The Book That Changed My Life

I am so glad that I get to participate in this Book Carnaval with a bloggy friend Anne from Modern Mrs. Darcy. She started a book carnival on The Book That Changed My Life so hop on over and share your book.

Other then the Bible, and I am not just saying this because I am a missionary and that's what I should say but the Bible has totally rocked and changed my world. The other book that has challenged me is The Pursuit of God. I first got my hands on this book when I was in college and since then I have read this book countless times, at least 20 times if not more.  I would mentor young girls using this book and loved every minute of it. 

Back when I was a silly college girl I used to say that I wanted to marry A.W. Tozer. The problem was I had a crush on a dead author :). When he talks about God, it makes you salivate. Yes, truly hunger for more of His presence and for His truth in my life. That was a turn on, but in all seriousnes Tozer did bring me to a place of thirst for my Lord.

At some point in college, I had something awful happen to me.  At the time, I was a grad student and I was offered a job to work as a live in assistant for an elderly lady.  I had lived in a home for senior citizens as a activities coordinator so this seemed simple enough, just one elderly woman.  In return for my work, I would get free room and board.  My responsibilities were easy, to spend the night so she was not alone and to help her in the mornings.  A couple of months into this the lady went bonkers on me.  She came into my room with a written note.  An awful note stating how I was this horrible person and I wasn't doing my job and I was taking advantage of the situation.  A few minutes later she walked back into the room and asked me to leave immediately.  I packed  my bags and left.  The problem was I had no where to go, my family lived 24hrs away.  I got in my car and bawled.  Her accusations were unfounded and she treated with such dispespect and the worst of it was I had NO where to go.   

I was once again reading, The Pursuit of God. The chapter I was on happened to be talking about God dividing up the inheritance for the tribes and he gets to Aaron and he says "I am your portion." Numbers 18:20  I remember reading this in the back porch of a friends house and immediately I just got on my knees.  When a woman loses her home and the bed she lies on loses all sense of security.  I felt like everything was stripped from me and here was God saying "Mari, I am your portion. Trust me." 

Soon after, the wife of the Dean of Men of my school offered me her son's room, who was away on a mission.  The elderly lady later contacted me and apologized and offered me the job again and shared that she was on medication for depression among other things.  Don't worry, I didn't take the job.