Let me burn out for thee, dear Lord,
Burn and wear out for thee.
Don’t let me rust, or my life be
A failure, my God, to thee.
Use me, and all I have, dear Lord,
And get me so close to thee
That I feel the throb of the great heart of God
Until I burn out for thee.
Bessie F. Hatcher

‘Here, Lord, I bring within my trembling hand
This will of mine – a thing that seems so small –
But You alone, O Lord, can understand
How, when I yield You this,I yield You all.’
Anonymous

If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it is because pieces will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad.
Ruth Stull of Peru

Oh that we may die, not in mere hymn and prayer, but in deed and in truth, to ourselves, to our self-life and self-love. I never knew what it meant before – DEAD to all one’s natural earthly plans and hopes, DEAD to all voices, however dear, which would deafen our ears to His – ALIVE unto God.
Amy Carmichael

When you have given up your life to the Holy Spirit, you have no right to take it back or resent what He does with it... You accept everything from Him, whether it seems to be for you or against you...
Rees Howells

We are often hindered from giving up our treasures to the Lord out of fear for their safety; this is especially true when those treasures are loved relatives and friends. But we need have no such fears. Our Lord came not to destroy but to save. Everything is safe when we commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not committed.
A.W. Tozer

"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that I may know Thee indeed. Begin a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' name. Amen."

From A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God.

"O God, You are my God ; I shall seek You earnestly ; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water." Psalm 63:1

Water is a basic human need. The human body can survive for some time without food, but can survive only 3 days without water in average conditions. The spiritual need for God's presence is much greater. It's saddening to me that we often live in the flesh and quiet the desires of the spirit. I remember vividly a fiery sermon preached on July 6th, 2001. The key verse was Psalm 119:20 "My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times." I have often thought of that verse and been challenged by its message. The question burns with me: Am I crushed with longing for the Word at ALL times?

Today I want to be more thirsty for the Lord.

John Wesley said, "Before I preach love, mercy and grace, I must preach sin, Law and judgment." Wesley later advised a friend, "Preach 90% Law and 10% grace.”

Charles Spurgeon said, “They must be slain by the Law before they can be made alive by the gospel!"

Preaching the Law in accurate proportion to grace gives us a true perception of the Gospel. It makes Christ most precious to us. Until we see our need for Christ, the Gospel means nothing to us. But when we recognize the vileness of sin, the Gospel is our lifeline and Christ is our Savior!

Contrary to popular belief, Law, grace and the Gospel are not something that we experience once and then forget. These things are daily experiences. They are the starting line, the race we run each day and the finish line. The Gospel is the good news of forgiveness of sin and deliverance from sin. And the power of Christ’s blood is greater than any stain of sin in our lives. Grace is that divine ability to live free from the bondage of sin and be holy, even as Christ is holy.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
2 Peter 3:18

"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”
C.S. Lewis


"Only one life ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”
C. T. Studd

"There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell."
C.S. Lewis

I recommend this post for the ladies!! As usual, Boundless Webzine (a ministry of Focus on the Family) gives a Biblically balanced view on a touchy subject. Bravo!

http://www.boundless.org/2005/answers/a0001400.cfm

Here's some quotes from the article:

Yes, there are lots of Christian women who struggle with the problem of overemphasis on beauty. But ... others fall into the category of "mismanagement" or neglect. And ... this has a profound effect on [their] growing desire for marriage and family.

More than most women, most men are stimulated, animated and activated by what they see. It's hard for women to fully grasp what this means because it's not our nature to be equally aroused by the images around us. We're more relational....

As you suspect, you can go overboard in both directions. A woman with abundant natural beauty who piles on the makeup and dresses seductively is just as poor a steward as a plain woman who "detests" all efforts to make the most of her appearance.

The kind of man a Godly woman should want to marry would esteem a woman who strives to be lovely, both inside and out.

This is not, however, about the world's standard of beauty. It's about making the most of what God has given you...

The beginning of man’s relationship with God was in a garden. A paradise. God and human walked together in Eden. The ultimate struggle of prayer commenced in a garden, and then came Calvary, outside of the city on a hill. And I find fellowship in a place of the same nature. I hesitate to say that I find my place of worship in forests and mountains. You might think I worship trees… Definitely not the case. In all of the creation, my eyes are turned to the Creator, the God and Father of all.

Nature is only my cathedral. God is my God!

Life-Giving GOD,

Quicken me to call upon Thy name,
for my mind is ignorant,
my thoughts vagrant,
my affections earthly,
my heart unbelieving,
and only Thy Spirit can help my infirmities.
I approach Thee as Father and Friend,
my portion forever,
my exceeding joy,
my strength of heart.
I believe in Thee as the God of nature,
the ordainer of providence,
the sender of Jesus my Savior.
My guilty fears discourage an approach to Thee,
but I praise Thee for the blessed news
that Jesus reconciles Thee to me.
May the truth that is in Him
illuminate in me all that is dark,
establish in me all that is wavering,
comfort in me all that is wretched,
accomplish in me all that is of Thy goodness,
and glorify in me the name of Jesus.
I pass through a vale of tears,
but bless Thee for the opening gate of glory at its end.
Enable me to realize as mine the better, heavenly country.
Prepare me for every part of my pilgrimage.
Uphold my steps by Thy Word.
Let no iniquity dominate me.
Teach me that Christ cannot be the Way
if I am the end,
That He cannot be Redeemer,
if I am my own Saviour.
That there can be no true union with Him
While the creature has my heart.
That faith accepts Him as Redeemer and Lord
or not at all.

-From "The Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers & Devotions"

"The only hope of a decreasing self is an increasing Christ."
F.B. Meyer

"Humility is the proper estimate of oneself."
Charles Spurgeon

"If you are looking for an example of humility, look at the cross."
Thomas Aquinas

"God created the world out of nothing, and as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us."
Martin Luther

"The more humble a man is in himself, the more obedient toward God, the wiser will he be in all things, and the more shall his soul be at peace."
Thomas A Kempis

"It is no great thing to be humble when you are brought low; but to be humble when you are praised is a great and rare achievement."
Bernard of Clairvaux

"Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil's reach as humility."
Jonathon Edwards

"Humility is the most difficult of all virtues to achieve; nothing dies harder than the desire to think well of oneself."
T.S. Elliot

There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God.
Brother Lawrence

The holy man is not one who cannot sin. A holy man is one who will not sin.
A.W. Tozer

When there's something in the Bible that churches don't like, they call it: legalism.
Leonard Ravenhill

Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers.
J. Sidlow Baxter

The Chronicles of Narnia series are my all-time favorite fiction books. I love the stories, the imagery, the English-ness, the purity of writing, the exaltation of nobility and courage and those character traits often ignored in this modern world. I love the references that C.S. Lewis (TCON's author) did not "intend" as allegory, yet they speak to me of Christ. I love that it is magic without demonic inspiration, and that there is a clear line between good and evil.

In hono(u)r of the newest Narnia movie, Prince Caspian, I am going to post my favorite lines from the book that were not included in the movie.

"No more of that, your Majesty, if you love me," -Trumkin the Dwarf

"He that is walking between the Centaur and the Giant has no look of surrender in his face." -Glozelle

"The Trees... quenched their thirst with deep draughts of mingled dew and rain, flavoured with forest flowers and the airy taste of the thinnest clouds."

"You came of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve. And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emporer in earth. Be content." -Aslan

"You are my King. I know the difference between giving advice and taking orders. You've had my advice, and now it's the time for orders." -Trumpkin the Dwarf

I'm not gonna post my opinion on Prince Caspian (the movie), because The Sis hasn't seen it yet and I don't wanna spoil her experience. :)

Retreat Snippets:
"Patience is the attitude attached to waiting." -The Pastor's Brother

"The devil has no righteous children." -The Pastor

"I have given my life to Christ. He is my obsession... so I'm gonna talk about Him." -The Curly Girl is resolute.

"They're taking the bathroom!!" -The Crazy Kid during one of the Nerf wars. LOL

"I'll be preaching from the book of Hezekiah." -The Dad :)

And this is me doing announcements at youth group last night.
“(Youth Camp) is gonna be AWESOME, you guys, and I am so stoked about it!… Did I just say, ‘stoked’?”