....The Seas and All That is Therein...

The air is fresh; the breeze is rejuvenating. The rays of the sun gently touch my skin as the yellow ball of light rises over the horizon. The water is buoyant and feels refreshing on my legs and feet. There's not a soul in sight as I continue to walk and leave fresh footprints in the sand. I take it all in and all the beauty around me. This is one of my favorite places to be.

There's nothing like the ocean. Something about the water is so deep, so mysterious. As I stand in front of the massive sea I am in awe of God's power and how small I actually am. God created this vast body of water and life and they all belong to Him.

I love every part about the beach: long walks in the early morning, the soft sand between my toes, spending time with family, jogging along the shore, reading on the porch, watching dolphins, soaking up the sun, finding shells with the kids, feeding the seagulls, taking a swim....it all is grand.














Nehemiah 9:6~
Thou even though art Lord alone. Thou has made heaven, the heavens of heavens with all their host; the earth, and all the things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou perservest them all, and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

Longing For Love

While recently spending the day at an amusement park, one thing I couldn't help but notice was how many girls I saw---many who were quite young---hidden in guy's arms. A few faces revealed a look of emptiness and others just plain indifference, but I'm sure each were seeking after the same thing: emotional security and ultimately...love. My heart went out to them.

When I see these young girls I can't help but wonder about their individual world's and their home lives. Do they come from broken families? Are they devoid of love where they live? Are their parents there for them? While this can be related to the choices they make and who they become, despite one's background the truth is that if a girl doesn't have the Lord, guys are one of the only things she can turn to.

I know how they feel. All they want is someone to love and cherish them. As I looked into dark, makeup covered eyes with masculine arms around her waist and showers of kisses upon her neck, I saw the pain and the desire for security. My heart grieved for her because she hasn't found it yet. If you don't know the Lord, where else do you go?

As she places herself in his embraces and lets his hands touch her, she thinks it's love, but the man's actions portray an entirely different message. He loves every minute of easy pleasure from someone who will freely give it. She's vulnerable and he knows it. For her this is the price she must pay for someone to desire and care for her, but how long will it last?

What has happened to respect? Why have girls let go of precious treasures? Where are all the gentlemen?

None of these issues can be solved until God is the center. Christ is the only answer to the emptiness of the soul. No guy could ever fulfill a lady's longings. No lady can find true emotional security and love until she has given her heart to the One who loves her most.

A man and woman who love the Lord can display true love because they have been given it, and until the gospel has been shared, emptiness will have no remedy. It's just another reason the Good News must be spread.

Excerpt From My Journal

As I pack away my Bright Lights material tonight, my heart overflows with joy and gratitude of all that God has done. I can't help but smile. I did it...with Him. With God's help I started a group that I have always prayed about and now it is finished. I finally got to discipline young ladies and teach them the truths of God's Word! Oh Praise You Lord! I was so uncertain at first but God has blessed. Indeed God doesn't call us to do anything that He won't help us with. And oh, I could have never done this without His help. There's certain things that are totally out of my power, like the working and changing in the girl's lives. That's the Holy Spirit's job. And there's other things that I rely on Him for, such as the boldness and words to speak for each lesson. It's so easy, though, to occasionally assume I can do the little things---or at least something---without His help. Yet the Bible says, "without me, ye can do nothing."

There's been many times I have sat in front of my laptop ready to write but my mind remained terribly blank--the one thing I thought I was capable of accomplishing myself. I've had to call on the Lord many times for inspiration and He's showered me with ideas and thoughts that I would have never thought of. He's the one who has wrote the lessons, not I.


From what I've learned from leading Bright Lights, the thing that stands out the most would be learning to have a greater dependency on God. This has strengthened my faith and relationship with Him as I've had to seek Him many times to help me. How foolish I am to think I can handle things on my own. When I rely on myself all is fruitless. Leading this group has helped me to see how much I need Him for the big and small things.


Prayer. Oh, how important it is. This has become more real to me over the past few months. You see, prayer has not only been the preparation for the ministry; it is the ministry. A work done for God is only as powerful as it has been soaked with prayer. Every week of Bible study God has answered prayer, and in the process He has grown my faith in the true effectiveness of it.

God is so gracious for each girl He has sent my way and I am so thankful for the opportunity He gave me to be apart of their lives. I love them all so much and they are all so special in their own way. I do pray that the things that they learned will be used in their life and that God will continue to grow them to be strong and godly young ladies for the glory of Him. May I never forget the things He has taught me too, and I pray I will always choose to put my dependency and strength in Him in whatever I do.

Simple Exercise That Will Change Everything

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I have been striving lately to apply 1 Thess. 5:18 to my life and in doing so I have found it does wonders.

My sister and I went to an amusement park with a group of friends and the most aggrivating thing occurred. I put my cell-phone in my pocket before the ride (like I have done a million times before) and when I hopped off the coaster I checked my pocket and my phone was not there. I was so upset. The absence of my cell-phone was not what essentially bothered me (since it can be replaced) but the fact that all my contacts, numbers, notes, and pictures were forever gone.

I couldn't get the senario out of my head when it first happened. My information was lost and my phone probably in a million pieces. How could I be cheerful and enjoy the park again? At that point I had a choice to make. Either I could dwell on my regrets and ruin my whole day, or I could be thankful.

Be thankful?? Yes, when I finally took the time to dwell on what I was thankful for in the situation I realized there were many things.

First, I was thankful that my cell-phone had fallen out of my pocket and not the money and credit card that resided in the opposite one. Between the two I would have definitely given up my cell, so I was very grateful for that.

Second, I was grateful I had some of my numbers written down so not all of them were completely gone.

Third, I was thankful I had a spare phone at home (even though it's not so great) which I could transfer my number immediately incase anyone called.

When I thought about it, I realized the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed. Dwelling on the good instead of the unfavorable changed my whole perspective around. I knew according to 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that God has a reason for what occurred and I was to give thanks anyway. Because I did, I was able to enjoy the rest of the day and have a blast with my friends even though I was cell-phone absent.

If only I could remember and apply this to all parts of my life! It makes me wonder that if I can't apply this to the small areas, how will I respond when trials come my way? Will I be able to give thanks (1 Thess. 5:18) or count it all joy (James 1:2)? I need to make the practice of giving thanks in the disappointing things a natural part of my life. I know it would be so much better if I do.


*Note: I recommend an excellent book that focuses on this verse: A Thankful Heart by Carole Lewis. It will change your life.

Is Submission Stupid?

We enjoyed our first women's fellowship at our church this past week. During this time our pastor's wife briefly mentioned the command in Scripture for wives to obey their husbands (Eph 5:22-23, Col. 3:18, Titus 2:5). One lady, a widow at our church, is something else. She's up there in years yet full of spunk and wit. She recently gave herself to the Lord and has much to learn about the Bible but is thankfully very open and curious to know what it says. This part just didn't make sense to her though.

"Obey your husband??" She asked, "I know the Bible says it but I just can't fathom. No, I just couldn't do that..." I told her that God gives us the strength to do what He commands and that He blesses us in return. She accepted the idea yet still said she couldn't have done it. "Well, I didn't know that when I was married," she commented, "now that I do I think I'll just stay single *laughs*".

Submission in the Bible is hard to comprehend to a world going in the opposite direction. Feminist just love to feel sorry for submissive wives and their "oppressive" lifestyle. All I know is that no matter how hard it is to understand, the Bible is the authoritative, infallible Word of God and is the Creator's instruction manuel for us to live a successful life. We will only be safe if we live by it and follow it whole-heartily.

At this stage of my life, I don't have to worry about obeying a husband (particularly because I don't have one), but I am still commanded by God to do the same to my father (Col. 3:20; Eph, 6:1-2). Let me tell you, I am so thankful to be under my father's authority. It is really a blessing to be protected and guided under his leadership.

Because of our rebellious and sinful hearts, it is easy to look at submission through culture's eyes as being legalistic and degrading, but I see it and from experience know that it is not as the world thinks it is. God guides, directs, protects, and blesses me when I respect and obey my father. God leads me through my Dad. I never feel as if I am in bondage or handcuffed from happiness. Quite contrary, obedience to God's ways are entirely liberating. Obeying the Lord and His commands has only resulted in freedom and blessings to my life, plus in return my father trusts me and it strengthens our relationship. Of course I'm not perfect (far from it), but when God helps me to submit to my parents I only gain what's best in the end.

Submission is one of those Biblical paradoxes that most find hard to understand. You see, the more I respect, honor, and obey my father, the more freedom I am granted. I'm not referring to the liberties my father grants (which is certainly part of it) but ultimately from God Himself.

A great deal of young ladies think that they too can earn freedom by parting from their father's headship. While it might seem like they are liberated, in truths they are not. When you exit the position God has given your father as head of the home, you leave God's protection and are left in a very vulnerable and dangerous position. You are no longer safe, no longer blessed, and living outside of God's will is always a very scary thought indeed!

The fact is that authority is simply something we can't run from. It is a element of life we will be subject to the rest of our days. Whether that position is parents, a husband, a boss, your pastor, government, and ultimately God Himself, authority is something we have to deal with, because if we don't life will be pretty miserable.

I'm not saying submission is easy, but in the midst of opinions and controversies, I just have to keep in mind that God's ways are not ours. I am under my father's head and one day I will be under the headship of a husband and I am perfectly fine with that. In fact, I am very grateful. Why you ask? Because my God deeply loves me and He knows what's best. I don't have to truly understand; My job is just to be to obedient. And I can find joy in that because I know when I obey my Dad I am essentially obeying God, and God is ultimately the one I desire to please.

A few shots of a wonderful, much needed vacation

Trying to make it look vintage (they struggled not to smile) ;)


Normal :)

Overflowing Treasures....Or Trash?

I have this problem and perhaps you can sympathize with me. I'm a very organized person which is great. My complication? I have a hard time getting rid of things. In other words I keep just about everything that means something to me or I think can be useful sometime in the future. I think this can be good concerning some stuff but overall is this a good or bad thing??

Holly has called me a pack rat for awhile now. Looking around my room and seeing everything organized and in order, I always thought it wildly unreasonably that I would be so....until I did some deep cleaning. All I have to say is: oh brother!

I have hung on to almost everything that holds any sentimental value to me. They are the most difficult for me to let go, so therefore I usually don't. It drives me crazy but at the same time it would kill me to give it up or throw it away. I couldn't believe some of the things I discovered packed away in boxes and such, some stuff I've had and hadn't seen in ages. It's like this raging battle taking place inside of me. I don't need it but I just can't trash it!

I'm doing a little better and the last cleaning excursion of my room was profitable as I finally begun letting things go. But the bad things is that I have discovered this struggle recently appearing in other things, such as my text message inbox and my e-mail. They constantly remain full because there's too many messages/e-mails I wouldn't consider deleting. AHHHHHH!

This really is a struggle. The problem is that I don't see any solution but letting go of some things. I feel like just throwing up my hands over this. Am I a hopeless case?

Flowers Are a Beautiful Touch

What do you do with your wilting flowers? 

Throw them out the window? Toss them in the trash? Well, instead of getting rid of them I'd encourage you to preserve them.

Drying flowers is a very easy way to conserve old blossoms and to decorate your home frugally. Mom let me have the remainders of her Mother Day's roses and I tried this for the first time and it worked out very nicely. 

There's three different methods for drying plants but I prefer the air-drying one the best. Even though this one takes the most time it's the easiest and doesn't cost you a thing. 

What you do is first strip you flowers of their leaves (if you prefer). Gather the stems together and tie them with a string or secure them with a rubber band. Then hang the bundle upside down in a well-ventilated area. A closet or garage is the best place for this. 

Let them dry for about a month then spray them with hair-spray to set and you're done!

I put them in a large jar because I love the country decoration/old fashion style they bring.    

Even though they're not the bright red roses they once were, they are still lovely and look great on my dresser.

My Aunt loves drying flowers. She has an assortment of plants in her back-yard and enjoys using them to decorate various rooms in her home.

This is on her dining room table. Isn't it lovely?

This one is my favorite! It's absolutely gorgeous with all the different varieties of flowers and colors.

So, next time before you throw out your flowers, won't you think about drying them instead?  Experiment on different kinds and see how it works. Drying is a wonderful thing you can do for unwanted plants. It recycles, it's easy to do, it's frugal, and it adds a beautiful touch to your home.  Give it a try  :)

Something I hope I Don't Forget

For some reason, April was a very dry writing period for me. Last month my blog was empty and my journal bare. When I occasionally had a subject I would sit with pen in hand and my mind would go blank. No inspiration whatsoever. Don't you hate intense periods of writer's block?? I'm not sure if it was that or if I was just too busy to think but it's funny because now I'm going through some kind of writing phase. My mind has been racing with thoughts, my pen running at furious speeds, and my journal filled with pages of cursive writing almost daily. Writer's block is way behind me. It's a great feeling since I love to write and hopefully this month my blog will have way more entires.

Before I conclude this post I must share a story with you.

Back in January, my Dad and I were driving out of our driveway when I noticed something brown escape into a ditch inside a tunnel. We stopped and I went out to check it out to find a timid puppy's face looking back at me. Finally after a long attempt of graceful puppy calls, the nervous thing finally came out. Amber and Autumn were on the scene now and he took to them quickly. I guess we just adopted him from there because he never left.

After a few months of keeping this pooch lets just say I discovered he wasn't my favorite dog. When a dog always tries to jump on you every time you exit the house, you're bound to be annoyed. Especially when he does manage to get mud on your Sunday clothes. With an occasional drooling face and bounds of hyper energy, you just never know when he'll attack by throwing up his paws or either licking you on the leg. Perhaps by now if you called "get!" he'd come running and think it was his name. This is one dog that will drive you crazy.

Well, last night I was driving home from a Bible study and my headlights revealed a dead dog close to our driveway. Brown and short, it was our adopted pet. It must have been chasing a car and finally met it's doom. It lie there lifeless, all alone, gone forever. I almost cried. Yes, he was annoying but deep down I'm sure he was just looking for love and I never gave it to him. I felt pretty bad and decided I'd better give special attention to the dogs that were left. Walking up the driveway I called for our beloved dog Sugar when out of no where the crazy, brown mutt appeared. What? I thought you were dead! I was pretty surprised to say the least. He furiously wagged his tail and looked at me with his big eyes and obnoxious grin. I honestly wasn't sure what to think but I decided to do something I never did.........I petted him. The first time he tried to lick my hand but after taking interest in a nearby crawling bug, he let me pat his head. He was soft and he didn't seem to notice. I slipped inside the house and pondered what had just happened.

All I could conclude was the simple fact that we don't appreciate things until we don't have them. Isn't this true in all of life? We take so much for granted and when they're gone from our reach is when we finally realize how much we actually needed, appreciated, loved it. The simple solution is gratitude.....gratitude for all we have. It makes me want to examine my life for everyday things I don't thank God for giving to me.

I don't know what my relationship will be with the pup from here on out. I'm sure he'll continue to attack and I will continue being irritated, but you know, I was reminded something valuable yesterday which I hope I don't forget. It's a life long lesson we all should keep close to heart. And because of that every now and then I'm gonna try to pet that crazy brown mutt...That is if he doesn't jump on me first :)

Latest Project: Quilting

Marriage Perspectives

As young ladies, what should be our perspective on marriage? Should I desire it? Should I prepare for it? Should I be waiting for a husband or put thoughts of marriage aside until later down the road?

It's not a surprising fact that a majority of women are getting married at older ages than ever before. Many women are postponing marriage as long as possible for career pursuits and opportunities to climb the corporate ladder. With the addition of casual hookups there's not a need for matrimony neither a desire for a husband or children. Marriage is just not esteemed or desired as it once was.

Of course God values marriage. He created the institution from the beginning with Adam and Eve. God said that it was not good for man to be alone and because of this the man should leave his father and mother to be one with his wife. Together the husband and wife are a powerful pact to serve God side by side to fulfill His work; They need each other and together can glorify God in wonderful ways.

Understanding this, how should I view and act toward the thought of marriage? As with everything, there's always two extremes. In this case, the feministic frame of mind would be the one side of the pendulum. Me tied down to a husband and children? You say, You've got to be kidding! My career comes first before I settled down. Besides, I'll be married the rest of my life, why not make something of myself? This is an unbiblical perspective and is frequently squabbled because we don't understand God's high calling of being a wife and mother.

You may not be a militant feminist, but the same frame of mind can occur in other ways. I believe it's possible to get so wrapped up in serving the Lord that one can conclude that a husband will only be a distraction in giving to their fullest. While God does call some to live a life of singleness, the majority will be married someday and in their case this position is wrong. It is true that unmarried ladies have a wonderful opportunity to serve God with all their being. 1 Corinthians 7:34 tells us this. We do not have our own family and therefore have much more time and energy to reach out to others. But we must realize that singleness may not last forever and a husband can be a great blessing in serving God. Marriage is a ministry and children can be raised to be warriors for the cause of Christ. We must understand that we do not determine whether we marry. God does.

The second extreme is putting marriage as our highest priority. It's marriage on the mind....all the time. Daydreaming, planning the wedding, fantasying married life, wondering about potential husbands...oh yeah, and great discontentment. Life will be so much happier when I am finally a wife you speculate. Of course this second state of mind is just unhealthy as the first. Marriage is lovely but it's not our chief goal. Glorifying God is.

So what's the answer to this raging pendulum? The solution is balance. We don't want to postpone marriage nor make it our idol. The key is submitting to God's plan and waiting on His timing. If God wants you to serve Him until your 30 before you join your life to a man---then so be it. If He wants you to wed at 20 to start a family early---then so be it. It is not our place to make that decision.

In the meantime our responsibility is to not to impatiently wait or put marriage off as long as we can. We should prepare for marriage without idolizing it; We should be content with our singleness without concluding marriage a hindrance. While waiting on what God has for us, we should be serving Him with our whole hearts. If God sends a young man across our paths one day or if He chooses a life of singleness we will continue serving Him without fail. You see, whether we marry our not, our highest purpose is to serve our Creator. We must keep our focus on Christ while preparing to be a godly woman. That's how we keep balance and put marriage in its proper place. God should be glorified regardless the outcome because He is God and His ways are always best.

Busy but Buoyant

Reading and writing---these are two of my favorite things to do, yet I haven't had hardly any time to do either...until tonight :)

I am here in Savannah for my "nanny" job. This is my third trip down here to work for a family which I will continue working for every other week until May. I love it and I am so grateful for it. When Mrs. Lisa arrived home from work this afternoon I finally was granted the lavish opportunity to sit down and enjoy a good book. I went outside on the patio and enjoyed myself--a book in one hand and an apple in the other :) I am reading What He Must Be...If He Wants to Marry My Daughter, by Voddie Baucham and it is really insightful. The Biblical qualifications for a Christian to marry are "musts" but ones ladies seem to easily look over. I am grateful for works as these. I want to read A Man Worth Waiting For and A Lady In Waiting by Jackie Kendall next...

Life has been particularly hectic for me lately but I don't really mind. I like to be busy as long as I am not overwhelmed, which I haven't been a great deal.

I started a discipleship for girls titled Bright Lights (www.brightlights.info) three weeks ago. We meet at our home every other Friday and have had two meetings thus far. God placed this on my heart to start a group when I was fourteen and I have finally begun. I love it. I have 8 girls including my sister who come and I love each and every one of them. I pray this has been and will be a blessing to their life as much as it has been mine. I am so excited to see what God is going to do! I tell you, there's no greater joy than obeying and serving the Lord. There's a lot more to say and perhaps I will get the chance to do so at another time...

Guess what else has occurred? I don't know if you remember my desire to start quilting lessons, but a sweet friend from our church has graciously offered to teach my sister and I! She came to our house about two weeks ago and gave us an introduction to quilting and showed us the many patterns we could do. I'm so excited! We're going to pick out our fabrics this Saturday. This is an answer to prayer as I have desired to do this for so long. God answers prayer!!

Monday's Bible study is going well, even though I miss every other lesson because of my job. Bible Study Fellowship has been a tremendous help to my life! I don't have time to tell you about it but I'd highly encourage you to see if there's one in your area. BFS is an international Bible study and it's free too! Check out their site: (http://www.bsfinternational.org) and click "Find a class." I LOVE it so much and if there's one near you I'd greatly encourage you to be apart of it. It will really help you to grow in your relationship with the Lord and your knowledge of the Word. I am learning so much.

In between these things I've been scheduling to visit a college at least every other week. My mom, sister and I went to visit one on St. Patrick's Day but we weren't impressed so I crossed that one off my list. I know God will show me where He wants me to be. I shall keep praying :)

I must run. Thought I'd update while I have some time! One more thing---I am having a birthday this week. I am pretty excited that I will 19 years of age. Hard to believe but exciting none-the-less!

Thank you for reading and God bless you.

Wordless Wednesdays: Road Trip Pic

                       

I love sayings/quotes and thought I'd share some of my favorites which are all by anonymous authors. Some I think are profound, some simply make you think, and others are just amusing, but never-the-less I like them all. Enjoy  :)

To be content with little is difficult, to be content with much, impossible.

Humility is that grace, that, when you know you have it you have lost it.

Sympathy is never wasted except when you give it to yourself.

Fear God and all other fears will disappear.

Do you see difficulites in every opportunity or opportuinies in every difficulty?

Worry is interest paid on trouble before it's due.

Salvation is free but there's a price in following Jesus.

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to lose it.

Tis better to be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt

Wise men talk because they have somehting to say; fools because they have to say something

I used to think I was indecisive but now I'm not so sure.

Kisses are like diamonds--the more of them there are in circulation the less valuable they are.

Today is the tomorrow that worried you yesterday and all is well

Home is where each lives for the other and all live for God.

Faults are thick when love is thin.

Friendship is to be purchased only by friendship.

I married her because we have so many faults in common.

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

The best way for a husband to clinch an argument is to take his wife in his arms.

Friends are made by many acts--and lost by only one.

The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.

Success in marriage is much more than finding the right person; it is a matter of being the right person.

Bitterness is a prolonged manner of suicide.

Some women work so hard to make good husbands that they never quite manage to make good wives.

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.

If we fill our hours with regrets over the failures of yesterday, and with worries over the problems of tomorrow, we have no today in which to be thankful.

Be thankful and just think how happy you'd be if you lost everything right now---and then got it back again.

You can't keep trouble from coming, but you needn't give it a chair to sit on.

Habit is a man's best friend or his worst enemy.

It's right to be contented with what you have but never with what you are.

I had no shoes and complained until I met a man who had no feet.

The greatest calamity is not to have failed; but to have failed to try.

Housework is something you do that nobody notices unless you don't do it.

The trouble with some people is that they won't admit their faults. I'd admit mine---if I had any.

Learn from the mistakes of others---you can't live long enough to make them all yourself.

You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.

We've got to build a better man before we build a better society.

The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

A good example is the best sermon.

Good nature will always supply the absence of beauty; but beauty cannot supply the absence of good nature.

Be careful how you live; you may be the only Bible some people will ever read.

Do right and leave the results with God.

If you blame others for you failures, do you credit others with your successes?

The secret of prayer is secret prayer.

God never closes one door without opening another.

Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees and he glees when he views the strongest Christian with the blues.

It is only the fear of God that can deliver us from the fear of man.

Who gossips to you will gossip of you

I have often regretted my speech, seldom my silence.

Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night.

God without man is still God. Man without God is nothing.

Discussion is an exchange of knowledge: argument is an exchange of ignorance.

Past experience should be a guide post, not a hitching post.

I am not conceited, though I do have every reason to be.

Many might have attained wisdom had they not thought that they had already attained it.

The taller a bamboo grows, the lower it bends.

When you hear that someone has gossiped of you, kindly reply that he did not know the rest of your faults or he wouldn't have mentioned only those.

To err may be human but to admit it isn't.

The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none.

The longer you keep your temper the more it will improve.

There is a slight difference between keeping you chin up and sticking your neck out, but it's worth knowing.

The test of good manners is being able to put up pleasantly with bad ones.

You can't control the length of your life--but you can control its width and depth. You can't control the contour of your face--but you can control its expression. You can't control the weather---but you can control the atmosphere of your mind. Why worry about things you can't control when you can keep yourself busy controlling the things that depend on you?

Are We Growing?

While reading a few biographies of fellow sister and brothers in Christ, I have been amazed and challenged to learn of some of their spiritual disciplines. Because God meant so much to them they made an effort to go the extra mile for spiritual growth.

Watchman Nee, the evangelist to China, kept his commitment to read and study the New Testament once a week. Wow, no wonder God's Word really became a part of him. He also had a goal to witness to at least one person a day and in addition spent much time in fasting and often prayed up to four hours a day.

Fanny Crosby memorized several books of the Bible during her youth. Notice I said books, not chapters. That is simply amazing.

The spiritual disciplines of these and many others are incredible. Their deep love for God blossomed because of their consumption of the Scriptures and faithfulness in spiritual training. The result was evident in their strong and vibrant faith. No wonder Christians today who only open their Bibles twice a week are so shallow!

This is such a tragedy because too many Christians are settling for just "average." The disciplines of Christians before us should make us ashamed. Being saved is so much more than being rescued from hell; Christ should be our everything. Would we die for Him if we can't even live for Him? The more time we spend with God, the deeper we will love Him and be like Him. God's purpose for believers is to make us like His Son and this will only happen if we're reading His Word, being diligent in spiritual disciplines, and applying what we learn. All I have to say is that we need to wake up and get busy.

For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. ~Phil. 1:21

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. ~2 Cor. 3:18