The 11 things that has been on my mind

From John Ortberg's book and devotional:

1) "In general, the soul makes greater progress when it least thinks so... most frequently when it imagines that it is losing." -St. John of the Cross

2) "And the voice gently reminds me, as it has reminded thousands of Elijahs before me, that I am only a small part of a much larger movement and that at the end of the day there is only one King whose approval will matter: 'It is the Lord who judges me'". (pg. 162)

3) "Jesus' point is that spiritual maturity means that we don't feel the need to congratulate ourselves because we've gotten something right. We come to see that it really is better to give than receive. Giving no longer looks extraordinary to us now; it just looks sane. It seems like the natural thing to do." (pg. 168)

4) "At issue here is the question: 'To whom do I belong? To God or to the world?' Many of my daily preoccupations suggest that I belong more to the world than to God. A little criticism makes me angry, and a little rejection makes me depressed. A little praise raises my spirits, and a little success excites me... Often I am like a small boat on the ocean, completely at the mercy of its waves." - Henri Nouwen (pg. 158)

5) How often do I seek God's guidance when I'm not facing trouble or a difficult decision? (pg. 148)

6) Confession is an act of grace. (pg. 135)

7) "Only a few things have gripped me with greater joy than the truth that God loves to show his God-ness by working for me, and that his working for me is always before and under and in any working I do for him." - John Piper

8) "God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything, but he himself gives life and breath and everything." - Acts 17:25

9) Take my life. Take it all. Have I always thought I meant those words, or I've just been ignorant of the fact that those have always been the hardest words for me to say?

10) I have so much to surrender that I thought I've already have.

And the last one 11):

I was telling my best friend from high school that I may not know what God has in store for me, what's the next step, but for some reason, Missions has been on my mind. A lot.
I told her I watched the documentary "Father of Lights" and it showed a family in China that established an orphanage. Of all the stories and scenes in that documentary, I said, that paticular one moved me the most. Made me all fired up inside.

That's where I want to be, Donna, I said. That's where I want to be.