Jill Briscoe - Here Am I, Lord...Send Somebody Else: How God Uses Ordinary People to Do Extraordinary Things

2004 Jill Briscoe

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Epub Edition November 2017 ISBN 9780785216766

ISBN 978-0-7852-1676-6 (eBook)

ISBN 978-0-7852-1678-0 (TP)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The Library of Congress has catalogued the earlier edition as follows:

Briscoe, Jill.

Here am I, Lordsend somebody else / by Jill Briscoe.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0-8499-4445-7 (softcover)

1. FearReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Christian life. I. Title.

BV4908.5.B74 2004

248.4dc22 2004001652

Printed in the United States of America

18 19 20 21 22 LSC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To our children, David, Judy, and Pete, who have

all been sweetly obedient to the call of God

I am indebted to many people for shepherding this book from concept to the printed page, but especially want to thank Debbie Wickwire and Laura Kendall at W Publishing Group for their attention to every detail, large and small; Jennifer Stair for her sharp editorial eye; and Alive Communications, our agents and friends.

And now I trust that this new edition, all these years later, will be an encouragement to the next generation for them to listen and respond to the call of God.

T his book contains lessons learned from the first five books of Moses. Readers would greatly benefit by familiarizing themselves with the narrative in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

I first met Jill while visiting a maximum security prison in Texas. We bonded over a passion for Jesus and a love for women, no matter their age, background, or struggles. I knew the first time I met her that Id found a hero in the faith. It was notable because I was craving heroes.

I think we all are.

A few years prior, at the beginning of my all-in desire to follow God, life was simpler, and I hadnt encountered much suffering. Ministry looked fun, and it was easy to dream about pouring out my life for God. But suffering found me and the people nearest to me, as it does everyone sooner or later. Ministry became less rewarding and involved more disappointment than reward.

And then came Jill.

The way she speaks about suffering and following Jesus is backward from everything I used to believe. She wants Jesus more than comfort, more than recognition or approval. And because of that deep love and passion for Him, suffering is a welcome friend who causes her to experience more of Him. Jill has taught me to embrace the things I might otherwise want to push away in my life, because those might be the very things that bring me more of Jesus.

After meeting Jill I invited her to speak at the IF:Gathering in 2017. The story she has told me now about that weekend in February is a perfect picture of the woman who wrote this book. Her retelling was this: she thought she was speaking at a youth rally of a few thousand teenagers, all eagerly waiting to hear from her that daywhen in reality, her words echoed across 122 countries and in the ears of hundreds of thousands of people live across the world.

When she tells that story, her blue eyes sparkle and she laughs, because it doesnt matter to Jill how many people were in the room that day. She loved teaching the Word of God, reminding them that Jesus is better, and telling her stories of a life lived in service to Christ.

As her words burst into every corner of the Internet that day, I knew something special was happening. But it seems everyone else did, too, because as Jill walked off the stage, the entire room erupted in a standing ovation. I wasnt the only one who needed a hero in the faitha generation of women were craving the same thing.

I believe we are in dire need of some humans to follow on this earth who have desperately and wholly sought after Christ. Jill would be the last to tell you that she is a hero, or anything special at all, for that matter. And dare we ever make an idol out of another human, the Apostle Paul said, Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

That is who Jill has become to so many of us, which is why it brings me great joy that a new generation will find the words of this book and, I hope, follow her example as she continues to follow Christ. That would be a generation sold out indeed! And who knows what could happen if women across the earth believed that Jesus was worth everything? That could change everything.

Jennie Allen

Author of Nothing to Prove

Founder and visionary of the IF: Gathering