Some Quotes

I don't really have much to write but I found some things while I was reading this morning and I want to post those. These are quotes from Oswald Chambers; his website is posted in my links box.:
"No one is ever united with Jesus Christ until he is willing to relinquish not sin only, but his whole way of looking at things. To be born from above of the Spirit of God means that we must let go before we lay hold, and in the first stages it is the relinquishing of all pretence. . .
There will have to be the relinquishing of my claim to my right to myself in every phase. Am I willing to relinquish my hold on all I possess, my hold on my affections, and on everything, and to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
There is always a sharp painful disillusionment to go through before we do relinquish. When a man really sees himself as the Lord sees him, it is not the abominable sins of the flesh that shock him, but the awful nature of the pride of his own heart against Jesus Christ. When he sees himself in the light of the Lord, the shame and the horror and the desperate conviction come home."
"The one thing God keeps us to steadily is that we may be one with Jesus Christ. After sanctification the discipline of our spiritual life is along this line. If God gives a clear and emphatic realization to your soul of what He wants, do not try to keep yourself in that relationship by any particular method, but live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. Never try to live the life with God on any other line than God's line, and that line is absolute devotion to Him. The certainty that I do not know - that is the secret of going with Jesus."
"If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it.
Have I ever been carried away to do something for God not because it was my duty, nor because it was useful, nor because there was anything in it at all beyond the fact that I love Him?"
These things get me thinking; hope they do the same for you.

*About Me* The Southern part of me. My dad's family is from Texas and not the big city part. As a kid I used to spend two and three weeks ever summer on my grandparent's farm. This gave me the opportunity to see real country life. There were no major towns within several miles of the farm and the nearest big town had maybe 2,000 occupants. It could be lonely and even boring at times, but usually there was plenty to do. Some experiences: learning to shoot, driving tractors (don't let your brother go with you!), going for trailer rides (just make sure you don't lose anyone when you jump off and then try to get back on ;]) feeding livestock (again, the brothers probably aren't a good idea, especially if they have pellet guns and intend to use them), playing on huge mounds of bailed hay, riding and taking care of horses, walking down country lanes and across huge pastures, fishing ('cause Texas actually has water), swimming in lakes and ponds (don't ever do this and try to play truth or dare with the high school church group - what was it that they said about good country morals????), having everyone and their neighbor know who you are, and meeting more family than you care to know or could possibly remember.