General Chat

Good morning :-)


School songs, mottos, blazers......what memories eh? My school song was Non Nobis Domine - Not unto us O Lord....it sprang into my mind when Vera mentioned that lovely hymn.

Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday – when we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit’s Work in Our Lives

The story is told about a little boy who was flying a kite. It was a windy day, and the kite kept going higher and higher. Finally it got so high that it was out of sight. A man passed by and saw the little boy holding onto the string. The man could not see the kite, and he asked the boy, “How do you even know you have a kite up there?” The boy replied, “Because I can feel it.”

Although we cannot see the Holy Spirit, we know the Holy Spirit is working through us when we are drawn to Christ.

Lord, help us to be open to your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Vera I remember that well as we also sang this at school assembly..... happy days indeed.

In the past I've spent many Pentecost weekends at Mount St Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire at retreats for this very special Christian time of year.

Good afternoon all

Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost
Taught by Thee we covet most
Of Thy gifts at Pentecost
Holy, heavenly love

The words of this hymn are engraved on my brain as it was our school hymn and sung on the first and last day of every term. The reading on those days was 1 Corinthians 13 (Though I speak with the tongues of men etc) and our school motto was “Amor vincit omnia” - love conquers all. As my school had been founded by one of the livery companies their motto of “Serve and obey” was on our blazer badges and hat bands. The theme of service and love ran right through my time at the school.

Happy days :-)

Good morning :-)

Today we celebrate Pentecost, that special time when the Holy Spirit filled the Church with power and added 3,000 new believers. Pentecost falls 10 days after Ascension Day.

During baptism preparation classes, we are reminded that the shape of a bishop's mitre symbolises the flames of fire which were said to descend onto the heads of the disciples when the Holy Spirit came.

The Collect (special prayer for today).
God, who as at this time
taught the hearts of your faithful people
by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit:
grant us by the same Spirit
to have a right judgement in all things
and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;
through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour. Amen.


The Gospel for today :
John 20:19-23 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the LORD. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Cx :-)

Hello all

I've loved being reminded of the amazing lady
Corrie ten Boom, so thank you for posting Cynthia.

Happy 1st Birthday wishes for Emma's gt granddaughter little Connie, she is sure to have a lovely birthday and be totally unaware of Covid 19!!

Keep safe/well and enjoy the good weather today X

Good morning :-)


Thank you for the birthday wishes. A strange day but it went well, all things considered. <3

Pat, there is no rush for the churches to re-open here as yet :-(

and finally.......


In 1977, at age 85, Corrie ten Boom moved to Placentia, California. The next year, she suffered a series of strokes that left her paralyzed and unable to speak. She died on her 91st birthday, April 15, 1983. Her passing on this date evokes the Jewish traditional belief that states that only specially blessed people are granted the privilege of dying on the date they were born.



“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
—Corrie ten Boom



Love to all. Cx :-)

Hello all

Happy birthday Cynthia, I hope today has gone as well as it could for you this year. X

Happy Birthday, Cynthia

love and hugs to you from here xxxx

Happy Birthday Cynthia <3

Happy Birthday Cynthia.

How lovely that your family can be with you today.
That will be so special for you all.

Happy Birthday Cynthia. :-D <3

We are nearly back to normal here so the bells will be ringing on Sunday. Services with social distancing here.

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 :-)