Amy Carmichael Prayer

Once again, I don't have time for a decent post, but I was reading A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael today while I was waiting for my sister at the chiropractor and came across this poem that she wrote during a very hard, confusing time in her life.  I had to share!

And shall I pray Thee change Thy will, my Father,

Until it be according unto mine?

But, no, Lord, no, that never shall be, rather

I pray Thee blend my human will with Thine.

I pray Thee hush the hurrying, eager longing,

I pray Thee soothe the pangs of keen desire--

See in my quiet places, wishes thronging--

Forbid them, Lord, purge, though it be with fire.

And work in me to will and do Thy pleasure

Let all within me, peaceful, reconciled,

Tarry content my Well-Beloved's leisure,

At last, at last, even as a weaned child.

Blessings in Christ,

The Gospel

I had every intention of doing a nice sized post today, but after staring at my computer screen all day long for work, I just need to get up, turn off the computer and go something constructive with myself!  However, I will leave you this to chew on.  And, trust me, it's a full on meal packed into it's 11 minute size!

Have an awe-filled rest of your day remembering what He came to do for you and how you are going to share that with the world!

Blessings in Christ,

Rejoice in the Lord

This week is going to be very sporadic on posts because I start my new responsibilities at work this week!  (Exciting, but crazy!)  However, I came across this powerful verse today and wanted to share it.  


Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—  Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.  The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s  feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills. 


Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV (for the record, I love the old King James version of the Bible and that's what I do my daily reading out of.  However, when I memorize scripture, I do it in the New King James because when I want to quote it to someone [especially an unbeliever] down the road they are most likely going to appreciate it more if they can understand it and it's not in archaic English!)


How powerful is that?  No matter what happens, Habakkuk has realized (yes, realized; just read chapter one if you want to know what Habakkuk thought of God shortly before writing this powerful passage!) God is his joy and his strength.  No matter what happens in this life, the stock market crashes, abortion stays legal, the value of the dollar continues to plummet, droughts, pestilence, floods, food supplies dwindle, you get tossed in a jail and tortured, we can still rejoice in our Lord because He is our God of our salvation!  He is our strength and He will give us the strength, wisdom and whatever else we may need to navigate the high, steep, 'insurmountable' hills in our lives.  What a mighty God we serve!!


Blessings in Christ,
 

Kitchen: 'Ice Cream'

I just made this 'ice cream' last night and it was delicious!!  It is made with yogurt (so it's a bit tangy) instead of milk and/or cream and honey instead of white sugar, so it certainly tastes a little bit different, but is oh, so much better for you!  We're split about 50/50 in my family when it comes to liking it.  But, I'm the one who can't/won't have the other stuff, so I'm a happy camper!  I got the original recipe from my new favorite cookbook: The Grain-Free Gourmet by Jodi Bager and Jenny Hess, but tweaked it quite a bit and added some of the deliciousness!  Feel free to substitute your own fruit or chocolate or caramel or anything else - it's ice cream, you really can't mess this one up!

Coconut-Pineapple Yogurt Ice Cream

2 cups whole milk yogurt (if you have or want to make your own yogurt with half-and-half, even better.  I used the European Style Organic Whole Milk Yogurt from Trader Joe's)

Honey (how much you use depends on preference - the original recipe called for 1/2 cup, yesterday I put about 3 Tbsp in and next time I might use a little bit less.  It doesn't taste too sweet if you use the whole 1/2 cup [I have tried it before with the full amount], I just prefer to use the smallest amount of sweetener possible.  Also, keep in mind that the less honey you use, the tangier the ice cream is going to taste because of the yogurt.)

2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract (don't use the fake stuff.  Also, you can substitute 2 tsp almond extract if you prefer the flavor, are out of vanilla [like I was last night!] or if it will go better with what you are putting into the ice cream.  If you go with my mom's cherry almond idea, you are definitely going to want to go with the almond extract!)

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and place in an ice cream maker and make according to manufacturer's directions.  You can either finish at this point or proceed and put some deliciousness in it!

Here's the problem, I don't really measure when I don't have to, so I'm not terribly sure how much pineapple and coconut I put in the ice cream!!  I pretty much just added by small handfuls until I thought I had enough...  So, just add what you feel it needs! :)

Canned pineapple (crushed is best, but you can also cut/crush up your own tidbits or chunks depending on what you have on hand - I had chunks on hand, so made do.  I think I used between 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup, plus a splash or so of the pineapple juice from the can)

Toasted coconut flakes (sprinkle coconut flakes on a baking sheet and place in 350 degree oven for about 3 minutes.  Be sure to keep an eye on it because it goes from white to dark brown/black really fast!!  Yes, it did happen to me last night!  I probably put about 1/2 cup of the second coconut batch in the ice cream.)

Mix add-ins into the ice cream and eat if you like soft serve or put ice cream in a freezer-safe container and place in freezer for a few hours until harder.

As I experiment more and more, I'll mention what other add-ins I try (and I'll try to remember to measure them!) and how they turned out.  If you experiment any, let me know!  I'd love to hear how it worked for you and what you came up with! :)

Bon appetit!!

Blessings in Christ,

What I'm Listening To Today

I was running errands with my youngest sister yesterday and she was picking music on my iPod. We listened to quite the variety of music, but when she picked this song that we hadn't listened to in a while, it stuck with me. (Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom to the blog before watching the video!)

One of these days we're going to be able to ask Moses how crossing over the Red Sea was. We're going to be able to ask Esther what it was like to approach the king with her request. We're going to be able to ask David what it was like to slay Goliath. We're going to be able to ask Mary what it was like to carry the Savior of the world. We're going to be able to see what Paul saw and couldn't speak about. And all of that will pale in comparison to being able to see 'my Jesus face to face!' What a glorious day that will be!!

Blessings in Christ,

The Miracle of Creation

Today I started reading The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul.  I know, I know, I'm starting yet another book, but I do like to have one biography, one theology and one fiction (when I have time) book going, so now I've got all three! :)  In the first chapter, Dr. Sproul talks about the creation of the universe and the awesomeness of it and I just had to share!  We sometimes just read the black words on the white page: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."  I hope this passage will help you (as it helped me) realize the majesty and grandeur of the sentence that begins the Book of all books!

"God's fiats [explained in an earlier passage to be 'a command or an act of the will that creates something'] are not so limited.  He can create by the sheer force of His divine command.  He can bring something out of nothing, life out of death.  He can so these things by the sound of His voice.


The first sound uttered in the universe was the voice of God commanding, 'Let there be!'  It is improper to say that this was the first sound 'in' the universe because until the sound was made there was no universe for it to be in.  God shouted into a void.  Perhaps it was a kind of primal scream directed at empty darkness."


The command created its own molecules to carry the sound waves of God's voice farther and farther into space.  Yet sound waves would take too long.  The speed of this imperative exceeded the speed of light.  As soon as the words left the Creator's mouth, things began to happen.  Where His voice reverberated, stars appeared, glowing in unspeakable brilliance in tempo with the songs of angels.  The force of divine energy splattered against the sky like a kaleidoscope of color hurled from the palate of a powerful artist.  Comets crisscrossed the sky with flashing tails like Fourth of July skyrockets.


The act of creation was the first event in history.  It was also the most dazzling.  The supreme Architect gazed as His complex blueprint and shouted commands for the boundaries of the world to be set.  He spoke, and the seas were shut behind doors, and the clouds were filled with dew.  He bound the Pleiades and buckled the belt of Orion.  He spoke again, and the earth began to fill with orchards in full bloom.  Blossoms burst forth like springtime in Mississippi.  The lavender hues of plum trees dance with the brilliance of azaleas and forsythia.


God spoke once more, and the waters teemed with living things.  The snail sneaked beneath the shadowy form of the stingray, while the great marlin broke the surface of the water to promenade on the waves with his tail.  Again He spoke, and the roar of the lion and the bleating of sheep were heard.  Four-footed animals, eight-legged spiders, and winged insects appeared.


And God said, 'That's good.'


Then God stooped to to earth and carefully fashioned a piece of clay.  He lifted it gently to His lips and breathed into it.  The clay began to move.  It began to think.  It began to feel.  It began to worship.  It was alive and stamped with the image of its Creator."

Unfortunately, I can't type up the whole chapter I just read and the things it got me thinking about.  I cannot wait to continue reading this book!!  (Thank you dear student, you know who you are, for telling me about this book!!)  I have been blessed immensely already and I've read a grand total of 8 pages!

What a mighty God we serve!!

Blessings in Christ,

Closet: Bible Reading

Today being Sunday, I thought it would be fitting to post what I try to do for my morning devotion time.  I'm not always successful, but ideally, this is what I would like to do:

• Morning devotion from Spurgeon's Morning & Evening (if you don't have it - get it!  I try to make it a point to read the Morning selection before I get out of bed.)
• One chapter from Great Women of the Christian Faith by Edith Deen (I really like to read about and be inspired by Christian women over the years.  This book is far from perfect as it praises some of the women who did things that I completely disagree with - put their children in boarding school so they could ride around the English countryside preaching (they were the ones preaching, they weren't going around with their husband who was preaching), for instance...  But, on the whole, it is a very inspiring book.)
• A prayer from Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett
• Ten 1 chapter segments from the Bible (thank you Mrs. Beaver for the idea!  I don't know why it is, but sometimes I would struggle with keeping my mind focused to read half that amount of chapters.  Now that I started reading the shorter segments, I find I am staying focused and am totally blessed by reading all over the Bible!  For instance, today I read a chapter from Genesis, Joshua, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Matthew, Acts, Romans and 1 Timothy!  I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for your first time through the Bible, but if reading through the Bible in a year was part of your home school curriculum for years, so you know your way around the Bible and what's going on at all times, it's great!)

Before going to bed:

• One chapter (or more if I can't put it down!) of whatever biography or theology book I am reading
• Evening selection of Spurgeon's Morning & Evening

Other books I have read/used in the past and liked:

• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
• Daily Light on the Daily Path by the Samuel Bagster Family (a collection of related scriptures for morning and evening readings)
• Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper (I had the idea to read one reason every day between Easter and Pentecost, but it didn't happen this year - I think I made it to Reason #15 because I kept forgetting or wasn't able to do my devotion.  Here's hoping for next year!)
• The Narrated Bible by F. LaGard Smith (this is what my mom used to read us every day to begin our school day.  The entire Bible is put into daily readings for a year in chronological order with Psalms and Proverbs organized by subject, the books of the law also organized by subject and the gospels harmonized.  There is also occasional introduction and history.  For instance, there is a whole daily reading that is comprised of the history of the inter-testament period that is great!  It's really a great way to start reading the Bible or to just read the Bible in one year!)

What do you use for your devotions??  Post up! :)

Blessings in Christ,

Library: Gladys Aylward, The Little Woman by Gladys Aylward

What an awesome book!  Gladys Aylward, The Little Woman is the autobiography of Gladys Aylward, a missionary to China and Taiwan from 1932 until her death in 1970, with occasional journeys back to her native England to speak about the work God was doing in China.  Her autobiography covers her 'adventures' in her early years in China - including just getting there!

When Gladys felt a call on her life to go and minister to those in China, she did the practical thing - go to the missionary societies and offer her services.  However, none of them would have her.  So, instead of giving up, she decided to go on her own and, after working for months to save up enough money for her train fare, she traveled by train from England to China because it was much cheaper than going by boat (pull out a map if your geography is a little rusty - it's a long way!).  By the grace and protection of God, she made it through the USSR (barely!!) and into China to begin her ministry.  The fortitude, humility, grace, patience and love this woman had is absolutely astounding!  She lived to see numerous power changes (never peaceful) in the town she lived in, took care of many resulting orphans, stopped a prison riot, became an advocate for prison reform and led 100 children on a 27-day trek to safety across mountains, a river and through many cities left desolate by the Japanese.  As soon as they arrived to safety, Gladys collapsed with typhus, among other things, and was seriously ill for months and recalled that "I have no idea how long I laid in that hospital, for typhus affected my memory, and the following two years are very hazy."  This is yet another book that reinforced for me the importance God has placed on children (especially orphans) and the hazards He asks His people to go through to protect and save His little ones.


Here's what Gladys Aylward had to say later in life about being called to China - "I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done for China. There was somebody else. I don't know who it was --- God's first choice. It must have been a man --- a wonderful man, a well-educated man. I don't know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing. And God looked down and saw Gladys Aylward."


As much as I am convinced that she was God's first choice, may we take the warning and if God calls us to do something - GO!!!!  Don't make Him find a second choice.


I am currently trying to watch The Inn of the Sixth Happiness which is the movie based on Gladys Aylward's early life.  However, I do know that she didn't like if very much (she was still alive when they made it), so I'm not making it a top priority.  I have heard fabulous things about it, though, so we shall see!


Blessings in Christ,

Support the Ground Zero Cross

Oh, I probably should have mentioned that I will occasionally get political!  Please show your support by signing the American Center for Law and Justice's brief to defend the Ground Zero Cross!  Just the fact that it's under attack is sickening!!

Here is an email from Jay Sekulow:

We are days away from filing our legal brief, and the atheists who are suing to have the Ground Zero Cross removed are stepping up their angry rhetoric. The President of American Atheists believes the reason a clear majority of Americans want the Cross placed at the 9-11 memorial and museum is because, “Christianity hates that [9/11] had nothing to do with them.” Now that is a statement born of anger and ignorance.
I want to thank you and every member of the ACLJ who is responding to these ridiculous attacks.
Over 66,000 people have already signed on to our brief using ACLJ.org. We need only 6,000 more to reach our goal of 72,000 online signatures representing the 72% of Americans who support the Ground Zero Cross.
If you have not already done so, please sign on to our brief to defend the Cross from these atheists’ lawsuit today. You can help us reach our goal by forwarding this message to your friends and by using the Facebook “Like” buttons in this email.
So many of you have already taken action in support of the Ground Zero Cross and stood by the ACLJ as we defend our liberties in court. We are days away from filing our legal arguments in this case with the court; but because of your support, I want to give you a first look at what we are going to say.
Here is a short excerpt of what we will be presenting to the court:

In the days and weeks following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the challenged World Trade Center Cross (the “Cross”) had a widely documented and positive effect on the first responders at the Ground Zero site. It is entirely appropriate and lawful for the curators of a museum to acknowledge the Cross’s historic role by placing it in the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The Supreme Court of the United States has directly addressed the constitutionality of religiously-themed museum exhibits and has clearly held that such exhibits are within the realm of appropriate government speech. In fact, the constitutionality of religious displays in museums has long been presumed by the Court. Simply put, historically significant religious artifacts can be displayed in taxpayer-supported museums, and any contrary ruling would lead to absurd results.

I made a similar argument in Pleasant Grove v. Summum to the U.S. Supreme Court and won. The amicus brief we are filing to keep the Ground Zero Cross at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum is just the first step in what will be a long legal battle, but I am confident we will win this battle as well.
Please join us in defense of the Cross by joining the Committee to Protect the Ground Zero Cross today. We need only 6,000 additional online signatures. You can help push us over the top.

Once you have signed, please encourage your friends, coworkers, and neighbors to join us in this fight by forwarding this email. You can also join the nearly 10,000 Americans who have shared the Committee to Protect the Ground Zero Cross on Facebook by using the “Like” buttons in this email.

Thank you for taking a stand for the Ground Zero Cross and for your continued support for the ACLJ.

Sincerely,

Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel

P.S. I just told you a little about the winning argument made resulting in a precedent-setting, unanimous decision by the U.S. Supreme Court Justices in a case that has significant bearing on the current Ground Zero Cross case. You can hear the argument I made before the U.S. Supreme Court and watch a short, three-minute video about that case by following this link to ACLJ.organd scrolling down to the case name: Pleasant Grove v. Summum.

Come, Jesus, Come!!

Under Construction: My Great Adventure

Well, I never thought this day would come, but it has - I'm blogging!!  Who knows how often I'm going to be get a chance to share, but hey!  Also, please bear with me while my blog is still under construction!


I named this blog 'The Great Adventure' after the Steven Curtis Chapman song.  I hadn't heard the song in years and then I heard it a few days ago and have listened to it one or two times a day since then!  It consequently seemed like the best title for what I want this blog to be.  I want this blog to chronicle my lifetime of adventure through the endless frontier of following Christ.  There are mountains, mountain tops, valleys and so much more, but it is the adventure of a lifetime and I would hate to miss it!


I decided on the pen name of Amelia because it means Work of the Lord and it seemed to be a perfect fit.  The Lord is always molding me and shaping me into the woman He desires me to become.  It's not always easy, being molded and chipped away at, but when it hurts, I look at the Craftsman's nail-pierced hands and bask in the love of my precious Lord and Savior.  Is there anything better than to know His love?!?


I think it's fitting to finish my first post with the song that has been on my mind and heart so much:

The Great Adventure
Steven Curtis Chapman


Saddle up your horses

Started out this morning in the usual way
Chasing thoughts inside my head of all I had to do today
Another time around the circle try to make it better than the last

I opened up the Bible and I read about me
Said I'd been a prisoner and God's grace had set me free
And somewhere between the pages it hit me like a lightning bolt
I saw a big frontier in front of me and I heard somebody say "let's go"!

CHORUS
Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace
Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other - this is The Great Adventure

Come on get ready for the ride of your life
Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind
And discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored
This is what we were created for

(Chorus)

BRIDGE
We'll travel over, over mountains so high
We'll go through valleys below
Still through it all we'll find that
This is the greatest journey that the human heart will ever see
The love of God will take us far beyond our wildest dreams

Yeah... oh saddle up your horses... come on get ready to ride

(Chorus)


Blessings in Christ,