Terribly Interesting

I have been reading Corrie ten Boom books of late as you may know. I have been enjoying reading through her devotional Each New Day. Every day I am met with a rich text. Corrie never fails to deliver authentic and powerful words encouraging. I anticipate a sweet meeting with scripture, poetry, hymns, songs, etc. every time I open the book. It is a gorgeous display of what Ephesians 5:19-20 tells us to do. She speaks to us in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that daily draw the heart closer to the Lord Jesus. I greatly encourage you to pick up this book. Other Corrie ten Boom books I have reviewed: Amazing Love Defeated Enemies In My Father's House Tramp For the Lord

As many of you know, I have been on a personal quest to read all of the writings of Corrie ten Boom. Her display of Christ has done nothing short of changing my life. Every story I read of profound forgiveness and graciousness challenge me in every aspect. I reflect back and wonder how much I have lost by refusing to be gracious or see things for what they are. I have come to know that there are no coincidences in Christ. He is always purposeful. He has a heavy agenda of grace. Ours is generally self-serving and it is applauded by the general public. It is not what Jesus is calling us to. Through transparent humility, Corrie shows us what our lives should look like. She just as often shows us in defeat as she does in victory. This book is no exception to the gracious beauty Corrie ten Boom displays for us. Story after story reveals to the reader the power of forgiveness in the lives of those she met after the war. There are dozens of sections detailing the powerful way she saw p...

First, let me tell you that the word tramp to someone in Holland has a far different connotation that it does in America. A tramp was a person who traveled around looking for food and employment. The word is kin to hobo or bum. I think this would be the Dutch version of how Brennan Manning referred to himself as a "ragamuffin." She did this because she traveled far and wide after the war seeking to serve God in whatever way she possibly could.  I read Corrie's first book, The Hiding Place, in eight grade and her experiences during the Holocaust have spoken to me since. That story led me to start reading her other numerous works. I think without reading these other books I would have assumed that her story was all about what happened to her in the concentration camp. Reading My Father's House, my eyes were opened to the beauty that she displayed as she served God in amazing ways before the war. This book was no different. I am stirred and challenged by how she g...

A few weeks ago, I sat down with one of the books I got anonymously in the mail. I had no idea what it was about. Being about fifty pages, I thought it would be a good short read. Let me tell you, it was staggering to see what was packed into one little book. When I saw the title, I thought it might be about her forgiving the guards at the concentration camp like the story in The Hiding Place. I was wrong. A missionary friend of Corrie's convinced her to write about her experiences with the demonic in the concentration camp and beyond. I usually am not into this kind of book because the people that write books about how to route demons put most of their focus on demons and salt and pepper a little Jesus on top. Corrie ten Boom has a solid theology and I was interested in what she had to say on the subject. I was not disappointed. Corrie put all the focus on Christ. What a refreshing take on spiritual warfare. Mostly people tend to rely on a form of incantation or formula...

I came upon a few books belonging to my great-grandmother in my mom's closet. I had never met this woman and knew very little about her. It touched my heart to see the things she was reading. One book I came across was a fifty year old copy of Corrie ten Boom's "In My Father's House." I read it with great peace this week (even as it fell apart as I read it). I was overwhelmed and comforted by her simple, tender love of Jesus. It felt like a home I have never known.  Like most everyone, I had read "The Hiding Place" in junior high and was profoundly impacted by it. What I realized in reading this book was that she and her family didn't just hide Jews. They had always done this. They always had people in their home telling them of the sweet love of Jesus. She shared the gospel with such compassion with everyone. Corrie loved on hundreds of girls in her community. She started clubs for them and made sure they all heard about the Father's love...