Spiritual Sobriety

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I've been looking at this book on Amazon as I saw it was recommended by a friend, but I'm distraught because its sounds unstable, like a building without nails.

From what I can see from the numerous reviews, quotes, and concise descriptions, the author, Elizabeth Esther, endured a childhood dominated by an unhealthy, unbalanced precedence on legalism and religion. But, from what I can see, unless I am mistaken, her story is nothing more than a self-help exercise that took her from over-zealous to the ability to "think for herself" - aka, ensnared by the ruse that basically, our faith depends on us and all get we do and believe, and not on God, who fashioned us from dust, who created the whole world, who sent His only Son Jesus Christ to for on the cross on our behalf. I could go on, but if I did, I would end up copying and pasting at least half the Bible.

Speaking of the Bible, the only Scripture I found from what I read was that which she idly mocked. If anyone has read her book and knows what it is actually about, would you please save me a $10.99 and help me to understand what she's really getting at in her book?

Thank you in advance!

weather or not

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I am not much of one for beating around the bush, so here I go...

Whether or not others agree, I have - all winter and spring long - been finding the occasional snow to be quite a treat; whether or not some or all others complain that April is no time for snow and we 'deserve' better weather, I firmly say, "It is God's prerogative to send us whatever weather He so desires. Whatever He deems best is best, and I am not clay to argue with the Potter who formed me."

Last Saturday night, my mother read aloud a most excellent excerpt from Jerry Bridges' book, Trusting God. I am so glad that she felt led to share it with me and my sisters, and I feel led right now to pass along the blessed words to you. Hang on to your hat, unless you find yourself guilty.

"Complaining about the weather seems to be a favorite American pastime. Sadly, we Christians often get caught up in this ungodly habit of our society. But when we complain about the weather, we are actually complaining against God who sent us our weather. We are, in fact, sinning against God (see Numbers 11:1).
    Not only do we sin against God when we complain about the weather, we also deprive ourselves of the peace that comes from recognizing our heavenly Father is in control of it. [...] Whether the weather merely disrupts my plans or destroys my home, I need to learn to see God's sovereign and loving hand controlling it.
    The fact is, for most of us, the weather and the effects of nature are usually favorable. The tornado, the drought, even the snowstorm that delays our flight are the exception not the rule. We tend to remember the "bad" weather and take for granted the good. However, when Jesus spoke about the weather, He spoke about the goodness of God: "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45).
    Though God sometimes uses the weather and other expressions of nature as instruments of judgment (see Amos 4:7-9), He most often uses weather as an expression of His gracious provision for His creation. Both saint and sinner alike benefit from God's gracious provision of weather. And, according to Jesus, this provision is not merely the result of certain fixed, inexorable physical laws. God controls those laws. He causes His sun to rise, He sends the rain.
    God has indeed established certain physical laws for the operation of His universe; yet moment by moment those laws operate according to His direct will. Again Alexander Carson put it so well when he said, "The sun and the rain minister to the nourishment and comfort equally of the righteous and the wicked, not from the necessity of general laws, but from the immediate providence of Him who, in the government of the world, wills this result."
    We as Christians need to stop complaining about the weather and instead learn to give thanks for it. God, our heavenly Father, sends us each day what He deems best for all of His creation."

Very good stuff. In fact, I would have written all about this in my own words, but I really could not have said it better myself.

So, whether or not creation is yielding weather to your liking, please choose to be thankful and even praise God for the "bad" weather. He knows best.

to gain self.control

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Dragon art by Laurel "Tully" Austin/L.D. Austin

It's been my goal to write even just the tiniest bit to my novel every day. So far, I've made it to every other day, but my diligence is slowly increasing through determination. I have a little over four chapters completed - imagine my sigh of relief! - and am making somewhat slow but steady progress in chapter five. I have many writer friends who are so much more faithful than I am - they are my motivation.
   Fantasy artwork (as shown) is another huge inspiration for me when I need to get cracking on my novel. There's just something magical about it....

I can't walk into our library anymore without the urge to carry out at LEAST five new books! As I told my sister, even if I don't end of reading all of them, it's helpful for me when writing or reading other things; that is, I feel surrounded by inspiration. Standing in the center of a library is like being encompassed by millions of opportunities. Knowing my options helps me decide what steps to take in my writing, and also helps motivate me to finish reading a novel so that I can begin a new one. (So many novels, so little time!)

A dear friend of mine and I agreed that we wanted to begin eating a healthier diet. We both admitted to eating far more sugar than we ought to - a sure way to gain fat, while avoiding it, a sure way to slim down.
    Well, I made it off to a good start this week, but we had pancakes for lunch yesterday, and then French toast for dinner - neither of which is nearly good enough without a thick drizzling of real maple and blueberry syrup. So, today, I've resisted cereal already - although I'm still being tempted, even at this very moment; the characters in my story are eating breakfast, and describing everything is making me hungry - but even though tempted, I know in the long run I will be grateful to not have wasted youthful health on an irresponsible diet that will no doubt come back to haunt me later in life.
    Step one: resistance 0.5 complete.

{I just couldn't resist adding this quote!}

  As far as reading God's Word, I have made a habit of reading at least one chapter every day, and haven't quit the flow for months. (Technically, my mom read to me when I had my wisdom teeth taken out, so those two days don't exactly count, but it's the heart that matters, not the numbers.)
   The struggle now will be making a healthy habit of prayer. I do pray every day, but not as fastidiously as I know I ought.

 
So, lastly, Princess Academy: Palace of Stone. Shannon Hale is my favorite author, and this is becoming a new favorite book. As dreadfully long as it's taking me to read it - I'm a very distracted reader, unfortunately - I've made it well past the half-way mark, and have the hardest time going to sleep at night because I CAN'T STOP! Last night I read at least one more chapter than I probably should have and woke up this morning looking ragged because it wasn't until around midnight that I had fallen asleep. (Not good for a natural early-bird like me!)
    My compliments to Shannon for writing novels that tug at my heart, fill me with a love for her characters, and *whoosh* me away to foreign lands that are excruciating to depart from. Once I can afford it, I'm buying the books of yours that I've read but don't own, and then I'm going to read the rest of your books and probably buy them all, too!

accepted

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Charles H. Spurgeon

Morning by Morning devotional

September 23

“Accepted in the beloved.” 

Ephesians 1:6

What a state of privilege! It includes our justification before God, but the term “acceptance” in the Greek means more than that. It signifies that we are the objects of divine complacence, nay, even of divine delight. How marvellous that we, worms, mortals, sinners, should be the objects of divine love! But it is only “in the beloved.” Some Christians seem to be accepted in their own experience, at least, that is their apprehension. When their spirit is lively, and their hopes bright, they think God accepts them, for they feel so high, so heavenly-minded, so drawn above the earth! But when their souls cleave to the dust, they are the victims of the fear that they are no longer accepted. If they could but see that all their high joys do not exalt them, and all their low despondencies do not really depress them in their Father’s sight, but that they stand accepted in One who never alters, in One who is always the beloved of God, always perfect, always without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, how much happier they would be, and how much more they would honour the Saviour! Rejoice then, believer, in this: thou art accepted “in the beloved.” Thou lookest within, and thou sayest, “There is nothing acceptable here!” But look at Christ, and see if there is not everything acceptable there. Thy sins trouble thee; but God has cast thy sins behind his back, and thou art accepted in the Righteous One. Thou hast to fight with corruption, and to wrestle with temptation, but thou art already accepted in him who has overcome the powers of evil. The devil tempts thee; be of good cheer, he cannot destroy thee, for thou art accepted in him who has broken Satan’s head. Know by full assurance thy glorious standing. Even glorified souls are not more accepted than thou art. They are only accepted in heaven “in the beloved,” and thou art even now accepted in Christ after the same manner.

beauty and the beast

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I love this story.

A beautiful girl sacrifices herself, her freedom, her dreams, all to save the life of her father; she doesn't fall in love instantly, it's something that takes a lot of time. Magic, suspense, comic relief, Disney --- pretty much, it has me written all over it.

Emily and I just recently watched the cartoon, and now we're both trying to play the enchanting theme piece on the piano. I hope to play it at my next recital --- it's a more challenging piece for my level, but so beautiful that I am determined to learn it!

Last year I read Melanie Dickerson's 'The Healer's Apprentice' for the first time. It was fantastic, and I plan on owning it some day; it's honestly one of my favorites! Anyway, I discovered that the same author has another such princess book titled 'The Merchant's Daughter', which I believe is based on the classic Beauty and the Beast fairytale. So, yeah, I think I'll be giving that one a try. But I have a goal right now to not start any other novels until I'm done with 'Stepping Heavenward' by Elizabeth Prentiss. I've been reading that one for over a year (with several books in between), so I need to have this one completed before I commence upon any new books.

Now, back to Beauty and the Beast. I have to confess, I don't really like that Belle is a little of a --- shall we say, feminist? She's dissatisfied with her life and complains a lot; she doesn't want to settle down and be married, she wants to travel and go on an adventure. Well, she didn't know that she was in for one after all, and certainly didn't expect it to start out being so unpleasant compared with the stories she had read about. And it bothered me that she was going to break her promise to the beast and run away. But then, she decided to stay after all when he saved her life --- yeah, it's complicated, and a little frustrating. I wonder how Melanie Dickerson is going to interpret it?

I like to think of the true beauty and the beast story, between Christ and humanity. I'm seriously contemplating writing a novel about it; a prince is betrothed to the lowest creature on earth, who hates him, but learns to love him. She is ugly, he makes her beautiful; she is rude and unforgiving, and he melts her heart with his unconditional love. It's exactly what happened to me; Christ saved me from myself, and He loves me so much that no words can express it. I was a beast, destined for a fate of perpetual misery, but He stepped in and broke the curse.

"For while we were still helpless,

at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 

For one will hardly die for a righteous man;

though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 

But God demonstrates His own love toward us,

in that while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us."

-Romans 5:6-8 NASB

~ Now, that's what I call True Love! ~

Eight Days

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I fear that something has happened to my blog that I've been afraid of; that I've made all of my writing too official, and not the flowing, personal delight I had ever hoped it to be. I have a habit of writing far too matter-of-fact when I mean to sound intriguing.

    So, in my roundabout way, I mean to say that I shall endeavor to sound less... formal, and more... exciting. I have some books of poetry nearby to put me on a head-start, and a willingness to let the inspiration come and sweep me up in the cloud of blissful writing.

    Also, I have only written 6,940 words to my novel --- that's really quite smaller than it sounds! --- and have not even finished the first chapter. But, oh, inspired as I am presently, this should soon change! I'll make myself a goal, shall I? I shall strive to have at least the first chapter of my novel completed by the first of October. That gives me... eight days, not including today. Time to do the work that is as play....

Stepping Heavenward

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My sister prompted me countless times to read this book, and no wonder; I can hardly believe how alike my personality and struggles are to that of Katherine Mortimer in Stepping Heavenward. I'm not even a third of the way done with the book, but I read something that I just had to share:

"Lay down this principle as a law --- God does nothing arbitrary. If He takes away your health, for instance, it is because He has some reason for doing so; and this is true of everything you value; and if you have real faith in Him, you will not insist on knowing the reason. ...

    In reading the Bible I advise you to choose detached passages, or even one verse a day, rather than whole chapters. Study every word; ponder and pray over it till you have got from it all the truth it contains.

    As to the other devotional reading, it is better to settle down on a few favorite authors and read their works over and over and over until you have digested their thoughts and made them your own. ...

    You can will to choose for your associates those who are most devout and holy,

    You can will to read books that will stimulate you in your Christian life rather than those that merely amuse.

    You can will to use every means of grace appointed by God.

    You can will to spend much time un prayer without regard to your frame at the moment.

    You can will to prefer a religion of principle to one of mere feeling; in other words, to obey the will of God when no comfortable glow of emotion accompanies your obedience.

    You cannot will to possess the spirit of Christ; that must come as His gift; but you can choose to stdy His life and to imitate it. This will infallibly lead to such self-denying work as visiting the poor, nursing the sick, giving of your time and money to the needy, and the like.

    If the thought of such self-denial is repugnant to you, remember that it is enough for the disciple to be as his Lord. ..."

Now, although the book is fiction, it is packed full of the truth of Christianity. The quote above is from a letter Katherine Mortimer receives from her pastor, Dr. Cabot. She continually goes to him with questions about her Christian walk, and he replies with great wisdom.

    Truly, I would recommend this story to all girls, that God might use it to benefit them as He has for me and my little sister. And now, I think I'll go read some more!

Respectable Sins ... Prelude

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Dear Reader,

I have decided to begin a series of posts for the glory of God --- a series in which I will be going through a most excellent book by Jerry Bridges; it is called 'Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate'. I haven't even finished reading it yet, and it's already opened my eyes incredibly to the detail of sin. Remember when Christ pointed out that being angry with someone was equal to committing murder? That's exactly like what this book does. We are quite aware of the major sins, but those little ones --- those ones that seem so small that you hardly know they are there --- are what this book helps us see and teaches us where to go to get rid of them.

 

To best prepare you for what to expect in this series, I shall herein insert the preface by the author. If it interests you, I hope that you will gladly return to read more, as I plan on writing one post approximately every week. I hope it convicts and inspires you as greatly or more than it has me.

"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (John 8:7, KJV) Though many scholars today question whether the well-known account of the woman accused of adultery actually belongs in the gospel of John, the expression has become a part of our wider culture, along with a similar one: "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1, KJV).
     This book, as the title announces, is about sin --- not the obvious sins of our culture but the subtle sins of believers, the target audience of this book. So let me say up front that I am not without the sins addressed in this book. In fact, you will find that I sometimes use my own sad experiences as examples of some of these sins.
    The motivation for this book stems from a growing conviction that those of us whom I call conservative evangelicals may have become so preoccupied with some of the major sins of society around us that we have lost sight of the need to deal with our own more "refined" or subtle sins.
    While seeking to address these "respectable" sins, however, I also want this to be a book of hope. We are never to wallow hopelessly in our sins. Rather we are to believe that gospel through which God has dealt with both the guilt of our sin and its dominion over us.
    The gospel, though, is only for sinners, for those who recognize their need of it. Many Christians think of the gospel as only for unbelievers. Once we trust in Christ, so the thinking goes, we no longer need the gospel. But, as I seek to bring out in this book, the gospel is a vital gift from God not only for our salvation but also to enable us to deal with the ongoing activity of sin in our lives. So we still need the gospel every day.
    This book by no means covers all the possible subtle sins we face. A number of friends in Christian ministry looked over a lengthy list of sins I had compiled and helped me reduce it to a manageable list of the the more common ones. To those friends I express my deepest thanks for their suggestions.
    ...And above all, to God be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

{end of quote}

 Because this is only the prelude to the series, I'm not going to wait a whole week to post the first official part. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow --- quite fitting for a Sunday, don't you think? ;)

Please come back soon if God has put it on your heart to read more.

God bless! ♥

"The heavenly Potter's design may be thwarted in a number of ways, the most common of which is the toleration of sin in the life. It may be open sin or sin cherished in the imagination. It may be sins of the spirit such as jealousy, pride, covetousness, or sins of speech. Those may seem more respectable than the grosser sins of the flesh, but they are no more acceptable to God. Sin of any kind will mar the vessel."

-Spiritual Discipleship, J. Oswald Sanders

Childhood Notebook

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Dear Reader,
I just was looking through an old notebook of mine from when I was about 7-9 years old. I forgot what a strange little kid I was. *Ahem!* Whom I kind of still am...

I came across a little story I had started awhile ago. It was a typical one of mine I'd written again and again --- with only varying conflicts --- at least four or five times: the bad-guy was always named Phillip, and the main character was always a princess (at that age, in all of my writing, it had to be a princess). Her name was Sara.
    I had a lot of arguments with my sisters back then over whether or not the princess' name should have an 'h' at the end. I didn't want it that way, and so --- being the passionate, headstrong girl I was --- I wouldn't settle for an extra letter. I started out with 'Sara', and I wasn't about to change it.
    At age twelve when I wrote the story again, guess what? I spelled it, 'S-A-R-A-H'. Along with headstrong and passionate, I guess I can also be a little fickle.

 So, this is what I wrote: (I changed the spelling and suchlike a little because as a seven-year-old, I hadn't yet really mastered correct grammar. Oh --- And as a heads-up, keep in mind that I kind of forgot certain details when the story progressed, so a few things will not be completely resolved.)


~Princess Sara~
Chapter 1 - Hope-n'-Help

Today Princess Sara was just waking up to the beautiful morning. "I've got some work to do," said Sara. First she went to the kitchen to eat, then wrote a letter to her friend. In 5 days she would have her 12th birthday! The day after the Party, the Special Princess Ball would come. "Two things to look forward to," said Sara to the cook.
    "Yes dear," said the cook. "You are almost ready to become Queen!"
    Sara smiled. "Thank you."
    "Oh, Sarah," said her mother, "A letter came for you!"
    "Go on!" said the cook.
    "Oh my! Yippee!" said Sara loudly. "Mother! MOTHER! Dad's coming to my birthday! Hurray!"
    "Oh my!" said her mother, "He's been gone so long. Now he's coming back!"
    *Ding! Ding! Ding!*
    "It's the bell!"
    "Go get it, Sara." [I almost spelled that with an 'h'!]
    "Hello, sir," said Sara. A man was at the door.
    "Hi, miss!" The man said to Sara. "Can I see your mother, the Queen?"
    "Yes," said Sara. "Mother! Someone's at the door that wants to see you!"
    "Okay! Oh! Mr. Blackwood. I've been expecting you. Come in."
    "Mother, who is he?" said Sara in a whisper.
    "Mr. Blackwood, Dear," her mother answered. "He's our new butler."
    "Oh!" said Sara.

Chapter 2 - Friends or Not?

"Today!" Sara shouted. "Hurray!!!" For the Party, Sara had tea with her best friend. The ball day finally came. Princess Sara was looking for the perfect dress for three hours! The dress she chose was pink, puff-sleeved, and just the right size for her. At the time Prince Phillip [I used to spell his name, 'Fhilip'] came in, Sara could smell trouble.
    "Sara!" her mother called. "Dear, it's time to meet everyone. This is Princess Amy, Prince Alex, Prince Phillip, Sir Andrew, Queen Sophia [Formerly spelled, 'Sophiya'], King James [totally had no idea about an actual King James at that age], Princess Karen, Queen Charlotte, Princess Margaret Rose, and Princess Elizabeth."
    Sir Andrew asked for a dance. When Sara and Sir Andrew came close to Prince Phillip, Sara felt something heavy clutch the bottom of her dress.



Chapter 3 - Kidnapped!

Sara tripped. She was so embarrassed, she ran all the way to her bedroom, slammed the door, and didn't come out until dinner.
    "I never, ever want another ball again! Never!"
    "Oh, Sara," said her mother, "Do you think one single accident can stop you? It's like saying you'll never become Queen!"
    "It's NOT the same," said Sara. "I'm never having another ball!"
    "Dear Princess," said Mr. Blackwood, the butler, "Nothing can stop some big girl like you!"
    "But---"
    "You need some practice, that's all," Blackwood interrupted Sara. "Remember, a princess is a princess, no matter how many mistakes she makes."
    "Thank you," said Sara, "But still, I won't have another ball!

The next day, Sara was going to visit Prince Phillip. Her mother was coming with. When they got there, they went into a big room just for visitors. They talked about stuff, until Phillip led them on a trip around the castle.
    *Wang!* [I have no idea how I came up with that sound-effect...] Sara got hit on the head with a long piece of wood, and got knocked-out! Someone took her away into a small room with no windows, only candles. They put her on a chair and tied her up with rope. When Sara woke up, she was feeling dizzy from the log. When her head finally got better, she noticed that she, herself, was indeed in terrible danger! After about thirty minutes, she saw a black figure in the room close by her. The figure pulled on it's black head, a dark mask, revealing a face. It was Prince Phillip! He had his arm behind his back and pulled it from behind --- he was carrying a hot sword!!!
     Sara was so scared, she fainted! But soon she woke up. She looked up at the ceiling and saw a big black board with long sharp points hanging from it! And Prince Phillip had seventeen other men with him. One was holding scissors up to a thin rope which was tied to the big black board above her!
    "Help!" Sara cried. Soon after, one of the men ran up to her, took a handkerchief, and tied Sara's mouth all up! Sara again yelled 'help', but this time it was very quiet, muffled by the handkerchief.
    Prince Phillip walked up to Sara, held his glowing orange sword out to her, and touched it to her cheek. "You'll never escape from ME, you little peasant!" he shouted aloud. Sara began to cry. She KNEW there was no escape.



Chapter 4 - An Old Friend

Sara was even twice as scared when Phillip said, "If you move a single muscle besides your eyes, I'll make Simon cut the rope." The threat was terrible. Sara forgot her fears, but before she could move to speak, Sir Andrew burst in with Princess Anabelle, Prince Collen, Mr. Blackwood, and Sara's mother, the Queen.
    "Oh! Hello miss --- uh --- your Highness," Phillip said in a small voice.
    "Hello Mr. Kidnapper," the Queen answered.
    Sir Andrew was a favorite of Sara's, and today she was being rescued by him! The real secret was, that they both loved each other. [And of course my little kid mind could not wait a few more sentences to put that in.]
    "You snake!" cried Princess Anabelle to Phillip.
    "My dear girl, are you okay?" the Queen asked.
    Sara tried to say yes, but with the handkerchief, she couldn't.
    "Oh, I should have known that old Mr. Blockhead would have done something so terrible!" said the Queen. [Where had I come up with that nickname?]
    Simon was not even close to forgetting he was supposed to kill Sara. As quick as a flash, he cut the thin rope!


Chapter 5 - Finally!

Sir Andrew ran fast and grabbed the rope to stop it from falling.
    Prince Phillip was in a rage. "Princess Sara, you were about to die, and soon, VERY soon, you will!" he threatened.
    "Mmmhh!" Sara tried to talk.
    All of the other men with Phillip gabbed Princess Anabelle, Sir Andrew, Mr. Blackwood, the Queen, and Prince Collen. Prince Phillip grabbed Princess Sara.
    Now everything is turning out wrong! Sara thought.

    For three weeks, the group stayed tied up under the roof of Prince Phillip's castle. On the last day of the three weeks, Prince Collen got an idea, but didn't tell anyone. Simon took Princess Anabelle in a room. He put a long sword in a VERY hot fire. He took it out, and stuck it forward at Anabelle. He put it near her skin on the neck threateningly, and soon Prince Phillip came in a took the sword from Simon. He touched the hot sword to Anabelle's throat. She screamed loudly. It hurt her BADLY!
    During this, Prince Collen somehow untied his ropes, got out of his chair and ran away. Prince Phillip kept on sliding the burning sword over Anabelle's neck. She shrieked every time.
    The next day, Prince Collen came in the castle with one-hundred men!
    "Collen!" Anabelle cried happily.
    The day was saved.



Chapter 6 - Married

Sir Andrew and Princess Sara got married in April. They moved to Europe and had a baby girl named Mary. The end!!!



I wish you could have heard me laugh as I typed this out. What a strange little kid I was! I always had the same main elements in a story: a princess, a prince, a villain, a kidnapping, one or two near death experiences, a happy ending. I never had anything truly original except for strange names for characters that I would sometimes make up. But reading this --- although is has been thoroughly embarrassing --- has revealed how incredibly far I have come in my writing since then, and therefore has greatly encouraged me!
   (And again, if anyone would like a copy of the first taste of my either of my two novels in the making, I'm willing to send at least  part of the first chapter by email to anyone who asks. Visit my Contact page to find my email address, or comment on this post below. I haven't yet finished the first chapter of either novel yet, but they're close. One is Medieval-styled, and based on the life of a royal family. Believe me when I say it FAR exceeds, in every way, the ridiculous tale you just read! The other novel I'm working on is a cross between the life of a human and a dragon. Both are the two main characters, and it concerns how they meet and must work together to save the world.)

Thank you for taking the time to read this!
God bless! ♥

Fairytale in the Making

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Dear Reader,
Great News! I've been working hard on my novel today, and it's already on a great head start! I may even be able to post the first chapter as early as tomorrow! The title is still giving me grief; I've had it one way for awhile now, then thought maybe it should be just a little different, and now I think I've come back to the same title again. It's kind of fitting. I just hope that people will be able to pronounce it. ;)
    It's really hard for me to get my thoughts out sometimes, but this is one of the seasons where words are practically flowing out of my head. It's awesome! The weather's awesome, summer is almost here --- which means school will be over SOON --- and there's a whole bunch of imagination pent up inside of me, bursting to get out!
   Please pray for me to pound this story writing; a finished novel has actually been years in the making, and I'm ready --- as well as my VERY encouraging family --- to have this blessed fairytale completed at last!

Thank you all! God bless!

Tender, Loving, Wise

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Dear Reader,

I was just reading Charles H. Spurgeon's devotional from April 30th, Evening, and I thought that I simply must share it. At first, I intended to simply add part of it to my favorites quotes page, but I realized that it would be better to share the whole thing - which would be far too much to consider a mere 'quote'! 

I dearly hope that it speaks to you.

"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God." -Psalm 139:17

Divine omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation. God is always thinking upon us, never turns aside his mind from us, has us always before his eyes; and this is precisely as we would have it, for it would be dreadful to exist for a moment beyond the observation of our heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring to us countless benefits: hence it is a choice delight to remember them. The Lord always did think upon his people: hence their election and the covenant of grace by which their salvation is secured; he always will think upon them: hence their final perseverance by which they shall be brought safely to their final rest. In all our wanderings the watchful glance of the Eternal Watcher is evermore fixed upon us—we never roam beyond the Shepherd’s eye. In our sorrows he observes us incessantly, and not a pang escapes him; in our toils he marks all our weariness, and writes in his book all the struggles of his faithful ones. These thoughts of the Lord encompass us in all our paths, and penetrate the innermost region of our being. Not a nerve or tissue, valve or vessel, of our bodily organization is uncared for; all the littles of our little world are thought upon by the great God.

Dear reader, is this precious to you? then hold to it. Never be led astray by those philosophic fools who preach up an impersonal God, and talk of self-existent, self-governing matter. The Lord liveth and thinketh upon us, this is a truth far too precious for us to be lightly robbed of it. The notice of a nobleman is valued so highly that he who has it counts his fortune made; but what is it to be thought of by the King of kings! If the Lord thinketh upon us, all is well, and we may rejoice evermore.

{End of quote}

I love to think about that first line, "Divine omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation." It is sad for the sake of those outside of such a blessing, but all the more glorious for the Children of God to know that He cares! Holding onto this kind of promise is infinitely precious.

I am grieved to think about how often my thoughts reflect selfishness rather than praise to the God who saved me from sin and eternal punishment! He deserves far more than what I can give, and although He knows this, day after day He continues to give me life. Every breath we take is evidence of His incredible mercy. After all that we have done against Him, even still, '...He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.' (Matthew 5:45)

We humans can hold grudges for a long time, and we become angry with each other so quickly. But think about God's mercy; not only does He think about us, but He cares for every one of us with tenderness and incredible mercy, even though we have done NOTHING to deserve it.

I utter this phrase with awe, on my knees, "our God is an awesome God!"

Lily-White Purity

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Dear Readers,

I was reading once again in Leslie Ludy's book, Set-Apart Femininity, and I came across more quotes that I just HAD to share!

"Are we willing to lay down everything else and take up His set-apart commission?

    God's sacred intent for us goes far beyond just ... idolizing Christian bands instead of secular ones. It is not just making sure we tack on some Christian morality to our self-indulgent lives.

    His sacred intent for you and for me is nothing short of absolute abandonment to Jesus Christ, entire separation from the pollution of the world, and ardent worship of our King with ever breath we take.

    Yes, it's a huge vision - one that is contrary to everything our culture presents. In our modern world, we as young women seem to be presented with only two options for our femininity - we can either embrace the ... version of womanhood glorified by pop culture, or we can go the opposite direction and trade in perfume and makeup for grit, grunge, and guy-like behavior.

    But both of these options cause us to completely miss out on the glorious pattern God designed for our femininity. We were created to shine with heavenly beauty, to radiate with Christlike feminine loveliness, and to sparkle with the lily-white purity of our Prince. We were created to be set apart for Him.

    As you read this book, you will likely hear plenty of voices in the background screaming that it is impossible to achieve this set-apart standard. But the good news is - you don't have to achieve it on your own. As Oswald Chambers says,

When we deliberately choose to obey God, He will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with all His almighty power.

    Whatever your version of femininity has been up to this moment - God desires to offer you hope and a glorious future. Jesus Christ can take a life that has been bruised, rejected, or squandered and make it completely new. He can empower a weak and helpless life to rise up and conquer. No matter where you've been or what you've done or how far from Him you feel right now - He can transform you into a radiant, victorious, world-changing, set-apart young woman.

    No matter how worthless or ugly you feel, He longs to shape you into His stunning princess. It starts with one simple step of obedience - one simple decision to answer the sacred call He has upon your life...no matter what the cost."

{End of quote}

So... Now I've at last made it to the end of the first chapter! I'm so thrilled with Miss Ludy's writing; the message she gives is straightforward, hard to hear because it's so blunt, but perfectly wonderful and full of truth! It's been a long time since I've read faith-encouraging literature quite like this... and never have I experienced this kind of devotion to not only to purity, but to Christ Himself. The combination is what I love to call 'quickening'. (One of my FAVORITE words!) Presently, I feel quickened, encouraged, and full of joy; my prayer shall be that God's Spirit will grant you the same.

God bless you all! ♥

Never Forsaken

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Dear Readers,
I was reading Charles H. Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotional, and this morning's was so well-put and convicting, I decided to share it with you all.


March 27, Morning

“Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.” -Matthew 26:56

"He never deserted them, but they in cowardly fear of their lives, fled from him in the very beginning of his sufferings. This is but one instructive instance of the frailty of all believers if left to themselves; they are but sheep at the best, and they flee when the wolf cometh. They had all been warned of the danger, and had promised to die rather than leave their Master; and yet they were seized with sudden panic, and took to their heels. It may be, that I, at the opening of this day, have braced up my mind to bear a trial for the Lord’s sake, and I imagine myself to be certain to exhibit perfect fidelity; but let me be very jealous of myself, lest having the same evil heart of unbelief, I should depart from my Lord as the apostles did. It is one thing to promise, and quite another to perform. It would have been to their eternal honour to have stood at Jesus’ side right manfully; they fled from honour; may I be kept from imitating them! Where else could they have been so safe as near their Master, who could presently call for twelve legions of angels? They fled from their true safety. O God, let me not play the fool also. Divine grace can make the coward brave. The smoking flax can flame forth like fire on the altar when the Lord wills it. These very apostles who were timid as hares, grew to be bold as lions after the Spirit had descended upon them, and even so the Holy Spirit can make my recreant spirit brave to confess my Lord and witness for his truth.

What anguish must have filled the Saviour as he saw his friends so faithless! This was one bitter ingredient in his cup; but that cup is drained dry; let me not put another drop in it. If I forsake my Lord, I shall crucify him afresh, and put him to an open shame. Keep me, O blessed Spirit, from an end so shameful."

(End of quote; all underlining is mine and not from actual quote)

As soon as I read the part about "It is one thing to promise, and quite another to perform", I was hit square between the eyes with the truth that I was behaving just like the Apostles did in Matthew. I had promised my Savior that I would stop sinning and that I would give up everything, take up my cross, and follow Him. But carrying out that promise as a saved soul in a sinner's flesh is far easier said than done. My prayer this morning was that God would help me to put on the armor He has provided for His sheep and to battle my sin, with victory just on the horizon.

    The final part I underlined really encouraged and convicted me, and I feel quickened afresh to live throughout today for God's glory. May the same be for you. God bless!

His Princess of Purity

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Dear Readers,
Recently, I have been reading an amazing book called 'Set-Apart Femininity' by: Leslie Ludy. I'm not even to the second chapter yet, but I have still experienced the wonderful way she depicts the difference between giving up one's life wholly for Christ, and living to try to please both God and the world. The book is certainly intended for women, so guys... don't expect to be wowed.
    Here are some quotes from the book that I just LOVE:

"Neither the world's version of beauty nor the modern self-esteem message truly fulfills our longing to shine with enchanting grace and princess-like dignity. And neither avenue meets that deeper inner desire to radiate with feminine beauty that never fades.
    But there is another kind of womanly beauty - one that we don't hear much about in today's world. It's the dazzling loveliness of set-apart femininity.
    Set-apart femininity exudes a beauty that is not of this world; it's the sectacular radience of a woman completely transformed by the Author of all things lovely and pure.
    Set-apart femininity, contrary to what you might be thinking, is not stodgy and grim-faced with drab, shapeless clothes, librarian glasses, and a 20-pound Bible under one arm. ...
    Set-apart femininity blends the classic womanly grace and dignity of an Audrey Hepburn with the sacrificial, poured-out-for-Christ lifestyle of an Amy Carmichael. It's true feminine beauty merged with absolute abandonment to Jesus Christ. It's the sparkling, vibrant, world-altering, Christlike version of femininity that your King created you to exude."

"The spectacular sparkle of set-apart femininity is found through absolute abandonment to the Author of all true beauty. It's found by exchanging a life consumed with self for a life consumed with Jesus Christ, by trading the desire to be attractive to this world for the longing to be attractive to Him alone. Find a woman who cares about nothing but loving, serving, honoring, and glorifying Jesus Christ, and you will see who truly is "the fairest of them all.""

"It's a lot easier to build our lives around the pursuit of wordly applause and selfish pleasure and just fit Christ in somewhere on the side than to radically pour out our lives in sacrificial devotion to Him."

"...I believe there is so much more to being a Christian young woman than what we have settled for today. Christian femininity has sunk to dismally low standards, and we are evidencing the consequences of our compromise in rocky romances, stressful family relationships, mediocre marriages, empty spirituality, and unhappy, unfulfilled lives."

"Modern Christianity focused on helping me live at least somewhat morally in the midst of all the pop-culture attractions that constantly bombarded my senses. But it didn't challenge me to shift my affections away from pop-culture attractions altogether.
    Like countless young women today, I lived with one foot in the world and the other in the murky waters of Christian compromise. I lived my life only two or three steps ahead of the culture's standards."

"I was a "Christian" young woman. But I was not a set-apart young woman.
    Still to this day, I am flooded with gratitude that God did not leave me in that state of mediocrity. Gently, patiently, and lovingly, He began to open my eyes to see how far from being His princess of purity I really was. And He began to show me a glorious new pattern for my life as a young woman - His pattern. It's a pattern that is continually being built and shaped within my life, even to this day. It's the pattern of set-apart femininity, and it's God's sacred intent for each of our lives.
    This book doesn't present a comfortable message. It won't show you how to live a self-indulgent life with a little Christian morality tacked on. ...
    This book presents a vision for a whole different kind of Christian femininity than what we see all around us today. And if you allow it to, it will awaken you to a whole new way to live that will change your existance forever.
    It is possible, even in today's world, to posses that spectacular, radient, lasting feminine lovliness that we've dreamed about since childhood. And not only is it possible, it is God's sacred intent for each and every one of His daughters."

(End of quotes)

I encourage all of you young women to take a closer look at this book. Set-Apart Femininity has a fantastic message for Christian women living in our chaotic world. Even this first chapter has been speaking to my heart, and I want to share it in the sincere hope that it will also speak to yours.

    God bless, always! ♥

(The quotes above belong to Leslie Ludy and Harvest House Publishers. Please, do not copy or misuse any of these quotes. Thank you.)

Surprise!

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Dear Readers,

It's finally happened. Inwardly, I'm just bursting with pleasure! I have finally found all the inspiration I need to get a good head start on - drum-roll, please! - my own novel! After nearly six years of writing and rewriting the same story, I think I've finally found the path I want this tale to take.

    I want you to know, this is a difficult declaration for me; I take writing very personally. But this is one time when I finally feel completely confident; previous drafts have left me feeling like they weren't good enough, no matter how my family encouraged me. God gave me the most blessed talent of writing, so I can take most anything and turn it into a story, but since writing is so personal, I wanted to make sure this story was just right before I said, 'done'.

    I have to save the details for a surprise, but I will say that I have a title, I have most of the characters, and most of the story itself pent up in my head and ready to be poured out from my pencil onto some paper! Please pray for me as I begin writing this next draft; may it be my last draft, in a good way! ;)

    You know, I've been writing ever since I knew how! The first novel I ever started writing was the work of a nine-year-old version of myself, and quite honestly pathetic. It was about a princess who was kidnapped and had to save the world. I'm sure the idea I had could have turned into something marvelous and even has been done before countless times, but the way I had it written was... awful. But it was still the beginning of something wonderful in my life.

    When I was eleven, the inspiration for the novel I'm working on right now came to me in a dream. It was July, and I was visiting my grandparents for a weekend with my sisters. I woke up, got out of bed, and without even bothering to change into my day clothes, I sat down at my grandmother's typewriter and just started writing out what I saw in my dream. (Sorry, but I still can't reveal anything about that, because most of the main idea has survived from that first version until today.) This version was so short, it fit on only two pages of paper! I wouldn't let anyone look at it. It was my treasured story, and I knew I just needed to work at it a little to make it perfect. Well, more than a little.

    The next year, when I was twelve, I read over the story again and was so disgusted with how poorly it was written that I threw it away. (Today, I regret that because it would be great fun to read over and laugh about now, but I still fortunately remember most of how it went so that I can compare it to the present version.) I then started writing the second draft, which I have kept until today in that ragged black notebook. This, too, was perfectly dreadful. I read it over today and can enjoy it because I remember the love and passion I poured into it, but it isn't much better than the first draft.

    Over the next several years, I kept gathering notes of little ideas I had, and was writing and rewriting until my fingers were sore and black as my pencil lead. (Until now. The laptop is one of the most blessed pieces of machinery ever designed!) And now, here I am! With so much hope for the future, and a solid direction and purpose, I am commencing upon the next step of this fantastic journey.

    Writing. My passion, my love, my gift which the Lord graciously gave to me.