Worthy Quotes-Elisabeth Elliot

-taken from SHINE daily, 95.1FM

Christianity Today called Elisabeth Elliot "one of the most influential Christian women of the 20th century," and I couldn't agree more. She was a woman who helped shape my teen years and is a woman I still look up to for inspiration and guidance through her many books. If this is the first time you're hearing about her, I suggest reading "Through the Gates of Splendor." It's the true story of how her husband and four other men were tragically killed on a missionary trip to Ecuador. It's through this loss that Elisabeth shares some of her deepest words on pain, suffering, and hope.

She died this morning (June 15, 2015), and I can only imagine the party happening in Heaven. Here are just a few quotes from this great woman. 

“The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of woman.”

“I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able to honestly to pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done.”

“Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.”

“Where does your security lie? Is God your refuge, your hiding place, your stronghold, your shepherd, your counselor, your friend, your redeemer, your saviour, your guide? If He is, you don't need to search any further for security.”

“One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.”

“Work is a blessing. God has so arranged the world that work is necessary, and He gives us hands and strength to do it. The enjoyment of leisure would be nothing if we had only leisure. It is the joy of work well done that enables us to enjoy rest, just as it is the experiences of hunger and thirst that make food and drink such pleasures.” 

“But the question to precede all others, which finally determines the course of our lives is, 'What do I really want?' Was it to love what God commands, in the words of the collect, and to desire what He promises? Did I want what I wanted, or did I want what He wanted, no matter what it might cost?” 

“God has promised to supply all our needs. What we don’t have now, we don’t need now.”

“Don’t dig up in doubt what you have planted in faith.”

“The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”

“When ours are interrupted, his are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable).” 

BONUS: "Leave it all in the hands that were wounded for you."

Good Food...

"Good food ends with good talk."

-G. K Chesterton, 1874-1936

Ponderings

The measure of love is how much it gives.

J.I. Packer

Journaling-Saying that are shaping me...

"I signed up for this."
-My friend, Ruth, has said this numerous time when I mention how super busy she is with her four kids.  She always replies, I signed up for this.  She understood that life would be full with a husband/four kids/friends/family/house...and she is okay with that.  This short saying has helped me, a gentle reminder, that we chose to have kids.  Even if we though it would be dreamy (dressing up two cute kids, toting them to a holiday festivals, them smiling and not arguing, us with our coffee cups in hand having long conversations with family/friends while they play nicely), there are always two kids to the coin. :) Many days have come and gone that have been delightful and a huge blessing!  And also many days have come and gone that were difficult.   But I find myself repeating this saying and realizing in my heart that yes, I signed up for two kids, a house full of chores to be done, a husband that needs to be loved, relationships that need to be built, a fight for quietness and stillness before my King, serving those that need encouragement and it is okay. I can be thankful for what I have since I signed up for this life.

"Sometimes the days are long, but the years are short."
-An older lady stopped Justin and I in a store when Katie was about six weeks old.  I am sure she noticed how weary we were...She mentioned that Katie was a beautiful baby and then this saying.  It has definitely shaped how I view time with my kids.  To understand that some days are simply long and hard-and thats okay, but then when I look back already at Katie being five and Owen three...whew, it is true, the years are short.

"We are discipling our kids, which is an every minute on going process.  It's not about arriving; it is about being faithful."
-Justin and I were talking about this and it just never occurred to me to view raising our kids as discipleship.  Yes, we are discipling our kids. I used to have a saying on my mirror in High School that said, "there are little eyes upon you, watching what you do and say...", but for some odd reason this never translated into the raising of kids.  I subconsciously know this...but placing the term discipleship and training kids in the same sentence has put things into prospective.

"We live in a round a world."
-Justin told me this a few years ago.  I kept thinking as soon as we did "_____" things would change,  or things would settle down...life would be like I thought it would be.  But the truth is there is always another decision to be made and we don't turn corners we just keep going around.  Hopefully as we climb the mountain of life (going around and around and up the hill) we do continue to make decisions more quickly and with more wisdom.  So I am now more prone to be at rest in the current season of life and not look to turn a corner in order to enjoy more of the road God has us on.

"You will never feel the age you are.  You may be and look 89, but will feel decades younger.  You never feel like you thought you would feel at a specific age."
-My grandmother told me this and it has taught me much.  I remember her saying when she looks in the mirror she can tell she is old-all the wrinkles, her walker, her gray hair...But in her heart/mind she still wants to race the man next door because she feels she can beat him in a walker race.  :)  She says your memories take you to all different stages in your life and you can go back there with a simple thought. And for me I don't feel right now how I thought 34 would feel. I know I am getting older (I look in the mirror with my gray hairs and smile lines), but I still think of myself as a recent college grad though that was over 11 yrs ago.  I am thankful to know ahead of time that growing older needs to be filled with laughter, grace and acceptance in God's plan.  I don't want to grow into bitterness, but grace. We can't stop the days from winding down, but we can chose how to live those days.

"Be Faithful"
-To God, to your husband, to your kids, to your work, to your friends...

"You can't complain and be thankful at the same time."

"You narcissistic zero."
-ahhhh, thank you pastor Matt Chandler.  It is true, I think of myself way to often and way to highly... And it isn't about me.

"Be generous. God loved so much He gave."
-this includes: time, talent, treasure and relationships.

"In order to be a good cook, you need time and a delicious recipe."
-Make time and cooking will be enjoyable.  I have found that if the meal table is to be remembered as a wonderful family time, it is up to me to have that disposition.  And often times if I give cooking the time needed my heart is much calmer and it is more enjoyable for everyone.  The reality is I spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  When I realized this truth it helped.  Helped me to slow down and want to bring yummy food to my family's bellies.

What saying are shaping you?  Please leave a comment and let me know!

Rest

A few thoughts from a TCC sermon on Rest vs Work:

Confidence in Jesus is necessary for true rest.

He still is working to sustain us.

Rest allows us to see Who sustains us.

Resting in God is fruitful.

And am I working out of faithfulness or anxiety for our provision of all things?

Journaling-this is good

taken from Passionate Homemaking blog...

You matter and are valued, dear sister, not because men like you, or you have the perfect body, or are gifted in the ways you desire, but because you are made in the image of God, are loved by God, and are regularly empowered by God to make a difference in this world.

-Jesus walked with women

Remember Jesus Christ Over the Holidays

I read this blog from our pastor last week. I thought it was a superb reminder. May our hearts be stirred towards our Savior.
(if you click on the title of the post it goes to his blog!)

November 24, 2010

Remember Jesus Christ Over the Holidays

By Sean Cordell

Remember Jesus Christ over the Holidays. I am so tempted personally to get selfish over the holidays. The time that is meant for thanksgiving to God, I make about me. I am tempted to want to serve less, think about my needs more, and to associate rest with gorging myself with food and TV. I thank God for holidays. They are much needed for time with family and friends, naps, reading good books, playing games, watching sports or a movie or a myriad of other things we find enjoyable. But in all our leisure we can’t forget Jesus. Signs that we have forgotten Jesus over the holidays is when we don’t serve others; we get angry easier at others because our plans aren’t working out (Holidays are notorious for anger associated with unexpressed yet unmet expectations); we begin to think more about getting than giving (Husbands help lead your family to think about how this holiday season can be more about giving than receiving). Other signs that we have forgotten Jesus is that we give ourselves license to sin- overeating, overspending, neglecting responsibility especially in the home; we also forget to proclaim the gospel in our homes and to others we come in contact with (don’t forget to act like Jesus especially on Black Friday. Whew that day can be rough). The sad thing is that I can make this list and more because I have done them all. So I write not only to caution your heart but mine. What prompts this blog is the sad wandering of my own heart. Even as I try to finish my work-week, I am looking so forward to “the holidays” that I feel the gravitational pull to forget Jesus.

The great news of the gospel is that we aren’t left as orphans. Our heavenly Father has given us his Spirit promising that we can walk in joy-filled hope and obedience this holiday season. “If God did not spare his Son but gave him over for us all, how will he not also in Him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32). “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,…” (2 Peter 1:3). Therefore if he has given his Son for us he will give us everything we need not to forget Jesus. If he can raise Christ from the dead, he can deliver on His promises to produce his fruit in our lives.

So friends take these days that God has given, whether you have several days off of work or none off, to remember Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:8). Remember to show genuine concern for others, especially if you are spending time with family that you never see. Pray for ways to get to the gospel and to express how God is at work in your life. Remember to love those that are closest to you. We can get so relaxed that we become self-absorbed and forget to love, in word and deed, those we love most. If you have holiday traditions, don’t give into the temptations of the devil to forget Jesus. Express thanksgiving to God throughout the holidays, not just at the thanksgiving dinner table. If you put up the Christmas tree (which we do every day after thanksgiving) don’t get mad at the Christmas lights which always seem to get tangled or go out or are too bunched in one part of the tree or get knotted up by the kids, etc. (You can tell that is a potential point of tension for me). Make it your mission to lead out in joy. Be on your guard and even if everyone around you is choosing to be sour, you can choose joy by the Spirit. Be thankful. And Remember Jesus Christ. Make the most of these days because the days are evil and the evil one will try to cut you down with his fiery darts of self-pity, discouragement, materialism, or self-absorption. I am praying that God rescues us from Christless rest and makes us mindful of mission over the holidays. Have a great time over these next few days enjoying Jesus, lovingly pursuing others like he did you and me. He pursued us in our sinfulness all the way to the cross. So this holiday season Remember Jesus Christ.

dear husbands and wives...

Taken from www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/rayortlund/2010/02/13/husband-and-wife/

“Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33

God made Adam first and put him in the Garden with a job to do, a mission to fulfill. In the heart of every fallen man is the self-doubt that wonders, “Am I man enough to climb this mountain God has called me to? Can I fulfill my destiny?” A wise wife will understand that question at the center of her husband’s heart. And she will spend her life answering it, communicating to him in various ways, “Honey, I believe in your call. I know you can do this, by God’s power. Go for it.” In this way, she will breathe life into her man.

God made Eve from Adam, for Adam, to help him follow the call. In the heart of every fallen woman is the self-doubt that wonders, “Do I please you? Am I what you wanted?” A wise husband will understand that question at the center of his wife’s heart. And he will spend his life answering it, communicating to her in various ways, “Darling, you are the one I need. I cherish you. Let me hold you close.” In this way, he will breathe life into his wife.

quotes

"If God does not rule your mundane, He doesn't rule you."
Your children see life lived within the family, everyday, all the time. How do I live during the mundane..?

"Your children are actively putting together their world as they interrupt and see life around them"
This makes my desire to live well before Katie and Owen (and their friends) even stronger. Yes I will fail, but I want her/his world to be put together rightly...with God at the front. And with a community that loves them surrounding them, pushing her/him towards Jesus, having fun, being full of joy, being in awe of the creator and His creation...

Paul Tripp in The Case for Kids

Like this quote...

"With lack of excellence we miss opportunity."
my husband-Oct. 16th, 2008