6 years years ago, I was living a nice, neat, compartmentalized Christianity. I avoided messy people and was afraid of putting myself out there. I was trapped in a very safe yet scared life. And then God used a book and a movie to start me on this incredible journey that is taking us into inner-city Jackson and Africa.
The movie was AMAZING GRACE about the life of William Wilberforce. The book was QUAKER SUMMER by Lisa Samson. This June marks the 4 year anniversary of us beginning to serve at We Will Go. In light of that, I want to share a blog post I wrote about this book way back then. I had no idea what God was getting me into, but I wouldn't change a thing about where He's taken us.
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The movie was AMAZING GRACE about the life of William Wilberforce. The book was QUAKER SUMMER by Lisa Samson. This June marks the 4 year anniversary of us beginning to serve at We Will Go. In light of that, I want to share a blog post I wrote about this book way back then. I had no idea what God was getting me into, but I wouldn't change a thing about where He's taken us.
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A MUST READ...QUAKER SUMMER
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God has been speaking to me over the last couple of months about getting out of my comfort zone and ministering to those who are enslaved...enslaved by sin, addictions, poverty, and abuse. He has used QUAKER SUMMER by Lisa Samson and the movie AMAZING GRACE to open my eyes to the fact that though slavery may no longer be legal here in America, there are so many who are enslaved in other ways. They need to be set free...they need the Father's grace and power to remove the shackles that bind them up.
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But how will they know if those of us who are already free do not go and show and tell?
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In AMAZING GRACE, the story is told of William Wilberforce and others who poured out their very lives to fight against the slave trade. Theirs is a historically true story...a profound story of God's grace and power.
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QUAKER SUMMER is a fictional story, but it is still very true. For in it is a message of truth. The protagonist, Heather, is a woman who "has it all". She has a devoted husband, a great teenage son, a beautiful home, and all the other stuff and fluff that money can buy. But she's empty inside and all the "good stuff" in her life is enslaving her in a gilded cage.
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Through a God-ordained "accident", she finds herself slammed with the reality of how the "other half" lives. She meets Godly women whose lives are not dedicated to living "the good life" but to DOING good to and for others. She begins to finally see that all the stuff in the world will never fill the void inside...the void that only God and being about His business can fill.
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Heather must make some scary choices. She must be willing to sacrifice and change. She must be willing to break out of HER chains that bind in order to help set the captives free.
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And through it all, Heather learns that its only in giving away does she really receive.
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Related Links:
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Lisa Samson' blog--- http://lisasamson.typepad.com/
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Lisa Samson interviewed about QUAKER SUMMER, the "ministry of presence", and upcoming books--- http://tpr.typepad.com/themastersartist/2007/04/lisa_samsons_qu.html
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Shauna's most excellent blog review---
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AMAZING GRACE--- http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/
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