Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith When We’re Connected to God, We Can Make It Through Anything: Cleere Cherry Reaves and Larry Loftis
Do you struggle with how to fit a faith routine into your life? It’s hard to prioritize time for prayer and reflection in our busy, over-scheduled lives, but when we come up against those moments that stretch us beyond our normal limits and make us question the very foundation of our faith, turning to that connection that we have already been establishing day by day to God can be crucial for us to lean on when nothing else makes sense.
Author and podcaster Cleere Cherry Reaves clung hard to her relationship with God when her son Sledge, who was born three months premature, fought for his life. Author Larry Loftis shares about the incredible bond Corrie ten Boom had with God, and how she bravely trusted His guidance to do what was right as she helped hide Jewish people in her home who were fleeing Nazi oppression during World War II. The relationship these women built daily with God informed their responses to heartache and tragedy.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Cam Ayala
Upcoming interview: Dionne Warwick
Interview Quotes:
“I feel like when we were in the hospital, before Sledge came home and that daily experience, I felt like the veil between heaven and earth was thinner than a sheet. It was so obvious to me that God's presence is the miracle.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves
“We learned how to walk through waves that once fell like tsunamis. We learned how to operate and say, ‘Lord, this is not our preference. We would love to take [our son Sledge] home, but we know that Your ways are higher, Your plan is greater, and You are working miracles all around us. Help us see those miracles.’” - Cleere Cherry Reaves
“Life really is a gift, it's pure grace. And I think when we operate from that, we really can fight for contentment in any circumstance.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves
“Miracles are not always water into wine, or the healing that we had expected. Miracles are a million different things in a million different ways.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves
“Fight for a life that operates in contentment and peace that isn't based on what's happening in the world or what's happening to us… I know that good is happening here because God is here.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves
“When we think of people that have to go through things like [what Corrie ten Boom faced], we think Well, they're superhuman. But these were regular people. And what's inspiring is that you have these normal people that rise to the occasion.” - Larry Loftis
“Lots of people hid Jews in the Netherlands, so [Corrie ten Boom is] not unique in that sense. She's not unique in that she suffered, where she's unique is this: Corrie forgave everybody.” - Larry Loftis
“[Corrie ten Boom] traveled the world sharing the gospel, sharing her message of peace and forgiveness and what had happened to her and her family and how the answer was in Christ and He will give you the strength to forgive as He's done for her and her family.” - Larry Loftis
“Corrie is unique in that she was able to forgive the hardest people to forgive, people who were cruel to you, people who betrayed you, people who were responsible for the death of your family. Corrie realizes that, I can't do it on my own, but with God's grace and God's help, I can do it. That’s the big takeaway, because we're all called with the great commission to share the gospel.” - Larry Loftis
“We can look at what Corrie did to forgive the hardest people in the world, to forgive what she [forgave], and use that as our inspiration—with that example and with God's grace, we can forgive, too.” - Larry Loftis
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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