Persecution, Faithfulness, and Grace

Tonight I was humbled when I read about continued religious persecution in India on Persecution Blog. One of the two stories is extra poignant for me.

Seven young women from Gospel for Asia Bible college were “sharing the love of Christ.” Then a government official began to argue with them. He confined them to one room for almost four hours, called in journalists to take pictures of them, and forced them to write a statement saying they were spreading Christianity.

Three elements from the story stood out to me:

1. The young women are students at a Bible college. I am a student at a Christian university. How similar, yet how different, our situations are.
2. These precious sisters were sharing the love of Christ in a hostile region. Where I live, the environment is mostly safe and comfortable. Am I still taking the risk of sharing Jesus?
3. For evangelizing, the women were imprisoned, albeit briefly. They were granted the great honor of suffering for Christ. I wonder how I would respond.

I have to be honest. As I’m writing this entry, I am feeling incredibly frustrated. This week, I’ve gotten very little sleep. And the people who live in the apartment above us have chosen tonight to move furniture / walk around in high heels / see who can stomp the loudest. While I’ve been writing about persecuted Christians on the other side of the world, I’m fighting an angry heart towards people nearby.

I know the timing isn’t accidental. If I want to be faithful in the big things, I need to be faithful in the little things now. Do I ever need grace for a changed heart and a steady obedience.

…I’ve Got Answers!

Thanks for your questions in response to my last entry. I’m going to answer them now, but feel free to ask some more in response to this post. There were 70 hits on the entry, but only 7 people were brave enough to ask. I enjoyed reading the questions – they were great.

Stephanie asked:
How many brothers/sisters do you have?

I have three younger sisters – ages 20, 18, and 16.

Jacob asked:
Were you to write a non-fiction work, what would it be about?

Hmm… I have definitely thought about this before, but I’m not sure. Maybe someday when I’m older and wiser I would like to write a book for girls who are about my age now, about being a godly woman in today’s world. Also, an unrealistic dream is to publish a book of essays. I’m beginning to explore that form and I really like it. I would like to write essays about many different aspects of life – sacred and secular, or rather, finding the sacred in the secular.

Emily asked 3 questions:
1. What music do you enjoy listening to and what are your favourite movies/TV programmes?

Okay, so that was really two questions in one. I do enjoy listening to a variety of music, although I’m not the most eclectic person ever. The playlist I made on Sunday, for instance, includes Coldplay, Brooke Fraser, Nichole Nordeman, Skillet, Kirk Franklin, Fernando Ortega, and Alicia Keys.

Favorite movies… no surprise here: Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Little Women, Pride and Prejudice (both versions). And then some other ones like That Thing You Do!, Hitch, National Treasure, Freedom Writers, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, etc. I like old TV, like I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and The Cosby Show. I also really like Gilmore Girls.

2. When and how did you become a Christian?

I don’t know that I could pinpoint an exact moment in time, because I grew up in a Christian home and it was kind of a gradual process. I “asked Jesus into my heart” when I was three. When I was fourteen, I came to a much fuller understanding and experience of Jesus’ substitutionary death for me on the cross. Isaiah 53 was very significant for me.

3. What is your life ambition? (Assuming glorifying God is a given!)

Wow, I would love to know what my specific life ambition is. I’m interested in working with inner-city kids, refugees, and overseas with orphans. Also, I love to write and would like to be able to write about the things I’m passionate about. I want to serve in the church. And I want to be a wife and mother.

Courtney asked:
If you could meet one author, famous or not, who would it be?

Ooh, that’s a really tough question! I think, though, I would say Elisabeth Elliot. She has been such a mentor to me through her books, and I would love to be able to meet her and talk with her.

Julie asked:
If you were stuck on a desert island what 5 items would you want to have? Assume we already know you would want your ESV Bible.

Ah, the desert island question. Well, I suppose I would want a boat, but that’s kind of a cop-out. So other than that, I’d take my journal – because then I could publish my memoir after it was over – a pillow, a dog (does that count?), a comb, and a lighter (for fires, of course). Whew, that was difficult!

Kaysie asked 4 questions:
1. What is the favorite part of your day?

I love it when I’m walking to class in the morning and the sun has just come up and everything is quiet and the birds are singing… it’s so beautiful.

2. What is your greatest pet peeve? (you could name a couple)

Oh dear… well, I hate it when you’re in a room and someone is eating and it’s so quiet all you can hear is the sound of them chewing. Eww!!

3. What’s your favorite quote?

One of them is, “There is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still,” from Corrie ten Boom.

4. What is the one thing you want your readers to know about you?

I can’t think of THE one thing, but just one thing is that there is a lot more to me than what you read on this site, and don’t get the idea that I have everything all figured out, because I definitely don’t! I have a lot to learn.

Brooke asked:
You have probably posted this at some point, but what are you going to school for, and why did you choose that?

I am graduating with a double major in Ministry and Bible. When I entered college I wanted to work with orphans overseas. Now that still may be in my future, but my focus has expanded a little, so we’ll see what happens! I have an English minor and I chose it because I love all things English – literature and writing – and now my ambition has grown in that area too.

Thanks for the questions, all! Again, feel free to ask more and I’ll try to follow up in the not-too-distant future.

You’ve Got Questions…

I thought it might be fun to do some Q&A here at Hope Road. I’ve never done it before. I always enjoy it when other bloggers do Q&A. So here’s your chance. What to know what I think about… say… peanut butter? Curious what my favorite movie is? You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers.

I wish I could promise an answer to every question, but of course I’m selective about how much I share in this venue. So if I choose not to answer your question, it’s not because I don’t like you. Necessarily.

So there you go… fire away!

P.S. Just to be clear, the plan is that I’ll wait until some questions build up and then answer them in one post.

It’s for Sinners

“[There was] an old Scottish preacher who, as he was serving the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper, noticed a young girl sobbing at the communion rail. As he passed her the bread, visible sign of the body of the Lord Jesus (‘I give it for the life of the world,’ He said) the girl turned away her face, which was wet with tears.

“‘Tak’ it, lassie,’ said the old man. ‘It’s for sinners.’”

-Elisabeth Elliot

One Page

Four years of making lists of the homework I have to do. The methods changed, but the substance didn’t.

I just made a list of all the homework I have left this semester, and it fits on one page.

One page, y’all!

I think I’m seeing the light. I can’t believe I accomplished everything (well, almost everything) on all those lists for all those years. See, this is why I’m glad I went to college. Sure, maybe I could have learned everything without the degree. But college pushed me like I never would have pushed myself.

So on to reality. 21 more tasks to complete before my homeworking days are over for the foreseeable future! (Until grad school, that is…) Woohoo!

My God Is So Big

I babysit for a family with a two-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy.  They’re so cute; I love them so much. They’re both adopted and are very close in age. I’ve been babysitting them this whole school year, and I am dreading saying goodbye to them. They are so sweet.

Zoe (not her real name) is at the age where she can learn a lot just by repetition. I’ve been teaching her the shorter catechism. She knows, “Who made you?” “God.” “What else did God make?” “All things.” “Why did God make you and all things?” To that last one, she always responds, “Own GLORY!” (shortened version of, “for His own glory”).

A favorite song we sing a lot is “My God Is So Big.” I’m guessing some of you know it… So strong and so mighty / There’s nothing my God cannot do / The mountains are His, the rivers are His / The stars are His handiwork too… We’ve sung it many times, complete with hand motions. She has it on one of her CDs, too, so she knows it well by now.

Quite a few times this year, while I’ve been singing that song with Zoe, I have to stop and listen to the import of the words. Take a deep breath, wow. My God is so big. And He’s really strong, really mighty. There’s nothing He can’t do. The mountains and rivers belong to Him, and the stars are His handiwork. No matter what is going on in my life, He is bigger. He’s in control. Yay! (As we often say at the end.)

Job Update #2

I’ve made my decision. I will not be taking this job.

It was quite the process to come to that choice. I was really interested in the position, and it sounded like something I would love. But there were too many other factors – logistical and financial mostly – that would have made it unwise for me right now.

So I’m still searching for jobs, biding my time, and learning to trust. Thank you for your prayers. I really thought that I would be announcing I had taken the job, but I think the Lord has other plans for me.

Finding the Reformed Favorites

If you spend any time reading blogs with a Reformed bent, you know that there are certain characterizations that can be made: we like the English Standard Version, the Puritans, John Piper, and complementarianism, among many other (sometimes stereotypical) distinctives.

Lately I’ve been realizing how funny it is that I sort of stumbled upon a lot of these likings without even realizing they were hallmarks of my theological persuasion. I guess that is probably what happened to a lot of us!

The English Standard Version. I’ve detailed my history with this version before. But in brief, I’ll just say that I learned about the ESV in high school. My uncle and aunt tried to convince my family to buy into it.

The Puritans. I knew about Jonathan Edwards because of John Piper’s emphasis on him, but I was never a big fan. In my J-term class this past January, I did a twenty-page review of Puritan literature, a subject I selected because it sounded vaguely interesting. Then I realized how very much I admired the Puritans, and since then have loved reading more about them. I’ve also discovered that a lot of other Reformed people love the Puritans!

John Piper. I think I learned about him from my dad, who liked Desiring God and Don’t Waste Your Life. He read some of Don’t Waste Your Life to us, again, when I was in high school. I love that book. From there I began accessing Desiring God’s online resources, and have been so blessed by them.

Complementarianism. My history with this is kind of complicated, actually. My extended family has a background with it that I can’t really get into. But suffice it to say that from a very young age I have believed in the complementary order – without knowing to call it that, or before I ever heard of CBMW.

It’s been fun finding an online community that shares my affinity for these particular aspects of our faith. More than that, I love challenging and being challenged in the essential elements of the faith – the gospel and the cross, Scripture, the church, etc. Good times are had by all!

Job Update #1

You all are so encouraging! Thank you for your kind comments and prayers. I really appreciate it.

I know that some of my blog friends are probably wondering what decision I made, so rather than leaving you in suspense , I’m letting you know that my future (?) supervisor said I don’t need to let them know until tomorrow or Friday. So that has given me extra time to make this decision, and I’m very thankful for that.

I’ll let you know what I decide!

Job Decision

Earlier today, I was offered a job out-of-state. I need to make a decision by tomorrow evening. The job is something I think I would really enjoy, and it begins late this summer. It’s a one-year commitment.

I’m thinking of taking it. But I want to consider both options carefully. I would appreciate your prayers as I make this decision.