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Monday, July 25, 2011

The Promise: Trusting in the providence of God

"My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish my purpose.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass.
I Have purposed and I will do it."
( Isaiah 46:10, 11)

My new book, "The Promise: We will meet again," is filled with examples of God's sovereign providence and how He weaves together the circumstances in Hannah's and Rachel's life to accomplish His purposes. With the outbreak of World War II and the German invasion of Poland, Hannah and Rachel's lives are rudely interrupted and turned upside down. The Nazi's enclose the city with a huge concrete wall and barbed wire fence and seize control of their lives. Eventually, The Nazis begin calling up the Jews to be transported to nearby labor camps. When their classmates fail to show up for school, Hannah and Rachel are gripped with fear and anxiety. One afternoon after school, Hannah and Rachel retreat to their favorite hideaway in the park by the lake.They sit down together on the park bench facing each other. Hannah tears a picture of them taken together in half. They each promise to keep each others picture until they meet again. With the reality of capture and death looming in their minds, both girls make a solemn vow and promise that if they survive the war, that after its over, they will never give up until they find each other again. Hannah gently holds Rachel's hand and looks her intently in the eyes saying, " I promise you on this day, no matter how long or far away, I'll find you. I"ll search for you." With tears streaming down her face, Rachel looks Hannah in the eyes and vows, "I promise to keep you in my heart. No matter how long or far apart. I'll find you. I'll search for you."
Within an few days after their promise, Both Hannah and Rachel are captured by the Germans and separated. However as the book unfolds, The reader sees the hand of God protecting and sustaining these incredible friends until they meet again after the war.
When life seems completely out of control and senseless, God says, He is in control and directing the events of life. My new book is an example of  how God keeps his promise and directs the events of life amidst the evil and suffering that is taking place. We can take refuge in the promise of God and rest in His unfailing providence. God honored the promise made between two frightened Jewish girls. He can be trusted to do the same for you and me. When the world looks dark and desperate, God shines His perfect light and shows us the way.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

God is in the midst of my suffering

All of us at one time or another have cried out "God where are you? Why is this happening to me?"
In the midst of our trial we are wanting answers.
In my upcoming book, "The Promise: We will meet again," this is the situation that Hannah finds herself in. Hannah has just been arrested by the Nazis. She watched in horror as they executed the Christian family that hid her right before her very eyes! Now she has been taken prisoner and shoved into a railway car full of Jewish people bound for Auschwitz to be exterminated. Inside the cramped railway car, there are Jewish people moaning, crying and praying, unsure of what exactly is happening to them. Inside the stuffy, dirty and hot railway car, a few shafts of light peep through the slits at sunrise. Hannah is terrified and filled with anxiety. Suddenly, she sees a group of people huddled together. She walks over to them and they give her a Bible to read. Hannah has never read a Bible before. Hannah's hands begin to tremble. Ironically she turns the pages to Isaiah Chapter 53. Her eyes gaze upon the words, "He was despised and rejected- a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief."
The words began to speak to Hannah heart. She has heard those words before when she was in hiding with the Christian family. At one time they had read this passage to her.
Hannah continues to read. " But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be made whole. He was whipped so we could be healed."
"Who is this speaking of of?" Hannah ponders to herself, whispering out loud.
The next words grip Hannah's heart. "He was led like a lamb to the slaughter."
For the first time in her turmoil and fear, Hannah feels a sense of peace. She can relate to and understand the graphic descriptions of Isaiah 53. Hannah feels like a lamb being led to the slaughter. She feels despised and rejected . Reading Isaiah 53, Hannah is gripped by the fact that God understands her suffering first hand, because He endured it! Gazing around in the tiny, crowded railway car, after reading Isaiah 53, Hannah recognizes that God is in the midst of their suffering. He was despised and rejected! He was acquainted with Grief. He was busied and beaten!
In the midst of her grief and suffering, Hannah kneels down in prayer and cries out to Yeshua for the first time.
I am very excited to begin writing this book in the Fall. I want my readers to hear, feel and experience the tremendous suffering the Jewish people experienced in the Holocaust. We need to do everything we can to stand up against hatred and intolerance. My new book will demonstrate how love and friendship can truly overcome the greatest of evils.