Thoughts on "Amma: the Life and Words of Amy Carmichael

Today I want to share with you a book I've been reading. Amma: The Life and Words of Amy Carmichael by Elizabeth Skoglund is a compilation of excerpts from Carmichael's writings accompanied by Skoglund's commentary. This book has been an encouragement to me over the last few months as I've worked my way through it at the recommendation of a friend.

The first thing that struck me about this book is a point from Amy Carmichael's life. Her work as a missionary was extensive, but the truth is that we probably never would have heard of her if she had been able to live out her life in India in the way she had planned. It was her injury, as the result of an unexpected fall, at the age of 64, in 1931 that brought her ministry to the masses. Carmichael spent the final 20 years of her life as an invalid, but those years of enforced rest were used by God to expand her ministry, when she might have expected it to be limited. It was during those years that she wrote extensively, and it is these thoughts, born of physical disappointment and intense pain, that have been such an encouragement to me.

There is so much good stuff in this book. I would encourage you to read it next time God gives you a time of enforced rest, whether physical or otherwise. Years after her injury, Amy Carmichael wrote the following, about the event that ended her physically active ministry.

"You had hoped to burn out, not rust out. You had expected (if the Lord tarried) the natural end of the fighting man. ...This, and this, and this you will never do again. And the road will grow duller and darker with every mile you go -- is that your thought?" 

A Voice speaks within you: "Things will never be as they were before? That is true: for they will be better. You will never do this and this again? That also is true; for I have other things for you to do. They are not what you would choose? But they are indeed the best that Love can choose for you to do..."

"And Yet -- O Lord, forgive; the things I cannot do are looking in through my window now, and beckoning to me, and calling me."

"But I am here in the room with you: I am nearer than these beckoning, calling things. I come between them and you. You have nothing to do now, but to please Me." 

Oh, how I understand the beckoning of things that I wish I could do. And they are good things! I want to be able to take my girls out of the house for ministries to the neighbors, or to engage with nature and worship the Creator, or to minister to other hurting members of our church body, or even simply to attend church with my family! For much of the last year, I heard the Father saying, "No. That is not your calling right now. Your calling is to make much of the time you have within your home, and many times, in your own bed. What can you do for My kingdom from your new place?" He has always been faithful to remind me of ways I could minister, sometimes in prayer, in letter writing, in challenging my children spiritually, and in so many other ways. Truly, as long as we have breath, we have His calling on our lives, and it is to please Him who gives us that breath.

What books have been an encouragement to you recently? Do you have a recommendation for me?

Memories and Gratitude from Christmas and New Years

Thankful in 2016

We had a wonderful visit with Sam over Christmas. For now, he is our only college kid who still lives at home for his breaks. Theron, also in college, works full-time for FedEx in Pensacola, so he can't make it home for Christmas anymore :-( Sam gave his dad and me each "PCC parent" shirts. For those who have followed my journey as a step-mom, you'll know what an answer to prayer it is that my son can give a gift to his "mom" as if it is no big deal. Praise the Lord for healing that relationship!

We also had the incredible privilege of hosting our niece and nephew, whose family are missionaries in Bolivia, over the Christmas holiday. Trevor, a senior at USC in California, had fun teaching Esther some new skills on her ukelele. Tasha, a sophomore at Grace Bible College in Grand Rapids, received a puzzle from one of the kids, and had fun putting it together with her cousins. We made lots of memories, and enjoyed many hours of sitting around, talking, reading, playing board games, and ridding the Robart house of every last chocolate chip! Great times... we look forward to hosting them, and maybe their brother, too, in the future! :-)

The day after Christmas, we were surprised by the arrival of Daniel (our oldest) and his wife, Justine, visiting from Ohio! It was so great to see them and get some hugs. They're in the process of adopting through the fostering system, so we didn't expect to get a visit from them until May, if then! The kids enjoyed playing board games with their brother and sister-in-law, and making lots of memories together.

When we finally hit the road for our long-awaited trip, we were already filled with happy memories and all the yummy Christmas treats we had enjoyed together. Our first stop was Pensacola, where we enjoyed some fellowship with the Grays, former members of EH and good friends from KC.

We also spent a few days with Theron, who hadn't made it home for Christmas due to his work with FedEx in Pensacola. He is so great with his sisters, and they enjoyed the time with him immensely. He even taught us a new board game! (Don't ask!) :-) Being the horrible mother that I am, I convinced Dan to find us a beach where we could put our toes in the Gulf of Mexico. Of course, it was 38 degrees, and the winds were incredible! But that's how you make memories, right?! Of course right! :-)

We left Pensacola on our 13th wedding anniversary, headed west toward Texas to meet a new grandson and visit a couple more kids. That will have to wait for another post, though, because you'd better believe there will be LOTS of pics of these sweet grandboys! :-) What are you thankful for as you look back over the last couple weeks?

Rachel

Happy New Year 2016! As you reflect on all God has brought you through in 2015, let me leave you with these random thoughts:

This (and every day in 2015, as well as those coming down the pike in 2016) is the day that the Lord has made! We can rejoice in each day!

His strength is made perfect in our weakness. If he chooses to bring weakness our way in 2016, let us embrace it as an opportunity to rely on His strength.

We ought to walk circumspectly, because the days are evil, and there is an enemy who longs to see us fall away in 2016.

A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps. No matter what your plans for 2016, and you should make plans to serve Him and stretch yourself in some way in the coming year, remember that the Lord, in His lovingkindness, is the ultimate authority on your accomplishments. As you surrender to Him, may you be blessed, and may you find new and better ways to bring glory to the name of the one by whom we live, and have our being.

Happy New Year!

Failing to plan is planning to fail...

A friend asked me a question today, and I thought I'd put the same question to you. Have you thought through your devotional plan for 2016 yet? If you wake up on January 1 wondering what you should read, it will be easy to get bogged down in the many choices before you, or to be distracted by the holiday festivities. Either option could find you discouraged and missing days before you know it.

I subscribe to a couple of emails and FB groups that let me know about free or discounted Christian books. Two I've found this year are on my short list for 2016. One is Designed for Devotion by Dianne Neal Matthews. While I'm not familiar with this book, it purports to highlight Old Testament stories, give close-up looks at Christ in the Gospels, and review the historical background of each book of the Bible. I'm looking forward to enjoying these short excerpts as part of my spiritual journey starting this weekend. The other book I've discovered this year, and plan to start into in January is A Woman's Guide to Reading the Bible in a Year by Diane Stortz. It is organized by week, and gives readings that can be done in any version of the Bible you choose.

If you'd like to come along with me on this journey, you can find either of these books on Amazon at the above links. They're both on sale for 99 cents right now. Use the comments below to let me know what you're planning for your time with the Lord in 2016. I'd love to hear, and maybe we can sharpen one another spiritually. :-)

***Stay tuned for the first installment of "My Year in Books" coming later this week!

Book Review: "Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus" by Nabeel Qureshi

Today I finished an incredible book that I simply MUST share with like-minded friends. If you can find this book at your local library, RUN, don't walk, to check it out and read it!

This book follows a young man through an almost idyllic childhood founded upon the faith of generations before him, the peaceful Islam found in his particular sect. His parents, both born in Pakistan, have emigrated to the US before his birth, and he is raised as a flag-waving son of a U.S. Navy officer.

As a young college student, the events of 9/11 shock him as much as they shock his classmates. He is appalled to discover that the Islam that created those attacks shares so many founding beliefs with the Islam he has been raised to accept as truth.

God brings a good friend into the life of the author during his time as a med student at Old Dominion University. Over the following years, the author recounts many of their conversations, and gives incredible detail of specific surah (portions of the Qu'ran) that he used to discuss theology with this friend. The notes on these portions are excellent and detailed. Finally, as the title suggests, the author finds incontrovertible proof of Christ's claims and accepts Him as his savior.

I would have liked to see more detail of how the author was accepted as a Christian both in the Muslim community and in that of the protestant community in his hometown. Additionally, I would have liked to see the story come full-circle with the author telling his college friend of his conversion. But these are simply my own preferences to give some living qualities to what is a very deep theological discussion. Several times, I put the book down and walked around the house for a few minutes to let the issues meld in my mind. It is not a book that can be read in a quick sitting!

One more disappointing part of this book relates to textual criticism. In a discussion between the author and his Christian college friend, the author asks about two sections of Scripture, "the end of Mark" and John 7:53-8:11, referring to them as later additions to Scripture, as a result of his google research on the subject. (At this point the author is still a Muslim trying to convert his friend by undermining the Bible and holding up the Qu'ran as the perfect example.) The Christian friend says simply, "Oh, most Christian scholars agree that those are not authentic. But the fact that we know that further proves that the Scripture is accurate, because at least we know and admit where additions have been made." No further discussion is offered, and as a life-long believer and apologist for the whole Word of God, I was concerned about this statement being included. In fact, this ONE statement is the thing that would keep me from being able to recommend this book to my children and others who may be less firm in their faith than they should be. I would never want a book I had recommended to be used by Satan to place doubt in their hearts about the authenticity of every word of Scripture, since our faith puts the Word of God in such an important place.

This book was convicting to my heart as a Christian parent as I saw how clearly these Muslim parents communicated to their very young children the reasons behind their beliefs, and even more importantly their calling (by Allah, of course) to be proselytizing for their faith. Beginning in middle school, the author engages his friends in doctrinal discussions that inevitably leave him even more convinced that Islam is stronger than other faiths, and the Christian students around him flailing under talking points that failed to answer close scrutiny. As a Christian parent, I was reminded once again of my responsibility to teach my children not only the whys and wherefores of our belief system, but even more, the importance of being able to draw others to our Christ as a result of lovingly challenging their thinking.

If you choose to read this book, please let me know. I think it is an incredible piece of writing that will challenge your heart and reinforce your faith that our Christian belief system holds up to the intense scrutiny it was subjected to by this med student who desperately wanted Islam to win the battle in his own heart. I want to hear from you if it impacts you as it did me!

Meditations on Ballast

Earlier this week, I read this book.

Usually, historical narratives don't leave me meditating on spiritual truths. But this one did. Besides all the fascinating minutiae about different sizes of frigates and sloops, and the politics governing each nation's choices in the war, there was a LOT of talk about ballast.

Are you familiar with the concept of ballast? Wikipedia defines ballast as "heavy material, such as gravel, sand, iron, or lead, placed low in a vessel to improve its stability." Ballast is something I've heard about for years, but it never impacted me the way it did this time.

Heavy material is present in the ship of each of our lives. Maybe you're struggling right now with a battle that is out of your hands: the choices of a loved one, infertility, a divorce, a physical challenge.  The designers of each ship in the War of 1812 had determined what amount of ballast, or heaviness, would work best for their particular design. Whatever the heaviness is in your life, the first thing to remember about ballast is that It was designed by God.

Something else I had not given much thought to was how ballast is used. I always thought of it as a stack of bricks or sandbags, heaped in the hold of a vessel and never thought of again.

In reality, the battles in this book were filled with examples of how a captain saved his ship, or lost it to the enemy, depending on how he used his ballast. It is moved around even during a challenging time, in order to give the ship an advantage of position in the water, or a better angle for the sails to catch the wind. The same is true of the heaviness in your life. Not only was this ballast designed by God, but It is there to help you.

Look again at the definition. Ballast is placed low in a vessel... doesn't it seem like the heaviness that overwhelms us hits us in our weakest point?...and its purpose is to improve stability. Remember the verses in II Corinthians about glorying in infirmities and distresses? Verse 10 reminds us that "when I am weak, then am I strong." That's right. Just like so many other principles in God's kingdom, this one is backward. It is in our time of greatest heaviness that God intercedes with HIS strength. Because really, which of us can make lasting progress in our own strength? Isn't it more effective to rest in His strength? He designed the heaviness in our lives to exactly match the design of our "ship." He gave it to us to help us, and most importantly, It can bring us His strength, if we let it.

So what is your response to the ballast in your life today? Are you fighting it? Are you scouring the hold of your life for anything that doesn't please you, and throwing it overboard in a fit of self-confidence? I encourage you to embrace the heaviness, the weariness, the illness, the unanswered questions, the heartache that God has placed in your life today. Thank Him for offering you His strength for your weakness. It's the best way to live.

A Broken Foot Leads to a Broken Will

Sooo... life wasn't exciting enough around here, and I found a way to spice things up :-) Isn't it funny how God takes you from the point where you think things are going pretty smoothly, and up-ends your boat?!

About the first of February, I remember looking around (mentally) at a few friends who were running hither and yon with health issues, work, kid activities, etc, and thinking to myself, "I remember when February used to be so stressful. I'm glad I've figured out (note the smug back-patting there!) how to take life more calmly."

Oops... the Lord loves me too much to let me get away with that kind of thinking.

First, on a quiet (dare I say boring?) Saturday at home, I saw that a friend needed help covering a 31 vendor event, since she'd been ill. I told her I'd do it for her, even though it was nearly an hour away, just because I hadn't done a lot with the business lately and was feeling guilty.



So off I trekked to this event for homeless pets (it was so meaningful I can't even remember the name of the group it supported!) to see if I could sell some 31 products and get a few new contacts. While there... long story short... I stepped out of a doorway the wrong way and BROKE my foot. Uh-oh... things just got a little less calm in my life. :-(

While driving myself to the ER (not everyone in my family had as boring a life as I did), I started reminding myself of the things God might very well desire to teach me by knocking me off my feet (literally...lol). I am a firm believer in self-talk. Keep yourself so busy speaking truth and rehearsing God's ways to yourself that you don't have time to doubt God's involvement in a circumstance. It had served me well in various crises, and it seemed like the right thing to do now, too.

By the time we left the ER that night, I'd decided several things:

• Broken bones are painful! I'm glad I waited nearly 37 years to get my first one!
• Cleidocranials (see Cleidocranial dysplasia) are not made to use crutches! Yikes! That was painful!
• Men in general, and teen-aged sons specifically, do not have the same "care-giving gene" granted to women, and specifically moms/wives :-)
• I was going to get longer than I originally thought to learn whatever lessons God had for me. :-(

The following week, I had the privilege of celebrating my birthday (also Valentine's Day) with my sweet husband while riding around in a wheelchair. I was so blessed by his willingness to accept the change in plans with grace and concern for my comfort!

We're two weeks into this journey now. I have found once again that God is faithful, and that He continually gives opportunities to give HIM glory, and to serve in a sacrificial way. I am amazed at how many opportunities I am given to serve my family, even from a bed-rest position. 

What does God do to throw you into the deep end when you get the mistaken feeling that you can handle life on your own? I'd love to laugh... and learn... with you! :-)