In this episode, we explore the challenging yet deeply faithful life of Amy Carmichael, as captured in the book That Way and No Other: Following God through Storm and Drought. Born in Ireland in 1867, Amy Carmichael spent over fifty-five years serving in India. Her work there was marked by radical discipleship and a tireless fight against a hidden evil.

Amy's life's work crystalized with the unexpected arrival of a young girl named Preena, who had escaped from a nearby Hindu shrine. This led Amy to discover a "secret traffic in the souls and bodies of young children". She learned that due to poverty, shame, or religious beliefs, young girls were sold or offered to temples, where they were dedicated to the gods but tragically became sexual slaves to priests and worshippers. Amy's efforts to expose this practice were initially met with doubt, as her reports were "rebuffed as exaggeration". Despite immense struggle and feeling the task was "impossible", she found strength by realizing the burden was Christ's and He invited her to share it.

At Dohnavur, the village that became her home, Amy, known as "Amma" (mother) to the children, built a refuge. The community rescued hundreds of children, both girls and later boys, providing them with a safe home and raising them to serve God. She founded the Sisterhood of the Common Life in 1916, a community of Indian and British women dedicated to God and the work, living together and sharing everything in the spirit of the early church. The Sisterhood was bound by love and commitment, requiring members to be "very careful about our inner discipline" and to expose their inward life to God.

Drawing from a collection of Amy Carmichael's writings, That Way and No Other offers powerful insights into the life of faith. Key themes include:

• Total Surrender: Amy modeled an "all-or-nothing way of discipleship", emphasizing the need to hold "Nothing Kept Back" from God [Chapter 1 title, 50]. She believed that in giving all, one finds all.
• Embracing God's Will: Learning to accept God's will, even when it leads down a difficult or painful path that one would not have chosen. This acceptance is active cooperation, not passive acquiescence.
• Spiritual Warfare: Recognizing that life is "always a war" and that serving God makes one a target for the "enemy of souls". She taught how to guard one's peace and turn to the Lord rather than fighting temptations in detail.
• The Power of Prayer: Emphasizing the importance of prayer, describing it as a "traffic between earth and heaven" that finds the ear of God. She stressed the need for "prayer hunger" and waiting upon God until the petition is obtained.
• Love and Humility: Stressing the vital importance of love within the community, warning that "Unlove is deadly". She taught the need for "tenderness in judgment" and the habit of "thinking the best of one another". Forgetting oneself in serving others was key, understanding that even the longing to be used can be a subtle selfishness.
• Finding Joy and Strength: Despite facing deep sorrow and hardship, Amy wrote about the "heavenliness of song" as a shield against the devil and the "sheer miracle" of happiness in difficult circumstances. She encouraged readers to find strength in God amidst trials, comparing His power to enable a butterfly to fly in the rain or a bird to whistle in a storm.

Amy Carmichael's life defied many conventions for women of her time, showcasing remarkable determination, leadership, and compassion. Her writings, compiled in this book published by Plough Publishing House, continue to challenge and encourage readers seeking to live a life of dedicated faith, navigating their own journeys through storm and drought by keeping their eyes fixed on God.

Carmichael, A. (2020). That way and no other: Following God through storm and drought (C. Kurtz, Ed.). Plough Publishing House.