June
Book of the Month
June
“Becoming Elisabeth Elliot”
By Ellen Vaughn
Rarely does a book keep me up all night … this book did.
Rarely does a book cause me to deeply examine my commitment to Christ and my desire to serve Him wholeheartedly … this book did.
Rarely does a book cause me to fall to my knees and to tremble in the presence of my Creator … this book surely did.
I dare you to read, “Becoming Elisabeth Elliot” by Ellen Vaughn. But please, allow me to caution you, do NOT read this book if you are content with the status quo. Do NOT read this book if you love living in the rut that you have decorated with personal preference. Only read this book if you are desperate for more of Christ, if you long to hear His voice and if you have decided to say a resounding, “YES!” to His will and to His ways.
Elisabeth Elliot was a young missionary in Ecuador when members of a violent Amazonian tribe savagely speared her husband Jim and his four colleagues. Incredibly, prayerfully, Elisabeth took her toddler daughter, snakebite kit, Bible, and journal . . . and lived in the jungle with the Stone-Age people who killed her husband. Compelled by her friendship and forgiveness, many came to faith in Jesus. Her legacy lives on along the banks of the river where her husband’s blood was shed.
This courageous, no-nonsense Christian went on to write dozens of books, host a long-running radio show, and speak at conferences all over the world. She was a pillar of coherent, committed faith; a beloved and sometimes controversial icon.
In this authorized biography, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, bestselling author Ellen Vaughn uses Elisabeth’s private, unpublished journals, and candid interviews with her family and friends, to paint the adventures and misadventures God used to shape one of the most influential women in modern church history. It’s the story of a hilarious, sensual, brilliant, witty, self-deprecating, sensitive, radical, and surprisingly relatable person utterly submitted to doing God’s will, no matter how high the cost. For Elisabeth, the central question was not, “How does this make me feel?” but, simply, “Is this true?” If so, then the next question was, “What do I need to do about it to obey God?”
“My life is on Thy Altar, Lord—for Thee to consume. Set the fire, Father! Bind me with cords of love to the Altar. Hold me there. Let me remember the Cross.” –Elisabeth Elliot, age 21
Elisabeth has long been one of my heroines of the faith and this book, “Becoming Elisabeth Elliot” will explain to you why.