Love in Action
Helping you become a woman of influence

Faith @ Work
When I gave birth to a daughter with Down syndrome 27 years ago, I entered a new world of other parents with disabled children. I found this network to be a wonderful group of people who often struggle with feeling on the verge of burnout. When you have a disabled child, you can't just call a babysitter or take off for a weekend. So once we got into a routine of caring for our daughter, I decided to put my experience to good use as a part-time respite care worker through my local community mental health organization. This position allows me to provide much-needed time off for several weary families.

As I care for these disabled children, sharing my faith comes naturally. When the parents express gratitude for the unconditional love I show their kids, I'm able to share about the unconditional love God has for all of us because of Jesus. Additionally, I often take the children I care for to church with me (with the parents' permission). Many times the parents start attending too, because their children already are accepted and embraced by the church. Helping these weary families has proven to be an effective way to share the gospel.

—Michele Smither, Michigan

Injoy in association with TCW is proud to bring you

Simulcast: November 15, 2003

Hosted by John C. Maxwell, this nationwide seminar via satellite features guest speakers Kay Arthur, Stormie Omartian, Jill Briscoe, Michelle McKinney Hammond, Florence Littauer, Delilah, and Gary Smalley.

For information on how your church can host this event LIVE on November 15, 2003, visit http://www.INJOY.com/THRIVE or call (800) 333-6506, ext. 1

Wisewords
"Instead of talking to God about our problems, we need to talk to him about him. We need to talk to him about who he is, about the power of his name and the power of the blood of his son Jesus, about the great things we know that he can perform and has already performed. After we have praised and worshiped him in this way, then we can begin to mention the problem."

—Joyce Meyer, Thrive! speaker
From The Battle Belongs to the Lord. © 2002 by Joyce Meyer. Published by Warner Books.

Holy Matrimony
This wedding season, in addition to the toaster or fondue set you're planning to give the couple-to-be, why not also give them a great Christian book about building a healthy relationship? Try The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman or His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley. Or send the lovebirds a note to let them know you'll be praying for them regularly for the next year. If you opt for the latter, post the wedding invitation or program in a visible spot to remind you to pray for them.

Impacting Others Overseas
It's been my dream since high school to go on a short-term mission trip to Africa. I can't explain it, but God gave me a passion for the people there. When I shared this with my family and friends, they enthusiastically encouraged me to pursue this later in life, after my husband and I had raised our five young children. But God, in his faithfulness, chose to fulfill my heart's desire sooner rather than later. Last year, with my husband's blessing, I spent three weeks in Guinea and Mali, two countries in West Africa. I worked with a team of eight other women to hold retreats for female missionaries in those areas. On the trip, God used me in surprising ways. I love to sew and work with colors and fabrics. While I was there, the missionaries "just happened" to ask me to assist them in getting some fabric for curtains and cushions. I was able to help them choose fabric and then sew the curtains for them. God took something I love and let me serve him with it. Through this experience I learned God will use us—no matter our age, stage of life, financial situation, or occupation—as long as we pray, seek him, and are ready to serve when he says, "Go!"

—T. Renee Merritt, Oregon

Q&A with Stormie Omartian author of several best-selling books, including The Power of a Praying Wife and The Power of a Praying Parent (Harvest House), and a Thrive! event speaker. A Parent's Prayers Q: How did you become a prayer warrior for your kids? A: Years ago, my husband, Michael, and I belonged to a home Bible study group through our church. We always ended our gatherings with prayer. The needs were so great, we usually didn't finish until one or two in the morning. Many of those prayers were for people's children. So we started a separate group simply to pray for our kids. Q: What did you do during those meetings? A: While the kids played in another room, each parent shared her concerns and desires for her children. Then one by one we brought each child in the room, asked them if they had any prayer requests, and then we prayed for them for about 20 to 30 minutes each. Q: That must have been a major time commitment! A: It was. We'd meet on a Saturday once every few months and begin around 11 A.M. We'd break for a late lunch, then continue into the afternoon. Sometimes we'd break for dinner too, and keep going into the evening. Even though it was exhausting and a big sacrifice of time, we always left these meetings knowing our kids were covered in prayer. It was worth every minute. Q: How did the kids respond? A: They loved it! Even the teens appreciated it. It made them feel secure to have people who cared about them lift up their specific requests. It was touching to hear how they wanted us to pray: "Will you pray for my friend? He's always mean," or "I want to do better in school." It also drew everyone closer together. We had a heart for each other's kids and knew what they were struggling with. We prayed for their safety, that they wouldn't be tempted by drugs, that they'd remain firm in their faith. God's been faithful to all those prayers and so many more. That's why I encourage women to pray together. So much happens when we're joined together in community and in prayer. —Camerin Courtney

Copyright © 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian Woman magazine.
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May/June 2003, Vol. 25, No. 3, Page 8