Come, Lord Jesus!

To wait is not merely to remain impassive. It is to expect -- to look for with patience, and also with submission. It is to long for, but not impatiently; to look for, but not to fret at the delay; to watch for but not restlessly; to feel that if He does not come, we will acquiesce, and yet to refuse to let the mind acquiesce in the feeling that He will not come. 

Dr. A B Davidson (waiting on God)

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Memories

A memory! Already . . . traveling to Arkansas for Strong in the Lord and Radiant Purity conferences is a memory. How can that be? So much prayer, so much study, so many hours on the road, so much anticipation and then --- woosh! Just like that and we've all returned to our various and sundry homes and are thrust back into the daily grind, trying to let all that we learned soak deeply into our hearts.

Soak deeply. I remember my dad holding up a chunk of wood for all of us kids to see one Summer day years ago. It wasn't/isn't uncommon for him to have an object lesson to go along with our "wisdom searches", and this time he had a section of a bridge plank that had been soaked in creosote. Creosote is an oily liquid made from coal and wood tar, and is used mainly as a preservative for wood, in order to make it last a very long time. He had cut a cross section into the plank and let us all look at it.

When we saw the piece of wood, we realized that the creosote, though smothering the wood on the outside, had only sunk in to the wood partially. It didn't reach deeply; it didn't soak far at all! The creosote was almost entirely external. Dad then went on to say how sometimes we are like that bridge plank; how often the things that God desires to reach down into our hearts and remain there, barely even touch the surface.

One of the things I pray for desperately is that the young ladies (particularly those in my small groups who are especially on my mind!), mothers (and fathers!) who come would not simply experience a "spiritual high" at these conferences, only to return home and forget or loose their enthusiasm for what the Lord impressed upon them to live out, but that the work, the words, the prayers would reach deeper and deeper into all of our lives until it becomes a part of who we are.

More pictures to come!

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Hello from Arkansas!

Just a little post to encourage those of you who are praying for the Bright Lights Conferences to keep on praying! :) The Lord certainly poured out a huge measure of blessing on the Strong in the Lord conference Tuesday and Wednesday, and we are praying for an equal amount on involvement from Him as we prepare for the Radiant Purity conference starting tonight! I have well over a thousand images from the STIL conference alone, and way more to go, so stay tuned for more updates. :)

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Strength in Sacrifice

Measure thy life by loss instead of gain;

Not by the wine drunk, but the wine poured forth;

Photo by © Prairie View Communications, LLC


For love's strength standeth in love's sacrifice; 

And whoso suffers most, hath most to give.

  J. Hudson Taylor

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Phone Diaries

It's not always practical to lug around a camera case that's about half as big as me all the time, so I'm trying to make better use of my phone's abilities and capture some of the in-between moments of life. :)

Please be praying for all the young ladies who have begun diligently practicing passages of Scripture in preparation for Scripture Memory Challenges IX and X. It's amazing to me how when I determine to memorize a certain portion of Scripture, a plethora of distractions seem to divide every waking thought! Pray that all of us would be able to set aside time specifically for this purpose of laying up God's Word in our hearts, that we would reach a deeper understanding of these verses and that we would be blessed with enthusiasm and endurance as we reach the goal set before us.

This time around, some of us are employing the use of flash cards to aid us in memorizing! They're pretty handy to slip into your purse or pocket wherever you go, and they help emphasize the connecting of each reference with its coordinating verse.

Last night, we were at the Union Gospel Mission in Sioux Falls, and what a privilege it was!

Sorry for the blurry images ... apparently I'm not so good at inconspicuously taking outstanding images with my phone. :)

For weeks, as I've been thinking about and praying for these homeless men and women, I've been meditating on Matthew 11:28, where Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (One of the verses for our upcoming challenge!) Another verse I thought of yesterday was Luke 9:58:

And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests;

 but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

We as Christians are much like the homeless who gather at missions such as these. This world is not our home. We are strangers, pilgrims. Not supposed to be popular, not supposed to fit in, not supposed to do the things everyone else does or be entertained with the same things everyone else is. 

Rise up, O men of God!

Have done with lesser things.

Give heart and mind and soul and strength

To serve the King of kings.

William P. Merrill

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Testifying through Relationships

I love singing together as a family; I love ministering as a family! Every single person brings a unique contribution to the task at hand with different talents, ideas, motivational gifts and personalities. When we learn to dwell with our siblings in harmony, and honor and submit to our parents joyfully, we are developing the kind of character that will bless all kinds of future life relationships. It starts in the home! 

One thing my mom used to tell me often was, "Always assume you're being watched." People do notice how you treat your little sister(s) and whether or not you show respect to your brother(s). They will notice how quickly you obey your parents, and what face expression you make as you turn around. Testifying to others is so much more than singing or teaching! When I think back on various conferences I've attended, I usually can't remember exactly what was taught, but rather what the person was like who taught it. I remember their countenance as they spoke about the Lord, I remember discerning their level of sincerity as I observed personal life standards they took upon themselves; I watched for fruit. It means very little to sing and talk about the love of Christ to others, if we do not demonstrate it by lovingly interacting with each other. 

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, 

if ye have love one to another.

John 13:35

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, . . . 

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 

singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 

Ephesians 5:19

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Video: Abide With Me

A couple of weeks ago, some friends and I were able to get into this beautiful, regal church building downtown for a photoshoot! In a church as beautiful as this one, it's hard not to be worshipful and reverent, and we really appreciated the opportunity to get in. :)

Henry F. Lyte (the composer of the words for Abide with Me ~ here arranged with Liszt's Etude un Sospiro by Myra Schubert) lived in similarly beautiful surroundings - an elegant estate, reportedly provided by King William IV who had been impressed with Henry's ministry. Henry was a vicar in the fishing villiage of Lower Brixham, Devonshire, England, where he ministered to sea-faring people for 23 years. As tranquil as the coastal views were among the British Isles, Lower Brixham had damp winters, and Henry suffered from a a lung disorder that deteriorated into tuberculosis. On September 4, 1847, age 54, he preached his last sermon. That afternoon he walked along the coast in pensive prayer, went to his room and, an hour later, brought out a written copy of "Abide With Me". 

It is likely that he had prayerfully revised and completed that afternoon, what was started many years before. On November 20, 1847, the day after his revision, he left for Italy to regain his health. He didn't make it though; his phthisic lungs finally gave out and he died in Nice, France, three weeks after writing these words. When the news of his death reached Brixham, the fishermen of the village asked Henry's son-in-law, also a minister, to hold a memorial service. It was on this occasion that "Abide With Me" was first sung.

For over a century, the bells of Henry Lyte's church in Devonshire, have rung out “Abide with Me” daily. The hymn was sung at the weddings of King George VI and of his daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II, as well as at the funeral of Nobel peace prize winner Mother Teresa of Calcutta in1997.

In defense of my poor playing, this was a piece I hadn't yet polished (obviously) and I wasn't really giving it my full attention, especially since I didn't know Hannah was recording! But I'm glad she got this little video while Daniel did his thing, and I hope you'll enjoy it. :)

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.

What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?

 Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;

 Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.

Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;

In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

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