Becoming Elisabeth Elliot

In my youth and young adulthood, a family-owned Christian bookstore operated so near home that I could ride my bike there to spend my babysitting money. Amid the theologically diverse content of its shelves, God led me to Elisabeth Elliot as one of my first mentors in the Christian faith. Through her I found Amy Carmichael. I wanted to know God like those women knew God. I wanted to be greatly used by Him. They were my heroes. What naivete hid from me was the extraordinarily high, painful cost of their mature faith. In the half-dozen times I saw Elisabeth Elliot speak, in all her books I read, in her radio program Gateway to Joy, in her quarterly newsletter, she seemed so logical. Unemotional even. Her calm, collected, reserved demeanor as she talked of the loss of her first husband to martyrdom (at the hands of a remote tribe he sought to reach with the gospel) amazed me. When she wrote or spoke of the loss of her second husband to cancer, I mistook her poise in speaking for her poise in grief. Now I understand the softening effect of decades that enabled her to touch the scars without observably wincing. That never meant the wounds that caused them were without profound sorrow. The new biography Becoming Elisabeth Elliot corrects that misunderstanding and does so largely in Elisabeth’s own words, from copious journals and letters to which the family gave biographer Ellen Vaughn access. Vaughn shapes the source material in a way that brings the young Elisabeth to vibrant life. All the emotion I didn’t see from Elisabeth in her later speaking ministry pours forth on these pages. We glimpse the family of her youth, read the story of how she came to attend a prestigious Christian boarding school and what she found there, experience with her the agonizing wait for Jim to declare his affections and act on them. Vaughn lifts the curtain on Elisabeth’s grief when he died, how that led her to a writing career, what her jungle life as a single mother and missionary was like, and some of the interpersonal friction that grew so severe and unresolvable that Elisabeth left the jungle and returned to the United States. This is not a hagiography that only selects and shares what will keep Elisabeth on the pedestal where many of us have placed her. This is realism. Do not be deceived into thinking a missionary biography will be boring, either. This is a page-turner in a way I did not anticipate, even knowing and loving her work as I do. In short, this is one of my must-reads of 2020. If you love Elisabeth Elliot already, this will increase your affection. If you don’t know her work and story, this would be a fabulous introduction to the rest of her work. Along with Gentle and Lowly, it will find its way into a number of Christmas care packages in the month ahead. I look forward to the planned second volume, which picks up the story of her life after the jungle years.

Ellen Vaughn is not a name with which I was familiar, but having grown to love Elisabeth Elliot's many podcasts and some of her books, I was very interested to read this book. I could always tell that Elisabeth was being diplomatic in her talks about many things -- which of course she really needed to do -- and wondered so much what was the "whole story" for which I had only clues. Ellen Vaughn does not disappoint! WOW. The first half of the book, not so much. I was almost tediously tired of descriptions from her early life before she arrived in Ecuador, but I read on -- and am so glad I did...! Ellen answered so many questions I had -- and so many questions I never thought to ask. I find this book a very stimulating and satisfying read and am SO happy that soon ELISABETH ELLIOT VOLUME 2 will soon be out. I plan to be one of the first to snatch it up! Thank you so much, Ms. Vaughn, for your research and work and (awesome) attitude so clearly seen in this book. I bought the book months before I read it -- and am so glad I finally got round to it!

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book because I have mixed feelings regarding Elizabeth Elliot. Her approach to Christianity appeared far too certain. Her answers for daily living seemed far too cut and dry when I heard her speak. Quite frankly, I was afraid this book would be more of the same. Nope. Not at all. I could hardly put the book down. Her life story leading up to her first husband's murder was just as fascinating as how she befriended his murders and came to live with them. Obviously, this book was well researched and from reliable sources. You can't get much closer to Elizabeth than excerpts from her own journals. It was so refreshing to gain a better understanding as to what lay behind her words penned in books and her actions lived out loud. Elizabeth wrestled with faith and life. I only wish her own work would have reflected that more fully. Yet, perhaps she lived in a time when authenticity and vulnerability were not as welcomed. I'm so delighted to know her better.

I am a fast reader. Not so with "Becoming Elisabeth Elliot." I savored every word, underlined and highlighted so much, and wrote in the margins when something touched me personally and deeply. Needless to say, I have given several of these books as gifts, but I will not part with my copy. It is more like a personal journal. I had the privilege to work with Elisabeth on several programs and even had her to my home for dinner - but now I feel like I truly know her heart. Thank you, Ellen, for writing such a rich biography about a woman who has touched so many lives - including mine. If you knew Elisabeth, or just heard of her - if you read her books or heard her speak - you must read this book. It will change your life and help you to see life through His perspective - which is what Elisabeth's life was based on. I loved this book and did not expect to grow so deeply from it. Outstanding book and I highly recommend it.

highly recommend this book, I could not put it down.

This is an adventure book, both experiential and spiritual, and it will take you to lands you have not seen or imagined. Reading this story in quiet solitude will lead you deeper, both earthly and spiritual, in the dangers, trials, and victories Betty (Elisabeth Elliott) experienced. I promise, you are in for an exciting time ensconced in this book. Following are a few gems from Becoming Elisabeth Elliot... To Betty, the only measure of any human action came down to one thing: obedience. "If 'success' is defined not by obedience, but by measurable outcomes, then... the calculations would never end." "He leads us right on, right through, right up to the threshold of Heaven. He does not say to us, ever, 'Here it is.' He says only, 'Here am I. Fear not.'" "If a duty is clear, the dangers surrounding it are irrelevant." "It is not easy to hold things lightly. Once we have them, we want to keep them." "When one is stripped of all outward evidences of God's blessings, there is a deeper comfort. The soul who loves God only for Himself, apart from His gifts, knows indescribable peace." "When God calls a man, he bids him come and die." "The Lord gives us a moment at a time, and trusts us to invest it for eternity." "Do the next thing." The author concludes her book with "The takeaway from their lives is a reckless abandon for God".

I picked up this book first because Ellen Vaughn is a colleague of sorts (we worked at the same organization, just at different times) and a good writer, and second, out of curiosity. To be perfectly honest, while I greatly respected the Elliots' accomplishments, I never got the appeal of their up-and-down-and-on-and-off courtship. "Passion and Purity" made me vaguely queasy. I wanted to read Ellen's analysis and try to figure out these lives and relationships. I still don't get the courtship. (And to her great credit, Ellen paints it less as "epic love story given to us directly by God" and more as "confused guy dithers for a long time over whether to marry his girlfriend," which I think is a good deal nearer the mark.) But I do admire Elisabeth more than I did -- I even like her! It's true that in her younger days Elisabeth was the sort of gushy Christian ("isn't the Lord wonderful!" tacked on to every other sentence) that I never quite know what to make of. But as she worked and suffered and matured, she displayed the kind of unrelenting faith and obedience, even in the worst circumstances, that wins genuine respect. She also became a little more realistic and down-to-earth and less gushy. And it was truly compelling to read about her struggles with strict personalities like her mother and Rachel Saint, and her attempts to push back against legalistic Christianity. I'm dying to know which of her books were banned from Christian bookstores, and why! And I'm now SUPER curious to find out how this Elisabeth became the Elisabeth who wrote "Passion and Purity" and started coming across to the world as fairly strict and unyielding herself. In short, Ellen has done a great job with a difficult task. I'll definitely read the sequel when it comes out.

I first met Elisabeth Elliot as a young girl reading Through Gates of Splendor, and her life of faith has stayed with me ever since. In Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, Ellen Vaughn carefully and beautifully traces the shaping of this woman wholly surrendered to God. The inclusion of Elisabeth’s personal journal entries adds depth and honesty to her story. This biography deepened my admiration and gratitude for a life faithfully lived before the Lord. I highly recommend this book.

Wonderful! Easy to read and so very encouraging in my own walk with the Lord. I thank our Heavenly Father for Elizabeth Elliott's life.

A very good, inspirational, challenging read.

Es parte de la biografía de una mujer bueno dedicada a Dios. Fue una mujer actual, con muchas interior y problemas con otras fuertes también, pero enfocada es decir al Señor con todo y en todo. Su honestidad nos anima en nuestros propios luchas para ser siervos fiel a nuestro Señor y Dios

This book was really amazing. I loved how real Elizabeth Elliot got. The part about her relationship with Rachel Saint was really an eye opener for my own attitude. Also, Elizabeth's doubts about her usefulness and fruitfulness was very relatable. We make heroes of missionaries (as we should), but sometimes we then feel that they were some super human that achieved things that we could never achieve, but this book showed that she was a human, and certainly didn't view herself as a hero. Of course Elizabeth Elliot is a great author and I recommend this book of hers as well.

I think Ellen Vaughn did a beautiful and complex work choosing wisely what and how to present us the story from Elisabeth's diary. As a missionary i read a lot about Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, Through the Becoming Elisabeth Elliot book i have the opportunity to see a different side of Elizabeth Elliot that really encouraged me even more.