General Chat

Happy Birthday Cynthia <3. I expect it will be a bittersweet day for you but it is good that your family can be there to support you, albeit at arm’s length. Here’s a cyber (((hug))) from me.

I’ve missed your bells too Pat :-)

Good morning :-)


Hahahahaaa love it Pat. I feel so much better knowing that the bells are still being rung. I've missed them! :-D


Today is my birthday. It's the first one without my husband for about 54 years. Despite the social distancing etc.my small family will be popping by to sit outside with me - all properly spaced etc. No hugs or kisses this year........ :-( Just having them here will be so special though. <3

Nearly at the end of the Corrie Ten Boom story....



Corrie ten Boom returned to the Netherlands after the war and set up a rehabilitation centre for concentration camp survivors. In the Christian spirit to which she was so devoted, she also took in those who had cooperated with the Germans during the occupation.

In 1946, she began a worldwide ministry that took her to more than 60 countries. She received many tributes, including being knighted by the queen of the Netherlands.

In 1971, she wrote a best-selling book of her experiences during World War II, entitled The Hiding Place. In 1975, the book was made into a movie starring Jeannette Clift as Corrie and Julie Harris as her sister Betsie.

Quote:

“This is what the past is for! Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.”
? Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place


Cx :-)

Hello all

Belated Happy Birthday wishes to Vera's husband.

Pat, the bells would have been a shock after the quietness.

"Don't bother to give God instructions, just report for duty." (Corrie ten Boom)

Keep well and stay safe everyone x

For you Cynthia

The bells, the bells - 7 am this morning they were ringing, it's Holy Ascension Day here.

We have the bedroom windows open so the noise woke me and the dog was sat on her bed listening as well, she got an early walk.

Life was so quiet :-S

Good morning :-)

A belated Happy Birthday to your husband Vera....... <3


Continuing with Corrie ten Boom

The entire ten Boom family became active in the Dutch resistance, risking their lives harbouring those hunted by the Gestapo. Some fugitives would stay only a few hours, while others would stay several days until another "safe house" could be located. Through these activities, it was estimated that 800 Jews' lives were saved.

In 1944, the Gestapo raided the home. They kept the house under surveillance, and by the end of the day 35 people, including the entire ten Boom family, were arrested. Although German soldiers thoroughly searched the house, they didn't find the half-dozen Jews safely concealed in the hiding place. The six stayed in the cramped space for nearly three days before being rescued by the Dutch underground.

All ten Boom family members were incarcerated, including Corrie's 84-year-old father, who soon died in the Scheveningen prison, located near The Hague. Corrie and her sister Betsie were remanded to the notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp, near Berlin. Betsie died there on December 16, 1944. Twelve days later, Corrie was released for reasons not completely known.

Quote :
As a camel kneels before his master to have him remove his burden at the end of the day, so kneel each night and let the Master take your burden.
Corrie Ten Boom



Cx :-)

I had heard of Corrie ten Boom but didn't know much about her. She sounds an amazing person. I must try and read some of her works. I like the idea of not "moving into tomorrow ahead of time" but I am afraid we all do it.

Yesterday was OH's birthday and I am very thankful that he is starting another year of his life in pretty good health both mentally and physically. I am also grateful for the blessing of a close knit family and good group of friends. The phone didn't stop ringing yesterday with people wishing OH a happy birthday which made for a lovely day for him. These are difficult, worrying times but there are so many good, positive things happening as well and so much to be grateful for.

Hello all

Loving being reminded of the Corrie ten Boom story.
Such an inspirational lady. I loved all of her books.

"Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength; carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength." (Corrie ten Boom)

Enjoy the good weather and stay safe everyone x

Good morning :-D

Continuing the story of Corrie Ten Boom

After the death of her mother and a disappointing romance, Corrie trained to be a watchmaker and in 1922 became the first woman licensed as a watchmaker in Holland. Over the next decade, in addition to working in her father's shop, she established a youth club for teenage girls, which provided religious instruction as well as classes in the performing arts, sewing and handicrafts.

In May 1940, the German Blitzkrieg ran through the Netherlands and the other Low Countries. Within months, the "Nazification" of the Dutch people began and the quiet life of the ten Boom family was changed forever.

During the war, the Beje house became a refuge for Jews, students and intellectuals. The façade of the watch shop made the house an ideal front for these activities. A secret room, no larger than a small wardrobe closet, was built into Corrie's bedroom behind a false wall.

The space could hold up to six people, all of whom had to stand quiet and still. A crude ventilation system was installed to provide air for the occupants. When security sweeps came through the neighbourhood, a buzzer in the house would signal danger, allowing the refugees a little over a minute to seek sanctuary in the hiding place.


Quote

"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."
—Corrie ten Boom

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

I read about the figures only the other day Sylvia. One of my friends is a specialist nurse in pancreatic cancer and is getting het up because Covid has taken over the news so much. Some cancer treatment is being put on hold or cancelled and people aren't coming forward to be tested because of their fear of catching the virus. She made the point that, to date, whilst 360,000 have died globally from Covid there are 11 million who die from sepsis globally each year. Food for thought.

As for the opening of churches.............that's another can of worms!!! :-D :-D



Each day, as well as a quote, a snippet of information about this amazing woman.

Cornelia Arnolda Johanna ten Boom was born on April 15, 1892, in Haarlem, Netherlands, near Amsterdam. Known as "Corrie" all her life, she was the youngest child, with two sisters, Betsie and Nollie, and one brother, Willem. Their father, Casper, was a jeweller and watchmaker. Cornelia was named after her mother.

Quote:

“Don’t bother to give God instructions, just report for duty.”

Cx :-)

We went to our coffee shop yesterday afternoon, it's now open for sitting inside drinking as well as take-out. Tables well spaced, 2 people per table. Very well organised.

One of our friends was there, one of those who easily gets riled by things going on around. She came up to me and said "I'm really really angry".

Oh????

Turned out she had seen that the local Catholic church was holding a service in the morning, while "her" church, Anglican, was still closed.

I told her about the Religious panel that had been on the radio on Friday morning, which had not included a representative form the Catholic diocese.

Churches were allowed to be open, meetings no larger than 50, well-spaced, etc.

I've never been in that church, and it is hard to tell from outside, bu by questioning OH and friend, discovered that it is a large church, friend saw only about 50 people there and they could easily be well-spaced inside ......... as long as they did space themselves.

Friend went away a bit happier, knowing that it was legal and "her" church parish council were working on getting a format that would work in the very small Anglican ........ maximum seating is 120. However 30, mainly elderly, used to be a large attendance on most Sunday mornings!

David ........ nor should we expect any "cure" for covid any time soon.

First it takes months to formulate a vaccine that will work, and then months more to manufacture enough to provide everyone with a shot.

Secondly, there is still no cure for the ordinary influenza, which is why we have to be vaccinated every year with a new version of the vaccine, and hope that it works for the strains of flu going around.

We shall just have to learn ot live with it, without obsessing. Just as we've learnt to live with the flu. But hopefully, we will reach a sage where it can be treated as just a different form of flu.

Did you know more people die every year from flu than have died in most countries from covid??????

That's a fact that was stated several times early on, but most people ignore.


So try to stop worrying, stop googling and posting statements that will make other people worry.


Also remember that more people in certain countries are killed by malaria than have so far been killed by covid.


Read that quote in Cynthia's post.

Kandj, good morning :-) There is no vaccine for CORVID-19 in sight.
India and Africa have enormous numbers of peoples infected and dying.
Some "experts" say it will fade away then return the stronger. It is certainly
changing the worlds finances and industry as well as killing people.

Hello all

Connie is sure to bring lots of happy times for all of your family Emma. A little fighter, bless her.

It's good that you're well. Stay that way Vera.

David, the Covid 19 will pass but we need patience.

Cynthia, I've read quite a few of the Corrie ten Boom books over the years. Such an inspirational writer.

"If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God, you'll be at rest." (Corrie ten Boom)

Enjoy the beautiful sunshine and feel blessed today x

Good morning all. There are some who think CORVID-19 represents
the pale horse of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. It's killed as many
as the 1918 Spanish flu. Shows how vulnerable we are.

Good morning :-)


Can't believe that baby Connie is almost one year old - wow, time flies. I am sure she will have a lovely day blissfully unaware of all the palaver going on in the world right now. <3

Good to hear from you Vera....those hymns can sure stick in one's brain can't they? :-D


Listening to a sermon from the Bishop of Bangor yesterday, I was struck when he mentioned the name Corrie ten Boom. I would like to share a very brief extract of her story with you and then, during the week to look at some of her excellent and inspiring quotes.


“Corrie ten Boom has long been honoured by evangelical Christians as an exemplar of Christian faith in action. Arrested by the Nazis along with the rest of her family for hiding Jews in their Haarlem home during the Holocaust, she was imprisoned and eventually sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp along with her beloved sister, Betsie, who perished there just days before Corrie’s own release on December 31, 1944.

Inspired by Betsie’s example of selfless love and forgiveness amid extreme cruelty and persecution, Corrie established a post-war home for other camp survivors trying to recover from the horrors they had escaped. She went on to travel widely as a missionary, preaching God’s forgiveness and the need for reconciliation.”

Worry is like a rocking chair: it keeps you moving but doesn’t get you anywhere.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom


Cx :-)

I am fine, thank you Kandj. I have been reading the posts but haven’t felt I had anything of interest to add

Emma, it is lovely to hear that baby Connie is doing so well. She must be a real blessing to her parents and all the family.

Sylvia, that pastor’s belief that Christians are immune to Covid-19 is pretty dreadful but the burning of the Church is appalling. Sadly I don’t think actions like that are confined to one country. I hope your daughtter’s family enjoy their new pet. My daughter had a cat called Gizmo :-)

Thank you as always Cynthia for all your posts.

Sunday evenings I usually watch Songs of Praise on the iPlayer so I wonder which of today’s hymns will be going round my brain for the next 24 hours.

It is kandj, next Saturday. She is very well thank you x

Hello all

Sylvia, that's such an horrific thing to happen!

Cynthia, many thanks for your daily postings.

I hope Vera is ok, not heard from her for a little while.

Emma, how is Connie now, I think it is her 1st birthday very soon.

Holy Spirit, we welcome you,
Holy Spirit, we welcome you.

Move amongst us with holy fire
As we lay aside all earthly desire
Hands reach out and hearts aspire,
Holy spirit, holy spirit, holy spirit,
We welcome you.

Have a Happy Sunday and keep safe everyone x

Good morning :-)

Dreadful thing to happen - in all senses Sylvia. :(



The Collect (special prayer) for today :

O God the King of glory,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,
but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us
and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

The Gospel for today :
John 17:1-11


Cx :-)

I truly hope this terrible thing is something that could only possible happen in one country in the world.

A Pentecostal priest opened his church in a small Mississippi town to parishioners for bible study in early April, against all government orders. His rationale was that Christians were immune to the virus and challenged the "unnecessary restrictions" against praying in person. He's been slapped with all kinds of summons and warrants fro breaking the law, in return he has filed a law suit against the city.

Bur the very unfortunate thing is that his church was burnt to the ground 2 nights ago, and graffiti left painted on the steps strongly suggest it was because of the re-opening. It is believed the fire started in the sanctuary