Bloom!

It was one of those things that changed the course of my life. It was when the Lord changed another life. It all began in the fall of '09. During that autumn, I would see random people and just feel like I had to pray for them. It was around this time that I began praying much more for salvation for others. Well, it was football season. I'm a football fan, along with my dad and two older brothers. I prayed for the college's athletic teams, but especially for the football team and staff. And most and hardest of all for the quarterback. He was not a very good player, I'm sorry to say, and when others would sometimes put him down, I felt sorry for him and never gave up hope that he could become better. I rooted for him, and prayed hard for him and for his salvation. I prayed when I saw him on TV or when I thought about him. I prayed probably the most faithfully I've ever prayed for somebody. I didn't know if he was a Christian already, I didn't ever expec...

Five-year-old Daniela's face twists in horror as I translate how the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross. This is the first time she has ever heard this before. She turns her innocent eyes to mine and says she can't believe it.  Nails right through His wrists?  She shakes her head adamantly and says, "No, no, no!".  Pain fills her eyes.  She is so young, but she is imagining His anguish. I gently nod my head and speak to her in Spanish, taking the time to point on my own wrists where the nails would've been driven in.  She just shakes her head and wants to know what happened next.  It's all so new to her and she still is in awe of it.  In awe of what He did.  I continue translating with Daniela interrupting me many times to verify what I'm saying.  She's amazed, pure and simple. That moment still stays with me. To many of us, the Gospel is "old news", something we could recite backwards in our sleep.  We know it.  We have...

  As the free copy of "The Lost Art of True Beauty" was not claimed, a new winner had to be randomly selected, and that winner is Shawna S.! Please write us via our contact page within the next 48 hours so that we can mail you the book! Writer's note: The following poem is actually the lyrics to a song I wrote. One night in February I found out that my neighbor had suffered a serious stroke. I was very sad about it, and the first three sections below were inspired by that situation. I finished the song later, and these are the verses, bridges, and choruses: When the way is rough And the times are hard, O Lord, be my trust, Hear this breaking heart. When I pray to You, On that day hear my prayer, In Your way show You're there. For truly You can Change the darkest storm Into a rainbow, By the power of Your Hand, And give us hope. When my soul is deaf And my heart is blind, Spirit, breathe Your breath Through this life of min...

  And our winner from our book giveaway is... Allison McC.! Congratulations, Allison! In order to claim your free copy of "The Lost Art of True Beauty" p lease write us via our contact page within the next 48 hours. Thank you to all who participated in the giveaway!  Dear sisters, There is something about being in another culture; about learning new ways of doing things; about trying to communicate in a land where almost everyone does not speak your language.  It's challenging.  It's stretching. It's rewarding sometimes, too, yes, but not always fun.  I have tried to tell someone what I needed.  I have tried in English and I have tried in my limited Mandarin and I have tried with charades, too.  And I have failed.  It's not my favorite thing to do!  But I keep trying and praying and trying some more. Then there was the time I went out on my bike, intent on making it to church that morning.  At first I knew my way, but th...

  As women of this earth, we are sent thousands of messages in our everyday lives through several conduits. Early on in our lives we are told of pursuits that each individual woman should try to accomplish: self-fulfillment and freedom. However, despite best efforts to achieve such things by our own actions, we end up still stuck in an endless maze of discontent, bitterness and less confidence. Nancy Leigh Demoss uses her book, “Becoming God’s True Woman” to introduce another paradigm, one that is reliant on God’s never ending work of grace and the Word of God. She writes a resounding call to godly womanhood, one that is focused on Christ alone. The book also involves written contributions by several Christian women, including Susan Hunt, Mary Kassian, Carolyn Mahaney, Barbara Hughes, P. Bunny Wilson and Dorothy Patterson. I loved reading this book because it speaks to a lot of different women- women who are walking in life through different seasons. It is a relevant boo...

Today we're excited to share the following article by Megan - a continuation in our "Current Issues" series. We want to see current issues, such as abortion or suicide, through a 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. “Human trafficking” is one of today’s buzzwords. It’s a favorite cause of “social justice” (another buzzword). Most of us have heard of this. And we may have even heard President Obama label it “modern-day slavery.” But what is it, really? What does it mean for us? The term “human trafficking” basically means forcing s...

The what:   We have Leslie Ludy's "The Lost Art of True Beauty" that we would like to bless one of our readers with!  It is such an encouraging and thought-provoking book, perfect to read by yourself or together with a friend or three. The how:   There's several ways to gain entries (if you want to, you can do all four and gain four 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)  Grab our new referral button and then send us the link 4) Comment below with the title of a favorite book 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, due to postage costs, this giveaway in open to US residents only. The when:  Make sure to get your entries in no later than midnight Easter...

Dear sisters, Greetings from Taiwan!  It's hard to believe that I have been here over two months now.  So much has happened in such a short amount of time.  Through it all, God has been teaching me new lessons and although it hasn't always been fun or easy, I am learning a lot!  He has really been stretching me out of my comfort zone and into where He wants me to be. One of the things that has been tough is the amount of attack spiritually that my team has been under.  Just last week we started a new school to teach character qualities and English to elementary aged kids.  For eight weeks prior, we traveled around the island to observe other schools, receive training and  teaching experience, as well as learn the culture.  During this time we had quite a bit of spiritual warfare.  It was tough, to put it simply.  And it still is - because we are still in the midst of it - two hospital visits, miscommunication, problems...