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Beautiful Verses

I was going through Isaiah and Psalms last night and came across some of my favorite verses.

"O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security." Isaiah 38:14 (when I'm feeling insecure, HE is my security. Well, He should always be my security, but especially when I'm feeling insecure)

"It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind your back." Isaiah 38:17

"I have called you by name; you are Mine!" Isaiah 43:1 (its not very often that you find exclamation points on a verse like this)

"I am the first and the last, and there is no God besides me." 44:6

"We are the clay, and You are the potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand." 64:8

"O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with PERFECT faithfulness." 25:1

"Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings." Psalm 17:8

"He makes my feet like hinds' feet and sets me upon my high places." Psalm 18:33

"When he [man] falls, he will no be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the one who holds his hand." 37:24

This is Your Time
by Michael W. Smith

It was a test we could all hope to pass
But none of us would want to take.
Faced with the choice to deny God to live,
For her, there was one choice to make.

This was her time. this was her dance.
She lived every moment; left nothing to chance.
She swam in the sea; drank of the deep;
Embraced the mystery of all she could be.

This was her time...

Though you are mourning and grieving with us,
Death died a long time ago;
Swallowed in life so that life carries on.
Still its so hard to let go.

This was her time. this was her dance.
She lived every moment; left nothing to chance.
She swam in the sea; drank of the deep;
Embraced the mystery of all she could be.

What if tomorrow, and what if today,
Faced with the question,
Oh what would you say?

This is your time. this is your dance.
Live every moment. leave nothing to chance.
Swim in the sea. drink of the deep.
Follow the mercy and hear yourself praying.

Wont you save me?
Wont you save me?

This is your time. this is your dance.
Live every moment. leave nothing to chance.
Swim in the sea. drink of the deep.
Embrace the mystery of all you can be.

This is your time. this is your dance.

Live every moment. leave nothing to chance.

Swim in the sea. drink of the deep.

Embrace the mystery of all you can be.

This is Your time.

A Woman of Action

I watched Second Chance (with Michael W. Smith) the other day and it ignited a fire within me that had been smoldering for quite a while. All my life I've wanted to be a WOMAN OF ACTION. Actually, for the longest time I couldn't verbalize my thoughts, then I read Sister Freaks (by Rebecca St. James) and read a story about a woman who was sold out for God. The book referred to her as a woman of ACTION. I was intrigued. More than intrigued, I was set on fire. Finally, a title for who I want to become. After a few moments of excitement and desire for sold-out-ness for Christ, I realized that I wasn't exactly sure what a woman of action was. I had an idea, a feeling of who she was. So I grabbed my journal and pen and set out to write down, for later reference, encouragement and reminder, exactly what a woman of action was.

So - here it goes. (coming straight from my journal...you should feel special ;-) )

What is a Woman of Action?

- A servant. Practically this could mean doing things around the house, helping out at church etc. Servants are RARELY out in the middle being the center of attention, they hide in the back room doing random acts of kindness for others: emptying the trash, cleaning up after a meal, making a family member's bed, etc.

- A Woman of Action reaches out to others. I'm so often stuck in my own world and littl group of friends that I miss out on everyone else around me. Littler girls who could use a hug, a peice of encouragement or, even better, a listening ear. The elderly who could use someone to talk to or simply someone to care about them. The woman of action just looks around, and opens her eyes to the people around her. (I fail at this miserably, but I'm going to try to do better)

- She loves. I've seen young women like this. They just absolutely shine with the love of Jesus. They show love to all, not just those who are easy to love. Lord, please help me to love. TRULY love. Not simply outward actions but deep within my heart. A woman o faction is usually surrounded by people because of this very trait. People hunger for love. It's the Christian's job to show them true love, the love of Jesus.

- The Woman of Action sees a need then fulfills it. Actually seeing a need is almost half the battle. It means taking our eyes off of ourself and looking outward and upward. Fulfilling that need is the tougher of the two (for me, at least). Sure, I can recognize needs pretty easily. But figuring out how to fulfill it, then actually doing it is extremely difficult. Fulfilling needs of others is a strange thing in this world. You will be deemed "different" because of it. But don't let that stop you. Go ahead, change the world.

- A Woman of Action is head-over-heels, in love with, crazy-about, completely, 100% obsessed about JESUS. She realizes that without HIM, she is nothing. He is the whole reason she is a woman of action. It's because of Jesus that she sacrifices spending time with friends to talk to the new quiet girl or help in the kitchen. It's because of HIM that she sacrifices that new outfit she's been wanting to give her $ to an important ministry. The woman of action is NOT perfect and she knows it. You can't fake her kind of spirit and love. If you try to forge them from inside yourself people will see right through you. It only comes form Christ. It is Him, the woman of action is trying to please. She gives all honor and glory to Jesus and HIM ALONE! Because, as I said before, without Him, she is nothing.

- She is set apart. Holy. Different (in a good and godly way, not pink hair and peircings kinda way). She's not afraid to be shunned by her friends, family, pop-culture or guys. Frankly, all she cares about is pleasing her Savior. If we make that TRULY our focus, then its almost impossible not to be holy and set apart. She loves to love and spend time with people (as we've previously seen), but her focus isn't on social events or making sure she has a party or get-together every weekend. She thinks and lives for eternity.

- She embraces her god-given role as a woman. She embraces her femininity with all of her heart. She delights in being a woman of God. She doesn't wish she was a man able to do masculine things. I personally LOVE this kind of thing. I love when men are men and women are women. There's a reason we were created differently. Just as an example, take a glance at a woman's hands and a man's hands. Men's hands are big, rough and calloused. They are used to work, however, if needed, they can be gentle too. Women's hands are soft and lovely. They are used mainly to nurture and care for, but if need be, they can work HARD too. I once heard the difference between men and women put this way: Men are PROTECTERS of life. And women are the NURTURERS of life. What a beautiful picture.

"Be with me, Jesus and change me into a woman of action for YOU." Amen.

God's Providence

"The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, will answer them myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them. I will open the rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water."

Isaiah 41:17-18

This morning I had planned to read Isaiah 40 (an amazing chapter) but, by God's grace, I glanced over to the next page and read this passage. I've read this chapter several times, but this time, it jumped out at me. I love that.

This verse can be applied to most anything. Young women, such as myself, are thirsty for a beloved. A good and godly young man who loves the Lord as much as they do. So sometimes, we desire that, and look around to see that there is none. Just as the needy in this passage look around for water and see that there is none. But, because He can do anything, God CREATES the water where there was never water before! He opens rivers on the bare heights. Where people thought water would NEVER be, it was.

HE WILL PROVIDE!

Of course, there are many other applications to this section, but I chose this one because I've seen with my own eyes it come to pass.

My sister Erin has had a desire to be married her entire life. However, growing up in Utah where there were few Christians to be found and then moving to the middle of nowhere, where there were few people to be found, she had slim pickins'. If you want to hear her entire testimony, I'm sure she'd be glad to tell you herself. But in a nutshell, she took a ride on the wild side and came home with a souveneir, her son, Ethan. ;-)
Through much prayer, my dear sister came back to Jesus, her first love. She got her life back together and became a WONDERFUL example of Christ. I am so blessed to have her as a sister!

This didn't change the fact that she still wasn't married, and there weren't young men around who were her age and interested in starting a family. From a human's perspective, there was no beloved in sight.

God's perspective, of course, is much larger (thankfully!). Last fall my mom felt called to pray that Erin would be married by the summer of 2009. She asked me to pray also. Here's where things get complicated and SO God filled.
We have some friends, the Davis family, who had moved to Georgia in early 2008. Mrs. Davis has always keeping an eye out for any good catches for Erin, called around July or August telling Erin that she had a man for her. (I'm not sure of all the dates and details so you'd have to ask Erin for sure) She gave the guy Erin's email address and the two (Erin and Dylan) started emailing each other back and forth. This man lived in Georgia and went to the same church as the Davis'. He had a 14 year old daughter and was a very strong Christian and godly man. As the two continued their contacts they realized how much they had in common and how exact their core beliefs were. Dylan asked Erin if he could give her a call. Then they started their phone call stage. OH was it a stage! haha. My family had a running joke, "Hey, where'd Erin go?" "Oh, she's on the PHONE?! what a surprise!" (note the sarcasm).
I think it was November or December that Dylan came up for his first visit. And it just went from there!

So to make a long story short, last Saturday, March 7, 2009, Erin and Dylan joined their hearts together in marriage!!! <3

God provided for Erin in His mysterious ways. And He can most definitely provide for you. Where Erin thought there was only dry and parched land, God opened the rivers and the waters of God's goodness flowed. PTL.

The Tuggle Family :)

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 9

Sacred Ceremony


Joining the Fellowship of Set-Apart Femininity

"This sacred work demands, not lukewarm, selfish, slack souls, but hearts more finely tempered than steel, wills purer and harder than the diamond."
- Pere Henri Louis Didon

Holy Kinship

"When Amy Carmichael began her work of rescuing children from temple prostitution in India, she longed for other women to join her - women who were 'wholly devoted to Christ and separate in spirit from the world.' Not surprisingly, women like this were hard to find, and Amy labored alone for many years. But eventually, God drew seven young women to join her in fulfilling the sacred claim of the set-apart life. Amy wrote, 'These girls were seeking to live a life of unreserved devotion, a life without fences.' They formed a sacred fellowship, covenanting together to live in unity, prayer, and absolute devotion to Jesus Christ."

These women formed the fellowship called "The Sisters of the Common Life." In March of 1916 they went into the forest for a time of prayer and consecration. It was during this time that they drafted their written covenant, signed it solemnly before God and each other and committed themselves to live by its principles. Their covenant was as follows:

• My Vow - Whatsoever Thou sayest unto me, by Thy grace I will do it
  
  
• My Constraint - Thy love, O Christ, my Lord
  
  
• My Confidence - Thou art able to keep that which I have committed unto Thee.
  
  
• My Joy - To do Thy will, O God
  
  
• My discipline - That which I would not choose, but which Thy love appoints
  
  
• My Prayer - Conform my will to thine
  
  
• My Motto - Love to live: Live to love
  
  
• My Portion - The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance.

When hard times came for these women, and the world's allurements seemed to much to thwart, they remembered their sacred ceremony, and held fast to the creed they had sworn to uphold. It was an accountability before man and God that they would keep forever.

Leslie Ludy complied a Set-Apart Femininity covenant for you to sign, to remember as you face trials and to keep you accountable when tempted by the world around us.
"Remember that in signing the following confession, you aren't merely committing to the principles expressed in this book, but you are joining the ranks of set-apart women throughout history - Vibia Perpetua, Catherine Booth, Gladys Aylward, Amy Carmichael, Elizabeth Fry, Sabina Wurmbrand, Jackie Pullenger, and countless more."

"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
Hebrews 12:1

You may be alone physically as you sign this covenant, but you are not spiritually alone. Our great cloud of witnesses is cheering you on. There is a remnant of young women in todays culture also who are signing. On top of all that, Jesus Christ is standing beside you, joyfully welcoming you to join the priveleged few who are called to be His true ambassadors of light in a dark and perverse generation.

The Creed of the Set-Apart Young Woman
Taken word-for-word from the book Set-Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy. Emphasis added.

As a young woman submitted to the ruling grace of Jesus Christ, I acknowledge that my life is not my own. I have been purchased by the spilling of my Messiah's blood. I surrender this earthly feminine vessel unto my Lord and proclaim that He may do with my life as He sees fit in order to establish His kingdom here on earth, make ready His bride, and bring about His glory.

The Sacred Intent of Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred intent of set-apart femininity. I acknowledge that my life is to be spent wholly on the establishment of Christ's kingdom and glory. I have been asked by the Most High God to be the bearer of His holy name, the house of His holy presence, and a demonstration of a clear, undiluted, and unmarred picture of His kingly beauty for all the people of this earth to see. I acknowledge this sacred intent and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Design of Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred design of set-apart femininity. I understand that in and of myself, I possess no true beauty or piety, but that in covenant exchange with the Almighty, I have yielded my body unto Jesus and He desired to adorn me with His spectacular, heavenly beauty. I will no longer allow the voice of my selfish, sinful side to rule my actions and daily decisions; rather, I will submit to the voice of God's Spirit within, leaning on His enabling grace to live the radiant, victorious, supernatural existence that I could never achieve in my own strength. May He instruct me, correct me, train me, and tenderly shepherd me in the hallowed art of being set apart for His pleasure and glory. I acknowledge this sacred design and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Priority of Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred priority of set-apart femininity. I understand that I am made to love intimately and be loved intimately. But I choose to no pervert this innate need by seeking its fulfillment from men, but rather, that I would find this hunger satisfied in the intimate embrace of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge Him as my Prince and Bridegroom, my dearest heart-friend. I claim that my life, my faith, my hope, and my love spring forth from this wellspring, this reality. And whereas God may choose to give me an earthly groom, a mere man can never and must never replace the position Christ holds within my heart. I acknowledge this sacred priority and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Decorum of Feminity
I acknowledge the sacred decorum of set-apart femininity. I understand that my body is the temple of the Most High God, not to be tainted or defiled by what is unclean. I choose this day to agree with God and to never willfully profane His truth by attempting to make it fit my self-agenda. By God's enabling grace, I will love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates. I will not love the world or the things in the world, but will give my thoughts, time, energy, and attention to the sacred things of His kingdom rather than the profane things of pop culture. I acknowledge this sacred decorum and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Mystique of Feminity
I acknowledge the sacred mystique of set-apart femininity. I realize that there are dimensions of the feminine nature intended to be kept contained and hidden from all but Christ and my future spouse in the context of marriage. I understand that by maintaining the beautiful mystery of the "hidden person of the heart," I am demonstrating the beautiful mystery of the Gospel. I choose to allow the Almighty to hide me, quiet me, and jealously guard me in accordance with His sacred sense of dignity and mystery. I acknowledge this sacred mystique and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Ardor of Femininity
I acknowledge the sacred ardor of set-apart femininity. I understand that to truly love my future husband well, I must love Him with the very love of Christ. As Christ loved me and gave Himself for me, I will seek to sacrificially love and serve my future husband both now and after marriage. Rather than fighting for my own needs and rights, my goal will be to lay my life down on behalf of my spouse. And even if no earthly love story comes my way, it will be my supreme joy and privilege to serve others and wash their feet, doing for others what Christ has done for me. I acknowledge this sacred ardor and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Cultivtion of Feminity
I acknowledge the sacred cultivation of set-apart femininity. I realize that the work of God must progress and not stagnate within my soul. I understand that I must wrestle in prayer for the fullness of Christ's work to be made manifest in my life and in the lives of others around me. I will not accept breaches in the walls surrounding my soul, but will seek, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to place brick upon brick until every last access point in my life is sealed off for Christ's glory. I uderstand that the Almighty must prepare me for the holy work of Christ's kingdom by diminishing my flesh and cultivating His strength and spiritual authority in my life. I acknowledge this sacred cultivation and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Claim on Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred claim on set-apart femininity. Christ's blood has purchased me and is making me whole so thatI, like my Messiah, might become broken bread and poured out wine for this world. Just as the Holy Spirit has claim on my spirit, soul, and body and is authroized to do with my life as He wills, so too the Holy Spirit has asked me to become willing to allow Him to lend "His claim over me" to the lost in the world, the poor, the orphan, the widow, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the naked, the imprisoned, the outcase, the oppressed, and the lonely - that my life might become bread and drink for them, and that through my willingness to be broken and spilled, they might see, comprehend, and place their trust in the person and glory of God. I acknowledge this sacred claim and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Ceremony
I hereby state that my body and my blood are my God's to spend and that He has both an "intent for" and a "claim on" my feminine existence. I recognize that without the enabling power of God's grace I am incapable of living out his high and holy pattern for femininity and, therefore, such a life and testimony of sacred set-apartness can only be achieved through a constant abiding in Christ's life, love, and strength. Therefore, I hereby beckon the Spirit of God to tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist me with this holiest of endeavors, that by His almighty power I might demonstrate clearly to the world His grand kingdom and His great glory.


Signiature _______________________

Date ________________



"Comrades, let us be resolute. Let us, by whatever name we are called, be Soldiers, Nazarites, Priests. Some will praise us, some will blame us; let us not care too much about either praise or blame. Let us live looking up, looking on, stading true by the grace of Him who has called us."
Amy Carmichael, 1867-1961

(A printable version of this creed is available at Leslie's website: www.setapartgirl.com)

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 8

Sacred Claim

Awakening Femininity's Greatest Call

Leslie Ludy was asked by one of her readers why she constantly references Christian heroes like Amy Carmichael and Gladys Aylward. The reader wondered why Leslie never talked about normal, everyday Christians living in America. Leslie's reason? Most average American Christians are living self-serving, pleasure-seeking lives. We don't need any more average Christians. We need more Elisabeth Elliots and Amy Carmichaels.

Most of modern Christianity goes out of its way to convince us that the Christian life is all about us. And it doesn't take much for them to get us convinced, either. Here's the publisher's description of that popular woman's book Captivating. "The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation." What is meant by the term "your heart"? According to Captivating's author, "The heart is who we are. The real self. Me. My heart is me. The real me. Your heart is you."

So, in other words, you matter more than anything else in Creation? Is that true?

"Do you matter more than the 143 million orphans around the world, starving, scared, abandoned, and alone? Do you matter more than the millions of Latin American street children who hide in alleys and old buildings to escape the "death squads" of corrupt policemen who hunt them down for sport? Do you matter more than the millions of elementary school-aged girls kept as slave prostitutes in South America? Do you matter more than millions of starving kids who live in dumps and eat buzzard soup or dead dogs to survive? Do you matter more than the countless African boys who have seen their parents killed and been forced to rape or kill to stay alive? Do you matter more than the scores of six-year-old African girls who have been repeatedly brutalized and raped by HIV-infected men?"

I think you know the answer to those questions. We are so protected and free here in America. Especially those of us who have grown up in Christian homes. I, personally, have been SO blessed to grow up in a Christian home. Jesus Christ is a household word in our family (and not used in vain). My parent's rules (though seemingly overly strict and horrible at times ;-) ) have protected me beyond my imagination. I'll admit, sometimes (most of the time!) its hard for me to think about the starving children in Africa, when I'm having a bad day. Or even when I'm having a good day! I'm in my own world, many American Christians are. We are so wrapped up in our own little lives, our own little issues that we forget about the rest of the world. How many times have I obsessed about some sort of drama amongst my friends, and not even thought about the abused girls in the slave trade, who would do anything to have a life as good as mine.

"We do not live in a world of peace and harmony. There are urgent battles for injustice waiting to be rescued. There are millions of precious children facing unspeakable suffering."

And I sit here, thinking about my shopping trip later this afternoon, what I'm going to wear on Sunday and how I'm going to deal with a girl I don't like but have to be nice to anyway.

"And like Jackie Pullenger said, if Christ's set-apart ones do not act as His hands and feet to them...who will?"

During the Holocaust, wealthy Christians sat comfortably in their church singing hymns at the top of their lungs only to drown out the anguished cries of the thousands of Jews who passed by in cattle cars on their way to death camps.
"Most of us would be horrified at the thought of ignoring a cattle car of screaming Jews as they were hauled away to their deaths. But we do it every single day when we turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the millions of destitute and dying who urgently need our help. We do it when we spend all our living on self-indulgent pleasures instead of on rescuing abandoned children. We do it when we go on luxury cruises instead of outreaches to the poor. We do it when we have movie marathons instead of prayer vigils for the oppressed. We do it ever time we make our own comforts and happiness the highest priority. We do it whenever we fall for the idea that we are the most important people in all creation."

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." Luke 9:23-24

Our hearts are not the most important thing in the world. The pattern of the gospel is to do as Christ did, to seek and save the lost.

"Our hearts are valuable to Christ, yes. He loved us to intensely that He gave up His very life to rescue us and set us free. But why does He set us free? Why does he make us whole? Why does He protect us, heal us, bless us, and provide for us? Why does He make us into strong, valiant, virtuous women? So that we can spend our lives living in selfish pleasure, comfort and ease? So that we can selfishly soak up the benefits and blessings of Christ while the rest of the world is dying?"

He sets us free so we can be like Him. He set us free so that we can be fore others as He was for us - a poured-out living sacrifice that places others' needs above our own.

"If you have chosen the set-apart path of a woman who fears the Lord, your life is not your own. The Spirit of Christ has a claim upon you. You have a call upon your life. You have a job to do. He has called you to minister His love to those in need. This sacred claim is the highest privilege we could ever receive. We can never repay what Christ did for us on the cross. But because He has made us His hands and feet to this world, we have the incredibly opportunity to give to other the very same astounding, transforming love that He gave to us."

Our act of worship is offering our bodies to Him as living sacrifices. This isn't sitting around in a church building singing about how much we love Him (though that is good, too). It is demonstrating Christ's never ending love to those who so desperately need it.




"And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

- Jesus Christ

(P.S. Check out www.braveheartedgospel.com to learn about more opportunities to become part of an international rescue mission for orphans and enslaved chidren around the world)