From one who inspires me to write from my heart:

Father, I know that all my life
Is portioned out for me,
And the changes that are sure to come
I do not fear to see;
I ask Thee for a present mind,
Intent on pleasing Thee.
I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
Seeking for some great thing to do
Or secret thing to know;
I would be treated as a child
And guided where I go.
Wherever in the world I am,
In whatsoe’er estate,
I have a fellowship with hearts
To keep and cultivate.

I ask thee for the daily strength
To none that ask denied,
A mind to blend with outward life,
While keeping at Thy side;
Content to fill a little space,
If Thou be glorified.
There are briers besetting every path,
That call for patient care;
There is a cross in every lot,
And an earnest need for prayer;
But a lowly heart that leans on Thee
Is happy anywhere.
In service which thy will appoints
There are no bonds for me;
For my inmost heart is taught the truth
That makes thy children free.
A life of self-renouncing love
Is one of liberty.

(This prayer is written by Elisabeth Elliot.  If I could sit down and share a conversation with her, oh how I would never be the same again.  She inspires me although I have never met her in person, only read her amazing and beautifully written manuscripts.  I hope that I can write even a fraction of how personally and powerfully she writes.  Thank you LORD, for Elisabeth Elliot, she is awesome!!!)  

Twelve “Ordinary” Men

Twelve “Ordinary” men teach us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. They show us that God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise, that no flesh should glory in His presence, and that in our weaknesses, we are made stronger. They had the right raw material for His use: inquisitiveness, to know and understand things and thus solve problems; initiative, that makes things happen because they grab opportunities by the throat; and finally, involvement that not only shows the way, but goes the way in this battle we call life. This Raw Material allowed them to be used by God as they learned daily to submit to Him as you and I do. They remind us, that in spite of sinful tendencies and spiritual weaknesses, the LORD wants to use you and will sustain and preserve you no matter what. Let’s take a closer look:

Peter- had a tendency to be outspoken at times, but Jesus used Him to be a leader for the group who boldly proclaimed the Word of God.

Andrew- shows us a person who was eager to follow Christ and had a zeal for introducing others to Him. He saw the value in individuals and their worth to God.

James- had an intense fervor and intensity as a man of passion that tended to get him in trouble. He learned to be more sensitive and graceful with people but maintained his passion and zeal. He gained more patience and self-control as a result of following Jesus.

John- was transformed into a man of balance, a man of love. He thought and wrote in absolutes. He dealt with certainties. He understood the necessity of drawing a clear line.

Philip- we learn to have the right heart and be people of faith that are constantly being made stronger. We also learn to lay aside our materialistic, pragmatic, common sense concerns and learn to lay hold of the supernatural potential of faith.

Nathanael- he loved the scripture which ultimately brought Him to Jesus. He was a seeker after divine truth, sincere in His love for God and His desire for more of His truth. From him we learn the value of total commitment to Jesus.

Matthew- was a tax collector, and in those days tax collectors were merciless cheats. When Jesus called him, he completely surrendered all and became a man of Great Faith.

Thomas- is often referred to as a doubter, but aren’t we all at times? But check this out, he had bold courage to be loyal in the midst of his pessimism. He was an example of strength to the rest because of his deep devotion to Christ. He loved and longed for Jesus. Read his story again, and see if you do not see this in him!!!

The Other James- He was a follower of Christ. Beyond that, not much is known about Him. But, he was obedient in that he denied himself, took up his cross, and followed Jesus when He called him.

Simon- was a zealot. He had a fiery enthusiasm that made him an effective vessel for Jesus’ use.

Judas (Not Iscariot)- had three names (Judas, Thaddeous, Lebanous). He had a child-like heart. He followed the Lord whole-heartedly and was faithful to the end.

Judas Iscariot- the traitor- He devoted his whole life to following Jesus, but never gave Him his heart. Seven lessons we can learn from Judas Iscariot are:

1. Lost opportunity is a tragedy.

2. Do not waste your privileges.

3. The Love of Money is the Root of all evil.

4. Spiritual betrayal is ugly and dangerous.

5. Jesus is patient, foreboding, good, and is full of loving-kindness, who does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance- it’s our choice!!!

6. The Sovereign Will of God cannot be thwarted because Satan is the worst liar of them all.

7. Hypocrisy is full of deceitfulness and fruitlessness.

Matthias- replaced Judas Iscariot, in Acts. Not much is known of him, but he followed the way of the Lord and was an obedient vessel for His use.

Which of Jesus’ Twelve “Ordinary” men (disciples) do you most identify with??? Chances are, there is at least one, two, or more. The Faithful disciples’ love for Christ overcame their worldly ambitions. They were chosen by the LORD, empowered by the Spirit, and used by God to carry the good news (the truth) of the Gospel to the world in their day. Such is our commission, straight from Jesus.

Adventures in Narinia

“It’ll probably happen when you are not looking for it…but you have to keep your eyes open.”

I am Lucy walking through the wardrobe for the first time, so many dreams, so many opportunities lie ahead in store for me.  What is next?  I do not know, but I am willing to embrace it, embrace it with the child-like faith of “Lucy the Valiant” who uninhibitedly, willingly walked into the vast, unknown, wonderful world where she would one day reign as Queen.

In the same way, I am not of this world.  I am a child of the King from a Kingdom not too far away.  I have been sent here to do His will as His ambassador.  I am the Queen of His heart because He loves me with an Everlasting Love.

When my work for Him is complete, He will take me to my True Home to reign with Him in all His Glory.  I am destined, as I can look forward to the day when I will stand before Him and He proclaims to me, “Well Done, thou good and faithful servant, Enter into my dwelling, you have been faithful with little and I will make you faithful with much, then, I will be with Him forever in His Throne Room of Grace where I am Captivating in His Presence!!!

Eragon’s Intimacy

As a parallel to my last entry, True Intimacy is experienced when I yearn to know more, with every ounce of my being, about another.  It occurs when I long to know that person, to be around them at whatever the cost.  It is when I  know that person so well that I need them like water, like breath.  It is how every minute of my relationship with God should be.

Eragon communes with Saphira as we are to commune with God.  As Saphira desired this closeness, so God longs for this closeness with us, afterall, I am His workmanship.

No matter what Eragon goes through, Saphira is right there beside him, strengthening him and giving him the courage to face whatever enemies and trials await him.  She protects him as she fights in his place.  This is the way it will be if I stay in close fellowship with God.  Nothing will be impossible for me because He is right there beside me strengthening me and holding my hand as he fights for me.  If He is for me, who can be against me???

Saphira also imparts critical wisdom to Eragon throughout his journey because she appears to know beyond to the hereafter.  Though he may not welcome it at all times, Eragon heeds her wisdom as he has learned to trust and depend on it especially during perilous times when the attack is most severe.  When I walk close to God, He reveals His truth to me.  No, not all at once, and not exactly what I want to hear all the time, but always what I need to hear when I need to hear it the most.  As I begin to heed His voice, His word will radiate my life and I will begin to shine His love to those around me.

As Eragon walked with Saphira, so should my walk with God be.  It is a relationship of constant learning to depend on Him, learning to trust Him for my every breath.  It is by His wisdom coupled with His love that I live and breath and have my my being, and am enabled to walk in close fellowship with Him in His light.  When I have this intimate relationship with someone, I will do anything for them so as to not disappoint them.  No, I do not want to disappoint my God.

Hidden Secrets from ERAGON

Imagine you woke up one day and found an obscure red rock, this rock seemed to be normal, but little did you know, that inside it beheld an adventure, an adventure that would take you to heights that you could not explain. This sounds a lot like life. What seems to be ordinary, can one day become extraordinary. Once we have begun this adventure, there is no turning back, no second guessing. It is the trip of a lifetime no matter what obstacles come our way. There was no turning back for Eragon that day.

Once he discovered what the rock really was, he wanted to keep it secret, so that no one would know, he feared no one would understand. That was, until he met, Brom. Sounds all to familiar. When you first discover something a part of your dream which is a deep part of you, you want to keep it to yourself, at least until you have talked it over thoroughly with God, then, you feel comfortable revealing it to a trusted good friend, then, when things start intertwining in your life you want to tell the world, it is a fire inside you that you cannot keep silent.

Once the dream becomes reality, you have to keep on trusting, and trusting all the more, clinging to the one who allowed you to realize the dream, and reaching for His strength as it comes about. Eragon had to learn to trust the dragon, Saphira, as we have to learn to trust God, otherwise we will not get anywhere that involves a risk.

Eragon had raised Saphira, and not only raised her, but he knew her inside and out. They had a bond that could not be broken. But Eragon would not fly on Saphira after she had been on a zillion flights and always came back to him safely. He would always ride the horse which was comfortable for him. Saphira was bothered by this lack of trust from Eragon. This upset her and she questioned him about it. After a long dialogue and Brom’s encouragement, Eragon agreed to fly on Saphira. Little did he know it would be the ride of his life, but the first time, he was unsure, uncomfortable. If Saphira did something out of the ordinary he questioned her moves and motives. She answered that she had to in order to protect him, her rider, as well as herself. This was the first ride, and the next thing he knew, he was regularly riding his dragon. His faith and trust in her increased with every ride.

This is how life is. We do not want to step out of our comfort zone whatever that might mean because we are scared. Scared of any number of things going wrong, scared to leave the safety of the known to step out, to take a risk. But in these fears, where is our trust, where is our faith, where is the assurance that everything is going to work out when we take that step. If we want the ride of our life, we need to be willing to take that first step and leave our comfort zone behind, knowing that our all-powerful, all-knowing God will catch us if we fall.

We often think that once we step out and overcome a feat that everything will be smooth sailing, that is not always the case. There will always be bumps in the rode, barriers to cross, and bridges to jump over. We may not like what God is doing, but we can know that what He does is for the best, and we have to be careful to guard carefully our feelings that so easily entangle us and cause us to doubt what God has made clear to us.

Like anything you do, the more you do it, the easier it becomes each time you do it; the more hurdles we successfully cross with God as our guide, the easier trusting Him becomes. Therefore, Cling to Him and Reach for His Strength, and do not be afraid to take risks. Why not???