tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40778709609457095832024-03-04T23:06:25.386-08:00 Calling Me to Look UpThoughts on the journey that is lifeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-35865238139607079872018-01-11T10:02:00.002-08:002018-01-11T10:05:24.281-08:00The Air I Breathe - Louie Giglio - Book Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">Worship </span>has to be so much more than singing songs at Church. This is something that I've thought for a long time, but I've never been able to put my finger on what exactly worship was. This book was the perfect read to answer a lot of questions that I had. It is very simple and easy to read, yet packed with a lot of profound and encouraging words.<br />
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I was really excited to get this book. I had very high hopes for it and I was not disappointed. It was practical, encouraging and contained stories of personal experience. <span style="text-align: center;">The author clearly laid out the definition of worship and then continued to explain it throughout the book in a practical and easy to understand way. He makes the case that worship is something that you do every moment of every day whether you realize it or not. I love when a book challenges me to stop and think and examine myself - and this book definitely did that!</span><br />
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The author talked about the importance of quiet times, but that all throughout the day we need to be aware of who our Lord is: "Even more important than your time alone with him is that you walk away from that time fully aware that He is with you, wanting to be a part of everything you do. Don't make the mistake of spending fifteen minutes alone with God only to forget about Him for the other twenty-three hours and forty-five minutes of the day. In very little step you take throughout the day, keep Him in view. Talk to Him all day long, including Him in everything you do."<br />
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I really appreciated this book and how it challenged me to ask myself: "What am I worshiping today?" I definitely recommend this to anyone who is wanting to deepen their relationship with God.<br />
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If you are interested in more information about this book, head over here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/59918/the-air-i-breathe-by-louie-giglio/<br />
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For more information on the author: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/75318/louie-giglio/<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZVM8-PfMvsZuTanY9daEwaEv2sLvqmqsjyWt4vXArA5SDzxn41hdwU_UaT_35OZMoVlwdCfMD1hc_x56JhYwT2LU-MbJOKMcXI-YUqI0FLUbYf05JDCn39TY505S13YQfmY5-6DcCOA/s1600/9780735290716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZVM8-PfMvsZuTanY9daEwaEv2sLvqmqsjyWt4vXArA5SDzxn41hdwU_UaT_35OZMoVlwdCfMD1hc_x56JhYwT2LU-MbJOKMcXI-YUqI0FLUbYf05JDCn39TY505S13YQfmY5-6DcCOA/s320/9780735290716.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-19961052027054221012017-12-25T20:42:00.000-08:002017-12-25T20:42:28.734-08:00Isaiah's Daughter - A Novel of Prophets and Kings - Mesu Andrews<br />
God put a King on the throne whose desire was to turn the straying people of Judah back to Himself. But a big part of God's plan included an orphaned girl named Hepzibah whose heart was wounded and life was in ruins. The story of King Hezekiah is one of the most incredible stories in the Old Testament. It is the story of a man who decided to trust God even though all the odds were stacked against him. His enemies were breathing down his neck ready to destroy him, but he chose to cling to the Lord.<br />
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This story delves into the relationship of Isaiah the prophet and his messages to King Hezekiah and how they influenced the nation. The author was not afraid to dive into the complicated relationships of the King, his wife, along with that of the King's counsel and the prophets of Yahweh. This is definitely an intriguing read and I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in reading historical and/or biblical fiction.<br />
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Growing up reading the Bible, sometimes it's hard to picture the people of this book as being real people with real problems, real emotions, and real dilemmas. One thing I appreciated about <i>Isaiah's Daughter </i>is that it portrayed well known Bible characters but really made them come alive. It made you realize that these people were real and had to have real faith. They had things that made them afraid - just like we all do. And they had to learn to trust God even as we do. It's easy to look at people in the Bible and think that they just had everything work out for them and that faith wasn't necessary. But these people didn't see the whole picture - they had to trust God every step of the way.<br />
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This book encouraged me and made me realize that trusting God is the same for everyone. We all have to trust God even when we cannot see. The people of the Bible had to trust God just as we do.<br />
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As far as the writing style goes, it was very well done. This is a large and challenging story to take on and I think the author did a good job tackling character development and plot development. There<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Uml42z3ggrcSPH0-R50uVB1v6M2t2fb25bvBOhKhpycZBWsbZ-1tVLxO6PDc7nASr9Op7_8ajguzrUs9mOdSNVJhjmz_mFcwwV5BFVM9xxRyyBJxgwO_5Q6AbfYAhBw5s2Ri_QT7MPg/s1600/9780735290259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Uml42z3ggrcSPH0-R50uVB1v6M2t2fb25bvBOhKhpycZBWsbZ-1tVLxO6PDc7nASr9Op7_8ajguzrUs9mOdSNVJhjmz_mFcwwV5BFVM9xxRyyBJxgwO_5Q6AbfYAhBw5s2Ri_QT7MPg/s320/9780735290259.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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were a few times when Hezekiah and Hepzibah's relationship seemed a bit cliche to me, but it was good other than that.<br />
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If you are interested in reading the first chapter of this book, here is the link: http://mesuandrews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/SAMPLE-CH-IsaiahsDaughter-1.pdf<br />
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Here is more information on the book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/550573/isaiahs-daughter-by-mesu-andrews/<br />
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And here is more information on the author: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/187189/mesu-andrews<br />
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. All opinions are entirely my own.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-78820368905540765602017-11-20T08:43:00.002-08:002017-11-20T08:43:38.899-08:00Daring to Hope - Katie Davis Majors - Book ReviewThis book blessed my soul so much. It is the story of a young missionary to Uganda and her adopted children. Katie does a wonderful job of weaving together her story along with the things that the Lord taught her through that. This book really encapsulated her heart and her relationship with God. She candidly shared the things that she thought and felt while ministering to the hurting and the hungry. I was very blessed by the parts of this book where she talked about her quiet times with God and the things that God spoke to her through the Word.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3H3OuPlr6zug1ZFr7kAjtYt3wYKSGqFWXTSmV9yVvCJ_02DjU-OFIQ1uDYZPr-QvukF0cnsCbuSTDYVAnTGVoWsPSNA0l7aM2rM0_17XqDbo_QpN8oTDBKD7orwigvwdwCLl675zaYU/s1600/9780735290518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3H3OuPlr6zug1ZFr7kAjtYt3wYKSGqFWXTSmV9yVvCJ_02DjU-OFIQ1uDYZPr-QvukF0cnsCbuSTDYVAnTGVoWsPSNA0l7aM2rM0_17XqDbo_QpN8oTDBKD7orwigvwdwCLl675zaYU/s320/9780735290518.jpg" width="205" /></a>One thing that struck me about this book is how God formed and shaped her through tragedy - and how she gained a heavenly perspective. God wants to give all of us His perspective in life, but only if we allow Him to. Katie allowed God to use the difficult things in her life to grow her - and she honestly shares about that in this book.<br />
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I also appreciated how she talked about her grappling with God. She asked God all the hard questions about why bad things happen, the purpose of miracles, etc. and I so appreciated how she didn't try to avoid or side step the big issues, but she addressed them head on.<br />
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Few books have blessed me more than this book. I felt nourished and encouraged every time I picked it up and I would definitely recommend it!<br />
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. The opinion and content are entirely my own.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-25749014821153361332017-08-14T15:01:00.002-07:002017-08-14T15:02:25.196-07:00He Calls You Beautiful - Dee Brestin - Book ReviewWe quickly forget the intensity of God's love for us. <i>He Calls You Beautiful </i>was an incredible reminder to me that I am loved and desired. God jealously desires me - and that is incredible.<br />
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When I first started this book, I desperately hoped that this would not be a cheesy or cliche book. Some things written about Song of Songs are just cringey and shallow to read. But as I read this book, I continued to be encouraged and refreshed. It was such an encouraging book to read!<br />
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Brestin masterfully weaves together her own personal encounters with God along with the testimonies of others. They add a lot of depth and beauty to this book - showing us that God is an intensely personal and relational God. She shared several stories from her experience with prion ministry - and those were especially touching. <i>AND </i>our relationship with God. I thought that was a very neat perspective. It basically applies to all of our relationships.<br />
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She also talked about how the Song is relevant to our human relationships <br />
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This book really encouraged me with where I was at when I read it. It really made me want to throw everything aside and just go spend time with God - and more books should be like that!<br />
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It also helped break the mindset that the Song is about romance, or designed for married people. The Song can be encouraging for anyone - no matter where they are. Because we are all caught up in the Divine Romance. And that's a wonderful place to be.<br />
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Here are some links for those interested:<br />
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More information: https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/books/544946/he-calls-you-beautiful-by-dee-brestin/&source=gmail&ust=1502833107483000&usg=AFQjCNEtVulWTZDbJFSxF-sW0EuRXnQu-Q<br />
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Author Bio: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/authors/35839/dee-brestin/<br />
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. The opinion and content are entirely my own.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-77109914942175621342017-07-07T15:35:00.001-07:002017-07-07T15:35:54.978-07:00Break Open the Sky - Saving our faith from a culture of fear - Book ReviewI wasn't sure what to expect when I first got this book. The cover was very gripping. I also wondered how it was possible to write a whole book on the subject of fear and faith. I was very eager to find dive in! This book is a very easy read and I read it in a couple of days.<br />
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Going into this book, I very much hoped that it would be practical and not merely a pep talk about getting over fear. I was very pleased to find that he presented very heavy hitting and solid truth! He talked about how the Western World is more afraid as a whole than lots of different poor nations are - and he analyzed why. He also went through different things that we are afraid of such as suffering and taking risks. Stephan Bauman has seen a lot of hard and difficult things through his years of relief work in other countries - and yet I was intrigued by his perspective on suffering. That was probably one of the things that I enjoyed most about this book. He didn't shy away from difficult subjects - and suffering is included in that. As one who works to alleviate the sufferings of others, he had an intriguing perspective. He talked about how suffering is not something that we need to avoid and push away, but suffering is something that we can embrace without fear because God uses to draw us closer to Him than we could imagine.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlKI1Ni8zboQvHiERyPZV4KX71weU4iff7Hu6qb14U01rb7Q6Uy06B6-EWeFLhpf5uKGTMyx-5sCH5nhGIZJRadvS0AahWW9H55neUGC8hPaaQdzlBJ0tB0EXeNJYear4tK7tOQY9HgA/s1600/9781601425850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlKI1Ni8zboQvHiERyPZV4KX71weU4iff7Hu6qb14U01rb7Q6Uy06B6-EWeFLhpf5uKGTMyx-5sCH5nhGIZJRadvS0AahWW9H55neUGC8hPaaQdzlBJ0tB0EXeNJYear4tK7tOQY9HgA/s320/9781601425850.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
I really appreciated the experience that he has. He was able to share many stories about believers and people in other countries and their stories. That added a lot of depth to this book!<br />
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Overall, this book was great and I'm glad I read it! Definitely something that left me impacted. We are really good at ignoring our fear and sometimes we need to face it head on with the truth - and that is what Bauman did in this book. <br />
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Here are a few links for those interested:<br />
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/books/234659/break-open-the-sky-by-stephan-bauman/#details<br />
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http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/authors/185732/stephan-bauman/<br />
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. The opinion and content are entirely my own.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-69831938212443312162017-06-25T18:41:00.003-07:002017-06-25T18:41:32.904-07:00The Chamberlain Key - Timothy P. Smith - Book ReviewCodes in the Bible? I would have to say I was pretty skeptical coming into this book. I had heard a little bit about this concept before, but I didn't really know much about it and I definitely was hesitant to believe something like that!<br />
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Reading this book was incredibly informative and enlightening. Timothy Smith shared his personal story along with sharing the things that he discovered. I appreciated his honesty and authenticity. Another thing that I really appreciated was how thoroughly he researched everything that was put in this book - he didn't just throw out theories or random things. He thoroughly searched everything out and had experts confirm his findings. That was one thing that really helped me out while reading this!<br />
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Smith shares his life story and steps of the journey that took him to this amazing discovery. It was an incredibly intriguing and compelling read!<br />
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I'm still not completely sure what I think about the concept of messages being encrypted into the original Hebrew documents, but this book really challenged me to start thinking about this. And I began to realize that the biggest reason I doubt is because I don't really think that God could communicate like that - and that's because I have put God in a box. But this book challenged me to think about the fact that God could quite conceivably communicate to us in this fashion! God is not restricted by our understanding! I think that this is the biggest takeaway I have from this book - that God is not restricted!<br />
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Here are a few links for those interested:<br />
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Chamberlain Key Debate & Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1827281677560431/<br />
More information: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/books/537278/the-chamberlain-key-by-timothy-p-smith-with-bob-hostetler-foreword-by-eugene-ulrich-phd/<br />
Author bio: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/authors/2135192/timothy-p-smith/<br />
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. The opinion and content are entirely my own.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-91524793726589259172017-06-05T12:58:00.002-07:002017-06-05T12:58:48.125-07:00Everything You Always Wanted to Know about God by Eric Metaxas - Book Review<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I was very excited to get this book! I
had heard the name Eric Metaxas and seen several of his books but
hadn't had the chance to read any until I got this book. I've read
lots of different Christian apologetics books over the years and they
can have a reputation for being dry and somewhat boring, but that was
not the case with this book. The question and answer format of this
book made it interesting and personable. It was like a dialogue
between two interesting people who both have their different opinions
and views but are trying to understand the other side. It made it
more like a dialogue than a sermon – which helps keep your
attention!</div>
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I appreciated how Metaxas delved right
into the controversial questions with boldness but not rudeness. That
is something that I always look for when a Christian is addressing
touchy subjects. It is important to have a listening and an
understanding attitude – and Metaxas exemplifies that in this book.
His answers are very respectful and yet incredibly sincere. You can
tell that he is speaking from the heart and from his life experience
and not just preaching a sermon. The best sermons are the ones that
are lived out and not spoken!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LgqDf1Cg16GXW96RNiV1n0Vyj3owzrxwqC1b9fbWk6mY4esxZ609Sb_62ZBZYHuTn04Y9Y08c8nqTivEZ3zivdhkyWdZQ35QqCbDQH3Ep5Hafhf8yCQueC2rYww7ZjHIBaD2CG86iGc/s1600/9781400071012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LgqDf1Cg16GXW96RNiV1n0Vyj3owzrxwqC1b9fbWk6mY4esxZ609Sb_62ZBZYHuTn04Y9Y08c8nqTivEZ3zivdhkyWdZQ35QqCbDQH3Ep5Hafhf8yCQueC2rYww7ZjHIBaD2CG86iGc/s1600/9781400071012.jpg" /></a>There was only one thing that
disappointed me a little bit in this book. All throughout the book,
Metaxas emphasizes how Christianity is not merely a religion, but an
incredible opportunity to have a deep, intimate relationship with
God. He does a great job of focusing on this point and I really
appreciated that because a lot of apologetics books don't talk about
things like that. But then at the end of the book, when he had a
perfect opportunity to explain how to have a relationship with God,
he mostly talked about going to church and the importance of
fellowship with other believers. While fellowship with others is
important, the point of the whole book is fellowship with God. This
book would be a great book to give unbelievers or people who are
seeking to follow God and for that reason, I believe it could have
done a better job of practically explaining what that looks like –
and <i>how </i>you seek God. It's
not hard to see that Metaxas has a relationship with God – and so
because of that, he has the authority and the experience and the
insight to explain what relationship with God looks like practically.
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Other than that point – which is
merely my opinion – I thought the book was excellently written. It
was engaging and easy to read. It is a great book to read if you have
questions about God and how He works. I would definitely read other books written by this author. </div>
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. But the opinion is completely and entirely my own.</div>
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More information: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/books/113616/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-god-but-were-afraid-to-ask-by-eric-metaxas/</div>
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About the Author: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/authors/68702/eric-metaxas/ </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-32156732050196981592017-02-21T11:09:00.002-08:002017-02-21T11:09:57.788-08:00Escapes Underneath the Berlin Wall - My Review of the book "The Tunnels" by Greg Mitchell<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When this book first fell into my
hands, I thought, "Wow. This is a big book! How will I ever get
through it?" Although it was bigger than I had expected, I was
pleasantly surprised at how interesting and gripping it was. I went
through it fairly slowly but I didn't lose interest one time!</div>
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The book is about the Berlin Wall
crisis as a whole, but specifically focusing on the tunneling
attempts. The tunnels that were built are a dramatic pictur</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUJk04Sf9ExG0suQLkS2Vj0SnXR9iQYGRa0Sl47eIG7A7uIh5VMCu-oW5RfCF-YWlnou28aydAbppc2kax3V2S2GdAhwSKjoyHo8mZ_hODQVqvxVv3iKbYE22-FMg0GForOuMDOiR4_Y/s1600/9781101903858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUJk04Sf9ExG0suQLkS2Vj0SnXR9iQYGRa0Sl47eIG7A7uIh5VMCu-oW5RfCF-YWlnou28aydAbppc2kax3V2S2GdAhwSKjoyHo8mZ_hODQVqvxVv3iKbYE22-FMg0GForOuMDOiR4_Y/s320/9781101903858.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
e of how
desperate the people of Berlin were to have their freedom. This book
reads like a thriller and is filled with suspense and complex
characters and the missions and the risks that brave men and women
took for their families and loved ones.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This was a truly riveting book and I
enjoyed it thoroughly! One thing I look for in a book about history
is that it tells a story. Many history books are somewhat dry and
filled with details and honestly, I quickly lose interest because of
the writing style of the author. But Mitchell did a great job telling
a story – the story of those who were passionate to have freedom.
</div>
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In the acknowledgments, Mitchell
writes: “When I started this book, I had no idea how many of the
key tunnelers, couriers, and escapees were still living, or if they
would be reachable, and if so, would be willing to speak with me. I
made a list and, surprisingly, I was able to arrange lengthy
interviews with nearly all of them, and then some.” It is evident
when reading this book that his eyewitness interviews made all the
difference in the world. He did a very thorough job and all of the
interviews he conducted add an incredible depth to this book. It is
almost as if he is writing down their story on their behalf. This
book gave all the different perspectives from citizens of east and
west Germany, members of the press, members of the government, etc. I
appreciated how it showed all the different sides of the story.
</div>
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I was definitely impressed by this book
and although I do not appreciate the occasional language, I would
definitely recommend this book to someone interested in this topic.
“The Tunnels” definitely left me with a greater respect for the
freedom that I have.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I received this book from Blogging for
Books for this review. But the opinion is completely and entirely my
own.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Author's website:
<a href="http://www.gregmitchellauthor.com/">http://www.gregmitchellauthor.com/</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Author's bio:
<a href="http://www.gregmitchellauthor.com/bios/greg-mitchell">http://www.gregmitchellauthor.com/bios/greg-mitchell</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-89479083681725418502016-12-07T19:12:00.000-08:002016-12-07T19:12:50.761-08:00The Prayer of Sir Francis Drake<br />
Several years ago I came across this poem that was attributed to Sir Francis Drake and it really was inspiring.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Palatino, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center;">
<span class="bigcap" style="font-size: 20px;">D</span>isturb us, Lord, when<br />We are too well pleased with ourselves,<br />When our dreams have come true<br />Because we have dreamed too little,<br />When we arrived safely<br />Because we sailed too close to the shore.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Palatino, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center;">
Disturb us, Lord, when<br />With the abundance of things we possess<br />We have lost our thirst<br />For the waters of life;<br />Having fallen in love with life,<br />We have ceased to dream of eternity<br />And in our efforts to build a new earth,<br />We have allowed our vision<br />Of the new Heaven to dim.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Palatino, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center;">
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,<br />To venture on wider seas<br />Where storms will show your mastery;<br />Where losing sight of land,<br />We shall find the stars.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Palatino, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center;">
We ask You to push back<br />The horizons of our hopes;<br />And to push into the future<br />In strength, courage, hope, and love.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-63168669213072735672016-06-28T21:46:00.003-07:002016-06-28T21:50:36.406-07:00Late Night Thoughts...Sometimes it's when you're really tired and really worn out when you hear Him speak the clearest. I think it's because when we are tired and ready to give up, we are ready to listen to Him instead of always listening to ourselves.<br />
<br />
Sometimes it's those moments when you are feeling shattered and broken when you feel His love the strongest. Maybe it's because when we realize what a mess we are, we realize how complete He is.<br />
<br />
Sometimes it's when you're experiencing heartache and pain when you realize that He is closer than He's ever been. Maybe it's because when you're hurting, you realize how much you need Him.<br />
<br />
Because we need Him desperately.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokMNGSmj8DjOjO5snmwOLY8VAdeiKskYH6pAPnXXYo65CfQNlUsDDhxUqBsWWB4lQWFjMSmOI7zLzmRjZjdc2IYHjFi7rQvhNR2XOeNrlmFXD8YxiPowK4N3v4u00HbhPO-mKIqCwG2M/s1600/pier-821570_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokMNGSmj8DjOjO5snmwOLY8VAdeiKskYH6pAPnXXYo65CfQNlUsDDhxUqBsWWB4lQWFjMSmOI7zLzmRjZjdc2IYHjFi7rQvhNR2XOeNrlmFXD8YxiPowK4N3v4u00HbhPO-mKIqCwG2M/s400/pier-821570_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-86276232373587984622016-02-19T15:15:00.001-08:002016-02-21T17:07:02.878-08:00Breaking Boxes<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't know about you, but from the
time I was little, I had this concept of what prayers should sound
like. And I guess I got these ideas from hearing other people pray.
And so I guess I always prayed the way I heard other people pray. I
didn't care to “experiment” with prayer and really open up my
heart to God in prayer. I had my prayer life stored away in these
nice little spiritual boxes and I was content with that. But
recently, God has begun to break down the boxes that I've tried to
put Him in.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've been home from school for three
months now and next week I'm about to go back. The way my school
works is that I am there for three months and then I am home for
three months. And for some reason I always thought that I would learn
more during the semester than the off-semester, but God has shown me
so clearly how He is my teacher. And while He may use another person
or teacher to teach me, it is ultimately He who teaches and reveals
those things to me. So since I have been home, God has continued to
teach me more about who He is.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I just want to share a few things that
He began to show me last semester and has been continuing to teach me
since I've been home. I'm afraid that they might seem a bit jumbled
and disorganized, but I'm going to give it a shot.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1. <b>My prayers make a difference.</b>
God wants me to pray. I've grown up in a very conservative, Christian
home but I confess that I had a very pathetic prayer life until more
recently. And I think I know why: I didn't believe there was any
power in prayer. I didn't realize that the most powerful force in the
universe – God Almighty – heard those prayers and that they
touched His heart. I may have known it in my head, but I didn't
really believe it. I didn't realize that my prayers move the heart of
God.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I began to actually pray, I began to
see God working in ways that went far above and beyond what I could
have imagined – and through that, God began to dispel my unbelief
and still is. God builds our trust and our faith through the
experiences that He gives us and I've seen that true in my own life.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2. <b>Prayer is warfare. </b>In
the past, I would begin to pray for someone or something for a period
of time and then eventually just stop praying and give up because I
wasn't seeing results. Looking back, I'm ashamed of that because I
see how little endurance I had. I didn't tap into God's strength, but
tried to fight the battle of prayer all by myself. I think many of us
give up praying for someone too fast <i>because
we don't see what is going on in the spiritual realm. </i>When
we begin to pray for something that is near and dear to God's heart
and pray in accordance with His will, things in heaven begin to shift
and move around and Satan is being defeated. The problem is, we can't
see it with our mortal eyes, so we begin to get tired and discouraged
when we don't realize that progress is being made in the spiritual
realm. And when we give up on praying for someone that God has put on
our hearts to pray for, we are giving ground to the enemy. Satan
cannot win.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here
is a helpful quote that gave me so much insight into what happens
when we are praying for someone – particularly someone who is lost:
“Legally, all souls belong to Christ because He paid for their sins
on Calvary (1 John 2:2). But Satan, illegally and forcefully,
continues to hold them bound in spiritual darkness until we take our
rightful place and exercise our throne-rights by demanding their
immediate release on the basis of Christ's shed blood and our
delegated authority from Him. There is absolutely no reason for even
one single soul to die and go to hell because Christ has already paid
their redemption price. And the only reason why anyone will go to
hell is that we have not taken our place of authority and bound the
strong man, insisting on their salvation. The devil will not release
them until we make him.” (Lee E. Thomas, <i>Praying
Effectively for the Lost)</i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We
may not see results immediately when we pray, but our prayers are not
in vain! God is working even if we can't see it. Faith is the
evidence of things not seen – and we need to have faith that God is
working.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3.
<b>Prayer is the work</b>.
Oswald Chambers said, “Payer does not equip us for greater works—
prayer is the greater work.” I can't tell you how many times I
heard that prayer – but God has shown me how true that actually is.
Missions and evangelism are powerless apart from prayer. Mere words
coming out of my mouth will not convince anyone. This is not to
diminish the importance of missions or witnessing, etc. but I think
that we put too much emphasis on talking and convincing other people
and not enough on praying for others. Prayer is more powerful than my
own words.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">God
taught me this in a very personal way recently. One of my closest
friends was going through a difficult time and as much as I had tried
to encourage this friend and as much as others had tried to encourage
this other person, my friend seemed lost and confused. You see,
nothing I could say made any difference. I think God brought this
situation to me because I realized that only He can change hearts –
I can't. So often I think that if I just explain something in a
certain way or just say it using different words that I can speak to
that person's heart and change their minds. But that's not how it
works. God's Holy Spirit is the only one who can change people. So I
found in this situation that the only thing I really could do was
pray. And so I did pray. And I prayed a lot. I begged God to break
through to my friend and to encourage my friend. And things didn't
change overnight. They took months and months. But God had me
continue to pray for my friend and one day when I was feeling
especially desperate, I spent much of the day praying and asking God
to come into the situation and change this person. I never felt so
weak and so helpless than I did at that moment. I was completely
powerless. And as soon as I was in that place of weakness, God
demonstrated His strength by turning this person around – at the
same time that I was praying for them.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Needless
to say, this whole situation built up my faith in God so much. I
realized that He hears my prayers and that <i>He
cares</i>!
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4.
<b>Pray God's word.</b> My
own words are pretty feeble sometimes and I don't always know God's
will in a particular situation, but if I pray God's word, there is
such power in those prayers because I can know that I am praying
God's will.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For
example, if I am praying for someone who is lost to be prayed, I can
pray this passage: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all,
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made
for all men; ... For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God
our Saviour; <i>Who will
have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth</i>.” (1 Timothy
2:1, 3-4, emphasis mine) So I can stand on this promise as I pray and
tell God, “You said that it is your will that all men should be
saved and come to the knowledge of the truth – so I ask that you
would bring so-and-so to the knowledge of truth and to salvation.”
If I pray in that manner, I'm not just praying what my will is, but
God's will.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When
I pray God's word and base my prayers off of God's promises, there is
such power there! Because I am praying God's very heart back to God!
There are verses in the Bible that apply to every area of life so
there will always be a verse I can pray for every situation. If the
Bible is the sword of the Spirit, using it in prayer invites that
power into our prayers!! And that's so exciting guys!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So
that's a few of the things that God is still teaching me. I don't
know if that made a whole lot of sense, but I'm praying that God used
at least part of this to encourage you and to help you with your
prayer life.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I
guess learning how to pray means breaking a lot of boxes of unbelief.
I've kept prayer in my own little boxes for so long. I've had all
these ideas of what prayer should look like and sound like, but I'd
encourage you to seek for more than that.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We
tend to pray the way we hear others pray, but that can be dangerous
because then we are unwilling to venture into new territory. Don't be
afraid to pray in ways you've never heard anyone pray before! Don't
be afraid to be vulnerable before God and to tell Him everything that
is on your heart. Don't be afraid to be desperate. Don't be afraid to
plead and to beg. Don't be afraid to humble yourself before God.
Don't be afraid to “experiment” with prayer and test God. Don't
be afraid to listen to God and to ask Him how to pray.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Come
before God with your prayer life and ask Him what is on His heart and
what He wants you to pray about. You don't have to try to muster up
spiritual sounding and powerful prayers, you just have to ask God to
show you what to pray. Just listen to Him and I guarantee that there
will be power in those prayers.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Prayer is conversation with God. If we can only understand that – it will
completely transform our prayer lives. </span>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-30643165371622862122015-08-26T23:34:00.002-07:002015-08-26T23:37:31.983-07:00The Center of God's WillPsalm 40:8 "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
It's 12:37 AM. I'm sitting at my computer, staring at the screen, wondering how to explain all the thoughts that are racing through my mind. The last month has gone by so quickly I feel like I've barely had a chance to think and sort through all the thoughts in my mind.<br />
<br />
I went on a walk today, hoping to get some clarity of mind, but all I could see was a packing/to-do list scrolling through my mind. So this is an attempt to sort through everything in my head. Writing it out always helps me.<br />
<br />
I've told people some details about the school that I am planning on attending and I've received various reactions from people. Some people think it's weird that I won't have internet access while I'm there. Some people think it's weird that I won't be able to date while I'm there for the next three years. So I just want to write out my thoughts about the school where God has called me to attend.<br />
<br />
When I was twelve, I fell in love with the state of Texas. But it wasn't just that I thought the state was<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99WzZDEf2d-SstKGlTLhwjYzOE43RzZ3xl_C7kxHT8LGqpOCeJtJMr9VP2ozsR6WNfuSceWHHpVYdiraFsxW6yXfMjpjnOVURhsslD2G84XdrrrM65hfxguXH9Oz3nR8k98PD97ZkcJw/s1600/100_6084+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99WzZDEf2d-SstKGlTLhwjYzOE43RzZ3xl_C7kxHT8LGqpOCeJtJMr9VP2ozsR6WNfuSceWHHpVYdiraFsxW6yXfMjpjnOVURhsslD2G84XdrrrM65hfxguXH9Oz3nR8k98PD97ZkcJw/s320/100_6084+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunsets at Bible School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
beautiful, I fell in love with a little Bible school nestled in Central Texas Hill Country. All of my older siblings went to this Bible school and so I got to visit several times throughout my teen years.<br />
<br />
This Bible school is very small. About thirty students attend this school, so the atmosphere is very much like that of family and community.<br />
<br />
But what struck me about this school was the devotion and the passion I saw in the students. These were some of the godliest and most committed young people I had ever come across. They devoted hours every week to studying and meditating on God's word and prayer. But what I noticed about this group of students is that their eyes shone with joy, their souls burned with truth and their hearts were full of God's love. They weren't boring. They weren't dull. They weren't locked away in closets studying all hours of the day and night. They were so in love with Jesus Christ that it wasn't a chore for them to read their Bible, it wasn't work to meditate on scripture, it wasn't tedious to do Bible study. They had learned the secret <i>that if they died to themselves, Christ in all of His beauty and glory would come and dwell within them. </i>They weren't perfect angels, but they knew that they had a perfect God who was still working on them.<br />
<i><br /></i>
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The environment there is unlike any other that I have ever experienced. There is a light about this place and peace. Part of what provides this almost surreal environment is the limits that are placed on outside distractions. There are rules put in place during the semester to limit the distractions of internet, tv, etc. but it is so beautiful to go to a place where seeking God is more unhindered and there are less distractions calling your name. It's okay to have a period of your life where you have solid rules set in place that help you to spend more hours with the Lord.<br />
<br />
And now, I find myself preparing to attend this college for myself. I don't care if people think it's weird and has weird rules. I don't care if people think that no-internet is a bit extreme. It's fine if people think the rules are strict. Strict rules are sometimes good for you. And I know that God is going to use this next chapter in my journey so much. I've seen how it's changed my siblings and how it's changed the lives of my friends who have attended there.<br />
<br />
I'm okay with the fact that I'm not allowed to date for the next three years. I can just spend that time focusing on my relationship with God. That's okay with me. I can wait.<br />
<br />
I'm okay with the fact that I won't have internet connection and unlimited phone time. There is a time and a place for drawing aside to seek God with less distractions and a greater focus. The internet has a lot of good things to offer, but as we all know, it can be easy to wast time too. So I'm fine with the fact that I won't have internet access because I'll be more motivated to work on studying the Bible and I'll have more time to spend in prayer.<br />
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There are many godly people in the Bible like Elijah or John the Baptist or even Jesus who spent time alone with God in the middle of a bare wilderness with no distractions, just their Creator. And God still provides "wildernesses" or periods of set apart time for us to spend time with God. Wildernesses are not the most fun places to be, they can be difficult and wearisome, but God still gives joy and He draws near in those times. This school is in the middle of literal wilderness and I feel <u>so</u> incredibly blessed that God is giving me several years to slow down the pace of this crazy world and go off to the "wilderness" to seek Him. My God is so good to give me this special set apart time just to listen to His voice and to learn.<br />
<br />
So I don't know if my mind is any less jumbled, but one thing is clear: I have never heard God's voice so clear and without a doubt as I did when I was told that this was the place I was to go to school.<br />
<br />
So sure, school is grueling. I'm going to have to learn how to die to myself more and more, and that won't be comfortable. But I feel peace knowing that I am at the center of God's will.<br />
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<br />
<i>"Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." (Psalm 37:3-7)</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-27991802740499142872015-06-29T22:10:00.000-07:002015-06-29T22:19:32.464-07:00To My NCFCA FriendsDear Fellow Competitors,<br />
<br />
Five years ago when I was a shy, nervous and awkward twelve year old, doing speech and debate was the most challenging thing I had ever tried. I remember my first few tournaments. I didn't really know anybody and I had no friends there. I would have never dreamed that I would meet my very best friends in the whole world through speech and debate. I had no idea how much you guys would all mean to me. I had no idea that God would use you guys in my life so much. And I had no idea that saying goodbye to you all would be so incredibly hard.<br />
<br />
I want to keep this brief or I know I'm going to start crying and I really don't feel like doing that right now. So thank you for the fellowship. Thank you for the crazy conversations we had when we were all tired. Thank you for the respectful arguments. Thank you for the joking around. Thank you for not thinking it was weird if I cried if I was having a hard day. Thank you for smiling at me when we walked past each other in the hallway. Thank you for praying with me outside of my room. Thank you for providing me with an incredible environment to grow in my skills, but also to grow in the Lord. Because of you, I've had the best years of my life. Some of you I got to know very well, others of you I had smaller, shorter interactions, but it doesn't really matter. All of you left an imprint on my life and you've given me so many memories that I'm never going to forget.<br />
<br />
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for changing my life, for showing me how to smile when I'm disappointed, to find fun and enjoyment even under pressure, for long talks late at night, for words of encouragement you offered and for <i>all</i> of the things that you guys taught me.<br />
<br />
I know that you've been told countless times that you are going to make a difference in the world, let me join in and agree. I've seen how dedicated and passionate you are to what you believe in and I am convinced that God is going to use you all to make an impact on the world. You guys give me so much hope.<br />
<br />
You are an incredible group of people and I cannot even begin to say how much I am going to miss all of you. Thank you so so so so much for your friendship, your competition, and for all the love and the memories that I'm going to have with me for the rest of my life.<br />
<br />
Okay, maybe I am going to cry anyway. I hope you can see how much I mean the "thank-you's" amidst all of the emotional "sappyness" :) But may God bless you all as you continue to serve Him. Thank you for being the crazy, wonderful people that you are.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
Elizabeth<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077870960945709583.post-5223120040116325952015-06-26T07:46:00.001-07:002015-06-29T06:36:07.925-07:00Look Up<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today
the phrase “look up” came to my mind. So I decided to search the
Bible for the phrase “look up” and there are only a handful of
verses in the Bible that have that phrase, but there is one thing
that they do have in common and symbolism behind m</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">any of the verses
is just beautiful.</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here
are the verses:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: green;"><u>Gen_13:14</u></span><span style="color: black;">
And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him,
Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art
northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: </span>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: green;"><u>Psa_5:3</u></span><span style="color: black;">
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will
I direct </span><span style="color: grey;"><i>my
prayer</i></span><span style="color: black;">
unto thee, and will look up. </span>
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: green;"><u>Psa_40:12</u></span><span style="color: black;">
For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have
taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more
than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. </span>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: green;"><u>Mar_8:25</u></span><span style="color: black;">
After that he put </span><span style="color: grey;"><i>his</i></span><span style="color: black;">
hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored,
and saw every man clearly. </span>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: green;"><u>Luk_21:28</u></span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: red;">And
when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.</span><span style="color: black;">
</span>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All
of these verses have the context of darkness or evil holding you
down, but then when you look up at Him, you find that freedom, that
restoration.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
the example of Genesis 13:14, Abram and Lot had just dealt with a
large servant disagreement/quarrel by parting ways. I'm sure that
that was a physically and emotionally tolling time for Abram because
dealing with conflict is basically, a lot of work. Dealing with
conflict can cause your feet to begin to drag and it can make your
head hang in </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2udildPQEiWGBq0R9u7gIQNubXRgJXIImaQn4cHWzQNmYHcfV5BP_SxQQQsQ4MyvX_bnc3Kiez10zNeG_37wMHE4w_Hu8RyJhmfRwm0HbKyW9H-6y4xZen8ayyjJoPaZjgxKiXHmD5I/s1600/woman-801928_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2udildPQEiWGBq0R9u7gIQNubXRgJXIImaQn4cHWzQNmYHcfV5BP_SxQQQsQ4MyvX_bnc3Kiez10zNeG_37wMHE4w_Hu8RyJhmfRwm0HbKyW9H-6y4xZen8ayyjJoPaZjgxKiXHmD5I/s320/woman-801928_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">discouragement. But in this verse it says that after
the two had separated ways, God said to Lot, “Lift up now thine
eyes”. That phrase has a lot of significance! God is saying, stop
looking down, stop looking down at yourself! (Interesting note,
looking down at the ground or looking down often means looking down
at one's self) So God told Abram, “Quit focusing on yourself and
how you feel. Completely move on from what has happened and lift up
your eyes and look at the place that I have given you.” The
symbolism of this verse is very extraordinary, actually. When we are
mired down in discouragement, it is so easy to look down and not look
out at the promises that God has given us.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black;">In
the verse </span><span style="color: green;"><u>Psa_5:3</u></span><span style="color: black;">
it says “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the
morning will I direct </span><span style="color: grey;"><i>my
prayer</i></span><span style="color: black;">
unto thee, and will look up.” Morning is the time of day that
comes after nighttime. Morning and night have a lot of allegorical
and spiritual properties to them as well. Morning is often used to
describe a new beginning, a time when God's mercies are new and we
have a fresh new chapter to begin with. Night is often considered a
time of difficulty, temptation or evil and overall struggle. And so
the psalmist specifically points out that we will hear His voice in
the morning, after the night is over, calling us to look up, to turn
away from our discouragement, to turn away from our fear, or
temptation, our difficulties, and turn to Him. We will hear his voice
and we will look up.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />
</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.morguefile.com/imageData/public/files/d/DeduloPhotos/02/l/1424029409endv4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.morguefile.com/imageData/public/files/d/DeduloPhotos/02/l/1424029409endv4.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black;">Mark
8 also paints another beautiful picture, illustrating the same
concept. A blind man was brought to Jesus and those who brought him
begged Him to lay His hands on the man and heal him. This man was
living in physical darkness, trapped in a chasm with no light. Unable
to walk about on his own, unable to see for himself, unable to see
the light even if he wanted to. He was a prisoner in his own body,
unable to get away. And Jesus spit upon his eyes and asked the man
what he saw. The man replied that he could vaguely see moving objects
but that they were very blurry and distorted. This could have
discouraged both Jesus and the blind man, but it says “After that
he put </span><span style="color: grey;"><i>his</i></span><span style="color: black;">
hands again upon his eyes, and made him </span><span style="color: black;"><b>look
up</b></span><span style="color: black;">:
and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.” Jesus had the man
look up and his eyesight was restored so that he could see clearly.
In the same way, as long as we are looking down at ourselves, we are
blinded, caught up in ourselves, unable to see anything beyond us.
And when Jesus guides our head to look up, we are restored so that we
can see clearly. Looking up gives us a new perspective: rather than
looking at ourselves, we look up into the face of God. And looking up
into the face of God changes your perspective more than anything
else.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.04in; margin-top: 0.04in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black;">In
Luke 21, God talks about a time of persecution when Christians are
hated, pursued, and cast out by society. Verse 26 says “Men's
hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things
which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be
shaken.” This sounds like a terrifying time for any Christian. A
time that would press you and shake you down to the core, testing
your endurance and trust in God. But verse 27-28 once </span></span></div>
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</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black;">again
highlights the beautiful theme that has run throughout all of these
verse, that even in the midst of darkness when all we can think about
is ourselves and our own problems, God gently turns our gaze upwards
once again. “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come
to pass, </span><span style="color: black;"><b>then
look up, and lift up your heads</b></span><span style="color: black;">;
for your redemption draweth nigh.” I don't need to add anything to
that, because it says it right there. </span>
</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There
are many other verses that talk about lifting up your head, gazing
up, etc. but these five verses that contain the phrase “look up”
really fascinated me because of the similar idea that they all
express with the very different and yet so eloquent analogies. They
all remind us that when our circumstances want to pull us back or our
sin or temptation want to mire us down, we are to look up – look up
and be saved, redeemed, renewed, and given a fresh perspective on
what matters more than all of our problems: God and His plan for our
lives.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07091159163920815128noreply@blogger.com0