Pray For Our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters

Living and enjoying the comforts and freedoms in America, it is easy to forget there are many believers around the world harshly persecuted for their Christian faith. Pastor Saeed has been imprisoned for almost two years in Iran and as you can see in the graphic below, Iran is one of the top 10 countries for persecution of Christians.

Our brothers and sisters around the world need our prayers. Hebrews 13:3 tells us to, "Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." 

Here are some ways you can pray:

• Pray believers will stand firm in their faith
• Pray for persecuted believers to draw even closer to the Lord, be strengthened, and continue to courageously share Christ. 

Gospel for Asia has many more requests for persecuted believers here. 

May we all REMEMBER our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world and faithfully pray for them and for the gospel to spread to all nations. 

National Missionaries

2 out of 5 people have never heard of Jesus' love, which means 2.5 billion people do not have the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. This is why Gospel for Asia is passionate about training and equipping national missionaries to go out, share the good news, and disciple new believers. National missionaries already know the language and customs of their own people. Also, more than three-fourths of Asian countries do not allow western missionaries to enter their country and openly share the gospel.

With so many people (2.5 billion) lost and headed to Hell, what can we do to make a difference? 

PRAY - As a family, choose a people group to learn about and pray for them.
Do you belong to a Sunday school class, small group, or homeschool co-op? If so, choose a people group together and begin praying for them. Better yet, pull your resources together and support a national missionary. 

GIVE - You can support a Gospel for Asia national missionary and help support their work in their home country. These missionaries have gone through three years of intensive training, and they know the language and customs of the people they are ministering to.

Millions Need Clean Water

Clean water is something I take for granted. I take a few steps to one of three sinks in my home, turn the faucet on and clean water comes out. Unfortunately, this is not true for millions in Asia. Women walk several miles from their homes to find the nearest water source, which is often stagnant ponds or dirty rivers. As a result, millions of people in Asia are plagued by waterborne illnesses.

I would like to tell you about my friend Annette. She was burdened by the plight of the millions in Asia living without clean water and she wanted to do something about it. For her 42nd birthday, she set a goal to raise $1,000 to help ONE village in Asia receive a Jesus Well. The Lord took Annette home before she could see her goal reached, but since her passing, people have given enough for 20 Jesus Wells in her memory.  I miss my encouraging friend and tears sting my eyes as I type this, but I KNOW she is with Jesus and she radiantly glorified Him in the way she loved and served. 

The Lord gives us ONE life to live for Him and His glory. When I think about the MILLIONS in Asia without clean water, it is so easy to think I cannot make a difference, but the example of my friend, Annette reminds me just how mighty my God is and how He can use ONE life if we are willing to surrender. 

Gospel for Asia is praying and believing in the Lord to provide the resources to build 5,000 Jesus Wells in 2014. Would you please consider giving? 

My Tuesday Morning with Jesus

We spent the weekend out of town for a niece's birthday party, came home Saturday night to no water because the water pipes leading to our home froze. I spent Sunday at home instead of going to church so I could wait on a call from the water district to come fix the situation. Monday was a holiday, so my husband got to stay home and we decided to not do any school so we could have a family day and catch up on laundry and things around the house. So, when Tuesday morning came I felt behind. Very, very behind.

Tuesday is our co-op day and I have certain goals I want to reach before we head over to church around 10:45 a.m. This Tuesday morning was quite simply chaotic and stressful. I had to discipline a child, I couldn't find a school book, I needed to finish packing lunches for the day, and my sink was full of dirty dishes. The missing school book was what caused me to fall apart. I began speaking out loud for both of my girls to hear things like...

"If I could get the house organized better. I wouldn't lose school books. I am a terrible homemaker."

"If I would have gotten up earlier this morning I'd have these dishes done and the lunches packed. I am a terrible homemaker."

"If I had more self-control and patience, I wouldn't get angry so quickly at my children. I am a terrible mother."

I probably spewed off 2-3 more negative labels about myself in the course of this meltdown, but I stopped when I saw Lauren and the tears streaming down her face. I sat down in a chair, reached out my arms, and she came and sat on my lap. My negative self- talk, my self-focused pity party had hurt my daughter's heart. She said, "Mommy, you are a good mommy and you take good care of us. I don't like it when you talk like that." My heart broke for so many reasons at that moment. Instead of crying out to God to calm me and strengthen me, I chose to explode in a self-focused tirade and it did not help me and it hurt my daughter's heart in the process.

We went to co-op and the 2nd period I have free. I sat in a classroom all alone and ate my lunch, pulled out my Kindle to read the 3rd chapter of Lysa TerKeursts' book, "Unglued." Some ladies at my church are reading this book right now and meeting to discuss a few chapters at a time. The 3rd chapter of the book literally brought me to tears because it basically described my morning and how us women tend to speak to ourselves in a way we would never dare to speak to someone else. We beat ourselves up and let our messes define us and how that enslaves us and makes us "prisoners" as the chapter is appropriately titled.

My mind is constantly in a battle. Focused on the Lord one moment and focused on myself the next. Letting God reign one moment and the in the next moment self rears its ugly head again.

Do I need to work on some organization projects in my home? Absolutely! But does that make me a failure in life? Nope.

Do I need to sometimes get up earlier in the morning? Yes. But that does not make me a failure on those days.

Do I need more self-control and patience? Oh yes. But thank the Lord His mercies are new everyday and He is faithful to prune me so I can grow the fruit of patience and self-control in my life. Not in my own power, but in His power (Lamentations 3:22-23 and Galatians 5:22-23).

So, I am going to break free from these labels I put on myself and exchange them for the labels Christ has given me. I am His child, He has a plan for me, He is the author and finisher of my faith, and He has given me everything I need to live a godly life for His glory.  Grace, grace, grace, how thankful I am for grace.

I am thankful for my Tuesday morning with Jesus -- mess and all. I am thankful He met me in my mess, cleaned me up, put me back on my feet so I can walk away from my sin and forward with him. I'm thankful for TerKeursts' reminder in the first chapter of her book that "There is a beautiful reality called imperfect progress ... progress wrapped in grace ... imperfect progress."

AWANA Silver and Golds

Kaitlyn has finished her AWANA book and has begun working on her silver and golds (reviews and fun interactive activities). One of the things she chose to do for a gold section, was to make a recipe from Bible times. She chose to make unleavened bread and then she took it to her class to share with them. We also looked at information about unleavened bread in the Bible. 

Do your children participate in AWANA or any sort of Bible memory verse program or challenge?

2014 Scripture

The past couple weeks, I've been reflecting on 2013 and the areas of my life I want to improve in 2014. The words "steady" and "consistent" kept coming to mind over and over. I am really good at initially getting excited or motivated about a new goal (health or spiritual) and then fizzle out at some point. I want to be steady and consistent in my walk with the Lord. I truly respect my husband and when I see the closeness he has with the Lord and the good care he takes of his physical body, I see a man who is steady and consistent in his obedience. He doesn't overcomplicate things -- He simply takes one step of progress at a time and gets results. In searching the Scriptures (thank you biblegateway.com) I came across Proverbs 4:26. I appreciate how the NIV translates this verse:

Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. 

I hope to live out Proverbs 4:26 this year and experience the steady, consistent, and victorious life Christ desires.

Don't Wait for Perfect Conditions

Christmas is often referred to as the most wonderful time of the year, but for many it turns into the most stressful time of the year. However, I don't think any of us have faced stress like young Mary, the mother of Jesus. 

• She had a face-to-face encounter with an angel.
• She had to tell her finance she was pregnant with God's baby.
• She had to travel away from home close to her due date.
• She gave birth away from home and away from all the women in her life who would have assisted her in the birth and instead ended up delivering her baby in a place where animals slept. 
• Shepherds visited her in the middle of the night almost immediately after giving birth. 

In Luke 2:8-19, we read about the Shepherds' visit to Mary:

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest,    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

In the midst of possibly the craziest nine months any young girl in history has ever experienced, Mary welcomed people to come and meet Jesus, even though her circumstances were less than perfect. She had just given birth in a dirty, smelly stable after a long day of traveling. And yet, Mary had the peace and wisdom to slow down, treasure the moments and soak in all that was going on around her. Scripture says she listened to Shepherds, lowly shepherds, and treasured and pondered what they said. 

At this moment in time, Mary is holding the promised Messiah in her arms and John 1:14 says she is holding the One who became flesh in order to dwell among us. She is holding Emmanuel - God who came to bring connection so we can know Him intimately and personally. 

This Christmas, let's follow Mary's example and not wait for perfect conditions before we allow others into our loves so we can introduce them to our Savior. Mary could have told Joseph to send the shepherds away because she was tired or weak, but she didn't. If we wait around for perfect conditions -- we will never accomplish anything of eternal value this Christmas season. May we all slow down, listen to the people God has placed in our lives, and find simple ways to show them our Savior, just like Mary did with the shepherds the night Jesus was born. 

Lord, I pray this Christmas season, we will slow down and simply adore YOU in whatever less than perfect conditions we may find ourselves. Help us to praise you and point others to You in the midst of stress. You came to be our Prince of Peace, so Lord, let us live like we truly believe You are. You are Emmanuel - God with us. you came to connect with us, now we ask you to help us, help others connect with You. In Your name I pray, Amen. 

Our First Sunday in our New Church

Sunday, August 4th was our first Sunday in our new church and Heath's grandmother, mother, sister, niece and nephew were in attendance. We were so thrilled to have them sitting in the sanctuary for Heath's first sermon as pastor of this new church. 

As you can see, the cousins were all pretty excited to spend time together. My sister-in-law is quite the creative photographer.

Good-bye PA, Hello IL

I haven't been posting much on here lately because moving is a lot of work. It is exhausting both emotionally and physically. On Saturday, July 27th, many of our friends from PA came and helped us load all our belongings into a U-Haul and clean our home. We are blessed with many friends in PA and are thankful for their love, encouragement, and friendship. 

On Sunday morning, the boys got in the U-Haul and the girls got in the van and we drove to Howe, IN to spend the night. The Lord blessed us with travelling mercies and good rest that night and the next morning (Monday) we woke up and drove the rest of the way to Machesney Park, IL. We were greeted with lots of warm and welcoming people to help us unload the truck.

We are living next door to the church in the parsonage. In the past, this home had only been used for Sunday school classes and it temporarily was an office for the North Central Baptist Association. Many church members worked long and hard hours preparing the home for our arrival. They cleaned, painted, made repairs, and landscaped. We were blown away by all the work they had done and are thankful for such a charming little home to live in as we adjust to our new surroundings and community.

The way the children have transitioned is all a testimony to how God is working in their lives. Sure, we still miss our friends in PA, but how can you stop missing people you dearly love? You can't. However, the Lord has already begun forming relationships here and we're already making memories and enjoying exploring our new area.

I am sticking to my original plan and not going to start our new school year until after Labor Day. We still have some organizing to do around our new home and none of us feel like we've had much of a summer vacation anyway, so we're going to take a couple more weeks to slow down and adjust before shifting into school mode.

I am going to share on Monday some of the fun things we've done since moving.

Happy Birthday to My Son!!!

My son is 12-years-old today. He likes to play drums, skateboard, and spike his hair. I remember when he used to play with his farm animals while singing "E - I - E - I - O." Where does the time go? It really is true -- our life is just a vapor (James 4:14).  Since the days seem to disappear so quickly, I want to enjoy the moments and not take a single one for granted.

Happy birthday, Tyler. I sure am thankful God made you and let me be your mom.

Until We Meet Again

This past Sunday, July 21st was our family's last time worshiping with our church family before moving to Illinois. The children wanted to do a special music, but we had to compromise and allowed them to help lead worship with us on one song because the service was packed with extra things due to a mission team visiting from out of town. 

I pray my children will always desire to use their talents to glorify the Lord. Packing, saying good-bye to our friends, and preparing to move is stressful and overwhelming, but God truly blessed us with encouragement on Sunday. As people prayed for us and spoke with us after the service, many people shared how they appreciate how our family serves the Lord together. Family ministry has always been the desire of our hearts. We never wanted our children to look at Heath and think serving the Lord and ministry was his job, but as believers and followers of Christ, we all should have the desire to love and serve God and others. I think this mindset is what has helped our children accept moving away from their friends here in PA. Sure, we are all sad, but when you trust God's plans for your lives, it makes moving forward a little easier (not easy, just easier). 

Would you please pray for us as we continue to pack, spend time with friends, and for the drive to Illinois to our new home, place of service - our mission field for the Lord. 

The worship team surprised us with a final song at the end of the service, "Til We Meet Again." Yes, our dear PA friends, we will meet again. 

The Adventures of VBS Week

I spent the week serving at my church's VBS and my husband spent the week serving at a World Changer's project in Neptune, NJ. Our children enjoyed their last VBS with their PA friends and the week flew by and we did have a few adventures along the way. 

One night after VBS, I went to my van to go home but the van would not start. I hoped someone could just get the jumper cables hooked up and send me on my way, but no such luck since the battery needed to be replaced. Some great friends stayed late that night and fixed the van so the children and I would have transportation while Heath was out of town all week.

When Heath returned home on Saturday, we had a birthday cake waiting for him. Kaitlyn is still our cake decorator and she did a great job decorating the cake with M&M candies.

This week we are going to spend a day in D.C. before we move to IL since the children have never been before, I am going to get to spend some time with some friends a couple days this week, and we are going to have a walking taco party with the youth. I also need to do some packing this week too, but I want to make all the moments count here in PA with our friends before we pull out with the U-Haul on the 28th.

We would appreciate your continued prayers for our family as we say good-bye to our dear friends here, pack, and move to IL to our new church family and join them in service to the Lord. We continue to give God all the praise and glory for how He has worked so quickly on the sale of our home and trust Him to carry this process through to completion all for His glory.

Farewell Time (Almost)

I opened up my church bulletin yesterday morning and when I saw this announcement, the tears immediately began to fill my eyes. Then, my pastor began praying and I couldn't get a grip. However, he did show a very funny video and that helped dry my eyes a bit. I really, really love my church family here in PA and I am going to miss them all like crazy when we move to IL. I am thankful for the time the Lord allowed us to live and serve here because we have learned many eternal lessons and made many forever friends.

Our home is currently under contract and I give God all the praise and glory for how He showed Himself mighty in sending a buyer so quickly. We are waiting to hear how the inspection went, and I am trying to please the Lord in how I wait - fully trusting Him to meet all our needs. He's got this entire situation under His control.

God's plans are for our good, not harm (Jeremiah 29:11). 

Changes are Coming

My husband has been given the opportunity to pastor a church in northern Illinois, which means we will sell our home, pack up our belongings, say good-bye to loved ones here in Pennsylvania, and move at the end of July. I am preparing to teach Vacation Bible School and in my lesson I am challenged to ask God to help me view change positively and confidently. I had to stop and highlight that challenge, because I am struggling. I am struggling with this upcoming change in my life. Saying "good-bye" to the many loved ones here in PA and all the unknowns of a new home and new place of ministry can quickly overwhelm me. I am honestly excited about the next adventure God has given our family, but change is still hard. I am continually learning to replace my fear with faith and as William Carey used to say, I "expect great things from God."

Would you please pray for our family as we say "good-bye" to our friends here in PA, and as we say "hello" to our new friends in IL?

I want to praise God for His great work. Our home was on the market for 8 days and we received an offer. Our home is under contract, and next week the inspection will take place. We are continuing to pray in faith, believing that God is going to wrap up the sale of our home before we pull out with the U-Haul.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. 

Lauren's Baptism

Lauren was suppose to be baptized on Easter Sunday, but she was very sick and had to miss church. However, she was able to be baptized yesterday, which was Father's Day and what a special gift for her daddy since he got to baptize her.

When I was helping her dry off and get dressed for the remainder of the worship service, I told her I was able to take a video of her baptism. She told me, "Mom, don't ever lose that video because this is the one and only time I'm every going to get baptized because I know I'm a Christian."

Thank you Father for making Yourself known to this child of mine. I continue to pray for her to walk closely with You all the days of her life.

What Does She Want for Mother's Day?

What does this mother want the most for mother's day? 

She would love hope for her child. Hope for a better life. A life free from begging, beatings, hunger, illness, loneliness, and shame. The Dalits, a people group in India known as the "untouchables" are unable to change their children's fate on their own, but YOU can. You can sponsor their child so they can attend a Gospel for Asia Bridge of Hope Center where they can receive a free education, basic medical care, one warm nutritious meal each day, and most importantly a place where they can learn about Jesus. You can give this mother a beautiful gift - the opportunity for her child to have a better life than she had.

Gospel for Asia would love to have 250 children sponsored by THIS mother's day. Will you help sponsor one of the 20,000 children still waiting for sponsors? For just $35 a month, you can bless a mother with the hope she so desperately would love to give to her child.

When you do sponsor a child, take a moment to pray for the precious mother of your sponsored child. I am committing to pray this week for our sponsored child's mother. I am praying for her to truly see the Lord's goodness and love in her life and for her to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3

The first Friday of each month, I lead a Bible study for a small group of ladies. We are working our way through Philippians. This month we studied chapter 3. If you're interested, you can go back and read our study outlines from chapters 1 and 2 as well. 

photo credit

Confidence in Christ, not Flesh - 3:1-11

Verses 1-11 Shows how the confidence of a Christian should not be the result of things we DO, but rather from our relationship with Christ and Him alone.

Verses 1-2

• Judaisers teaching falsely that Gentiles must be circumcised in order to receive God’s salvation.

Verse 3

• The true meaning of circumcision in this passage is not a literal cutting of a piece of flesh, but rather a spiritual cutting of the heart which reveals believers their need for a Savior. Confidence of salvation cannot be placed in something physical, like circumcision, but only in the work of Christ. When Christ came, he freed us from the bondage of doing and offered us a relationship with Him.

Verses 4-6

• If anyone had reason to boast in the flesh, it was Paul. He followed the law perfectly, but it did not save him. He was not saved until He came face-to-face with Christ.

Verses 7-11

• Paul calls all those “things” rubbish/dung/garbage (vs. 8).
• Righteousness comes from faith in Christ, not the law (vs. 9).
• KNOW Christ and BECOME like Him (vs. 10).

Application: Am I more centered on DOING (following rules and doing things to “serve”) rather  than BEING in relationship with Christ?

• Focus on knowing Christ and becoming like Him. This is harder than doing, because this requires us to be still, listen, and come face-to-face with God.  Doing is easy because we can stay busy, preoccupied with ourselves and others and avoid God altogether if we are not careful.

Goals With an Eternal Focus

Verses 12-21 - Teaches us how to press on toward eternally focused goals.

Verse 12 - Christ has made me his own and therefore I will keep pressing forward.

Verses 13-14 - Forget the past because it is paid for, done, and settled. Dwelling on past (forgiven) sin will only hinder you and hold you back from reaching the goals Christ has for your life.

Verses 15-16 - Christians who still beat themselves up about their pasts are immature. Mature believers recognize their past is covered by the blood of Jesus and press on to live victorious lives for Christ.

Verse 17 - Paul followed Christ’s example. Look for people around you who are following Christ and learn from them (but give them grace because they are not perfect). Strive to be a follower of Christ so someone else can live by your example as well.

Verses 18-19 - We live in a world with many “enemies of the cross” who do not follow Christ. Their life’s focus is on the here and now rather than God’s eternal Kingdom.

Verses 20-21 - Paul reminds us not to live with our focus on earthly things because this is not our forever home. Our earthly sinful bodies will one day transform into heavenly glorious bodies. A body no longer affected by the curse of sin, which means it will not give into weakness, death, decay, or sin.

Application: Am I more centered on earthly or eternal goals?

• How do I spend my time and money? What do I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about and actually doing?
  
  

photo credit: zen via photopin cc

Jesus Wells

Our AWANA club recently raised money to buy wells for villages in Asia. The boys and girls competed against one another to see who could raise the most money. The children's grand total came to $2,032.80, which is enough to buy TWO wells for two separate villages in India! We sent our money to Gospel for Asia so they can give two Jesus wells to villagers who are in great need and since missionaries and pastors will be involved, the people won't simply have a physical need met, but they will have an opportunity to hear about Jesus - the true and living water (John 4:10).

Back to the Heart of Worship

I was talking to a sister in Christ the other day and she was sharing with me how her church is divided over the issue of worship style. The older generation wants their own, separate traditional service, while the younger generation wants one blended worship service. This breaks my heart, because the moment you split congregations into two different worship style services, you have created a divide between this one body of believers and in a sense have created two separate churches within one building.

 

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God's Word speaks many times about unity. Jesus even prayed for us (believers) to be one in order to experience complete unity (John 17:22-23). Unity does not happen naturally though. In order to be unified we must show one another grace, love unconditionally and lay aside our selfishness (our personal preferences). God refers to this as "denying yourself" (Luke 9:23).

I lost my mother 10 years ago to cancer and I no longer have any living grandparents. Perhaps that is why I greatly desire to worship in a multi-generational church. I need older women to look to for counsel, I need peers to confide in when these parenting years are sometimes lonely and hard, and I need younger women and girls to encourage, mentor, and befriend. Shouldn't the family of God look, act, and function much like a family, which would include people of all personalities and ages doing life together and loving and serving one another? Will we have differences of opinion and preferences? Of course we will, but that is where selflessness, love, and service should be tested and put into action for the glory of God.

My son, the drummer

My children may have to deny themselves when only the piano is playing and we sing In the Garden, because that is not their personal preference of worship style, but they can still choose worship.  My sweet friend "Miss" Marcie may have to deny herself when my son is up banging on the drum set to Who Can Satisfy, but she can still worship because she knows the worship service is not about her or for her because it's all about Christ and giving Him the praise and glory He deserves. The music portion of the worship service should help us focus on the presence of God. It is not a time to focus on how much you dislike the particular style of music that is being played. Oh precious church, may we not fight over worship styles, and may we never give up meeting together and all the more as the day of His return is approaching (Hebrews 10:25).  When He returns, let's not be caught fighting over worship styles, but may we be caught worshiping Him together as one beautiful, loving, and unified body focused on Him and not our own personal preferences.

God said the world will know us by our love for one another (John 13:35). What does it say about our love for God and one another if we fight over the worship style in our church?

As a pastor's wife and a mother, I would like to share how much I love and treasure many old hymns. I grew up singing hymns and I desire my children to experience these beautiful songs in worship too. However, I also treasure a lot of the newer music as well. For me, it's not about the style of music or the instruments used, but rather the heart of the matter. As Matt Redman's  song says, "I'm coming back to the heart of worship and it's all about You, Jesus." 

photo credit: tambrieann via photopin cc

Friends and Mentors

I was beyond excited and blessed when my friend asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding recently. This girl loves the Lord and truly desires to serve Him and make Him known. She serves in our church in a myriad of ways from VBS decorating (she is super creative), youth worker, worship team (she has some mad bongo skills), as well as served on various mission trips.

When my friend introduced me to all the other bridesmaids she said I was a friend and spiritual mentor. This mentoring relationship unfolded quite naturally. We were both wanting someone to journey through the season of Lent together a few years ago, so we met weekly and read through all the Holy Week gospel accounts together. Once we were done with that we started meeting bi-weekly and went through a book about the fruit of the spirit together, and now she has joined my monthly Bible study group. This has not been a one-sided mentoring relationship, because she has also mentored and challenged me greatly. An added bonus, is she is also my tea drinking buddy as well. We both love our chai tea and we usually enjoyed a cup (or two) when we would meet.

My friend is beautiful and she truly honored God in her singleness by striving for purity and serving the Lord while she waited for a strong Christian man to come into her life. I truly believe this guy who stole her heart will do his best to guard and protect her heart and they will be a strong and powerful couple for the Lord's glory.

Mentoring is often a sacrifice of time, but it is something we should all be doing in some shape or form. Look for women around you and encourage them to grow in their walk with the Lord and you might just be asked to be a bridesmaid if you mentor a single lady.