Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

 

 

Valentine’s day is almost here! Here at CLC Ministries, we love to celebrate with books. If you have a special reader in your life, how about slipping a book in with that bouquet! What better way to celebrate than to gift knowledge? 

Here’s a list of books for your special someone this Valentine’s Day.

 

For the poetry lover in your life…

Mountain Breezes, a collection of poems by Amy Carmichael, is a great place to start. With 66 poems gathered from 29 of her books, many now out of print, and arranged under 7 topical headings: Worship, Petition, Surrender, Ministry, Wartime, Encouragement, and Youth, it is truly a treasure for poetry lovers!

 

HIS FAITHFULNESS
by Amy Carmichael 

O wind of God, blow through the trees;
O birds of God, come sing your song;
For now I know the joy that frees,
The joy that makes the weakest strong.

The vapors march in shining crowds,
High in the trackless roads of air;
I look, and lo, unto the clouds,
His faithfulness is even there!
Pass foolish fears; the fresh winds blow;
O birds of God, come sing with me.
My God is faithful, this I know;
My Father, I have all in Thee.

 

If you want to dive more into the word this Valentine’s day, we recommend Song of Songs by Watchman Nee.

The Song of Solomon is one of the most excellent love poems ever written. Over the centuries, its beautiful language and dreamy imagery have hooked readers from page 1. 

“Why is this tender love poem included in the Scripture?” and “how should we interpret it?” are often questions we ask.

This is a real mystery to many of us, but Watchman Nee believes it is possible to discover within the poem all the principles needed to develop a deeper spiritual life. In this devotional commentary, he explores the love relationship between the individual believer and the Lord. His insights are for all who long to intensify their love for God and by so doing find overwhelming joy and complete satisfaction.

 

For anyone interested in redemption stories and exploring other cultures, we recommend The Torn Veil.

It tells the story of how a Muslim girl, imprisoned by her religion, her strict upbringing, her womanhood and her severe disability, is set free by God.

This classic true-life story of Gulshan Esther, who on becoming a Christian was miraculously healed, was first published in 1984 and has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide.

 

For the lovers of a romantic story, we recommend Our Nearest Kinsman by Roy Hession.

Is there more than romance to the story of Ruth? Roy Hession insists “Yes!” Most of us have missed the subtle details that are key to understanding the significance of this heart-moving book. We need a new vision of the blood of Christ and the grace of God to make the same daring claim on our Nearest Kinsman as Ruth made on hers.

Come and learn about the restoration, revival and renewal promised in Ruth, until at last you have the boldness to lie at the feet of your Kinsman with full confidence.

 

For stirring short stories that capture and are an encouragement to many, we recommend Amazing Love by Corrie Ten Boom.

Following her miraculous release from a Nazi concentration camp, Corrie ten Boom refused to give into the weakness of anger, claiming, “Forgiveness requires more strength than hatred.” Sharing incredible stories of encounters with people from all walks of life, Corrie illustrates how a childlike faith in the wisdom and love of God pushes us to forgive the seemingly impossible.

 

Don’t let History Repeat Itself – Holocaust Day Remembrance

“Hate is such a bitter emotion, but I know that the Savior with His cleansing blood is near me. The evil spirits cannot win.” – Corrie Ten Boom

Imagine this.

Constant fear…fear of being taken to a special “camp.” Fear of being separated from your family and loved ones. Fear of dying. Fear of the unknown.

Fear of soldiers finding out what you are hiding. Or worse than what, who are you are hiding…

Enter the world of Corrie ten Boom.  She was a Dutch woman who, alongside her family, provided a hiding place to dozens of Jews and other refugees during World War II.

She wrote:

“During the last world war, as the German armies rolled over most of Europe, crushing countries in their path, Adolf Hitler set into operation a plan to exterminate all Jews. Many of the people of Holland responded by doing their utmost to help Dutch Jews escape this peril. My own family and my friends and I did all that we could do to save Jewish lives until we were betrayed and arrested.

At that time my father was eighty-four years of age, and friends had often warned him that if he persisted in hiding Jews in his home under the very eye of the occupying armies, he could surely face imprisonment.

‘I am too old for prison life,’ my father replied, “but if that should happen, then it would be, for me, an honor to give my life for God’s ancient people, the Jews.” I recall with great clarity the day, February 28, 1944, that we went down the winding staircase with our whole family and our friends. For some of them, it was the last time they would ever feel the worn staircase railing of the beloved Beje—name for our home, located in the Barteljorisstraat—in their hands.

After an hour’s ride the van door [we had been taken in] opened, and the gates of the prison closed behind us. We were ordered to stand with our faces pressed against the red brick wall. When our names were called, I passed by Father, who was sitting on a chair. He looked up, and we heard him softly saying, ‘The Lord be with you, my daughters.’

From that moment forward, everything in our lives was changed. We did not know what was ahead of us, but I was certain of one thing: that Jesus would never leave us or forsake us and that, for a child of God, no pit could be so deep that Jesus was not deeper still.”

“Soldiers are walking around and the women have to wait a long time, naked. Bep and I put our arms around each other, and we implore, ‘Oh Lord, not that, not that!'”

-Corrie Ten Boom

(Excerpts taken from Corrie Ten Boom’s Prison Letters)

Corrie spent some time in prison until she and her sister were transported to a German concentration camp in Holland. We can’t begin to imagine the pain, the torture and the difficulties Corrie and many of our Jewish brothers and sisters had to endure. Being separated from their families, living in inhumane conditions, being sick, not being able to continue with their daily routines…just for being a Jew or helping them.

They say we learn from history, but do we really? What if the tables were flipped and now Christians are the ones being persecuted and imprisoned just because we follow Christ? Would you be prepared to endure? Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ face this reality already. Being prepared or not being prepared is taken out of the question. Once they become a Christian, a red X is marked on their backs.

When we remember the Holocaust, we often think of it as a terrible thing that happened in a far-off time and place. Something so horrible we could never imagine it in our own society. But is that really the case? Or are we at a new point in history where we are once again allowing our government to decide whose lives hold value? This week, a new law was passed in the state of New York that allows babies to be murdered. And as Faithwire so eloquently points out: “And so, New York State now has legislation that permits murder for convenience.”

How could this have happened? Are we about to let history repeat itself?

And what can we do about it?

  1. We can pray. Pray for endurance for the persecuted. Pray for those making the decisions for our country. Pray that we learn from our history.
  2. Stand with our Jewish brother and sisters. We cannot change history but as Christians, we can come alongside the oppressed communities around us and start opening communication channels.
  3. Read. Stay informed with what’s happening in the culture around you, and learn how to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” as 1 Peter 3:15 says. Take advantage of the resources at your church, or let us know if you need more information on a particular subject.

But don’t let it end there. Most importantly, make sure you’re sharing your faith. Reach out to your government. Don’t let your faith be silent. Don’t allow culture to move around you. Learn to push back at the right time.

Don’t let history repeat itself. 

 

 

 

About Corrie  It is hard to overestimate the impact of the life of Corrie ten Boom. As a result of hiding Jews in her Holland home in the midst of World War II, Corrie ended up in a Nazi concentration camp where she continued to speak the love of Christ. A miraculous release gave Corrie the chance to begin an international ministry of writing and speaking, sharing Christ, and counseling the hurting as a self-titled “tramp for the Lord.” Corrie died in 1983, on her ninety-first birthday. Among Corrie’s most loved titles are The Hiding Place and Tramp for the Lord. Find CLC’s full list of Corrie’s books here

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s240

Throw something out this January…and by that, we don’t mean books

Ah, the new year.

Regardless of whether or not last year was our best or worst year yet, we just can’t help but hope and plan that this next one will be better. Right at the beginning, we make all kinds of goals and promises to ourselves.

Things like:

  • Eat more healthy food!
  • Exercise more often!
  • Budget better!
  • Reorganize the whole house in 30 days!
  • Read more books!
  • Have more patience!
  • Increase joy!
  • Gain more peace!

Sound familiar?

And yet, by this time, we’re probably already discouraged. We already missed a good week of gym time. We were supposed to have read a whole book by now and we just can’t get into the story. And
forget about healthy meals. We’re so tired from all the cooking and cleaning during the holidays, pizza sounds so much easier. So we consider giving up and we’re only two weeks in!

But look closer… what do you notice about each of these statements? They’re all written in a positive spin. And we think that makes it harder to stick to it and create goals – the goals you need
to accomplish your resolutions.

Think about it. If your plan is to eat healthier and that’s all you say, you might just set a number of calories or meals that need to be “healthy.” But most likely, that number was arbitrary, and its
attainability was probably not taken into consideration. What if you turned it around though? What makes for healthy eating for you? Maybe it’s eating out less? Ordering less pizza? Cooking more
meals from scratch? What if you started by just eliminating one thing? Instead of just telling yourself that to eat more healthily, tell yourself to just throw out one night of mac and cheese and make a healthy alternative.

Well, that you can do! Small actions create a chain reaction! And you can use the same trick for reading more, reorganizing the house, or budgeting better.

But we’re not just about resolutions here. We’re about life-change. So what about the spiritual aspects? What if you tried the same trick for your spiritual life?

If we’re trying to increase joy, we may not know exactly what that looks like, but we do know what DOESN’T bring us joy. What if, to increase something, you had to throw something else out?

With that in mind, what is the Lord calling you to throw out this year? Is there something you’ve been keeping around in a trash bag that you never got around to taking it out? You keep telling yourself: “I’ll get to it soon…” But soon doesn’t work. We both know that. And not only that, but that bag takes up room.  So, what are you waiting for?!

If you had to throw one thing out this year…what would that be?

 

Here are some book recommendations to help you with that

 

Issues you may face in 2019

We all like victory. We all like being at the top of the mountain, celebrating.

Because nothing beats that feeling of reaching the crest and looking back at the road you had to travel to get there. Sometimes we may want to stay there forever, but it’s just not possible. The next one is just ahead.

As we climb into 2019, some of us ended at a peak, while others of us were stuck in a valley. And as we face the new mountain ahead, we might already feel a little weary, regardless of where we’re starting from. “Didn’t I just face this? Those storm clouds look a little nasty. Maybe God won’t notice if I drag my feet a little bit.” But take heart! We can have confidence even as you meet this year’s challenges on the mountain.

Climbing up the mountain in 2019, you might face:

  • disappointment – things not turning out the way you want, unmet expectations
  • life challenges – health, relationships, spiritual, financial
  • death – either natural and/or spiritual, of friendships, of relationships
  • change – jobs, relationships, ministry
  • fears – what the future holds, money, changes in circumstances

You see, climbing a mountain is not easy and you need the right tools for the journey.

But how blessed are those of us in the faith! God has already provided the tools we need in His word and equipped others to teach us how to use them. To help you climb the mountain, we’ve curated a list of books that will help you deal with the climb that 2019 will bring.

In the meantime, here is some encouragement directly from the Lord:

“…’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'” Hebrews 13:6

 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!” Psalm 31:24

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

May your 2019 climb be the best one yet!

 

 

Click on a book to learn more about it…

Recommended books by title:

A Quiet Center: Living in God’s Place of Rest

Out of the Storm and into God’s Arms: Shelter in Turbulent Times 

No Matter What: Abiding in God’s Faithfulness 

Don’t Waste Your Sorrows: Finding God’s Purpose in the Midst of Pain

Finding the Jewel in Job Loss: Walking by Faith in Unemployment

Why This Waste (Vital Series)

Trusting God’s Heart When You Can’t Trace His Hand 

When Heaven is Silent: Trusting God When It Hurts

Crossing the Jordan: Living Victoriously in Difficult Relationship

Surrender: Learning To Navigate Life’s Deep Waters With Christ As Your Guide