He isn't safe. But he's good...

“Who is Aslan?” asked Susan.

“Aslan?” said Mr. Beaver. “Why, don’t you know? He’s the King. He’s the Lord of the whole wood, but not often here you understand. Never in my time or my father’s time. But the word has reached us that he has come back. He is in Narnia at this moment. He’ll settle the White Queen all right. It is he, not you, that will save Mr. Tumnus.”

“She won’t turn him into stone too?” said Edmund.

“Lord love you, Son of Adam, what a simple thing to say!” answered Mr. Beaver with a great laugh. “Turn him into stone? If she can stand on her two feet and look him in the face it’ll be the most she can do and more than I expect of her. No, no. He’ll put all to rights as it says in an old rhyme in these parts:

Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,

At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,

When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,

And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.

You’ll understand when you see him.”

“But shall we see him?” asked Susan.

“Why, Daughter of Eve, that’s what I brought you here for. I’m to lead you where you shall meet him,” said Mr. Beaver.

“Is—is he a man?” asked Lucy.

“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, there’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

- Excerpt from ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis [p: 78 – 80]

Submission and Authority

This past week in our Discipleship Training School, we had teaching by Steve Aherne on Submission and Authority. As I was leading this week, I spent some time before the week began in prayer asking God what he wanted to say to me about this topic.
In addition to this, I have also been feeling a hunger inside me to ‘go deep’ into God, but was not sure what that practically meant.
I asked God this question: ‘What does it mean to ‘go deep’ in you, within the context of submission and authority?’
I saw a picture of an umbrella…
Then I sensed that God was saying to me, authority is like an umbrella, an area of protection. Going deep may mean going deep into the centre of the umbrella’s protection where it is safest and most intimate.
I believe that submission and obedience are two entirely different things. I was relieved to find that according to our speaker, this is biblically backed.
Steve teaches that submission is unconditional, all the time to all people and that it is about ATTITUDE. He says that obedience is conditional (to people), only applies all the time to God and is about ACTION. Our hearts must always be submissive; bless, be humble, loving and respectful.
Obedience belongs first to God in all circumstances. After God, there are five areas of authority: individual, family, church, work and government. Each area has a set boundary and each area should not cross over into another area’s territory.
I found this teaching to be very helpful.
Submission is a lesson that I have been learning for the past two years and it has not come easy to me. I have experienced a number of negative leaders who have made unwise choices and have been proven wrong. I have also been taught that submission and obedience are one and the same and so when a leader over me, right or wrong, tells me to do something, I must immediately obey and leave the consequences to God.
I do not believe this.
For myself, I am learning how to have a submissive heart towards people in authority over me. I do not have it completely worked out yet but I am definitely learning, which is the journey in the end...

One Art

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.


--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

Elizabeth Elliot

My Small Group

I have a great small group in this current Discipleship Training School that I am staffing. There are 7 of us. At times, leading this group has stretched me and grown me. I have learnt a lot both technically about how to lead a group well, but also personally in my journey with God through these wonderful women.
One of my girls has had her Student Pass rejected and she has to return to her country on Sunday. I am very sad to lose her. Over these past 2 months, I have really grown to love her so much...
I guess it is hard sometimes to do the work that I do. I have people come and go in my life and it is hard to keep choosing to bond with people, knowing that in a few short months I will have to say goodbye.
However, our speaker this week (Fiona Gifford) said, 'Even if you only have 3 minutes with a person to add value to who they are, it is worth it.'
This is something worth thinking about...

I Know Best

I am struggling with the lie that says 'I know best.'

A friend of mine is going through a valley. I do not know what it is about because she would rather not tell me.

Immediately, many judgments rise to the surface inside my heart.

'If only she would...'

'Why doesn't she...'

'If I were her...'

My heart is so deceived that it believes that I actually have a clue. Because I have walked through deep pain, therefore, I know best...

Daddy, open my inner eyes to see the truth of the matter; that I am in no way better, more experienced or more spiritual than my friends. I want to love, stand with and have true compassion towards the people around me. I want to throw off this thick jacket of superiority and pride and to put on humility and empathy...