Category: Christian Living

“And the Word Came With Power”

Annie & RebekahLeave a comment

I ended this book with tears in my eyes. What a precious story! Not only is this a really fun and easy read, it recounts one woman’s story of coming to Christ, following His leading to the Philippines, and watching God transform the lives of the Balangoo people. 

Through Joanne’s eyes you see the real-life emotion in the struggles and joys that came along with living in a remote location, being adopted into a Balangoo family, encountering demon possession, surviving a helicopter crash, co-laboring with other missionaries, and the 20 year task of translating the New Testament into the Balangoo language. She saw God was at work. This was His doing. And she loved being in the middle of it.

Due to certain cultural differences and demonic possession being part of this story, I would recommend parents to approve it individually for your children, or make it a read aloud and edit as necessary. 

I highly recommend this book.

-Annie

Thoughts inspired by “Devotedly,”

Annie & Rebekah

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In the book “Devotedly,” – a book published this year containing letters written back and forth between Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, (if those names are new to you, you have some reading to do!) – I came across one of Jim’s letters that got me thinking.

You can gather Jim’s main thrust from reading what he wrote to Elisabeth on page 41, but I wanted to share something that encouraged me from a particular line he wrote. “Those sheep were destined for the altar, their pasture feeding had been for one purpose – to… fatten them for bloody sacrifice.”

My life at the moment can feel like a long succession of waiting and preparation. There’s a lot of feeding going on – the reading of books, studying, memorizing, improving my health, forming good habits, gaining skills, growing in walking with the Lord…

So I was encouraged when I read the point of feeding. Sheep that are meant for sacrifice are still fed. But the reason they’re fed is for sacrifice. Right now I’m being fed. But what is the purpose for my being fed? Is it to gain personal success? Is it for my personal benefit? Or could I make the point of my “feeding” sacrifice? If so, then even my studying and growing can be sacrifice to the Lord, as a preparation for future sacrifice: the offering of these resources to Him – for wherever and whenever and however He calls me to serve Him.

Maybe you are someone who is in a season of “feeding”? Then learn and grow and gain wisdom and skills so that as you present yourself to God as a living sacrifice, you may offer to Him the fruits of the preparation He has allowed you to have. At our funerals, would we be satisfied if what was spoken about our lives was that we were very successful, but the unspoken narrative (for people don’t like to speak ill of the dead) was that we were successful at all the wrong things? The things that won’t last past either our lifetime, or maybe at the very, very most, the limits of time? Let’s not sacrifice our skills and knowledge and life on the altar of personal ambition. Instead, let us present to God all that we have to offer, as a sacrifice for Him to use as He pleases for His glory and for His purposes.

“Calling is the truth that God calls us to Himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to His summons and service.”

-Os Guinness

I often like to pray this prayer now before starting my studies for the day, since recently coming across it in “Devotedly,”:

“Lord, let not this day be one of

            earthly striving,

For knowledge puffeth up. O let it be

A quiet time of study in the Spirit,

My realm of intellect controlled by Thee.

As Thou didst use the hands of the lad Jesus

Plying His carpenter’s trade as given of Thee,

So use my mind. Through all this human learning

Hold Thou my thoughts in focus. Let them be

In earnest concentration, permeated

By the deep consciousness that I am Thine.

Direct my thinking. Give to me, O Father,

As Thou didst give to Jesus, such a mind.”

-Elisabeth Elliot

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On page 24 of “Devotedly,” Valerie pointed out that when Elisabeth chose to enroll for further training (before becoming a missionary), that what it meant for Elisabeth’s life was “useful study while waiting for clearer direction on the specific part of the world in which God was calling her to serve Him.”

I underlined that line because it encouraged me through this season of “waiting.” It encouraged me that my current studies can indeed be “useful study” while waiting for further direction from the Lord. I can be faithful. I can focus on the things that are within arm’s reach while waiting on the Lord for what He wants for me in the future. Faithful with now, while praying and waiting for further marching orders.

-Annie

“Devotedly,”

Annie & Rebekah

“…If I could express my one hope for compiling this book, my prayer is that these entries of theirs would call us to search faithfully for God in His Word. And upon discovering His unchanging, faithful, merciful, and loving character, I pray we would be more fully moved in obedience to Him that we too might leave a lasting legacy of faith as my parents did.”

-Valerie Elliot Shepard

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How much can a person glean from the letters of a man and a woman in love? When that couple is as given over to the Lord as Jim and Elisabeth were – we can glean a lot.

Earlier this year, when I saw a new book out about Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, compiled and with additional commentary by their daughter Valerie, I couldn’t wait to start reading it! In the midst of their struggles and uncertainties, there is infused into their personal writings an unmistakable love and hunger for God and an intense desire for God’s will to be done in their lives – even if it be at the expense of their dearest, most heartfelt dreams. I have found great encouragement through getting this inside view of their thought processes and their constant efforts toward living lives of surrender to the Lord. The encouragements are not just regarding the relationship between a man and a woman in love. I have found encouragement far beyond that as the letters between this couple were not all-consumed with their love and longing for each other. They each – together as well as separate from the other – had a single eye for loving God, following His will, and living lives of service to Him. This is beautifully obvious in the letters they wrote.

I’d recommend this for young adults/adults (or ask your parent to approve it for you if you’re on the younger side or not sure if the time is right to read it).

-Annie

“I think His kindness toward her childlike prayer is so tender. ‘Lord, I am but a little child,’ she wrote at the time, ‘and know not how to go out or come in.’ She was somewhat hesitant to ask something so temporal of Him because she was afraid her own fleshly desire to be with my dad might outweigh her overriding prayer about constantly dying to self. But nothing outweighed being in moment-by-moment alignment with God and His purposes…

“This call to be still and wait on him for guidance was very real in my parents’ hearts, and I’m thankful for their example of spending at least an hour each day (often more) doing nothing else. Every letter and journal entry of theirs reveals this longing to be serious about prayer and sincerely seek God’s face. Therefore, I’m not surprised at all to read of my father’s continual watching for some kind of confirmation or direction before feeling free to pursue marriage.

“In fact, this observation leads to my second point, more general in nature: their devotion to Scripture…”

– Valerie Elliot Shepard

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“Her only certainty in the matter was the assurance to ask, ‘Lord, rule my will and affections.’ As long as she devotedly maintained this point of surrender, she knew everything was sure of working toward God’s desired ends.”

– Valerie Elliot Shepard

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“Windows To Our World”

Annie & Rebekah

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When I was eight years old, my parents packed up and moved my two brothers, my sister, and myself to Indiana. There at our church we met a sweet young couple – still in their early twenties – with their children Isaac and Anna. Estera, (isn’t that a gorgeous name?!), would be born right before we moved back to California. Fast forward to now, Josh and Sarah have been living lives of adventure and are currently residing in beautiful Hawaii with 14 of their 15 children. The then three-year-old that we knew in Indiana is now married and living in Europe. The one time two-year-old is now working on turning her musical that she wrote about the life of Christ (wrote it while a teenager!) into a full-blown play.

Sarah is a wife and mom. She’s also a missionary, curriculum writer, entrepreneur, artist, author, and more. She’s a child of God who wants to live for Him.

Maybe you would like an inside peek into Sarah’s life as a child, youth, wife, mother, and all the rest? Good! Because Sarah wrote it down for you. I loved reading this autobiography of a girl who grew up in Indiana, California, and Florida, and of her availability to serve God and the unique opportunities He gave her, her meeting and falling in love with her now husband Josh, and the adventures they’ve been on together since then.

I hope you enjoy this book and are as inspired by Sarah’s life as I have been.

If you get this book, you’ll enjoy jumping onto Sarah’s Instagram where you’ll see the continued growth of her family since this book was published. Sarah, please write and publish part 2 to your story! 🙂

 

-Annie

 

“My story did not begin on the day I was born… mine is a story that actually began many generations ago with the uncommon bravery of my grandmothers who came to America from many lands… these ancestors of mine were immigrants, like I am now, strangers in a new land… We left the American Dream behind, living a new dream because we are Americans, free to live by faith, to show our children what exists on the other side of the world. I brought just a few things with me, mostly books – the journals I have filled with the stories from my own life. For me these are the windows to my past.

“Now I have a pen in my hand, and I’m letting go of my story. I am tempted to hold onto my memories and keep secrets of my journey locked up in my heart, my love letters, and journals. But what good is a story unless it is told? So for you, for my children, and for their children, I am passing along a few pages of my life.

“I hope you enjoy this part of my story as much as I have enjoyed the journey. Now let me open a window…” -Sarah Janisse Brown (pages 12 and 13)

 

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“Amazing Grace”

Annie & Rebekah

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“Wilberforce overturned not just European civilization’s view of slavery but its view of almost everything in the human sphere; and that is why it’s nearly impossible to do justice to the enormity of his accomplishment: it was nothing less than a fundamental and important shift in human consciousness.” page xv

 

William Wilberforce was small in appearance, and huge in personality and raw talent. Additionally, his was a heart that was captured by God, and in seeking to live for Him, he overturned cultural norms and changed the trajectory of history. And that sentence is by no means an exaggeration as this book clearly shows us. The name “William Wilberforce” is on my personal list of heroes. Few people have the giftings and opportunities that this English Parliamentary member had, but there are some things we do have in common: the same God, one life, and the ability to choose to love and serve God with and in the particular opportunities He gives us. As we learn of the life, work, and single-focus of William Wilberforce, may we be encouraged to live with resolve, courage, and passion for – and because of – our Lord!

Due to the nature of what Wilberforce fought against (largely, the slave trade), this book should not be read by a child. (It can be read aloud by an adult and edited for age-appropriateness.)

-Annie

“‘The decision of the great question approaches. May it please God, who has the hearts of all in His hands, to turn them as in the House of Lords; and enable me to have a single eye, and a simple heart, desiring to please God, to do good to my fellow-creatures, and to testify my gratitude to my adorable Redeemer.'”

– William Wilberforce (page 208)

 

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“Captain Snout and the Super Power Questions”

Annie & Rebekah

Thank you to my sister-in-law Mel for this book!

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This is a children’s book that adults would benefit from reading for themselves, as much as a child would.

Do you ever feel trapped in your head? Do you ever find yourself imagining the worst, or do you feel stuck in an ongoing or seemingly endless loop of negative or depressing thoughts? This book is about negative thoughts – automatic negative thoughts – ANTs… you know, those discouraging thoughts that just come very naturally to think? Well, Captain Snout shows us how to squash those ANTs with some very practical and simple questions. These questions are surprisingly effective – I’ve tried them.

Thoughts are powerful. Unbelievably powerful. Thoughts can affect the trajectory, flow, and feel of a whole life. It’s been said that when you sow a thought, you reap an action… sow an action, reap a tendency, sow a tendency, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a character, reap a destiny. A single thought can lead to something much bigger.

I hope you read this book. And I hope you squash the ANTs in your own life.

– Annie

 

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7

“Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”

Philippians 4:8

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Faithful Service

Annie & Rebekah

Here is a book I should read every two weeks; it’s that good! And I need to be reminded of these things.

“Faithful Service” – a small book written simply to encourage those who desire to serve the Lord faithfully. “Well done, good and faithful servant…” is what we want to hear one day. But, what is faithfulness and what does it look like? What does it mean to be that servant that Jesus calls us to be?

In this book, Rich Chaffin includes:

  • Examples of faithfulness as seen in Old Testament stories, as well as New Testament stories.
  • An explanation of what faithfulness is and why it’s so important.
  • Examples of what faithfulness looks like and what it doesn’t look like.
  • An accurate understanding of what a servant is.
  • Encouragement for those working behind the scenes.
  • Vision for going beyond just the minimum in service for God.
  • An understanding of the wonderful blessings that come to the person who is faithfully serving Jesus.

This book is easy to read, and you can practically apply what it talks about, right away. This is a little book, perfect for reading a chapter in a few spare minutes.

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Its author, Rich Chaffin, is a pastor whom I have learned so much from, both through this book and through his teachings and example. If you read his book, you’ll hear stories of the time when he was a janitor and how God taught him faithfulness through that. You’ll be encouraged to be faithful in whatever place God has you in, and you’ll be challenged to be that “to the brim” sort of servant and to keep “digging ditches.” You’ll be encouraged to recognize the opportunities that you have right now, and I think you’ll be excited at the thought of the privilege it is to serve Jesus.

In addition to this book, I’ll also link to the church website, which has numerous Bible studies taught by Pastor Rich. I am listening through Revelation right now and it’s so good. You can click here and find a Bible study to listen to, or choose a book of the Bible to go through.

-Rebekah

Photo by: Matt Enterline

Will Our Generation Speak?

Annie & Rebekah

“Can I ask you a random question?” the lady said as I got out of the car. My mom walked around the car to where we were standing. “Sure,” we said. “Do you ever have people just walk up to you and ask if they can buy your car?” This lady owned the same kind of car as ours, and it was the same color too. “We have had people call us and leave notes on our front door to find out if we’ll sell our car,” we replied. “Me too! We must have really good cars and people want them,” she said laughing. “I’ve put 280,000 miles on mine, it runs great, and all I’ve ever done is change the oil,” she said. After several minutes of discussing this funny similarity that we shared, our unusual, yet friendly parking lot chat was coming to a close.   

But, before we said goodbye, my mom had one more thing to say. “I don’t know why, but I think I’m supposed to tell you something. I just have it on my heart to say this, so I’ll say it. I’m a Christian. Jesus Christ has changed my life. I met Him when I was 18 and since then, my life has never been the same.” And she shared a little bit more.

I had just been thinking about the randomness of this lady walking up to us, starting the conversation and how this would be the perfect opportunity to say something to her about the Lord. I was thankful that my mom did.

“I’m a spiritualist,” the lady replied as she told us of her studies of world religions and how she had come to the conclusion that there was good in each of them. It was interesting to hear her views, and when she had finished sharing her perspective, my mom told her how she had at one time, also been in a place of searching for the truth. My mom told her that she had come to realize that Jesus was the only One who had ever risen from the dead and that He was seen by many witnesses after He had risen. “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,’” she quoted, as she gently challenged the idea of all religions being right and that what it takes is us being good…each of us deciding what good is.

My mom reiterated that she had simply felt compelled to share this and so she did. The lady was kind and said that it was very interesting that my mom had said something right then, because of all that she’s been going through. She told us about the health struggles that a family member was experiencing and how hard it had been. After talking more about it and exchanging our names, we asked if we could pray for her loved one and she said she would be grateful. Although we wanted to pray right then, she had ice cream melting in the car, so we said we would pray later. We told her that God loved her and wanted to help her. She said, “Goodbye…and God bless you,” as she got into her car.

We all have our comfort zones. This story happened outside of my mom’s comfort zone, as well as outside of mine. In fact, it was my heart that was pounding as my mom did most of the talking. But, despite this fact, nothing can compare with knowing that God just did something and that He orchestrated the circumstances in such a way that allowed us to be a part of it! God invites each of us to be workers with Him in bringing His Word and His love to those who are lost, confused, and in need of a Savior.

Many of us though feel unqualified, timid, and scared at the thought of such a task. We don’t feel ready to take the risk of stepping outside of our comfort zones. But, we actually take another risk, the risk of missing an opportunity! And the encouraging thing is that God wants to work in us, and even change us. When my mom read Ephesians 6:18-20, she was struck with the thought that even the Apostle Paul prayed for boldness! He knew what it was to be weak, fearful, and trembling (1 Cor. 2:3). As she thought about that she decided to pray for boldness. A few days after she prayed, we talked with the lady in the parking lot and God did give her boldness to speak. I believe that God brought the lady to us and had my mom talk with her, right at a time when she really needed the love of Christ. Maybe God will use that interaction to remind her that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life…and maybe she’ll respond.

Something else that impacted my mom was reading the book, “Will Our Generation Speak?” My personal copy is much more worn than the book pictured here. That’s because it’s very high on my list of favorites and I keep going back to reread it!

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It’s inspiring, instructive, and insightful. Grace Mally, age 23 at the time of writing, has tactfully and skillfully written to our generation with a challenge to be bold with the Gospel. Within the pages of her book, Grace gives practical ideas for sharing the Gospel with others and if you read it, it’s likely you will be astonished by the real-life stories that she records. You will see what God can do through one person loving and following Jesus, and how He is working within the hearts of the lost. 

I think this is an AMAZING book and I’m recommending it to you. 🙂  I don’t feel that I can do the book justice from this one post. I am confident though, that you will be blessed by reading this book. It is punctuated with Scripture, providing a fresh reminder of the privilege it is, as children of God, to have the opportunity to impact this world as we declare Jesus, who is so full of grace and truth.

(I think any person of any age would thoroughly enjoy this book! Grace records many of her conversations with non-Christians, so there may be “certain” references made, but nothing more than references.)

Table of Contents
1. Only One Chance to Be Young!
2. The Little Engine That Couldn’t
3. Is Your Perspective Upside Down?
4. Tracts
5. But I’m Scared!
6. Full of Grace and Truth
7. Listen But Lead
8. Keys to Confidence
9. Moving the Hand of God
10. When They Aren’t So Friendly
11. Joy
12. Who? Where? How?
13. Seventeen Ways to Start Conversations
14. If the Foundations are Destroyed
15. How We Know That We Know
16. Start at Home But Aim for the World
17. The Esther 4:14 Principle

“Will Our Generation Speak” can be purchased on amazon, or from the Mally’s website. Grace has also written a study guide to accompany her book (the two books can be purchased together as a package)

-Rebekah

The Wild Brothers

Annie & Rebekah

Welcome to the world of the Wild brothers!

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Brothers Morgan, Hudson, Kian, and Asher Wild have grown up in the jungles of Southeast Asia. They, and their parents Mike and Libby, are missionaries to a remote tribe on the island of Papua sharing the good news of Jesus! They homeschool in their home in the jungle and explore the world around them, even collecting insects for scientists. They have made a scientific discovery, and were the first to collect a particular butterfly!

I have been fascinated watching what life is like for these missionaries from Florida, as they have taken on many aspects of the tribal culture, and are devoting their lives to the Lord and living for Him. They have been, and continue to be, such an encouragement to me. When I watch them in these DVDs, or read their writings on their blog, it makes me want to live for the Lord practically and daily. The four brothers are such fun to watch and learn from. They are a wonderful encouragement to follow the Lord while young and not to waste that time. Their parents also, are tremendous examples of doing what God says, trusting Him with their lives and the lives of their sons.

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As a bonus to these DVDs, they keep up a blog! (On the Answers in Genesis website). These posts range from informative, encouraging, interesting and fun, to challenging, insightful and thought provoking, often with an overlap of any of these. 

It’s amazing to see and read of what goes into the task of learning a language and culture, and then to learn of how Mike and his colleague translate the Bible into the tribal language. How awesome it is to know of this specific story where God has changed so many lives as they have heard of Jesus!

As a young woman, I am additionally thankful for Libby’s example. She is a blessing to me as I see her faithfulness to the Lord in all the roles of wife, mom, and missionary.

Oh, and I did a little research on California laws…I so want a Common Spotted Cuscus! It is so cute!! Unfortunately, I won’t be getting one. :/

There are a total of eight DVDs which are available from Answers in Genesis or some are available on amazon. (We have pictured only the first three).

DVD 1: Welcome to Our World

DVD 2: Jewels of the Jungle

DVD 3: Paradise Lost

DVD 4: Tiger Trail

DVD 5: Island of the Gods

DVD 6: Changes in Latitude

DVD 7: Preparing for Departure

DVD 8: Deep Sea Canoe

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-Annie

Photos by: Matt Enterline

Before You Meet Prince Charming

Annie & Rebekah

Most girls want to one day be married. For many girls, that will be part of God’s plan for their lives. In the meantime, there are questions, struggles, and what can feel to be a time of waiting. How should a girl view this time in her life? Is there a way for her to truly thrive during her single years and prepare for marriage, instead of simply trying to avoid heartbreak and pain, as well as trying to not waste her single years?

This book addresses many questions and struggles that single girls can face. How should a girl navigate a crush? Is “dating around” the only way to meet her future husband, or are there other options? If there are other options, are there any advantages to them? While a girl is single – whether for a short time or for a long time – can she find joy, meaning, peace, comfort, and a purpose for her life? If so, how? Can a girl do anything now that will both make good use of her life presently and prepare her for a wonderful marriage?

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Sarah Mally is a single young woman who both Rebekah and I look up to. She has used, and is using, her single years for a purpose greater than herself as she follows the Lord. We are encouraged by her example. Sarah wrote this book for single girls of many ages. She wanted to write a book on purity, preparation for marriage, and using one’s youth for the Lord, that would apply to older girls yet could still be read by girls as young as 12 and who, at that age, would be blessed by it and not hindered. Rebekah and I have found encouragement and practical suggestions in this book, from the time we first read it, until now as we re-read this book. Even at our ages we appreciate Sarah’s discretion as she seeks to give positive encouragement and examples, rather than very detailed information of what we are not to do.

As with any book that we read, we need to be sensitive to how the Lord is leading us personally and in our own families. There may be things that you personally don’t agree with in this book, but don’t let that stop you (as we have not let it stop us), from letting it challenge and encourage you onward toward godliness and the “set-apart” life. This book challenges many modern cultural ideas and mindsets. We as Christians need this. We may not agree with and follow every concept or detail, but we will greatly benefit if we let the Holy Spirit speak to our hearts, even if the communication flies in the face of what we’ve always thought or assumed.

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One of my favorite concepts that Sarah lays out in the book was this: my life purpose is not to get married, my life purpose is so much bigger because I have a relationship with God as my Father and He has a place for me in a plan that lasts long past my time on earth. This is so important because I, like many girls, greatly look forward to the day when I will be married. However, if I allow myself to be so wrapped up with thoughts directed by a longing for marriage, then my relationship with God and serving Him now (as well as my future), will be negatively affected. I believe that something Jim Elliot wrote to Elisabeth before they were married can apply to single women, “Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living.”

The more I meditate on God’s Word and am exposed to His thought pattern, the more His thinking will become my thinking. As this happens, one thing I will understand more and more is how short life really is; this will help align my perspective to reality – an eternal reality. Marriage is a wonderful gift, but it is not the only gift God gives. When a girl realizes that life’s purpose or value does not consist in marriage, she can then embrace and live in the good gifts God has given to her now and will continue to give to her…whether they include marriage or not. Many are still in need of hearing the message of the gospel for the first time. Many need to be built up and discipled in their walk with God. We have the privilege to do a work now that will outlast us and any earthly relationship. Each of us has been given an invitation to walk with God and get closer to Him in a living, daily relationship. Each of us has been given opportunities from God to be part of His work in some way. “Wherever you are, be all there, live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” –Jim Elliot

If and when the Lord brings young men into our lives (for those of us to whom that applies), we can realize that that relationship is not something we are entitled to. It will be a gift from God. The flesh and the Spirit will war in how to conduct such a relationship before marriage. But, as we surrender to the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in harmony with God’s Word, the Lord will lead us in that potentially challenging and very precious time.  I am grateful to Sarah for sharing her wisdom and insights to help clear away the fog of cultural mindsets and set a higher standard for this area of our lives.

“Before You Meet Prince Charming” can be purchased by going to the Mally family’s website here, or on amazon.

-Annie

Photos by Matt Enterline