Anita's Love » Books and Articles

Read me

Greg — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:47:41 +0000

I found this on Anita’s computer titles “Read me” and dated December 21, 2006. It is a passage from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

Counting The Cost, By C.S. Lewis:

“The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self–all your wishes and precautions–to Christ.

“Christ says ‘Give me All. I don’t want so [...]

Spiritually Distracted

Greg — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:47:06 +0000

In today’s devotional of My Utmost for His Highestby Oswald Chambers, he uses the phrase “spiritually distracted”. I think that accurately describes how I often feel.

It’s not hard to be distracted spiritually. This world is full of things to take one’s mind off of God. On Saturday, I got cable. We had shut it off [...]

Self-Pity

Greg — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:21:56 +0000

No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it obliterates God and puts self-interest upon the throne. – Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

As one of my daily devotionals, this sentence spoke to me. My constant effort is to put God first, both in my thoughts and when considering my actions. But [...]

Sin is an evasion of suffering

Greg — Wed, 12 May 2010 01:35:22 +0000

Sin…is always a substitute got legitimate suffering. It is an attempt to obtain the pleasure that does not rightfully belong to me or evade the pain that does…Sooner or later, you have to turn and face the pain that makes the temptation so attractive. Sooner or later, you have to run to God.

When I look, [...]

It’s Not About Me

Greg — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 02:18:38 +0000

Okay, it’s been two months since I wrote on this blog. If I had written every time I thought about writing, I would have written 40 times. Instead I was busy, tired, overwhelmed – basically, struggling. Great things happened in the last two months, but they were often overshadowed by bitter, painful feelings. Such is [...]

God in it all

Greg — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:29:26 +0000

I’ve got to stop thinking “I need to get away from it all”. That’s the thinking that leads me to follow the Devil’s temptations and distract myself from God and His purpose for me.

I need to try to see God in it all.

Brother Lawrence described doing everything for God “with an even, uninterrupted composure and tranquility [...]

Fear not the future

Greg — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:48:11 +0000

I found this free floating note card in a box of papers and things. Anita has written on it in black Sharpie:

Fear not the future; God is already there.

This one was something of a mystery to me – not what it meant but what it meant to Anita and in what context.

A Google search [...]

Difficulties concerning faith

Greg — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:40:52 +0000

In Anita’s book The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith, Anita underlined this paragraph in chapter six, “Difficulties concerning faith”.

You have trusted Him in a few things, and He has not failed you. Trust Him now for everything, and see if He does not do for you exceeding abundantly, [...]

Your life is your ministry

Greg — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:14:54 +0000

Inside the front cover of Anita’s book Secrets in the Dark by Frederick Buechner, she wrote some notes. This one jumped out at me this morning:

11/27/06

You have only one decision to make: to follow God or not.

If you choose to follow God, you cannot fail.

Your life is your ministry.

It’s no secret and no [...]

Avoiding negative influences

Greg — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:40:35 +0000

The most common weakness of all human beings is the habit of leaving their minds open to the negative influence of other people

Going through a stack of note cards, this one jumped out at me. Turns out this is part of a quote from Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich (1937). Here’s [...]