Doing the Next Thing

Ran across this jewel from my favorite Amy Carmichael Devotional today and was so encouraged: Rom. 8:37 - 'more than conquerors' James 1:2 R.V. - 'Count it all joy...when ye fall into manifold temptations.' Amy says, "Sometimes when we read the words of those who have been more than conquerors, we feel almost despondent. 'I shall never be like that,' we feel. But they won through, step by step, by little acts of will, little denials of self, little inward victories, by faithfulness in very little things they became what they are. No one sees these little hidden steps, they only see the accomplishment; but even so, those small steps were taken. There is no sudden triumph, no spiritual maturity that is the work of a moment. So let us all take courage; not one of us is too weak to be made more than a conqueror." She goes on to compare God's sanctifying us through trials to the physical training of "lifting heavy burdens" -- weight train...

I don't take any credit for this. My sweet longtime friend, Wendy, introduced me to Nancy Wilson's blog a couple of years ago. Yesterday we were discussing this post and I was telling her how it made a big impression on my heart and how I've been applying it. Mrs. Wilson wonders if Paul had mothers in mind when he wrote I Thessalonians 5:14 "Admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." Don't you agree with her that's a very good description of mothering? I made myself a sign out of the verse, printed in one of my new favorite colors (orange :) and mounted on a slip of scrapbook paper. It now hangs prominently in my kitchen, where I see it often - to serve as a reminder of my job description. It's been posted for about a week now. I find it interesting that each time my one of my children has a need - a need that "interrupts" my "work" and I'm tempted to get frustrated - meeting the ne...

And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39 My heart ached for my Mom, who is feeling the emotional and physical strain of caring for an aging parent. As I chatted on the phone with her, my mind searched for a word of encouragement. It came from one of my heroes and spiritual mothers, Amy Carmichael. Since we all experience seasons of stress that seem never-ending, I thought I'd share the passage, from the book Gold Cord: The Story of a Fellowship, with you dear readers. The words actually come from a letter, written by Amy's dear friend and co-laborer Ponnamal. She wrote to Amy at a time, early in the Dohnavur Fellowship, when illness went through the nursery, killing babies daily and those ministering to them were weary in body and soul. "All is windy about us now, but the wind will not last always. The waves beat into our little boat; but when the Lord says, 'Peace, b...

While she was no Wordsworth, Amy Carmichael was a prolific poet. I have a volume entitled Mountain Breezes : The Collected Poems of Amy Carmichael . Here is my very favorite: "Rose From Brier" by Amy Carmichael Thou hast not that, My child, but thou hast Me; And am not I alone enough for thee? I know it all, know how thy heart was set Upon this joy which is not given yet. And well I know how through the wistful days Thou walkest all the dear familiar ways As unregarded as a breath of air; But there in love and longing, always there. I know it all; but from thy brier shall blow A rose for others. If it were not so I would have told thee. Come, then, say to Me: My Lord, my Love, I am content with Thee.

Our women's Bible study this semester is on the book of Deuteronomy. I found a word this morning from Amy Carmichael that I thought fit in nicely. " The people are greater and taller than we; The cities great and fortified up to heaven; And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim [giants] there." Deut. 1:28 Amy says, "Faith does not hide difficulties or belittle them." (Reminds me of Burroughs in Rare Jewel -- it's ok to admit that it's hard to face trials. It's ok to ask for the Lord's help and relief. It's not ok to despair and grumble.) Back to Amy: "Let us look up. What are all these things -- peoples, cities, giants -- to the Lord our God ? The Lord your God who goeth before you, He shall fight for you. (Deut 1:30 )" Whatever our "giants" are: difficult relationships; parenting struggles; financial needs; unemployment; caring for an aging parent; a house that won't sell ... we must remember that "great...

Since reading is my absolute favorite hobby, I have several books going at any given time. Books for fun; books to inspire me as a homemaker; books to grow me in my faith; and books to stretch my brain. I wrapped up several books in the last few weeks and decided to share a few thoughts from each. So here goes... Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I've been a longtime fan of Austen's works, but had somehow never read this one. Since I absolutely love the film version (the one directed by Ang Lee, starring Emma Thompson) I decided it was high time I read the novel. All of my favorite Austen elements are there: witty dialogue, clever prose, humor, good characterization (especially Elinor, who you can see from my sidebar reminds me of myself,) true love that almost escapes. However, while S & S was a very enjoyable read, Pride & Prejudice remains my favorite of Miss Austen's novels. I can read P & P over and over again. Gold Cord: The Story of a Fellowship ...

Fans: Our family is addicted to fans! I contemplated that fact with some frustration as I began packing for our trip to the beach. If you were to visit our home in the dead of night, you would hear no less than 4 small box fans whirring away as the family sleeps. I'm not sure how it started - perhaps when our oldest was a babe and we had a monster german shepherd that barked at everything. And now - let's face it our house is a noisy place! The pleasant white noise of a fan helps a baby settle down for a nap in the midst of the commotion. Our favorite is this Honeywell version; we've been through many of them over time! And so, as we load up the suburban, we will be taking along our 4 favorite little black Honeywells! The Lord gives the increase: I have happy news - my dear sister is expecting her second baby in April! After years of waiting on the Lord, she gave birth in Jan. 2006 to the cutest little girl you've ever seen. It has been a joy for me to watch her become...

In my devotional reading, I recently came across one of my favorite notes from Amy Carmichael. She quotes Deut. 2:3, "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough." Many times we find ourselves compassing mountains of discontent, guilt, worry ... going round and round and round the wilderness of un-Christlike thoughts. "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough, turn you northward." We all need to be challenged to repent of our faithlessness, receive His grace, put those destructive thoughts behind us, and move forward in the call of God in Christ Jesus. As we prepare for a long road trip with our crew, I was thankful for that challenge today. May my mind move "northward" to Heaven today even as tomorrow we move northward (literally) in our car!