Bloom!

Here's a round-up of our favorite links from this month... Ellerslie A place, according to the website, that is "the birthplace of heroes".  Out in Windsor, Colorado God is using authors and speakers Eric and Leslie Ludy to train young people to be strong in the Lord and to passionately serve Him.  Check out their website and be sure to listen to a sermon or two - you'll find yourself being inspired and blessed in so many ways! Sister to Sister: On Rest As many of you are starting back at school or college, we thought it an appropriate time to highlight one of our past articles by Dahlia Mayberry on resting in God.  Dahlia writes, "Rest has been a word that God continues to speak to my anxious heart and busy mind. As a student at Cornell University, I daily struggled with rest. And it was through these daily struggles that God taught me the importance of rest. He has revealed to me that in order to rest we must trust Him with our entire b...

Today we're excited to share the following article by Krista - a first in a new section called "Current Issues".  We want to see current issues, such as abortion or suicide, through Biblical lens and not lean on what the world says, but what God has to say about the particular issue.  We know that we have readers from various ages and backgrounds, so we've kept that in mind and have made this section appropriate for all.  Perhaps you may not be dealing with the particular issue, but may know someone who is.  Keep your heart open to what the Lord wants to teach you and pray for those who may struggle with the current issue. In our media-saturated world, we are facing an onslaught of images from different avenues of communication. When we walk through any mall or grocery stores, we are faced with a plethora of advertisements on fashion, physical beauty, make-up and other consumer products.  Any magazine stand contains a huge assortment of magazines that t...

I glance down.  It's ironic.  The weeds are growing quite well in my garden.  There are supposed to be delicious vegetables flourishing, but instead they look puny and are not producing much.  The plants haven't had much care given to them.  My glance lingers.  The weeds grow without any toil or sweat.  Isn't that like how it is in my life?  It comes easy for sin to grow in my heart.  It doesn't take much effort on my part.  But discipline?  Purity?  Faithfulness?  Those can take effort, time, and prayer. Really, sin - that "weed" - can be such an easy trap to fall into.   Perhaps the opportunity is there and you slip right into it.  Just because it feels right or looks right or seems like a natural response, doesn't mean it is right. God, however, doesn't excuse us because it might be a natural response.  Instead, He gives us guidelines in His Word on how to live and grow closer to Him ( Exodus 20 , fo...

{Our grand winner from our recent Bloom! package of blessings giveaway is...Carolyn Marie!  So Carolyn, you have 48 hours to contact us and claim your package.  Congrats and may the Lord use it to be a blessing to you and others!  And now for today's post - a book review...} This morning as I got dressed, I wondered, “What would life be like without legs?”  Later that morning, I heard the train’s whistle blow.  I froze.  I froze because what I was hearing was probably very similar to that dark night when Kristen Anderson attempted suicide.  That evening as I discussed God’s mercy with my family, I realized that Life, In Spite of Me  by Kristen Anderson and Tricia Goyer had really impacted me. Paraplegic Kristen Anderson has quite a story to tell, one that our world desperately needs to hear.  As a teenager, Kristen found herself feeling alone and without hope.  Thinking suicide was the answer, she laid down in f...

A heroine is defined in the dictionary as a woman who is well-known for courage and daring action.  It's further described as someone who is noted for a famous achievement in a particular field or situation.  In our Christian faith, we come across stories of women whose testimonies and actions have radiated Christ in their own lives and have inspired others to see that Light as well.  The beauty is that these faith heroines point us to Christ and encourage us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. Today's faith heroine is Amy Wilson Carmichael, a missionary to India who devoted her life to caring for orphans.  Amy was born in 1867 to Christian parents in Ireland.  Six siblings later followed, making for a large family.  She went through a time of loneliness, though, when she lost her father at a young age and would go on to face more trials in her lifetime.  Looking at her frame and health, you wouldn't think she would be called ...

The what:  It's time for another giveaway!  This time we're switching things up a bit and giving away a package of blessings.  This package will include a copy of Josh McDowell's famous book, More Than a Carpenter , (which is a great witnessing tool, by the way!), a beautiful notebook with Romans 1:16 on the front, two hand-crocheted hair barrettes (perfect for your little sister or friend!  Or you!), and a few other surprises. The how:   There's several ways to gain entries (if you want to, you can do all three and gain three chances to win!): 1)  "Like" us on facebook and let us know you did so in your comment below 2)  Subscribe to the webzine (see one of the buttons on the sidebar) and tell us in your comment 3)  Comment and let us know one way God blessed you this week Please be sure to include your first name and last initial, so we can identify you! The who: As much as we'd love to bless one of our many international readers...

  What God is doing in my heart and life lately... Perhaps you remember my February post "when pain doesn't fly away ".  If so, you'll recall that I've been going through some health issues, including dealing with post-concussion syndrome and a life-threatening allergy.  Experiencing so much pain on a daily basis has definitely been difficult and challenging, to say the least.  Granted, there has been some days when I've felt more like myself and energetic and happy.  But really, a lot of my days have been filled with pain and problems and questions with no answers. I can't tell you for sure why God allowed me to have this serious allergy and all the problems involved.  I don't know why He has allowed me to continue to suffer from a severe case of post-concussion syndrome.   I don't have all those answers. But that's okay. Take a look at Romans 9:20-23 , where Scripture talks about the clay and the potter, and again in Isaiah 64:8: ...

“They have no guts to stand up for what their beliefs are because they’re afraid of criticism…they want to be accepted by people that hate ‘em. They want to be accepted by people that despise ‘em. It makes no sense to me.” I was dumbfounded by that statement. The man on TV was certainly not talking about religion, but I was flabbergasted by how perfectly that description describes Christians today…describes me. Do I live in a way that tries to gather acceptance from the world, who quite honestly despises me? In John 15:18, Jesus warns his disciples, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” If it violently hates my Master, if it has loathed and hated and tortured Christians before me – what on earth am I doing trying to be loved by it? Why? It really doesn’t make any sense. The truth is that I love being praised. I love applause, I like to be in the spotlight, and I just like everyone to recognize how amazing I am. (Lord, forgive me for such pride...