"Amazing Grace"

Have any of you seen the new movie “Amazing Grace,” starring Ioan Gruffudd as William Wilberforce? It will not play in theaters here until June 6 (you may have noticed that it is two days after we plan to leave for America!), which I find extremely disappointing. I know a lot of people back home who have seen this movie and highly recommend it. How often does a movie with a respectable, strong Christian as the main character come out of Hollywood? While I can’t watch the movie until it comes out in America on DVD, I can still study the abolition movement in the nineteenth century and modern-day slavery…so, that’s what I’ve been doing. Last week, I started A Chance to Die, an autobiography by Elizabeth Elliot, about the life of Amy Carmichael. I haven’t finished it yet, but so far I am enjoying it . . . and learning a lot! Carmichael had such a devotion to God and an unselfish spirit—it’s really challenging, but encouraging at the same time. She spent fifty-five years in India—without any furlough!—as a missionary, and primarily focused on helping young ladies, who were sold into an awful form of slavery. Her life really puts in perspective how we spend our time and our lives. One of my new purposes in life is to do something to change modern-day slavery (for the better, of course). I realize I probably can’t do anything really big, but anything to do with slavery really gets me mad. In last Sunday’s sermon, our pastor suggested that we each have a focus, particularly about something that we have passion about. I haven’t completely decided what my “focus” will be (there are so many wrong things in the world that need to be changed!), but I’ll have to think and pray about it. Oh, and back to the book about Amy Carmichael, if you have the time, and the interest, I would highly recommend reading it! Elliot wrote it beautifully and included many excerpts from Carmichael’s diary, which really helps you to feel connected with Amy Carmichael.