The Sin of Eli...

"The sin of Eli had consisted in passing lightly over the iniquity of his sons in sacred office, and over the evils prevailing throughout the land. His neglect to correct these evils had brought upon Israel a fearful calamity. His sons had fallen in battle, Eli himself had lost his life, the ark of God had been taken from the land of Israel, thirty thousand of the people had been slain, - and all because sin had been allowed to flourish unrebuked and unchecked. Israel had vainly thought that, notwithstanding their sinful practices, the presence of the ark would insure them victory over the Philistines. In like manner, during the days of Jeremiah, the inhabitants of Judah were prone to believe that a strict observance of the divinely appointed services of the temple would preserve them from a just punishment for their wicked course.

What a lesson is this to men holding positions of responsibility to-day in the church of God! What a solemn warning to deal faithfully with wrongs that bring dishonor to the cause of truth! Let none who claim to be the depositaries of God's law, flatter themselves that the regard they may outwardly show toward the commandments, will preserve them from the exercise of divine justice. Let none refuse to be reproved for evil, nor charge the servants of God with being too zealous in endeavoring to cleanse the camp from evil-doing. A sin-hating God calls upon those who claim to keep His law, to depart from all iniquity. A neglect to repent and to render willing obedience will bring upon men and women to-day as serious consequences as came upon ancient Israel." (PK 416)

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Last night our ladies' bible study group came early to cook together, and we made a vegan green bean casserole, roasted garlic mashed potatoes with "chicken" gravy, and carob peanut butter cups! The food was really delicious! Thanks to Loramin for the picture!

Vegan Green Bean Casserole Recipe

We used 2 canisters of the french fried onions, but I like those so much I might use 3 next time!

From the Chapter "Entanglements"

"We dread malarial fever, and fear lest it should get hold of us and drive us out of the mission field. Should we less dread this spiritual malaria, the fever of a restless soul, which has a power, we know not how, to enervate the very fiber of our being and so unnerve us for the fight? Surely this is the most dangerous form of fever possible. A fit soul in an unfit body is doubtless uncomfortably crippled, but it is not wholly ineffective; but what is the good of a fit body with an unfit soul inside it? It may as well go home at once for all the fighting it will do on the mission battlefield.

But is there not a better way?

Searcher of spirits,
Try Thou my reins and heart;
Cleanse Thou my inward part -
Turn, overturn and turn.
Wood, hay and stubble see
Spread out before Thee;
Burn, burn.

Worker in gardens,
Dig round my hidden root,
Let branch, leaf, bud and fruit
Respond in quickened life.
Seek out the canker there -
Cut out and do not spare
Thy knife.

Savior of sinners,
Out of the depths I cry,
'Perfect me or I die -
Perfect me, patient One';
In Thy revealing light,
I stand confessed - outright,
Undone.

O to be holy!
Thou wilt not say me nay
Who movest me to pray:
'Enable to endure.'
Spiritual cleansing Fire,
Fulfill my heart's desire:
Make pure."

~ Amy Carmichael, God's Missionary, pg. 27-29

One Day at a Time...

"One day is mine. I will in this one day do my best. I will use my talent of speech to be a blessing to some other one, a helper, a comforter, an example which the Lord my Saviour shall approve. I will exercise myself in patience, kindness, forbearance, that the Christian virtues may be developed in me today." (In Heavenly Places)

Weekend in Arizona

Arizona was soooo much fun!

On Friday, Sharon, Emma, Ryan, and I went to the Arizona State Fair. I got to feed a camel, giraffe, zebra, ostrich, llama, baby donkey, and other animals. I even got to touch a couple of them! Then we stopped by a Thai restaurant, ordered the food to go since it was almost Sabbath, and ate at a nice park. After that we headed off to Oliver's house in Scottsdale where he, my sister, and Peter were waiting for us. Luke and Ashley came later, and we finished the evening with a small Bible study.

On Saturday, we went with a couple of Thunderbird Academy students to a church 2 hours away where they were in charge of the church program. Then we went to another church where they had a yummy lunch prepared for us. In the afternoon we went to a church member's house, and she gave us a very insightful message on health. We were only supposed to be there for an hour, but we had so many questions that we ended up being there for another hour. Then we all headed back to campus with renewed energy and praised God for His blessings.

We ended our trip by visiting a wildlife park (http://www.outofafricapark.com/) on Sunday. It was AMAZING! Let's just say the pictures on their website aren't just a hype. On our way home, instead of just taking the boring 10 fwy back, we took the back roads and passed through several small towns. In between towns it seemed as if we were the only ones in the world, with darkness around us, but it was comforting to know that up in the sky the stars shone brighter than ever. I was reminded that even in the midst of loneliness and darkness there is hope and that God cares and watches over us.

View Pictures! ^_^