About 15 years ago I was in a department store in northern Virginia with my oldest daughter, Margaret. She was a precocious, talkative 6-year-old with a flair for the dramatic. You just never knew what this child might say to perfect strangers.

We walked past the women's lingerie section and Margaret impulsively grabbed a pair of lacy, pink panties off a rack and twirled them in the air with her finger. Then she declared to every shopper within range: "I am going to wear these panties when I am 18!"

Horrified, I ducked my head and pulled Margaret toward the escalator, trying to avoid eye contact with the amused customers who overheard her awkward proclamation. They were probably thinking to themselves, That little girl is going to be quite a handful when she grows up. read more

8:00PM EDT 7/31/2007

My husband, Steve, and I own property that has an eagle's nest on it. One day after a spring storm we went out to check on the property and found that a third of the nest had been blown down.

As I looked at the fallen pieces, it occurred to me that often when we think of eagles we picture the majestic bird that is our national symbol--a bird that is able to soar high above any tempest that might come along. We rarely think of eagles as having to go through storms.

Yet if a storm comes while young are in the nest, the mother eagle has to leave her soaring and return to the nest to protect them. When it is over, she has to rebuild what has been lost and go on. read more

7:00PM EST 11/30/2003

By nature, I am a doer--and I like projects, whether they are related to decorating my home; running Strang Communications, the business my husband and I started in 1981; or helping a person get his marriage or his finances on track. But a number of years ago I learned that the activity of a Martha is meaningless without the heart of a Mary. We aren't to be one or the other, but both--at the same time.

In other words, our goal is not to break down our daily lives into segments, making sure that we "pray" as much as we "do." Our goal is to learn how to pray and do simultaneously. Paul says we are to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). How is this possible when we have so many responsibilities to attend to?

The key, as Quaker Thomas Kelly describes in his book, A Testament of Devotion, is to live on two planes at once. It is possible, he says, to remain in continual communion with God while also carrying out the duties of our individual stations in life. Our spirits maintain the inner connection, and our minds and bodies do the work. read more

7:00PM EST 3/31/2002

I BELIEVED THAT GOD COULD TRANSFORM THE WORST SITUATIONS. BUT WHEN I WAS RAPED IN MY OWN HOME, I HAD TO RELEARN ALL I THOUGHT I KNEW ABOUT REDEMPTION. read more
7:00PM EST 11/30/2004

Seminaries are beginning to support the calling of women to full-time ministry. Which institutions are on te forefront of this trend?

Jennifer Kemp was fairly certain God was calling her into the ministry, so to test the waters, she decided to take a weekend course at a seminary near her job in Boston. The class, "Proclamation and Communication," had two women and 22 men.

"The first night," Jennifer recalled, "one gentleman asked me why I was in seminary. I said, 'I am not in seminary right now. I am taking this class to see if seminary is something I'd like to pursue in the future.' read more

8:00PM EDT 5/31/2002

I once heard a message in church on "the balanced life." The speaker made the point that we need to give equal time to each of the most significant areas of our lives so we don't get out of balance.

I felt prompted to do a search on the word "balance" in my small computer Bible to find scriptural backing for the message. The only reference given that contained the word was a verse in Proverbs, and that had to do with a scale--in other words, with weights and measures, not with the way we use our time.

What I found did not convince me that the preacher was right. I asked the Holy Spirit to show me the truth, and He replied, "The truth is that being wholehearted for God is the key to balance." read more

7:00PM EST 1/31/2000

I was browsing in a Christian bookstore one day in December 2003, when a sparkling silver bracelet caught my eye. Because I was there to purchase a Bible cover, I was about to walk past the jewelry counter, when the Lord spoke to me and said clearly, "Buy the bracelet."

Under my breath, I said, "Lord, I don't think I want it."

He said to me, "It's not for you." read more

7:00PM EST 1/31/2006