What a great testimony to the partnership and resilience of Christ-loving people. I first encountered Open Doors at Bible College, reading the highly-recommended memoir of its founder, Brother Andrew. It was titled God's Smuggler and it read almost like a spy novel. Thank you for preserving and highlighting these important stories of courage, love, and strength. We will need them.
Oh wait, last night I read your great piece for Mere Orthodoxy on our coming psychedelic moment. I plan to write about it in today's newsletter. it was really good. Guy who sent it to me is the new editor of re-enchantment book, who really gets the project.
These people are definitely inspiring, and I hope that some younger people see this movie and it will make them at least think. And I don't just mean about politics and ideologies, but how important faith is and how it truly affects your life.
"God gave me everything I have and now that I face persecution because of Him, and am called on to profess my faith in Him, should I now pretend I don’t believe? Should I hide my faith? Should I deny Him?
… We will not allow ourselves to be led to hate, to rebel or even to complain. There are already hundreds of people who can testify to that. That is where our strength and superiority lie. We know how to return good for evil and we know that all our brothers will work harder and more selflessly than others (just as Christ taught us). After all, we are following an old tradition. The first Christians who were persecuted under the Roman empire, though imprisoned by the hundreds, tortured and crucified, were the most self-sacrificing workers, even after they were imprisoned and sent to hard labour in mines. There is no record that we know of which states that they organized any rebellion."
When I saw the pic I thought he looked remarkably English, now I see why I thought that - very Tolkien like indeed. I think its in the smile/joy in his face.
I think there's an even better example somewhere, but the last photo in The Tolkien Family Album -- "The Laughing Philosopher" -- helps to show this similarity.
It is true that earlier gen men are reluctant to talk about remarkable things in their lives. Dad and his NASA days, he would be reluctant to talk about that. It was "no big deal" to him.
Women of that generation, too. Some of the greatest operatives in German occupied Europe were women, one of them a lady who had lost a leg.
But it applies as well to the Rosie the Riveters, of whom my mother was one. She worked with spun glass, making it into fiberglass insulation for our naval ships. I have a photo of her and the four or five other women in her crew. They all had to wear heavy rubber suits and masks.
One day, something went wrong, and a shoot of glass rammed itself through my mother's finger. But she always dismissed the work she did.
"It was nothing," she would say. One day, I reminded her that without the fiberglass insulation, our Navy would have sunk.
That is great. I was always so proud of my mother for doing what she did. I learned a few years ago that the Germans had debated putting their women to work in factories, but had decided not to do it because they concluded it would have a deflating effect on German morale. But nothing deflates a country's morale like losing a war.
I was struck by the interview episode at the end of Band of Brothers (surely everyone has seen that by now haha). Every man that they spoke to had two responses: "I was just doing what needed to be done, no more than anyone else," and "the heroes are the ones still over there.
Particularly moving was the last line (I think) of the show. Dick Winters, choked up, said that when his grandson climbs on his knee and asks if he was a hero in the war, he responds "No. But I served in a company of heroes."
Those who survive something like this are a living monument and testimony to those we'll never know about who were faithful to the end. I wonder if that's in the background of the reluctance of Rod's interviewees to speak about it, too.
I was one of the many who made a small investment in this documentary. I am near giddy waiting for it to be released. I lead a small study group in my home where we constantly reference LNBL and TBO. Thank you for what you have given us to strengthen the church for what's coming.
I think that the further east you went the rougher the persecution became. There are stories about fields full of frozen solid Orthodox priests. The communists poured water on them and they just froze solid in the Siberian winter.
Wonderful stories from your trip, Rod. So inspiring. May we all exhibit the courage and strength to face down the soft-totalitarianism of our time with equal grace, faith, and love.
I had forgotten that there's an LNBL documentary Twitter account. I guess the production team is running it. They just posted this short clip of me and the team interviewing Kamila Bendova in her Prague apartment last week. This flat was an epicenter of the Czech anticommunist resistance. Havel and others met there all the time. Kamila wouldn't let us move the round table in the dining room behind us because it had belonged to Vaclav and Olga Havel, but had collapsed when the secret police's recording devices fell out of the ceiling on top of it. The Havels were going to throw it away, but the Bendas asked for it. The repaired it, but Kamila isn't sure how stable it is. It hadn't been moved since Communism fell! Anyway, watch this short clip: https://twitter.com/livenotbyseries/status/1731789303796130195
Wow. So looking forward to this documentary.
AND I think I, too, gave to Open Doors decades ago before the fall of the Iron Curtain!
What a great testimony to the partnership and resilience of Christ-loving people. I first encountered Open Doors at Bible College, reading the highly-recommended memoir of its founder, Brother Andrew. It was titled God's Smuggler and it read almost like a spy novel. Thank you for preserving and highlighting these important stories of courage, love, and strength. We will need them.
Oh wait, last night I read your great piece for Mere Orthodoxy on our coming psychedelic moment. I plan to write about it in today's newsletter. it was really good. Guy who sent it to me is the new editor of re-enchantment book, who really gets the project.
Rod, you never disappoint, you are always a pleasure to read whatever the topic may be.
These people are definitely inspiring, and I hope that some younger people see this movie and it will make them at least think. And I don't just mean about politics and ideologies, but how important faith is and how it truly affects your life.
"God gave me everything I have and now that I face persecution because of Him, and am called on to profess my faith in Him, should I now pretend I don’t believe? Should I hide my faith? Should I deny Him?
… We will not allow ourselves to be led to hate, to rebel or even to complain. There are already hundreds of people who can testify to that. That is where our strength and superiority lie. We know how to return good for evil and we know that all our brothers will work harder and more selflessly than others (just as Christ taught us). After all, we are following an old tradition. The first Christians who were persecuted under the Roman empire, though imprisoned by the hundreds, tortured and crucified, were the most self-sacrificing workers, even after they were imprisoned and sent to hard labour in mines. There is no record that we know of which states that they organized any rebellion."
That is truly the statement of a saint.
Whoa. Does Eugen Valovič know how much he looks like J. R. R. Tolkien, at least in the picture you provided? It's almost uncanny.
When I saw the pic I thought he looked remarkably English, now I see why I thought that - very Tolkien like indeed. I think its in the smile/joy in his face.
I think there's an even better example somewhere, but the last photo in The Tolkien Family Album -- "The Laughing Philosopher" -- helps to show this similarity.
God bless this project.
It is true that earlier gen men are reluctant to talk about remarkable things in their lives. Dad and his NASA days, he would be reluctant to talk about that. It was "no big deal" to him.
Women of that generation, too. Some of the greatest operatives in German occupied Europe were women, one of them a lady who had lost a leg.
But it applies as well to the Rosie the Riveters, of whom my mother was one. She worked with spun glass, making it into fiberglass insulation for our naval ships. I have a photo of her and the four or five other women in her crew. They all had to wear heavy rubber suits and masks.
One day, something went wrong, and a shoot of glass rammed itself through my mother's finger. But she always dismissed the work she did.
"It was nothing," she would say. One day, I reminded her that without the fiberglass insulation, our Navy would have sunk.
My mom was a welding joint inspector at Solar Aircraft in San Diego 1942-43.
Dana
That is great. I was always so proud of my mother for doing what she did. I learned a few years ago that the Germans had debated putting their women to work in factories, but had decided not to do it because they concluded it would have a deflating effect on German morale. But nothing deflates a country's morale like losing a war.
I was struck by the interview episode at the end of Band of Brothers (surely everyone has seen that by now haha). Every man that they spoke to had two responses: "I was just doing what needed to be done, no more than anyone else," and "the heroes are the ones still over there.
Particularly moving was the last line (I think) of the show. Dick Winters, choked up, said that when his grandson climbs on his knee and asks if he was a hero in the war, he responds "No. But I served in a company of heroes."
Those who survive something like this are a living monument and testimony to those we'll never know about who were faithful to the end. I wonder if that's in the background of the reluctance of Rod's interviewees to speak about it, too.
What an amazing journey you’re on, Rod. Congratulations on Phase One!
All our best,
Melissa and John
God speed for your project Rod. I look forward to seeing the finished project. I share information about your book often with others.
I’m really looking forward to it. As a pastor I don’t have a lot, but I put 100 bucks in. It feels like it will be money well spent.
One thing to consider, what kind of licensing can you create for it, so that it can be shown in churches?
I don’t even know what it will look like yet, but I want to share it with my Church !
I was one of the many who made a small investment in this documentary. I am near giddy waiting for it to be released. I lead a small study group in my home where we constantly reference LNBL and TBO. Thank you for what you have given us to strengthen the church for what's coming.
I think that the further east you went the rougher the persecution became. There are stories about fields full of frozen solid Orthodox priests. The communists poured water on them and they just froze solid in the Siberian winter.
I can't 💓 this, but thank you for telling it.
Unfortunately brutality like that is an old Russian tradition. Read about the vengeance St. Olga took on her husband's killers for a grim example.
As someone who majored in 20th century Eastern European political history, I am insanely jealous of you! Great work and keep it comin!
Wonderful stories from your trip, Rod. So inspiring. May we all exhibit the courage and strength to face down the soft-totalitarianism of our time with equal grace, faith, and love.
I had forgotten that there's an LNBL documentary Twitter account. I guess the production team is running it. They just posted this short clip of me and the team interviewing Kamila Bendova in her Prague apartment last week. This flat was an epicenter of the Czech anticommunist resistance. Havel and others met there all the time. Kamila wouldn't let us move the round table in the dining room behind us because it had belonged to Vaclav and Olga Havel, but had collapsed when the secret police's recording devices fell out of the ceiling on top of it. The Havels were going to throw it away, but the Bendas asked for it. The repaired it, but Kamila isn't sure how stable it is. It hadn't been moved since Communism fell! Anyway, watch this short clip: https://twitter.com/livenotbyseries/status/1731789303796130195