Becoming a heroine of the Nazi resistance movement during World War II didn’t happen in a single moment, but it started when Corrie ten Boom answered a knock at the door of her family home. Standing outside was a frightened Jewish woman with a suitcase asking for a safe place to spend the night. It would be dangerous to harbor an enemy of the powerful German presence in Holland in 1942, but the ten Boom’s welcomed her saying, “In this household, God’s people are always welcome.” Many others would find refuge there as well. By the time the German soldiers came and shut that door for the last time, Corrie and her underground network had saved the lives of nearly 800 Jewish men, women, and children.

Corrie was sent to a Nazi prison camp as punishment for her involvement in the resistance. In the camp she suffered sickness, humiliation, and loneliness. Worst of all, she lost her sister Betsie, Corrie’s constant companion before her death. After her unexpected (and miraculous) release, Corrie embarked on a speaking ministry sharing the lessons she had learned in the prison concerning love and forgiveness. She also opened homes for anyone wounded spiritually or physically by the atrocities of war, providing quiet places of healing and restoration. The author of several inspirational books and devotionals, Corrie writes with a simple, direct faith that challenges others toward both intimacy with Christ and action in the world.

This simple faith mesmerized me as I read The Hiding Place, the story of Corrie ten Boom’s life. I wondered if I could ever be so spiritual or so brave. I was suddenly aware of more than just my own small-town life but also the idea that a world existed beyond me that was full of unknown horrors and corresponding heroism. The story resonated in my soul. I was empowered. By following her example of devotion and neighborly service to others, I knew I could start making a difference in my own little corner of the world.

Every morning and evening of Corrie ten Boom’s life included a reading from Scripture and a time in prayer. This practice fostered an unfailing devotion in Corrie that was rewarded by the peace of God even under the worst circumstances. Surrounded by hate in the physical world of her Nazi prison, her spirit was free to grow closer to God. I am hungry for a relationship with the Word that creates the boldness Corrie had to smuggle the Bible into her prison knowing she could face severe punishment. Her risk paid off. That small Bible became the center of a nightly church service that ministered spiritual life to hundreds of women in the famous death camp of Ravensbruck.

Besides learning to nurture a relationship with God, the ten Boom family also put feet to their faith by serving their community. Casper ten Boom, Corrie’s father, was well known for his benevolence and hospitality even though the small profits of his watch shop could barely support the extra family members and foster children he gathered under his roof. As a young woman, Corrie followed his example and conducted church services for the mentally impaired in her neighborhood. Especially in the pre-dawn of Nazi elitism, these citizens were considered the untouchables of society. Corrie ten Boom was practicing social justice long before social justice was cool. Extending herself to the Jews was a natural response for a woman already devoting her life to what Jesus called the second most important commandment – loving your neighbor.

As inadequate as we may feel when measuring our lives against a renowned woman of faith, Corrie ten Boom would tell us that our own great adventures could be right around the corner. The opportunities to serve people in crisis are many; they range from neighborhood after-school programs to relief missions in Africa. We should start by shaping our spirituality with the Word of God, and the next step is easy. We simply wait until we hear a knock on the door, and then, like Corrie ten Boom, we answer in hospitable faith.

Read more about Corrie ten Boom and see pictures of her famous Beje at www.corrietenboom.com.

Special thanks to Andrew Page1 for this amazing shot of the ten Boom home in Haarlem.

My friend Anna is a Rare Rock. She teaches the 3 and 4 year-old’s Sunday School class and when Jesse (now 9) was 3 she offered to pick him up and take him. Wrestling two babies and a preschooler alone, since Dan’s “paying gig” is every Sunday morning, I was never making it to Sunday School.

In turn, each of my three big kids has learned to wait at the door on Sunday mornings and watch for Anna’s white car to pick them up. It is a special treat for them and a wonderful help to me. Now Macy just turned 3 and earned a spot in Anna’s car. She wasn’t even born when Anna started this tradition. Rain or shine, late nights or holidays, Anna is there.

It’s just one thing (among the many) that Anna does to help others, but it makes a big difference in the little lives in my house. From Anna they are learning consistency, faithfulness, and devotion. Sometimes it doesn’t take a life-altering decision to be a Rare Rock, it just takes one thing. “The next right thing” is what Dallas Willard calls it.

Happy Weekend, Rare Rocks!

A charming Swedish tradition is the celebration of St. Lucia Day on December 13th. Last year I wanted to mention it on my blog but it coincided with finals week. And, yeah, that happened again, but – luckily – Pernilla wrote a short explanation of the day for me and I’m going to copy it here. I refuse to let finals week wreck ALL my holiday fun! Blog connection: Well, you’ll get it after you read the explanation, but Lucia is definitely a Rare Rock!

There once was a girl named Lucia. She lived in the city of Surakuse on Sicily in Italy. She believed in Jesus Christ and in God but the Roman emperor had forbidden all the Romans to believe in God. They were ordered to believe in the Roman gods such as Jupiter and Mars. Lucia prayed to God everyday but the only ones who knew this were her mother and her fiancé.

One day Lucia’s mother gave her a great sum of money to use as she got married. Lucia thought she didn’t need the money and gave all of the money to the poor people of Surakuse instead. This made her finacé very angry and he told her to take the money back. When Lucia refused, the finacé reported her to the emperor as being a Christian.

The Roman soldiers came to take Lucia away but at first they were not able to get to her, there was an invisible wall all around her. Then they tried to burn her at the stake but the fire wouldn’t hurt her. Finally she was beheaded and died because of her faith.

This happened on December 13th in the year 304 and she was later proclaimed a saint.

The tradition now in Sweden is a mixture of an older tradition where people would walk around as beggars on December 13th and a German tradition where a girl was dressed up as Jesus on December 13th with a white dress and a halo of lights on her head. She would give gifts to the children.

This picture is from Dan’s trip to Brazil two years ago. It was taken during a house church Bible study and Andrea Powell (the one smiling at the camera) was delivering the lesson. Marcondes is the man next to her; he was interpreting her words into Portuguese. Our church supports the University for Life in Brazil and Marc and his wife, Ruth (seated next to him), are some of our favorite people in the world!

Mission trips have the reputation for impacting us in the short-term but not always changing our long-term habits or decisions (there are exceptions to this – share them in comments!). Mrs. Powell is definitely the exception. Maybe it is because she was a missionary to China. Maybe because she comes from New Zealand (Are people nicer there? All the kiwi’s I know are fabulous!). Maybe it is because she fits into that category of Real Christian. I don’t know for sure, but you are going to love the genius of her idea to support missions.

Every week Mrs. Powell bakes banana bread mini loaves. She individually wraps them and puts them at the convenience store counter with a donation can that says: $1 buys a brick for the CBC gymnasium project. I personally contribute to this can at least once a week and use its existence as my excuse for NOT giving up carbs. (Yes, I know I could donate without taking one of those tasty little bricks, but I do not have that kind of will power.)

She’s been doing this for nearly two years. Every week. I figure if she bakes a dozen, and at least ten people pay a dollar each, then she’s making $40-50 a month for this program in Brazil. Amazing. And, really, it doesn’t sound that difficult – except for the consistency part! : )

Describing Helen’s unusual beauty when she discussed important things:

“– a beauty neither of fine colour nor long eyelash, nor pencilled brow, but of meaning, of movement, of radiance. Then her soul sat on her lips, and language flowed, from what source I cannot tell:”

Later, Jane describes Helen as the best kind of friend:

“she was qualified to give those who enjoyed the privilege of her converse, a taste of far higher things.”

I would certainly love to hear such comments made about me! (Oh, the beatiful language in this book will make you WANT to be a better person!) Jane learned much from her faithful friend Helen. Do you have favorite literary role models? Who would make your list of literary Rare Rocks?

The message in Do Hard Things is based on Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to not “let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set the example for believers” in all matters of virtue and faith. The Harris brothers point out that the term teenager has only been in use for the last 50-70 years and, obviously, isn’t mentioned in the Bible at all. In other words, our cultural idea of being a teenager is a phenomenon that imposes ridiculously low expectations on otherwise capable young people. This book challenges teenagers to do hard things in five different categories:

1. Things that are outside your comfort zone.

2. Things that go beyond what is expected or required.

3. Things that are too big to accomplish alone.

4. Things that don’t earn an immediate payoff.

5. Things that change the cultural norm.

Even though I still FEEL like a teenager, I realize I’m not exactly the target demographic for this book. Still, I am challenged by this message of excellence. I would reccommend this book to the ‘tweens and teenagers in your life (and you could read it first).

Also, The Rebelution Blog put together a Modesty Survey that I found valuable. Christian girls anonymously asked questions about the way they dress and Christian guys answered. Sometimes it is helpful to see specifics when it comes to the modesty question. It is a topic I’ll probably take up later, but for now you might want to look at the work of some teenagers trying to do hard things!

Our country is obsessed with image and it is affecting the youngest of our girls. (I love Hannah Montanna, but you DO NOT want me to get into a discussion concerning her behavior at the Idol Gives Back show – seriously, don’t make me do it.) You may think I’m prudish about this, but it really is more than that.

One of my beautiful daughters has Cerebral Palsy. Just a few weeks ago Claire begged us to let her quit dance class. I cried when she said, “It’s too hard for me.” Last year she was twirling on the stage without a care in the world and this year she understands that her body is not moving in the same patterns as the little girls around her, including her younger sister. Claire’s left side has high tone, meaning the quad and calf muscles in that leg don’t relax the way they should. It gives Claire a little catch in her step and, until this year, kept her from running.

I’m not one to let my kids quit something just because it gets hard, but this was different. My husband and I had always talked about the fact that someday Claire would realize that dancing is a body-centric sport and even girls without disabilities find it difficult. We knew eventually she would find a hobby that challenged her but didn’t subject her to the prying eyes of an audience that didn’t understand. We didn’t expect it to happen when she was 5!

So we let her quit. She still dances at home with her sister and sometimes just on her own. She is at peace with this and so are we, but you can imagine my trauma for several days. I cried and I was pretty sure we should go out and buy her a fluffy puppy.

Yesterday Serenity told me about Abbey Curran, who also has cerebral palsy, and I watched her appearance on Ellen.

This is a Rare Rock. She is fighting a stereotype and going after her dreams. She has to fight her own insecurities every time she takes the stage, every time she goes to the mall. I showed Claire the video thinking it would be great inspiration, but since Claire really doesn’t comprehend that she has CP, and because it comes in so many different forms, the moment was kind of lost on her.

But I got it. Thank you, Abbey Curran!