“She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.” – Proverbs 31:27 ... READ MORE.

When Gladys Aylward was on her way to China to fulfill the call of God on her life, the enemy must have known how powerful her ministry would be, because he tried to thwart her before she even arrived. In Russia, she was detained by corrupt government officials. As she sat in a hotel room, thinking about a way to escape, an officer tried to force his way in. Boldly, she told him, “You are not coming in here.” “Why not?” he smirked. “Because this is my bedroom.” “I am the master, I can do with you what I wish!”... READ MORE.

I have two young daughters, both of whom are expert drama queens. One thing I have learned while raising little girls: you do not have to teach females how to be melodramatic. We are born that way. Knowing how to showcase womanly drama is second nature (or should I say, sin nature) to most of us, though it can take on different shapes and forms depending on personality. When Harper does not get her way, she sulks and sniffs while pitiful crocodile tears run down her chubby cheeks. Moodiness is her choice weapon for creating drama wherever she goes. Avy is another story.... READ MORE.

  “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” – Philippians 4:8 NASB Facebook itself is not an evil thing. But if it is not put in its proper place, it can quickly become an unhealthy addiction in your life – robbing precious time, distracting you from Christ, and putting your mind on the things of this world.... READ MORE.

When you begin to take steps forward to fortify the “wall” of your life against all work of the enemy, you can bank on the fact that he will pull out all the stops to try and thwart and discourage you. When Nehemiah was in the process of building the wall around Jerusalem, the enemies of Israel did everything possible to thwart the process:... READ MORE.

A longtime missionary once said, “We sell people a bill of goods when we tell them that Jesus is the answer to all their problems. The reality is that they are going to have lots of struggles, even after they come to Christ, so we shouldn’t paint Christianity to be some amazing experience.”  ... READ MORE.

Dressing modestly (and fashionably) these days is an art form. Most of us aren’t willing to make the extra effort to overcome the challenges and dress with grace, mystique, and dignity. Add to that our desire to be found appealing to the opposite sex, and we end up with dismally low standards for the way we dress. We know that we’ll get more attention from guys in form-fitting tops, tight pants, and short skirts. And it’s all too tempting to... READ MORE.

When asked the question, “What would you say young women are most disillusioned with?” – to me, the answer is obvious: today’s young women are primarily disillusioned with guys. Girls grow up reading fairy tales and dreaming of Prince Charming, but by the time we get to sixth grade, we are presented with a standard of masculinity so shockingly below our ideal that we can’t help but become disillusioned and even dismayed.... READ MORE.

The secret to the true Christian life is exchanging our own lives for the life of Jesus Christ; allowing our bodies to be completely overtaken by a foreign power – the very Spirit of Almighty God. And declaring along with Paul, “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”   Most of us stand in the way of letting Christ truly live in and through us.   Instead of giving Him the ownership papers to our home – our body, mind, and spirit – we treat Him like a hired servant.  ... READ MORE.

When God first began to rebuild my understanding of feminine beauty, my entire outlook and value system had to change. For years, I had allowed pop culture to define my understanding of feminine beauty. I had inundated my mind with modern magazines, movies, TV, and the fashion industry – a world that valued the “Victoria Secret model” look and attitude. I had been surrounded by peers who applauded self-obsessed, arrogant, sexually aggressive young women. I had tried to venture as close to those standards as possible, while still somehow maintaining my Christianity.... READ MORE.

The concept of trusting God to script our love story in His own perfect time, without manipulation on our part, is typically treated as ridiculous and naïve in today’s Christian world. The idea that everything – including the good dreams and hopes God has given us – must be surrendered back to Jesus Christ is often deemed extreme and unnecessary in modern Christianity. And shooing away mediocre men in order to wait for a man completely abandoned to God is viewed by many as a recipe for lifelong disappointment.... READ MORE.

Once upon a time, Christian men and women understood what it meant to lay down everything for the sake of Christ – including their desires for marriage and family. Like Abraham surrendering Isaac, they willingly laid their most sacred and priceless blessings upon the altar before God. They realized that if He desired them to be married, He would make it clear in His own perfect time and way. But He must always come first, and He must always be implicitly trusted. Jim and Elisabeth Elliot’s love story beautifully illustrated this pattern.... READ MORE.