I recently came across this post by Sally Lloyd-Jones, so I copied a portion here. Her words spoke to me and I hope they speak to you as well.
I used to think my self-doubt and insecurity about writing were signs of my profound humility. It felt noble and heroic to be this full of agonizing self-doubt. It felt lowly and meek to be so tortured about whether or not I could write. I could almost hear the soundtrack and the violins. If there’d been open, windswept moors nearby, I’d have been on them.
But that’s the thing about pride. It hides itself.
The more I go on, the more I realize, it’s entirely the other way round. Our self-doubt and insecurity don’t reveal our humility; they mask our pride.
When you’re doubting whether you can do it, whether you’re a good writer, you’re looking to yourself, what you can do, what resources you have. You’re focused entirely inwardly, on yourself.
It’s pride because it means you think it’s all about you.
But if you realize it’s not about you — that whatever you have is a gift from God — if, in other words, you get out of the way — then you can be fearless. There is no vision too great, nothing too outrageous to dream, nothing too impossible to dare.
–Sally Lloyd-Jones
You can read her entire post on John Piper’s website, desiringgod.org.
Blessings to you this Monday. I press on, writing away, reminded it’s not about me. Whew.
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to take a second to tell you that Nicole C. Mullen will be joining us at Beautiful Life™, Greensboro, North Carolina on May 31, 2013! I’m so excited she’s coming. You are going to love her energy, heart of passion, amazing vocals and song writing. Nicole and I spent a week together in South Africa a few years ago and I loved watching God use her phenomenal talent for His glory.
One of the sweetest things about Nicole is her deep love for our Savior. She is truly living on mission, purposeful and intent about sharing Christ.
Call your girlfriends and plan to come to Beautiful Life™ – May 31-June 1, 2013! You can buy your tickets here. Tickets are $25 until May 1st, then increase to $32. There is a discount for groups of 20 or more. We had such a great time last year and our fun plans have begun for this one. I know you’ll have a great time, but even more we are praying that Beautiful Life is a powerful encounter with God.
See you there!
Angela
Dear praying friends,
Tonight we begin taping my new bible study, STONGER here in Nashville. There will be two nights with an audience then Thursday and Friday for the extras. Will you pray with me for:
- My dear LifeWay team and production crew. They are all friends who I have worked with previously. I don’t know a more selfless group of people who truly work tirelessly for the name of Christ. They are also the best anywhere. We’re taping this week in the same room Beth Moore taped the James bible study last year. God has already worked mightily in that room. Humbled.
- All the ladies traveling here for these two nights. Safety. Care for their loved ones. And most of all, fresh revelation and encouragement for their souls. The gospel is the center-piece of everything I’m doing here. May their hearts come awake to it’s power, for the very first time or afresh.
- My sweet family. I miss them. Scott is traveling here tomorrow night. My daddy and his parents are taking care of everyone while he comes.
- My final study preparations today and tomorrow morning. I have been studying like a seminarian in final exams and truly loving every single minute. I am certain that I have over studied, so I’m stilling asking God what and what not to include.
- The teaching – I can retake a line if I have totally flubbed, but for the most part, I am supposed to be the one-shot wonder. In the past, God comes on me like Gomer Pyle. Can’t half talk until I stand up and then what comes out is like singing. I would be so greatful to have him lay His sweet anointing on me yet again
- My session content:
1. Becoming the traveling companion of God. Psalm 84 – as most of you know, God has been working this passage out for me for almost a year. It lays the foundation of these sessions. We are pilgrims. The journey toward eternity. For this session I will unfold the passage then camp on verse 5 – “Blessed (stronger) are those whose strength is in you.” All the strength we will ever need for this life is contained in the fullness of God. Forward looking from the passage – God pours the fullness of His deity in Christ (Col 1:19). We are IN HIM, when we come to believe the good news. I’ll present the gospel tonight, first session. And again in every session.
2. Traveling IN HIM. Psalm 84:5 – Picking back up verse 5, we move mostly to Colossians to consider the riches of being IN HIM. Not just for salvation or eternity, but for the journey (our sanctification). Stayed up last night making hand-outs with every IN HIM truth I could find. 3 pages that made me cry like a baby over God’s goodness to us.
3. Traveling in power and joy. The Holy Spirit is Christ’s full representative in us. His work in our daily lives. Our cooperation to “work out our salvation” and the joyful fruit of obedience. Several NT passages here, including 1 Thess 5:16. Be joyful always.
4. Grace for the Traveler - This is a message I gave last year at Beautiful Life about Baca. Psalm 84:5-7
5. The passionate Traveler – A message I have given many times this year. Full of story and strong strong teaching. Hebrews 12:1
6. Going home - Hebrews 12:2 and 2 Timothy 4 . . . Paul has run the good race, fought the good fight. I have also taught this many times and never once gotten through the final story without choking on my tears. It’s especially tender to me this morning as I think of mama going home just 2 months ago.
- me personally – I have spent a good bit of these study days crying my eyes out, but in the best possible way. My heart is so tender and awake to HIS word that I weep and weep over God’s truth and goodness. BUT, it’s just not going to help anybody if I do that at the filming. I’m asking God to hold back the river so that I can speak audible words.
Thank you sweet friends. I am hiding myself in your prayers. It is such a privilege to love you all.
With gratefulness, Oh hallelujah, I am IN HIM and He is stronger than everything,
Angela
For me, the first couple months of this new year are completely devoted to writing a new bible study for LifeWay. The title is STRONGER, Finding Hope in Fragile Places. God willing, we will film the teaching videos in a few weeks, I’ll finish the content of the member book and the study will release in June.
I’ve been delayed simply because the past six months have been so taken with my family, mama’s sickness and her home-going. But these new days are sweet days of study for me.
I ran across this quote from George Mueller today and wanted to share it with you. It’s truth is relevant for us all.
May this be the year the bible comes alive to you. May your soul be happy in God.
With grateful love, Angela
We have, through the goodness of the Lord, been permitted to enter upon another year—and the minds of many among us will no doubt be occupied with plans for the future, and the various fears of our work and service for the Lord. If our lives are spared we shall be engaged in those: the welfare of our families, the prosperity of our business, our work and service for Christ may be considered the most important matters to be attended to; but according to my judgement the most important point to be attended to is this: above all things see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, the Lord’s work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself! Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life. This has been my firm and settled condition for the last five and thirty years. For the first four years after my conversion I knew not its vast importance, but now after much experience I specially commend this point to the notice of my younger brethren and sisters in Christ: the secret of all true effectual service is joy in God, having experimental acquaintance and fellowship with God Himself.
But in what way shall we attain to this settled happiness of soul? How shall we learn to enjoy God? How shall we obtain such an all-sufficient soul-satisfying portion in him as shall enable us to let go the things of this world as vain and worthless in comparison? I answer, This happiness is to be obtained through the study of the Holy Scriptures. God has therein revealed Himself unto us in the face of Jesus Christ.
In the Scriptures, by the power of the Holy Ghost, He makes Himself known unto our souls. . . . [Therefore] The very earliest portion of the day we can command should be devoted to the meditation on Scriptures. Our souls should feed upon the Word. . . . This intimate experimental acquaintance with Him will make us truly happy. Nothing else will. . . . In God our Father, and the blessed Jesus, our souls have a rich, divine, imperishable, eternal treasure. Let us enter into practical possession of these true riches; yea, let the remaining days of our earthily pilgrimage be spent in an ever increasing, devoted, earnest consecration of our souls to God.
– George Mueller
Quoted from George Mueller, A Narrative of Some of the Lord’s Dealings with George Mueller, Written by Himself [Muskegon, Mich.: Dust and Ashes Publications, 2003], pp. 730-732
