Book Review: Voices of the Faithful, Beth Moore

This devotional, complied by Beth Moore, is comprised of 366 true-life stories from missionaries serving around the world.  Moore concludes that its purpose is as a call to missions, whether to go or send or cover in prayer.  It is obvious her hope is that the stories will inspire folk to see outside themselves and get a sense of the church as a global body of Christ, resulting in the inspiration of the reader to find his/her own mission in that.

Each day, the reader is presented with a scripture verse, a short account from a missionary, and a simple prayer.  The book is divided up by date, with each month following a common theme such as God's Character, Prayer, God's Grace, Contentment, Spiritual Warfare, and Compassion.  Each month has a forward by Moore discussing these themes.

I really enjoyed this book.  Some accounts are the wild and shocking bits people seem to always expect from missionaries, while others are quieter, simpler tales.  Yet all are pointing to God as the one who is and who does, which is the point afterall.  I appreciate how these accounts show the humanity behind both the missionaries and those whom they serve.  Moore talks in her initial introduction to the book how these people are like everyone else, and this comes through strongly in many of these stories.  With the people sharing their struggles so honestly, it tears down the myth that one must be perfect in faith before serving as each story shows how it is God's hand at work.  I also appreciate that there is such variety with the stories, intuitively showing that God is neither dependent upon, nor limited by location and circumstance.  The short prayers at the end, while at times seek God's help for personal growth regarding the corresponding insight, are moreso prayers extending outward for the work that God is doing in the world.

My only complaint about this book would be that I wish each section were a bit longer.  Each day's reading is a quick easy read.  While this could be convenient for some, I find myself wanting to linger a bit longer.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a supplement to their regular Bible reading.  As it is a compilation of others' stories, it should not be mistaken to be similar to Moore's Bible Study series or her other books.  People who are looking for something specifically focusing and expounding on inward personal growth, may be initially disappointed.  There is a strong element of this in the book, especially with the monthly motifs, however, the responsibility of drawing these conclusions is left to the reader.  I think this is because these stories are meant to inspire the reader, by establishing truths about the nature of God and the possibilities that come with a willing heart, which in turn encourages on to ask God for the next step.

I give this book 5 out of 5 inkspots.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Jesus is...

Oh the power in simply declaring who He is...

                                                                                                              He is Lord!

linking today with the lovely folk at

Confessions and Friends

I'll be honest, I started getting more intentional with my blog a few months back partially because I wanted an opportunity to get some new Christian books for our fellowship through some blogging for books programs.  We just don't have access to such things here, unless we are ordering from the UK, and let's be real... books can be pricey.

I also had been trying for some time to better communicate this life to folk back home who have invested so much of themselves in this journey through prayers, support and encouragement.  This would give me a chance to share my heart, from trials and triumphs to humorous moments and even just things I enjoy.  I hoped they could be encouraged in return, and I refuse to write with any less investment.

I didn't know what an amazing community I would find in the process.  God calls us to fellowship.  I am so blessed to have found so many other believers who are just trying to live their lives as honestly and faithfully as possible.  People like Heather over at Pieces of Me, who serves as a constant encouragement as she continues to declare Christ as her hope, despite the bitter challenges of life.  She is admirable, and she is real.  She also caught me off guard this week when she passed along the Stylish Blogger Award to me. 

Rules for accepting this award are as follows:

-- Thank & Link back to the person who awarded you.  
-- Share 7 things about yourself.   
-- Pay it forward to 10 recently discovered great bloggers.  
-- Contact the bloggers to tell them of their award.

 

SO... Seven Things:

1.  Although I don't have it every day, black coffee is my comfort food.

2.  Despite the fact that I prefer home-made goods and usually make everything from scratch, my favorite dessert is box-mix brownie.  I've yet to find a recipe that can duplicate them, and they are rare overseas.

3.  I really love nature and think a house without either live plants or a pet is a silent cry for help.

4.  I love engineering television shows and figuring out how things fit together and work, which is probably also why I like puzzles and detective shows.

5.  I think Calder's Flamingo in Chicago is inspired genius in a world full of really lousy municipal art.

6.  I love surprises and unexpected guests.

7.  I  had trouble thinking of what to share so I took most of these from the 25 Things list I did on Facebook a couple years ago.

Of course if you'd like to know more, ask.  Leave a comment or drop me an email.

I find that the blogs I am most drawn to are those that are written by people who are just trying to be real.  I recognize the risk of being so vulnerable, especially in such a public forum.  Some of these people I know outside of cyberspace, others have become friends through this blog process, and others are still new to me, but all of them amaze me for their transparency.  Regardless of any distance the internet can create, these people are true to their personalities and their faith as they share their lives for the world to see.  That's what I call stylish! 

 

Geidlbots: Tales of German Robots Living in America

Honduras Gumbo 2 

I'm Steele Standing

The Journey 

The Magoo's News

My Thought-filled Journey

Notes from the Laundry Pile

Red Letter Believers

Single Revelations

The Way Fam

Whether they are able to participate in this award doesn't really matter to me.  I just want to give them some acknowledgment for the inspiration they are to me.  Thanks Heather, for including me in this.  God bless.

Moving in Confidence

My favorite view of Lake Victoria on the way to work at the orphanage.

The process of shifting from Africa to Ireland wasn't easy.  I was moving from a world where need was visibly evident from every angle to a country that looked like a piece of heaven itself.  Because of that, it was a vision some folk couldn't latch onto at first and many would question.  I did not.  It was a move made in confidence, with the complete certainty that this is where God wanted me.

Sometimes I wonder how I can be so confident in certain things, like transcontinental relocation, and so insecure in other things.  I came here so excited to see what God would do, with no doubt that God's hand was in it.  I was eager to get involved in whatever God put before me.  When I was placed in worship, it confirmed something God had already spoken to me which should have given me more assurance, yet I was riddled with fears.  It took time and some emotional outbursts to get to a point where I was able to move in that role confidently, and yet it has been an amazing journey full of joy ever since.  I even spoke recently of how God continues to challenge me in that area here.

I was visiting with a friend yesterday and she was asking how I was feeling this first bit into my detox.  I replied that although I wouldn't have imagined so, I honestly felt as exhausted as I did when I was recovering from malaria.  That of course led to questions which ended in sharing a lot of wild memories of stories that still seem so unreal even to me who lived them, but are indeed absolutely true.  Stories of hardship, perseverance, and in the end, victory.  When my friend suggested I write these down, I shrugged them off, saying they were nothing compared to other friends I have there that are "really living it."

In one breath I had devalued all the miraculous things God had done, because it didn't compare to my idea of things. 

Oh, God forgive me.

I was reminded of one of those friends a few years back, when after hearing one of her wild stories from the unforgiving islands of Lake Victoria,  I made a similar comment.  She corrected me right then, saying I should not compare.  She went on to say how she'd rather deal with the actual cobras she had than the corrupt government officials I had to deal with, that if she were to compare, she'd see me as the one "really living it."

When we compare ourselves like this we find that we do one of two things:  we either push ourselves to accomplish His work out of our own strength instead of by the Spirit, or we give up part of our call to try living out everyone else's.  Both only lead to failure followed by more attempts to prove ourselves, followed by more failure and so on.  This cycle is not the victorious life to which God has called us.

Just as He did with worship, God is calling me to be confident in who I am in Him alone.  This confidence means making decisions based on His wisdom and not out of guilt.  It means letting go of hurts from folk (including myself) who have wrongly judged and accused me, forgiving them, and finding joy in the healing.  This confidence means sharing stories of faith without comparison.  Why?  Because it brings Him glory and builds our... confidence. 

You show that you are a letter from Christ,

the result of our ministry, 

written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, 

not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Such confidence we have through Christ before God.

Not that we are competent in ourselves

to claim anything for ourselves, 

but our competence comes from God. 

He has made us competent

as ministers of a new covenant

—not of the letter but of the Spirit; 

for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 

2 Corinthians 3:3-6

For more stories of how folk are moving forward with confidence, visit Bonnie at

A Moment with Joseph

The first child that I really bonded with at the orphanage in Jinja was a little boy called Joseph.  I used to sing this one line to him from the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to him constantly, except I had changed the line from "Go, Go, Go Joseph, you know what they say" to "Jo, Jo, Jo, Joseph, you're doing okay."  I remembered that this week as I read through the story of Joseph in Genesis while in this first week of the 90-Day Challenge.

While I am enjoying the discipline this challenge is creating in me, it doesn't allow a lot of time to process all that we are reading.  I say we because I am joining in with the multitudes for accountability and encouragement over at Mom's Toolbox, the host of this challenge.  It does however bring to my attention little things I had never noticed before, things I wouldn't see if I were only looking at smaller portions of text.  I find myself pausing to ponder these new nuggets as well as the ones I'd been familiar with.  Joseph gave me pause.

By chapter 40, Joseph had been thrown in jail on false charges.  Enter Mr. Cupbearer and Mr. Baker.  They both had dreams and Joseph interpreted them, asking one thing in return - upon the restoration of Mr. Cupbearer to his post, for Joseph to be remembered (v. 14). 

How often do we think our answers for work situations, personal relationships and future potentials could be filled if only folk would "remember me" when these perfect opportunities seemed imminent in their paths?  Quite a lot, to be bluntly honest.  But in this season I know that God is not only bringing healing to my physical body, but to emotional wounds that stretch back so far I had forgotten they are even there, and yet have influenced my beliefs about both myself and God.  I have many life experiences that have convinced me that in certain areas I am forgotten and overlooked.

All happened as Joseph had said, but Mr. Cupbearer did not remember him and Joseph remained in jail (v. 23).

I had to stop and wonder how Joseph felt.  He had favor with the warden because God was with Him, so Jo, Jo, Jo, Joseph was doing okay.  That didn't change the fact that he was still in jail.  I know often no matter what great things God shows me or is doing in me, I can be easily distracted with perceived disappointments.  Did Joseph feel like that?  We don't know, as chapter 41 begins immediately after being forgotten, and two years have passed.

The amazing thing was that God had not forgotten.  The time when the nations would need Joseph most was coming, and in that pivotal moment marked again by dreams, Mr. Cupbearer remembered.  The dream was interpreted and Joseph was put into a position that would bring salvation and restoration even to his own family.  Jo, Jo, Jo, Joseph it seems now, was indeed doing okay!

In just this week's reading alone there are at least seven times when it directly shows that God is a God who remembers.  He remembers His promises.  He remembers His people.  He remembers us!  His very nature tells us we are not forgotten.  We are not overlooked.  We are beloved and we are seen (Gen 16:13).

May you dwell in the peace that God sees you and has not forgotten you.

May you cast your broken hearts to Him so that He may restore His truth in you.

May you live in faith and trust that God will fulfill His purpose in you.

May you be blessed with favor in the process,

so that you will never forget He that never forgets ye.

Little Joseph still sings that line to his parents now, years later,  a happy child adopted into a beautiful family.  He knows he is loved and "he's doing okay"!

Revisiting Poland

I'm currently needing a bit of rest.  But I have loved joining everyone on Spiritual Sundays with Charlotte and Ginger, so I decided to link you to a post written just over a year ago.  I think ye will enjoy it.  Let me know what ye think in the comments here or there.  God bless!

I didn`t think the stairs were ever going to stop.  In short sets of ten and spiraling down anticlockwise, the steps had me dizzy.  By the time we reached the bottom, at least the first level of the depths, my legs had turned to jelly.

Read More...

One Word for the New Year

 
The week between St. Stephens Day and New Year's found me on the couch, incapacitated by the flu.  Because of some health issues I have been facing in recent months, the New Year was marking the beginning of a strict three month detox program to allow my systems to heal and recover.  In addition to being sick, I was a bit disappointed that my last week of dietary freedom was spent sucking down little more than chicken soup and lemon-ginger tea.

In the months before, I had been feeling very confident about what I sensed God doing in the New Year.  I have been excited about the health He is restoring, the ministry He is expanding and the revival I sense He is bringing to this country.  In that last week however, it seemed that for every cough, ache and sneeze there was a doubt or fear to accompany it.  I had nightmares about visas, ministry obstacles and unanswered promises in my personal life.  And I couldn't even eat chocolate.

The Exodus is full of stories of God's divine providence...  Cloud by day, fire by night, mysterious manna kind of stuff.  As one who has lived on the support of others for so long, I also have these stories directly from the miraculous hand of God: money that appeared from no where, help that came just in time, triumphant endings to seemingly impossible situations.  Yet how many chapters begin with the Lord having to remind those same Israelites who walked under protection, who ate food from heaven, that He was indeed still God?

In this new chapter of my life, the the Lord is reminding me to TRUST.

On Saturday night, I was feeling so ill.  I was trying to sleep, but couldn't with all the fears swirling around my head.  I was feeling hopeless and weak, yet my mouth spoke a phrase my brain had not ordered.  I said out loud, "But I trust You God."  It was said with confidence and resolution, and I knew instantly it was true.  As I heard my own voice, I was easily settled with a peace that defied my own understanding.  It was in this peace that I was able to finally sleep.

God took the Israelites all the way to Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey (and perhaps even chocolate, wink wink).  Of one thing we can be sure, He is so very faithful.  This year as you look ahead wondering what will come, remember this...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
 

in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:4-5 

He will not fail you and He will bring you peace.  He will lead you on the path He has put before you and He will provide.  He is faithful and merciful, and most of all, He loves you.  Trust Him.

This post is linked with Bonnie and others at

A Place to Begin

Happy New Year!

As we begin this new year, let us remember that while we do not always know what lies ahead, God does.  I am so excited to see what great and wondrous things He will do in this New Year!  I pray that we will continue to dive deeper into our relationships with Him, that we would continue to seek His purposes above our own, and that we would honestly live the revelation of His love in our world.

Yet I am always with you;
   you hold me by my right hand.
 

You guide me with your counsel,
   and afterward you will take me into glory.
 

Whom have I in heaven but you?
   And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
 

My flesh and my heart may fail,
   but God is the strength of my heart
   and my portion forever. 

-Psalm 73: 23-26

Thanks to Ginger and Charlotte for a wonderful year of Spiritual Sundays.

This post is linked with them here.