Must Read

God responds to our doubts about our worthiness by saying, “You are worthy. You are because I say you are. You are because of my love for you.” Augustine once wrote, “By loving us, God makes us lovable.” Our worthiness will never be merited, achieved or earned. It is given to us as a gift, and a gift can only be received. JB Smith 

I love that quote! Don’t you? It’s from a book I just finished reading, The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows. And I have to tell you that after reading this book I am more in love with God than I was before. 

Author James Bryan Smith states that most of us, on some level, hold false concepts about God, such as: God loves me only when I’m good; God wants me to try harder; God is angry with me; God’s favor can only be earned. Smith believes that our thoughts about God determine not only who we are, but how we live. 

In his book Smith invites his readers to put their ideas about who God is to the test – to see if they match up with the God Jesus knows and reveals through Scripture. He also extends an invitation to engage in a process of spiritual formation that includes some gentle spiritual exercises to help us experience more of God. These exercises are not meant to make you more religious or impress God. They are meant to help you see and understand the world as Jesus did.

This book is not a stuffy read. Smith writes simply, yet artfully, about how our ordinary, everyday lives can be about discovering and enjoying our good and beautiful God. I think this book is a must read and maybe even a must reread. I’m planning to reread it this month.

 (It’s a great book to work through with others.)

Friend or Fan?

MCC -- I couldn't resist.

Friend or Fan?

There’s a difference. 

I need friends more than I need fans. 

Don’t get me wrong. Being a fan isn’t a bad thing. In fact I am a fan. 

I’m a diehard fan of Muskegon Catholic Central football. Every Saturday morning I watch for my brother’s email that gives me the stats for Friday night’s game. (BTW we’ve won two state championships in the last three years and we’re currently in the playoffs.) I’m a Facebook fan of Lake Michigan (That’s kind of lame, isn’t it?). You could definitely say I’m a fan of Food Network. And I’m a fan, dangerously bordering on groupie, of Switchfoot. 

Fans can be extremely devoted and enthusiastic admirers or followers. Some of whom will even cheer relentlessly when the chips are down. 

To tell someone you’re their fan is to extend a verbal pat-on-the-back. As a form of encouragement I’ve expressed fan-ship to others and I’ve even had a few people do the same to me. It’s all good. 

But when it comes to people I’m in relationship with I want to be more than their fan, I want to be their friend. 

As I said, there’s a difference. 

To be a fan implies a limited personal investment. To be a friend says that you’re all in. 

A fan can fall away when they’re disappointed or a performance isn’t favorable. A friend is someone who stands by you and thinks the best of you when you mess up; even when (not if) you mess up big time.

Even a committed fan will slam the object of their affection if there’s a point of disagreement, whereas a friend is willing to hear the heart behind your perspective. 

Most fans won’t lose any sleep if the game was lost or the concert tickets are sold out. A friend, however, will lay awake all night because you’re heavy on their heart. 

Fans applaud.  Friends believe in you. 

Friend or fan? 

Both are good. 

One thing’s for certain, I need friends more than I need fans.

I have to wonder if the people I’m in relationship with would describe me as their friend or their fan. How would the people close to you describe you?

Series Wrap-up

Highlights from this morning’s message:

Jesus served, he made himself available, he was generous and he came to be a sacrifice. 

We need to decide who Jesus is . . . and act accordingly.

I’ll . . .

Be a servant

Be urgently available

Be joyfully uncomfortable for the comfort of others

Be sacrificial 

How are we doing with this?

This morning we saw the video of Jimmy, a one time Compassion International child and Mark, his sponsor. Click the arrow above to view their story again (or for the first time). It’s amazing how God uses a person’s sacrifice to bless others.

Fake ID

Twice in my life I’ve been busted for having a fake ID. The first time was on spring break in Florida when I was in college. With the aid of a little Mary Kay foundation and an electric typewriter I artfully changed a 3 to a 0 on my driver’s license in hopes that I could get in to a bar with my friends. It didn’t fool the bouncer though.  Thankfully, he only destroyed my artwork and didn’t turn me in for committing a felony.

Looking back, I can’t believe how incredibly stupid that (I) was.

The second time I was busted for a fake ID I was 35 and I was on my bathroom floor.

Let me explain.

I spent decades creating an identity for myself. It was wrapped up in my appearance, relationships I had, what I possessed and my accomplishments. But the biggie for me was my imperfections. There were a lot of days that I focused on my mistakes, my insecurities and how I just didn’t seem to measure up and that’s mostly where I got my identity.

I’d like to be able to say that when I said yes to Christ all of that changed instantaneously. But it didn’t. For me, it meant putting a Christian polish on the surface of my life. I knew in my head that God loved me just as I was, but it hadn’t transferred to my heart. So I just went through the motions. Attending service, doing Bible study, etc was all about managing my identity.

Truth is there was a lot going on underneath the surface. Can anyone relate?

My marriage was lifeless, I had an addiction, I was bitter and I was consumed with fear. And I thought that if anyone really knew me they wouldn’t want to be with me.

I think many of us have been there, afraid to be known.

Long story short is that at a time in my life when I was paralyzed with anxiety and sleep was beyond my grasp, God invited me to sit with Him on my bathroom floor at 2:30 AM one night and read Psalm 139. I’d never read it before and I was blown away to find out that He knew everything about me and at the same time He wanted to be with me.

It was as if God swooped in and destroyed my fake ID. I’d placed my identity in appearances, relationships, my circumstances, my secrets and my imperfections. And God was showing me that He knew (and knows) it all but that’s not how He defines me.

You might say that night launched me on a search for my identity and here’s what I’m learning. Not only does God love me just as I am, the bonus is, He also bestowed on me an unchangeable identity. It’s a gift completely independent of anything I do (or I’ve done), good or bad. It’s my identity in Christ.

The best part is it’s not just for me. It’s an identity that’s available to everyone who’s in relationship with Him. We don’t have to create it, earn it, fake it or manage it. All we have to do is embrace it.

Keeping it real . . . sometimes I still get caught up in all the other stuff competing to get the bigger piece of my identity but thankfully it’s been a huge area of growth for me.

The first time I got busted for a fake ID it didn’t change anything. The second time I got busted it changed everything.

Click here for an awesome list of scriptures on our identity in Christ.

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New Feature Post

Aging

By Heather Brdak

Aging . . . I know it is always in the forefront of all the beauty magazines; how to stop it or at least slow it down.  I’ve never given it much thought . . . until now.  It could be that the idea of turning 39 next month scares me a bit.  How did I get here?!?  I still feel 17. Okay, maybe 21.

This summer I got together with a group of gals and did a study that had a chapter focused on aging.  As I muddled through it, I discovered how heavy this idea of growing older weighed on my heart.  I was surprised to be in tears as I felt the fear and anxiousness bottled in that deep place in my heart begin to surface.

Thoughts of losing my parents or of what to do with myself as my kids grow up, concerns of how to care for my widowed father-in-law or of how healthy I would be as I age crossed my mind.  I didn’t realize this was even within me but as I looked at it further and spent time with the Lord reflecting on it, I realized my worry about these things showed how I truly didn’t trust the Lord with them!

I want to control it, make life the same, bring back my mother-in-law. It seems foolish to me to think that I know better than the One who set the world into motion.  As I asked the Lord about it, and read His Word, He blessed me with verses like Ecc 3:1, There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven and Matt 6:25, Do not worry about your life.  Finally, Jeremiah 29:11, that He knows His plan for me, that He will not harm me but give me prosperity, hope and a future.

I need to just let go and surrender to the aging process.  I need to give Him my fear. He knows my Heart and will give me His peace if I let Him.

Even as I change and hopefully mature gracefully into one of those little old ladies dripping with wisdom as Kristin talked about a few months ago in her blog, I can rely on the truth that He does not change.  He is and will always be the same rock I stand on now!!!  My favorite verse I came across was Isaiah 46:4: Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you!

Thank goodness, because I already have a lot of gray hairs!  And I need all the sustaining and rescuing I can get each and every day.  As I learn to surrender another part of me, I am relieved and thankful that He will be with me all the days of my life – what could be better?!

Do you struggle with aging? Are you handling it gracefully?

(We have a new format! From now on all Features will be posted right here on the Home page. To access previous Features please scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the Feature category.)

Informal Hymn Sing

Do you still enjoy church music from days gone by? Do you like to sing 4-part harmony? Join us in Grace’s chapel on Friday, Novemer 6, 7-8:30 PM. Bring your hymn book and your friends. All are welcome!

Are You Generous?

Topic of yesterday’s message: Biblical Generosity.

Definition:  Being  joyfully  uncomfortable for the comfort of others. 

Have you ever been the recipient of Biblical Generosity? 

Do tell . . .

Great Quote

“A Christian is one who points at Christ and says, ‘I can’t prove a thing, but there’s something about His eyes and His voice. There’s something about the way He carries His head, His hands, the way He carries His cross — the way He carries me.’”

Frederick Buechner

Check this out!

Trust me, I am the least likely person to enjoy watching a scientific short, but this one blew me away. It was shown last night at Listening Room. Believe it or not we actually have 30 trillion of these things in our body! God is so amazing!

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him. . . O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8: 4,5, 9.

Don’t Miss It!

Listening Room is Sunday evening (Oct 18) from 7 – 8 at Grace. Come as you are and enjoy a quiet, casual environment where we can position ourselves to be radically attentive to God. This Sunday we’ll reflect on God’s goodness through the beauty of His creation. All are welcome! A bonus about Listening Room is that you experience spiritual practices that are easy to put in place in your everyday life.

Why not take a few minutes right now (4.5 to be almost exact) to reflect on God’s beauty, displayed through what He’s created. Have you ever considered that God didn’t have to make the world beautiful for us? He could have just formed a world that was drab to sustain us. But instead He chose to create a world that reflects the fullness of His beauty; a world for us to enjoy. Think of Him when you see the colors of fall today.

Click the arrow above, watch, listen and remember that He created it for you. He loves you.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

Feature Post

Do We See Them?

By Eileen Mc Laughlin

The month of October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  To show how naive I am, I never even realized there was such a month.  It hurts to think that there is so much domestic violence in our society that there is now a month dedicated to making others (including me) aware.  I just recently completed 40 hours of volunteer training for Turning Point. Please know this post is not about what a great person I am for wanting to volunteer at Turning Point.  I write to share what is happening to women and children we may know, at work, at our schools, in our circle of friends; women who cross our paths on a daily basis. I wonder, Do we see them?

All of us probably know someone who is either a survivor of domestic violence or sexual assault, but we don’t speak of it because doing so means we might have to get involved. Verbalizing makes it real and we don’t want to believe that this is really happening to someone we know, love and care about.  It’s easier to ignore; it’s less painful to pretend it doesn’t exist. If you are a survivor, you may not speak of your situation because you are embarrassed. Perhaps you believe others will blame you and you might even blame yourself. You are afraid of being judged.

But, it does exist, it is happening and we need to be aware. I believe this is an issue that touches all of us.

I recently helped someone leave an abusive situation and it was not easy for her or her son. I want you to picture being asked what your address is and then telling the courts your license plate number because you are basically living out of your car. The reality is that giving out the address of those you are staying with will put them in harm’s way, so you don’t stay anywhere more than one or two nights. While helping the survivor, imagine being called and told the police are looking for you because the abuser has told them you kidnapped the child involved, even though he knows the survivor has custody rights. You realize the abuser called the police as a means to continue abusing the survivor through fear and intimidation.

The person I helped struggled with sharing her situation with me; the fear of being judged was so real and made me stop and think about how I look at others.  It saddens me to think this person thought I would judge her.  I do not have the right to judge, my job is to be available, to be Christ-like in all my encounters with others.

Leaving a batterer is not easy. Sometimes when a woman prepares to leave, it is the most dangerous time for her.  Women will leave everything behind if necessary as long as they have their children with them.  Our society doesn’t make it easy for a woman who is being abused to get out of her situation.  She has the burden of proof, the fear of abuse, caring for her children and attempting to escape, all while trying not to lose her job or let others know her circumstances. This is because we, as a society, tend to blame the survivor for the situation she’s in.

I’ve learned that thinking Why doesn’t she just leave him? is the wrong question we ask in our society.  The question should be Why is he (the batterer) allowed to stay?

I am impressed by Turning Point and the work they are doing in Macomb County. Domestic violence is not just physical abuse. It can include sexual assault, financial abuse, and verbal, mental and emotional abuse. It’s the only shelter in Macomb County for women of domestic violence and sexual assault. However, Turning Point is not just about shelter.  There is a 24 hour crisis line. Counseling provided to survivors, their children and significant others.  After an assault has taken place, they advocate for the survivor at the hospital, and there is a Forensic Nurse Examiners Program. They provide assistance with the Personal Protection Orders (PPO) process and court advocacy.  Turning Point staff members have developed programs for middle school and high school students believing that educating young people is necessary to ending domestic violence and sexual assault. If you are reading this and are in the midst of a crisis situation that you need help with their 24 hour crisis line number is 586 463 6990. The link is http://www.turningpointinc.com .

I believe that we, as women of God need to be open to others sharing their struggles with us.  I learned that survivors are not looking for advice; they are looking for a safe place and a non-judgmental person to talk with. And when that takes place a survivor can and will figure out what is best for her. By being open to others we allow a survivor to find her voice, to regain control of her life and the power that was taken from her.

So, again I ask. Do we see them?  Are we willing to be that safe place and non-judgmental person?  Are we willing to help them find their voice?

Our Rep

It seems we Christians have a reputation of sorts among non-Christians. According to the sources Bryan cited Sunday, Christians in our culture are most known for being fired up (ticked-off, upset) about negative causes. 

Sounds like we’re most known for being obnoxious about what we oppose. 

If our fundamental identity as a follower of Christ is to be a servant and if what we project colors another’s view of Jesus, I’m thinking that our reputation as it stands is a big problem.

Do you think it’s the angry Christian voices that are the loudest? If so, how do we bring about change?

How would you answer Bryan’s $1M question:  What kind of reputation are Christians supposed to have? 

Above all, I have to take an honest look at the reputation I have. How about you? What’s your reputation?

Promptings

God picks up the slack.

Today I had lunch with my neighbor. She’s in her twenties, newer in town and has a darling baby boy. She also happens to be Muslim. 

Whenever I spend time with her I truly enjoy her company but unfortunately I had let months slip by without touching base. Thing is, for the last few weeks she’d been on my mind. Planning to call or email her was actually taking up a considerable amount of space in my thoughts. 

Some people might refer to such situations as promptings from God. 

Hmm.

Maybe they’re on to something.

While out of town last week, still thinking about her, I’d determined to reach out to her as soon as I got back home.  Know what was waiting for me in my inbox?  An email from my neighbor inviting me to her home for lunch.

At first I was bummed that she beat me to the punch. I mean, I’d wanted to be the one to extend the invitation. I‘d wanted to be intentional. I’d wanted to reach out to her.

That’s when I realized I’d been the one who missed my chance. 

For weeks God had been putting my neighbor on my heart; inviting me to pursue her. The problem is I wasn’t following through. I wanted to but I wasn’t. 

But here’s what blows me away. God is so passionate about using his children to express His love that He picks up the slack and gives the slacker (that’s me) another chance. Even when that means setting up the lunch Himself. 

Some people might call that a divine appointment. 

I call it a God thing.

It’s all good.

Anyway, we had a great lunch together and I’m so glad God teed it up. I don’t know what He has in store for my relationship with my neighbor over the long haul; I just know I want to be faithful, whatever that looks like. 

It’s definitely a no-brainer that I should have obeyed His promptings the first time around. I want to next time. 

What I’m grateful for today is that God is so much bigger than me. That He will accomplish the purposes of His heart even when it involves picking up my slack. And, that He never gives up on the slacker. 

Are you sensing a prompting from God today?

Don’t forget to visit the Feature page!

Toiletries Drive

 

Women’s Ministries at Grace is having a toiletries drive. Full-size items will be used to stock the shelves of My Father’s Business and travel-sizes will be used to make hygiene kits for a local organization that cares for women on the streets of Detroit. There’s also a need for washcloths, disposable razors and beauty items.

Please check your suitcases and bathroom drawers for hotel toiletries and other unopened travel-size items that you would be willing to contribute (or pick up some on your next shopping trip) and bring them to church!

Plus, plan to participate in Dare to Care at Grace on Friday, November 13. We’ll be assembling the hygiene kits and making other items as a way of giving back to our community. The bonus is that you’ll get to spend time with your friends while making a difference. 

Please place your donations in the designated baskets at Grace now through November 12.

Save the Dates

Women’s Ministries at Grace is offering an amazing lineup of significant events for 2009 – 2010.

Friday, November 13 Dare to Care

The only thing better than being with friends, is sharing time together while making a difference. This night is about giving back to our community. We’ll fashion scarves for women in shelters, make cookies for the sometimes forgotten women in senior housing, assemble hygiene kits for those who live on the streets . . . and more. Come prepared to make an impact!

Saturday, December 5 To Tea or Not to Tea

We’re changing things up! This year’s Christmas event is making a departure from our traditional tea. Join us for coffee and dessert as we hear from guest speaker, Beth Shaum about Keeping it Simple. It’s sure to be a refreshing break as we head into the often hectic holiday season. You’re invited to attend and/or host a table. Purchase your tickets early!

Friday, January 29  New Year! New You!

Many of us have lives that are fast-paced and cluttered with noise and commitments. Few of us take time to pause, be present in the moment and focus on God’s goodness. This evening offers a quiet, restful environment where we can slow down, be introspective, reflect on God and enjoy His nearness. You don’t want to miss it!

Friday, March 13  Spring Awakenings

In November we spent time together making gifts for women in our community. This month we’ll learn another way of giving of ourselves: praying for others.  We might even take a prayer walk around our neighborhood. Prayer is the foundation on which our lives of outreach are based. Come anticipating a life-changing experience.

 Friday, April 30  Around the World in 90 Minutes

Our ministry year will come to a close with a celebration of global diversity. Everyone can get involved by bringing an international dish to pass. Also, we’ll hear from one or more of our Grace missionaries as they share the powerful ways they see God at work around the world. It’s sure to be a meaningful cultural experience.

Consider this your personal invitation to attend each and every event and bring your friends and friends-to-be along!

25¢ Jesus

Who would sell Jesus for 25¢? 

I could only smile when D asked me that question with a tone of sadness in her voice.  

There is absolutely nothing boring about my friend, D. Most importantly, she’s genuine. Plus, she has one of those creative, captivating personalities. Every time I see her she’s wearing something artsy or sparkly. It could be the rather large assortment of jingling bracelets on her wrist, the sequin headband in her hair or the massive, colorful bag slung over her shoulder. I love that about D!

For someone who owns mostly plain white dishes, carries a black purse and hasn’t rearranged my furniture in five years, spending time with D is definitely fun and inspiring. But not just because of her sassy sense of style. D is also a new Christ follower. Whenever I’m with her I feel like she’d burst if she wasn’t able to talk about how much she loves Jesus. I love that even more about her! 

One of D’s passions is to scout out garage and rummage sales for potential treasures. Just last week she purchased a lovely set of fine bone china for $2. (Why does that never happen to me?) Later that day she and her young sons used it for their spaghetti dinner. Priceless. 

Her main pursuit lately though has been to acquire pictures of Jesus for her home. I guess she’s been able to purchase quite a few, one in particular for 25¢. Now I’ve yet to see any of these Jesus pictures, but when she speaks of her new art collection, her entire face lights up. 

That brings me back to her question for me: Who would sell Jesus for 25¢?

It seems that D, albeit enjoying her acquisitions, is so very much in love with her Jesus that it hurts her heart to think that someone would actually sell a picture of Him for 25¢, a mere pittance. 

Keeping it real, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’d never sell a picture of Jesus in my garage sale if I had one. Honestly, I might. But whether it’s okay or not to sell Jesus pictures at bargain prices is really neither here nor there.

What I can’t let go of from my conversation with D is the heart behind her question. Her heart. A heart that’s being awakened to the beauty of Jesus’ love. A heart that’s discovering what it’s like to be truly cherished. A heart that can’t even fathom someone casting off something as precious to her as a picture of her Savior. 

D’s heart stirs something within me. Something that makes me want to experience more of her Jesus. I’m thinking that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. 

I have to wonder if my heart has that kind of effect on others. Does yours?

Feature

Hola Distracciones

By Liz Messenger

I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Guatemala with fellow Grace members about a month ago.  It was an amazing trip on so many levels: the hospitable people, the beautiful landscape, the death defying roads, the interesting bathrooms…and so on!  I could go on and on about all the great experiences we had as a team, but one village we visited stood out to me the most.

We visited a city on a hill (literally) called Casa de Mi Hermano.  There were 2,000 people in the village, most who lived in serious poverty.  In our meeting with church members, they explained their love for Christ and how they had vigorously shared the gospel with unbelievers.  Eight of the men in the church had taken turns over a period of two years traveling by foot to other villages to show the “Jesus film” – without quitting their jobs!  Over that two year period, they had shared the gospel with about 17,000 people –wow!  I can’t help but be convicted by their sense of responsibility to share the gospel with strangers and go to such great lengths to fulfill the Great Commission.  I also can’t help but think that living with such simplicity really causes us to focus on God and eternity – rather than the “good” things Satan distracts us with like work, schedules, social events, etc. etc.  Despite all the conveniences I’m blessed with, like a washer and dryer, I still can’t find time to stop and have a genuine conversation with my neighbor – what’s up with that???

The pastor of the church then told us that he had a daughter, “who was grown”, that had been very ill for the past five days with a fever.  He requested that we go to his home and pray for her.  All eight of us “americanos”, along with some of the children from the village, piled into a pick-up truck and traveled downhill to the pastor’s house.

The pastor’s house, for the family of nine, was a single room with three mattresses lying on the floor.  His sick daughter laid on one of the beds, but crawled to the floor on her knees as she knew we would be laying hands on her to pray.  We began praying for his daughter and it was powerful.  I can’t really explain the moment in its full worth, but tears came to her eyes, along with one of her sister’s.  I felt for the family.  Here they were working tirelessly to spread the Word of God, while the health of their daughter remained in question.  Was this a spiritual attack?  I’m not always aware of Satan and how he works, but it was clear this family was important to the spiritual livelihood of the village and the illness of their daughter was a huge distraction.  I frequently pray for the pastor’s sick daughter and wonder if she recovered from her illness.

I guess this village just really stood out in my mind and made me really think.  What keeps me from truly being passionate about telling God’s amazing love story?  Why am I so distracted by the so called “important” things that have no eternal value? The believers in Casa de Mi Hermano really showed me what it looks like to live out our faith.

Liz Messenger

Full Circle

The other day I went to a training meeting so I can be a mentor for Eagle Sports Club’s literacy program, SOAR. I got so much more than training. I got to see God at work.

Not only was the room filled with people interested in being a mentor, which was awesome, there was one person in particular who caught my attention: Chancellor.

Chancellor is a student at a local high school. 

Chancellor played soccer with Eagle Sports Club. In fact he played in the leagues for 10 years.

Now I’m getting to the best part.

After years of being poured into by Eagle Sports Club volunteers, Chancellor is now going to be a volunteer pouring into the life of a child, by being a reading mentor.

That’s what I call giving back.  That’s what I call paying it forward. That’s what I call Full Circle.

It’s a God thing.

SOAR has a record number of students this year. If you’re interested in being a mentor contact Colleen Davisson: colleen@soartutoring.org 

God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another — Shakespeare

Do you have any books on your shelf that you’ve read multiple times? Books that are kind of like friends? Books that you go back to now and again to get a fresh perspective, or reconnect with beloved characters, or revisit some gem of truth? TrueFaced is definitely one of those books for me.

TrueFaced makes the assumption that most of us, on some level, at some time and for all sorts of reasons, wear a mask. Our masks can have labels like: I’m very together, I have the answers, I am competent enough not to need love, I don’t really care, or I am self-sufficient, for example.

According to its authors, Bill Thrall, Bruce Mc Nichol and John Lynch, the person who God created each of us to be is suffocating underneath our masks. And the sad thing is, if we don’t identify our patterns of hiding, mask-wearing will harm our relationships, stunt our maturing and squash our dreams.

But it’s not enough to simply recognize our masks. We need to peel them off. TrueFaced presents truths that can help you begin, by God’s grace, to reveal your true face. It’s a cool face. God made it and can’t wait to see his reflection in it. Those who love you can’t wait to see it either.

I read TrueFaced  for the first time a couple years ago. (Should I be offended if someone recommended it to me?) It’s a book I return to periodically because it’s kind of like spending time with a friend who loves you enough to be honest with you; it’s a good thing. 

This book has helped me take a probing look at my underlying motives, be honest about contradictions that exist within me and take steps toward maturing into the woman God created me to be; a woman who trusts God, instead of striving to please Him. We are, after all, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139).

Great read! If you’re up for reading a book that might get in your face in a good way, give TrueFaced a try. 

What books do you have on your shelf that you return to?

Dirty Girls: A Silent Struggle

Pornography isn’t just a guy thing. Many girls and women battle, most of them silently, with an addiction to porn.

Dirty Girls is a Christian anti-pornography ministry created to help women who struggle with pornography addiction. Dirty Girls was founded by author and speaker Crystal Renaud in February of this year.

Based on Crystal’s research, the number of women who struggle with porn is staggering. An issue, Crystal claims, that has been completely ignored by the church. Now Crystal is using her story to bring hope and healing.

The mission of Dirty Girls is to:

• Bring awareness to the porn problem among women today
• Show struggling women they are not alone
• Demonstrate hope for recovery from this addiction
• Explain that the Bible and Jesus have the answer

To learn more about Dirty Girls Ministries click here. Also, visit Crystal’s personal blog.

Don’t we all struggle with something? The question is Why do we struggle silently?