Hey, Sweet Things!
I have had the best time reading your three wishes! They were just as insightful or amusing as I hoped they’d be. I told Melissa that about 500 of you stirred up wishes in me that I’d overlooked. I kept going, “Me, too! That’s what I’d do, too!” I do not know exactly what the Kingdom of Christ will be like but I do know that it will exceed our wildest expectations and be all-glorious and everything we were originally fashioned for in the image of our Creator. Truly home for the first time, we will experience fullness of effervescent life without our frustrating restraints and we will know as we’ve been known. Best of all, we will see Jesus’ face…and in that very moment, every hardship will be worth it and Romans 8:18 will be our reality.
It’s time to announce our winners for Melissa’s biography drawing. I decided to throw in five addition spots because there were so many entries. That gives us a total of 15 prizes. Below are the blogger names and times they entered. If you see your first name with no last name, double check the comments to confirm whether or not it was you. If it was, jot an email to [email protected] with your name, mailing address and which of the two biographies (Bonhoeffer or Amy Carmichael) you choose as your prize.
Sharoni Humphreys on August 31 at 12:30 PM.
Corrie on August 31 at 1:17 PM.
Warm in Alaska on August 31 at 2:27 PM.
Karen Twombly on August 31 at 2:51 PM.
Mary Yep on August 31 at 5:24 PM
Denise on August 31 at 7:39 PM.
Ryan Zwicky on September 1 at 8:21 AM.
Suzy on September 1 at 9:14 AM.
Wonder Woman (I love that one) on September 1 at 10:00 AM.
Pamela Sheldon on September 1 at 1:51 PM.
Lisa on September 1 at 5:14 PM.
Becky on September 1 at 7:52 PM.
Kate on September 1 at 9:26 PM.
Katie Todd on September 2 at 8:48 AM.
Erika on September 2 at 10:53 AM.
Happy reading, Dear Sisters! While we’re on the wonderful subject of books, I’ll share with you a couple that I have received in the mail in the last 48 hours from their publishers or agents. One of the upsides of publishing a book is that you can end up in a loop where you receive other authors’ books automatically in the mail. It’s always a delightful surprise and often, for me, not pearls before swine. These came in the mail to me back to back and as wonderfully different as night and day.
I’m exhilarated over both of them. Mary Beth Chapman is a personal friend of mine and I am ecstatic to see God glorified and the devil mortified after all her family has been through. She is as down to earth as you can get. If you are tempted to give up or just tempted to give in, consider her story. And, as for Nancy Pearcey, she’s who I’d want to be when I grow up…if I weren’t older. (I think. Maybe I just feel older. I can’t tell how old she is from her picture. Anyway, I think it’s clear at this point that I’m probably not going to turn into her. I’d have made it one of my three wishes if I thought it would help.) Nancy’s previous book Total Truth should be required reading on every Christian university campus and in the library of every Christian home on the planet. My copy is marked up from the first page to the last. I have already skimmed through the new one and I expect it to have equal impact on my thinking and, Lord, let it be, on my faith. It has the best title ever, don’t you think? The subtitle should tell us something big is at stake: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning.
I am amazed by a God who raises and equips all sorts of servants across the entire spectrum of gifts, interests, and personalities in His hot pursuit of this fallen world. We are blessed beyond measure to receive from the heavy investments of these two women in the kingdom of Christ.
Speaking of books, I’ve got a stack of commentaries waiting for me. Day light’s a burnin’, as my grandmother would say. Those books are not going to study themselves.
I’ll try to touch base at some point over the holiday weekend! Have a blessed one indeed!
Much love to each of you.
It’s funny you mentioned knowing and being known for what we really were created to look like in Christ. As someone who has relaxed her tightly coiled curls for about 15 years, I funny thought came to me randomly as I was doing Beth’s revelation study. “After I’m done worshipping, where exactly am I suppose to go for relaxers? Has God planned for a beaut salon too? Will I just be in my celestial body sporting an afro unknowingly until I stumble across a mirror?”
On task..
I saw Mary Beth and Steven on Marry King. What a powerful story. Thank God we only have like 10 minutes to endure pain on earth. Part of longing for the kingdom of God is hoping he’ll let me watch as families like that are rewarded after such suffering. I cannot wait.
Thank you so much for telling us all about Mary Ann Chapman’s book. I began it on my Kindle last night at bed time, and couldn’t put it down! I was up till 1:45 am! I finished it today. So powerful how God is at work in the midst of such tragedy and pain! My heart hurts for the Chapman family.
Much love to you all-
Pamela
Dear Siesta Mama-
It sure would be nice to have a list of the “books Beth Moore would take with her to a deserted island.” So the rest of us can be lifted up in faith or lifted out of the world which would be my case..
Maybe you already have such a thing. I’m fairly new here.
Do you have a top 10 or top 25?
I loved this story, Beth, I have to say, I hate snakes so much, I got that yukky, nauseous feeling just reading that part of your story. I’m glad you had a beautiful day with your man, it looked like just what we’d have been doing if we hadn’t had company! I’d just love to see lemons growing on trees:) Happy Day.
Just now reading the last 4 posts. Boy did I miss out! What fun y’all have been having! However, just wanted to say that you’ve inspired me to read a biography. I’ve never read one, but I’m so on it, now.
Those books do look and sound like good reads! I should check them out…I didn’t know that Mrs. Chapman had written a book about what God has brought her through. No doubt He has been everything to her…That is the coolest thing, what you were saying about when we will be living in the New Jerusalem, new heavens, new earth, and the effervescence of life we will be experiencing! I got to see the last DVD of Rev. study today with my baby girl and you talked about those very things-Rev. 8:18 and knowing as you have been fully known…God making all things new, and redemption! Wow. Creation does groan, and we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan, longing to put on that imperishable…that will be so glorious, to not have that battle with the flesh anymore, it’s hard to imagine, I need so much help, but praise You Jesus, I will be completely free and redemeed!! For now, we keep fighting that good fight, running that race, and keeping that faith:)
Blessings to you much, Siesta Mama Beth, that DVD blessed me today,
katiegfromtennessee
Beth, thank you so much for recommending the book by Nancy Pearcy. I had never heard of her before, actually. Yesterday, after reading your post, I downloaded her previous book Total Truth on my IPhone Kindle app and have already learned so much. The book is really speaking to me because I often feel that what I do for a living (I’m an attorney) is so disconnected from my faith. Nancy has specifically addressed this feeling of disconnect in the book, and I am anxious to read more to discover (I hope) what things I can do to change that.
Thank you again.
Sara, I’m so glad it’s speaking to you! I pray that God will show you many glimpses of His work through you in the coming days. He’s positioned you right where you are.