advice for life.

    

Someone asked me recently if I had any advice to impart. (Because -- you know-- I'm so darn awful wise.) Instead of saying something profound and helpful, I stuttered and managed to spit out a few words. What are you supposed to say when you're asked for advice?

It bothered me that I was unable to answer properly. But, a few days later, I came across this:


ROMANS 12

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

 

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

 

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
 ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

___________________________________________________________________________

      

          Paul has written a list of ways to lead a godly life; to put love into action.

So, if anyone else ever asks me for advice, then I will promptly refer them to this list and say: "here is your advice for life right here!"
I myself will be striving to apply this scripture to my daily life, because I desire to be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. "This is your true and proper worship."

noticing miracles

          Some time ago I asked my lovely writer friend Erica to come up with a guest post for my blog.
She willingly agreed and sent me the finished product this morning. I had to read it several times because it is so wonderful and thought provoking and wise. Because of the importance of this message, I believe everyone should take time to read these beautiful words written by one inspiring person!

 

 

I’ve been thinking about the nation of Israel lately.

We read though the Old Testament last year.  And believe me, reading through the entire Old Testament in one year really drives home the point about how good the Jews were at falling away from God.  It’s this endless cycle.  They’re faithful to Him, so He rewards them and makes them prosperous.  And because they’re so prosperous, they get complacent and start worshipping other gods.  So God punishes them.  And then they call out to Him, and he rescues them.  So they’re faithful to him, and he rewards them and makes them prosperous.  And so on.  And on.  And on.

And I must admit, I was tempted to laugh at them sometimes.  Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought something like this while reading the Old Testament: “Seriously?!  They saw God perform a miracle right in front of them.  He led them through the desert in a pillar of fire.  He parted the Red Sea for them.  He defeated Jericho for them.  How in the world could they just turn around and forget all that, and start worshipping other gods?  The nation of Israel was just so silly.”

Raises hand.  Yes, I’m guilty of thinking this, too.

But I’ve been thinking lately, how often do we do the same thing?  How often do we see a miracle from God and then just turn around and continue living life as if it had never happened? 

You may be thinking, but I’ve never seen a miracle from God.  I’ve never had anyone in my life miraculously healed, or been miraculously protected, or anything like that.  That may be true.  I don’t think I ever have either, though I believe those kinds of things do happen. 

But that’s not the kind of miracle I’m talking about.  I’m talking about little everyday miracles, the things we pass over without even thinking about it or don’t even think to notice.  Have you ever had something you’re nervous about go surprisingly well?  Or been somewhere at just the right time to do something you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do otherwise? 

Have you ever really stopped to notice the miraculous beauty of Autumn?  Or the miracle of new life in the spring?  Or even the miracle of life itself?

You see, we do exactly what the Jews did in Old Testament times.  We see a miracle, and maybe even marvel over it for a little while, then turn around and forget about it.  And we continued living life like we would have if it had never happened. 

So I guess the main point of this whole thing is that I’ve made it my goal lately to try not to forget everything God has done for us, and to try to see His presence in all the little miracles most people miss.  And I’m wondering if you’d like to make that your goal too.

come to me all who are weary



 

Weariness. It’s a word that vibrates through our being when we hear it. It makes us think of long dragging hours when we cannot find the strength to move, when our minds turn blank and our eyes close heavily. It describes our surrender to Life’s challenges and frustrations. 

Satan takes advantage of our tiredness. He knows that our walls of fortitude have fallen and we are too weak to resist. “When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.” –Deuteronomy 25:18

God doesn’t want that to happen; He offers us a constant, unwavering invitation to find rest in Him. Do we accept his invitation? Or do we shrug it off and say ‘I can handle this. I’m not tired.’ We try so hard to do things on our own, but all we end up doing is getting angry and spinning in circles until something trips us up. It’s humiliating and exhausting. We hate it, yet we keep trying with a dogged determination.  God spoke to this people, to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”—but they would not listen.” Isaiah 28:11-12

 

What if we accepted God’s beckoning call? Would the inward battling go away? Would the burden of exhaustion be lifted from our shoulders? Yes! God remains faithful to his promise and gives us the quiet strengthening peace that we ask for. He protects us; He surrounds us with His favor as with a shield. Not even Satan can reach us and runs away defeated! Weariness no longer hinders our soul and we soar on wings like eagles.

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31

 

~being yourself~

          Just the other day, while I was wasting a few minutes on the internet, this ad popped up. (Thanks a lot, viruses for flooding my computer with useless tabs.)  It said something to this effect: “10 ways to become a new person and gain popularity.” My first reaction was to cringe with disbelief; then I simply gaped with revulsion at the horror of this advertisement. Who would ever want to change their personality merely to ‘get’ friends?  

            Slow down there Laurel. I’m pretty sure you’ve wanted to trade out your identity before. 
 

I am not an outgoing person. It’d be easier for me to cut a hole in the ceiling and fall through than to converse with a stranger or tell stories at a party. Instead, I am perfectly content to hang back and listen—maybe respond with some simple phrases like: “yeah! I know what you mean!” “really? That sound’s great!” etc.

Society doesn’t exactly deem this behavior as “attention-worthy.” That’s harsh—I know ‘cause I’ve been there. If you’re not the life of the party, then you feel like people are judging you for even showing up. If you can’t tell funny jokes or make people laugh, then you feel like a total failure. And you wish—that for once in your life—charisma was a tangible thing and you could steal it.

Yup. I’ve wanted to change my identity plenty of times. But (even if it were possible) would that be the logical thing to do?  

            I think not. God made us the way he intended us. He is a purposeful God—perfect in every way, so I don’t believe he made a mistake when he gave us our reserved and quiet natures. That doesn’t mean we will ever be popular by the world’s standards, but we won’t be ‘friendless’ either. In fact, our friends (no matter how few) will always be more true and loving towards us than hundreds of fans. 

            So have confidence in yourself! You’re not socially backwards—and you definitely don’t need some article on the internet telling you to ‘become a new person’ just to ‘gain popularity.’ Just be yourself.

"Missionary life is simply a chance to die."

This book. Is amazing.

            Do you know that jittery excited feeling you get when something you read is so impactful and full of truth?  That’s how you feel when you read this book by Elisabeth Elliot. The life story of Amy Carmichael is so beautifully captured in this book that it kind of takes your breath away. And not only is it a narrative of her missionary work—it is also a way to be prayerful about your own spiritual journey.

 

   

Amy’s entire life was a witness to God. She was not perfect—in fact she often had doubts or made mistakes, but she openly admitted them and constantly sought Truth and Righteousness.

“Give me the Love that leads the way

The Faith that nothing can dismay

The Hope no disappointments tire

The Passion that'll burn like fire

Let me not sink to be a clod

Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God”

― Amy Carmichael 

 

One person who knew Amy well said: “Miss Carmichael was a blessing to all who came into intimate and understanding contact with her radiant life.  She was the most Christ-like character I ever met, and her life was the most fragrant, the most joyfully sacrificial that I have ever known."

      Amy was also humble and faithful.  God used her servant nature to work for others and He used her deep faith to move and inspire. Miss Carmichael started the Dohnavur Fellowship in India (which is still alive today--you can see their website here), she wrote dozens of books, became the mother to hundreds of children, and devoted 53 years of her life to missionary work without furlough. 

    

In so many ways I wish I could be like her, but then I tell myself: 'Laurel, all you have to do is believe with the same fiery devotion and then let God work through you.' That's all Amy had; her Faith and her Savior. But she built up a legacy and touched countless lives with her contagious love and compassion.

 

“There have been times of late when I have had to hold on to one text with all my might: "It is required in stewards that a man may be found faithful." Praise God, it does not say "successful.”

― Amy Carmichael 

“to the glory of His name let me witness that in far away lands, in loneliness (deepest sometimes when it seems least so), in times of downheartedness and tiredness and sadness, always always He is near. He does comfort, if we let Him. Perhaps someone as weak and good-for-nothing as even I am may read this. Don't be afraid! Through all circumstances, outside, inside, He can keep me close.”

― Amy Carmichael 

In closing, I urge you to pick up her biography (or perhaps one of her own writings.) Then you’ll see for yourself what wonderful things God wrought through her life!  

 

Other reading material on Amy Carmichael:

•  http://www.gfamissions.org/missionary-biographies/carmichael-amy-1867-1951.html
• http://www.historymakers.info/inspirational-christians/amy-carmichael.html
• http://www.corrinesimpson.com/amy-carmichael/
• http://www.youngandmarried.net/?s=amy+carmichael

create in me a pure heart

I have a confession to make:

I am imperfect. 

There are times when I am vain and boastful; I talk about myself too much, say things against others. My thoughts are impure, my actions unjust. Sometimes I just feel weighted down with uncleanliness. It’s a horrible tainted feeling which I’m sure every single human being has experienced.  

That’s when Psalm 51 comes in handy. Reading that passage is like washing off all the caked on mud in a hot shower! The words pour over you like water.  

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 

What assurance we can draw from that very verse alone!  

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…. 

We are humans—fallen short of the glory of God. But there is a difference between living in sin, and admitting our shortcomings to God and striving constantly to follow Him.  

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  

These are only segments from Psalm 51. You have to go read it for yourself to get every bit of wonderfulness from David’s song! I’m just putting it out there because we are broken and we need to feel God’s unfailing love and the joy of His salvation!

Priceless

My dear friend Catherine is a lovely writer! When she showed me this poem that she wrote I thought it was perfectly gorgeous:) Henceforth, Catherine is graciously letting me share it on my blog. Here 'tis:

 

A mirror is my enemy

Showing all my flaws

So many flaws

My face clouded with shame

I turn away

Forgetting I am perfect in God's name

Priceless

An unending battle

No matter how much

It is never enough

This I know

I will not give up

Yearning to be beautiful

God, let me see through Your eyes

The beauty that cannot hide

Beneath the shallow waters

That I am drowning in

I am a child of God

Priceless

An unending battle

No matter how much

It is never enough

This is know

I cannot give up

Yearning to be beautiful

Jesus I give up this fight

I am Priceless

Lift my eyes to Your light

I am Priceless

Shame is no more

I am Yours

I am Priceless

You ended my battle

No matter how much

You are always enough

Now I know

I surrender to You

I am beautiful

Priceless

 

--Catherine B. 

1 Timothy 2:1-3

       
¹ I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior…” -1 Timothy 2:1-3
 
These past few weeks have been days of uncertainty for our country; there has been a lot of friction between political parties which has overflowed into the personal lives of every individual. That's why I wanted to share this passage with you. No matter what your political stance is, God desires prayers and petitions on behalf of those in authority and for all people.

Petition that the leaders of our country will stand on principle and fight for what they believe. Pray that God will give them wisdom to make right decisions. Ask God to intercede on behalf of the welfare of America, and be thankful that we are indeed a nation under God.

Doing so will fill our lives with peace, godliness, and holiness. It will please God our Savior.

From the inspiredwomanblogs.blogspot.com

    

The Lord is my STRENGTH

Trust and Obey

This is a short message I wrote for our church newsletter. Hope you enjoy it!

Last time I wrote for the Bell, I briefly mentioned the joy we experience when we come to know Jesus. But today I want to talk about something else that brings us joy! Can you guess what it is? It is obedience.

But how are they even closely related? The answer can be found in John chapter 15:

 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing……..If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Jesus is really good at using imagery! He uses a vine and branches to describe our relationship with Him. Without Jesus (the vine) we cannot do anything---we wither and are thrown into the fire. (John 15:6) But if we abide in Christ, and obey God’s commandments our branches become heavy with fruit.

I want to interrupt this lovely imagery by asking you a question. How do you feel after finishing a huge project? You probably feel relief right? You feel like you’ve conquered something—you feel accomplishment. Well, if we keep God’s commandments, we are not only fruitful, but we are full of joy! That’s how obedience and joy are related. Obedience is the source of our fruitfulness and joy is its result.

As the old hymn goes: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey!”

the grace of a cheerful heart

Psalms 68:3says: “may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.”

Joy is something we should experience when we accept Jesus as our Savior! Unspeakable, unstoppable, incomprehensible JOY!!

So, what does joy have to do with a cheerful heart? They are interrelated. Joy is an expression of happiness, a state of being. Cheerfulness is an action; willingness, pleasantness, and merriness. Once joy is instilled in us, then cheerfulness comes as a second nature.

How can we be happy ALL the time? There’s always something in our lives to beat us down; politics, death, work deadlines, etc. There is an answer: simply let Jesus shine through you! Give up all of your burdens to Him, communicate to Him incessantly, and openly praise Him. It’s not that hard to be a happy person when you’ve got Jesus behind you! Even if there are difficult things we have to deal with, complaining and being grumpy isn’t going to improve the situation. Instead, having a positive outlook is going to lighten the load.

So what do we get for being cheerful and joyous? People are most likely going to notice us. “Who is that person? She looks really happy. Is she like that all the time?” or “Wow, he looks like he’s full of joy. I wonder why.” This opens up an opportunity to tell them the reason you’re happy! The combination of your faith and the joy you express will probably make an impact on them. You can evangelize to others by being joyous!

Also, the book of Proverbs states that “all the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.”  Having a cheerful heart makes our lives rich and abundant---not wretched! When Jesus gives us his unconquerable joy, Satan is unable to destroy our lives.

            “Let us seek the grace of a cheerful heart, an even temper, sweetness, gentleness, and brightness of mind, as walking in His light, and by His grace. Let us pray to Him to give us the spirit of ever-abundant, everspringing love, which overpowers and sweeps away the vexations of life by its own richness and strength, and which, above all things, unites us to Him who is the fountain and the centre of all mercy, lovingkindness, and joy.” –John Henry Newman

overlooking the small stuff

     My life is pretty routine: get up, feed the animals, do school, eat dinner, go to bed---you get the idea. So naturally, I start complaining about the lack of excitement. I have burning desires to travel, to climb Mount Everest, to meet William Fox-Pitt, to write a novel in Australia, to play polo, etc. But, until I'm ready to face one of these adventures, I have to content myself with what I have and appreciate the small stuff--the 'simple pleasures' as Mom's friend says.
    
     Seemingly unimportant things are hard to appreciate when oftentimes we don't even acknowledge them. I challenge you to become aware--take in everything around you and realize how pleasant life can be when the small stuff occurs.

 

SMALL STUFF:

1. Receiving a letter from your good friend who wrote you 'just because'
2. Settling down with a good book and a cuppa tea
3. Being able to fluently quote poetry
4. Feeling confident about your appearance
5. Finding that one Bible verse that's been running through your head for days
6. Checking things off of the to-do list
7. Turning in an essay and knowing you did a really good job
8. Making your friend laugh (and laughing so hard that your abs hurt)
9. Successfully building a fire in the woodstove (without smoking the house up too much)
10. Smelling bread bake in the oven
11. Galloping across the field into the sunset
12. Walking uninhibitedly throught the mud barefoot
13. Using long vocabulary words frequently in your speech
14. Making somebody at church smile
15. Belting out lyrics to a country song on the radio
16. Listening to elderly people tell stories of their childhood
17. Haunting antique stores
18. Sightreading sappy love songs out of the Reader's Digest piano book
19. Telling a lame joke
20. Playing full registration on the pipe organ at church--well aware that everybody on the entire block can hear you
21. Getting a difficult math problem right the FIRST time
22. Crying because you're happy

     Yup. I'm still trying to be content with what I've got, but it's awful hard considering how rampant my imagination runs sometimes. Living epically is such a sweet temptation.............

church camp

I know I haven’t written on my blog in a long time but this time with good reason! Last week I went to 2012 NEOLA CYF Conference (in other words, church camp for youth).

Beginning on Monday, 58 campers gathered together for the full camp experience including zip lining,  making new friends, games of gaga (a game with which we were slightly obsessed), late nights out, talent show, dancing, bug bites, cold showers, and many more small things which make up the fond memories everybody has of camp. But because it was a Christian church camp, we also had Bible studies, worship every night, prayer partners and key-point scriptures. Despite how little sleep I got, I came away from camp rejuvenated and ready to become a witness of God.

It was sad (naturally) to leave camp, but I am looking forward to next year—even more so than usual because I signed up for council. That means I get to meet up with other council members and help plan the week of next year’s camp. It’s like being a camper and a leader at the same time!

So in conclusion to this rambling blog post I would like to say that camp was an amazing experience for me. The Bible studies taught me much about our Savior, and worship was especially personal and meaningful to me. I will continue on through the year using camp as an example to hold up for others and remembering sincerely the large step forward which I took in my spiritual journey.

He is Risen!

     Happy Easter Sunday! Today was a lovely day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

     On our way to church this morning, Mom was reading to us some Easter prayers by Peter Marshall (The Prayers of Peter Marshall by Catherine Marshall.) Now I know that I have a tendency to quote other people on my blog a lot! but this prayer was so inspiring that I just had to share it with you....

     “We thank Thee for the beauty of this day, for the glorious message that all nature proclaims: the Easter lilies with their waxen throats eloquently singing the good news; the birds, so early this morning, impatient to begin their song; every flowering tree, shrub, and flaming bush, a living proclamation from Thee. O open our hearts that we may hear it, too!

      Lead us, we pray Thee, to the grave that is empty, into the garden of the Resurrection where we may meet our risen Lord. May we never again live as if Thou were dead!

     In Thy presence restore our faith, our hope, our joy. Grant to our spirits refreshment, rest and peace. Maintain within our hearts an unruffled calm, an unbroken serenity that no storms of life shall ever be able to take from us.

     From this moment, O living Christ, we ask Thee to go with us wherever we go; be our Companion in all that we do. And for this greatest of all gifts, we offer Thee our sacrifices of thanksgiving.”               Amen.  

“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.”

Matthew 28:6