Blessings and Persecutions Through God's Eye

As the monster blog grows old and musty I must ask myself, what's next. Is there a news story emanating deep in the bowels of our nation's capitol to rag on or a perhaps I should dig out an old published story now turning yellow in the boxes of yesterday.

Oh where to regroup. My thoughts as of late have not been in satire mode, but living in a celestial dwelling.

Perhaps this all seems a bit abstract from the woman who generally has her sword of satire sharpened, so I shall admit to having a visitor come to my apartment a few days ago. I asked her not to leave because her stories of hardship, world travels and witnessing the miracles of a merciful God has kept me spellbound.

Though very much alive, the Lord took her home one month short of 23 years ago.

Besides keeping the doorway swept clean on this blog and goofing around on Scrappleface, I teach a Bible study at the bunker which has been no easy feat. Multiple Sclerosis has taken away much of my ability to recall scriptures in a micro-second. Greek translations and apologetics I once prided myself upon are deeply lodged in my brain and hard to find.

My last attempt at teaching a home Bible study was over three years ago and I gave up because the brain was swirling in a cloud of confusion. This time I have relied on the Lord's understanding and not my own. Slowly my captive audience is starting to understand a few deeper concepts of God (as am I).

We have been exploring the Beatitudes. What was meant to be a one or two week journey into Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, has turned into a long journey of discovery and introspection. You see for weeks we grappled over the meaning of poor, hungry and meek. Now we are seeing the peacemakers and the persecuted.

I told my Bible study about my guest who experienced the depravation of humanity as Satan exterminated the lives of millions of Christians and Jews and how she spent her reaming years transforming literally thousands upon thousands of lives, teaching people how to forgive. Her name is Corrie Ten Boom. I invited Corrie to come into my home and with multiple blessings, she stayed for the past three days.

Allow me to explain. Most of my "students," for what ever reason never heard of this miraculous woman, so I ordered The Hiding Place, a movie of her life released in 1975. After digging around on the Internet, looking for the best price on a VHS tape, I discovered it was recently released on DVD, so with credit card in hand I sent away for the movie.

Much to my surprise a second DVD was included with hours of her ministry. I have been glued to the television until the late hours of the night. It is as if she sat besides me, poured a cup of coffee and shared all of her heartbreaks and blessings. I so wanted her to stay.

Many of us have suffered pain in various ways. As we grow older and have witnessed so much evil creep into this world, it is hard to keep our eyes on exactly what the Lord said to us, his disciples of this new century. In my own life there has much pain and suffering. MS, in comparison is nothing.

Still the Lord has called me/us to be peacemakers, not peace lovers. That is tough when you have witnessed persecution or sorrow. God understands destroyed lives, persecution and pain, but that is part of the blessings Christ handed out. Matthew 5:11 says "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake."

God had a purpose for Corrie's persecution and she struggled with God's reasoning. God promised her many things in that German concentration camp. God also promised you ..................(fill in the blanks), but in order to fulfill your destiny you must be people who believe in verbs, in other words people of action.

Next Tuesday our group will meet in the bunker apartment to watch the film. I pray their hearts will be challenged. Many folks in the Bible study believe they are retired. I too, at one time thought I was disabled, but this is where God comes in.

I am so delighted Corrie came to visit. There still is a lot of ministry left on this second DVD. In this time and place God allowed that DVD to cut deep into my heart. My prayers are that I can piggy-back on to a lady who died many years ago. There are other "God" things going on right now in my life and everyday He allows me to walk with Him a little deeper through the shadow of death where I can feel no evil. He has prepared a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

What is going on in your life today. Have you found a complacent place to just hang out. Is there hurt and despair? Unforgivness or pain from those who will not forgive? He is greater than all our problems but if we won't give them to Him, how then can Christ take them away?

"There is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still." Corrie Ten Boom April 15, 1892–April 15, 1983.

P.S. The Netherlands, her native land, was once overtaken by Hitler's Germany. Under the Nazi rule human life had no value, but God restored justice and hope. Yesterday The Netherlands voted to allow euthanasia for babies. How quickly man forgets.

Lord forgive them.