Substituting the Spirit

“We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone… (We) have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord, and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost.” 

-A. W. Tozer

What's in a Wordle?

Have you ever thought about the words you use?  Through Wordle, I was able to analyze my blog posts, looking at the frequency with which I use certain words.  It's fun to step back and take this "big picture" look at my writing.  I guess I'm not too surprised by what I found out :)

Sisters of the Common Life

In her biography of Amy Carmichael, missionary to India for fifty-three years, Elisabeth Elliot discusses the ways in which Amy sought to disciple the women who joined her family as fellow servants and laborers for Christ.  What strikes me in particular about this extraordinary group is the “confession of love” that each woman committed to before gaining admittance to the group, which was known as the Sisters of the Common Life.  I love how this poetic vow summaries the core truths each aspired to as they desired nothing less than godliness and perfect devotion to Jesus Christ. The confession of love is recounted by Elliot on pages 241-242 of A Chance to Die:

My Vow.

Whatsoever Thou sayest unto me, by Thy grace I will do it.

My Constraint.

Thou art able to keep that which I have committed unto Thee.

My Joy.

To do Thy will, O God.

My Discipline.

That which I would not choose, but which Thy love appoints.

My Prayer.

Conform my will to Thine.

My Motto.

Love to live, live to love.

My Portion.

The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance. 

Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will, O Lord our God. 

May we, women of God and fellow heirs to this sisterhood, take up the servant's heart and commit our lives to the pursuit of nothing less than whole-hearted love and devotion to our God. 

Happy Birthday Blog! You're 2 Years Old

I can't believe it's been two years since I began this little blog of mine.  It's been so much fun to have an outlet for my writing

I also can't believe how life has changed in those two short years... when I started this adventure, I was knee-deep in graduate school, spending sleepless nights grading student papers on "why Odysseus is a hero," and maintaining a full schedule of volunteer activities.  Since then, I have:

- Traveled!  My trips to South East Asia and Central Asia certainly top the list :)
- Became a Master... by finishing my M.A. degree
- Started an incredible job... and then got promoted to a job I love three months later!
- Narrowed down my volunteer activities so I can truly pour myself into the things about which I am passionate
- Made many sweet new friends (who live as close as the room next to mine and as far away as cities around the world)
- Bought a car!
- Gained a puppy nephew that I love to spoil rotten
- Read 42 books
- Ran through a field of sunflowers in the countryside of one of the most beautiful countries (bucket list item - check!)
- Lived in three different houses... all within 5 minutes of each other
- Stood by my Mom's side as she kicked cancer's butt (bravest, strongest woman I know!)
- Finally made it to Passion as a "door holder" (an incredible experience that really deserves its own blog post)
- Grown, changed, laughed, loved, learned, and so many other things - I am thankful.

It's been an exciting couple of years, and I am so thankful for the many ways I see God working in my life, perfectly orchestrating even the tiniest details to weave together my story.  Every day I'm learning more and more about what it means to abide with Christ and dwell in His presence.  I'm so looking forward to the things to come and I can't wait to share a little bit of my journey with you. 

Just for fun, here are a few of my favorite posts from the last two years:

God's Plan for Your Life and Figuring Out Your "Calling" - January 17, 2011

What Does the Bible Have to Say About Food? - September 22, 2011

I'm Not On Hold - May 25, 2012

A Piece of My Heart - June 26, 2012

So Much More to Come - July 10, 2012

Living Every Day on Purpose - July 24, 2012

A Lesson on Potting Soil - July 30, 2012

Waiting Expectantly - December 7, 2012

Dapper

Doesn't Mr. Darcy look so handsome in his tie?

27 Million

Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day - an estimated 27 MILLION people are in various forms of slavery around the world (including the US). Do something about it:

http://enditmovement.com/

By the way... 27 MILLION is the equivalent of all the people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. (July 1, 2012 numbers)

We're in it to end it.  Are you?

Friday Thoughts

I'm reading Amy Carmichael's biography, A Chance to Die, which is beautifully written by Elisabeth Elliot.  As I was reading during my lunch break, I came across a few quotes that I'd like to share with you.  They are mostly unrelated to each other, but I ask that you take some time to think through these important words:

“The great passion of Amy Carmichael’s life was uttermost love, which meant uttermost obedience.  The prayer of Jeremy Taylor was always hers:  Lord, do Thou turn me all into love, and all my love into obedience, and let my obedience be without interruption.” (p. 151)

“Often she ministered to professing Christians.  But, they said, the kind of Christianity she presented would cost too much…’We know what it means now, and it is very inconvenient,’ said one.” (p. 158)

“A few lines from On the Threshold of Central Africa, by M. Coillard, spoke for Amy, ‘If those friends who blame… could see what we see, and feel what we feel, they would be the first to wonder that those redeemed by Christ should be so backward in devotion, and know so little of the spirit of self-sacrifice.  They would be ashamed of the hesitations that hinder us.  But we must remember that it was not by interceding for the world in glory that Jesus saved it.  He gave himself.  Our prayers for the evangelization of the world are but a bitter irony so long as we only give of our superfluity and draw back before the sacrifice of ourselves.’” (p. 164)