Uncategorized

Years ago, toward the end of the hippie movement, my husband and I used to arrive with our toddler, Gail, at her prekindergarten class about the same time each Sunday morning. Almost simultaneously, a bearded young man with very long, flowing hair would deposit his young daughter, Tammy.

My husband, Tom, and I were taken aback more than once by how much Tammy’s dad resembled the artist’s rendition of Jesus that hung on the Sunday school wall. We sometimes couldn’t help remarking to each other about it.

After our couples’ Sunday school class concluded one Sunday, I went to pick up Gail as usual. Hurrying to the door, her teacher apologized, “I’m sorry, but during playtime just now, your little Gail and Tammy got into a scrap.”

Most historians consider John and Charles Wesley the two founders of the Methodist church. But behind these men stood a strong mother whose influence molded and shaped their destinies.

Susanna Annesley was born on January 20, 1669, in London, England. She was the youngest of 25 children.

Her minister father took special interest in Susanna and gave her rare opportunities for “formal” education. He also allowed her to take part in theological discussions with his minister colleagues.

We are shaped emotionally by the image of God we carry in our minds.

CINDERELLA’S PRINCE LIFTED HER FROM SHAME TO ACCEPTANCE. THE PRINCE OF PEACE WANTS TO DO THE SAME FOR YOU.

---

Everything Cinderella had ever hoped for was given to her, but there was one condition: She needed to be home by midnight. Even the princess in the fairy tale was given instructions that she was expected to obey.

Life is like a fairy tale when we put our trust in God. He guarantees that we will live happily ever after in heaven. And if we obey Him in this life, we can expect blessings today as well.

A revival similar to the one in Argentina is beginning in France.

As a child it was no big deal for me to see visions or angels, experience the future in dreams or hear the voice of Jesus.

But after college I married, stopped going to church and stopped talking with Jesus. When my marriage failed, I sought out a psychologist who had “just the thing” for my sensitivity–a research program at a local university for “people like [me].”

The program, under a Defense Department grant, involved a core of psychics. By day I taught Spanish and senior honors English; by night I reported to the lab, working on everything from mental telepathy to “remote viewing,” murder cases and mind control.

“MISS JEANNINE” LACQUEMENT FINDS RESPITE FROM THE PAIN OF A DEBILITATING ILLNESS WHEN SHE TEACHES THE CHILDREN OF FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, TO WORSHIP THE LORD THROUGH DANCE.

Agroup of 4- and 5-year-old children stand on the platform moving gently to the music and doing graceful sign language with their hands. They are watching their teacher, Miss Jeannine, who is leading them from the floor.

As they dance, their faces are lit by an inner light that speaks of a deep intimacy with Jesus. This is liturgical dance at its best–children dancing as an integral part of the service.

Our pastor’s son, Marty, was determined to stay in college. But the income from our small congregation made this an “iffy” situation–at least if it depended on help from his family.

My own daughter, Dana, was also in college, and the contrast between her circumstances and Marty’s raised questions in my mind. My child had all the material goods that a freshman in college needs–a new car, clothes and an allowance.

Marty, on the other hand, struggled constantly with shabby clothes, a poor specimen of transportation that seemed to inhale the income from his part-time job, and little money for trips home and sundry other expenses. Why, I wondered?

DEBBIE DORTZBACH, A MISSIONARY IN NAIROBI, KENYA, BELIEVES THE CHURCH HAS AN ANSWER TO THIS DEADLY EPIDEMIC.

---

Left: Dortzbach (right) with Ruth Calver, wife of World Relief President, Clive Calver, attends a Rwandan woman who later died of AIDS in 1999.

Could an AIDS-free generation be possible? Yes, says Debbie Dortzbach, who is already seeing progress in the midst of a staggering epidemic in Africa.

A WOMAN WITH A SONG IN HER HEART

---

Little did 17-year-old Marie Wagner know in 1916 that the tiny baby she named “Audrey” would grow up to become a musician, preacher, songwriter, and bubbling friend to thousands.

As a young woman, Audrey left her Leechburg, Pennsylvania, home for Los Angeles, where she came under the ministry and influence of Aimee Semple McPherson, founder of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. She was ordained with the church in 1939.

I WAS SPIRITUALLY AND PHYSICALLY DRAINED FROM THE CHRONIC PAIN THAT TORE AT MY BODY. BUT THE GREATER ONE ON THE INSIDE STILL GAVE ME VICTORY OVER MY ENEMY.

---

My eyes fluttered open, and I was jolted awake. My heart seemed as if it were pounding out of my chest.

Where was I? Nothing looked familiar. Was I in a motel room?

Both my 3-year-old adopted Chinese daughter, Jessica MeiLan, and I love clothes. As a stay-at-home mom, I’m always looking for a bargain, especially since I buy for my daughter first.

One Saturday I came home from a yard sale with three denim jumpers, two shorts sets, and a princess-waisted floral dress of pastel pinks, yellows, and blues–all for only $13!

I could hardly wait to wear my “new” dress to church the next day. Usually the church women notice new dresses, and I waited, expecting compliments. But none came my way.

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.”