1
" You’ve been here the whole time!” I could see it clearly.
The calm, glowing One smiled, and all of a sudden, I knew. It hadn’t been fear telling me not to get on the boat, scaring me away from the fun. It was Jesus trying to spare me the agony of this trip because . . . because He loves me? Yes, He loves me!
And there I’d stood, as if I’d had my hand on His chest, pushing Him away. What was I doing? Seeing Him now, I realized we’d been stuck in this pose a long time. I hadn’t wanted Him to go in case I needed Him, but I hadn’t wanted Him to come inside and control me.
Ever so patiently—suspended in time, but oh-so-very present—Jesus held out His hand and invited me to dance.
“Yes,” I yielded, and something so much more peaceful than peace settled inside even though the storm still raged, and the circumstances hadn’t budged. “Let’s dance.”
Embraced in His arms, I fell asleep—even in the midst of those crazy waves. "
― Elizabeth Bristol , Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God
3
" Whenever I speak to a group, I always ask, “God, what is it You want me to say?”
Over and over, and as if for the first time, He says, “Make sure . . .”
I lean in, curious, totally forgetting the last twenty times. “Make sure of what?”
“Make sure you tell them,” He pauses for effect, “that I love them.” "
― Elizabeth Bristol , Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God
4
" I struggled with anxiety and loneliness, even in a crowded room. I never felt like I was enough. I ate Tums like candy. And I know this sounds all beauty-contestant-answerish, but I just wanted inner peace, a place to come in out of the rain. I needed, well, God, really, but you couldn’t have told me that then, not until the crap hit the fan. You know, those no-one-can- save-you-but-God things? An actual life or death experience. I’m not kidding, I didn’t think I was going to live, but instinctively I cried out and BAM! There God was, not judgmental and mean, but the ultimate friend. He came through in a big way! I’ll be honest with you, I flippin’ drank the Kool-Aid. "
― Elizabeth Bristol , Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God
10
" As the native drum kept rhythm with the nighttime symphony of the African bush, the cry of a hyrax (a small, furry animal that sounded a lot scarier than it looked) pierced the night. A hyena howled. A warthog ran through our camp. What was he running from? Sitting in front of my tent, I tried to figure everything out. I wouldn’t have called what I did prayer but maybe wonder.
Night after night, I’d listened to the rush of a river or watched my own personal light show as lightning spider-webbed across the heavens, danced in the distance, and serenaded me with a muffled growl. Until a crash—so loud it seemed to break the sky—caused me to twitch as a shiver ran up my spine.
“You know how it is when you feel someone staring at you from across the room?” I said to Truth. “You turn to meet the gaze. It was like that, but I saw no one. I just felt a comforting presence as we sat together in silence.”
“You think it was God?” she asked.
“Yeah, but I called him Fred. Not so overwhelming, more personal.” "
― Elizabeth Bristol , Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God
