Empowered to Connect

I have shared about Karyn Purvis and her wonderful book entitled, The Connected Child, one of the best recources on parenting a child who has come from tough circumstances.  The website, Empowered to Connect, is a must see if you are an adoptive or foster parent. 

Please check out some information on a couple of upcoming conferences being put on by Empowered to Connect at A Bushel and a Peck website.  She is also having a drawing for a give-away of an Empowered to Connect DVD.

Have a great weekend.   ~Lori

Isaiah 40:1-2

I just finished reading a book by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones called “The All-Sufficient God – Sermons on Isaiah 40″.  I found it very comforting as well as convicting.  I also loved the reminder that you find Jesus in the whole Bible!  The book is based on a series of sermons that were preached in Westminster Chapel by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in 1954.

In the book, there are nine sermons/sections of Isaiah 40.  I begin a series of posts with the first two verses, chapter one of the book.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her
that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. (Is. 40:1-2, ESV)

This section of scripture is a message to Israel.  The Lord showed the prophet Isaiah (in preceeding chapters) what was going to happen to the nation – that it would suffer and exactly how it would be carried out.  But Isaiah now gives a further message, which is that these people will be rescued and delivered from the captivity of Babylon and will be restored to their country and to their city of Jerusalem. 

“Many of the verses of Isaiah 40 are quoted in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, where it is made perfectly plain and clear that over and above the immediate reference to the children of Israel in the captivity of Babylon, we also have here a marvelous foreshadowing and indication of the Christian gospel that was to come.” quote from book, pg. 2

The author talks about the gospel being unknown and/or misunderstood by the world. He says, “If we take as our standard, the common ideas about Christianity, then we must go astray.  If we do not come to the Bible itself, and if we do not believe its message, then how can we have a true conception of the gospel?” 

He goes on to explain where the gospel comes from:

“The first thing we must always realize about the gospel of Jesus Christ is that it is a message sent by God.  It is God who is speaking here.  It is God who is giving a message to this man Isaiah.  It is God who is saying, ‘Comfort, my people.’  It is God, the Almighty God Himself, who is ordering Isaiah to speak.  Why do I start with that?  It is because if we are not clear about that, we will never be clear about anything else.  The first thing we must understand about the Christian way of life and the Christian way of salvation is that it is entirely and altogether from God.”

He goes on to say that there are misconceptions about God’s character.  That He is sometimes regarded as being “opposed to us” or a God who “delights in punishing us”.  In contrast, Lloyd-Jones also states that there are many who hold another view – that salvation is the result of their own effort, that they have decided and desired to live a better life and have given themselves to that.

Lloyd-Jones says that the Bible confirms that those assumptions are both wrong!  He says,

“The first statement of the gospel is that it comes from God, it is God’s action, God’s activity.  I do not care where you open the Bible, that is what you will find.”

The first man and woman started in a right relationship with God, but they could not stay there.  They went their own way.  And, instead of God writing them off and letting them reap the consequences of their choice, He did the only thing that could be done to rescue them and to redeem them.  I am comforted by the fact that God made a promise to Adam that He would provide a way of salvation.  We see this promise repeated all through the Old Testament.

…..that her iniquity is pardoned,  that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

God tells us that he is pardoning us because he is satisfied with the punishment.  His justice is satisfied.  That is the very heart of the gospel.  Because of God’s holy and righteous character he cannot just arbitrarily decide to pardon sin.  He has said that he will punish sin and he does that.

Jesus was crucified – took our punishment and the force of God’s wrath – for us.  The Son of God, blameless and perfect paid for our sins. That sacrifice is what satisfied God’s justice.  Our sins were paid for with Jesus’ blood!  And because of that sacrifice God announces pardon and forgiveness.  The sin that estranges us from God has been dealt with.  The way to God is open again and we are reconciled to God in Jesus Christ, his Son.  Wow!

Isn’t God’s grace and love towards us amazing? 

Romans 5:18-21  Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 1:7 -10  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Take the time to know God through His Word.  We are so privileged to have it.

Trusting in God’s Sovereignty

I think that learning to trust in God’s sovereign hand in my life and in all of creation is a lesson that I will be learning my entire life.

I have had several hard “valleys” come along in my life in order to learn this lesson.  I have found that God has been merciful in preparing me ahead of these great times of darkness so that I was able to grope my way through them – knowing that the Lord was walking along beside me and with a knowledge of His love for me and his promise to cause all things to work for good in my life.  Just so you understand where I am coming from, God’s “good” he brings into my life is that He is making me into a more perfect reflection of Christ to the world. (Rom. 8:29  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.)

It might be the earthquake in Haiti, the collapse of a bridge in Minneapolis, 9/11, or a personal trial that stops us in our tracks.  These tragedies leave people hurt and questioning God’s involvement.  We have two choices, don’t we?  We can believe that God is in complete control of His creation – which includes people and nature – OR - we can believe that God isn’t able to stop bad things from happening, but is hoping that He can make something good come out of them after the fact.

Matthew 10:29-31  are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

With a belief in the first choice we may not always “like” what has happened, nor do we understand “why” it has happened, but we can safely and securely rest in the knowledge that God was in complete control of the circumstance and has ordained that it come to pass - either by His allowing or causing. 

In the second choice, we are left to wonder what may hit us next and will we have any idea of any purpose in these tragedies when they come.  There is no comfort, no security in this choice is there?

Thank goodness we do not make a choice!  Whether we choose to believe it or not God IS in control of all things.  He is almighty and sovereign over all his creation.

Daniel 4:35  He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.  No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?‘

I was just re-reading an article in Tabletalk magazine by R.C. Sproul, Jr.  He says this about God’s sovereignty:

……….How, though, can we move from simply affirming the sovereignty of God to resting in it?  We will rest in His sovereignty when we remember not just that He is almighty, but that He who is almighty loves us with an everlasting love.  It is because He is with us in the valley of death that we do not fear.  It is because He has prepared a table in the presence of our enemies that we can be assured that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives……………………Psalm 46:8-11  Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.  He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.  Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I think this is an important step – remembering that we are children of God and that He loves us.  We are not making a choice between believing that God is sovereign OR that He is good and loving.  He is both.

Jerry Bridges says in Trusting God, “The one element that should distinguish the suffering of believers from unbelievers is the confidence that our suffering is under the control of an all-powerful and all-loving God; our suffering has meaning and purpose in God’s eternal plan, and He brings or allows to come into our lives only that which is for His glory and our good.”

Psalm 33:10-11  The LORD fails the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.  But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Romans 11:33-34  Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”

Isaiah 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Another quote from “Trusting God“,

“As God’s rule is invincible, so it is incomprehensible.  his ways are higher  than our ways.  His judgments are unsearchable and His paths are beyond tracing out.  The sovereignty of God is often questioned because man does not understand what God is doing.  Because He does not act as we think He should, we conclude He cannot act as we think He would.”

This is not an easy doctrine to grasp.  I am, however, so thankful that God taught me this before Grant died because it would have been SO MUCH HARDER to go through that if He had not.  As I said in the beginning, I am still working on this.  Every day.  The Christian walk is a road of faith in a God Who has revealed Himself to us in His word and we seek to learn more about Him every day.  It is a journey.  How thankful I am for the hope and security we have in eternity because of what Christ accomplished on our behalf!

Augustine said, “Nothing, therefore, happens unless the Omnipotent wills it to happen: he either permits it to happen, or he brings it about Himself.”

The Power of the Resurrection

I just read about a new book by Adrian Warnock entitled, “Raised With Christ“.  There is an interview with the author at Justin Taylor’s blog. 

I sincerely encourage you to go read the post and listen to the video – it is only about eight minutes long.  I promise you that it will fill your eyes with tears and your heart with wonder when you are reminded of the benefit that has come to us through not only Jesus’ death, but His resurrection!

Here is what one reviewer says about the book:  “Raised with Christ is wonderfully accessible to ordinary Christians because Adrian Warnock is, in his own words, an ordinary Christian. Those who follow his popular blog will recognize his sincere and straightforward style, as he explains why the resurrection is not merely a dry doctrine about a past event but a promise that the life of the risen Christ can transform our lives today.”
—Nancy Pearcey

I can’t wait to get this book!

Free Online Books

I found a link to some free books you can read in PDF files online by D. A. Carson.  One of them is a fairly short book (93 pages) entitled The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God that was written from several lectures he gave on this subject.  An excerpt explaining why the doctrine of the love of God would be described as “difficult”:

Suddenly the Christian doctrine of the love of God becomes very difficult, for the entire framework in which it is set in Scripture has been replaced. To put this another way, we live in a culture in which many other and complementary truths about God are widely disbelieved.  I do not think that what the Bible says about the love of God can long survive at the forefront of our thinking if it is abstracted from the sovereignty of God, the holiness of God, the wrath of God, the providence of God, or the personhood of God—to mention only a few nonnegotiable elements of basic Christianity.The result, of course, is that the love of God in our culture has been purged of anything the culture finds uncomfortable. The love of God has been sanitized, democratized, and above all sentimentalized.

This process has been going on for some time. My generation was taught to sing, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love,” in which we robustly instruct the Almighty that we do not need another mountain (we have enough of them), but we could do with some more love. The hubris is staggering.

He goes on to say that is isn’t just the world that believes incorrectly about the love of God.  Unfortunately, we often hear a one-sided view of God’s character even from believers.  This is a really good book that will get you thinking about what you believe about the Biblical teaching of the love of God and how that affects the way you view Him.

Take a few hours and read this book.  I think you will enjoy it!

Must Read Adoption Books

I remember frantically looking for good books when we began our adoption process with the girls and I felt like the resources available for information on older child adoption was scant.  I wasn’t even given many ideas from my agency and so I felt a bit unprepared. 

I did read some material, but I have to admit that I read it with some skepticism.  The one book I did read about older child adoption before the girls came was “Adopting the Older Child” by Claudia Jewett.  Quite frankly this book scared the pants off me.

I think that is a problem with many people who are entering into adoption – we don’t really want to know the possible reality.  The problem with that is if we come home with a child who has some fairly serious issues we may want to give up.  This isn’t what we signed up for! we may say.  I have heard too many sad stories of disruptions (if you aren’t in the adoption world, this means that the family has the child for a period of time and wants to give them back).  It often seems like the family isn’t even giving the placement the time to know what the outcome will be.  Adoption must be entered into realistically and with resolve to see it through.

Our agency for Levi’s adoption is Journeys of the Heart and although I think they are a bit overboard on their education requirements   I have appreciated a few of the books they required that we read.

One of those is  “Our Own, Adopting and Parenting the Older Child” by Trish Maskew.  It is full of useful information for a first time adoptive family.  She asks and answers the questions that are in your mind when you enter into the unknown of adoption.  She even states the questions and fears that you will find flooding your heart and mind once you finally meet your child.  Let’s face it, adoption is not easy.  We have to be honest and talk about the feelings we have and the problems that we face.  We can’t be afraid of these issues that we may or may not face when we bring our child home.  We make a committment to these children – to love them and give them a home and security – FOREVER.  We have to be realistic about that process.  This is a book that EVERY family thinking of adopting for the first time should read.  I found my copy at my local library.

Another one of the books I recently started to read is called,  “Parenting Your Older Adopted Child” by Brenda McCreight, Ph. D.  She has a list of challenges for the adoptive parent and then a list of strategies to overcome those challenges.  I think it is very good information.  A few of the challenges are:

A belief that love is enough to heal the child and maintain the family.

Unrealistic expectations about your child’s abilities.

Unrealistic expectations about how soon after the placement you will feel like a “family”.

One statement she makes that I really think is key is that we need to emphasize commitment over love.  Adoption is a commitment to a child.  Here is a quote from her book:

“Emphasizing commitment, rather than love, is a key element to long-term success in an adoptive family.  The feeling of love can be elusive to parents during times of prolonged stress and unrewarding parent/child relationships.  Our child, too, may find it easier to love us at some stages rather than others.  Still, if commitment is a sacred and articulated value within the family, then your child will learn from you how to hold on as the adoption relationship undergoes the twists and turns of family life.”

Adoption isn’t getting a puppy from the humane society to see if it will work out.  I don’t mean to be flippant, but I am distressed when I hear about a family who wants to disrupt an adoption after one month.  Either these people were not properly educated beforehand or they were living in a fantasy world.  Adoption has no place for either of those scenarios.

We do not choose the child that is born to us do we?  We have no control (or very little) in what their health will be, what their personality will be, what their struggles will be.  We don’t look into getting rid of them as soon as the going gets tough.  We must have the same amount of desire to make things work for our adopted children as we would for our biological children.

Sorry, off my soapbox now.

A MUST READ book for understanding the mind and heart of a child you are adopting who has come from a “hard place” (author’s term) is The Connected Child, by Karyn Purvis.  This book is absolutely wonderful.  I cannot say enough about it.  She has practical help for disciplining these kids and it works!  You cannot expect to discipline your adopted child in the exact same way that you have disciplined your birth children.  I had to learn that lesson.

Another wonderful book that addresses the sometimes complicated issue of attachment is Attaching in Adoption by Deborah Gray.  I read this book before the girls came, but really want to read it again.  As I have found with other books, it is just different to read them now that I have experience.  My eyes are now open and I resonate with what is being said and I am much more eager to hear what they have to say.

There were a couple of books I had to read on transracial adoption.  I wrote a post about one of those books (Inside Transracial Adoption) if you want to look it up.  If you are adopting a child from another culture – whether or not they have different color skin from you – you should read some books on this topic.  I was shocked at my lack of knowledge in this area.  I live in a white world and didn’t know what it is like outside of it. 

If you have read a book on adoption that you think is a “must read” please leave me a comment.  I would love to hear what you have to say!  Remember – knowledge is power.

Books I Read in 2009

I was talking with my sister in law about the books she got for Christmas and was planning to read for next year and it got me thinking of all the good books I read this year.

I try to spend time reading every day.  I don’t get to read as often or as much as I would like, but I squeeze it in when I can.  This year I also spent a lot of time reading adoption books for the education requirements our adoption agency has for its families.

Not in any particular order, but from what comes to mind first, I read:

The Prayer of the Lord, R.C. Sproul – a great book on prayer.

In Christ Alone, Sinclair Ferguson – a reminder of the inportance of the cross in our daily lives.

A Chance To Die, Elisabeth Elliott – a biography of Amy Carmichael – so inspiring!

Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias – a great book that shows the differences in beliefs between Christianity and other religions.

Discovering God’s Will, Sinclair Ferguson – very straightforward and convicting book on trusting and obeying God.

The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood, Susan Hunt and Barbara Thompson – a call to biblical relationships between younger and older women.

Treasuring God in Our Traditions, Noel Piper – neat ideas for keeping Christ the center of your family celebrations all year.

Keep a Quiet Heart, Elisabeth Elliott – an easy to read, daily devotional style book of personal anecdotes and spiritual wisdom.

The Gospel According to Jesus, John MacArthur – a heart changing read!

The Word and the Spirit, Charles Spurgeon – this book is about the person and work of the Holy Spirit – I have enjoyed it (not quite finished!).

Trusting God, Jerry Bridges – this has become one of my favorite books!

Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges – ouch!  (very convicting!)

The Character of God, R.C. Sproul – the second time I have read this book on Who God is.

Don’t Make Me Count to Three, Ginger Plowman – the best book I have EVER read on discipline.

The Connected Child, Karyn Purvis – the most wonderful and practical book you can read if you have a child that has dealt with hard things in their past.

A Taste of Heaven, R.C. Sproul – a book about worship.

The Ultimate Priority, John MacArthur – another book about worship – I loved it!  His premise is that we need to worship God with our lives every day of the week – not just on Sundays.

Family of Adoption, Joyce Maguire Pavao

20 Things Adopted Children Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew, Sherrie Eldridge

Inside Transracial Adoption, Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall

Attachment in Adoption, Deborah Gray (still working on this one!)

Whew!  I may have missed something, but that gives you an idea.  I honestly have a stack of books I want to read this coming year and I will do my best to tackle them! 

I would love to hear from you if you read a great book this year and want to pass it on!  I am always looking for reading ideas.

Happy reading!

There’s More!

A few weeks ago I wrote a post called Take Up Your Cross.  I didn’t really cover that subject from all sides and wanted to elaborate on it. 

The Lord graciously spoke to me recently when I was watching a DVD called, “The Blazing Center” by John Piper where he delivers a teen version of his “Christian Hedonism” theme (devoting yourself to finding your joy solely in God) from his famous book, Desiring God.  (As a side note, I will mention that many things seem to be on sale at the Desiring God bookstore if you are interested in shopping.)

I was reminded that we are not only commanded to obey God, we are commanded to obey God with joy - or a right attitude.  I demand this from my girls all the time.  Our mantra is “obey right away, all the way, and with a joyful heart.”  That is exactly what God wants of me as well.

Psalm 100:1,2  Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth!  Serve the Lord with gladness!  Come into his presence with singing!

Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say, Rejoice.

Psalm 37:4  Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Doesn’t it seem as though God is commanding us to be joyful and to delight in Him?  It is just another command that we do not obey in our own strength, but with God’s grace helping us.

There is another aspect to joy.  That is that we, as God’s children, are promised a heavenly or future reward.  I think of how the author of Hebrew’s described Jesus:

Hebrews 12:1,2   Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus certainly had a hard road to walk during His incarnation.  He endured it – in part - because He knew the joy that was before Him.  The joy I think He looked forward to is partly what it says at the end of verse 2, “and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”  He had joy knowing there was a reward.  Of course, He also had joy that He was obeying His Father and giving Him glory – just as we should.

Do you think we shouldn’t be joyful knowing there is a reward at the end?  The Bible says that Moses did.

Hebrews 11:24-26  By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 

I guess I am trying to remind myself that although I may face trials and suffering in this life, the reward – not just in the future, but even the blessings God has for me now in my trial – are worth far more than any pleasure I might find in living my life for my own fleshly desires.

The most recent part of the Blazing Center DVD I watched talked about our vertical relationship with the Lord and that when we find our joy and contentment in that relationship it allows that joy to overflow out of our life – horizontally - into the lives of others.  That is how the world sees Jesus’ love in us.

Now, isn’t that what the Christian life is REALLY about?

A Chance to Die

I finished reading Elisabeth Elliot’s biography of Amy Carmichael entitled A Chance to Die.  It has been a few weeks since I finished it, but I haven’t had a chance to sit down and put together my thoughts about this book until today.

Amy Carmichael was a driven woman.  Her drive was not to be successful or happy.  Her drive was to serve God and bring Him glory while bringing people who didn’t know the Lord to the knowledge of Him.  She must have been an oddity in her time – a woman, unmarried, young, and with an intense feeling God was calling her to be on the mission field in 1892.  She was a true disciple who did not turn away from tough situations.  She allowed God to guide her steps and plans.  She began in Japan, but ended up in India and stayed there for fifty-three years.  She established Dohnavur Fellowship, a refuge for children in moral danger – children who were orphaned or unwanted and sold to the temple.  She became the mother of these children.

Amy was not a saint.  Amy was a sinner just like you and me.  She had many faults.  I think what sticks most with me after reading this book was her undivided focus on finding God’s will and doing it – whatever it cost. 

One thing I hear over and over from people who have gone above and beyond what most of us do to obey and serve God with our lives; and that is that they are questioned about whether that is really what they should be doing.  “Aren’t you doing too much?”  “Aren’t you too young to be responsible for so much?” ”Do you really think God is asking you to do that?”  Why are they questioned in this way?

Perhaps it is because we judge them by our own standards – or our own fears.  But, don’t you think that when things are attempted that are beyond ourselves we are met with the power of God and that is why things can be accomplished that seem impossible to us?  What a blessing it can be to be part of this kind of work!

Amy had to confront the Hindu religion with all its superstitions and many gods.  There is one story recorded in the book about a morning when Amy picked up a hand bell and rang it to gather the servants for prayers. 

“The cook’s small boy, pointing to the bell, said, “It’s a god.” 

(From Amy’s journal)  I looked at the thing, it had a scratched face on the handle, and the face, he declared, was Ram’s.  I think the young scamp meant nothing more serious than a bit of mischief, but I knocked the bell handle off and pushed it into a fire which was burning near.  He could never say that again!  They all looked on, servants and coolies, and nobody said a word.  Would a god let me do that?  I asked them, and walked off, carrying the battered bell.

Another time she was in the hills walking and saw three stones under a tree which her Indian co-worker Saral said were heathen idols.  “To see those stupid stones standing there to the honor of the false gods, in the midst of the true God’s beauty, was too much for us.  We knocked them over and down they crashed and over they rolled forthwith.  Oh the shame of it!  It makes one burn to think of His glory being given to another.”

She has several statements attributed to her that are recorded for history.  In response to a fellow missionary who said that she would not last for long if she lived in huts and among the people she said, “I would rather burn out than rust out.”

Something else she often spoke of was the opportunity she had to give her life for Christ.   This desire is where the title of the book, “A Chance to Die” comes from.

She found out during her time in India that doing God’s work was not always glamourous.  She came to have a small band of women – Indian ladies who had forsaken their earthly wealth and position to serve God with her. 

The women of the Band were learning that if the Lord of Glory took a towel and knelt on the floor to wash the dusty feet of His disciples (the job of the lowest slave in an Eastern household), then no work, even the relentless and often messy routine of caring for squalling babies, is demeaning.  To offer it up to the Lord of Glory transforms it into a holy task, “Could it be right,” Amy had asked, “to turn from so much that might be of profit and become just nursemaids?”  The answer was yes.  It is not the business of the servant to decide which work is great, which is small, which important or unimportant – he is not greater than his master.  (A Chance to Die, pp 182,183)

At a crucial time in the ministry in India one of the other missionaries, Thomas Walker, a man she had come to hold a great respect for, unexpectedly died. 

Excerpt from the book:  Kind people, wanting to console, made the usual observation: “It is very hard to see how this can be for the best.”

“We are not asked to SEE,” said Amy.  “Why need we when we KNOW?”  We know – not the answer to the inevitable Why, but the incontestable fact that it is for the best.  “It is an irreparable loss, but is it faith at all if it is ‘hard to trust’ when things are entirely bewildering?”

Others, with a sigh and shake of their head, observed that it is difficult for us human beings to escape bitterness, even dumb rage, when such things happen.

“It is indeed not only difficult, it is impossible.” Amy wrote.  “There is only one way of victory over the bitterness and rage that come naturally to us - To will what God wills brings peace.” 
(A Chance to Die, p. 220)

I wish that I was more ready to trust God and His providence.  How much more peaceful my life would be if I did.  Too often I still ask God to explain “Why?”  And, he  never has answered that question.  He doesn’t need to. 

The one trait that always accompanies the lives of people who are doing great things for God is a devoted prayer life.  I have always felt that I fall woefully short in this area.  What could God do in my life if I devoted an hour to prayer every day?  Why is it so hard to set that time aside?

Amy had three rules of prayer that helped her “family” to save time and energy in prayer meetings. 

1.  We don’t need to explain to our Father things that are known to Him.
2.  We don’t need to press Him, as if we had to deal with an unwilling God.
3.  We don’t need to suggest to Him what to do, for He Himself knows what to do.
(A Chance to Die, p. 365)

I find those interesting rules – and certainly fitting.  How often I break them!  I always think I know how God should take care of things.  Isn’t it funny that I am NEVER right?

I would definitely recommend your reading this encouraging and challenging biography of Amy Carmichael.  It could change the way you look at the task – whatever it is! – that God has called you to do.

Have a great weekend.  Lori

Odds and Ends

I got an encouraging email from Ligonier Ministries Blog entitled, ”Facing Our Fears”.  I think it is a topic we all face far too often.  Here it is:

 by R.C. Sproul

We are fragile mortals, given to fears of every sort. We have a built-in insecurity that no amount of whistling in the dark can mollify. We seek assurance concerning the things that frighten us the most.The prohibition uttered more frequently than any other by our Lord is the command “Fear not.” He said this so often to His disciples and others He encountered that it almost came to sound like a greeting. Where most people greet others by saying “Hi” or “Hello,” the first words of Jesus very often were “Fear not.”

Why? Perhaps Jesus’ predilection for those words grew out of His acute sense of the fear that grips all who approach the living God. We fear His power; we fear His wrath; and most of all we fear His ultimate rejection.

The assurance we need the most is the assurance of salvation. Though we are loath to think much about it or contemplate it deeply, we know–if only intuitively–that the worst catastrophe that could befall us is to be visited by God’s final punitive wrath. Our insecurity is worsened by the certainty that we deserve it.

Coram Deo: Listen to God’s Word to you today: Fear not!

Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Luke 12:32: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Hebrews 13:6: “So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” 

Free Book Download:

You can downloand John Piper’s book, Desiring God, for free on Christian Audio during the month of November.  They offer a different free book download every month.  You just put it in your cart and go through the steps and then download it.  It is easy!  You can sign up for their email notices and that way you get notice every month on what is free.

It started out foggy yesterday, but eventually turned out to be a beautiful day.  It looks the same out today and I am hopeful to that see that sun burn through again!

Have a great week.  Lori