das erinnerte uns an die Geschichte von Corrie ten Boom, die mit ihrer Schwester Betsie in einem Konzentrationslager der Nazis gefangen gehalten wurde. In einer Baracke eng zusammengepfercht mussten sie nicht nur gegen den Hunger und verschiedenste Krankheiten ankämpfen, sondern auch gegen die lästigen Läuse. Betsie erinnerte ihre Schwester an die Aufforderung aus 1. Thessalonicher 5,18: »Seid dankbar in allem!« Doch Corrie fand keinen Grund, warum sie für diese Biester dankbar sein könnte. Was Corrie und Betsie erst später begriffen, war, dass die Wärter wegen der Läuse die Baracke nicht betraten. Die Läuse waren also der Grund, warum die beiden Schwestern ungestört Bibelstunden halten und die anderen Insassen ermutigen konnten! Der Fluch wurde zum Segen.Ermutigt durch diese Geschichte fingen auch wir an, Gott für die Läuse zu danken. Und auch wir merkten, dass die Läuse einen Zweck erfüllten. Sie vertieften nämlich unsere Beziehungen im Dorf, denn es gibt nichts, was unsere Freunde mehr lieben, als gemütlich bei uns auf der Terrasse zu sitzen und uns zu entlausen.Tony KellerDiese und viele weitere Andachten online lesenWeitere Informationen zu »Leben ist mehr« erhalten Sie unter www.lebenistmehr.deAudioaufnahmen: Radio Segenswelle

In deze aflevering van DE BLOEMENPODCAST van ANNEMARIJE & JORIEN bereiden we ons voor op het nieuwe zaaiseizoen. Wat heb je allemaal nodig om in het nieuwe tuinseizoen goed van start te gaan. En een supertip van Betsie over het voortrekken van dahlia's in zakjes. Bekijk het filmpje hier.Meer info over pluktuinen: Opleiding je eigen pluktuin en het boek van Annemarije: Flower Happiness. Meer over de dames Annemarije: flowerhappiness.nl  Instagram: @florabelflowers Jorien: bloematwork.nl en uniekpotlood.nl Instagram: @bloematwork en @uniekpotlood De Bloemen Podcast heeft ook een eigen Instagram account: @debloemenpodcast. Hier kun je via een DM al je vragen naar toesturen. Je kunt ook Vriend van de show worden. Hier is ook ruimte voor het stellen van vragen. Word VRIEND VAN DE SHOW. Met een kleine bijdrage steun je ons om elke week weer een nieuwe aflevering te kunnen maken. En speciaal voor vrienden komen er leuke acties en extra content. Aanmelden kan HIER.

Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la familia de Corrie ten Boom escondió a judíos en su casa, arriesgando sus vidas. Aunque finalmente fueron descubiertos y enviados a campos de concentración, Corrie encontró alegría en las pequeñas cosas: el amor de su hermana Betsie, una Biblia escondida, e incluso en las pulgas que evitaban que los guardias entraran a sus barracas. El Adviento nos llama a experimentar un gozo que no depende de las circunstancias. El nacimiento de Jesús trajo una alegría eterna al mundo, una alegría que permanece incluso en medio del sufrimiento. Su presencia nos da razones para regocijarnos, porque sabemos que nuestras pruebas son temporales, pero Su amor es eterno. ¿Dónde puedes encontrar gozo hoy? Permite que las pequeñas bendiciones diarias sean un recordatorio de la gran alegría que Jesús ofrece. La Biblia dice en Filipenses 4:4: "Regocijaos en el Señor siempre. Otra vez digo: ¡Regocijaos!"

Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la familia de Corrie Ten Boom escondió a judíos en su casa, arriesgando sus vidas. Aunque finalmente fueron descubiertos y enviados a campos de concentración, Corrie encontró alegría en las pequeñas cosas como el amor de su hermana Betsie, una Biblia escondida e incluso en las pulgas que evitaban que los guardias entraran a sus celdas. El Adviento nos llama a experimentar un gozo que no depende de las circunstancias. El nacimiento de Jesús trajo una alegría eterna al mundo, una alegría que permanece incluso en medio del sufrimiento. Su presencia nos da razones para regocijarnos, porque sabemos que nuestras pruebas son temporales, pero Su amor es eterno. ¿Dónde puedes encontrar gozo hoy? Permite que las pequeñas bendiciones diarias sean un recordatorio de la gran alegría que Jesús te ofrece. La Biblia dice en Filipenses 4:4:"Regocijaos en el Señor siempre. Otra vez digo: ¡Regocijaos!"

“Keine Situation unseres Lebens braucht unfruchtbar zu sein. Durch die Hingabe an Gott lässt sich alles in Segen verwandeln.” Corrie ten Boom Corrie ten Boom (* 15. April 1892 in Haarlem, Niederlande; † 15. April 1983 in Placentia, Kalifornien, USA) war eine niederländische Christin und Widerstandskämpferin, die während des Zweiten Weltkriegs aktiv Menschen, insbesondere Juden, vor der nationalsozialistischen Verfolgung rettete. Sie stammte aus einer tief religiösen Familie und arbeitete mit ihrem Vater, Casper ten Boom, und ihrer Schwester Betsie daran, Juden und Mitglieder des Widerstands in ihrem Haus zu verstecken, das als "Versteck" oder "Beje" bekannt wurde. Ihre Familie wurde 1944 von der Gestapo verhaftet, und Corrie sowie ihre Schwester Betsie wurden ins Konzentrationslager Ravensbrück deportiert. Betsie starb dort, doch Corrie überlebte und wurde durch einen Verwaltungsfehler freigelassen. Nach dem Krieg schrieb Corrie das Buch "Die Zuflucht" (The Hiding Place), in dem sie ihre Erlebnisse schilderte. Sie setzte sich Zeit ihres Lebens für Vergebung, Versöhnung und den Glauben an Gott ein. Corrie ten Boom ist eine inspirierende Persönlichkeit, die als Symbol für Widerstand, Glaube und Vergebung gilt. Quelle: ChatGPT Fragen? Schreib an: bibelverse@christliche-gewohnheiten.de

Jesus is telling them to love their enemies, do good to those who hate them, bless those who curse them, and pray for those who spitefully use them. When someone hits them on the face, don't hit back but turn their cheek and allow them to hit them again. When someone demands their coat, give them their shirt also, give to anyone who asks, and when things are taken away from them, don't fight or sue them to get them back. (vv. 27-38)   Basically, Jesus is teaching us, that true happiness and blessedness in life does not come from our circumstances, from people, from things, or even from ourselves (our success, our achievements, or even our good deeds), but it comes from our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is only by His grace, and by the control and the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we can have the attitude and heart to do the things Jesus is describing above.   Jesus concludes this section in verses 37-38 by saying, “judge not, condemn not, forgive and give. Four things that sum up the attitude we should have toward people who offend, hurt, and abuse us. Two things we should not do and then two things we should do. Two negatives, don't, don't, and then two positives, do, do! Now these days we have been programed to dislike negative preaching in our churches and only want to hear the positive. But if we follow and study the Bible and God's way we must respond to the negative first.   This reminds me of the Ten Commandments, that are the basics of the Moral Law of God for our lives. The first three are negative: No other gods, no idols or images, no misuse or blasphemy of God's name. Then two positives: Keep the sabbath, honor your parents. Then five negatives: don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, and don't covet. The negatives are needed to remind us that we are guilty of breaking God's law and His ways and pave the way for us to trust Him for mercy, grace, and forgiveness, and then for the strength and wisdom to do what we should do to please Him.   So, after the two negatives, don't judge, don't condemn, Jesus says to forgive and give. How do you know if you really have forgiven someone for their offence or abuse of you? (By the way, this does not mean that you don't hold them accountable for their actions. You report their abuse to the proper authorities and remove yourself from them and from further abuse.) At the same time, in your heart, and in your attitude, you turn it over to the Lord, and you also pray for God to deal with them by convicting them of their sin. You pray for their salvation.   When in your heart you forgive others for the hurt they have caused you, it will be evidenced by how you “give” them your prayers. True forgiveness is evidence of God's love at work in our hearts that allows us to be free to give. One of the most powerful illustrations of this kind of love and forgiveness is the story of Corrie Ten Boom. In September 1944, the Nazis deported Corrie and her sister, Betsie ten Boom to the Ravensbrück concentration camp for women in Germany.   Life at Ravensbrück was almost unbearable, as they were abused. But Betsie and Corrie spent their time sharing Jesus' love with their fellow prisoners.  Because of mistreatment Betsie died in Ravensbrück on 16th December 1944, aged 59. The last words she had spoken to Corrie before she died, were, “You must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still. They will listen to us Corrie, because we have been here.”   After the war, Corrie Ten Boom learned how to forgive those who had caused her so much pain and suffering. Please take the time to go the blogs on my website to read the rest of Corrie's story and also a great article I found on forgiveness. What Forgiveness is and what it is not. https://www.pmiministries.org/post/corrie-ten-boon-and-forgiveness God bless!

Betsie Norris is the Founder and Executive Director of Adoption Network Cleveland: The Ohio Family Connection. Betsie is an adoptee who searched for and was reunited with her birthparents and siblings in 1986, when she was in her mid-twenties. She emerged from that experience with strong convictions about the lifelong journey of adoption for all involved, and the need for systemic change. She found Adoption Network Cleveland in 1988, was a volunteer for the first 7 years, and has been the Executive Director since 1995. Listen is as Betsie discusses the trauma around adoption, how to find support, her personal reunification and search process, as well as what boundaries to set for a healthy experience for all involved parties. Key Takeaways [00:03:15] Adoption as a lifelong journey [00:11:11] Search Challenges & Reunion Experiences [00:23:19] Navigating Family Boundaries [00:25:19] Modern Family Dynamics [00:29:19] Trauma in Adoption [00:38:13] Setting Boundaries During Your Search [00:42:34] What boundaries can look like in an open adoption [00:49:18] Supporting Foster Care Practices Where to Find Betsie Norris & The Adoption Network LinkedIn – Betsie Norris Instagram – @AdoptionNetCLE Website – AdoptionNetwork.org How to find us - Visit our website – hardnopodcast.com – for show notes, which include links to books and other helpful resources. Like what you hear? Please subscribe, rate and review so others can find us, and make sure to follow us on social media. We're @hardnopodcast on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn & YouTube!

Blessings can come from adversity and we must trust God's sovereignty to work those things out. #daybydaylw Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ “Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen.” Psalm 89 ends with these words. What does this line mean? What does it mean that the LORD be blessed? It means “May the LORD be pleased forever.” It is a recognition of the absolute sovereignty and providence of God. This is Ethan's way of saying, “God, you know more than me, you are mightier than I am, and I trust you. Thank you for the fleas… Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsie, were prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp during WWII. Her family was caught hiding Jews in their home, and were thrown into Ravensbruck Camp prison. Amongst her imprisonment, Corrie tells of a time of thanksgiving in her book, The Hiding Place. Corrie and Betsie were able to smuggle a tattered bible into the flea infested barracks, which Nazi officers would never enter. When the passage “Be thankful in all circumstances”  [1 Thess 5:18] was revealed to Betsie, she insisted they be thankful for everything, and began praying aloud. Betsie thanked God for all things, but when she thanked Him for even the fleas, Corrie disagreed. She hated fleas. They were nasty, pesky little bugs that kept biting her legs, and she would not be thankful for them. However, Betsie persisted, and Corrie succumbed to being thankful IN all circumstances. Later, they heard the Nazi officers refused to enter the barracks because of the fleas. The fleas kept them safe from being molested and abused. Dozens of desperate women were free to hear the comforting, hope-giving Word of God, and God made sure their deepest needs were met. Sometimes, blessings come out of adversity. Fleas look different for everyone; financial issues, marital crisis, or health problems can overwhelm our thoughts. God gives many warnings in scripture that un-thankfulness leads to pointless thinking. It takes practice to be thankful in spite our trials or fleas. We must be intentional to cultivate (nourish or fertilize) and practice thanksgiving

====================================================SUSCRIBETEhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNpffyr-7_zP1x1lS89ByaQ?sub_confirmation=1=======================================================================DECIDETE HOYDevoción Matutina para Jóvenes 2024Narrado por: Daniel RamosDesde: Connecticut, Estados Unidos===================|| www.drministries.org ||===================24 DE JUNIONO HAY MAL QUE POR BIEN NO VENGA«Den gracias a Dios por todo» (1 Tesalonicenses 5: 18). Para el cristiano, detrás de cada nube brilla el sol y cada tragedia esconde una bendición.El pavoroso incendio de Londres empezó el 2 de septiembre de 1666. En cuatro días, dos terceras partes de la ciudad fueron destruidas. Doscientos mil personas se quedaron sin hogar y ochenta y nueve iglesias fueron arrasadas. ¿Habría alguna razón para agradecer a Dios en medio de una situación tan terrible? Pero esa tragedia escondía una bendición. El fuego destruyó la antigua ciudad de Londres, con sus cloacas abiertas, sus viejos edificios de madera, sus barrios bajos y calles sucias. La ciudad fue reconstruida con nuevos edificios y mejores sistemas de drenaje.Parece que el fuego tuvo un efecto purificador en el aire. Mató a miles de ratas y destruyó gérmenes de la peste bubónica, la cual había arrebatado la vida de muchos en años anteriores. Lo que pareció una tragedia en aquel momento resultó ser una bendición, pues salvó miles de vidas y convirtió a Londres en un lugar mejor para vivir. Otro ejemplo de bendición salida de una tragedia lo encontramos en lo que sucedió a Corrie ten Boom y a su hermana Betsie, quienes estaban en un campo de concentración alemán durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Un día las hermanas fueron trasladadas a la Barraca 28, que estaba llena de moscas. Ellas no veían cómo podrían vivir en un lugar tan sucio y agradecer a Dios por ello. Betsie leyó el versículo de hoy. —¿No ves? —dijo—. Debemos agradecer a Dios por todo. Algunos días después, descubrieron que, por causa de las moscas, los guardianes no entraban en la alcoba. Así las dos hermanas tenían libertad de leer sus Biblias y testificar, lo cual de otra manera no hubieran podido hacer. Dios tiene un propósito para todo lo que permite en tu vida. Él puede convertir el mal en bien y la tristeza en gozo. Él puede hacer que tu tragedia sea una bendición para ti y para otros. Él es fiel y te dará la fuerza y la paz que necesitas para enfrentar cualquier situación. 

Mulholland Drive is a 2001 surrealist drama/mystery that was written and directed by David 'Garmonbozia' Lynch. The film stars Naomi Watts and Laura Harring as two women investigating the circumstances that brought Harring's character (Rita) to Watts' (Betty, not Betsie's, I promise) door. Along the way, surrealism happens. Ya know, Lynch stuff. Chapters: 00:00 - Opening 00:38 - Movie Trailer 01:37 - The Episode Proper --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mediaobscura/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mediaobscura/support

TRANSLATION MENU: LOOK UPPER RIGHT BELOW THE SOCIAL MEDIA ICONS. IT OFFERS EVERY LANGUAGE AVAILABLE AROUND THE WORLD! ALSO, SOCIAL MEDIA AND PRINT ICONS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST! Pictured above: Fentanyl is a legal painkiller, as well as a street drug. Sixteen years on the streets, living and working with the people...

The second in this 2 part series on The Hiding Place, this episode finishes out the story and pulls some more themes together.  Through the extraordinary faith of Corrie and her sister Betsie, they are able to see the love and grace of God despite the dark circumstances they encounter.  Both go through months of imprisonment because they were part of the Dutch Resistance.  But they have the opportunity to lead Bible studies and encourage other prisoners; even to serve as witnesses to guards and officers.  Finally, a theme of forgiveness is readily present as Corrie must grapple with how to forgive those who did much harm to her and her family.  Through Christ, we see an example we should follow.  Links for items mentioned:The Hiding Place (original movie — free on YouTube):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zNDe30_eKwThe Hiding Place (2023 movie):  https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CQ6VK4T1/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_rHiding Place museum:  https://www.corrietenboom.com/en/homeThe Hiding Place Book (35th Anniversary Edition):  https://a.co/d/d4hImFm

Sermon Notes Psalm 18:19b NIV He rescued me because He delighted in me. I Peter 4:8 NIV Above all else love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Luke 11:4a NIV Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. Colossians 3:13 NIV Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive just as the Lord forgave you. Luke 17:3b–4 ESV If your brother sins, rebuke him and if he repents forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him. Colossians 3:19 NASB Husbands love your wives and do not be embittered against them. Proverbs 20:5 ESV The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out. John 5:6b NIV “Do you want to get well?” Matthew 18:34-35 NIV In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how your my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” You can’t forgive from your heart until you get in touch with the pain in your heart. Psalm 139:23-24 NIV Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Proverbs 18:19a NIV A brother (child) wronged (offended) is more unyielding than a fortified city. Genesis 27:42b NLT “… Listen, Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you.” Psalm 123:3-4 NIV Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end … of ridicule from the arrogant of contempt from the proud. “When He tells us to love our enemies He gives, along with the command, the love itself.” - Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place I stood there – I whose sins had again and again been forgiven – and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place. Could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking“? It could have been many seconds that he stood there-hand held out-but to me. It seemed like hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I ever had to do…I had to do it…I knew that…forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. “Jesus help me!” I prayed silently. As she reached out her hand to the former guard, Corrie says that something incredible took place. “The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. ‘I forgive you, brother!’ I cried. ‘With all my heart!” I had never known so love so intensely, as I did then, But even then, I realized it was not my love, it was the power of the Holy Spirt.” Colossians 2:13-15 NIV God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. 1 John 3:14 NIV We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

More to Consider Missionary statesman Hudson Taylor had complete trust in God's faithfulness. In his journal he wrote: Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning...He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all...Depend on it, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. Our Daily Bread, May 16, 1992. One of God's faithful missionaries, Allen Gardiner, experienced many physical difficulties and hardships throughout his service to the Savior. Despite his troubles, he said, "While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me." In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation while serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America. When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his shaking hand as he tried to write legibly. It read, "I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God." Unknown Often I have heard people say, "How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!'" Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp. I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. "No, Corrie," said Betsie, "He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: 'For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.'" Corrie concludes, "There is an ocean of God's love available--there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love--whatever the circumstances." Corrie Ten Boom.

Corrie and Betsie are transferred to a concentration camp. How will God bring good from the evil they've experienced? Meanwhile, Piper and the rest of the family head to the science fair. Subscribe to the CEF Podcast, so you don't miss any of our episodes!

In dit interview met Betsie als mede-eigenaresse van Bagels en Beans Enschede en echtgenote van Rob, is het woord voornamelijk aan Betsie. Ze legt uit hoe ze veganisme kan implementeren bij haar lunchroom en hoe ze het werken in een niet volledig vegan zaak toch voor zichzelf kan verantwoorden.

Corrie, Betsie, and Casper make room and preparations to protect Jews in their home, but will it be enough? Meanwhile, Piper makes preparations for the science fair. Uniting kids with the good news of the Gospel through adventures and foundational, biblical truths. Subscribe to the CEF Podcast, so you don't miss any of our episodes!

Leslie continues her Historical Mentors series with a powerful look at the example of Betsie ten Boom. “Spiritualized chaos” is what defines much of modern Christianity. Betsie had every reason - circumstantially speaking - to let frustration, anger, defeat, depression, and chaos rule in her soul and in her outward environment. Yet she chose a different pattern - God's pattern. Betsie allowed the light, joy, peace, and order of Jesus Christ to transform her from the inside out, and it affected everything about her life - from her countenance, to her words, to even creating an atmosphere of beauty in her prison cell. For more resources from Leslie, visit www.setapart.org. To learn about our 2024 Set Apart conference, visit https://setapart.org/2024-set-apart-conference/. To learn about our 2024 Ellerslie training programs, visit https://ellerslie.com/daily/. To support Set Apart Ministries, visit https://setapart.org/support-setapart/.

The Road Less Travelled By Proverbs 4 We'll be looking at Proverbs 4 today. You can find that on page 628 This is Solmon's 5th lesson on wisdom. In these opening chapters, he's been answering the “what,” the “why,” and the “how” questions of wisdom. Last week was another “why” answer. Why pursue wisdom? Because the value of wisdom is beyond what we can even imagine. This chapter, chapter 4, answers another “how” question – “how do I stay on the path of wisdom?” The answer: Cherish wisdom every day of your life. As I read, listen for two things. Listen to the language of keeping or holding on to wisdom and listen for the language of the path or way of wisdom. Reading of Proverbs 4:1-27 Prayer   Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;   Robert Frost's poem, “The Road Not Taken” is perhaps America's most well-known poem. Those are the opening lines. Likely you are more familiar with how it closes: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.   As the literature teachers here would probably tell you, the poem is often misunderstood. When we hear it, we immediately think of the path of life. After all, choosing the right path makes all the difference, as it says. But, as I understand it, Frost was actually making fun of an indecisive friend. This friend struggled to pick any path in the woods. Nonetheless, his poem has become a symbol of life's journey. In a way, it appeals to that inner sense that there are different paths in life…. that we need to choose a path. And, of course, it also appeals to American individualism – choosing a path less travelled. Well, Proverbs 4 is about the path of life. It's about choosing the road less travelled by, the path of wisdom. And it's contrasted with the path of evil. Now, you may have noticed this: At the end of almost every wisdom lesson so far, Solomon concludes by identifying 2 paths. ·      On one hand, he has talked about the ignorant, the fool, the complacent, and the wicked. And he's described their end. They will be cut off or rooted out or disgraced. ·      On the other hand, he's talked about the wise, the righteous, and the upright. They will inherit honor or remain in the land. ·      Two paths – one leading to life and one leading to death We get here to chapter 4, and it what it does is expands on the 2 paths of life. But instead of just describing the two paths – he's already done that. Solomon tells his sons how to stay on the path. This is critically important. You know that famous quote: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." That's true, but the journey doesn't end with the first step, no it takes step after step. Wisdom begins with the reverent fear of the Lord, but that's just the beginning of the journey. Wisdom is a life-long journey. What's interesting about this chapter is that there are three themes present. However, they're not logically ordered. Rather, these three themes permeate the chapter. So instead of working through this sequentially, we'll take it thematically. What are those three themes? Three “H” words. Hearing, Holding, and Heeding the way of wisdom. Hearing the wisdom of God; Holding to the wisdom of God; and Heeding the wisdom of God. Hearing, Holding, and Heeding. Let me put it this way: these are the three keys that will help you stay on the path of wisdom. Hearing Honestly, I don't want to spend too much time on hearing. This is not the first time we've come across the importance of hearing wisdom. A few weeks ago we considered how we are bombarded today by different messages from our culture. It's hard, isn't it, to filter through everything out there and to hear true wisdom. And, do you remember where we go to listen to God's wisdom? We go to God's commands and his teaching. We find that in his Word. Hearing is essential on the journey of wisdom. I think you would agree with me, that makes sense. Note the very first word of chapter 4. “Hear.” Hear what? “Hear, O sons, a father's instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching.” This is the king of Israel. He's speaking about the teaching that had been passed down through the ages. It was passed to his father, King David. David then taught Solomon, and now King Solmon is passing it to the next generation. You can see that generational connection right there in verses 3 and 4. “when I was a son, my father taught me.” Now, jump down to verses 10. Solmon re-emphasizes the need to “hear” him. There's that word, again, “hear.” Then in 11, he explains: “I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.” He's saying, “my son, these are the things of God: his commandments, his precents, his covenant promises. Hear them. Receive my teaching.” And notice yet again, down in verse 20. Solomon once more reemphasizes the need to hear: “be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.” Children, you have your life ahead of you. Lord willing, he will give you length of days. There are so many things for you to learn. Good things to learn about the world, about history, things to learn in the various career paths. But the most important thing to learn is about God: All the things he has revealed to us in his Word. Wonderful things about who God is and his love for you in Christ. Kids, your parents and others are teaching you these things. And the very first responsibility you have on your life journey is to listen to God and his word. And I think you all know this, it's not a one-time thing. No, throughout our whole lives, we are to be listening to God - studying his Word (all of it!). We're to listen attentively to it. Let me put it this way, you can't walk on the path of wisdom or stay on the path if you're not listening to the word of wisdom. Hearing is required. There's, of course, more to say about hearing. This won't be the last time we talk about hearing, so I'll leave it at that. Holding Next holding. Not just hearing God's wisdom but holding on to the wisdom of God. Cherishing it constantly all your days. Never letting it go! This idea is all through these verses. Really, it's the main trust of what Solomon is conveying to his children. Yes, hear my teaching, but also hold on to my teaching. First, look at verse 4 “let your heart hold fast my words.” Verse 5. “do not forget” and “do not turn away from the words of my mouth.” Verse 6 – “Do not forsake her.” Solmon is speaking about lady wisdom. And did you notice how personal this is. “love her, and she will guard you.” Verse 8 “prize her highly, and she will exalt you. She will honor you if you embrace her.” In other words, holding on to wisdom should not be a stubborn duty-bound endeavor. Rather, I think the word cherish is the right word here. Hold on to her lovingly because she will give you life. Look down at verse 13: “keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her;” and then look what it says, “for she is your life.” On the journey of life, the wisdom of God gives you life. Many of you have heard of Corrie Ten Boom. Perhaps some of you have read her book, The Hiding Place. Corrie and her family lived outside of Amsterdam during World War 2. They were Christians… and they were part of a network of believers who hid Jews from the Nazis. They helped them and others escape. They had a clock business which they used as a cover for their true operations. As you can imagine, the Ten Booms put themselves at grave risk because of their endeavors. The Nazis had taken over the region in 1940, so for multiple years they continued in their efforts to save people. During this time, Corrie and her whole family memorized Scripture. Her father would recite from God's word and often from Psalm 119. He would read this: “Lord, You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. Deliver me from evildoers”  It, of course, gave them encouragement to continue in their work. But it would also be their lifeline. You see, in February of 1944, the Ten Boom family was arrested. Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent off to Ravensbrook concentration camp. There they endured the harshest of conditions. In her book, Corrie recounts the neglect, the disease, and the starvation. Her sister, in fact, did not survive. Through those dark and difficult days, Corrie describes how God's Word sustained them. She and Betsie would recite the Scriptures they had memorized. It was their life. Not only was it a lifeline for them, but they would also share the Word with the other women. Corrie wrote this: “Nobody can take away from you those texts from the Bible which you have learned by heart.” You see, she heard the word and she held on to the word. It was life for her. If you've never read The Hiding Place, I would encourage you to. Someone told me once that they read it every single year. It reminds them of the priorities in life, of evil in the world, and of being sustained by the Lord and his Word. Back to Proverbs 4. Down in verses 21-23 we find the same theme - holding on to God's wisdom as a source of life. After Solomon calls his son to be attentive to his words, he says, “let them not escape from your sight. Keep them within your heart.” And expanding on that in verse 23: “keep your heart with all vigilance.” Why? Listen to what he says: “for from it flows the springs of life.” We hold onto wisdom, we cherish it, because it helps keep us on the path. So, constantly remind yourself of God's truth and commands. And do that through days of plenty and days of lack, through temptation and sickness and persecution, in times of joy and sadness. Holding onto and guarding wisdom will sustain you on the path of life. Heeding So, first hearing. Hearing is not a one-time thing or for one period in your life. No, it's attentively listening to God and his word all your days. Second, holding onto it. Keeping it. Embracing it. Hiding God's wisdom in your heart. This is also not a one-time thing. No, we're to hold onto it every step of the 1000-mile journey. And third, heeding - heeding the way of wisdom. You can stuff all the Scripture you want in your head, and you can actually believe it. But you also need to respond to it. You need to take action because of it. In other words, heeding is obeying. And just like hearing and holding are found all throughout this chapter… and are described as lifetime pursuits on the journey. So also is heeding. It's captured here in the language of walking. And staying on the path. And not veering to the path of evil. ·      Verse 5, for example: not only does Solmon command his son to not forget his instruction, but Solmon next commands his son to not  “turn away from the words of my mouth” That means to be faithful to them. ·      Verses 11 speak of the “way of wisdom,” which is the way of “uprightness,” as it says.  Theres that idea again that wisdom has a moral component to it. Know the wisdom of God and reflect the wisdom of God. ·      Verse 12 continues the image of walking. When you walk in this way, “your step will not be hampered, and if you run you will not stumble.” In other words, wisdom is an endurance race. It's not a sprint. You'll also notice in chapter 4 that to heed wisdom is to stay on the path. It's not straying onto the wrong path. One time, I was competing in a bicycle road race up in north Georgia. That was a long time ago. I was doing pretty well, I thought… but a few miles in, there was an arrow spray painted on the road to take a turn. It was a little faded, but I thought, “ok, ok, this must be the way to go.” No one else was around, so I turned. The problem was, I hadn't study the course map before the race. The arrow on the road was from the prior year's course. For miles and miles, I rode my heart out. No one was around me. I thought I was killing it, but I had gotten on the wrong path. The funny thing is, eventually it brought me to the finish line but from the wrong direction! So, I just rode up a little ways, turned around, and came back. Look at verse 14. “Do not enter the path of the wicked.” And “do not walk in the way of evil.” “Avoid it,” it says. “Turn away from it and pass on.” Verse 15. And look how the path of wisdom is described in verse 18: “the path of the righteous.” You see, the path itself, is the path of heeding the way of wisdom. And the last 4 verses really capture it all: “Put away crooked speech… and devious talk” This is not like putting dishes away to be used later. No, the Hebrew is much stronger. Literally “remove it.” Let it be no more. He adds… ”let your eyes look directly forward” …”do not swerve to the right or to the left.” Try something later today. Try walking in a straight line while you head is turned and you are focusing on something off to the side. You'll find that it's very hard. On the path of life, there are many distracting, appealing things on the wrong path. Solomon says, don't even gaze over at them. No, face forward and continue straight. And the chapter concludes, “turn your foot away from evil.” Do you see what Proverbs 4 is saying? Wisdom is not a one and done thing. You don't just arrive at wisdom and then coast. No, wisdom is a life journey. It's a way of life. And it requires hearing, holding, and heeding. The sad reality of this chapter is to consider Solmon himself. He wrote Proverbs as a young man, as a young king, with young sons. Yet, the lifelong path of wisdom that he describes is not the path that he persisted on. No, Solomon swerved from the truth. We read from 1 Kings 11 earlier. It describes how Solomon lost sight of God. In fact, in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 17, the kings of Israel were given specific commands: Kings were not to acquire many horses for themselves, lest it caused the people to return to Egypt Also, kings were not to acquire many wives nor acquire excess silver and gold, lest his heart turn away from God. So far, Solomon is 0 for 3. No, instead, do you know what kings were commanded to do? They were to keep a copy of God's law. Let me read you exactly what Deuteronomy 17 commands for the kings: “he shall read [the law] all the days of his life” (in other words, hearing). It continues: “that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes,” (In other words, holding). It continues, “and doing them,” it says (heeding). And then Deuteronomy 17 explains why: “that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.” Solomon broke these. He lost sight of God's commandments and of God himself. And it happened because he failed to hear, hold, and heed God's wisdom all his days. Now, you are probably asking “is there any hope for anyone? I mean if King Solomon with all his God given wisdom couldn't hold and heed wisdom in his life, ca anyone stay on the path? Is there any way?” That is the question. And what I want to say is that Proverbs 4 is not setting us up for failure. No, rather Proverbs 4 is leading us to The Way. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In fact, do you know how they referred to Jesus followers in the New Testament? They are referred to as those belonging to The Way. In the book of Acts chapter 9, the apostle Paul, before his conversion, was persecuting those “belonging to The Way.” (capital “W”) In Acts 18, Priscilla and Aquila explained to Apollos “the way of God” more accurately. Twice in Acts chapter 19, and twice more in chapter 24, it describes the Christian life as “The Way” – again capital “W.” Following Jesus is the way of God. He is the path of righteousness. But there's something important to understand, though. Don't picture in your mind Jesus walking on a path and you are there following behind trying to keep up. Don't picture yourself tripping and falling, and then having to run to catch back up to him. No, Jesus said, “I am the way.” The way of wisdom is Christ. Following Christ is giving your life to him. It's recognizing your utter inability, because of your sin, to hear, hold, and heed the wisdom of God. Jesus is the one who hears, holds, and heeds the wisdom of God for you. Picture it this way, when you fall (I didn't say “if” I said “when”)… when you fall, Jesus lifts you up and restores you to the path of life… or if necessary, he carries you the rest of the way. I hope you are following me here. None of what I just said takes away from the call of Proverbs 4. Following the one who is the way, makes the way of Proverbs 4 possible. ·      When you come to Christ, you are given ears to hear the way of truth and the commandments of God. The Spirit of God opens up the ears of your heart to hear his truth. ·      You are also given his Gospel to hold all your days. When you come to believe that Christ died for you so that you may live, it is the beginning of a lifetime of cherishing the grace of the cross all of your days. In fact, he is the one who is holding you fast. ·      And last, you are enabled to heed the commands of God. Jesus is the upright one. And through his Spirit in your life, you can reflect his righteousness. Hear, Hold, and Heed the wisdom of God in Christ. Let me end by putting it this way: Following Christ is the road less travelled by, that truly does make all the difference.  

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill is a remarkable story of an amazing family's dedication to serving God wholeheartedly. Join Kate and I as we discuss the impactfulness of Casper ten Boom and his family while they operate their watch shop in Holland. The family is always on the alert for ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” The ten Booms were unwaveringly solid in this area. They started each day focused on God and His word and ended each day the same way! What an amazing example of the power of routines! Have you wondered what enables ordinary people to do extraordinary things? Corrie gives readers the prepwork for being 'all in' as disciples of Christ. I think that is the linchpin! The linchpin keeps the wheels turning through dust and mud. If an axle's linchpin is removed, even 50%, the results are catastrophic. Our linchpin is God and living a life to glorify Him is the purpose for our existence. The ten Booms were ready, willing to hide Jews even at their own peril. The family successfully hid many Jews during a year and a half before a traitor exposed their operation. The story doesn't end at the raid, it just changes direction. In prison, Betsie and Corrie were able to hold Bible studies, and time after time the demeanor of the women changed and they became more Christ-like. Denying self is a concept that society has really muddied the waters on, but this family clearly had it figured out. This inspiring book is one that readers will not soon forget. It will bless you and your family greatly! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/recapbookchat/message

Luister weer naar het leukste van Graat en de Laat, met alle hoogtepunten van de zaterdagmiddag. Jordy en Christel zijn even met een korte zomerstop, op 30 september kun je om 12.00u weer luisteren naar een nieuw seizoen! 

Jeff Elliott & His Trumpet "Betsie" Jeff Elliott's Website www.jeffelliotttrumpet.com ARWEN LEWIS Website www.arwenlewismusic.com
 On IG - @arwenlewis
 YouTube - Arwen Lewis

2 Timothy 2: 1- 13 God's faithfulness   Introduction: When was a time that you have had to trust the process?   When I hear the phrase trust the process, I think about jobs. You are working hard and waiting for that promotion but it hasn't come yet. And maybe your boss tells you to trust the process. I also think about someone on a new diet. They are following the rules of this diet and it's hard, they are hungry but it hasn't yet started giving you the results that you hoped for.  I think about relationships. Maybe there is a conflict that you are going through and you are hoping it will be resolved soon. You have to trust the process. There are all these situations where we are told to trust the process. And our culture tells us to trust the process. What we most often mean by that is that if you follow a certain set of steps you will most certainly achieve the results that you desire. But it doesn't take long for you to realize that is not always the case.   Most of us have probably had times where we followed the steps trusted the process and things still didn't turn out the way that we were hoping.   That's exactly where our friend Timothy is at. He's in a bit of a rough patch and he is following the process and it's still not working. And so his friend and mentor Paul writes him a letter to encourage him to keep trusting the faithfulness of God even when it doesn't seem to be working. You see Timothy is tired of doing the right thing and working hard and still not getting the results that he should. Maybe you feel the same way.   Background: This morning, we're going to be in 2 Timothy chapter 2 if you want to follow along in your Bibles. As you turn there, I want to give a little bit of background and context to what is going on before we jump in. Timothy is a young man who has been mentored by the Apostle Paul for many years. We're actually going to meet him for the first time in the book of Acts. Paul and Timothy do tons of ministry together and when Paul gets released from prison in Rome he takes Timothy and installs him as the Senior Pastor of Ephesus. Ephesus was a mess at that time. It had been pastored by a group of false teachers who were pushing a religion that was a mix of Greek Philosophy and Judaism. Paul leaves Timothy there to sort things out but he writes him a letter to encourage him which we call first Timothy. Then about 5 or 6 years later, Paul has been imprisoned once again and it awaiting execution by Nero. As he waits in jail, he hears that things are not going well in Ephesus and that his personal friend and protégé Timothy is wearing out. So Paul writes one final letter to Timothy and in the letter he appeals to Timothy to trust in God's faithfulness when things get tough. There's a ton that we can apply for our lives from this so let's get started by reading what Paul has to say to Timothy.   Point One: Trusting God's faithfulness means we don't try to force the results Read 2 Timothy 2: 1-7   Paul challenges Timothy to be strengthened, be strong, hang in there, and keep fighting. Timothy is mostly doing the right things. He is following the steps that Paul laid out for him in 1 Timothy. But he's not getting the results that he desires. So Timothy is in danger here because he's about to start to try and force the results he wants. And we see that in some of the examples that Paul gives. Paul gives him 3 examples of what trusting God actually looks in real life.   All three of these examples that Paul give Timothy are examples where people have to trust a process and trust in something that is bigger than themselves. Soldier Stay focused on what's going on. Just like a soldier is hyper focused on his mission and doesn't worry about the details of everyday life, so Timothy needs to stay focused. Timothy could easily forget that he is in a spiritual battle and get focused on the wrong things. The false teachers were using the church as a platform to build their own personal wealth. Paul has already told Timothy about this. Soldiers have to trust the process even in their training. They basically give up everything to follow order and to trust a process that is much bigger than themselves. Part of trusting the process is staying focused and seeing the big picture. Beyond that, the soldier is responsible for following orders…regardless of the results. Timothy could lose sight of the big picture and end up questioning God's faithfulness.   Athlete Paul then talks about athletes. He mentions that athletes want to win but there are rules to the competition. So he's referencing the fact that in athletics, everyone wants to win. But not everyone is going to win. Some athletes are so desperate to get that win that they will try to force the results. They can either trust the process or trust their training or they can cheat.   How do Athletes try to force the results?   Steroids, other performance enhancing drugs, rigging their athletic equipment to perform better. The classic example other than steroids is if you've been watching the NFL for any length of time you've probably heard about this football that wasn't properly inflated. Athletes like to bend the rules of the competition to force the results that they want.  When are we tempted to compromise to get what we want?               Let's talk about Timothy for a second and then we'll get personal. Timothy's first task as senior pastor is to confront false teachers. Can you force someone to believe what you believe? His second task as Senior pastor is to figure out which widows in the church actually qualify for financial assistance. The problem here is that some have remarried or have other means of providing for themselves. So Timothy has to go around and tell some of these dear ladies that they are no longer going to be receiving financial assistance. How do you think that went over? Imagine a new pastor comes to your church and the first thing he does is tell your Grandma the church isn't going to help her financially anymore. Can you force people to respond well to conflict? Timothy has to have these hard conversations and then trust the faithfulness of God.   When are we tempted to compromise to get what we want? How do we bend the rules to force the results?   Timothy is tired of doing the right thing and not getting the results that he wants. But Paul reminds him that bending the rules is not the way to solve it.                           Marriage                         In scripture we are told that believers should marry other believers. But depending on where you live and who you know, if you narrow you spouse search down to only other believers that can really reduce the number of potentials. So what do we do? We bend the rules. We choose not to trust the faithfulness of God and we try to force the results. Now it seems to work, you can change the rules and get the results you want, but there are consequences.   Sex In the Bible we are told that we are to find Sexual pleasure in the context of marriage. But marriage is a ton of work and it's expensive and painful. Don't get me wrong, marriage is wonderful but it's hard. And sex takes work. You have to be nice and bring home flowers and that's just too hard. And sometimes your spouse says not tonight. But I want what I want and I want it right now. And so something like pornography seems like a great solution. It's there, it provides sexual pleasure without me having to do any of the work, but there are consequences.   Finances We are told in scripture to work hard, pay our taxes and give generously. But we often worry that God will not provide. And so we take matters into our own hands. And we can end up doing things that are unethical and even illegal and certainly don't please God because we feel we must force the results. So this is Timothy. He's a young man with hormones flowing through his veins. He's concerned about his financial stability as a pastor. He has outstanding conflicts in his life. And he's getting tired of waiting for God to show up. So he's about to try to start forcing the results. Which definitely has consequences. Where are you in this? As I struggle to trust God's faithfulness, I want to manipulate the situation and force the results I desire.   Farmer             Following God is really hard work but it is worth it.             A lot of people think being a farmer is this ideal, picturesque life but it's not. It's so hard because you have to wait. Plants can only grow so fast. And you have to do a ton of work before you ever get to see and results.   (Ex. Planting trees and wanting them to grow faster) “Someone told me recently something to the effect of Levi, I know you want an instant tree but you're going to have to wait.”             What a great analogy for the Christian life.             All of this brings us to another truth which is that we trust in the faithfulness of God no matter what because God's faithfulness is not dependent upon our circumstances.   Point Two: God's faithfulness is not dependent on our circumstances Read 2 Timothy 2: 8-13 Paul transitions from the analogies about trying to force the results and reminds Timothy of this powerful truth. God is always faithful. Even when we don't get the results we desire.   Paul points us to Christ and he ends this little section with a powerful statement about God's faithfulness. This is thought to be a poem or hymn about God's faithfulness that the early church was familiar with.   Paul sees his own upcoming death and the death of Jesus as examples of God's faithfulness. Paul says in essence, if you want to know that God is faithful, then look at me and look at Jesus Christ. Paul and Jesus have something in common. They both get killed for doing the will of God.   And then Paul throws in this powerful quote about God's faithfulness. And ironically people like to get all hung up on this quote thinking that it's teaching that people can lose their salvation.   What makes these words so powerful is the fact that human failure is built into the reality of God's faithfulness. We respond to God in a variety of ways. Some people accept him, some people reject him. How people respond to God doesn't threaten his faithfulness. It's part of who He is and so His faithfulness cannot change.   Hebrews – the Hall of faith. They all had amazing faith and they all got different results.   Hebrews 11: 32-38 Why would anyone choose to trust in the process of God's faithfulness if they are not guaranteed to receive the results that they want?             Pain and hardship are as sure as death and taxes. They will happen to you regardless.                         We tend to read our circumstances to see if God is holding up His end of the deal.             (Ex. the old man lost his horse story)             -we are fickle and we read God's faithfulness based on our circumstances.             Thankfully that's not the way it works.                         The Bible tells us that we are supposed to give generously to God.             The Bible tells us to pursue sexual purity.             The Bible tells us to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us. All of these things are commands that can bring about good results. But they don't come with a guarantee that things will then turn out exactly how we want.   For Timothy he has to ask himself what if the worst should come.             What if these people leave his church? What if the false teachers continue to lead people astray despite his solid Biblical teaching? What if his health should continue to deteriorate? What if his finances worsen?   The Faithfulness of God is never on trial   Trusting in the faithfulness of God is the only way to really deal with all the hardship that life can bring.   Can God open the womb and provide children? Yes. Can He bring along that Godly spouse? Yes. Can He bless you financially? Yes. What if He doesn't? Is He still good? Can He still be trusted? Is He still faithful? I have a friend whose catch phrase is “Praise the Lord”. And if you have spent any time with this person then you have definitely heard them say this phrase. If you know, then you know. And it used to catch me off guard when they would say this because they would say it at the most interesting times. Something bad would happen and they would say praise the Lord…and it really made me start to think. I use that phrase cheaply. What I mean by that is I typically reserve that phrase for when good things happen. It gets much harder to say that when things aren't turning out the way you want them to. And although it gets harder to say it, it has more meaning the more we apply it to the hard situations in life.             My car just broke down…praise the Lord.             I just found out that my spouse has been unfaithful…praise the Lord.             We are going to lose the house…praise the Lord.             The kids are not coming for Christmas…praise the Lord.             My boyfriend just broke up with me…praise the Lord.             My best friend said they never want to talk to me again…praise the Lord.                         My kids just told me they hate me and I'm the worse Dad ever…praise the Lord.             If we trust in the faithfulness of God, we can say these things even though it sounds crazy. The faithfulness of God is not about our circumstances but about His character. And last time I checked, that's not changing.   Similarly, there was a woman named Corrie Ten Boom who was a holocaust survivor. She wrote and spoke extensively about her experiences and about forgiveness and about Christ. Here's what she has to say about God's goodness. “Often I have heard people say, 'How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!' Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp….” -Corrie Ten Boom     In a room this big, how many have lost a baby or a child or a spouse? How many have prayed for healing and not received it? How many have lost their home in a market crash? How many have had a spouse be unfaithful? How many have an outstanding conflict that is still unresolved? It's Memorial Day. How many around the room have friends or family who lost their lives protecting others?   If you are trusting in the faithfulness of God then you will continue to love and serve your spouse even when it's not easy. If you are trusting in the faithfulness of God then you will initiate restored relationship by having a one on one face to face conversation and not trying to force the person to reconcile. If you are trusting the faithfulness of God then you will pursue sexual purity, trusting that God really does know best. If we are trusting the faithfulness of God then we can love our enemies because it's not our job to fix it. It's our job to be obedient to what God has called us to do and trust Him for the results, whatever they may be.   Trusting in the faithfulness of God isn't this abstract random thing that only matters on Sunday morning. It has massive ramifications. Because trusting God's faithfulness means we don't have to fix it. We don't have to manipulate the people and circumstances in our lives to try to force the results we want. It influences what we buy, how we talk about someone when they aren't there, how we treat our spouse when they hurt us. Whether or not we pursue restored relationship. What we look at on our phone or computer. How careful we are when we file our taxes. Either we are trusting God's faithfulness through the good and the bad no matter what the results or we are scheming a way to force the results. But that doesn't even work most of the time and it causes consequences that are painful.   We don't know hardly anything about Timothy from scripture.             Did he find that special someone? If he found that special someone did they have kids? If they had kids how many? Were there kids healthy?      Did all those broken relationships and hard conversations turn out well? Did his finances improve? Did his chronic health issue ever get resolved or did is worsen? Did the false teachers ever stop harassing him and his church?   And the Bible doesn't tell us because the answers to these questions still do not affect the faithfulness of God.                                                 As Christians, we want to develop that kind of no matter what faith.           One of the greatest example of this kind of faith is Horatio Spafford. He was a wonderful Christian Lawyer who owned a ton of real estate in Chicago.  In 1871 his only son died.  A few months later, the great Chicago fire broke out and much of the real estate he owned was either destroyed or damaged. He lost his life savings.  Two years later, He and his family were to set sail to Europe. Spafford was delayed because of business. So he sent his wife and four daughters on ahead. On that voyage their ship collided with another vessel at 2am. The passengers we awakened and rushed to the deck. They soon realized the ship was sinking and tried to put out the life boats. But the lifeboats had just been painted and then set back on the deck to dry. As the paint cured, the lifeboats became glued to the deck. They were only able to break a few loose before the ship sank. It sank in 12 minutes and 226 people perished. Among them were Spafford's 4 daughters ages 12, 7, 4 and 18 months. Anna Spafford survived after she was found floating unconscious in the water. When Horatio heard about the tragedy he boarded a ship to be reunited with his wife. One night, the captain of his ship called Spafford into his office to tell him that they were passing over the place where his four little girls had gone down with the ship. It was on this voyage that Spafford wrote the hymn it is well. In the wake of his grief and tragedy, he fixed his eyes on Jesus and trusted in the faithfulness of God. He wrote these words that you know so well:   When peace like a river attendeth my way When sorrows like sea billows roll Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well with my soul   Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023 will be exactly 150 years from this event.                         I'm not mature enough yet to respond like Horatio Spafford… But many of you are.             Because I talk to you and you are following Christ through the hardship. You are still here after death, divorce, abuse and financial hardship. You haven't left the faith. You still trust God. You are still loving your spouse even though they have done nothing to deserve it and have hurt you beyond what words will ever say. You are giving generously even though you lost money in the market. You are working hard for the lord even though you are physically in pain just sitting here in church. You are still pursuing a restored relationship with that person who has hurt you and offended you and said those nasty things. And you still offer forgiveness. You are still coming to church even though the people who have hurt you most call themselves Christians and sit next to you in this room.   So where are you at in the process of trusting God's faithfulness? When we trust His faithfulness we don't have to try and force the results and we can accept whatever comes our way and still say, “It is well”   So what's the punchline? Trusting the faithfulness of God will motivate us to action. It will look different for all of us but it means we will do what God has called us to do and trust Him with the results. Maybe you want to do that but don't know how. If that's you we would love to speak with you at the close of the service.   As always, If you would like to speak with someone at the close of the service you can find us at the round tables.   For now, let's pray.       Benediction: May you be blessed as you remember the faithfulness of God which cannot change!      

This is the fifth episode in our Women of Valor series! These women have made a huge impact on Carole's life, and she wants to share them with you.Corrie Ten Boom is most notably remembered for her book, The Hiding Place, which details her family's story of hiding Jews in their home and how she suffered in a concentration camp alongside her sister, Betsie. In this episode, Carole shares about some of the other books Corrie wrote including: In My Father's House, Tramp for the Lord; Common Sense Not Needed; Don't Wrestle, Just Nestle. You will never regret reading one of Corrie Ten Boom's books! Click HERE to shop in the online store!Click HERE to learn about upcoming seminars! Support the showHelp us share the message of homeschool made simple with others by leaving a rating and review. Thank you for helping us get the word out!Follow along on Instagram here!Visit our website to sign up to receive an exclusive discount for your first purchase in our online store!

Today Rachel and Betsie are here to talk about the thrilling finale of THE WAY HOME Check out Betsie's podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hallmark-happenings-podcast/id1573119106 Follow Betsie on twitter https://twitter.com/PodcastHallmark Listen to W Rated podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w-rated/id1547255034 Our interview with Sadie Laflamme-Snow https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/ADV4385249435.mp3?updated=1673657293 Our interview with Heather Conkie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duhatDBNHjg http://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies Check out our merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/hallmarkies Send us your feedback at feedback@hallmarkiespodcast.com Or call +1 (801) 855-6407 Follow Rachel on twitter twitter.com/rachel_reviews Follow Rachel's blog at http://rachelsreviews.net Follow Rachel's Reviews on youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/rachelsreviews Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Corrie Ten Boom shares about her incredible testimony. Corrie was born in a dutch watchmaker family who loved Jesus. She accepted Jesus as her savior at 5 years old. While hiding Jews during WW2 their family was turned in by a friend and her family were sent to the concentration camps. Corrie along with her sister, Betsie suffered from the hands of evil men who attacked and harassed them. Betsie died in the camp, but corrie was set free, and spent the rest of her life serving Jesus and sharing about His love and forgiveness.

Corrie Ten Boom shares about her incredible testimony. Corrie was born in a dutch watchmaker family who loved Jesus. She accepted Jesus as her savior at 5 years old. While hiding Jews during WW2 their family was turned in by a friend and her family were sent to the concentration camps. Corrie along with her sister, Betsie suffered from the hands of evil men who attacked and harassed them. Betsie died in the camp, but corrie was set free, and spent the rest of her life serving Jesus and sharing about His love and forgiveness.

Devocional Cristiano para Menores - UN RAYITO DE LUZ PARA CADA DÍA Fecha: 15-12-2022 Título: BETSIE TEN BOOM Autor: Gabriela Brizuela, Ninayette Galleguillos, Magaly Tuesta, Mirta de Samojluk, Cinthya Samojluk Locución: La tía Fabi http://evangelike.com/devocionales-cristianos-para-menores/

Today Rachel and Megan are joined by Betsie of Hallmark Happenings Podcast to talk about Hallmark Christmas movies weekend 1: WE WISH YOU A MARRIED CHRISTMAS, NOEL NEXT DOOR Our Christmas podcasts are at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4f2KtBPzUE&list=PLXv4sBF3mPUDo41tHqhkjHCvedmZwLzHx Follow Megan at https://twitter.com/megand320 Follow Betsie's podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hallmark-happenings-podcast/id1573119106 Follow David at https://www.piecingpod.com/ Follow us on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hallmarkies-podcast/id1296728288?mt=2 https://twitter.com/HallmarkiesPod on twitter @HallmarkiesPodcast on Instagram HallmarkiesPodcast.com Get some of our great podcast merch https://www.teepublic.com/stores/hallmarkies?ref_id=8581 Please support the podcast on patreon at https://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies Follow Rachel's blog at http://rachelsreviews.net Follow Rachel on twitter twitter.com/rachel_reviews Follow Rachel's Reviews on youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/rachelsreviews Follow Rachel on facebook www.facebook.com/smilingldsgirl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I saw and heard a woman speak in a church once nearly fifty years ago. Her name was Corrie ten Boom. She carried the “brand-marks of Jesus” (Galatians 6.17) on her body. While at the notorious Ravensbruck “death camp,” Corrie and her sister Betsie conducted Bible studies with fellow women prisoners in a flea infested barracks. “The guards never came in to stop them, because of the fleas. So Corrie and Betsie thanked God for the fleas!” Flea bites were Corrie's “brand-marks.” Until I suffer like Paul or Corrie, I will never compare my plight with theirs. There is no comparison between me and saints like that.

Today Rachel and Caroline are joined by friend of the podcast Betsie from Hallmark Happenings to talk about the 3 recent Christmas in July movies on Hallmark Channel Check out Rachel Magee and her new book THE BEACH ESCAPE using our affiliate link https://amzn.to/3vm0eqM and go to https://www.rachelmageebooks.com/ Follow Caroline on twitter https://twitter.com/MetacarolineR Listen to Betsie's podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hallmark-happenings-podcast/id1573119106 Follow Betsie on twitter https://twitter.com/PodcastHallmark Check out Betsie's youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP69oqs58BfIzXNysgfAcVw Our Christmas podcasts are at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4f2KtBPzUE&list=PLXv4sBF3mPUDo41tHqhkjHCvedmZwLzHx Please listen to our sponsor Jen Johans and Watch with Jen at https://filmintuition.com/ and https://rss.com/podcasts/watchwithjen/ Follow Jen on twitter https://twitter.com/FilmIntuition Follow us on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hallmarkies-podcast/id1296728288?mt=2 https://twitter.com/HallmarkiesPod on twitter @HallmarkiesPodcast on Instagram HallmarkiesPodcast.com Please support the podcast on patreon at https://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies Follow Rachel's blog at http://rachelsreviews.net Follow Rachel on twitter twitter.com/rachel_reviews Follow Rachel's Reviews on youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/rachelsreviews Follow Rachel on facebook www.facebook.com/smilingldsgirl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

================================================== ==SUSCRIBETEhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNpffyr-7_zP1x1lS89ByaQ?sub_confirmation=1================================================== == DEVOCIÓN MATUTINA PARA ADULTOS 2022“NUESTRO MARAVILLOSO DIOS”Narrado por: Roberto NavarroDesde: Chiapas, MéxicoUna cortesía de DR'Ministries y Canaan Seventh-Day Adventist Church 20 DE JUNIOBARRACA NUMERO 28«El que habita al abrigo del Altísimo morará bajo la sombra del Omnipotente. Diré yo a Jehová: "Esperanza mía y castillo mío; mi Dios, en quien confiare"». Salmos 91: 1-2LO LLAMABAN «EL LUGAR LOCO, donde se abriga la esperanza». Esa era la Barraca 28 de Ravensbruck, el campo de concentración para mujeres en la Alemania Nazi donde se calculó que apareció cerca de cien mil personas entre 1939 y 1945.En medio de ese infierno que era Ravensbruck, la Barraca 28 era el lugar donde un puñado de mujeres se atrevía a abrigar esperanza, aunque, desde el punto de vista humano, no había nada bueno que esperar. ¿Cuál era la base de su esperanza? Las promesas de la Palabra de Dios que, dos veces al día, leían en la Barraca 28.¿Cómo llegó esa Biblia a Ravensbruck? Corrie Ten Boom nos cuenta que era medianoche cuando ella y su hermana Betsie, junto a más de mil prisioneras, arribaron a Ravensbruck en septiembre de 1944. En el punto de inspección, cada mujer debía despojarse de toda su ropa, e ir a las duchas ante la mirada de los guardias.-Señor, ¿cómo podré pasar mi Biblia ante tantos guardias? -- Preguntó Corrie en oración.Entonces, junto con Betsie, pidió permiso para salir de la fila e ir al baño. El permiso le fue concedido. Una vez en el baño, escondió la Biblia bajo una de las bancas. Cuando le tocó su turno para ir a las duchas, ahí mismo la encontró. Solo quedó un problema: a la salida de los baños los guardias revisaron de nuevo. ¿Cómo esconder la Biblia debajo de la delgada tela del vestido? Otra vez oro.-Señor, por favor envía a tus ángeles para que me escuden, de modo que los guardias no me pueden ver.Cuenta Corrie que la mujer que estaba delante de ella en la fila fue inspeccionada. También Betsie, que estaba detrás, pero no a ella. ¡Como si hubiera sido invisible!Fue así como la Biblia llegó a la Barraca 28, «el lugar de la esperanza»: «El lugar donde aprendimos —escribe Corrie-, que un poder superior tiene la última palabra, incluso aquí [en un campo de concentración]». *Quizá te estás preguntando: «¿Y cómo podrían estudiar la Biblia sin que los guardias supieran?». Pues resulta que a la Barraca 28 los guardias no se atrevían a entrar porque estaba infestada de pulgas y piojos. ¡Con razón pueden estudiar la Biblia sin ser molestadas en lo más mínimo! **¿Conclusión? ¡El Dios que usó a los ángeles ya los piojos para ayudar a sus hijas ayer, también puede hacer un milagro por ti hoy! Esperanza mía y castillo mío, eres el Dios de lo imposible, y eres mi Dios. En ti confiaré hoy y siempre. Amén.*Corrie Ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord, Revell, 1974, pp. 22-24. ** Corrie Ten Boom, citada por Steve Halliday y William Travis, en How Great Thou Art, Multnomah, 1999, lectura para el 9 de diciembre.

“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” Cornelia “Corrie” ten Boom Member of the Dutch resistance, evangelist, and author   Artwork: Ten Boom's portrait in the Fearless Portrait project consists of an ink drawing of her on a map of the Dutch city of Haarlem. There is a red dot near her nose to mark the location of The Hiding Place, that is the home where she and her family hid Jews from the Nazis.   The story:  At the outset of WWII, Corrie ten Boom was a watchmaker, living with her sister Betsie and her father Casper above their watch store in Haarlem, Netherlands. Known in the city for helping anyone in need, a Jewish stranger knocked on their door seeking shelter. Casper welcomed the woman into their home, saying “In this household, God's people are always welcome.”  The ten Booms soon joined the Dutch underground and for the next two years around 800 Jews passed through their home on their way out of Nazi-occupied territory. The Gestapo raided the house in 1944 and Corrie and Betsy were sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Despite horrific and nightmarish conditions, Corrie and Betsy spent their time sharing the gospel with their fellow prisoners until Betsy died in December 1944 and Corrie was released a few days later.  After the war, a former Ravensbruck guard asked for her forgiveness. She described the moment in her book The Hiding Place, writing:  “It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. And I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.  “‘Jesus, help me!' I prayed silently. ‘I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling.' And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. “‘I forgive you, brother!' I cried. ‘With all my heart!'”   Background on ten Boom:   Ten Boom was born on April 15, 1892. Before her death in the squalor of Ravensbruck, Betsy told Corrie about three visions she received from God about what they were to do after they got out of there. Her first vision was of a house for former prisoners, the second was to use a former concentration camp in Germany for the broken people in the country. The third was that they would be released before the new year of 1945. All three came true.  Betsy died on December 16, 1944 and Corrie was released a few days later due to a clerical error (although she had to spend a few weeks in the camp's hospital before she was allowed to leave). One week after Corrie was released, all the women her age in the camp were gassed.  Immediately upon release Corrie opened a home in Bloemendaal for victims of the Nazis. Once this was established, she turned her attention to spreading the gospel and teaching the importance of forgiveness. This included a tour through Germany, where she opened a camp for German refugees in a former concentration camp in Darmstadt. The camp operated from 1946 through 1960.  Corrie traveled the world to speak about her faith, visiting over 60 countries in 30 years. She also wrote dozens of books. She was honored by the State of Israel as one of the “Righteous Among the Nations” in 1967. Casper and Betsy were likewise honored in 2007.  She died on her birthday in 1983 at the age of 91 in Placentia, California, US   Music: This episode contains music by Geovane Bruno and Oleksii Kaplunskyi.    Sources: Christie, V. (2016, November 22). Giving Thanks in All Circumstances – Corrie ten Boom. VanceChristie.Com. http://vancechristie.com/2016/11/22/giving-thanks-circumstances-corrie-ten-boom/ Holocaust Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Corrie ten Boom. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/corrie-ten-boom Life:Beautiful Magazine. (2020, February 6). Corrie Ten Boom: The Power of Forgiveness. https://lifebeautifulmagazine.com/profiles/corrie-ten-boom-the-power-of-forgiveness McDaniel, D. (2015, May 21). 40 Powerful Quotes from Corrie Ten Boom. Crosswalk.Com. https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/inspiring-quotes/40-powerful-quotes-from-corrie-ten-boom.html PBS. (n.d.). The Question of God . Other Voices . Corrie ten Boom | PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/questionofgod/voices/boom.html ten Boom, C., Sherrill, J., & Sherrill, E. (1971). The Hiding Place. Bantam. ten Boom Museum. (2018, April 18). About the Ten Booms. https://tenboom.org/about-the-ten-booms/ Wikipedia contributors. (2021, November 20). Corrie ten Boom. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrie_ten_Boom Yad Vashem. (n.d.). The Righteous Among the Nations Database: Boom ten Cornelia. https://righteous.yadvashem.org/?searchType=righteous_only&language=en&itemId=4014036&ind=NaN 

Betsie Norris is the Founder and Executive Director of Adoption Network Cleveland: The Ohio Family Connection. Betsie is an adoptee who searched for and was reunited with her birthparents and siblings in 1986, when she was in her mid-twenties. She emerged from that experience with strong convictions about the lifelong journey of adoption for all involved, and the need for systemic change. She found Adoption Network Cleveland in 1988, was a volunteer for the first 7 years, and has been the Executive Director since 1995. With a wide array of programs and services, Adoption Network Cleveland has been recognized nationally as a successful model for effective service and advocacy for members of the adoption community including adoptees, adoptive, foster and kinship families, birthparents and siblings, youth in foster care and related professionals.  Betsie has become a frequent spokesperson in the media and has led the organization to long-term success building innovative programs and having a strong advocacy voice. Major advocacy achievements include leading successful efforts to decrease barriers to permanency for youth lingering in foster care, and changing laws about access to records resulting in Ohio adoptees gaining access to their original birth certificates. Adoption Network Cleveland served as the lead agency of the Adopt Cuyahoga's Kids Initiative, a public-private-philanthropic partnership which was responsible for reducing the number of youth waiting for adoption in Cuyahoga County foster care from 1,700 in 2004 to approximately 500 in 2018. The organization has supported and assisted in thousands of successful adoptee/birthparent, adoptee/sibling and DNA searches and reunions, and has been a leader in supporting families to enhance permanency for children and youth. Over a 25+ year period, Betsie took the lead on legislation to reform Ohio's adoption laws, and as a result all Ohio-born adult adoptees adopted have access to to their original birth certificates, including 400,000 adoptees adopted in Ohio's formerly "closed" period (1964-1996) starting in March 2015. The story of her involvement is highlighted in the short documentary https://vimeo.com/101580095 (An Adoptee ROARed in Ohio: The Betsie Norris Story) by Jean Strauss, which debuted at the Cleveland International Film Festival in 2014. Betsie is co-author of Journeys After Adoption: Understanding the Lifelong Process (Bergin & Garvey, 2002) and her story is featured in several books. Prior to her work in adoption and child welfare, Betsie worked as an RN in child and adolescent psychiatry.  Music by Corey Quinn

Before we move full-speed ahead with Loveuary, let's take a look back and see what were our favorites from the New Year, New Movies line-up. In this episode, I'm joined by Betsie from Hallmark Happenings. To hear more from Betsie: https://www.hallmarkhappenings.com To purchase "Chasing Wind": https://amzn.to/3IGUI6g For other Hallmark movie reviews be sure to check out the Dear Hallmark YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7R8-e6d13cee5QMo_Oltw Dear Hallmark's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearhallmark/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dearhallmark/message

Who Is Our God? His Attributes So we come to Ephesians 5:1. We come to one of the most remarkable commands that the Apostle Paul ever gave to any group of Christians. There, in these verses, we're commanded to “be imitators of God.” Maybe you've read that for many years, or even just now as you heard Tom reading it, it just washed over you and you didn't realize just how remarkable that is. The Bible says that “God created the heavens and the earth by the word of His power,” that, “He sits enthroned above all the surface of the earth, and all the nations before Him are like a drop from a bucket and like dust on the scales compared to His majesty and His great power,” Isaiah 40:22. Psalm 99:1 says, "The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned upon the cherubim. Let the earth quake." Moses records that Almighty God, the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth, descended on Mount Sinai in fire and spoke out of a cloud and out of fire, and the ground beneath their feet shook as God spoke these words, "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me," and the sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I'm trembling with fear." The holiness of God caused the seraphim in Isaiah's vision in Chapter 6 to cover their faces, not daring to look upon the glory of God, though they had never committed any sin, and they weren't defiled in any way or they had never been rebellious. And yet, they were covering their faces and their feet in the presence of the holiness of God, the infinite gap between God, the creator, and all of us, his creatures. No one has captured it better than A.W. Tozer in The Knowledge of the Holy. He said, "Forever God stands apart, in light unapproachable. He is as high above an archangel as He is above a caterpillar, for the gulf that separates the archangel from the caterpillar is but finite while the gulf between God and the archangel is infinite. The caterpillar and the archangel, though far removed from each other on the scale of created things, are nevertheless one and alike in that they're both created. They both belong in the category of that which is not God and are separated from God by infinitude itself." And we're commanded to imitate God. The Westminster theologians who gathered together. They wrote these words about God: "There is but one only living and true God who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit without body, parts or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will for His own glory. God has all life, glory, goodness and blessedness in and of Himself. He is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which He has made, not deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto and upon them. He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom and to whom are all things, and has most sovereign dominion over them to do by them, for them and upon them whatsoever Himself pleases. In His sight, all things are open and manifest. His knowledge is infinite, it is infallible and independent upon the creature and to whom is due, from angels and men and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service or obedience He has pleased to require of them." We Are Not God Well, we are not God We are not God. These things cannot be said in total of us. Theologians have tended to divide the attributes or the descriptions of God into two categories: communicable and incommunicable. Incommunicable are those things that are true of God but will never be true of us, cannot be true of us, and communicable attributes are those things that are described of God, and we can in some way reflect them. For example, we are not self-existent. God exists in and of Himself and He needs nothing created from the outside to come in, like we need food and air and water to stay alive. God doesn't need anything created to come into Him to sustain His existence. He is self-existent, but we are not, for “in Him we live and move and have our being.” We are dependent on God for our existence. We are not immutable. God never changes. Malachi 3:6, "I the Lord do not change." But we are constantly changing. Indeed, we must change. Actually, the text in Ephesians 5:1 says, "Become imitators of God as dearly loved children." We are not immense, omnipresent beings that fill the universe with our existence, but God is. Jeremiah 23, he says, "'Am I only a God nearby,' declares the Lord, 'and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the Lord. 'Do I not fill heaven and earth?' declares the Lord." But we are not sovereign. We don't get to do whatever we please and be accountable to no one for our decisions as God is. In Daniel 4:35, Nebuchadnezzar said, "He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him, 'What have you done?'" We are accountable to God. We are totally under his sovereign will. So there are these incommunicable attributes of God and many others, but there are also communicable attributes. There are ways in which we are commanded to be exactly like God, and as we come to Ephesians 5:1 and 2, we come to the centerpiece of that communicable attribute, and that is love. We are commanded to love, to live a life of love, to walk in love as God has loved us in Christ. We are commanded to be like God, and this makes sense, for in creation, in Genesis 1:27, we were all, as human beings, created to be like God. We are created in the image of God. And again, in salvation and earlier in the last chapter, in Ephesians 4:24, it says, "Put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." So we are to imitate God. Now, this is amazing because the Apostle Paul in other places tells people to imitate him, and we need role models. We need men and women to stand up in front of men and women in the Body of Christ and say, "Imitate me." We need mentors. And Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 4:16, "Therefore, I urge you to imitate me." That takes a lot of boldness, doesn't it? "Imitate me. Be like me." In another place, he says, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." So the implication is we're seeking to imitate Christ. Christ is our role model. We want to follow after Him, and so in the text as well. But here we're commanded to imitate God. And how is that? Well, in an immediate context it is that we are to walk, or to live a daily life that's characterized horizontally to other people with self-sacrificial love, especially in forgiveness of those that sin against us. Sometimes I think the chapter divisions hurt the flow and we don't fully understand the context, so I think it might be better to just remove the chapter division from Chapter 5 and just flow on from Ephesians 4:32 on to 5:2. "Be kind and compassionate to one another," it says in verse 32 of chapter 4. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God has forgiven you. Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children and live a life of love [or walk in love,] just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Context Now I never tire of saying exactly where we are in the book. It's important for us to understand context. And so we're in the middle of an ethical or moral imperative section of the book of Ephesians in which we Christians are told how we are to live. This is built on the foundation of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We're going to talk more about that later in the sermon, but on the foundation of Christ’s blood atonement for us and the foundation before that of God's sovereign grace in choosing us before the foundation of the world, to be adopted as His sons and daughters, and the foundation of the saving work of Christ and then this vision of a holy temple rising to become larger and larger with living stones quarried from Satan's dark kingdom from all over the world, every tribe and language and people and nation, we the living stones built into this spiritual house to be a temple, a spiritual house in which God lives by His spirit, on the foundation of that, Ephesians 1-3, we have Ephesians 4-6. Beginning in Ephesians 4:1, it says, "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Then one chapter later, now in this verse, Ephesians 5:1, "Live a life of love. Imitate God and live a life of love or walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself." This is the kind of life we should live. Now this morality, this Christian ethic, flows from the Gospel. We are commanded in chapter 4 verses 17-24, "I tell you this and insist on it in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They're darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity with a continual lust for more." That's the nature of the darkness that was in us apart from Christ. That's the nature of the darkness of the people we're going to try to reach with the Gospel as Nathan was just talking about, our neighbors, our co-workers. Their hearts are hardened. They don't walk in love. They don't live a life of self-sacrificial love. They're filled with bitterness and unforgiveness toward people who have sinned against them. They harbor that bitterness. They feed it. They nurse their grievances and I think often about them. But he said, "You didn't come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard him and you were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self," as we've already said, "created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." And so, then that flows out into morality in all areas of life. In verse 25, "Put off all falsehood and instead speak truthfully to your neighbor." Verse 26, "Put off sinful anger. Don't let the sun go down while you're still angry." And verse 28, "Put off stealing, but instead work hard and bless and benefit your neighbor by your labor so that you can share with those in need." And then verse 29, "Put off all corrupting speech, [anything that's corruptible and wicked] and instead speak only those things that build up your neighbors and give grace to those who hear that it might benefit them." And put off this unforgiveness, this wickedness, this anger of all level, any kind of malice or anger or brawling or any of these things. Be kind and compassionate to one other instead, forgiving one another, just as in Christ, God has forgiven you. Imitating God’s Love And so, these moral imperatives I think, atheists that want to be moral, or Greek philosopher types that want to live an upright life, Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard Almanack-type morality, they can do that, the horizontal thing, and we can imitate some of that, but for us, it's all founded on our vertical relationship with God, on the fact that we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, whom we are not to grieve, and how we are to imitate our adoptive Heavenly Father and walk like Him. It's a whole different type of ethic. And so, we're told here to imitate God or be imitators of God in His love. Look at verse 1 and 2, "Be imitators of God therefore as dearly loved children and walk in love." God is Love Here, we are to imitate, I think, the central attribute of God as He presents Himself to us. God is love. 1 John 4:16, "God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in him." This is the strongest statement about love in the Bible, 1 John 4:16. “God is love.” God certainly commands love and He exemplifies love and He teaches us about love, but 1 John 4:16 says God actually is love, and from this, as I meditate on it, I see He's the source of all love there is in my heart. He's the source of everything, and as I come to this ethical command that I'm to live a life of love or walk in love, it's not long before I realize that I don't, that there is still some of that residual darkness in my heart, a hardness in my heart, and that I don't love my neighbor as I should, as myself, and so to know that God is love, that if I want to be transformed, if I want to live a life of love and walk in love, I need to get closer to God. He is the source of all love. Now, what do we mean by love? Well, I've come to see it this way. It has to do with our heart, the essence of our, the centerpiece of our being, our minds, our hearts, our souls, and their ability to either be attracted to something or repulsed from something to a greater or lesser degree, like magnetic attraction or repulsion such as we talk about liking or loving something, being attracted to it, or disliking, or hating something. We all have that nature created in the image of God. We can be attracted to or repulsed from something to a greater or lesser degree. We're made like this. And so, love is on the positive side of attraction. It's that my heart is drawn to something, attracted to it, but then this ethic, this morality of love, moves beyond heart attraction into cheerful sacrificial action that benefits the person that I'm loving. So, it's heart attraction resulting in cheerful action. That's the essence of love, and God is the source of all of that love. God's heart is attracted to all that He has made. He is attracted to His universe. He's attracted to the things that He shaped and molded with His own hands. “So, after God had created everything in six days and looked out over everything that He had made, and behold it was very good, and you see a sense of God's attraction to the works of His hands, and even after the fall, even after sin entered in, there's still that love of God toward His creatures, all of them.” And so, in Psalm 145, verses 13-17, it says, "The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up those who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you O Lord, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and you satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all He has made." So God's heart goes out toward His creation and He is delighted. He finds personal joy in doing His creation good. So that's the essence of love. We are commanded to have our heart go out horizontally toward others, and to find personal delight in doing good to people around us. It's not enough to just do good, we have to find personal delight or joy in it. “God loves a cheerful giver.” He wants us to love loving one another, if we could use that redundant expression. He wants us to be cheerful in giving to one another. So God's love is on display every time He feeds one of His creatures, every time the sun rises and then warms a field of wheat or barley, every time there's a feeling of a breeze on your face or the rain soaking the earth and sustaining life. All of these things are gifts from God, and God gives it to people whether they love Him or not. He gives it to His enemies. “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” He is generous toward everyone that He's made whether they acknowledge Him or not, and God overwhelmingly has loved His enemies, human beings who do not acknowledge His gifts. They owe him thanks. They ought to be thankful. They ought to worship Him and glorify Him as God and give thanks to Him, but they don't, and yet God is generous to them. It says in Psalm 103:5, "He satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles." Well, God has loved us, we who are Christians, at an even infinitely higher level. Even before we were born, even before the creation of the world, God set His love on us in Christ. Look again. Go back at Ephesians 1:4 and 5. It says, "He chose us," He, God the Father, chose us, in Christ, "in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." “In love, [in love,] He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will.” God Loved Us Before We Were Born So what I'm saying is that God's heart went out toward us by name before the creation of the world. And He set His affection on us and delighted to do us good. He delighted to do us good. And so He loved the world like it says in John 3:16, "God so loved the world" or in this way, "God loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." And so He loved His elect by setting His electing love on them, and by sending Christ in the world, and by offering His Son as an atonement for our sins. As Romans 5:8, says "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners...", and again, 1 John 4:10, "This is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin.” So God loved us directly in saving us. God put up with all of your sins for the days, weeks, months and years before you were regenerated, covered them. He was gracious and patient to you in all that time and He loved you by sending the Gospel to you, maybe again and again, He sent messengers of the Gospel to you, who sought to persuade you to trust in Christ. Maybe it was your parents, maybe a brother or a sister, maybe it was a friend, someone in college, maybe a co-worker. And God reached out to you again and again, and then if you're a Christian, He loved you, ultimately by sending the Holy Spirit to take out that heart of stone, and give you the heart of flesh, so that you would love Jesus and believe in Him, and trust in Him. It's because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, it says in 1 Corinthians 1, "It's because of the Holy Spirit's work on you that you believe in Jesus." God has been so loving to you and in all of this, God was delighted to do it. It's something that's hard for us to understand, but God really enjoys saving people. I love what Jesus says in Luke's Gospel, He says, "Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." It's been one of the most fruitful verses I've ever meditated on, on the pleasure of God in saving me. He enjoys saving me, He enjoys forgiving me, He enjoys “washing me with water through the word.” He enjoys presenting me to Himself as holy and blameless. And He will enjoy raising my corpse from the grave, and making it glorious and radiant in His glory. He enjoys creating a Church and then He will enjoy creating the New Heavens and the New Earth as a home for His bride to live in forever, He enjoys this, He delights in it. Now: God Commands Us to Imitate His Love And so, we are called on to imitate God in His love, this lavish display of God's love comes with an inherent command, “if God has so loved us, we ought to love one another.” That's what's going on in Ephesians 5:1. 1 John 4:11, "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another," and this is especially poignant, when it comes to the issue of forgiveness of sins. We saw this last week, but I don't think I can say it too much. We are commanded to be gracious and merciful and forgiving to people who sin against us. Whether they're Christians or non-Christians. But especially within the Body of Christ, we are commanded to be gracious and to be forgiving toward those who sin against us. As we saw last time, God is likened to a king to whom we owed an incalculable debt. The 10,000 talents, and God forgave all of that debt just out of His grace and mercy and with it, comes an obligation, the vertical relationship of forgiveness carries with it a horizontal imperative, we ought to so love one another. We ought to forgive one another. We ought to not find some fellow servant who owes us a third of a year's wages, and choke them and say, "Pay me what you owe me." This life of love should be one of tenderness and compassion to other sinners, we should feel the weight of their misery in sin and yearn to set them free. The love of God in Christ should constrain us to reach out. Like Nathan was saying, like we've been saying, we want to reach out, not just this week but throughout the year, to people who are in bondage, to people who are without hope and without God in the world, to show mercy to them and show compassion, even if they treat us very poorly. Let me tell you, throughout church history, Christians have amazingly loved their enemies in ways that has had converting power. So actually, it might be better if you ventured out in evangelism in the workplace and get smacked down this week. Or by your neighbors and get badly treated. And then love and forgive, and who knows but a month later, they might be in some medical emergency, and you'll be the only one that shows any consideration for them, or maybe their spouse, or their child, and they'll remember how badly they treated you and how gracious and loving, you're being toward them. I was incredibly rude to Steve Chamberlain who led me to Christ and the Lord never lets me forget it. So don't tell me you don't want to witness remember how you treated Steve, now go out and share your faith. But it actually was instrumental it doubled back on itself because I realized, “Why was I being so rude to this guy. What did he ever do to me, he's actually only been kind to me.” That was the beginning of seeing my own sin, and the need I had for Christ, actually the way I treated him so badly, and the way he was so kind to me, was actually instrumental to my salvation. So we see this again and again, Stephen as he is being stoned to death cries out saying, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." You must believe that that had an impact on Saul of Tarsus, who heard him say those words. An Anabaptists Self-Sacrificial Love There's a story of an Anabaptist man named Dirk Willems, Anabaptists were persecuted by almost every authority in Continental Europe, back then, and this godly man, Dirk Willems was fleeing for his life, across a frozen lake, and suddenly his pursuer, he heard his pursuers getting closer and closer, but he heard a crack in the ice and then the unmistakable sound is that man fell through the ice, and Dirk Willems stopped, he was free now, he could get away, but he went back on the clearly dangerous ice, and got close to where he'd fallen in and he rescued this man and saved his life pulled him out, but the time he took to go back and pull that man back out of that freezing water, allowed some others that were chasing as well to lay hands on him. And though this man that Dirk Willems had pulled out of the freezing water, pleaded with them to let him go, and he eventually came to faith in Christ at any rate, Dirk Willems was burned at the stake for his heterodox beliefs according to them. So he basically traded his own mortal life, so that at least one man could have eternal life. Just the forgiveness that is shown. Burdened to Forgive: Corrie ten Boom I read an account and some of you have read it too of Corrie ten Boom, who is a Dutch woman, who with her family risked much to protect the Jews during the Nazi occupation during World War II. Eventually, they were discovered and they were arrested and they were put in the concentration camp at Ravensbruck, and it eventually led to the death of her sister, Betsie. She never forgot that, obviously, it was on one of most terrible experiences of her life, but in the years that followed God gave her a ministry of speaking about her experiences in the concentration camp, and her experiences in her Christian walk, and the amazing forgiveness that God gives In Christ and how God takes our sins and throws them into the depths of the sea. And we never see them again. Well, to her horror at one particular church service, after it was done, a former SS guard came up, and she recognized him and he came up smiling and said, "Isn't it wonderful how God takes all of our sins and throws them in the depths of the sea, and we see them no more? Well, I've become a Christian and I want to say will you please forgive me for what I did to you and your family?" And he stuck out his hand like that. Well, she stood there looking at his hand and this is what she said, she said "I knew I had to forgive him. The message that God forgives has a prior condition that we forgive those who have injured us. Jesus said, "If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses." I knew it not only as a commandment of God, but I saw it as a daily experience since the end of the war, I had a home in Holland for victims of Nazi brutality, and those who were able to forgive their former tormentors were also able to return to the outside world and rebuild their lives, no matter what their physical or emotional scars. But those who nursed their bitterness remained invalids. It was as simple and horrible as that, but now there I stood. And as I looked at that man's hand extended toward me, there was a coldness clutching my heart, but I realized that forgiveness is not first of all an emotion. I knew that too forgiveness is an act of the will, it's a commitment, and that the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. So I prayed, "Jesus help me," I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You must supply the feeling." And so, she said, "woodenly mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me, and as I did something incredible took place. There started to be a feeling in my shoulder like electrical current that flowed down my arm and sprang into our joined hands and then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being and it brought tears to my eyes. "I do forgive you brother, with all of my heart." For a long moment we grasped each other's hands. The former guard and the former prisoner I have never known God's love so intensely as I did at that moment.” Now, by the way, I think that is exactly why we will remember everything that happened on earth. Because we will feel God's grace and power and forgiveness and saving work of Christ far more powerfully when we remember the details of the stories or the things that happened here on earth. Apart from that, how can we celebrate God's grace? What would it even mean if we have no memory of all the sufferings that sin caused in this world? So, we are to walk in love as God has loved us. Is there someone you need to forgive? I asked you this last week, you had a week to think about it. Is there someone you're still bitter toward? As Beloved Children We Imitate God Because He Adopted Us God is commanding you in Ephesians 5:1 to imitate God in His loving forgiveness of those that have sinned against you, and He's commanding you to do it as beloved children, as dearly loved children, He says. We are the adopted children of God. “In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ.” 1 John 3:1, "Behold what manner of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God", and that is what we are. This is a motive for our walking in love because we bear the family likeness. More than that, we bear the family name, and Jesus said, "By this will all men know that you're my disciples, if you love one another if you walk in love in this kind of forgiveness, then everyone around will know what it means to be in the family of God. You're putting the Father's name on display, His reputation, by how you live, and we are to imitate Christ's love." He goes from the Father to the Son. "Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children and live a life of love or walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." So ultimately, Christ is the example of walking in love. Imitating Christ’s Love Christ is the Greatest Example of God’s Love At every moment, He loved the Lord his God vertically with all of His heart, soul, mind, and strength. And then horizontally, loved His neighbors as Himself. Think about His healing ministry, His healing ministry, was so successful and so famous so pervasive that huge crowds from multiple cities around wherever He was poured out every day to be healed by Jesus, it was so much and so overwhelming that people couldn't even get physically near Jesus, even to touch Him. He did this out of compassion, out of love. How do you know that? Well, in Mark 1: 40-42, it says "A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees. If you are willing, you can make me clean. Jesus filled with compassion, reached out his hand and touched the man. I am willing, be clean and immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy." You know, Jesus could have healed 10,000 people with a word, you know that, don't you? 10,000 people, “You're all healed go home.” But Jesus wanted to be able to look people in the eye and say, "I love you, I want a relationship with you. I want to touch your hand and heal you. I don't have to touch your hand, but I want to. I want to look you in the eye and I want a relationship with you." It was out of love that he did those healings, same thing with his teaching ministry. And one of the accounts in Mark chapter 8, Jesus landed and when he saw a huge crowd that they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd, He had compassion on them, and taught them many things, so His teaching ministry, was an evidence of His love for other people. So also His feeding ministry in Mark chapter 8. He said, "I have compassion with these people. They've been with me many days, three days now. And if they go home, they'll collapse on the way, feed them." Everything Jesus did was motivated by love for God and others, He walked in love, He lived a daily life of love and especially you see that in His sacrificial love on the cross, and not just this time of year, not just holy week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, leading up to Easter Sunday. Sacrificial Love at the Cross Do we Christians contemplate the death of Jesus? Jesus gave Himself up for us, as a fragrant offering, it says, in sacrifice to God. Have you noticed how similar this verse is to Galatians 2:20? Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself up for me." But this verse says that “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. I think both of those things are worthy of meditation.” There is an intensely personal love that God has for each of His sheep. He knows us by name and we can say honestly from Galatians 2:20, "He loved me, and gave Himself up for me, so I should love others and give myself up for them." But then we can expand and say, "Well there's a lot of us, there's a multitude greater than anyone could count. He loved us and gave Himself up for us, as well. And it says that He gave Himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” As a Fragrant Sacrifice The Atonement: The Centerpiece of Salvation The Old Testament again and again, animal sacrifices were spoken of as a fragrant offering well pleasing to God. Like Noah, remember when he took some of the clean animals and he offered them up and the aroma of the pleasing sacrifice went up to God, the pleasing aroma. Now, you shouldn't imagine that God just has a taste for meat. God doesn't have a taste for meat. He just loves the smell of a barbecue, just oh God, no that's not it. He's looking at the heart of Noah and his faith, and the sacrifice and his willingness to give at that point, and that's the offering of Jesus. Jesus gave Himself up to the Father on our behalf, the fulfillment of all of the animal sacrificial system. He gave Himself up. He died in our place that we sinners trusting in him might have forgiveness of sins. The Aroma of a Pleasing Sacrifice Now that's an aroma wafting heaven-ward from what Jesus did, the life He lived and the death He died. It's an aroma, a fragrant offering to God. What is the aroma wafting heaven-ward from your life? What does your life smell like to God? Let's put it that way. Is it fragrant? There are a number of things that are said to be wafting heaven-ward like our prayers are caught in a ball, they're like incense that goes up. Our prayer life can waft heaven-ward. Revelation 5:9 says, "The prayers of the saints are caught like incense. And our service to other sinners." It says in Hebrews 13:15, "Therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name and do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased." So there you have two-fold sacrifice. Vertical, praising His name, it's like a fragrant offering, a heart of worship, and then horizontally, doing good to others, whatever that means, is a fragrant offering and sacrifice with which God is well pleased. Even money given to missionaries is spoken of in Philippians 4:18, He talks about the money that Epaphroditus brought and he said they're a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. So the money you give to church workers, to mission workers, or to any other brother and sister in Christ, is doing some kind of ministry is a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God and our evangelism. 2 Corinthians 2:15 and 16, "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and to those who are perishing, to the one we are the smell of death, but to the other the fragrance of life." How Then Shall We Live? So, we are called on to live a life of love. What is the fragrance that floats from your life? What's the fragrance of your home life? What's the fragrance of your marriage? What's the fragrance of your parenting? What's the aroma of how you live towards the poor and needy, toward lost people? What about toward those who sin against you, hurt you, in some way? What is the fragrance wafting from your life? As we come to this text, this is a very plain, straightforward text but it challenges me. Do I find my delight in blessing other people? Am I a cheerful giver? Something that my son Calvin and I were, we've been talking about, we were going through discipleship and we've been talking about love and it's something that I said, "Pray for me, I want to pray for you too, but I want to find my joy, my delight in blessing others. I don't want to complain when serving others, I don't want to be negative. I want to be joyful and delight in forgiving others, that's the kind of life I want to live, and that's the kind of life I want this church to live. I want us to be a beacon of hope in this community. I want us to live a life of love just as God loved us in Christ and gave His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Close with me in prayer. Prayer Father, these words will continue to challenge us the rest of our lives. We know that you have loved us and we know that you have forgiven us through Christ, and you loved us when we are most unlovely, when we were in some ways repulsive. Father, thank you for that love, and I pray that now you would do a work through the Holy Spirit of God, of love in our lives. Help us to love one another, to find joy and delight in blessing others, to find personal happiness in alleviating other people's suffering, whether that's through evangelism or through mercy ministry, or through simple forgiveness, I pray that you would enable us to alleviate the suffering of people that we find around us. Help us to live a life of love, to walk in love, just as Christ did. In Jesus' name, Amen.

[00:00] miss nine ft kyler england- stranger (dohr and mangold rmx) [04:05] shato and paul rockseek- found you [07:31] alexander popov ft kyler england- my world [12:54] boom jinx,maor levi ft ashley tomberlin- when you loved me  [17:17] john ocallaghan and full tilt ft karen kelly- breathe [24:06] tydi and maison and dragen ft toni nielson- walk on water [29:22] super8 and tab- l.a. {bigdirty tune of the now} [33:54] myon and shane 54 ft aruna- lights (club mix) [39:10] andrew rayel ft jano- how do i know [46:07] andy moor ft betsie larkin- love again (andrew rayel rmx) [50:46] above and beyond- walter white [54:46] beat service ft neev kennedy- not this time [60:41] estiva- smiley smilesworth [64:24] tritonal ft cristina soto- piercing quiet (super8 and tab rmx) [70:35] tydi ft sarah howells- when i go (arnej rmx) Been a few months, but I got the itch again thanks to Above and Beyond.  NCM 031 coming straight at ya from a suburb of Boston, called my house.  Just wanted to throw on some fresh sing along head nodding music to start your summer off.  Was totally feeling this when I mixed it and I hope you do too.  I missed mixing something and it just felt like something was missing from my life.  Now I have some fresh stuff to listen to while studying over the summer- bigdirty is a college student now and hanging out with 18 to 22 year olds can put the young back in ya.  Probably my mentality anyway.  This one starts and explosion in your face from the get-go so beware.  I hope ya love this one people and I will try not to be a stranger to the mix again. Get interactive with the night club musical Facebook page is available at http://www.facebook.com/nightclubmusical  Stay up to date with the latest vocal trance tunes when or prior to their release. Feel free to upload your own too. As always listen to this LOUD.