At the end of each chapter, Chan shares a story about a person (or a couple) that used the Holy Spirit in their lives to do God’s work, most times under very challenging circumstances.  For example, Joni Eareckson Tada is used to exemplify the discussion covered in Chapter 1. As I finished reading Chapter 4 this morning, I was especially touched by the story of Esther Ahn Kim, a Christian Korean during WWII…..

Christmas makes me happy. I love the look of a decorated tree. I love the smell of pine. I love the music on the radio as soon as I finish my Thanksgiving feast. I love the family traditions— steak on Christmas Eve and country ham on Christmas morning.

Here is something that I’ve learned over the years. While Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, this season is very difficult for some families. Christmas brings conflict. Christmas breeds chaos. Christmas is very difficult for people with family strain, financial hardship, or emotional mourning after the loss of a loved one.

During Christmas, we celebrate peace on earth, but…

Timing is Everything.

Have you ever had one of those chocolate countdown calendars to keep track of how many days are left until Christmas? They taste a little like chocolate mixed with cardboard. They’re fun! Each day of December you open a cardboard flap and eat a piece of stale candy while thoughts of sugar plums and fairies dance in your head. Christmas is special, and that is one of the many special ways to celebrate it.

Countdowns are eager ways to pass the time before something awesome happens, like going to Disney World, a school break, or the release of your favorite movie sequel. Like we discussed in the last guide, the Jewish people had been counting down the days until they’d meet their Messiah…..

When you really think about it, some of our Christmas traditions are weird. We hang socks over our fireplace…then, we fill them with candy. We put a dead tree in our living room…then, we decorate it with colorful glass balls. We put raw eggs into a beverage…then, we drink it. All of this stuff is weird, but one tradition stands above them all as the most frustrating. Wrapped gifts under the tree.

Do you remember being tortured as a kid by questions about that large gift chilling in your living room? You had to sit in the same room with it every day, but you had no idea what it was. All you could do was study its shape because its edges were being hugged by wrapping paper covered in elves. You’d observe it. You’d shake it. You’d listen to it. Maybe you’d even attempt to cut the crease with a razor for a sneak peek and then tape it back together (don’t do that).

Then finally on Christmas day….

November 5th is THE big day for our country, but choosing the right candidates may seem as difficult as selecting just the right donut on a wall of dozens of scrumptious varieties.  This post is in no way intended to be political.  I’m not about to advocate for one candidate over another.

[Georgia] cared about what was going on in your life. She possessed a kind and gentle spirit. The love of Jesus overflowed from her heart and touched the lives of those around her. She was a “bundle of sweetness”. If you were her friend you were honored and blessed. She truly was a treasure.

I don’t know about you, but Autumn brings a sense of dread to me.  All the beauty of Spring and Summer fading away and the thought of a cold, bleak winter coming soon makes me sad.  I enjoy the beauty of fall, but in the back of my mind I know something worse is just around the corner.  But then…. I read John 4:35 and it spoke to my heart. 

King Solomon was the third king of Israel. Known for his incredible wealth and power, Solomon reigned for 40 years during one of the most prosperous times in Israel’s history. According to Scripture, “The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones” (2 Chron. 1:15). Solomon was known for his extravagant lifestyle, taking 700 wives and 300 concubines. He is credited for the building of a lavish palace and the temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. But perhaps most of all Solomon was renowned for his wisdom,

A short time later, Kamryn was at the same spot digging and poking around again. When we inquired the second time, we received the same answer…. “Nonna, I found a dinosaur!” John smiled as he replied to her, “Are you sure it’s not just a big bug?” “No, it’s not a bug,” Kamryn stated with tremendous conviction while waving her stick in the air.  She lowered her stick to point to her discovery an exclaimed… “Right here!  It’s a dinosaur! Come and see!!”

For several weeks now, as I've come home from another doctor/or test appointment, and checked the mailbox, I have found cards of encouragement and prayers.  Among those cards have been many from WVABWM board members - past and present.  The sentiments expressed in these cards has been uplifting with scripture passages and love.   But, what has touched my heart the most has been  the "personal" notes these women wrote to me inside the card.  

In contrast, when a seemingly unreal report about Solomon’s wisdom reached the Queen of Sheba, she did not accept the words of others about Solomon. Instead, she traveled over 1,300 miles to explore the claims for herself. In doing so, she found that the accounts of Solomon had not even captured the full scope of the truth she experienced in a face-to-face meeting with the man. The encounter caused her to praise the Lord (vv. 5–8).

Mary Kassian started the book out with a retelling of her first fist fight… with her brother…. which she won/lost??…. you have to read the book to discover the end result! Of course she was a just a kid at the time, but it gives the reader the insights of how a girl feels being called weak. Kassian didn’t write about how to become physically strong. She wrote about how to become spiritually strong.

In one of his letters to Timothy, Paul mentions the “weak women” of the Ephesian church where Timothy was ministering. Kassian sets the stage by introducing the reader to these women and does an outstanding job of helping us visualize them and the culture in which they lived. It surprised me as these ladies were not how you typically viewed women in the first century… treated as second-class citizens with no rights, no voice, no power. Instead, the Ephesian women were affluent, educated, well connected, prominent, powerful even. But they were not spiritually strong.

I have to admit, working on a big project like the Spiritual Growth Retreat (SGR) is a huge undertaking! Kim Pickrell, the SGR Coordinator, will never admit to how hard she really works - and probably worries - over the many little details. If you attended SGR last year, you know Kim is a very creative and articulate perfectionist (I mean this in the most endearing way!). God will put a beautiful idea in her head knowing that she is going to run with it with all of her might and power. She is a living illustration and demonstration of 1 Corinthians 15:58…

The Old Testament book, 2 Chronicles is our Bible Book-of-the-Month (BBOM) for August 2024. Below is a brief introduction to the book from the Learn Religions website. You will also find additional studies to help you learn more about this interesting book in the WVABWM Facebook private group. Join us this month as we explore and learn more about the history of the kings of Israel as recorded in 2 Chronicles.

During the Women’s Leadership Conference in Mexico with Debbie and Keith Myers, I had the privilege of giving directions and an example of how to share a testimony. It was such a blessing to give my own testimony because it helped the women see that there are people in the United States that live very kindred lives. Growing up in poverty myself, I used my story to connect with the women as my experiences, emotions, and challenges were very similar to what several of them may encounter in their lives today. I used a simple 3-step framework to organize my story in my mind so it would flow similar to a journey along a path… A journey that started on the path God had chosen for me, then me veering off onto my own path, but then returning to God’s plan once again. I shared how, at first, the path I wanted to take looked so fun and exciting. But it quickly turned into sin which required repentance, a change in my life, and redirecting my steps back to the path God had for me.

When sharing your testimony to an individual,

What do you look for in a leader? For generations, God’s people hoped for a leader to take them into battle. They wanted a problem-solver, winner-take-all, charismatic leader. Instead, God gave someone they did not expect...His Son Jesus. In direct contrast to the characteristics of popular leaders then (and now), Jesus was known for humility.

From Kim Pickrell…. Director of Spiritual Growth Retreat….

The theme "Straighten Your Crown, Girl" came after a conversation I was having with my daughter. I was telling her that I just did not have an idea for the retreat this year. I had been reading, looking through devotional books, praying, talking with friends, but nothing was coming. My brain was totally blank!

My daughter said, “Let me send you something. It might help

Sunday, the last day of the retreat, six women were appointed to the CICEM’S (Council of Indigenous Christian Evangelicals of Mexico) National Board. This is the first time in their history that women will have a voice and influence in representing women from their 6 regions and 35 churches in CICEM. That weekend was the first national gathering of their leaders and our team was privileged to be a witness to this landmark and monumental event.