Today's Christian Woman articles from July 2003

Today's Christian Woman archives from July 2003

Best friends.(girl Talk)
July 1, 2003... FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, my friend Theresa and I have met at each other's house every other week (except when the occasional migraine struck or an emergency hair-coloring appointment was needed!) to plow into a Christian workbook we'd...

Bearing patients' burdens.(everyday Hero)
July 1, 2003... WHEN LYNN EIB WAS DIAGNOSED WITH colon cancer at the age of 36, her surgeon told her the disease had spread to several lymph nodes. "I had a 40 percent chance of survival," Eib says. "I figured I'd die." Instead, the former journalist...

Change of heart.(faith @ work)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... When I was a MANAGER at the Michigan Department of Social Services, I worked with a woman who was known in our office for her negative attitude. "Susan" had good technical skills, but scowled frequently and replied gruffly to others. One day...

You can make a difference.(Thrive! Guide)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... One woman can... * take flowers from her garden to an elderly neighbor. * inspire laughter in a friend who's having a tough day. * start a Bible study in her neighborhood or workplace. * brighten her husband's day with a...

Pearls of wisdom.(Thrive! Guide)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... When confronted with a difficult situation, a person with an outstanding attitude makes the best of it while he gets the worst of it. Life can be likened to a grindstone. Whether it grinds you clown or polishes you depends upon what you are...

Worldwide prayer.(Thrive! Guide)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... If you and your family or church group are looking for ways to pray for global needs, check out Operation World's site at www.gmi.org/ow. Each day it highlights a different region of the world and includes specific prayer requests, as well as...

Picnic with purpose.(Thrive! Guide)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Since July is National Picnic Month, why not invite your neighbors or coworkers over for a backyard barbeque? This is a great low-key way to build relationships with the people in your life who don't share your faith. If you pray aloud before...

Being alert to life.(Thrive! Guide)
July 1, 2003... Q: WHAT ADVICE DO YOU GIVE IN YOUR SEMINARS ABOUT BEING A GODLY INFLUENCE? A: First, we need to become what I call alert to life--engaging people in conversation and paying attention to their needs. This can be as simple as commenting on...

Dream date is my fantasy life really such a big deal?(your Relationship)
July 1, 2003... DEAR DR. LANGBERG, I've been a single mother for ten years. I'm involved in my church, committed to God, and generally satisfied with my life, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit to bouts of loneliness. My dating life is zilch, so I've...

Encounters with Jesus: best-selling authors Brock and Bodie Thoene help us see Jesus with new eyes in their new book, First Light.(Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... Brock and Bodie Thoene have known each other since the age of three, shared their lives and work for 33 years, and they feel the best is yet to come. Not only personally, as they enjoy their four children and five grandchildren, but in their...

A.D. Chronicles #1: first light.(Down the fiction aisle: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... A.D. Chronicles #I: First Light a (by Bodie and Brock Thoene) leads you back in time to first-century Jerusalem--just after the massacre of Jews before Passover--a dark time in the nation's history Many long to see Yeshua, be healed by...

A Case of Bad Taste.(Down the fiction aisle: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... A Case of Bad Taste (by Lori Copeland) is the tale of frustrated author M.K. Diamond, who is suffering from another bout of writer's block, when the perfect plot unfolds in real life: a burglar in Morning Shade is breaking into homes and...

Fatal Harvest.(Down the fiction aisle: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... Fatal Harvest coy Catherine Palmer) offers contemporary romantic suspense that will keep you turning pages. Teenager Matt Strong discovers a secret that could expose the indiscretions of the conglomerate that controls the world's food supply....

Apocalypse Dawn.(Down the fiction aisle: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... Apocalypse Dawn (by Mel Odom) is the first book in a new parallel military series based on the Left Behind series. From the decks of U.S. Navy carriers patrolling the Mediterranean to Fort Benning, Georgia to the dusty sands of the...

Soon.(Down the fiction aisle: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... Soon (by Jerry Jenkins) depicts life in the aftermath of WW III, in a world that is determined to stamp out war and everything that fosters it--especially religion. Paul Stepola, an agent working with the National Peacekeeping Organization...

Armageddon.(Down the fiction aisle: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... Armageddon (by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins), takes place during the last year of the Great Tribulation, when all of human history culminates in the battle of the ages. The globe has become a powder keg of danger. Except those already in...

An excerpt from First Light.(Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... In a tiny, unpretentious house in the village known as Beth-lehem, "House of Bread," bunches of lavender dried in the rafters of the main room, filling the place with sweet aroma. The seder supper was finished. The stories of Israel's...

Writer's block, procrastination ... and fun!(Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... When most people face a task they dread starting and find themselves counting the number of potato chips in the Frito bag, it's called procrastination. When an author faces this dilemma, it's called writer's block. Lori Copeland gives readers...

Catherine Palmer challenges us to do something to feed the hungry.(An author speaks: Special Advertising Section)
July 1, 2003... One day, I read Matthew 25 as if for the first time. That's the passage where Jesus talks about how in the last days God will separate sheep from goats, and the criteria will be good works. The verse saying, "I was hungry, and you fed me,"...

New from HeartQuest ...(Heartquest romance: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... LOVE'S PROOF BY CATHERINE PALMER In Victorian England, Jane Fellowes searches for the truth behind Sir Isaac Newton's personal box of mysterious scientific discoveries. Can it be true that the box contains proof of the existence of God?...

My son's a cyber-spud; how can I limit his time online?(mom Time)
July 1, 2003... DEAR LISA, My teenage son spends way too much time on the Internet instant-messaging his friends. Although we monitor the sites he visits (and have protective software on his computer), I'm worried he's spending so much time online that...

A brave new worldview; how we can live confidently in uncertain times.(faith Focus)
July 1, 2003... FOR ONE WHO GREW UP WITH THE well-deserved nickname "Worrywart Ruthie," I find living in today's world can be pretty scary It's hard not to feel anxious while watching the nightly news. What will the repercussions be from America's war with...

Beyond the blues: my post-delivery depression left me feeling ashamed and alone.(my Story)
July 1, 2003... WHY AM I CRYING SO MUCH? WHY AM I so sad? Tears splattered into the sink full of dirty dishes. I dabbed my eyes with my sleeve as the dishpan filled with soapy water. Having a baby is supposed to be a happy occasion, so why aren't I happy?...

Power of two: author Dee Brestin & recording artist Kathy Troccoli dish on their surprising bond--and the unique treasures unlikely friendships can bring.
July 1, 2003... CHRISTIAN SINGER/AUTHOR KATHY Troccoli is playing tour guide. Armed with a cup of Starbucks coffee, she's showing her close friend and colleague Dee Brestin the new home she just built in suburban Nashville. After living in Long Island her...

Our secret fears about heaven; what will eternity really be like?
July 1, 2003... MRS. OLSON DIRECTED THE FIFTH-AND SIXTH-GRADE choir in the church where I grew up. When she became frustrated with the boys, she'd clap her hands and say, "You children better start singing, because when we get to heaven, that's what we'll be...

We just clicked: how I found my Mr. right online.
July 1, 2003... I admit, I'm one of those kooky people who started dating some stranger I met online--then ended up marrying him! I still feel embarrassed whenever I tell our story. That's because it wasn't just the Internet that brought my husband,...

Soul survivor: held hostage in a jungle for more than a year by Muslim terrorists, missionary Gracia Burnham lost her husband during a violent rescue attempt. Here's what Gracia learned during her captivity--and what she's still waiting to discover.
July 1, 2003... ON JUNE 7, 2002, WOUNDED MISSIONARY Gracia Burnham lay on a wet, grassy mountain--side waiting. Moments before, she'd been rescued terrorists who'd held her hostage, along her husband, Martin, for more than a year in the dense jungles of the...

Family feuds: my relationship with my sister-in-law brought new meaning to the phrase "for better or for worse.".
July 1, 2003... WHEN I FIRST MET TINA*, MY future sister-in-law, it was during dinner at a nice restaurant where my fiance, Jesse, had arranged for his family to meet me. Trouble brewed even at that first encounter as Tina knocked over her water glass twice,...

Stolen moments: have you fallen victim to these 4 times stealers?
July 1, 2003... I WAS RESTLESS--AGAIN. TRY AS I MIGHT, I just couldn't settle down and focus on a recent writing project. So I decided to take my customary television break and plopped down in front of the tube to watch Judge Judy and munch on kettle corn....

There's no place like home so why not vacation there?
July 1, 2003... LET ME BE FRANK: OUR PAST family vacations haven't been too enjoyable. First of all, traveling with three children ranging in age from four to seven can be challenging (and that's a major understatement!). Lengthy car rides result in...

Beth Moore.(take Five)
July 1, 2003... BETH MOORE SAYS SHE FELT A LITTLE LIKE the Old Testament patriarch Jacob when she first sensed God calling her into full-time ministry to speak and write Bible study materials. She's referring to the way she wrestled with God until her point...

A Girl and Her Money.(books)(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... A Girl and Her Money by Sharon Durling($14, W Publishing Group). Don't let Sharon Durling's credentials as a former broker and vice president for a global finance firm scare you away from reading this fun, down-to-earth book on the...

Is There Really Sex After Kids?(books)(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... Is There Really Sex After Kids? by Jill Savage ($13, Zondervan). Part of the problem with maintaining a healthy sex life after having kids, author and Hearts at Home founder Jill Savage says, is that most women try to go from "mom" to "sex...

Beautiful Letdown.(Editor's Choice)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2003... Beautiful Letdown by Switchfoot (Sparrow). If the title of Christian band Switchfoot's latest CD makes you scratch your head, let lead singer Jonathan Foreman explain it through the lyrics of their title song: "It was a beautiful letdown the...

Indelible Ink: 22 Prominent Christian Leaders Discuss the Books that Shaped their Faith.(books)(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... Indelible Ink: 22 Prominent Christian Leaders Discuss the Books That Shaped Their Faith ($20, Water Brook Press). In this compilation of essays, authors and speakers such as Joni Eareckson Tada, Liz Curtis Higgs, J.I. Packer, and Edith...

So You're Thinking About Homeschooling.(books)(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... So You're Thinking About Homeschooling by Lisa Whelchel ($13, Multnomah). According to TCW columnist Lisa Whelchel, parents who think homeschooling is only for adults capable of having 12 children, raising goats, and baking their own bread...

Fairy Tale Faith.(books)(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... Fairy Tale Faith by Brenda Waggoner ($17, Tyndale). Author Brenda Waggoner's strength lies in helping women understand how God is at work in their lives--even when the "happily ever after" they dreamed of alludes their grasp. "To believe in...

Honey, They Shrunk My Hormones.(books)(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... Honey, They Shrunk My Hormones by Caron Chandler Loveless ($13, Howard). Humor, wit, and sensitivity toward women in the trenches of midlife mark the pages of Caron Chandler Loveless's Honey, They Shrunk My Hormones. Loveless discusses how...

Love & Thunder.(music)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2003... Love & Thunder by Andrew Peterson (Essential). Filled with thoughtful lyrics, eclectic sounds, and beautiful imagery, Andrew Peterson's fourth album presents an introspective look at the God who's sometimes silent, always compassionate, and...

Deeper Life.(music)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2003... Deeper Life by Natalie Grant (Curb). Fans of Natalie Grant's soulful, strong voice will love her third album, which offers 12 energetic songs (6 of which were either written or cowritten by Grant). "Days Like These" and "I Will Be" deliver...

She Must and Shall Go Free.(music)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2003... She Must and Shall Go Free by Derek Webb (INOTOF). Former Caedmon's Call singer/song-writer/guitarist Derek Webb steps out with his first solo recording, a heart-piercing compilation of 11 songs aimed at awakening the church to its position...

Just Come In.(music)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2003... Just Come In by Margaret Becker (Cross Driven Records). This compilation of old and new Becker recordings offers a sound similar to the stripped-down atmosphere of her live acoustic shows. The Dove Award-winning artist teamed up with a...

Run the Earth, Watch the Sky.(music)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2003... Run the Earth, Watch the Sky by Chris Rice (Rocketown Records). On his sixth album, pop acoustic Dove Award-winning singer/songwriter Chris Rice explores his past, present, and future in Christ through both lighthearted and reflective tunes....

Sandtown ... a True Story.(music)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2003... Sandtown... A True Story (Gotee). Third- through eighth-grade kids from the area of Sandtown (a Baltimore suburb known for its excellent community music program) team up with Christian artists tobyMac, Michael W. Smith, Out of Eden's Lisa...

Lenny & Sid: Love Thy Neighbor.(video)(Video Recording Review)
July 1, 2003... Lenny & Sid: Love Thy Neighbor ($13, VHS, $15 DVD; Toonacious Family Entertainment). From the combined creative talents of three fathers--including a veteran radio personality and a former Disney animator--comes the first in a new series of...

Required reading.(Reader Pick)(What I Wish I'd Known Before I Got Married)(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... As we enter the summer season of weddings, author Kay Coles James's book, What I Wish I'd Known Before I Got Married (Multnomah), is perfect reading material for brides-to-be. James keeps it real as she discusses everything from romance and...

Mission accomplished: I wanted to serve God in an exotic locale, but he had other cross-cultural encounters in mind.(life with Liz)
July 1, 2003... WHEN I BECAME A CHRISTIAN 20 years ago, I was as enthusiastic as a new puppy, jumping on everyone who crossed my threshold, eager to tell them about Jesus. I soon met two missionaries on furlough who were even more excited about sharing the...