Bloom!

Dear Sisters,        “If all I loved was stripped away, what would my life be defined by?”  The haunting question whispered through my soul, chasing me in my dreams at night and finding me on the path I took to avoid it during the day. Such a question was too painful to face. “If all I loved…” Finally, I stopped, and faced my fears, ashamed that it had taken me so long. “I’m sorry Father! It’s just so hard to answer a question like that! I love much! I love You most of all! You know that.” “Ah, my daughter! You do love much, and so I’ll ask you again, if all you loved was stripped away, if I took it away, what would your life be defined by?” To be crucified with Christ in daily sanctification is the agony and the glory of the Christian’s life. Such a process of being transformed and renewed into His perfect image is often painful, as day by day the Master Artisan chips away at our sinful habits and desires, and plunges us into the fires of refinement until all God sees

Title: Last Ounce of Courage Rating (1=lowest, 5=highest): 4.5 Produced by: Veritas Entertainment Synopsis: In a country where every Christmas it seems there are more attacks on celebrating it publicly, Bob Revere decides it’s time to take a stand. His son died fighting for freedom, and Bob isn’t about to let that dearly paid for freedom slip away. But as more and more pressure is put on him and his town to take down Christian symbols, will Bob and his supporters relent, or stand firm with their Last Ounce of Courage? Language: None! The Good: This movie calls and inspires all Christians to rise up to the task at hand - defending our freedoms. As shown in the movie, there are different ways to go about this, but we are all called to do it. The Bad: There isn’t a major issue in Last Ounce of Courage . There may be a few minor parts (such as locking somebody in a closet) that you won’t agree with, but overall, the characters go about standing up for freedom in a g

  Happy Friday, sweet readers! Can you believe we're a month into the new year already? We sure can't! We pray that God blesses you in this new year! Now, without further ado - a menagerie of encouraging, fun, and absolutely inspiring links: Sermon Index is an awesome site where you can download and listen to sermons by A.W. Tozer and many others. Most of us are still working on those New Year resolutions; here's a link to spur you on in your daily walk with Him. The 5 O'clock Club encourages us to wake early to spend time with our Savior. Come on and join! Check out TobyMac's new song about giving God the glory " Steal My Show ". What an encourager " Live Like That " by Sanctus Real is. Last, but not least read Katie Davis' (author of "Kisses from Katie") blog ! In His love, Joanna, Megan, Krista, Emily & Victoria

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. Esther Kim was a music teacher at a Christian school in Korea (now modern day North Korea).  The year was 1939.  On the first of the month the Japanese oppressors demanded that the Korean students and teachers go up a mountian where they would be forced to bow and worship the sun-goddess.  Even Esther's principal, a Christian herself, demanded that Esther make sure she was there and that she bowed as well.  If they didn't all go, the Japanese would clos

Today we're sharing with you an interview we did with Clarissa.  Clarissa is Project Director of In the Gap , a ministry that teaches character in the inner-city schools of Oklahoma City.  Join in our conversation and be prepared to hear what our great King is doing in and through her... Clarissa, tell us a bit about your journey of living for Christ. I was saved when I was four years old.  However, as I became older, I started to doubt my salvation.  After struggling through several years of fear and doubt, I reconfirmed my salvation when I was about twelve years old.  I always remember my parents being involved in ministry, and I was blessed to grow up seeing their example of what it meant to serve God and others.  Because of their example and the fact that my spiritual gift is serving, I thought that the way to live for Christ was to do things for Him.  When I went to Oklahoma and began working with In The Gap, I realized that God is not so much interested in m

There are probably more than a handful ways for me to experience frustration. I get frustrated when a painting doesn’t turn out right, especially when I’ve spent hours transferring an abstract visual in my head onto blank canvas with a variety of colors. I get frustrated when I eat all the yellow and green skittles candies - because they’re the only flavors I like. I get frustrated when I lose a favorite set of earrings or if I somehow add too much spices on to my cooking. I get frustrated when I read a book and the ending was quite different from how I was imagining it. There are obviously a myriad of ways that can get me frustrated, and these reasons range from the silly to real heart-stopping moments wherein you start gazing at the stars and wish you knew half of what was going on or how things would end. Currently, I am a preschool teacher/child development major who is moving towards a degree in special education. There are things I am hopeful for and things that I wait for

Let me just start this post by stating something incredibly obvious: We're already a week into the new year.  A week. And I'll admit that I still haven't quite pinned down what my resolutions are, or if I'm making any this year. These first few months of 2013 hold a special urgency for me, as I think of not only what I want to learn and grow in myself - but also what I want to leave with the girls in my college Bible study. I wrote down a list in my journal this morning. And what I want my girls to grasp this year? It's what I want to understand with my whole heart and mind, too. And it's my prayer for you. This is my list: I want to know (and I want them, and you, to know) the truth of the Gospel in my heart - in such a way that it makes a difference in my daily life. Paul urges us to live in a way that is "worthy of your calling" - worthy of a life fit for eternity, of a relationship with God, of the truth and hope we carry. It needs to