The Year of Growing: A New Direction

In January I dubbed 2013 The Year of Growing. My husband and I were making a series of decisions that would have a significant impact on our family, decisions that would require - and produce - tremendous growth in all three of us.

Four months later we are still in the early stages of the process. God's grace and faithfulness have been evident, but this has been far from easy. And while I want to testify to God's goodness, some things just cannot be shared in this public arena. And as I've thought this over, I've realized that it's time to retire this small corner of the blogosphere.

Instead, I've found a new home. One that more adequately reflects the life I'm seeking - simple, humble and quiet. I hope you will visit me at One Quiet Life.

Thankful Thursday

In an attempt to return to blogging, I'm joining others who are publicly giving thanks to the Lord. This week, I'm especially thankful for:

~the Word of God and the wisdom the Holy Spirit imparts to help me understand it

~wonderful, matchless, infinite grace and the evidences of it in my family

~an answer to prayer

~the coming end of a season that's both grown and strengthened my family

~friends who encourage and pray

~friends who have modeled 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

~a book that has offered instruction and conviction

~a book that has made me delight in its wandering prose

~a family outing to my alma mater for a baseball game

~the lingering warmth of a good conversation

Blessings all mine, with 10,000 beside!

Once again, the blog has been dormant for an extended period of time. My post at Desiring Virtue may lend some insight into why.

Around the House: February

These days I am:

~Enjoying the seasonal temperatures, which have been seldom and fleeting. Like much of the country, the weather in Virginia has been extremely unpredictable.

~Cheering as my girl plays indoor field hockey.  I still don't understand the rules, but I do enjoy watching.

~Thankful for God's grace in difficult conversations with my girl. Being the mother of a teenage daughter isn't for the faint of heart. As awkward and uncomfortable as these talks are (for both of us), they are necessary and good. (I did say I needed to grow in my willingness to do hard things!).

~Learning a lot about John Quincy Adams . Despite his fascinating career (he served under George Washington, and was a member of Congress - with Abraham Lincoln - AFTER he was President), he is still overshadowed by his parents.

~Pondering the Lamb of God on my way to work each morning, as I pass by a pasture of grazing sheep and newborn lambs. His sacrifice for my atonement fills me with wonder and gratitude.

~Anticipating a weekend away with a group of ladies of the iron-sharpening sort.

~Starting a commonplace book.  I love this idea and am thankful to Trisha for introducing me me to this practice.

~Thankful that my Dad is a talented & willing auto mechanic.

~Snuggling with my man and watching Inspector Lewis. I'm hoping to try Foyle's War or Wallander next.

~Wondering if I'll find my writing chops so I can start blogging with some regularity again. Perhaps I'll start sharing entries from my commonplace book and why they resonate with me.

The Process of Growing

Since November, my sweet man has been tackling some renovation projects around our home. The changes have made a big impact but the details have been imperceptible to others, a testimony to my husband's hard work and precise hand. He has the talent of making things fit in as if they were always there, rather than calling attention to them. In my opinion, that's the mark of a true craftsman.

He has been able to make the process appear effortless, so I sometimes believe it is effortless. I've forgotten that these changes are not as simple as they look. I've become frustrated. I envision the end result and I desperately want to see it come to fruition so we can relax and enjoy it. It's taking longer than I'd hoped.

My family and I are in the midst of another process, a spiritual renovation of sorts. This renovation precipitated the Year of Growing.  It is the reason I chose the books I'm studying. We've set aside three months, but I'm slowly realizing that will be just the preparation. Work will follow, and will take much longer. As with any renovation project, it started with a demolition. The reconstruction is painful, yet it is necessary for our growth.  If this process looks effortless, it's only because the Holy Spirit has given us peace that we are moving in the right direction. We know  - and we trust - that even though these coming months may be difficult, they will be for our ultimate good.

The Apostle Paul writes,

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

~Romans 8:26-28, ESV

And John Newton echoes,

Oh, the peace which flows from believing that all the events in which we are concerned, are under His immediate disposal; that the very hairs of our head are all numbered; that He delights in our prosperity; that there is a need-be, if we are in heaviness; and that all things shall surely work together for our good!

Hallelujah and Amen.

The spiritual renovation will continue long after our home renovations are complete. And so I look again to Paul for words of inspiration, and to my Lord for grace.

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 3:7-14, ESV

Book Review: Puritan Portraits

I confess, I was never curious about the Puritans until recently. Quotes posted on blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, piqued my interest. Friends' recommendations sealed the deal. Still, I was certain where to start. When I saw J.I. Packer's book, Puritan Portraits: J.I. Packer on selected Classic Pastors and Pastoral Classics, I immediately put it on my wishlist. I was thrilled when Christian Focus Publications offered me a copy of the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Reading Puritan Portraits was a win-win for me, because I wasn't that familiar with Packer, either (though several of his books have been lingering in my "To Read" stack). I found the book to be a wonderful introduction to both Packer and the Puritans he admires.

Puritan Portraits is a series of introductions Packer wrote for books by various Puritan authors. These are no ordinary introductions; Packer not only encourages the reader to meditate upon the material, he exhorts them to put what they read into practice. From the introduction to Stephen Charnock:

Trusting, loving and following Jesus necessitates keeping the cross in view at all times. Our living Lord calls for what we may call cruciform discipleship, clear-headed, open-eyed, and whole-hearted. 'May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world' (Gal. 6:14). The cross must shape our faith and thereby reshape our entire lives. (661)

The Puritans felt that reading should encourage our spiritual growth. I believe Packer's work in this book does just that. After reading Puritan Portraits, I have resolved to read more from the Puritans and more from Packer as well.

You can read the other reviews at the Puritan Portraits Blog Tour.

2013: Books I'll be Studying

My third and final reading list for 2013 is the books I'll be studying:

To learn more about the Gospel and living it out:
~The Kingdom of God by Lloyd-Jones
~Gospel Wakefulness by Wilson
~What Is the Gospel? by Gilbert
~The World-Tilting Gospel: Embracing a Biblical Worldview and Hanging on Tight by Phillips
~Christ Formed in You: The Power of the Gospel for Personal Change by Hedges
~Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Dodson & Chandler
~In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life by Ferguson

To learn more about God and strengthen my theology:
~Knowing God by Packer
~Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside by Dutcher

For Easter:
~The Christ of the Empty Tomb by Boice

Because I need to know:
~Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity by Nancy Pearcey
~Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

For the Book Club at Desiring Virtue:
~The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion & the Pursuit of Godliness by DeYoung
~Feminine Threads: Women in the Tapestry of Christian History by Severance
~Modest: Men and Women Clothed in the Gospel by Glenn & Challies
~Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus by Carson

2013: Books I'll be Listening To

I've shared the books I'll be reading for pleasure this year. 

A friend talked me into my first audio book a couple of years ago. Since that time, it's rare that I don't have a book on CD in my car. I've learned to be discerning in what books I listen to rather than read. I've also learned that the reader is just as important as the material itself. (Personally, I think Edward Herrmann should be the designated narrator for every audio book told from a male perspective.)

I've chosen to listen to these books in 2013:

~Sense and Sensibility because I can never have enough Jane, and the story of the Dashwood sisters is undeniably beautiful.

~The Story of Edgar Sawtelle because it's been on my list for a couple of years.

~Wuthering Heights because, believe it or not, I've never read it.

~I, Coriander because I think it will be enchanting.

~A Mad Desire to Dance because Night was hauntingly beautiful.

~Bleak House because I've got one Dickens on my fiction list and wanted to give him a little more attention.

~Anna Karenina because I've never read Tolstoy.

Or Hemingway...which is why I added The Sun Also Rises to the list.

~Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage because I think it will be amazing.

~The Hiding Place because I've read excerpts from it over the years, and really want to hear the whole story.

~The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes because it's been many years since I've read Sherlock.

~And Then There Were None because I love Agatha Christie.

~Defending Jacob because it sounds intriguing.

Next time, the books I'll be studying this year.

Growing in My Pleasure Reading

My prayer is that the Year of Growing will encompass all areas of my life. Two of my goals are to grow in my appreciation of beauty and in my willingness to do hard things. I hope my lengthy reading list will help me in accomplishing both. I've chosen most of these works because I think they will be beautiful, they will inspire me to do hard things, or they are beyond my normal reading fare (which makes the actual reading a hard thing).  I want my reading this year to stretch me, teach me about life, and captivate me so that I won't be tempted by lesser amusements.

In no particular order, here are the books I've chosen to read for pleasure in 2013.


~Ethan Frome because I've never read anything by Edith Wharton

~The Scarlet Pimpernel because I can't quite think of tackling Les Misérables and I'm hoping this will inspire me to try.

~The Pickwick Papers because a college professor gave it to me and it's well past time I read it!

~The Kitchen House because I've heard excellent things about this one.

~A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael because I want to know more about her story.

~Home because I loved Gilead and its characters.

~Agnes Grey because I've never read anything by Anne Bronte either.

~Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption because I've really wanted to read this one for a while now and haven't gotten to it yet.

~The Nine Day Queen of England: Lady Jane Grey because her story fascinates me.

~Desperate Sons: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, and the Secret Bands of Radicals Who Led the Colonies to War because I love learning more about the American Revolution.

~A Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert, and the Death That Changed the British Monarchy because Queen Victoria intrigues me.

~Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times because I want to read the book before I watch the miniseries.

~Ellen Foster because I keep hearing about this one.

~Cry, the Beloved Country because I've been meaning to for a while now.

~Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life because even though I don't always agree with her, I think Barbara Kingsolver writes beautifully. And this topic really interests me.

Next up, the books I'll be listening to this year.

2013: The Year of Growing

I've typed numerous versions of an opening sentence for this post - none quite right. I suppose the best way to begin is to do just that. And so I start typing, on the cusp of a new year. I wonder what it will bring. After 2012 - a year filled with joy and grief unspeakable - I'm hesitant to even venture a guess. I have a shadow of an idea floating in the recesses of my mind, a slight thought of what I want the coming months to look like. I close my eyes, breathe deep and put them in the hand of the One who holds time in His hands, praying for grace to accept the shape in which He chooses to mold them. The reluctance with which I do so brings conviction, and the knowledge of what I need most in 2013 - growth.

Growth in my understanding of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Growth in my relationships.
Growth in my appreciation of the beauty in this life.
Growth in my willingness to do hard things.

And so I have deemed 2013 the Year of Growing. Where it will take me, only God knows.

December Thoughts

This space has been quiet for a while now.  I've been reluctant to put fingers to keyboard, to attempt words that could perhaps explain my absence - if anyone still reads and cares. There are a number of things I could write about...

~tears that threaten to brim my eyes constantly. When I set out the nativity Mama painted for me. When I hung my favorite set of ornaments from my childhood. When my girl decorated Dad's Christmas tree this weekend, just as she did with Mama each year. When I think about how strange it will be to gather in the church fellowship hall for a family Christmas gathering, with Mama's name etched in stone just a few feet away. When I can't help but wishing I'd known that last Christmas would be Mama's last Christmas.

~ a season that's been much busier than I've wanted it to be.

~that the parties and shopping have left me empty and craving something more. While I have prepared my home for Christmas, I've failed miserably in preparing my heart for Christ.

~the fact that 70° weather in December depresses me.

~the disappointment of a particular circumstance.  Being obedient to the Word of the Lord is sometimes difficult, even when I trust and believe that the outcome will be for my good. It reminds me that this is not my home, and for that I am so very thankful.

~the simpler, happier, more productive and less dramatic life I discover when I take a break from the internet.

~how much I'm enjoying Little Women, The Christ of Christmas, and Behold the Lamb of God: An Advent Narrative.

Trying to find words to expand upon these things either cheapens them or gives them more value than they deserve. And so, I return once again to my quiet and small life marked by an incredible and enormous God.

Living Quietly Revisited: Choosing Commitments

During this busy time of year, I need to give much thought to my commitments!

...aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

~1 Thess. 4:11-12

Thoughts of living a quiet life continue to woo me. They were birthed as the result of a particularly chaotic season in our family's life - several weeks of commitments every night. The activities that clamored for my attention soon lost their appeal, leaving me tired, cranky and empty. It also brought conviction.

Housework and paperwork, too long neglected, loomed large before me. I had sacrificed my duties on the altar of busyness. 

Merriam - Webster defines busy as foolishly or intrusively active.

Guilty.

A quiet life also demands answers to some hard questions regarding commitments.

Am I using this as an opportunity to glorify God? Athletics, community organizations, and other activities outside church can certainly testify to God's goodness and grace. Does my participation and attitude reflect that? Even in my commitments away from home, I must remember my calling (1 Cor. 10:31).

Is this helping me to grow in the Lord? Preparing Sunday School lessons offers that opportunity, as do taking meals to those who are sick and befriending parents of my girls' teammates. I must seek activities that help me to live in light of the Gospel.

Is this causing me to sacrifice my primary responsibilities to God and family? Even church activities can cause us to spend too much time away from home, or to be too tired to care for my family when I am home. I must be careful not to neglect my family in the name of serving God.

I am happy my man and my girl play sports, but I would rather splash in the pool with them than cheer them on from the sidelines.  I am thankful for my daughter's youth group, but I would rather learn God's Word with her than hear what her leader taught her.

If our commitments don't lend time for the things I'd rather do, they aren't worth it.

Reducing the Noise Part II (Revisited)

Still thinking long and hard about the noise I'm contributing to this wonder called the internet.

...aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

~1 Thess. 4:11-12

Living quietly means more than controlling the level of noise allowed into my life. I am also convicted of the noise I contribute. 

Social media has allowed us to collect "followers" and "friends" like trinkets on a charm bracelet.  We are compelled to share intimate details of our lives with complete strangers, yet we are ashamed to ask friends to pray for us as we wrestle against sin. We brand ourselves with carefully crafted personas, afraid the true person cowering behind the screen isn't good enough. We allow site hits to determine our significance.

We shamelessly promote ourselves instead of the One who deserves all glory.

In considering the noise I contribute to the social media frenzy, I ask questions that are somewhat familiar:

Am I attempting to drown out the voice of God? I must aim to glorify Him and Him alone in what I post. Family accomplishments are to be celebrated, not paraded for public consumption.

Am I infringing on my family's privacy? Sharing what God is doing in our family can be an encouragement to others and testify to His goodness. Sharing my daughter's struggles or my husband's sins violates their confidence in me. When sharing my own sins and struggles, I must be careful not to implicate my family in any way.

Is this relevant in God's Kingdom? I must gauge the importance of the information I'm sharing in light of eternity.

Will this encourage and help others in their walk with the Lord?  I must remember that even in social media, I am called to disciple and encourage others.

I have lovely group of Facebook friends  - women serious about the Lord, but not always so serious. Our bond in Christ has been strengthened by discussions on theology as well as our mutual affections for Jane Austen and OPI nail polish. I have close relationships with other women I've only met online, forged through blog comments, emails, and prayer.  I have learned much, grown deeper in the Lord, and laughed til I cried. I am incredibly thankful that God has enriched my life through social media.

I want my online presence to reflect that truth.

Reducing the Noise Revisited

The holiday season is full of noise. These questions may be harder to ask ourselves during this time, but they are perhaps even more necessary.

...aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

~1 Thess. 4:11-12

I've been pondering the quiet life and its ever-decreasing value in society.  Noise has drowned out our craving for quiet.  

                              Email.

                              Blogs.

                             Facebook.

                             Twitter.

                             Smart phones.

                             24-hour news networks.

                             Hundreds of television channels.

We have unlimited access to information, unfettered interaction with people near and far. But at what price? We've become desensitized to the constant droning around us. We are uncomfortable with face-to-face contact. We have exchanged flesh and blood for pixels and gigabytes.

Noise reigns in our lives.

Merriam-Webster defines noise

any sound that is undesired or interferes with one's hearing of something; irrelevant or meaningless data or output occurring along with desired information.

Keeping this in mind, these are the questions I want to ask myself - thinking on long and hard - as I seek the quiet life:

Is this interfering with my hearing God? I must guard my time in His Word before spending time in the words of others, no matter the source.

Is this interfering with my hearing my family? I must also guard my time with my family. I cannot forsake my responsibilities to love and minister to them.

Is this relevant in God's Kingdom? I must gauge the importance of the information I'm consuming in light of eternity.

Is this encouraging and helpful in my walk with the Lord?  I must accurately assess its influence upon my willingness to live for God's agenda rather than my own.

Some of the answers may surprise me. Watching Ina Garten may inspire me to try a new dinner that knocks my man's socks off. Reading so many Christian blogs may be pulling me away from spending time in God's Word or from meeting my family's needs. I don't know what it will look like, but I truly believe that asking myself these questions before I read, listen, or watch will have a tremendous impact on the noise level in my life.

A Quiet Life: Revisited

With the holiday season approaching, I need to revisit this series from the archives.

...aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

~1 Thess. 4:11-12

 Quiet.  One of my favorite words. One of my favorite things.

...low tones of classical music wafting on the air as I'm curled up with a good book. 

...hushed jazzy voices crooning while I clean our home or prepare a meal.

...absolute stillness of a dark morning lit only by a small lamp and the Word of God.

...crickets chirping outside my window as I fall asleep.

I enjoy a good football game, laughter, and being with friends. Yet it is in the quiet moments of my life that I feel most alive.

My soul craves quiet.

Perhaps it's a reaction to years of going, doing, and spending. Maybe it's a result of endlessly trying to meet others' expectations. I believe it's wisdom gained.

I've spent much of the last few days thinking about what it means to live quietly. I'll be sharing my thoughts here over the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, what does living quietly mean to you?

Thankful Thursday

Praising the Lord this week for:

~a freshly painted living room and kitchen

~the man and the girl I worked with to make it happen

~answered prayers

~refreshment provided by a visit to this church

 ~a new Bible study

~these words...

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ~1 Peter 1:1-7

Do We Really Need Strong Faith?

I recently heard a pastor share an analogy about faith that has given me much to ponder. Consider a frozen pond. If you walk out on it with great confidence and the ice is thin, the ice will not sustain your weight no matter how much you believe it will.  If you walk out on it with great hesitancy and the ice is thick, the ice will easily sustain your weight no matter how little you believe it will.  The strength of the ice is far more important than the strength of your belief in it.

It doesn't matter how strong our faith is if we're placing it in a weak god.

The god presented in many churches today is a weak, watered down version of the God of the Bible.

We've weakened Him in our emotional "worship" songs that have reduced Him to an object of our affection (often without ever making mention of His Name).  When my husband lost his job, we didn't need a god who was content to let us recline against him, feel him breathe and hear his heartbeat.¹ We needed a God who would strengthen and help us, and cause us to stand upheld by His righteous, omnipotent hand.²

We've weakened Him with sermons that focus on our efforts rather that God's. Many pastors are so busy telling us how to live for God, they forget to tell us why we should. My attempts to obey God's Word will will fall terribly short if I don't have a clear understanding of who God is.

We've weakened Him by our lack of knowledge of Him. He's not a fire-insurance policy. He is the Holy Lord.

I, I am the Lord,
    and besides me there is no savior.
I declared and saved and proclaimed,
    when there was no strange god among you;
    and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
Also henceforth I am he;
    there is none who can deliver from my hand;
    I work, and who can turn it back?”
~Isaiah 43:11-13 (ESV)

The gospel reveals eternal realities about God that we would sometimes rather not face. We prefer to sit back, enjoy our cliches, and picture God as a Father who might help us, all the while ignoring God as a Judge who might damn us. Maybe this is why we fill our lives with the constant drivel of entertainment in our culture - and in the church. We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in his Word, we might discover that he evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give him.

~David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

We've weakened Him by convincing ourselves that He is here to serve our purposes, rather than us serving His.  We have forgotten about the One who laid aside His rights in order that God's plan might be accomplished.  If there was ever a man who deserved to have His own way, it was Christ. Yet, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (Philippians 2:6).

It's time believers stop settling for a weak god. If we truly worship, know, and serve the God of the Bible, our faith need only be as big as a mustard seed.


¹"The More I Seek You", written by Kari Jobe
²"How Firm a Foundation", written by John Keith

Thankful Thursday

It's been three years since the rug was jerked from beneath our feet. Three years since we started forging a new life. We're starting to grow comfortable in this place that looks remarkably the same and yet radically different. Sometimes I find myself slipping into old attitudes, old desires come stealthily creeping. I don't ever want to forget how the Lord brought us through. I never want to stop praising Him for it.

He is giving us an opportunity to do just that. Dear friends are now walking that same scary path of unemployment. As we approach the Lord on their behalf and seek to minister to them, we reminisce about our own journey and the faithfulness of the Lord. Reading through old blog posts causes me to catch my breath in wonder. How utterly dependent I was upon Him. How far I feel from that now.

And so today I am thankful, deeply thankful. Not just for an opportunity to serve friends, but for His loving call back to a place of remembrance, a place to raise our Ebenezer and say that we are here only by His help.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
~2 Corinthians 1:3-7, ESV

Review: On HIs Majesty's Service

Christian Focus for Kids has a wonderful series of biographies for younger readers (ages 7- 14).  The Trailblazers series is a fantastic way for children (and adults) to learn about the great cloud of witnesses who've gone before us, such as John Stott and Charles Spurgeon, and those who are still paving the way, like Joni Eareckson Tada.

When CF4K announced the Trailblazer Extravaganza for the month of October, I was eager to participate. I chose to read Helen Roseveare: On His Majesty's Service. I confess that I'd never heard of Helen Roseveare before. I chose this particular book because she was a missionary in the Belgian Congo in the 1960s, which is the setting for a book I recently read, The Poisonwood Bible. I was curious to know if the fictionalized account of a missionary family in the Belgian Congo during that time was accurate.

From the first pages of On His Majesty's Service. I was drawn into the account of the English girl born during WWII who decided early on in life to become a missionary. Helen studied to be a doctor and went on to serve many years in the Congo, in spite of political unrest that led to her capture and imprisonment for several months. The work the Lord accomplished through her is an amazing testimony to His power. Helen's love for the people of the Congo, her steadfastness in the face of great odds, and her unwavering faith in the Lord are a great example for children and adults alike. On His Majesty's Service is a well-written and interesting book.

Even though the Trailblazers series is targeted to children, I highly recommend them for adults.

Thanks to Christian Focus Publications for allowing me to read this great book.

Thankful Thursday

We celebrated my girl's 14th birthday this week. The Lord has given us many reasons to be grateful these past 14 years. This week, I've been thankful for:

~watching her blow out those 14 candles, surrounded by a band of giggling girls

~her stand for something she believes in strongly, even though it's been hard and has pulled her away from people she cares about

~the way God is growing her through this difficult situation.  Watching Him work in her life takes my breath away.

~coming home early from work one day, only to find her studying with classical music playing in the background

~watching her read while I prepared dinner. I nearly asked her to put the book down and help me. Then I remembered all the years I've struggled to get her to read outside of school, and I kept quiet.

~her compassion for those in need

~that her pick for Celebrity Day at school was someone to be admired, rather than one of the many lesser options out there. (True, her decision was made easier because she has the hair to pull it off!)

~picking her up from practice and listening to her enthusiastically tell me about her day. The words come so fast I can hardly understand them all. I drink them in as much as I can, because I fear the alternative.

My girl is far from perfect, but as her Daddy said this week, "She's a good kid." And she is. Not because of her. Not because of her parents. Only because of God.

For you formed my inward parts; 

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

~Psalm 139:13