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Never Too Old to Have Impact for Christ
Throughout Scripture, the Lord used many older people as His instruments of grace. He even called Joshua “old, advanced in years” (Joshua 13:1) and still wanted him to keep serving because “there remains very much land yet to be possessed.” What God said about Joshua reminded me that you and I as believers never retire from our calling to witness and work in God’s Kingdom until He takes us home. Listen to this blog as a similar podcast, “Staying Faithful to God by Choice.” Anna, an Old Woman Who Impacted Others Who was Anna? Don’t forget Anna! As you recount the Christmas story and tell about the angels, shepherds,…
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On Elisabeth Elliot and the Hidden Realities of our Mentors
“I want to be like Elisabeth Elliot,” I told my mother. I had just graduated from college and was contemplating my next steps. I picked Elliot because she was the only example I knew of a woman speaking publicly in my faith circles. “Really?” Mom’s eyebrow raised. “Then you need a story to tell like hers. Do you want to go as a missionary to an unchartered area, lose your husband to the spear of a tribesman, raise a daughter alone, labor in a village to share the gospel as a single mom? Then finally get married again, only to lose that husband to cancer and experience widowhood a second…
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Hiking Illuminates Mentoring Elements
During the year 2022, you may have a desire to be a mentor or mentee. Much can be learned in mentoring relationships as sharpening for the Lord occurs (Prov 27:17). Jesus mentored the twelve disciples. Paul had several young men he mentored as indicated in the books of Timothy and Titus. Mentoring takes on a variety of forms, but some common elements exist. As I hiked the Hundred-Mile Wilderness on the Appalachian Trail recently, I observed several parallels to elements regarding mentoring. God’s creation has a unique way of presenting truths in a way that facilitates understanding. Hopefully, your understanding of mentoring will be enhanced as you hike this blog. …
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Honoring Spiritual Mothers
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Eight Things You Should Know about Gangs in Your Community
Working to live out our faith in today’s culture can take us way out of our Christian bubble. Last week my preparation to speak on behalf of a ministry to victims of human trafficking landed me in a gang training seminar. Officer Z, head of gang investigations in Lexington County in South Carolina, shot straight with us about the situation here, and maybe where you live as well. Lexington is a nice middle-class suburb of Columbia, 80% white, 15% black, 6% hispanic 5% foreign born. The median home value is $144K. 89% have a high school diploma. 39% have a BA or higher. Officer Z gave us a…
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Reflections of a Female Seminary Professor
Sipping on coffee, I was sitting in the café of a church in a Dallas suburb where I’d just spoken, when I noticed a man’s military boots in front of me. As I lifted my eyes, I saw the desert fatigues. And then my pupils met his. I knew this man! “Justin!” The soldier standing in front of me was someone I had loved and mentored in my job as a seminary professor. He was one of my artistic geniuses, eating up every word I’d had to say about how to tell a story. I jumped up to greet him. What a wonderful surprise! But what I had assumed was…
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Harvesting our Words
Fall is finally here and with it the harvest. Words are like seeds. Once spoken they are planted in the hearts of the hearer. They too produce a harvest. I remember running to my mom crying, just a little girl hurting inside, crying because of ugly words. I was broken hearted by caustic remarks. My mother, taught me a little rhyme that she had used as a child: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” I can’t tell you how many times I used that little taunt. It did make the words stop. But words do hurt and I have the scars to prove it.…
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A Millennial’s Journey into Women’s Ministry
When asked to head up a new division of our Women’s Ministry I was terrified that I couldn’t cut it and really, I wasn’t so sure that I wanted anything to do with it. There’s a stigma out there about Women's Ministry, if you didn’t already know. Young Ladies like myself tend to conjure up ideas of bake sales, and mentor round ups; we tend to think Women's Ministry is stale without substance. So when I was faced with the challenge of leaving Youth Ministry and joining our Women’s team, I was haunted by questions…. Will the ladies expect me to wear stockings? I never wear them! I’m not the…
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What Vickie Kraft Taught Me about Our Lord
Vickie Kraft, a woman you have likely never known, quietly passed from earth to heaven in 2015. She closed her eyes, falling asleep on earth, and opened them again in heaven, waking up to see her Lord Jesus face-to-face. I am one of thousands who will miss her presence here. But I am one of thousands who are so grateful for her impact on my life—an impact that changed my perspective on Jesus and His love for me forever! My Need Back in the 80s, I was going through some difficult times in my life. I remember one summer meeting in a local prayer group and asking the Lord to…
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“War Room” Mentoring
Regardless of your evaluation of the new Christian film "War Room", Clara and Elizabeth paint a beautiful picture of organic mentoring. Personally, I loved the film, maybe because I'm a friend of the leading lady, but also because it illustrates the power of prayer when we get serious. True, the results in the movie often take longer than a few months–usually years. God could have worked through the husband first, and there are no guarantees. But I've personally seen and experienced prayer changing hearts and lives, including my own. In addition I also noticed an important subtheme: the power of a natural mentoring relationship initiated and guided by prayer. Consider…