DEEP WATERS

In every issue of O: The Oprah Magazine , the "Books That Made a Difference To..." column features a celebrity and the books that have impacted his or her life greatly. I love to read this column for several reasons. One, I love books myself. And since the day I learned to read, I now have a personal history of almost four decades of amazing books in my own repertoire. Two, you can tell so much about a person by the books he or she reads, and even more by the books a person loves. Third, I often run out and find books that those celebs have loved. I'm especially likely to read the ones that people I really admire have loved. The first book I remember falling in love with was The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. My second grade teacher, having discovered my ravenous appetite for literature, suggested I read the C.S. Lewis classic. I loved the intrigue, the mystery and the adventure of this novel, and I think my love for good books was ignited the moment ...

In my last post I shared the lessons God taught me in 2010. And I promised to share God's purposes for me in 2011 next time. Well, I may not know all that God has for me this year, but I promise you, God has definitely been speaking to me. So here's what I believe He's purposed for me thus far... I. Focus on the Family When Anthony and I moved to Arkansas to join the ministry of Mosaic Church, the Lord impressed upon my heart the importance of placing our family before any other ministry we do. So many pastors, evangelists and bible teachers have given their entire lives for the sake of the gospel. They spend countless hours sharing Christ and God's Word with others, "making disciples of all nations." (Matthew 28:19, 20). While applaudable, unfortunately many of us in ministry sacrifice our own families to reach the lost. I call my family our "First Church". My allegiance must be to them first and foremost. Supporting my husband as a man and...

We're one week into the new year, and I still haven't made any resolutions. Instead, I've opted to: 1. revisit the lessons of 2010 and 2. discover God's purposes for me in this new year. Today I'll share lessons of 2010. Next week, join me again as I share God's purposes for me in 2011. The Lessons of 2010 Before I can share last year's lessons, I have to share my personal journey over the last twelve months. I welcomed the year of 2010 as a resident of Northern Virginia. Having moved back to the East Coast from Franklin, Tennessee back in August of 2009, Anthony and I had just hosted my family for Christmas dinner. It had been a decade since we'd been able to host an extended family dinner, and it felt wonderful.  Although we missed our old church (Strong Tower) and our friends back in Tennessee, we were excited to be closer to home. We were blessed to be starting a new church, One Community Bible Church. And I was elated to be near the nation...