Superman | What Real Love Looks Like

Superman | What Real Love Looks Like

I had a strange dream a while back. It was so real, I couldn’t get it off my mind. So, I decided to share it with my good friend “Kathy,” who had recently sent me a Tony Gaskins article titled, “What A Real Man’s Love Looks Like.”

In my dream, I and several others were preparing for some sort of event. I noticed our swimming pool (the one we don’t actually have) needed cleaning and was covered with fallen leaves and twigs. As I waited for instructions on what to do about that…

I looked up and saw SUPERMAN flying across the sky at tremendous speed.  His face was heavenward, as he lay on something like a large fiery bullet. Flames surrounded his neck at the tip of the object.

The voice of a news broadcaster was reporting, “Superman is removing the object at the risk of his own life. He will not let it go, even as his head and neck are in the fire!”

Suddenly the dream changed…

My husband was driving our car, his brow creased with concern, as I rode silently beside him. He had managed to cut a cantaloupe in thirds, and as he drove on, he held a piece of it on the back of his neck to cool the burn. I commented about how “clever” it was of him to think to do that. But he just turned and looked at me with obvious pain in his eyes and said, “It really hurts, Susan!”

I woke up, startled.

Some Kind of Superman

As I lay there thinking about my dream, I was reminded just how hard men like my husband work to show love for their wives. And yet, how fragile men can be in some ways.  So much is expected of them. And real men, who really love and take responsibility for their role as men, bear it well, if we women would only stop to recognize it.

I looked at my still-sleeping husband in the dim light of the room and wanted to say, “Forgive me, for looking to you sometimes to be some kind of Superman.  All the pressures of a business owner; enduring health issues the past few years that would best most people.  Yet always concerned for me; always the go-to guy for another need or repair in our daily lives.

A Dreamy Reminder

I believe my dream was the Lord reminding me that my “Superman,” committed and loving as a man can be to our life together, is really only human, and that life and duty “really hurts” for him too, at times.

As his wife, it’s important for me to encourage him more, and be ever more attentive to his needs. It’s important to help share the weight of things from which we women can tend to abdicate, just expecting our men to handle them. There’s a balance, of course!  Men LIKE doing certain things—and they are happiest if we women just let them do those things without our “expert” directives.

After sharing my dream with my friend Kathy, she responded, “We all should be reminded of this! I have a husband who is healing from a broken back, yet he still rides fiery bullets for me.”

The dream was a reminder for me to also be the “real woman” who loves her real man in deeper ways.  That’s when a woman is able to realize what a real man’s love looks like!

Summer of Pain, Renewed Hope

Summer of Pain, Renewed Hope

I’ve learned that blessings can come on the mountain tops, but also in the valleys of our lives. For me, summer 2019 would bring one of those valleys, and more than a little pain. But it would also bring renewed hope!

My husband Philip and I had worked out vigorously for months at a local gym, also around our small farm property near Nashville.  We mow eleven of sixteen acres, where countless trees regularly shed wagon loads of branches to toss on our ever-rising burn pile.

I had forgotten I wasn’t twenty years old anymore, and I was beginning to feel the pain of over-doing a thing!

As weeks passed, the pain worsened, and three MRI’s revealed rotator cuff tears in both shoulders, plus pinched nerves in my neck that caused further pain in my arms and hands. “The perfect storm,” it seemed.  Later, in October, cervical (neck) fusion surgery would be necessary to relieve the pinched nerves, and the first weeks of recovery would be excruciating.  The thought of possibly two more surgeries, one shoulder at a time, was unbearable.  I spent the summer hoping none of those surgeries would be needed.

What I needed was a miracle!

The Coming Storm

Philip and I work together in our small software business a few miles from home, where I enjoy doing promotions and editing Philip’s national blogs. I’m also a writer and blogger, but with painful arms, writing became a challenge.  If only God would just heal me, instantly!  After all, when He walked the earth, He made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the lame to walk. Still, I prayed…

“Lord, if it’s your will that I go through all this, please be right here with me.”

August came with an unusual thunderstorm for our area, turning the skies black and threatening, and Philip urged me to hurry home from the office. At once, lightning and thunder began pounding our little town. Windshield wipers were all but useless against the downpour, as I drove through the gate, onto our long gravel driveway.

Suddenly, the driver’s side of my car was engulfed in tree limbs.  Part of that rotting old tree, Philip and I had talked about removing one day, had finally succumbed to the storm. Shaken, I hit the brakes, and then tried to drive forward toward the house, but a large limb had pinned my front wheels in place.  I couldn’t move.

Looking up then, I watched helplessly, as the larger part of that same old tree crashed down right in front of my car.

Running for Cover

Heart pounding, I thought to wait a bit for the lightning to let up before getting out of my car. But what if another tree fell?  As it was, with limbs blocking the driver’s door, I’d have to climb over the console and go out the passenger door. Having two bad arms made the whole experience more traumatic, as I grabbed my purse and keys and jumped out into deepening mud puddles. Still about 400 feet to the house, I realized the skimpy sandals I’d worn were no substitute for track shoes I could have used to outrun the storm.  I ran and prayed frantically, past the long row of swaying southern pine trees.

“Lord, HELP ME make it to the house!” After all, I remembered, He had once calmed a terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee.

Finally, safe inside, heart still pounding and soaked to the skin, I was just thankful to be alive.  But truly, if I was hoping for a miracle, I felt sure only the Lord kept me from being crushed under tons of enormous tree limbs, now strewn across the driveway.  I would find out later, the only real damage to my car was that caused by the limb under my wheels, that had kept me from a more tragic outcome.

Surely, God proved He was with me, saving me from that falling tree. And I was reassured He would also be with me through this health crisis; my own “perfect storm!”  Through all of it, my sweet husband has been more than supportive and encouraging.

As I write this…

It’s been nearly seven months since that first (neck) surgery, and five months since the second surgery to repair my right shoulder. Recovery was harder than expected, and I had prayed I would not need a third operation. I’m thankful, that prayer was answered!

In March, however, my husband suffered unexpected “sinking spells” that sent us to the emergency room at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville where doctors operated twice on him to insert a permanent heart pacemaker. Six weeks later, Philip is feeling well and too strong for his own good. Hard to keep a busy entrepreneur down! God is good!!

For all of it, I’m clinging to the promise in Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord; not to harm you, but to give you a future and a hope.”

One thing I understand, God doesn’t promise us a pain-free, tear-free life, but He does promise never to leave us, nor forsake us.  I know there’s a purpose for this season in my life, and I’m thankful for the reminder that came with that summer storm… even a fallen tree.

Thankful for the months since, that have brought me closer to Him. And thankful for the blessing of renewed hope for the future.

As Corrie ten Boom would say, “Jesus is victor!”

 

Remembering Corrie | Love, Don’t Hate!

Remembering Corrie | Love, Don’t Hate!

Love, not hate

remembering Corrie

“Don’t HATE, Corrie!”  Betsie said.

It was November, 1944, and Corrie was stunned by the look in Betsie’s eyes, full of love and compassion, even for the Nazi guard who was beating Betsie unmercifully.

Corrie ten Boom, younger than her beloved sister Betsie by nine years, could not stand by and watch any longer.  She would never forget the hate on that Nazi woman’s face as she whipped Betsie violently, again and again.  Where did such hate come from?

Suddenly, Corrie knew the answer too well, seeing this latest injustice toward someone she loved.  Hate, even rage, rose up like gall in her own heart, until she was close to choking on it.

Corrie and Betsie had grown up in a household of love and compassion, kindness, and faith in God.  Hate was an enemy they had never met until now. How would these two amazing women deal with a world that seemed bent on hate?

April 15th marks TWO anniversaries for a remarkable and beloved, Dutch watchmaker and Nazi holocaust survivor, Corrie ten Boom.  Born that spring date in Haarlem, Holland (The Netherlands), she would step into eternity on her 91st birthday.

Remembering Corrie ten Boom [April 15, 1892 — April 15, 1983]

Years ago, writer Linda Ellis’ profound poem, “The Dash,” shared the message, that the dates of a person’s birth and death are not as important as how that person spends the DASH in between.  It’s hard to think of many who spent their “dash” as well as Corrie ten Boom, whose life touched and continues to bring hope and encouragement to many, all around the world!

Corrie’s autobiographical book, “The Hiding Place,” written with Elizabeth and John Sherrill, was the basis for this stage play, “Ten Boom the Musical.” Her book became a major motion picture in 1978, sharing the powerful true story of Corrie and her family during the Nazi occupation of Holland.  Her “dash” included life in a loving Christian family that would later risk their lives to hide Jewish people from Nazi persecution and death. The family’s work with the Dutch Resistance finally led to imprisonment, where many of them died.  Their story tells of a great love, courage, and unflinching faith in God.  From a quiet life to unexpected intrigue, great pain and ultimate victory, Corrie’s experience has encouraged millions all over the world through her speaking and her many books.

“Don’t Hate!”

If Corrie was alive today, and could see what’s happening in our nation and our world, what would she say to us now?  She had survived three concentration camps during a devastating World War that took the lives of an estimated 50 to 80 million people, military and civilian. Six million of those were Jewish people—killed simply for being Jews! HATE did that, and Corrie had seen the enemy up close and personal.  And yet, I believe her message for us would include a loving warning, like the one given to Corrie herself by her sister Betsie, even about the Nazis…“Don’t Hate!”

It was a harsh winter in Germany, in 1944.  Corrie, Betsie and hundreds of others were forced into hard labor at Ravensbruck prison, a Nazi death camp for women.  The sixteen-hour days of back-breaking work, with little to eat, were literally killing many of the women.  Betsie, born with pernicious anemia, grew weaker by the day. Seeing her collapse to the ground, Corrie ran to Betsie’s aide, only to be pushed violently aside by a cruel matron others called “the Snake.”

To Corrie’s mind, the beating was the last straw. A devoted Christian woman, but how could she continue to turn the other cheek1, while another person she loved was so cruelly mistreated?  The brutality and deaths she had witnessed caused a deep bitterness to grow toward those who purposed to cause pain.  Finally, Corrie just wanted to get her hands on that Nazi guard and pull her away from Betsie, but other prisoners held her back, fearing more retribution.  Restrained now, by the arms of women who had as much reason to hate as she, Corrie’s tears boiled over.

Pray For Your Enemies

The beating had finally stopped. The Snake threatened and ordered all the women back to work. But, Corrie was still reeling from the scene, and rushed to comfort her now bleeding sister.

“I HATE THAT WOMAN…” Corrie stopped, puzzled by the look on Betsie’s face.

“Don’t hate, Corrie. Pray for that woman!” Betsie whispered. “THEY know how to hate and look what it’s done to THEM!  You can’t protect me here, Corrie—you mustn’t try!”

“How do you pray for such monsters?” Corrie wept. She had trusted the Lord since she was five years old, and had never seen the face of evil, as here in this place.  Jesus warned believers, “Be sober and vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”2

Here, behind the ominous, barbed-wire fences of Ravensbruck prison, the smell of death was all around her, choking her with a hatred she had never experienced.  JOY had always defined her life. How was she to deal with such evil?

The True Hiding Place

Corrie remembered the words of the apostle Paul to believers… “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might… take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day; and, having done all, to stand.”3

Corrie was the strong one, feisty even; now she definitely wanted to make a stand. But is that what Paul was saying? She loved the Lord, and was often steadied  by Betsie’s wise counsel, as they grew up. Betsie was right! They were here in this place of death to bring hope to others—not to hate—not even the Nazis.

What Would Corrie Do Today?

The Bible tells us that in the last days, people will be offended and there will be much division. Hearts will turn cold toward others, and hate will abound.4  That people will be as we see many becoming in our world today.5

In Luke 6, Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

On her knees, Corrie asked the Lord to forgive her and to give her the right heart toward these enemies. She prayed the infection of hatred in their hearts would heal also; that they would learn to love again.  If our adversary, even the devil, can cause hate to eat at our souls, then we have already lost the battle. Hate steals any compassion we might have for another soul, while it steals our own peace.

God allowed Corrie and Betsie ten Boom to be imprisoned at Ravensbruck to bring light and hope, the love of God, to others suffering that horror. Even if it meant they themselves should die there! Betsie did die, but that miraculous event would encourage Corrie’s heart for the rest of her life as she traveled to more than 60 countries to tell others, “No pit is so deep that God’s love is not deeper still!

Putting Out Fires of Hatred

It seemed the whole world was on fire during World War 2.  And it seems that fire of hatred and division is spreading across the globe in these times, when LOVE and compassion are desperately needed!

On this anniversary of Corrie ten Boom’s birth, and her going home to the Lord she loved, we pray the world will stop and consider LOVE, not hate!

I Peter 4:8 (AMP) “Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. It overlooks unkindness, and seeks the best for others.

Flashback to “Ten Boom” | Premier Performance VT 2014

Flashback to “Ten Boom” | Premier Performance VT 2014

Christian stage play

Ten Boom the Musical

“the PERFECT LOVE story”

This wonderful Christian stage play, was presented for the very first time, May 2-3, 2014, by the students and faculty of Grace Christian School (GCS) in Bennington, Vermont. [See Cast photo]

Laurie McCaskill, a dedicated GCS instructor, called us in February 2014 to engage the play as an all-school event to present to the Tri-State community (VT/MA/NY). She hoped “to share the love of Christ through the powerful, often miraculous story of Dutch Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom.” Laurie  had always loved Corrie ten Boom’s true story, and had gone online to find a “short play… something, by or about Corrie’s life.” She found our Website and called for more information.

Never, since we began working on this project, had I heard deeper conviction from anyone so hoping to reach others for Christ, and sure our musical was exactly what the Lord prescribed. Laurie’s deep faith, humility, and genuine heart for others, caused Donna and me to trust GCS to abbreviate the play a bit. Somehow, we had total peace they could do it, and without us coordinating that!

Ten Boom co-writer Donna Marquean Griggs and I, along with my husband Philip Beyer, were able to fly in to see two of the school’s three performances. Philip said he was “dumb-founded” after our trip: “If I had not been here to see this for myself, you would never have been able to describe what happened here… the ways God showed His hand in all of it!”

READ ON, and see if you don’t agree!

Miraculous Christian Theater

We soon realized, God’s hand was in this, from Laurie McCaskill’s first phone call, to our return to Nashville. This amazing experience confirmed for us and others that “Ten Boom the Musical” is meant to touch many lives!

Grace Christian School was established in the fall of 1997; the very same time Donna and I began writing the musical. That was just one of many “coincidences” we would discover there.

Over the previous two years, we had contacted many larger churches, Christian university Theater Arts departments, and certain community theaters. Even as the writers, we thought the play was “too big” for smaller venues. However, the Lord had something else (better) in mind to launch our play. Apparently, He wanted to show us what HE could do with a group of truly committed actors and believers in an unexpected, smaller setting. GCS was a total surprise!

Arriving in Bennington VT

We were given an overwhelming welcome, including large baskets in our motel rooms. Those were full of Vermont specialties (maple syrup, apples, candy “moose kisses”, etc.). The next day, Joyce Lloyd, school founder/administrator treated us to lunch, after giving us the grand tour of their community of teachers and students. The last stop on the tour would be to see the stage and set for the play. Very exciting moment!

Everyone greeted us with genuine excitement—“You’re the ones who wrote the musical!” Handshakes, hugs, thank you’s. It was amazing! With each step on the tour, Mrs. Lloyd told us some of the “miraculous” stories of how the school (a wonderfully-converted former Ramada Inn) had come together. Philip smilingly commented to Donna and me, “You two are rock stars!” The entire school—students, teachers, cast, administration people, parents, even people we ran into in shops downtown—made us feel like visiting celebrities. We were humbled and blessed!

Story #1 | Divine Supply

Mrs. Lloyd was educated as a chemistry professor. So, she was happy to discover, the room that had been a bar/lounge in the former Ramada was a perfect place for a chemistry lab. The Problem was, they had no equipment to teach chemistry; couldn’t afford it, at that point. But, within the first couple weeks, totally unsolicited, they had received several boxes filled with chemistry/lab equipment and supplies. Another school had heard GCS was starting up and thought they might need the equipment—no charge.

Stories like that had Donna, Philip and me on the verge of tears with each step; so strong was the Spirit in that place. We couldn’t wait to see what they were going to do with our play! Over the next two nights, we watched them perform to two packed houses. No professional actors or singers, but people of all ages giving their total heart to a creative, God-honoring performance WE DID NOT EXPECT!  It was stunning, to say the least!

The cast and crew of their presentation (about 60 people) was made up of GCS students, including foreign exchange students from Germany, Korea and China. Also in the cast were some faculty members, and students from the Northeastern Baptist University on the old Ramada’s second floor. They followed the directions we had written into the script, pretty closely, and it came together. Honestly, they had taken some creative license that  made us wish we had thought of some of those things ourselves. They put together surprisingly good sets, props and costumes; even their own media and sound effects. They had done some really nice promo, and worked as the most amazingly cohesive team, in one Spirit.

Laurie McCaskill did a great job directing the play, even as she faced personal challenges, at the time.

Story #2 | Divine Coincidence?

Sadly, Laurie’s mother was in the last stages of Lou Gehrig’s disease; but was being lovingly cared for by Laurie’s brother in nearby NY.

The week before the play was to go onstage, Laurie had called her brother and found him reading to their mother. When Laurie asked what he was reading, her brother said, “The Hiding Place, about Corrie ten Boom.” Laurie was amazed, as she had not told her brother about presenting our play, prior to that. They were both stunned! Laurie said, hearing that, she felt her decision to do the play had been totally confirmed.

Sunday morning May 4, as Philip and I waited to board our plane to go home, Laurie texted me. Her mother had “died peacefully at 10:30pm Saturday night, just as last night’s final performance ended.”  Laurie texted further, “Mama’s gone home to be with Jesus and Corrie.”

More Absolutely Divine Stories

  • A lovely young German girl, a foreign exchange student, did a fine job of portraying a Nazi guard. We were not allowed to take photos of her in that role, as her sponsors back in Germany might not understand her taking that risk. But, she insisted on playing the part, and protected herself to some degree. For her costume, she wore the red armband inside-out so it wouldn’t show the swastika. She certainly didn’t let it hinder her performance. When she shouted in German, “ALLE NASEN GEGEN MAUER!  EVERY NOSE TO THE WALL,” the whole audience came to attention!  Because of her affiliation with GCS, she became a Christian.
  • Then there was the Korean boy, also a foreign exchange student, who spoke almost no English. He took on the singing role of a German Nazi youth named “Otto” with a vengeance, so to speak. The young actor’s brother, who also had a lead role, spoke better English and had taught his brother the meaning of his lines. Our Korean “Otto” had memorized the English words so he could be in the play. He did a GREAT job… what a trooper!
  • One young actor was so dedicated to his role as a Nazi captain, he hand-made his own, authentic-looking uniform.
  • At one point, we visited an art & crafts store called Fiddlehead in downtown Bennington. We met a likeable young man who worked there, who was also a former news reporter. He became very interested in our visit to present our play, and he interviewed/ photographed Donna and me for the store’s Website and Facebook page, to help promote the event. Donna and I were able to share our stories with him; I gave him a copy of my book, and we invited him to the play. Before we left the store, he told us he was actually Jewish. He said, “I went through the bar mitzvah, the whole nine yards, but I no longer believe in all that God stuff.” Still, when Donna went back the next day to buy a gift, he asked to hear more about her faith, about Corrie, etc. We’re praying for him to know his Messiah, Jesus!!

Don’t Doubt the Reality of Divine Appointments

There were what we would call other “divine” appointments and uncanny “coincidences” that made our Vermont trip an amazing experience! Moreover, we know now, the Lord is in this musical project, and we’re encouraged to go forward. More than ever, we’re happy to wait totally on His timing and certainly His choice of venues!

The Bennington newspaper sent two reporters to GCS to interview Donna and me that first day. Funny thing—we picked up the paper at breakfast the next morning and began looking for the article, expecting it would be in the BACK pages. We all laughed when Philip turned the paper over and saw that the story took up the bottom third of the FRONT page. We hadn’t expected THAT either!

Everything—every bit of timing for the entire trip, was mind-boggling, including Donna’s iffy “stand-by” return flights to Ft Worth, Texas. It was all she had been able to book, but had her set to depart Albany NY airport some FIVE HOURS LATER than Philip’s and my flight to Nashville. Long stand-by list, yet Donna was able to change her flight back to Texas, at the last minute.  She departed Albany not only near the same time we did, but landed in Dallas at the exact time Philip and I landed back in Nashville.

We came home with a new commitment, and made some strategic tweaks to the script. Laurie McCaskill’s heart for Corrie ten Boom, and a cast of committed young actors in Vermont, made us more sure of how “ten Boom” should be presented. Also, it made us more confident of our original concept.

Exciting New Resolve Back Home

On our return home, we revamped the play’s ending, adding a new song, “Imagine/Perfect Love (medley),” making it much more powerful. Actually, it was more in keeping with the integrity of Corrie’s remarkable true life story. We also eliminated a few characters and condensed the dialogue some.

“Ten Boom the Musical” has been performed in other places now, but that first-ever production will always be a special memory for Donna and me!

We look forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do with “ten Boom the Musical” in the future, and pray many more churches and venues will see the value of performing it!

We pray that this example of God’s involvement in our work will encourage others to know and believe; He is always watching, ever present—He cares about our lives, our work in Him, even in the small details. He does direct our paths.  In Him, ALL things are possible!

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble
And surround me with songs of deliverance.
Psalm 32:7

The Grand Pixel | Our Earthly Home

The Grand Pixel | Our Earthly Home

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known,” wrote Dr. Carl Sagan, American astronomer, scientist, author, and self-proclaimed atheist, regarding our universe.  He was closer to the truth than he could know then!

In 1977, when the Voyager 1 space probe made its journey toward the outer reaches of our solar system, Dr. Carl Sagan and other scientists prompted NASA to turn the probe’s camera around, so it could photograph what it was leaving behind.

Witnessing our vast star system and planet Earth fading into the distance, Dr. Sagan would write a book titled Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, believing Earth to be only a mere “pixel” in the universe.

The following is an excerpt from his book:

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every ‘superstar,’ every ‘supreme leader,’ every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there, on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.  In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. To me,” wrote Sagan, “it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”

Corrie ten Boom | Her thoughts about God’s “pale blue dot”

It would have saddened Corrie ten Boom to hear Dr. Sagan say, “There is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”  For Corrie, having met her Savior at only five years of age, Help had already come.  I believe Corrie would have kindly assured Dr. Sagan that, “God loves you, and wants to share with you His knowledge of the universe He made. Wonders beyond anything you have yet imagined!”

Having survived the WW2 Holocaust and three concentration camps, Corrie ten Boom—a Dutch watchmaker who, along with her family, was arrested for hiding hundreds of Jews from the Nazis—spent the next four decades of her life telling thousands about her experiences. Mainly, she shared about her faith in God, and the miracles that helped her and others during that dark time. “Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible,” she said. “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.”  Hers was a message of hope and assurance.

Even amid the dark horrors of the prison camps, Corrie was able to tell others, “In darkness God’s truth shines most clear.” Surely, that would also be true in the darkest reaches of space!

Without God, Hearts grow cold

It was obviously important to Dr. Sagan that people “deal more kindly with one another,” a sentiment most people would agree with; especially Jesus, who entreated his followers to “Love one another.”  [1]

Sadly, the wisdom of scripture is more and more ignored in our world. Yet, it forewarned about these times we live in, “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” Corrie experienced those places where the coldest of hearts had learned more to hate, than to be kind.

God knows the human hearts he made with such care; and what happens when we choose not to believe Him. God IS love, and without His guidance, our world has only become more divided; more dangerous.

Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie spoke of God’s love with their fellow prisoners, that they might find strength and courage facing death at the hands of the Nazis. In the dim light of the barracks, they read that Jesus Christ was God in human form on Earth [2]; that they could know and trust Him with their very lives, even there. “For by Him, all things were created that are in heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible,” they read, “whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” [3]

Scientific Research | Honest to God?

Corrie might have wondered, how an honest study of the precision of our world could overlook that possibility?

Is there anything on this “pale blue dot” that was not conceived, designed and constructed by some intellect?  Shouldn’t scientific research sift all possibilities before coming to conclusions?

How could such research dismiss the wisdom in that ancient Book that has endured for eons, outlasted civilizations, and been attested to by so many millions of changed lives? Is our planet Earth really just “a lonely speck of dust” in the universe?

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth,” [5] the Bible tells us.  And “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.” [6]  Are we not awed by all of it, even as Dr. Sagan was?

I know from my own encounter with the Lord in 1984, that God does indeed “come to rescue us from ourselves.” I, and so many others have found victory over our broken lives, here on this grand and privileged planet!

What is Man that You are Mindful of Him

For all of Dr. Carl Sagan’s research into extraterrestrial matters, I’d like to think that, after all, he didn’t miss the main truth about this pixel we call home… Earth was purposely designed by a gracious God, to sustain life; specifically, human life, male and female, who were created in His image.

Night after night in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Barracks 28, Corrie and Betsie ten Boom shared about God’s gifts and promises to us, from one precious small Bible.

King David had once inquired of the Lord, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained—What is man that You are mindful of him?[9]

In so immense a universe, some believe we mere mortals are alone, insignificant.  But, GOD LOVES US! Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”  Is that not amazing! [10]  Jesus Christ, God on Earth in the flesh, [11] told us, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but through Me.” [12]

Only a sovereign, creator God could say that. Only God, through Jesus Christ—Y’shuah, the Messiah—did!

Voyager 1 | A Message for the Cosmos

The Voyager 1 space probe was launched from Earth, September 5, 1977, forty years ago. NASA will continue for another ten years to monitor its journey through space, traveling at 38,610 mph. So incredibly immeasurable is God’s universe that scientists calculate it would take another 70,000 years for V-1 to reach Alpha Centauri, the nearest star other than our sun. That’s a distance of approximately 4.3 light years, or about 25 trillion miles from Earth.

Wondrously, it only takes a moment, right here on Earth, to eternally connect with our Creator God, by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts were sent with a greeting from Earth, to any form of life that might be encountered. The message is carried by a golden phonograph record; a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. The contents of the disk were selected for NASA by a committee chaired by Dr. Carl Sagan while at Cornell University. He and his associates assembled 115 images and a variety of natural sounds. To this they added musical selections from different cultures and eras, and spoken greetings from Earth-people in fifty-five languages.  “The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played, only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space.” – Carl Sagan

Sadly, Voyager’s recorded message did not include any hope-inspiring passages from the Bible, or any other faith-based writings and majestic hymns of faith.

A Lonely Message to Something waiting to be known

Will Voyager 1 just continue moving through the darkness of space, where only God is likely to hear its lonely message? Perhaps the Lord would receive the message as a desperate call for Help, a prayer even, to that “something incredible that is waiting to be known.” God answers prayer!

By now, Dr. Carl Sagan knows that the Answer to all his research was right there, all around him. He knows that only an almighty God could create so unfathomably vast a universe with such precision and beauty. That only man’s poor choices made any of it ugly. By now, he knows that God so loved him personally, and us, that he placed us on one perfect “pale blue dot” in the immense space of His love and grace, that we might find Him and believe. He’s waiting to be known by every soul on planet Earth.

As Dr. Sagan often said, “This is the only world known to harbor life… the only home we’ve ever known.”

Much more than that, Earth is where God’s Love took the punishment for all our sins, our human failings, on a rugged cross—past, present and future—that believing His sacrifice for us, we might share in His eternal home forever.

For each of us, it begins with faith, here on this perfect, privileged, grand pixel in space—our Earthly home.

~~

Beyond the Veil | Love After All

Beyond the Veil | Love After All

It had been seven years since Anna discovered the truth; yet it seemed a lifetime ago.  What lay beyond the veil before her? 

A man named Paul had written, as if to Anna personally… “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes… to free and slave, prisoners, and those who suffer.” 

Anna had been a long time in grasping that message in her own heart, although she’d suffered much in her young life; a prisoner of her own pain and distrust.

 

Thankfully, that truth had sustained her as she struggled to survive those horrifying seven years, while she feared that most of those she cared about were lost forever.

Unable to move now, Anna found herself standing between fading memories and the door to eternity.   Everything had changed, and only what she had finally come to believe kept her from crumbling, as had so many, into total madness.

“Am I breathing… dying?  Am I dead?” she wondered.

The Great Veil

Rising before her was a great, shimmering wall of indescribable dimensions, like an immense veil or theater curtain in the grandest proscenium archway.  Suddenly, the veil ripped from top to bottom before her eyes.  Anna remembered reading a story about something like this in a Bible, during the past seven years when being found with a copy of that forbidden book threatened imprisonment or worse.

The story told of a devastating incident, long ago.  How another mammoth veil in a Hebrew temple had torn violently, right down the middle, as if by unseen hands—as an innocent Man died on a Roman cross.  Anna had finally come to know that Man as her life. Now she understood. He was the only way to God—for her, for anyone.  God Himself, appearing in human flesh; born to die, to pay for the sins of every person on earth, of all time, in one sacrificial act of grace and forgiveness.

Anna hadn’t let herself believe it before that day—when so many people just disappeared!   

Everyone had heard the voice roaring from the heavens then.  Like the blast of a great horn, it had shaken them all to their knees.  Some recognized the voice instantly, yet they had been too late in taking the prophecy seriously, because unbelief or mere “religion” had masked the truth.  Anna had only covered her ears at the sound; still unwilling to listen.  It had all been too incredible for her to believe.

But, people were suddenly gone, and Anna realized she and millions of others were now left behind to face what Jesus Himself had warned of, “For then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred, since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall be.”

The Man of Lawlessness Comes

The mysterious book of Revelation told of a “man of lawlessness” called Antichrist, who would rise during the final seven years.  Ultimately, it said, he would show himself for who and what he was—Satan incarnate.  At first, Anna had listened to that charismatic world leader; captivated by his smooth, persuasive words.  But, just as the Book had foretold, three and a half years later, the man changed; morphed into something hideous in nature. A killing force; vicious and cruel.

“Science is king,” he chanted. “Evolution is truth, and creation is a lie. Your GOD is a lie!”

Then came that day in the new temple when he did the most abominable thing!  

“I alone am god!” he declared, as millions watched via satellite around the world.  So many had cheered, while others like Anna were terrified, knowing who he really was.  The builders of the new temple had finally realized also, and remembered the One they had rejected.  Those who could run fled into the desert.  After that day, those who wouldn’t bow down to Antichrist’s image were destroyed.

The Mark

“Do NOT take The Mark, no matter what!” Anna’s best friend Grace had warned her.  Grace was one of those who did read that Book, and knew the consequences of taking the Mark—that symbol of allegiance to Antichrist.  NOT taking the Antichrist’s “Mark” would mean not being able to buy food or anything else; all privileges taken away.  However, taking that Mark had dire, eternal consequences!

One day, Anna’s friend Grace had desperately insisted on reading a Bible passage to Anna… “It says, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his Mark on their forehead or on their hand, they shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God… Here is the patience of the saints (believers) who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus the Christ.’ PLEASE, don’t take the mark, Anna!” 

Still, Anna had not listened.  It had taken the disappearance of her friend and many others to convince her of what had been inconceivable before that day.

Seven Terrifying Years Later

Endless lines of rescued souls stood silently to her left and right.  Waiting.  Unable to move, or to see clearly beyond the veil, they were captive to a seemingly infinite moment in time, before there would be no more. 

Standing beneath the great veil, Anna’s mind raced at light speed through what had been her life.  Faces of those she had known and loved.  But, even as her heart assured her she would soon be with God forever, deep grief swept over her for those who would never go beyond the great veil.

The evidence of the disappearances and a world gone mad around them had not convinced most of those on earth, who had been too willing to take the Mark.  Sadly, those would never realize their dreams or find the love they had sought, in anything and anyone, but Christ.

For Anna, it was unbearable to think what waited for them now.   “If only they had believed!”

She wept, one last time—her only comfort, remembering what the Book said lay beyond the veil. “For God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither any more pain; for the former things are passed away.”

A Prisoner and Yet..

Anna woke with a start at the sound of the prison bullhorn; her heart still racing.  The veil was gone now.  The images she had dreamed about in such detail had been prompted by Corrie and Betsie ten Boom’s nightly readings in Barracks 28, from a small, smuggled Bible.  Thankfully, the Tribulation had not yet happened; but now she understood, it would certainly come.

Too early for daylight to show through the dirt-encrusted windows, Anna and hundreds of other women were crammed into a space meant to house much fewer people.  Yet only their closeness kept most from freezing to death in the icy winter of Northern Germany.  Women, Jews and Gentiles of many countries and languages, were forced to lie in filthy, flea-infested bunks, hoping a Nazi guard would not call their name, one final time.

Now fully awake, Anna was relieved to be alive, even in Ravensbruck prison.  There was still time, however short, to comfort others with the hope of heaven beyond this place.  She and the other women would likely never leave Ravensbruck alive.

Night after night, Corrie and Betsie had read scripture to give that hope to all the women.  The images Anna had dreamed about had once frightened and confused her, not having understood the Apostle John’s vision in the Book of Revelation. But, it was the important warning Christ had given His beloved friend John—to be delivered to any of us who might believe and be spared what was going to come.

Love, After All

However, it wasn’t the fear of the Revelation’s horrible images of the end times that caused Anna or others to trust Christ as Savior.  It was those other passages they read each night—about God’s mercy and forgiveness.  It was Christ’s willing sacrifice on that cross, for Anna and all mankind, if they would only believe and be saved.  His resurrection promised victory even over death, and new life forever with Him.

God’s amazing and sacrificial LOVE was what won Anna’s heart!  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,”  Romans 5:8 proclaimed.  And “Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends,” says John 15:13.  Now she knew, God Himself, through His Son, was Anna’s Friend!

In 1944, Corrie and Betsie ten Boom risked their own lives reading from that smuggled Bible, to the women in Barracks 28.  It was ones like Anna (although a supposed character here) who listened and believed the readings from God’s word each night, who found hope, strength and true freedom, even in prison.

On those dark nights, with death so close, some might have wondered if that man in Germany, Adolf Hitler, was the long-prophesied Antichrist himself.  After all, Hitler’s twisted ideology had caused them and so many others to be captive there.  Time would prove, the final and notorious “Antichrist” was yet to come. 

Heeding the Ancient Prophecy

However, the ancient prophecy, found in the books of Daniel, The Revelation and other passages, remains a serious, yet merciful warning to any who would find ultimate victory over this world, beyond the veil,  through faith in Jesus Christ—Yahshua, the Messiah!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but that the world, through Him, might be saved” … John 3:16-17

~  ~  ~

[Ravensbruck was a Nazi Concentration Camp where more than 100,000 women, Jews and others, were exterminated during World War 2]

Scripture references include: Rom. 1:16, Matthew 24:21, Rev. 14:9-12, Rev. 21:4.

Uncle Tom | An Unfortunate Myth

Uncle Tom | An Unfortunate Myth

A big lie has been perpetuated for more than a century, about the character of a character known as “Uncle Tom!” I hope to set the record straight here, and that many will choose to learn the truth, by reading one of the greatest and most controversial books in American history.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a book by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852), meant to expose the hideous practice of SLAVERY, for what it was. However, although an instant best-seller, the book soon met with enormous opposition, that caused many to believe and spread an unfortunate myth, and to ignore truths that might have helped heal a divided nation, short of a deadly Civil War.

“He’s just an Uncle Tom!”

Many African Americans still use that misnomer to shame other black people they think of as “weak, go-along” sorts—“sell-outs to white masters.” But, why defame “Uncle Tom?”  Where did that comparison come from, about a character I’ve come to admire as one of the greatest men ever written about—fictional or real?

Black slaves, likely unable to read Stowe’s stunning book back then, or barely even to speak English, no doubt believed the propaganda of the book’s CRITICS, who portrayed Uncle Tom as a traitor to the black race. Yes, an unfortunate myth!

Who Was “Uncle Tom”?

Uncle Tom’s Cabin  describes its main character as a gentle, amiable black slave named Tom—a man of deep faith, loyalty and integrity. A victim of a cruel injustice in those times, Tom worked hard to keep his family together; not sold off separately, like chattel to the highest bidder. A man of his word, Tom obeyed his “owner” so long as the requirements did not compromise his faith and moral convictions. Closer examination shows the character as, I would say, a powerful role model for black people and others alike, even today. But, those who profited by the slave trade then wouldn’t have wanted THAT to get around. Stowe’s book posed a threat!

Ultimately, Tom chooses to die at the hands of a vicious slave master named Simon Legree, rather than betray two slave women who had escaped. In that, “Uncle Tom” proved one of the most Christ-like characters ever to grace the printed page. Uncle Tom exhibited colossal courage and character, as he laid down his life, rather than betray others!

The Bible says, Scarcely for a righteous man will one die… but God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still slaves to sin, Christ died for us.” [Romans 5:7-8]

Moving South

In 1977, I moved with my three children to Nashville, Tennessee, and have since learned much about the south and its history. My Louisiana-born husband Philip and I love to read historical and other thought-provoking books together. A few years ago, we decided to tackle a rather large volume, titled Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  As a southerner, and “baby boomer,” Philip remembers some of the harsh realities of bigotry that lingered long into the 20th century. For my part, originally from California, much of my life was relatively untouched by the true story of slavery in America.  However, my husband and I agree, slavery was an ugly blight on our nation—one never to be repeated!

Sadly, I realize now, many black people believe they are still victims of “white supremacy.” Yet, I believe the greater majority of our society has come to recognize the equality and worth of all humans; all races. Many black Americans have risen to high and influential positions in our nation over the past decades; in the military, as high-ranking statesmen and women, as mayors of major cities; even as president of the United States. Many excel in business, medicine, science, media and journalism; in the arts, sports, and in academia, etc.

Are all of THOSE “Uncle Toms”… somehow “sold out,” as some black people were taught to believe?

I like to believe, rather, those have courageously overcome any victim-mentality passed on to them by more cynical blacks, or purposeful or political race baiters?  Thankfully, many seem to have been able to look past the ignorance of any lingering prejudices in our society, and to make their way.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin | The Controversy

With Uncle Tom’s Cabin published in 1852, abolitionists and Northerners generally praised Harriet Beecher Stowe’s fictionalized, albeit candid depiction of the inhumane and often gruesome nature of the slave trade, and they were quick to confirm the truths Stowe had written about.  

On the other side, PRO-SLAVERY advocates claimed that Stowe was “misrepresenting slavery and exaggerating the cruelty of the institution.” They said her book was “a distortion of the facts and a mutilation of the records, for the sake of giving substance to a scandalous fancy.” Interestingly, they didn’t accuse her of using false documentation. Rather, they claimed that, “The examples Stowe provided are the most extreme instances, meant to give the worst possible impression of the institution of slavery, and of the south.”

Nicer Slave Owners?

Were there those wealthy landowners who took in slaves to keep them from the auction blocks that demoralized many blacks for profit then?  I suspect there were. I’ve found southerners to be, generally, kind, God-fearing and hospitable. I would hate to think that back then they were overcome by some collective evil spirit void of compassion for those black immigrants. But, how many, otherwise good, people in Germany looked the other way when the Nazis victimized the Jews during WW2?

Slavery is a monstrous thing, and Harriet Beecher Stowe was courageous and right to expose it as she did!

Other pro-slavery reaction to Stowe’s writing was more a critique of her character, than a critique of the work itself. One review, by George Holmes, questioned Stowe’s writing of the truth as a “lack of decency,” portraying “scenes of license and impurity, and ideas of loathsome depravity.” Holmes appealed to women, especially southern women, NOT to read Stowe’s writings.  History proves that the so-called “decency” of many of those women and men of the time turned its back on other human beings who truly suffered, often the cruelest enslavement.

A Legitimate, Yet Unrecognized Hero

It seems there has always been, and may always be, those who would demean, oppress, enslave, even destroy others to further their own ambitions. Corrie ten Boom met head-on with that in her time!

On the other hand, I believe the power mongers of our world, and any of us, could learn much from the character of an “Uncle Tom.” Compassion for other human beings, as Jesus showed us during his time on earth, is what brings greatness to a person or a people. Tragically, those such as Adolph Hitler, the fictional Simon Legree character, and other Judases, are remembered only with disdain, if at all.

I highly recommend that everyone read “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”—especially black Americans. The truth is a great healer—our nation longs for it!

Angel on the MTA | Nashville

Angel on the MTA | Nashville

I’ll never forget that day, and that strange ride on the MTA bus line in Nashville!

“Do you believe in angels, Mom?” I remembered my young son’s question, as if it was not 40 years ago. My preoccupied response to his question had been a decided, “No!”

Personally, I had never seen an angel, and had placed the possibility of such a creature alongside Santa Claus and other childhood tales. It would be a long time before I read a scripture verse that says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained ANGELS.”

It was the summer of 1984 and I had been riding buses, seeking employment, since giving up on my pursuit of music stardom. Months earlier, faith had finally replaced misery for me, while visiting a large Nashville church. Carrying a huge chip on my shoulder, I’d gone there at what seemed the bottom of my life, arrogantly challenging God to, “Show yourself, if you even exist!”

Truth is, I should have been squashed like a bug on a windshield for my feisty approach. Word to the wise: Even if you don’t believe in God—unless you have all knowledge yourself, it’s wise to reconsider, should you decide to shake an ignorant fist in God’s face, as I did that day. Just saying!

However, I was stunned, to say the least, when the most gentle, albeit firm Voice actually spoke right out loud to me. I learned the meaning of grace that day.

My life situation wasn’t quick to change then, but my perspective on almost everything else had instantly, and I believe miraculously, done an about-face.

By now, I was sure I wouldn’t be at all surprised to meet up with a real live ANGEL.

Angels are people, too!

The alarm clock startled me at 5:30 that morning. It seemed only minutes before I had finally fallen asleep after a rough night of coughing and sneezing. A quick swipe at the frosted bedroom window with a rumpled tissue told me; at least, it had stopped raining. But, something was wrong—more wrong than that monster head cold!

Since hearing the Voice, most days I woke with a deep inner peace and a positive outlook. “Surely this will be the day I find a job!” But, this morning was different.

Trying to find a job without a car left me with one choice—the Nashville Metro Transit Authority (the “MTA”).  I was thankful for that, but, unfortunately, I’d never gotten used to the smell of diesel fumes, for all the years I traveled and sang with Grand Ole Opry star “Whispering” Bill Anderson, on his Silver Eagle bus.  But, that’s for another story!

The thought of bus fumes this morning only added to my nausea, but going back to sleep was not an option. I had a job interview at Belmont College (now Belmont University), and I needed a new income. The mirror told me it would take the “big guns”—stage makeup—to make myself look at all presentable.

Nobody wants to hire an ex-roadie-turned-Jesus-freak, anyway!” I moaned. Numerous job applications had turned up nothing solid. No one seemed to understand—my life had changed so much, I didn’t plan to head out on the next show bus.

Still, the days had dragged on, and my faith was sagging for the first time since hearing Him say, “You’re going home, Susan!” How could I ever lose heart after that? Still, here I was. Poor, poor, pitiful me!

Prayers for Passengers

The interview at Belmont went well enough, and I got the job. But, my head pounded as I left the Belmont campus that day and boarded the #2 Belmont bus headed downtown.

The familiar publishing houses and recording studios flashed by the windows as the bus wound through Music Row toward Broadway, where I would have to wait for yet another bus to take me home, south of town.

Months before, I’d promised God that, as long as I had to ride the MTA, I would pray for every soul I rode with every day.  I’d kept that promise, but this day I just wanted to be left alone; certain my conversation would be less than inspiring.

Forgetting to Entertain Strangers

I was seated in one of those sideways seats upfront, behind the driver, when the bus came to a stop and an elderly black woman got on. Toting a couple of huge plastic bags, she quickly flopped all of herself and her treasures onto the seat right by me.

“Only a few other people scattered about the bus, and she has to sit down right next to me,” I protested silently. “Okay, I’ll pray for her, God, but I don’t feel like talking to anybody today!”

There she was, right beside me now. The old woman’s chocolate eyes sparkled and smiled, almost as broadly as the toothy grin that exaggerated her otherwise small, weather-worn face. “What does she have to be so joyful about?” I wondered, behind a token smile. Before long, I would have the answer.

Trying not to stare, I noticed she wore several layers of old clothes, likely her entire wardrobe. Buttons strained to hold multiple sweaters together. Nothing matched anything else, from the brown knit hat that covered most of her salt and pepper hair, to the out-sized granny shoes on her feet. It was all I could do not to laugh, despite my resolve to bask in a pity party.

Stranger than Fiction

“Okay, God,” I finally capitulated, “If you want me to tell that lady about your Son, you need to give me an opening!” Surprisingly, the old street woman spoke first.

She was full of information about the history of “Music City.”  Her thick brown knee socks sagged annoyingly. But, it only allowed her constantly animated hands one more lively gesture, as she gave the socks an occasional tug. She talked about the weather and the city’s plans to turn the old Union Station Depot on Broadway into a “fancy” hotel.

Surely, she would take a breath and I would be able to say something. Feebly, my nose still trying to run off my face, I tried to jump in a time or two, but I guess the most I was ever able to say was, “Well, I…” or “Yes, but…,” and she was off, onto another subject.

Don’t get me wrong, she certainly wasn’t boring or negative; in fact, she was downright funny!  But, getting a word in edgewise, I decided, would take a sure act of God.

Botched Assignment

Finally, the bus came to another stop and this irritatingly joyous—but “lost” I was sure—bag lady jumped up energetically, to get off the bus.

“Well,” she said, wrestling comically with her bulging bags, “Nice talkin’ to ya!”

I smiled weakly and nodded, feeling like a complete failure for not being more forthright to tell her about Jesus, and that He loved her. She shot one last oversized grin at me; then, elbows in the air, she hauled her bundles toward the bus steps.

“I blew it, God, I’m sorry,” I sulked, wishing I was home in bed. “Now she’ll probably never know You!”  A sympathetic smile, if not a big LOL, might have filled His face; shaking His head over my still infantile faith.

Then abruptly, half-way down the steps, that funny old woman turned and ambled nimbly back up toward me. Placing a dark, ancient hand on my knee, and searching my eyes with a depth and compassion I hadn’t noticed before, she said, “Don’t ever stop talking about Him!”

Then she leaned in closer and said again, “Don’t you EVER stop talking about Him!”

Touched by an Angel?

I must have turned angel-robe white! I had not been able to say a word to the old “woman,” about my faith or even myself, on that bus ride down Broadway.

I sat stunned as the bus door closed behind her, and she was gone. I mean, she was just gone! I looked both ways on the street. Gone!

It occurred to me then; there were no bundles in her hands when she had stepped back up the stairs. More amazing, I didn’t feel ill anymore either! A renewed joy crept up all over me as I realized what had just happened.

“Oh, dear God, that wonderful old street person was from You!” Tears flowed even as I wanted to laugh right out loud at God’s sense of humor, and the method He’d used to lift my spirits. Surely, He had sent an unlikely messenger to encourage me that day. I had to tell about Him, even if it sounded just plain crazy to the whole world.

I was more assured than ever that God’s word is true. “Angels ARE real,” I told my now-much-older son. “Sometimes they even ride the MTA!”

~ ~ ~

For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your waysPsalm 91:11

[From Susan Beyer’s book, Above “Reality”: Where Miracles Happen and Healing Begins – Available at Amazon.com]

References above:  1 Hebrews 13:2,  2 Matthew 7:7-8, 3  Lamentations 3:22-23

Letter to a Misguided Talk Show Host

Letter to a Misguided Talk Show Host

Going through my files today, I came across a copy of a letter I had written to Oprah Winfrey, in 2008. A great lady—talented, successful, savvy, and generous in so many ways! That was the day she gave cars to everyone in her studio audience!  She had become one of the richest women in the world.  However, getting that rare opportunity to watch an episode of her  long-running talk show then, it struck me that she was terribly misguided about something more important than all she had ever gained in her career.  Here is the basic letter I wrote to her that day, with all my heart… she may never have had opportunity to read it, due to the volume of “fan” mail she no doubt received then. Still, I pray the message got through to her heart.

Dear Oprah,

First, let me tell you I don’t get much chance to watch your program, as I work during the hours it airs; so this is not a fan letter.  I am, of course, aware of who you are, guests you’ve had on your show and, more recently, your endorsement of our first black president. However, most alarming to me was your comments about how people get to heaven.

I write to you as a friend, Oprah; not a stone-thrower.  I’m truly concerned.  I watched a clip from your show that was sent to me via email a few days ago and thought to write you.   I was particularly taken with what you said about being “unable to believe in a God who is jealous of us.”  My heart went out to you on that one.  Surely, you had not understood.

I was not a believer for the first 41 years of my life, thinking about such things… a God who could be “jealous” of me?  …a God I must fear?  …a God who would pick some “poor slob” (thinking of the man Jesus) and have him die the horrible death of crucifixion “for MY sins?”   What kind of God was that to believe in, I wondered?  Wasn’t He supposed to be a God of LOVE?

Because I also misunderstood back then, I passed on faith in Christ until February 26, 1984, when I’d had enough pain in the world as a battered wife, then single mother and professional singer.  I took that pain to a large Nashville church, literally to confront God.  In my ignorance, I went there to shake my fist in His “almighty” face.  My attitude had me thinking, “Show yourself or get out of my face forever.  I’m sick of hearing about what’s right and what’s wrong, concerning You—wars are fought over it…etc.

SO WHAT’S RIGHT?”

I can tell you, God spoke right out loud that day, scared the behoozits out me, and humbled me by many notches.  He gave me to understand in an instant that He was God and I was not, but that He loved me beyond anything I could have imagined.  He changed my perspective 180 degrees, and my entire life.  I finally wrote all about it in the [enclosed] book, Above Reality: Where Miracles Happen and Healing Begins.

Now I understand what our “jealous” God is about, Oprah!  He’s jealous FOR us, not jealous OF us—just as a parent is protective of a child and jealous for that’s child’s well-being in the face of any harm.

When God literally became a man (John 1, verses 1-4 and 14) many centuries ago, He was making a way for all of us to come to Him.  In essence, He said:  “I love you, but you cannot come to Me unless you believe ME. Heaven is for those! I lay down my life for you through the Person you will call My Son, Jesus Christ.  Anyone who believes in what I have done in and through Him, will have his or her sins covered by His/My sacrificial blood, and I will forever after see that person as righteous—because of HIS righteousness. It’s by His GRACE one is saved, through FAITH in Jesus Christ.

No one comes to the Father, except…

Jesus came to tell us that “He and the Father are ONE,” that no one comes to the Father (God) except by Me.”  Jesus was and is “jealous” for us.  He wants to protect us from falling for the ungodly philosophies of this world system—the same old wiles Satan uses to beguile any of us to believe otherwise, just as he beguiled Eve and Adam in the garden.

If God were not “jealous” FOR you, He would not fight to save you.  Heaven is only for those who believe Him—on His terms.  Jesus is the TRUTH, the WAY; the LIFE that CAN save us.  Those of us who have realized that truth are not righteous in ourselves, we only know for sure that HE is righteous, and is jealous for the love of ALL who would choose to be saved in His great love.

The FEAR I have for Him now is not that He is waiting somewhere ready to pounce or squash me if I err somehow.  I FEAR Him now as I feared the loss of the love and respect of my parents or others I love—and yet MORE.  He spoke into my world as surely as you speak to your viewing audience everyday; to assure me He loves me. That if I trust Him, over all the other voices and choices on this planet, He will lead me HOME.  That journey has already been amazing, Oprah.

You are such a talented and gifted woman—liked and listened to by so many—more importantly, you are SO loved by God that He sent His Son to die for your sins, because He is jealous to keep you for Himself, out of the hands of the enemy ultimately. Truly!!  I believe He has given you a great gift.  It concerns me now, that you might unknowingly use that gift to lead many in the wrong direction—to destruction—and you with them.

I pray you will search deeper, deep into your heart, Oprah—and that you will know the truth that so many truly born-again believers (not merely “religious” people) can attest to.  God loves you so much.  May He bless you personally with clarity now.  You really could help save the world—Matthew 28:18-20 – 18 Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The world is hungry for truth, not misguided philosophy, Oprah.  I believe you have been given an amazing platform to share it with so many.  I pray you will.

Truly in His love and by His grace,

Susan Meredith Beyer

The Fan | Theater from the Heart

The Fan | Theater from the Heart

The FanThe Fan | Theater from the Heart, we call it!  Recently, a talk show host asked, “Why did you think to set Corrie ten Boom’s story, The Hiding Place, to music?”

Others have also wondered, until they hear the songs from our play, “Ten Boom the Musical.”

In fact, I and my real-life sister and musical co-writer, Donna Marquean Griggs, pulled material from more than just that one book.

A Musical Family, for sure!

The ten Boom family was actually very musical, like the family in which Donna and I grew up! Many played musical instruments and sang. Corrie’s nephew, Peter van Woerden, was a master organist and music director for a Dutch Reformed church in The Netherlands.

The ten Boom’s were known for inviting musicians to their home, to “jam” on many evenings. Of course, it was mainly classical music. Musicians, coming and going, turned out to be a good cover for people in the Dutch Resistance. Some even carried instrument cases as they entered or left the house at odd hours. For a few years, the Ten Boom’s were able to hide and transport more than 800 Jewish people. And  Nazi’s were none the wiser! Music turned out to be a life-saver for many.

The gift of a new radio was a treasure for “Papa” ten Boom, on the 100th Anniversary of the clock shop. It allowed their much-loved symphony music to “fill the house with joy.”

Donna and I have loved good theater all our lives, although from somewhat different perspectives. Actually, it made our partnership in the writing of the musical work even better. Of course, we grew up singing and loving music, but the theatrics—the “mechanics” of theater—was a challenge.

The Mechanic and The Fan

Of the two of us, I was always the “drama queen,” so to speak; hoping in childhood to become an actress.  Donna was more level-headed, more interested in just enjoying the story and characters in good plays and movies. She was a true fan—one of those people who can make or break a good film or stage play!

While Donna was more apt to be moved emotionally by a performance, I tended to love the technical aspects. I was always into the acting, the script; how it all comes together, etc. Having been on the road as a performer many years, I had trouble just watching other performers without much critique. I admit MY perspective could ruin a good performance for someone just wanting to enjoy it!

As Donna and I came together to bring the script and songs to life, I valued and trusted her thoughts and perspectives, more and more.  As we wrote, if the lines in the script or a song made her cry or laugh or get angry (in character), I knew we were on to something.

Fans and audiences should be touched emotionally, somehow; or something is lacking in a play or film! They are the necessary ingredient in a success or failure in The Arts.

So, in 1997, we two sisters, two best friends, brought our unique perspectives together. We had fun putting music to the miraculous story of Dutch evangelist and Nazi Holocaust survivor, Corrie ten Boom. And, it made for a wonderful stage play!

We were sharing an apartment in Nashville for many years, as we had shared a room at home as little girls growing up.  Only now, we had our own “big girl” rooms and spaces. It also gave us plenty of time to work on the play.

A Jewish “Fiddler” and a Christian Holocaust Survivor

The play had been on my mind and heart for many years, since coming to faith in Jesus the Messiah in 1984. I had performed in “Fiddler On The Roof,” many years before, portraying Tzeitel, the eldest daughter. Also, I was blessed to choreograph the play for the Maryland Community Theater back east. Now I wondered, “Why can’t Corrie’s story be told in a musical play as big as “Fiddler?”

But, if the idea to write “Ten Boom” was there for years, the project remained mostly untouched until 2009. It was then we took actors into a recording studio to do a read-through of the initial script.  The songs had been arranged and recorded, two years earlier.

Donna and I had sung harmonies with our older sister Judy and another friend, growing up.  Later, we were able to perform in the wonderful, “Passion Play at Two Rivers” in Nashville, for over twenty years. We loved the first century costumes and the majestic choral arrangements. Mostly, we loved sharing the gospel (good news) with thousands, as we portrayed characters who walked with Jesus.

So, How Did We Write the Musical?

Today, when people ask how we wrote “Ten Boom the Musical,” I tell them this. “We took an amazing true story, some said was too sad or dramatic to become a musical. After all, was “Fiddler On The Roof” not also dramatic?”  The Jews suffered much always. And what about musicals like “Les Miserables,” “West Side Story,” “The Color Purple,” even “Beauty and the Beast,” etc.?  Sad things happened in those plays, too; but most ended on a high note.

“Ten Boom” was written to show the heart and joy of a woman and others who found victory, even in the darkest time in history.

I’m a “mechanic,” a singer/writer who loves to put words and pieces of a story puzzle together to touch hearts.  Donna’s musical interests and instincts, along with her trusting heart helped make it all work right. You see, Donna is the perfect “fan”—someone who assesses the worth of a film, a play, a character, in a unique way.

Together, it all worked to make our play, “Ten Boom the Musical,” theater from the heart!

 

[Ten Boom the Musical shares the true and powerful story of Corrie ten Boom. To present this musical at your church or venue, contact us at 615-425-2652, 615-300-8591, or email us at [email protected]]