“Once upon a time …” I love stories that start that way! And this is a true story:A hundred years or more ago there lived a preacher called Charles. He was a young man, but he was blessed by God with great spiritual wisdom and granted the pastorate of a large church in London. Among his congregation was a young lady called Susannah whom Charles encouraged in her faith and baptised. They became friends and they were both invited to attend a ... Read More about Do You Pray for Him?
Favorite Posts
Beyond the Hope Chest: Preparing for Marriage (Or Not)
I sat looking glumly at my overflowing hope chest. Once the darling storehouse of my dreams – or at least the place where I stored things for my dream life someday – it seemed to mock me now. How many years had some of those items slept in the chest? I was 27, and after a rough breakup, marriage seemed further away than ever.With a sigh, I closed the chest and turned away. If only I could have seen into the future, for two short years later I ... Read More about Beyond the Hope Chest: Preparing for Marriage (Or Not)
first
Generally, I don't take to new things right away; I have to be coaxed into them.This new year was no exception.I began it quietly enough, with a Bible in the lamplight -- fireworks crackling over the city outside my window. With silent regrets on my mind, there seemed little to anticipate. I hadn't put my Best Friend first as loyally and fervently as He deserved in 2011. I know myself. How could I expect the new year to be anything more than ... Read More about first
Your deep gladness, His great purpose
My friend Sarah, a Canadian by birth, lives at the top end of Australia, thousands of kilometres away from me. Recently she had a layover between Canada and the Northern Territory and we were able to spend an afternoon catching each other up on our lives since we’d last met. We sat sipping frappes in a corner booth at McDonald’s and Sarah, a newish graduate from nursing school, came alive as she told stories of her adventures in the ER. My eyes ... Read More about Your deep gladness, His great purpose
Identifing Your Passions
Passions. The very word elicits strong emotion -- excitement, hesitation, or maybe even confusion. Where do passions come from? How do you find them or use them? And most importantly, do you have one? The exciting part of discovering your passions is that you grow into them and with them!A passion can be what gets you up in the morning, or makes you feel alive. It’s the one area of your life that you feel like you were created for the very ... Read More about Identifing Your Passions
A Passion for Authenticity
When my sisters and I were in our mid to late teens, we suddenly and surprisingly found ourselves in prime role model territory. On paper, it probably looked beautifully ideal: we followed God, we had graduated or almost-graduated from highschool at home, we liked each other and our family, we published a magazine for Christian young women, and we helped our parents run a café and quilt store in a hundred-year-old schoolhouse right next door to ... Read More about A Passion for Authenticity
Sit still, my daughter.
by Elisabeth Elliot When we are waiting on God, which I think every Christian ought to be all the time, we do not have a time schedule in front of us. We don’t know when or whether God is going to answer a particular prayer or do a particular thing or get us out of a certain situation or change any of the conditions of our lives. And sometimes we think of our lives as being on hold.I don’t think waiting on God is a merely passive thing. And ... Read More about Sit still, my daughter.
Things I am still learning…that I wish I knew at 20
by Jennifer Miles When I was 20 years old, I got married and started my adult life as a wife and, less than a year later, as a mother. At that point in my life, I knew everything.I mean it. I was a genius, people. I could tell you the answer to anyone's problem, and I knew exactly what everyone should be doing with their lives. My brilliance didn't stop with other people, either...I knew exactly the best way to live my own life, too.I knew ... Read More about Things I am still learning…that I wish I knew at 20
Q&A: Should daughters stay at home?
I’m looking for "chapter and verse" from the Bible on girls and young women staying at home, under their father's protection and authority, until marriage. It was an easy concept until we have to back it up!Our daughter lives at home with us, has been homeschooled since birth, and graduates this year. She has developed an excellent godly relationship with a young man who appears, by God's grace, to be the one she will marry. Our daughter ... Read More about Q&A: Should daughters stay at home?
The Marriage Vows
The week leading up to my wedding to Trent, I wanted to really focus on the promises I was about to make and their meaning, so I decided to journal my thoughts about my vows and the significance of the upcoming wedding…Submission Elisabeth Elliot always reaches into my heart with her words. This excerpt about submission from her book Keep a Quiet Heart was no exception, "A Christian woman, then, in submission to God, recognizes the divinely ... Read More about The Marriage Vows
Why Sequels Aren’t Equals
If you’re a book lover, like me, you have a favorite author (or several). And at some point, you will have read all the works by said author. What happens then? Do you sigh sadly, make a cup of tea, and begin writing yourself? Perhaps you check out a new author from a reading list, or ask a friend for a recommendation. You could even read a book about the author (I have two such books on my reading list, biographies of beloved authors ... Read More about Why Sequels Aren’t Equals
The Reading Balance
I think it is almost safe to say that I was born a bookworm. I know that from the day I picked up a book and discovered I could actually read on my own, books have been my friends and companions through thick and thin.It probably isn't a surprise that I married a fellow book lover, for book lovers tend to get together one way or another. He may not read as much as I do, and may not be quite so wormish about books as I am, but he knows a good ... Read More about The Reading Balance
