|| perspective || So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (‭2 Cor‬ ‭4‬:‭16-18‬) How can Paul, who suffered persecution, abandonment, rejection, even imprisonment, have considered all this affliction as "light and momentary"? He was able to see beyond his circumstance to eternity and the glory of his Saviour. Instagram: @inhimiendure

|| karlie jane ||

This is my beautiful sister Karlie. She doesn’t often allow me to take pictures of her, so when she does it’s very special. These were captured on her 23rd birthday, and she insisted on holding the roses I gave her. She has a very expressive personality, loves to laugh, is quite cheeky and her smile radiates warmth and joy. I’m thankful to be her “baby” sister.

Instagram: @inhimiendure.

Pauli Coelho, The Alchemist | #whatimreading

|| bare essentials ||

Map - for when self-absorption requires eradication.

Camera - for when beauty requests immortalisation.

Journal - for when thoughts overwhelm.

Book - for when life demands escape.

Music - for when silence becomes unbearable.

Bible - for when spiritual renewal is essential.

Train ticket - for when adventure calls.

Instagram: @inhimiendure.

| Of Discontent and Longing |

The dull ache. The feeling of being Incomplete.

The perceived judgement Of inferiority; Not yet whole.

The need to Convince oneself Of happiness.

A yearning for Clarity; lost In confusion.

The expectation of “One Day”. A distant unknown.

The reassurances, Well intended yet Ultimately unhelpful.

Always waiting. Always searching. Always hoping.

Mind in the future. Heart in the present. Body in the past.

Awaiting repair The permanent fix True healing.

This temporal state Of constant fatigue; Weakness.

When will I be cured?

|| city adventures ||

Yesterday I had the pleasure of wandering the streets of Surry Hills with the beautiful jasreneelau. The “inner west”of Sydney is an area I adore - a plethora of cleverly-titled stores filled with an eclectic range of books, music, clothes, decor and stationary reside amidst beautiful terrace houses, cafes and galleries. Street art is hidden in plain sight, and despite being so close to the city, an abundance of greenery creates a lush atmosphere.

The city is a novelty for me. I enjoy visiting for a while, immersing myself in the culture and lifestyle of city life that is so different from my hometown. Travelling home on the train through fields of golden grass lit by the fading sun, I am reminded though of how greatly I value the quiet calm of suburban life. I appreciate the rolling hills and bushland, sitting in my front garden listening to bird calls in true solitude. 

|| summer holidays ||

Exams are complete, freedom is in sight and I am craving the feeling of sand between my toes, sunlight on my skin and saltwater in my hair. The beach is calling, and I must go. It’s adventure time.

Instagram: @inhimiendure.

| #30daysofthankfulelise | { Thankful Thursday - 19th Nov '14 }

Last year I would regularly post a list, each Thursday, of ten things I was thankful for. I found this exercise enabled me to recognise how God had been blessing me even in the midst of great trial and suffering, and how often I fail to recognise His grace at work in my life. At times it was easy to write this list, at other times rather challenging. This month I have challenged myself to undergo 30 days of thankfulness – each day, I am posting a picture on my personal instagram reflecting on one thing I am thankful for. Today marks day 9, and in light of this (and it being Thursday)I thought it only fitting to share my reflections so far:

Day 1: Today I am thankful for my beautiful sister who gives the world’s best hugs, whose smile lights up my world and whose imagination is greater than any writer I have ever read. 

Day 2: Today I am thankful for my best friend Monica, who reminds me of the importance of being confident in who God has made us to be, quirks and all. Her enthusiasm for life and ability to dance like a goof in public without a care in the world inspire me. 

Day 3: Today I am thankful for the warmth of the sun and longer days, signifying the approach of summer. 

  Day 4: Today I am thankful for the privilege of having ready access to God’s word; for many Christians the possession of a bible means death, yet I so often take for granted that I have multiple copies in different sizes, styles and translations. 

Day 5: Today I am thankful for the joy of doing children’s ministry; seeing kids grow in their relationship with God and their understanding of His word is the best. Getting to play with puppets is an added bonus. 

Day 6: Today I am thankful for the sights, sounds, scents and senses of spring, my favourite season; my garden never looks, smells or feels more delicious than at this time of the year. 

Day 7: Today I am thankful to have completed another semester of study; I have found the Old Testament fascinating and challenging, and have grown immensely over the past two terms in my relationship with the God who delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and established His kingdom forever through the line of David.

Day 8: Today I am thankful for authors who write beautiful, unputdownable stories – like Kazuo Ishiguro with ‘Never Let Me Go’, which I am currently reading and have fallen completely in love with.

Day 9: Today I am thankful for social media, and how God is using it for His glory; I had the great privilege of meeting and exploring the city with the beautiful jasreneelau today (as well as spontaneously bumping into paoloarimado and being introduced to dlinquent). Instagram just got real.

---

If you know me personally and don't already follow me on instagram, lets change that: @e_lisemarie. ;)

If you don't know me personally, I have another instagram where I post photos from my adventures, always accompanied by reflections on life and faith in prose or poetic form: @inhimiendure. 

I'd love to hear what you are thankful for! Send me a message.

*note: photographs shared in this post are not those I have been posting for #30daysofthankfulelise, as I do not wish to share them in a public forum. (they are my own photos though)

Paulo Coelho, 2014 foreword to the 25th anniversary edition of The Alchemist | #whatimreading.

Yevgeny Zamyatin, from We | #whatimreading

I am not a patient person.

My thoughts are constantly in the future, on what will happen, what may happen, what could happen if I could only escape the present and take hold of what awaits me.

Yet I am learning to surrender my own thoughts and desires and plans to God and embrace what He has given me now, to live in the present for His glory. 

I am learning not to take for granted the joys of the present, but to cultivate a spirit of thankfulness in my daily life.

I am learning to trust in the sovereignty of God and to set my mind and heart on His plans and purposes.

It is hard to not yearn for fulfilment, to not desire what is in and of itself good.

But I am learning that God truly does provide us with all we need. And it is in my lack of patience that He is teaching me to find true satisfaction in Him.

Slowly, ever so slowly, He is transforming me to become more patient. 

And that is worth the wait. 

Read the article here: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-waiting-is-the-hardest-part

I cannot get enough of this man’s sweet melodies and soulful lyrics. #swoon

"Before that day, Ebola was an abstract idea for me. It was a virus that existed thousands of miles away, both physically and metaphorically. Then I saw a dead woman on the floor surrounded by pools of her own vomit, and Ebola became real. Suddenly, there was an invisible killer in the very room in which I was standing."

It is so easy to detach ourselves from news reports of poverty and war and disease happening on the other side of the world, but how can we be apathetic about the loss of human life? I hadn't realised how serious the Ebola epidemic was until I watched a news report on the ABC a couple of nights ago documenting the process of evacuating an Ebola-infected woman from a village in West Africa. She was lying unconscious, surrounded by pools of her own vomit and blood. You could see the utter fear in the eyes of the other villagers as paramedics in full-body suits carried her out of her home.

Prior to this I'd only heard reports of doctors infected with Ebola in the US etc. Sadly, the report of one doctor infected with the disease in New York was headline news. The report of Ebola-stricken Africa was almost an afterthought, placed towards the end of the show. How has western society become so detached from the suffering of our own people that we are more concerned with the suffering of one wealthy person in comparison to the millions in poverty?

Friends, don't turn your eyes away. Pay attention to what's happening. And pray. Not just for physical relief, but for emotional and spiritual relief too.

"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds are we healed."

~ Isaiah 53:4-7

|| swan lake ||

The water’s surface

Mirroring the sunset sky;

She glides, effortless.

#haikufridays

Instagram: @inhimiendure.

|| kindred spirits ||

Today I am thankful for my beautiful sister Tessa. She is a ray of sunshine, a ball of energy, a compassionate, servant hearted, kind soul. Her passion for worship and for experiencing God's love is contagious. She has a heart for the lost and the persecuted that drives her to action where most people stop at prayer. She daily points me to Jesus and encourages me to pursue Him with my whole life. God speaks incredible truths into my heart through her. Her humility and selflessness inspire me. I am beyond thankful for her love and accountability and prayer and the way she invests so much into my life and the lives of so many.

Who (or what) are you thankful for today? I'd love to know! Send me a message or comment on my original post here.

#thankful thursday

My instagram: @inhimiendure. / Tessa's instagram: @tessieloise.

|| #artmeetschigiveaway ||

My gorgeous friend artmeetschi has a truly beautiful talent for typography. She is currently hosting a giveaway in celebration of opening an etsy store selling prints of her typographic/photographic creations. I encourage each of you to #gofollow her on instagram—> @cutchan <-- and check out her etsy store here.

My instagram: @inhimiendure.

The sweet tunes that have brought joy to my ears this spring…

"You have the wisdom to define yourself by who God has made you to be, not by the things people say, think, or believe about you.

You owe it to yourself to respect and take care of yourself as much as God loves you. You are called to love yourself in order to be freed to truly love the people around you.

Teaching people how to treat you begins with what you believe about yourself. You can teach yourself to believe good things, because of a God who believes good things about you. Because of a God who saw that you were worth everything. Because of a God who gave His very life just so that you could live, and breathe and move…”

Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/you-teach-others-how-treat-you#uePgM4odtGvoeERv.99