An Evening with Elie Wiesel

[stovebolts]

I'm still buzzin from last night :D What an inspiration!

Rochester College (http://rc.edu/anniversary/wiesel.php) invited Holocoast survivor and acclaimed author / humanitarian Elie Wiesel to come speak at the colleges 50th anniversary with the requierment that he give a new lecture. :wink: The topic was "The Power of Language for Reconciliation."
http://www.wxyz.com/content/onairlinks/ ... 78a0375952

http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/eliewiesel.aspx
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed Elie Wiesel as Chairman of the President's Commission on the Holocaust. In 1980, he became the Founding Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. He is also the Founding President of the Paris-based Universal Academy of Cultures and the Chairman of The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, an organization he and his wife created to fight indifference, intolerance and injustice. Elie Wiesel has received more than 100 honorary degrees from institutions of higher learning.

 

[stovebolts]

Elie made a very profound statment last night. He said something to the effect, (and I hope I'm close to what he said)
Questions.. questions, questions. Often there is not, nor will there be a direct answer to a question. But later on that question may bring up another question which leads to another question which leads to another, and perhaps one of those questions just may be the answer to the question, so we find the answer not contained within the answer, but rather in the question. It has never been questions that have seperated humanity, it has always been the answers.

I'm reminded of Jesus when he was a child,

Luke 2:46 (ASV) And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them, and asking them questions:

I don't believe Jesus was asking questions that he didn't know, but rather he was asking questions to see what others understood. For as it is written;

Luke 2:47 (ASV) and all that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

Later, in his ministry he asks;
Matthew 22:45-46 (KJ2000) If David then called him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither dared any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Rarely do we find Jesus giving answers but rather, we see Jesus asking questions.

 

[Carol Lowery]

Wow thanks for the spiritual food......that was good.

Kudos HIM,
Carol

 

[stovebolts]

Hi Carol :smt006

Yes, it was spiritual food :D And I got to listen to his wisdom for over an hour! I'm trying to find out if I can get a copy of the lecture in electronic format from the college so I can post it on God Tube. I tell you, I'm still buzzing from it!

I've always had an interest in the holocost and often I've used this verse to show hell on earth, since hell in this passage refers to a phyical location just south of Zion with an erie past.

Matthew 10:28 (kjv) And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Consider this, Elie is a practicing Jew, not a proclaimed Christian. I purchesed one of his books "The Night Trilogy" last night and had a chance to read a portion of it. I'd like to share if I could. It's not for the faint of heart... See how what he writes rings true with what Jesus said...

In one passage he states;

In the beginning there was faith - which is childish; trust - which is vain; and illusion - which is dangerous.
We believed in God, trusted in man, and lived with the illusion that every one of us has been entrusted with the sacred spark from teh Shekhinah's flame; that every one of us carries in his eyes and in his soul a reflection of God's image.
That was the source if not the cause of all our ordeals.

In another area he wrights;

Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.
Never shall I forget that smoke.
Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.
Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live.
Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.
Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.
Never


Later he goes on to write as children were being hanged.

I heard someone behind me groan, "For God's sake, where is God?"
And from within me, I heard a voice answer;
"Where is he? This is where -- hanging here from this gallows."

and in other area's he writes how the children were being thrown into the fires... alive.

If there was ever a literal hell on earth, the consentration camps were it with Hitler presiding over all it's grandure and glory. But through it all, there is beauty in lament, becuse what I saw coming from Elie last night was beautiful beyond description.... and it made me think about Christ, how he was crucified, the pain, the agony... and the psalmist laments, (Psalms 22) "My God my God, why have you forsakent me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? "... and the lament blossoms into into something beautiful, something sacred as the psalmist concludes, "Psalms 22:31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this."

 

[Carol Lowery]

Jeff when and if you do put on a blog, will you let me know. Lord, Lord just reading that puts such a quickening deep in my spirit right to the core of my soul. Wow! I had to fight back the tears, and my spirit Wow my spirit just...I don't know how to discribe it, except to say I needed that spiritual food......that's meat n potatoes there. Thanks...

I only experienced the Shekhinah Glory once. I was at this church that starts praying Saturday night and prays all night until Sunday morning. I walked out about 3 in the morning to just get a breath of fresh air, and behind me someone else had came out too. But when the doors opened I could hear with such a blast of ferverent prayer for Israel, and it instantly pierced my soul to the deepest part of my spirit. As I heard the crying out to God, cries that anguish your heart, and I began to weep and pray. And as I lifted my head something caught my eye and I looked up and on the roof was this huge, I mean real huge cloud sitting on the roof of this little church, and when I saw it, it brought something up out of me that all I could do is cry.....just cry. I went up to the door and step inside and asked the usher to please step outside, and when he looked up he cried out My God, My God YOUR Shekhinah Glory and began to weep as he walked back in to let the Pastor know. I went to try and get myself together by walking to the parking lot and as I turned around a couple of people were looking up over me. As I looked up there was this little cloud of Shekhinah Glory over my head following me to the parking lot, I don't know what happen except to say the next thing I know that I'm flat on my face sobbing in the stupid parking lot and I can't get up, so I began to pray along with the roar of prayers coming out through the walls of that little church. But I got to say my faith increased in such a volume, that all doubt was and has been removed ever since. When I pray, and ask in HIS name, I know that I know it will be answered in HIS timing/season.

Got to go they just call me on my son-in-law they may be getting ready to do surgery. Please everyone keep Barry in your prayers again.

Kudos HIM,
Carol

 

[Carol Lowery]

Hey thanks for the spiritual food Jeff, cause believe me I needed a dose of that after dealing with this stuff. Just got back from the hospital. Lord I feel like I'm in a tug of war with prayer and what the doctors say. I pray for healing and one doctor says surgery, go to the hospital and they said no, going to try something else first (some new method) then if that don't work they'll do surgery. Been going through this for the last 2 weeks in and out of four hospitals, now back at the first one he went to. So I just lean on the Lord to fix it.....Father knows best. Later....got to get my butterbean in bed. With this all going on she's really acting out, so hopefully after our prayer time she'll feel better, but she has come to me about five times today wanting to pray for her daddy. She says the sweetest prayers to her Jesus, you can't help but tear up to her little hearts desire for him to be better.

Kudos HIM,
Carol

 

[stovebolts]

Hi Carol,

Glad your enjoying. I picked up Elie's book, "The Night Trilogy" and have had a really hard time putting it down. If I can get a copy of Elie's talk with us at Rochester, I'll make sure to post a link in this thread.

Thank you also for sharing your experience, isn't it awe inspiring! As far as starting a blog, this site is my blog :D

Barry will remain in our prayers, as with the rest of your family. As far as your little butterbean, I'm sure she senses the uncertainty around her and it is good that she knows were to turn. I'm reminded of what Jesus said,

Matthew 18:2-5 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever shall receive one such little child in my name receives me.

I believe there is something wonderfully innocent about a child when they pour out their little hearts to the Father... something that we as adults, taking on the role of teacher, the role of adviser, the role of comforter should be reminded of.

 

[Carol Lowery]

Jeff,
Well they've went down the throat with a camera and found nothing. They're suppose to go in the bottom half with a camera today, but apparently he's packed in the upper intestines and they're trying to flush him out sort a speak so they can go in and check the bowels. The Lord spoke upon my spirit in prayer that it was his liver. I told my daughter to please have the doctor's check his liver. To do a core sample on the liver, cause sometimes blood test are not enough to check the liver. I notice yesturday when I went to see him those florescent lights really show a patients true color and he had a slight yellow tint to his skin. So again today I told her please Brand have them check the liver.....it's in my spirit. So I trust she will persue it, cause when the Lord told me she was pregnant with our grandson, I went up to her and placed my hand on her tummy and asked her so when were you going to tell me you're pregnant? She said I'm not pregnant and I say go get a pregnancy test, the Lord says you are....so now we have a grandson. So with the experiences she's had with the Lord revealing things to me to pray about or to inform, I believe she'll push it for the doctor's to do it. In the mean time I'm trusting in the Lord in prayer and staying calm knowing there's tremendous support here in prayer too, along with the 65000 prayer warriors that Gail and I have in our ministries with Cambridge Dove. So thanks Jeff, and everyone for your support.

I got to share this so I stand in complete truth before my bretherns here. A couple of weeks ago, I don't know what happen with Barry but he come home here drunk.....and I mean fall down drunk. My daughter was livid to say the least, and I must admit I was beyond that. To the point that I would not allow him in the house in that condition. I make it clear to everyone there's no drunks allowed in my home.....I don't care who you are. I lost my only child when he was 12 to a drunk driver and I don't need someone shoving that fact in my face in my home. It's like someone shoving a big pile of dog poop in my face to me, and I don't need to be reminded how he died, I'm very well aware of how he did. But I went outside and man he stunk and I couldn't stand the smell. So I stood there while he's crying and telling me he loves me and pops. Well to me that's talking out of both sides of his mouth to me, and I don't have patience with that. Cause if your words are true then why are you here drunk in front of me knowing how my baby died. So I walk up the steps back into the house without responding to him. Then Brand came running in and said he collaspe on the ground, and can you help me get him up. I told her no! Brandi I wouldn't even help a cripple drunk who fell out of their wheelchair let alone one who can walk, and you know this. She said it was his stomach and he wanted an ambulance. I said not at my house for a drunk, so they took him down to the store and call an ambulance.

Well now she's back from the hospital and they went up in the other end and found nothing. So tomorrow they're going to check the liver and gallbladder......thank you Jesus. So thank you everyone for supporting us in prayer.

Kudos HIM,
Carol <><

 

[stovebolts]

Hi Carol,

Sorry for the delay in responding. Got pulled away yesterday.

Thanks for sharing and we'll be sure to continue to pray. Let us know what they find out about his liver and gallbladder.

I had to snicker about your attitude w/ drunks. My Dad is an extremely honest man and when one of us would end up in the pokey, he'd refuse to
a. Bail us out.
b. Accept collect calls.
c. Visit
d. Leave money.
e. Any other assistance in the matter.