Just some thoughts from Amy Carmichael…

Now that the Christmas rush is over, I feel like I can finally start the vacation part of my Christmas vacation! I'm back into reading A Chance to Die, Elisabeth Elliot's biography of Amy Carmichael. I love how Amy Carmichael refused to dress the gospel up with gimmicks or special presentations—she wanted the gospel to be preached and JUST the gospel!

"Saral [an Indian woman who became Amy's helper] came one day with an idea for drawing the women to hear the Gospel. She would teach them to knit with some pink wool she had been given, 'and they will love me more and like to listen when I talk about Jesus.'

"Amy could not say yes to that. She explained that the Gospel needed no such frills. It is the power of God for salvation. Saral protested that there was nothing in the Bible which bore upon pink wool and knitting needles. Indeed there was—Zechariah 4:6, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.' There was no need for tricks which might open houses—houses were open. No need for methods of helping to humanize and fill bare and empty lives—'these women have a full day's work.' To try to help God with pink fancywork was, she felt, plain unbelief." (pg 126)

Yet Amy also did everything in her power to become completely Indian, insofar as it was not sinful. She studied and learned the language, she wore Indian clothing, and longed to live among the people, rather than removed from them in missionary houses that were overtly English and well-to-do (I'm still in the earlier years of her ministry). I love that Amy made this distinction and how she stuck with it, even when no one else around her carried these same convictions.

Just Some Thoughts on Death

"She came when we were freezing, but she left us burning up!"

Sometimes I think about the songs I want played at my funeral. I know that SOUNDS morbid, but I love thinking about how fleeting this life is and how permanent eternity is; it's like a wake-up call for my soul! Jonathan Edwards said in one of his seventy resolutions, "Resolved: to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death" (Resolution #9). And Jonathan Edwards is certainly someone I want to emulate!

One of the songs that I'd like to have played at my funeral is "Amy's Song" (by Switchfoot, off the New Way to be Human album), with the hopes that at my death my friends and family would think of it as "Amber's Song"… that the way Amy lived would be the way I lived my life too. Here are the lyrics:

Amy's gone

And time rolls on

How far? how fast? how long?

 

The last time we saw Amy

She was headed for the shore

Fighting off the volatile gray skies

 

She said now begins forever

And that no one knows their time

We bid farewell not knowing

That might be our last good-bye

 

Amy was a fighter

She cut like Casius Clay

She burned like a fire

Despite these rains

 

Where time was a question

She only knew one song

She's singing, "how far, how fast, how long?"

 

Salvation is a fire

In the midnight of the soul

It lights up like a can of gasoline

 

Yeah, she's a freedom fighter

She's a stand up kind of girl

She's out to start a fire

In a bar code plastic world

 

Amy was a fighter

She cut like Casius Clay

She burned like a fire

Despite these rains

 

Where time was a question

She only knew one song

She's singing, "how far, how fast, how long?"

 

When everything stops moving

And I stop to catch my breath

And ride my train of thought

All the way around

 

My thoughts return to Amy

And the fire she's begun

She came when we were freezing

And left us burning up

 

Amy was a fighter

She cut like Casius Clay

She burned like a fire

Despite these rains

 

Where time was a question

She only knew one song

She's singing, "how far, how fast, how long?"

How long, how long, how long?

 

The last time we saw Amy

The last time we saw Amy

Yeah, the last time we saw Amy

The last time we saw Amy

Yeah, the last time we saw Amy

 

I want to start that kind of fire! The kind that leaves others burning with passion for Christ long after I'm gone, so that each person God uses me to influence would be used of God to influence myriads more souls. I know I've got a long way to go, but I'm not giving up!

So I guess thinking about death ultimately leads me to think of two things:

1. How I live my life will determine how I die, and the kind of impact and legacy my life and death will leave.
   
2. How GLORIOUS it will be to finally gaze upon the face of my Lord, Savior, and TREASURE, Jesus Christ!!!

Treasure

The Kingdom of the Heavens is buried Treasure; would you sell yourself to buy the One you've found?

Matthew 13:44—"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

I love this verse, and talking about it in college group tonight brought it to the forefront of my mind again. It's a beautiful verse, but (because?) it's also incredibly convicting…

Do I treasure Christ as I should? As long as I'm immersing myself in the world, the answer is no. As long as my thoughts, actions, and desires are based on temporal things, the answer is no (1 John 2:15-17). As long as I'm running to a broken cistern instead of to fountains of Living Water, the answer is no (Jeremiah 2:12-13).

God, I want to treasure YOU above everything else, and IN everything else! I want to keep seeking eternal things, the things that are above, where Christ is seated… I want to continually dwell on—and have my heart breaking and rejoicing all at the same time—the sacrificial act of love that you did by sending Your perfect Son to die on the cross for my sins, to bear the punishment and wrath that should have been mine! Jesus, please grasp my heart and make YOU my TREASURE. I want to be the one who gives up everything, out of pure JOY, just to have You.

Thanks for listening as I preach to myself and struggle to put to death the sinful desires in my heart.

Some cool verses that also came up in conversation and such tonight—

• 2 Corinthians 6:10
  
• Colossians 3:1-3
  
• Habakkuk 3:17-19
  
• Genesis 4:6-7
  

Real Christianity

Check out this picture John Piper posted on his blog... It certainly is a stunning example of what real Christianity is, especially compared to the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel.

When My Heart Turns Away from God

"Why"
Why would I ever choose a broken cistern over Living Water? (Jeremiah 2:12-13)

Where did you go?
For so long you've seemed so lost, so distant—
Though you try to hide your face
Your eyes betray the emptiness of your soul.

Won't you please come back?
Turn around, before it's too late, time is running…
Approaching dusk is never scary
Until the darkness swallows up all the light.

Don't you see what you'll become?
That twisting, winding, deceivingly wide road
You've never taken. But you know the destruction
That lies on that horrid path.

Remember what it was like before?
You loved the light, you frolicked in it—
The warmth of the sun brightened your eyes, colored your cheeks.
Come again to feel the warmth, what you once loved.

Do you miss the sweetness of satisfaction?
Get out of the mudpit and taste of the cool fountain;
I know you never thirsted when you drank of Living Water.
Quench your restless desires with eternity.

Why did you ever want to leave?
How could you forget the Lover of your soul?

Page CXVI

I recently found a site through another blog that is giving away a bunch of songs for free! The site is called Page CXVI.

These aren't just any songs, though… they are hymns. I know hymns don't SOUND very exciting at first. They carry a connotation of being old and stuffy and maybe even legalistic or overly religious. But the truth is that hymns are just overflowing with wonderful, life-giving, heart-healing TRUTH from the Bible! I know that for my own heart, meditating on Truths from Scripture keeps my mind centered on who I am in Christ, what Christ has done for me on the cross, and helps foster in me a spirit of thankfulness to God for all that He has done in my life. I urge you to take hymns seriously and not dismiss them off as an "old person's" form of worship.

In his book Desiring God, John Piper speaks of the passage in which Jesus says to the Samaritan woman at the well, "The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24) In speaking of the truth aspect, Piper says, "The only affections that honor God are those rooted in the rock of biblical truth," and quotes Romans 10:2, John 17:17, and John 8:32 as biblical proof & support.

John MacArthur, in one of his sermons during the Shepherds Conference, stated, "An invitation to salvation is an invitation to worship Christ. It's all about worship. The Father is seeking true worshipers. When we all get to Heaven we are going to worship… it's all about ascribing glory to Christ… Transcendent worship comes from a depth of understanding."

Worshiping God with true affection, real love, requires that we worship God in truth. Worshiping in spirit AND truth is essential, true worship does not and cannot exclude one or the other… Which is why hymns are so encouraging! They contain all the passion of troubled souls, triumphant souls, and souls simply amazed at the grace and beauty of God, and they are just dripping with truth.

PS—If any of you are curious as to why the project is called "Page CXVI," read on. It's really quite beautiful and inspiring!

For all of you who were wondering where our name "Page CXVI" came from, we'd love to share with you a little bit about it. Page CXVI is a reference to page 116 of our personal copy of The Magicians nephew by C.S. Lewis. It is a poignant passage where Aslan begins to sing Narnia into creation out of a black void. One of the characters, Digory, describes it as, "...it was the most beautiful noise he had ever heard. It was so beautiful he could hardly bear it."

As the hymns project began to form, our hope was to wrap the strong lyrical content of the hymns, with music that portrayed our personal reactions to the life that God has brought to our "black void." The most personal song on the album is by far "Joy" with the counterpart, "It is Well" was written by Horatio Spafford after losing his son to scarlet fever, all of his real estate investments to the Great Chicago Fire, and his 4 remaining children to the sinking of a boat. The contemplative turn from "Joy" into the lines from "It is Well" comes out of our own personal tragedy this past year and combines a Psalm like lamentation with hope. Our intention with all of these songs is to be a source of comfort and encouragement to all who hear them.

Thank you again for listening and sharing.

Page CXVI

I Am Too Easily Satisfied…

CS Lewis once wrote,

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and immorality and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Why is this quote so real, so poignant? Because it's true. Jeremiah 2:10-13 says the same thing… look especially hard at verse 13—

"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the Fountain of Living Waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water."

So often I turn to the bland pleasures of the world to satisfy my weak desires, rather than going to the one true source of all joy, God Himself. So often I drink dirty, filthy mud water, when all I have to do is turn my back on my own work and drink from the purest, coolest, most delicious source of water there is—the Fountain of LIVING Waters (see also John 4:13-14, and notice how Jesus uses this as a claim of His equality with God).

When I read this quote from Spectacular Sins, it just reaffirmed what my college pastor has been saying over and over again… I'm not QUITE sure, but I think God is trying to tell me something here! (sarcasm…)

This [Colossians 1:14-20] is worth memorizing. If your heart ever wavers and grows cold, come here. Memorize this litany of glories, and ask God to give you affections that correspond to the measure of this greatness—infinite in beauty, immeasurable. If any person or any power or any wisdom or any love awakens any admiration or any amazement or any joy, let it be the greatest person and the greatest power and the greatest wisdom and the greatest love that exists—Jesus Christ.

Why would I turn to ANYTHING except Jesus Christ for joy or satisfaction, when HE is the ultimate beauty to behold, when walking in His will is the ultimate adventure, and knowing Him intimately is the ultimate experience?

What?!

I didn't know John Piper wrote poetry too? I just read his poem about Mary Magdalene (part 1)… it's beautiful!

You Are Free Indeed

I was looking through old journals for questions (my little brother just had a "stump the cell group leaders" night, and it made me want to go back and look for all my old unanswered questions!), when I came across this section of my Bible study/prayer. I think it would benefit me to have this up here on the blog, kind of as a form of accountability, so that when I go back to look through blog posts and I see this, I remember what I want the cry of my heart to be. So bear with me as I selfishly use this blog for my own personal (spiritual) gain.

8/30/08

John 13:27, 30—Judas went out IMMEDIATELY to betray Jesus. I could have been that person that immediately went out to betray Jesus. But instead He SAVED ME, and I am set free from the lies, sin, and corruption and darkness of this world… now I am free to OBEY Him, SERVE Him, LOVE Him wholeheartedly, and immediately. Do I? No. Too often I go back, like a sick dog (Proverbs 26:11), to what I've been set free from. God, Lord Jesus, break me of my sin; help me to always be broken at the sight of the cross; to hate my own sin because of what it did, what it does to You. Then when I hate my own sin, when I understand what I've been freed from, I'll be able to glory in the cross all the more… THANK YOU FOR THE CROSS!

If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed! (John 8:36)

SINCE the Son has set ME free, I AM FREE indeed!

I hope this encourages you to journal if you don't, and I hope it encourages you to look back through your journal if you do keep one! And I'm not talking about a "Dear Diary" sort of thing—I mean keeping a journal of everything that you are learning, thinking, praying, enduring spiritually.

The Heavens Are Telling of the Glory of God

… And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." –Psalm 19:1, NASB

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. –Psalm 24:1-2

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. –Matthew 6:28-29

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through Him and for Him. –Colossians 1:15-16

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by Myself," –Isaiah 44:24

It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the heavens. –Jeremiah 10:12

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. –Psalm 104:24

"To sit long in one posture, pouring over a book, or driving a quill, is in itself a taxing of nature; but add to this a badly ventilated chamber, a body which has long been without muscular exercise, and a heart burdened with many cares, and we have all the elements for preparing a seething cauldron of despair, especially in the dim months of fog ... Nature outside his window is calling him to health and beckoning him to joy. He who forgets the humming of the bees among the heather, the cooing of the wood-pigeons in the forest, the song of the birds in the woods, the rippling of rills among the rushes, and the sighing of the wind among the pines, needs not wonder if his heart forgets to sing and his soul grows heavy."—Charles Spurgeon's thoughts on enjoying the beauty of nature for the glory of God. (To see how thinking this way can help a believer, listen or read John Piper's sermon on the life of David Brainerd.)

"In this life, we catch glimpses of hell and we catch glimpses of heaven… This world is the closest the unbeliever will have to heaven; and this world is the closest the follower of Jesus Christ will ever have to hell." –Randy Alcorn's sermon on Revelation 21 from Resolved 2008 (session 2).

I really have nothing more to say—the beauty of the earth screams out to me the presence of a divine, loving, and personal Creator, and what better way to let my heart sing out of pure joy than to fill my soul with Scripture about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit's hand in creation?

Oldschool...

Colossians 3:2 says that we should be seeking the things that are above, and what better way to do that than through music that is glorifying to God and filled with the Truth! Not only that, but hiding God's Word in our hearts is going to help us in our spiritual battles, because we'll already have the ammunition and weapons we need ready, and we'll have been training in how to use them (Psalm 119:9-16, Ephesians 6:13-17)...

Check out this album, it has a bunch of the great hymns of Christianity. I know for a long time I resented hymns, because in my immaturity I thought they were boring and and slow and basically useless to my life. But, through having some great worship leaders throughout the years, I have been so blessed to have these songs reintroduced into my life, along with some new hymns like "In Christ Alone" and "Power of the Cross". Even if you don't happen to like the particular sound of these songs, it would benefit your soul so much to look up the lyrics online and think through what the songs are saying-- I just can't get over how full of TRUTH hymns are!

Light of the World

In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

When I saw this picture, it instantly reminded me of this passage. I love how brilliantly the light stands out, how sharp the contrast is between light and dark. I think it's a beautiful analogy of what our lives as Christians should be like… And it makes me wonder: Is my life this different, this radical, compared to the rest of a dark, lost, and dying world?

Another amazing quality about light is that it has the ability to penetrate into the darkest recesses of a room (or heart!). A single match can light up an entire room, transforming what was once utter darkness into light. Of course, a light makes more of a difference when it is bigger, brighter, and more concentrated. Which makes me wonder what kind of a light I am…

Just food for thought :-)