:How can we hang back when we have the answer to the injustices in society? How can we remain insecure and divided among ourselves, elevating men and devaluing women when we know Christ's view of us?
God may ask us to risk hurt in order to model vulnerability and our commitment to a higher call. How tragic if we instead build walls around our hearts, keeping at a distance the very people to whom God desires we minister.
As we reflect on women's roles in our churches and ministries, let's encourage reform. Let's have the courage to bring continuing change within the church.
And if we have spent our lives playing "second fiddle" when the quality
of our work should have placed us in a lead position, let's forgive and
go on in obedience to the Maestro. If we keep our eyes fixed on Him and
our ears attuned to the words He whispers to us, we will become
instruments for His glory. read more
Friends are like buttons on an elevator--they can take you up or bring you down. Surround yourself with people who are like the person you want to become because you become like those with whom you surround yourself.
After elementary school, we moved to Sacramento, California, where I attended junior high school. Then we moved again while I was in high school. I was desperate for friends. I never gave a thought to who those friends were or what they acted like. read more
Isn't it exciting to see how God is using women in our day? In greater and greater numbers, He is releasing us into anointed service and ministry. What is even more exciting is that we are being nurtured and empowered through our relationships with one another.
The Lord is helping many of us to form strategic friendships and mentoring relationships. In place of intimidation, He is building intimacy. In place of competition, He is showing us the joy of companionship. As we become transparent with one another, we are learning how to minister to God's people from hearts that have been bonded together in trust and confidence. read more
You think you’ve found a friend who will help you release your potential. But instead, you’ve attached yourself to someone who will stop at nothing to derail your hopes. Here’s how to recognize the right and the wrong kind of mentor.
Mary began baking cookies for her family and friends about 15 years ago and found great joy in it. Her cookies were so good that many people encouraged her to start her own cookie business. After just five years, her business is getting requests for shipments of cookies to areas all around the United States. Baking cookies for family and friends was easy, but cookies for people in distant places? Could I do this? Is there anyone who can help? she wondered. How do I get my business to the next level? Is there someone to advise me?
Lisa feels she has a call of God on her life. She remembers an encounter with the Lord when she was a teenager. Although that happened years ago, Lisa never forgot the commitment she made to God. She promised Him that she would preach His Word. Now, many years later, she senses it is time to act on her promise. How should I begin? she asks herself. I wish there was someone who could help me get started. read more
From the time she was in diapers, it didn't matter what my folks wanted her to do, Bridgett challenged them. My poor, longsuffering mother would have to go to war just to get Bridgett's hair combed. Usually, while the battle raged, I was sitting perfectly still somewhere, immaculately dressed and meticulously coiffed.
During junior high and high school, Bridgett continued to chart her course, attempting to be her own person, not a younger version of me. Imagine! My parents often wondered, “How could two sisters be so different?” I wondered too. After all, wasn't she supposed to be just like me? read more
We need deep associations with others, but often the challenges seem to outweigh the rewards. Here's how you can make healthy connections.
Each of us lives out our lives through a series of relationships. From our parents, to childhood friends, to our first love, our major milestones are framed by memories of our relationships along the way. We remember those who were present or influential at each stage of our lives and, no doubt, we also remember those who were not there to cheer us along.
What is it that makes some relationships thrive and stand through tests, while others falter and fail? I believe the keys to bettering and sustaining healthy relationships are to have a firm foundation in God, and to learn to communicate. read more
AMERICA WAS CALLED TO BE A HAVEN OF LIBERTY FOR ALL RACES. IT'S TIME TO TOPPLE EVERY STRONGHOLD OF RACISM.
In the Library of Congress there hangs a painting called The Dawn of the Millennium. It is one of the most amazing paintings I have ever seen.
In the center of the work is an altar mounted on a hill representative of the lush landscape of America. Standing around the altar, which glows with the glory of God, are ministers from every Christian denomination. read more