about Bloom!
How it all started...In November of 2006, Jessina Leonard, Megan Dutill, and Joanna Suich collaborated to start a magazine, Bloom!, for Christian young women that would raise the expectations held for young women. We felt that most literature aimed towards Christian young women like ourselves expected that a young person's relationship with and understanding of Jesus Christ could only go so far and that what most young women needed to know was simply how to stay pure until marriage. We believe that there is still much more to the Christian life and that we as Christian young women should be held accountable to be set-apart, gospel-centered, world-altering women who yearn for the Lord to be made more and more present in our lives and in our world.
What's in the name?
We chose the name Bloom! because of a quote found in Karen Andreola's Beautiful Girlhood:
"Have you ever watched the development of a rose from the tiny bud to the open flower? The buds holds little more promise of beauty than the foliage about it; but day by day it grows until it is full and round. One day you see a thread of color, promise of the rose to come, peeping through the covering of green. Each morning the thread of color widens until the bud bursts asunder and the flower is revealed...Girlhood is the opening flower of womanhood. It has charms all its own. The wonderful change from the child to the woman, the marvelous blossoming of young, healthy girlhood, will ever be God's great miracle in life's garden." (© Beautiful Girlhood, pages 11-12, revised by Karen Andreola)
Just like a rose, we are growing, changing, learning "day by day". We are slowly, but surely, "blooming" into Biblical womanhood, just as a flower blooms into full beauty. Our journey is a long one; one that will not end until we see Him face to face. Until then, it's our desire to encourage girls around the world to "bloom" into beautiful, godly womanhood!
The magazine and now...
Although the magazine is no longer in print, we're still writing here on the blog and dedicated to Bloom!'s goal: to encourage, inspire, and support girls on their journey towards a gospel-centered, world-altering, Biblical womanhood.
We are passionate about living set-apart for Jesus, the spiritual disciplines, theology, the lives and stories of Christians throughout the world, seeing tough issues from a Biblical perspective, true femininity and above all, the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Praise for Bloom!'s message
"For the most part I have not endorsed or recommended modern Christian magazines aimed toward young women. Most I've seen tend to be shallow and promote a self-focused, mediocre Christianity. But recently the editors of Bloom! interviewed me for an article in their magazine, and I had the opportunity to look into their message and ministry. I was impressed by the magazine's genuine focus on Christ, inspiration toward set-apart femininity, and encouragement toward an outward focused, poured-out lifestyle...a wonderful inspiration and encouragement in your set-apart journey."
- Leslie Ludy, best-selling author, speaker, and executive director of setapartgirl, an international ministry focused on inspiring girls to live out Christ-centered femininity
- Alex and Brett Harris, best-selling authors of Do Hard Things and Start Here, as well as founders and speakers of The Rebelution movement
"So then neither the one who plants
nor the one who waters is anything,
but God who causes the growth."
~ 1 Corinthians 3:7
