exemplify magazine

February 2010

God’s Extraordinary
Love in Action

5
WAYS TO DEEPEN
YOUR FAITH
Page 10
Time Clutter
Challenge
CULTIVATING A
SIMPLE HEART

embracing simplicity
february 2010

Welcome to the
February
issue of
Exemplify
Magazine!

2 magazine September 2008

This month we are tackling the subject of simplicity with some love sprinkled in
for Valentine’s Day good measure!

After taking the month of January to focus on our new website (have you seen it
yet?) the team is thrilled to be back, ministering to you among the pages of Exem-
plify Magazine.

In this issue you will find a Time Clutter Challenge encouraging you to connect
as a family, an invitation to simplify your marriage for the better and a powerful
piece on the extraordinary love of God.

I pray this month you will embrace a gentle simplicity. Enjoy the little things. I
pray you would love your God- the author of laughter, quiet nights and snow-filled
mornings - with an unmatched joy this month.

In King Jesus,
Kristen Schiffman

Deuteronomy 11:11-14 (New International Version)

“But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of
is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.
It is a land the LORD your God cares for the eyes of the LORD your
God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its
end. “

www.inspiredheartsmedia.com
3 magazine February 2010
 content
FEBRUARY 2010

018 042

010 036 040

features departments front

SHERRIE MARLENE P.40
Judith Roberts interview Sherrie Mar-
lene of Reach Magazine TV.
MISSION POSSIBLE P.42
Author Deborah McCarragher shares
about her book with a giveaway!
APOLOGETICS P.32
First column in this new series.
BIBLE STUDY P.14 TIME CLUTTER CHALLENGE P.10
Are we blinded by Babylon? Can you connect better as a family?
BOOK NOOK P.30 HOW TO DEEPEN FAITH P.22
Deborah reviews 5 steps to a deepened faith.
DEVOTIONAL P. 30 GOD’S EXTRAORDINARY LOVE
Is it well with my soul? P.36
Marsha Harwood shares an extraor-
FICTION- RUTH P.44 dinary call to be vessels of extraordi-
Monhtly Biblical fiction written by Tara nary love.
Rachel.

4 magazine February 2010

 May your unfailing love

rest upon
us,

O
Lord,
even as we
put our hope
in you.
Psalm 33:22, NIV

©IrisNelson
Meet the Magazine Team
Kristen Schiffman
Founder & Ministry Director
A New Yorker living in Texas, Kristen is just trying to make sense of sweet
tea and A/C units. Together with her best friend & husband, Eric, she enjoys
sketching out new ideas over Starbuck’s.

Kristen’s passion is equipping those in leadership to serve with excellence,

encouraging women to get to know God through His Word and challenging
women to live out their God-given purpose.

Andrea Mitchell
Editor-in-Chief/Director of Web Content/Family Columnist
Andrea Mitchell is a coffee drinking, Jesus-loving wife and stay-at-home mom of
three in constant search of just the right mug for her brew. You can find her at her
blog, UnderGraceOverCoffee.com where she shares the love she has found in
Jesus, along with the caffeine-laden randomness that makes up the majority of
her day. Grab your cup and come on over!

Christy McGraw
Director of Social Networking/ Web Editor/Singles Columnist
Christy is on a journey to becoming a woman after God’s own heart. She
delights in books, photography, her family and her friends. Christy has a
heart for young women and single women. She also loves emails! thesingle-
journey@gmail.com

Christine Johnston
Director of Communications
Christine is a self professed “knitster” who loves watching a scarf come to life.
She is the mother of four children, three of whom are full grown and one still mak-
ing her way through high school. She is married to her high school sweetheart
and loves going on lunch dates with him during the week. Christine’s steady and
sure faith in Christ, her value of justice and her compassion for that which Christ
has compassion on daily shape her Titus 2 calling.

Tara Rachel
Director of Ministry Support/ Fiction & Apologetics Column/ Web Editor
Tara Rachel is a born-and-bred Southern girl who loves sweet tea, Jesus, and
football - and not necessarily in that order. Visit her at Musings of a Future Pas-
tor’s Wife, where she blogs about her day-to-day life as the wife of a seminary
student/youth pastor and mom to a precious toddler girl, and the daily truths the
Lord teaches her.
 Judith Roberts
Interview Columnist
Judith Roberts has been married to her college sweetheart for four years,
the team
and both she and her husband are active in their church. She is a college
instructor pursuing her doctorate and hopes to mirror Jesus in her everyday
life.

Kara Cox
Devotional Columnist
Kara is a single, thirtysomething follower of Christ who loves to laugh and
makes others laugh in the process. She is devoted to all things Autumn and
thinks that pumpkins, fallen leaves and fall TV premieres are a highlight of
life. She would also like you to know she is the most extroverted introvert
you will ever meet.

Wendy Miller
How-To Columnist
Wendy Miller is a butcher (of words as she edits her novels), a baker (of birthday
cakes and treats for her beloved family members and friends), and a candlestick
maker (not quite, but she enjoys crafts of all kinds). She appreciates the outdoors,
writing and laughing with loved ones. Wendy’s mission statement is to a live a pas-
sionate life filled with compassion, grateful to be called daughter of the Most High
God. Visit Wendy at thoughtsthatmove.blogspot.com/ or wendypainemiller.word-
press.com/.

Victoria Jenkins
Bible Study Columnist
Victoria began writing from Scripture out of the sheer inability to keep a
good thing to herself--the exception being brownies, those she refuses to
share. Soon after delving into her first Bible study, it became clear that God
was building a ministry through this new-found love for His Word. Whether
she is homeschooling, housewifing, or hiding from the laundry heap, God
continues to grow Victoria through the ministry He set in motion...and she
continues to hog all the brownies.

Jenifer Jernigan
Marriage Columnist
Jenifer makes her home in North Carolina with her husband of ten years,
three children, and English black lab, Bella. On a typical day, if there is such
a thing, you will find her sipping a cup of coffee, home schooling her chil-
dren, and digging into the Word. A former pit-dweller who has been saved by
God’s amazing grace, Jenifer has a burning passion to share with women of
all ages His unconditional love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

7 magazine February 2010

 Amy Bayliss
Ministry Online Columnist
the team
Amy is a true Cajun princess who is on a mission to minister to women via the
World Wide Web. She has a heart for encouraging and equipping women and she
does so by utilizing many different venues. Writing, speaking, blogging, pioneer-
ing… visit her at amybayliss.com.

Alison Hunt
Columnist
Alison is a twenty-something single woman living in the now and hoping for
the future. Based in North Florida, she an administrative assistant by day,
and dreamer by night (literally). She can also be found reading under trees,
Zumba-ing, spending time with family, and catching up with friends over cof-
fee. Visit her blog at http://alisonlhunt.blogspot.com.

Brooke McGlothlin
Columnist
Lover of God and the man I’ve dreamed of since the 3rd grade...mommy of two
little boys born just 23 months apart...CEO of the McGlothlin Home for Boys (my
house)...passionate about life issues and finding Jesus in the everyday. Director
of Clinical Services for a local Crisis Pregnancy Center with a BS in Psychology
and MA in Counseling.

Deborah Boutwell
Book Reviews
Married for 23 years, 2 children (21 & 15 years of age), working outside
the home in a Christian publishing house, serving in a small Southern Bap-
tist church in various keys roles, hobbies include reading, writing, needle &
thread handwork.

Iris Nelson
Photographer
Born and raised in Germany, Iris now resides with her husband Mark and
Chihuahua Corky, in Arizona. Their grown son Daniel works as a software
consultant in Arizona, living close by. Although the move from Germany to the
US was not easy, God’s hand was evident. In Arizona, God called Iris back
into His flock. Her ministries in the past included leading women Bible stud-
ies; leading worship once month with the contemporary praise team.

Iris enjoys encouraging women by sharing His Word through the devotional
team-blog ‘Laced with Grace’ (www.lacedwithgrace.com), which she ‘birthed’
with a friend from California in 2006.

8 magazine February 2010

 “In simple
humility, let our
gardener, God,
landscape
you with the
Word, making
a salvation-
garden of your
life.”
James 1:19,
The Message
©IrisNelson
family column

Are you
connecting
as a family?

10 magazine February 2010

 The
Time
Clutter
Challenge Written by Andrea Mitchell

Whenever I think of simplifying, my organized self immediately pictures decluttering. I am a classic “tosser” mar-
ried to a classic, how do I say this lovingly, “hoarder”. I see nothing wrong in disposing of or giving away something
I no longer have use for. My wonderful sweetheart, Kevin, on the other hand likes to keep things “just in case”. You
know, just in case time suddenly goes back to 1985 and he’ll need to read about the latest happenings in Sports Il-
lustrated.

As a tosser by nature, clutter is not an option for me. I hate it. It gets in the way, it’s messy, and cleaning it up takes
time away from doing things I would much rather be doing.

(Although, to be fair to my husband, I’m pretty sure he has never had to replace anything he accidentally threw
away in a fit of cleanliness!)

God has been working on my heart a lot lately in this whole area of simplifying as it pertains to my family. Not so
much in trying to downsize things (who knew the hoarder gene was dominant!), but in trying to declutter our time.

Kevin and I have always believed in keeping our kids’ schedules manageable. We don’t overwhelm our children
with too many activities – it’s actually a rule in our house that only one sport can be played by each child at a time.
Because they also have piano lessons one day a week, we feel this is sufficient activity for their lives. We want them
to be able to enjoy their childhoods, not be stressed by them!
 However, when I sat down to think about
this simplifying thing, I realized that a lot
of little things were getting in the way of
our family being able to spend quality time
together. Things like the TV, computer,
and the Wii are big time stealers in our
house – and not just for the kids! There’s
family column
nothing necessarily wrong with these
things, but they do have a tendency to take
over, to clutter our time together.
I’m not about to get all radical and throw
away my TV (what would I do if I missed
The Office? Or Glee?!) or computer (that
might put a big damper on my writing).
But God has been impressing on my heart
for quite awhile that it’s time to set some
limits. For the kids and for me.
You see, as soon as the TV or the computer
go on, it’s like a powerful magnet, drawing
all members of my family to their individu-
al screens. What is meant to be just a half
an hour of enjoying a favorite TV show
quickly becomes two hours. And instead
of eating together at the table, our dinner
companions have become Spongebob and
Patrick. Or what starts off as just a quick
“let me check my work email” develops
into an hour wasted on Facebook taking
quizzes and liking people’s status updates.
I know my family isn’t the only one expe-
riencing these issues. And so I wanted
to take a look at how we can simplify this
area of our lives – not so that we are merely
being reactive and therefore building re-
sentment in our homes, but more so we
can honor God by our daily activities and
in the process enjoy our families that much
more.
First of all, it’s important that we are
guarding our families against eating the
bread of idleness. Watching one program
for enjoyment isn’t necessarily being idle,
but I would argue sitting in front of the
TV for hours, mindlessly viewing what-
ever happens to be on is.
12 magazine February 2010
Did you know that sooner or later, our idle-
ness will show evidence of itself? Proverbs
24:30-34 in the Message paints a vivid picture
of what happens when we allow laziness to
take over:
“One day I walked by the field of an old
lazybones,
and then passed the vineyard of a lout;
They were overgrown with weeds,
thick with thistles, all the fences broken
down.
I took a long look and pondered what I
saw;
the fields preached me a sermon and I lis-
tened:
‘A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a
day off there,
sit back, take it easy—do you know what
comes next?
Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-
poor life,
with poverty as your permanent houseg-
uest!’”
Now you may be thinking, “It’s just a little
TV or computer. Watching another episode
of Desperate Housewives isn’t going to land
me in the poor house!”
Maybe not. But then again, what exactly are
we missing out on with our families when
we’re glued to a screen for hours on end? Will
we not end up being poor in our relationships
if we continually sacrifice our time with them?
Secondly, for those moments when we do
choose to watch TV or play a video game,
or hang out online, we need to ensure we are
guarding our hearts and our minds and only
allowing entrance to things that are benefi-
cial to us and our families.
I know. That’s a tough one. Just typing that
sentence convicted me more than I care to
admit! But think about it –
February 2010 magazine 12
decluttering our time
if we are going to choose to spend some time
participating in these activities with our fami-
lies, shouldn’t they at least be good for us?

“So here’s what I want you to do, God help-

ing you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—
your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and
walking-around life—and place it before God
as an offering. Embracing what God does for
you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t
become so well-adjusted to your culture that
you fit into it without even thinking. Instead,
fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed
from the inside out. Readily recognize what Be sure to visit the
he wants from you, and quickly respond to Exemplify Family
it. Unlike the culture around you, always
dragging you down to its level of immatu- Channel!
rity, God brings the best out of you, develops
well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:1-2,
MSG) Offering devotionals,
I realize this is often hard to do when you con- family projects &
sider today’s programming. And yet that is ex-
actly my point. Maybe by being more selective
much more.
of what we are viewing we will just naturally
finding ourselves in front of the television less
and joining together as a family more.

My challenge to myself and my family this

new year is this: to watch less TV, to spend less
time on the computer (non-school and/or work re-
lated, of course!), and more time connecting as a
family. Instead of thinking it is too complicated to
fit into our schedule, I’m willing to bet this process
of decluttering our time will make family moments
seem like second nature.

What activities are cluttering up

your relationships? How can you
simplify in order to give and get the
most from them?

13 magazine February 2010 February 2010 magazine 13

bible study

Welcome to Exemplify’s monthly Bible study column. Our hope

is that you will get interactive with these words, grab your Bible
and join the conversation.

We want to be women who know the Lord and His Word is

where we begin to uncover Who He is.

May this study move you closer to His heart.

Victoria (the author of this column) has such a heart for the
women who read our magazine and for our God. I’d love for
you to take some time to get to know her at her personal site,
LetTheSonShine.org.

-Kristen Schiffman

blinded by babylon?
 Don’t ask me how He does it, but
God has been able to use one math-
ematical rule to teach my mathemati-
cally challenged mind all sorts of
things. I still marvel at the fact that
I remember anything involving math,
but I am absolutely in awe of how the
Lord will use any little thing to reach
His children. Time and again, He re-
minds me that the shortest distance
between two points is a straight line.

Why is this a recurrent theme in my

life?

The natural and continual state of

chaos that I allow to follow me around
is constantly threatening to drag me
under. It hassles my home, plagues
my time in prayer, shreds my sense
of worth, and rivals God for the reigns
that belong to Him alone. When we
permit anyone or anything to rule our
life, we’ve given them our body, mind,
and soul as well. Treasures meant
for our King are instead lavished on
activities, items, and idols.

The fastest way to the feet of our

Father is a straight line…and it’s
a narrow line at that. All the clutter
and busyness and sin we allow to lin-
ger just won’t fit, so we have to drop
something and all too often it is the
journey to the Throne that we leave
behind.
Written by Victoria Jenkins

monthly bible study

C.S. Lewis said so much when he
© hbrinkman /sxc.hu noted that, “All that is not eternal is
eternally useless.”

15 magazine February 2010

>>> February 2010 magazine 15
Our present-day Babylon blinds us
and we’re all but brainwashed into be-
lieving that what happens in “Vegas”
can really stay there. What we do is a
reflection of who we are and that real-
ity should demand our attention—our
intention. Coasting just won’t do and
keeping up with the Jones’ isn’t getting
us anywhere.
Before I ramble further, I’d love for you
to share your week with me. Jot down
all of your plans for the next seven
days. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask
you to drop anything…I won’t speak
for God, though, He might have some-
thing else in mind. I won’t even ask
you to sort them into wants and needs,
or to arrange them by priority. In fact, I
won’t be asking you to do anything but
consider.
“Consider the ravens: they neither sow
nor reap, they have neither storehouse
nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of
how much more value are you than the
birds!”
“Consider the lilies, how they grow:
they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you,
even Solomon in all his glory was not
clothed like one of these” (Luke 12:24
& 27, NRSV).
“Consider what God has done; who
can straighten what he has made
crooked? When times are good be
happy; but when times are bad, con-
sider: God has made the one as well
as the other. Therefore a man cannot
discover anything about his future”
(Ecclesiastes 7:13-14, NIV).
It is human nature to want to estab-
lish our own plans; it is also our nature
to walk away from the Lord’s plans…
and with discouragingly little effort.
Don’t be discouraged. As the Blood-
bought saints of the Living God, we
are plucked from the mainstream and
and set aside for Holy use. We are
given a whole new set of natural de-
sires when we are given the eternal
gift of salvation. Through God’s saving
grace, we’re vessels of the Holy Spirit
and He’s got a taste for the simpler
things in life.
What simple things do you see the Holy
Spirit desiring in your life?
Is God calling you only to be met with a
busy signal?
Do you feel that you simply don’t have
time for all the day’s demands?
Take heart, you don’t need to squeeze
anything else into your overloaded
schedule! Devotion to the Lord calls
for removing obstacles, not adding
them.
We need to simplify that which we al-
low the world to complicate. We need
to focus on eternity, not merely the day
at hand or the decade for that matter.
We can toil in this direction or that—or
we can walk that straight line, leaving
the clutter behind.that we leave be-
hind.
Simplicity is found when we look at
today through the Crimson-colored
glasses of eternity. When Christ’s
blood washed our sins away, we
gained the scale of eternity that can
only be seen through embracing His
sacrifice and His life. When weighed
against eternity the day can be seen
for what it is, fleeting. Good or bad,
the day will come to an end and that is
cause for praise! In times of happiness
we appreciate the day because it won’t
last long, and in times of trial we see
past the moment, knowing it will soon
be gone. Whether in thanksgiving or
relief, at the end of the day we can cel-
ebrate. Today pales in comparison to
eternity, and God’s glory never fades.
Look to eternity and the rest will fall
into line.
Okay, the obstacles and stumbling
blocks that clutter our lives might not
all fall away on their own, but they
certainly won’t be as heavy to move.
God more than matches our dedica-
tion to His purpose. Which brings me
to a touchy subject, but know that I
am speaking out of love and that I
am not immune to the struggles I ad-
dress.
So often we speak of having too little
time for devotion; I know I’m guilty
of allowing that to seem true. In the
past, I have bought into the notion
that I couldn’t find time for spiritual
things because I barely had time for
the “necessities” in life. Please know
that when I say this, I am saying it as
much to myself as I am to you. Spiri-
tual matters are all that matters. God
will provide for His children and laun-
dry will wait. Soccer can be skipped
and must-see-tv can be missed.
I’m not saying to live irresponsibly,
quite the opposite.
We’ve got to give responsibilities of
the spirit priority over those of the
world.
Jesus did.
Luke 5:16, 6:12, and 9:18 are record-
ed instances of Jesus praying in soli-
tude and we’re told in Scripture that
was His custom. How much more
did the Messiah have to accomplish
in any given day than any one of us?
With an approaching date with desti-
ny, Jesus knew how finite His time on
earth would be and still He stepped
away from His busyness in order to
be alone with the Lord.
We can do that.
 Jesus has walked this very road of having work to do
childlike faith and loved ones to enjoy while also having a relationship
with the Lord. We don’t have to find our way around; we
need only follow His lead. Christ was looking to eternity
in all things, but He never lost sight of the importance of
the day.
Jesus was a simple man with a simple lifestyle to go
along with His simple message of love. He came from
simple beginnings, too. Don’t let this theme be lost on
you, God is speaking in the repetition and if we listen we
could save ourselves a lot of struggle.
Living simply allowed Jesus to minister to the lost and
hurting while He walked the road God had established
for Him. Opportunities to reach out in love weren’t in-
terruptions to Christ’s journey. God moves in the mo-
ments. I can’t shake the conviction this truth places on
my heart, ladies. Jesus never turned down the chance
to point a wandering soul toward God and every minute
of His time was filled with purpose.
How do you justify neglecting spiritual work in order to
meet the demands of the world?
What has your time? Your thoughts? Your energy?
Your all?
Among all the activities of the week, we lose sight of
eternity. We lose sight of today and all it could hold in
honor of the King of kings. No matter how much we
may love the Lord, there is no amount of fruitless activity
that will be pleasing in His sight. The status and wealth
we gain while in this world aren’t the point of our faith.
Scripture says this of the true riches of our religion “a
devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplic-
ity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the
world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have
bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough”
(1 Timothy 6:6-8, MSG). The riches of our faith lie in the
reward of being real with God. That’s enough. Actually,
anything more is too much. He has simply wanted you
from the start.
The Message translation of a conversation about heav-
enly status among the disciples of Jesus holds a trea-
sure of simplicity. Matthew 18:1-5 tells says, “At about
the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking,
“Who gets the highest rank in God’s kingdom? For an
17 magazine February 2010
answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in
the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once
and for all, that unless you return to square one and
start over like children, you’re not even going to get a
look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes
simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank
high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive
the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving
me.” Can’t you just see the light bulb moment these
men must have enjoyed in that moment? The important
things in life come so clearly into view when we look into
the heart of a child.
How might you implement these childlike qualities into
your day and your faith in God?
• AMAZEMENT
• WONDER
• TRUST
• LOYALTY
• JOY
• LOVE
• THANKFULNESS
• AMBITION
Pray each day this week for our Father to show you op-
portunities to be childlike before Him. Journal your dis-
coveries and praise God for each moment He reveals
the magnificence of simplicity to your hungry heart!
I know you want nothing more than to rest at the feet of
our Almighty God. I pray that very thing for you. Let me
just tell you {and me} again about the fastest way there.
It’s that straight line, sister. Drop the work you’ve cre-
ated for yourself. Turn down those worldly opportunities
knocking at your door. Forget about the riches of our
Babylonian society and embrace the true, simple riches
that Christ is piling up for you today. Don’t walk a tight
wire, RUN that straight line Home! Spend sometime in
prayer over both lists you’ve made with me today. God
is waiting around to be gracious to you! Will you pencil
Him in or choose to hand Him the pencil?
Luke 5:16, 6:12, and 9:18 are recorded instances of Je-
sus praying in solitude and we’re told in Scripture that
was His custom. How much more did the Messiah have
to accomplish in any given day than any one of us? With
an approaching date with destiny, Jesus knew how finite
 A Simple
Marriage
marriage column
Written by Jenifer Jernigan
Simplicity in marriage. I must admit to you that
when I saw this month’s topic, “simplifiying,” I
was a tad taken aback as to what simplicity in
marriage would look like and why one would
even need to “simplify” their marriage.

That was until I sought after God’s counsel and

the wise counsel of my hubs and dear friend.
Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks right between
my blinded eyes. Every marriage could use a little
simplifying at one point or another. “Why,” you
ask, “and what in the world would “simplifying
one’s marriage look like?” I’m so glad you asked.
Let’s not waste any time on the shore of this top-
ic, rather, let’s dive right in.

Webster’s Dictionary defines simplify in the

following way to make simple or simpler: as a
: to reduce to basic essentials b : to diminish in
scope or complexity c : to make more intelligible
(http://www.merriam-webster.com).

Keeping this definition of simplify in mind let’s

take a trip back to the Garden of Eden and look
at the first union of man and woman.

“ And the LORD God said, “It is not good that

man should be alone; I will make him a helper
comparable to him.” Out of the ground the
LORD God formed every beast of the field
and every bird of the air, and brought them
to Adam to see what he would call them.
And whatever Adam called each living
creature, that was its name. So Adam gave
names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and
to every beast of the field. But for Adam there
was not found a helper comparable to him.
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to
fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one
of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Then the rib which the LORD God had taken
from man He made into a woman, and He
brought her to the man.
And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
Therefore a man shall leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and they
shall become one flesh. And they were both
naked, the man and his wife, and were not
ashamed.” (Genesis 2:18-25, NKJV)
union
God created Adam from the dust of the earth and
Eve, He created from the very flesh of Adam. In
every sense of the word, they were a part of one
another; each one fashioned specifically to meet
the needs of the other. Adam would provide for
and lead his wife; Eve would be Adam’s helper,
his companion- she would compliment him and
aid him in the work God had called him to do.
Because of this very union, the institution of mar-
riage was established for all times. A union that
would call for one man and one woman to leave
their childhood homes and cleave to one another
for life. It was meant to be a very simple union
comprised of these two individuals and God as
their ultimate authority. What more would one
need other than his/ her spouse and God? Sim-
ple enough right?

18 magazine February 2010

things began to get complicated... Unfortunately, no. Things began to get complicated when
Eve started looking outside her marriage for fulfillment and
pleasure.
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the
field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the
woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree
of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may
eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You
shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the
serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God
knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when
the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise,
she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with
her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:1-6, NKJV)
Hook line and sinker, Eve took the bait Satan dangled before
her eyes. He toyed with her mind, causing her to doubt God;
he boosted her self esteem telling her she would become like
God if she ate of the fruit; and with the beauty of the fruit, he
convinced her that it was good for food. Eve was deceived by
Satan’s lies that God and her husband were not enough.
This very act of disobedience complicated the lives of Adam
and Eve for eternity. Shame entered their marriage when they
both realized their nakedness. They were both about to ex-
perience pain and toil like never before. The role of the hus-
band being the head of his home would be challenged with
woman’s desire to rule over him instead of submitting to his
authority.
Yes, Adam and Eve’s relationship with one another became
complicated and just plain hard, but more than that, their re-
lationship with God as they knew it was severed. No longer
were they able to walk with Him through the Garden dur-
ing the cool of the day or chat with Him when their hearts
desired to do so. Why? Because sin had complicated their
relationship. Because of Eve’s desire to have more than what
her husband and God had to offer her, her relationship with
God was tainted. Not only was Eve’s relationship with God
tainted, but all mankind’s relationship with God would be af-
fected by this one act of disobedience.
What does this look like in our marriages today, this compli-
cation of the marital relationship? There are numerous areas
in which we see this affecting our relationships in the here and
now- other’s opinions, past hurts, pride, not willing to let go
of grudges, etc. Let’s briefly look at those senses Satan ap-
pealed to when he deceived Eve in the Garden causing her
life to go from the simple to the complicated.
19 magazine February 2010
Satan caused Eve to doubt God (Genesis 3:1). Do you ever
doubt your husband’s leading because you think your idea or
plan is best? Maybe because of past hurts, you doubt your hus-
band’s honesty and faithfulness in your marriage or maybe you
doubt your own honesty and faithfulness. Doubting caused Eve
to second guess God’s instruction to her; it caused her to place
her faith in her own self instead of allowing God to be in control
and trusting that His best was good enough.
Satan appealed to Eve’s sense of sight by showing her the
beauty of the fruit and convincing her that it would be
good for food (Genesis 3:6). Do you stand in the checkout line
at the grocery store looking at the covers of all the magazines
wishing your body looked like the “perfect” bodies of those ce-
lebrities? Do you ever or have you ever found yourself comparing
your husband to a friend’s spouse or former boyfriend of yours
wishing your mate was more like him in looks and mannerisms?
Our eyes can lead us into a world of trouble if we allow them to.
I believe that’s why God instructs us in Psalm 119:37 to turn our
eyes away from worthless things.
Satan boosted Eve’s self esteem by telling her she would
become like God if she ate of the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5). Are you clinging
to those compliments your boss gives you and now you go out
of your way to make sure he notices you every day? Is your dress
less than modest because it causes the heads of men to turn in
your office? Deep down do you desire to be someone you are not
and find yourself living a secretive life because it makes you “feel
good” in the moment? Our self worth is so very important in the
makeup of who we are and Satan knew he could get to Eve by
telling her she could become like God if she would just take this
one step forward.
Outside influences affected the marital relationship of Adam
and Eve in huge ways complicating their interaction with one
another and also complicating their interaction with God the
Father. Those same influences can complicate our relationships
with our spouse and with God. So, what do we do? How do
we simplify our marriage relationships and rid our lives
of those things that complicate and entangle us?
First and foremost, we must seek God above all else. He must
be our number one priority. We must purpose in our minds to
spend quality time with Him each and every day. By spending
that time with God in prayer and in the reading of His Word our
trust in Him will begin to grow more and more; our doubting of
who He is and what He can do will be thrown out the window
(Proverbs 3:5-6).
marriage column

we must cling to His Word

We must replace the lies Satan tries to fill our minds with about who we are with the Truths of
God’s Word. Instead of believing that God could never forgive all the horrible things we’ve done in
the past, we must cling to His Word and believe that we are forgiven of ALL our sins and washed
in the blood of the Lamb (Ephesians 1:7). Instead of believing that we aren’t worthy to be loved, we
must believe that we are GREATLY loved by God (Colossians 3:12; Romans 1:7; I Thessalonians
1:4; Ephesians 2:4).

We can also simplify our marriages by riding them of the influences of others thoughts and opin-
ions. God created marriage to be between one man, one woman, and Himself. Nothing more,
nothing less. Wives are to submit to their husbands as husbands are to submit to God in the marital
relationship; both are to be seeking after God with their whole hearts, following His leading and
His plan for their lives- period.

A simple marriage. God, your man, and you-

what more does there need to be?

Join our Marriage

Channel Editor,
Marsha, for a monthly
Q & A. Have a ques-
tion ahout marriage?
Ask away!

20 magazine February 2010

©Christy McGraw
21 magazine September 2008
>>> September 2008 magazine 21
how-to column

How To Deepen
Your Faith Written by Wendy Miller

This month I’m going to spring an acrostic on you. I don’t know anyone
who has a personal bond with Jesus Christ who doesn’t long to draw deeper
into that life-saving relationship. We want to get closer to God but some-
times the method of how to draw closer eludes us. Whether we are uninten-
tionally lukewarm with God or we are blatantly not seeking Him as much as
we’d like to, we crave our relationship with God to deepen. Sometimes it just
feels like a matter of where to start. How do we begin to delve into our faith
with more intensity? As you read my acrostic example, please know that we can
do all things possible to be “right” with God, lifting Him up and seeking Him
in many avenues of life, but no matter how hard we go at this relationship
thing we are amiss to forget we have a conduit in this. We have an interces-
sor to help. As you read, allow the Holy Spirit to stir in you, reminding you
of the dazzling beauty that results from a committed and intentional faith.

22 magazine February 2010

 Faith A = Adoration
phoned the mom to ensure she wanted
It’s Christmas Eve service. You’re stand- help. Over the course of the next
F = Find time
ing behind two siblings holding their month I, along with a handful of other
lit candles threatening to go at each generous women from the group ar-
If there is one lesson God has been
other, flailing the candles like swords. ranged for this family to have meals
teaching me it is how to manage my
You ache to laugh at the sight, a surge of for over a month. Can I tell you how
time. Please don’t kill me after I tell you
heightened attention within you. Then good that felt? Not a prideful, ‘look at
what I’m about to share. This is the first
the choir bellows out, “O Come let us what I did’ kind of good, but a release,
period of my whole life where I am really
Adore Him.” You think of those two ‘I got outside of myself’ fantastic! And
grappling with balancing priorities. How
children. You think of toddlers, babies little by little, day by day, I drew closer
I managed them with such finesse before,
and young children gathering at the to God again. He did that. He moved
I’ll never know, but I’m flying around in
feet of Jesus. I don’t know if you think His Spirit to move me. And I recovered
a whirling dervish of distractions and un-
of these things or if you think about and healed. I also let go of the anger
met needs. I need a sign as I go through-
adoring baby Jesus in a manger as the I had toward God. Serving someone
out my day to state, YOU ARE HERE. But
song is sung, but I think there’s more to else amounted to a powerful way for
then someone would need to be racing
the story of adoration. I believe God is me to deepen my faith.
around with that sign so I could see it as
I travel, hop, skip and jump from place to inviting us to adore Him every time He
splashes a rainbow across the sky. He T = Thanksgiving
place, project to project. I’ve learned an
imperative lesson as I face this upheaval wonders if we will adore Him when He
plays out that “coincidence” in your life According to UNICEF there are 200
in my organized schedule. If I don’t
just so. God stirs adoration within us million children under the age of five
find time for God, I lose time in every-
whenever someone shows us love. He is in the developing world that suffer
thing else. Put simply, I’m convinced He
love. Every single good thing provides a from chronic under-nutrition, causing
doesn’t consistently bless the goings on
reason for us to adore Him. Every good one-third of deaths in children under
of my day if I’m not giving Him the time
thing is from Him. Next time you are five.
of day. Think of how frustrating and sad
it can feel when your spouse or a loved tempted to think adoring God is just
for a crowd of children skipping at the There is much to be thankful for. How
one hasn’t poured a lot of energy into
feet of Jesus or for those singing about many of us sit down for a family meal
you. That is how God must feel when we
baby Jesus in a manger, remember He is and pray a word of gratitude for our
ignore Him and then some.
inventing ways and orchestrating plans food? Many, probably. Here’s a harder
for us to adore Him every single sec- question, how many of us are sincere
In order to deepen your faith, you need
ond. Creation alone is cause enough for in our word of thanks? I know some
to be realistic about the time you invest
adoration. But His life and death given nights I’m spreading butter on bread
in prayer and conversation with God.
for us—I can think of nothing greater to already, passing the applesauce or
I’m a strong believer in worshipping God
adore. diving for a fallen fork as I’m mutter-
by using our gifts. But in this example
ing grace. I don’t remind you of this to
I’m not referring to playing music, writ-
I = Invest in God and others—Service incite guilt. I remind you to encourage
ing, or ice-skating for God. I’m talking
gratitude. There is much to be thankful
about conversation. Silence before Him.
I recall a particular time of my life for. If you have a family, give thanks.
Contemplation. Reflection. Confession.
where I felt low. I mean low, low—on If you have a car, give thanks. If you
Surrender. Restoration. Time reading His
the ground, crawling to get from day to have your health, give thanks. If you
Word. Prayer. Securing time with God
day. I’d lost someone I loved and I felt have a computer, give thanks. If you
is the best way I know how to give Him
certain I wasn’t going to recover from have something to laugh about, give
room to move His Spirit within you.
the loss. I knew of God’s love. I trusted thanks. If you have hope, give thanks.
He still loved me, but I felt nothing. I If you have faith, give thanks. If you
The next moment is as much beyond our
grasp, and as much in God’s care, as that felt nothing. At the time I was leading a have bread, give thanks.
a hundred years away. Care for the next MOMS group at our church. After one
minute is as foolish as care for a day in of our meetings I got wind of a mom Give thanks.
the next thousand years. In neither can whose little girl needed to undergo an
we do anything, in both God is doing intense and frightening surgery. Some-
everything. thing snapped inside me. (We know that
something as the Holy Spirit.) I had to
-C.S. Lewis help this family. Within minutes I’d

23 magazine February 2010 September 2008 magazine 23

 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in ev-
erything, by prayer and petition, with thanks-
how-to deepen your faith giving, present your requests to God. And
the peace of God, which transcends all un-
derstanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

H = Humility

I am not God. You are not God. I could stop

there, really. But I’ll humor us and write a
little more on humility. God blesses when
we choose to see things accurately. By see-
ing things accurately I mean seeing Him high
and exalted and us as lowly sinners. Once we
get that, He has so much room to move in us.
And His power and His works are far greater
than anything we could ever do on our own.

Find time.
His works are glorious, majestic, mighty and
life-saving. Giving Him credit is merely dem-
onstrating that our vision is clear, that we are
free of spiritual cataracts. And when our vi-
sion is clear, we understand what a redeem-

Adore Him.
ing God we have. We understand the extent
of what He did for us and the power He in-
stills in us through the Holy Spirit. We under-
stand why deepening our faith with Him is so
appealing.

Invest in God and

“And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to
death—even to death on the cross!” Philip-
pians 2:8

others in service.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s
might hand, that he may lift you up in due
time.” 1 Peter 5:6

Faith.
Thank Him.

Humble yourself before

Him and He will,

He will lift you up.

24 magazine February 2010

 Cultivating a
Simple Heart
Written by Alison Hunt

I love the few weeks after New Years. They are filled with hope and excite-
ment and the feeling that anything is possible. In the past, I have been a noto-
rious New Year’s Resolution setter [with very little follow through].

You know the usual suspects.

#1 – I will read my Bible every day.

#2 – I will exercise four times a week.
#3 – I will lose the remaining 10 pounds!

All of those resolutions are good, but remember that little problem I mentioned
about completing my resolutions? Then in recent years I called them ‘New
Year’s Goals’.

Let me be honest, even though my new year’s goals were better organized
than the resolutions, the follow through still hasn’t been there. As I approached
2010 I knew things had to be different. I wanted things to be different. As I
prayed about this God asked me to make a change.

That change was to have one goal for 2010: to have have a simple, undivided
heart.

25 magazine February 2010

I prayed and asked, “What does that mean,
God? A simple heart?” I did not get an immedi-
ate answer, but friends, when the answer came,
I wasn’t prepared. As I went about my daily life
God began to point out my idols. Ouch, I know.
Guess what was the first thing…my Blackberry.
Did we all just collectively gasp? I think I actually
said, “No, God not my Blackberry!” Y’all, that
thing was in my hand at all times. It was the first
thing I looked at in the morning (I had to see
what happened on twitter while I slept!) and
the last thing I looked at before I went to sleep.
It was distracting me at work and not to men-
tion it was costing me more money than I care
to share. Idol much? Yes, I think so too. As the
days and weeks passed I was becoming more
aware of the idols in my life. A simple heart is
one that worships no other idols. It’s a heart that
is molded to the Holy Spirit’s leading without
question.
When I realized the gravity of the changes that
would be required, I fell to my knees, but when
I realized the intimacy I would gain with Jesus in
return, I fell on my face before the Lord. It was
too much and more than enough and every-
thing I ever I wanted. BUT (and it’s a big ‘but’)
I knew the process would not be one of easy
choices. Simple does not always mean easy.
God was asking me to live differently than I ever
have before, and I didn’t know if I could do it.
In fact, I knew it was something I could not do.
EZEKIEL 11:16-20 SAYS, “THEREFORE SAY: ‘THIS IS
WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS: ALTHOUGH
I SENT THEM FAR AWAY AMONG THE NATIONS
AND SCATTERED THEM AMONG THE COUNTRIES,
YET FOR A LITTLE WHILE I HAVE BEEN A SANCTU-
ARY FOR THEM IN THE COUNTRIES WHERE THEY
HAVE GONE.’ THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN
LORD SAYS: I WILL GATHER YOU FROM THE NA-
TIONS AND BRING YOU BACK FROM THE COUN-
TRIES WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN SCATTERED, AND
I WILL GIVE YOU BACK THE LAND OF ISRAEL
AGAIN.’ “THEY WILL RETURN TO IT AND REMOVE
ALL ITS VILE IMAGES AND DETESTABLE IDOLS.I
WILL GIVE THEM AN UNDIVIDED HEART AND PUT
A NEW SPIRIT IN THEM; I WILL REMOVE FROM
THEM THEIR HEART OF STONE AND GIVE THEM A
HEART OF FLESH.THEN THEY WILL FOLLOW MY DE-
CREES AND BE CAREFUL TO KEEP MY LAWS. THEY
WILL BE MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD.”
26 magazine February 2010
See, I told you I could not do it. The Lord does
the heart change. I just have to yield and give
my stone of a heart as an offering for a heart
that beats and lives focused on things above.
Even though this scripture is about the Jews
being scattered and then restored to Israel it
holds so many promises for the here and now.
A new spirit, a heart of flesh, we get to be his
people AND he will be our God! That sounds like
a pretty good deal to me.
My life has been a process of being sent out
and being gathered in. Over the years I’ve
asked the Lord to send me out and each time
he did I was in a strange land. I asked to be
there, I felt I had purpose to be there, and when
the storms rolled through he was my sanctu-
ary. Now is the time for me to always remain
gathered in and connected to the Holy Spirit.
It is the time to remove the idols and ask the
Lord give me an undivided heart, a simple heart
of flesh that feels as Jesus feels and sees the
world through his eyes. God loved me enough
to let me explore and still protected me when I
realized, again, that his way would have been
less complicated than my own. Isaiah 55: 8-9
states “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,” declares the
Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways and my
thoughts than your thoughts.” The only way I
will be able to make the choice to 100% yield
to the ways of God, is to be reliant on the new
spirit, the Holy Spirit, that God gave me when he
saved my soul. The rough times will still come,
and the Lord will still be my sanctuary. However,
my simple heart will already be fully focused on
God. Grief and pain will be mixed equally with
the hope of my Savior.
As I embark on my journey of a simple heart,
my prayer for you is that you would wake every
morning with fresh excitement that anything is
possible. That you would answer when God calls
because this life is so much sweeter with the
intimacy of knowing him and your God know-
ing you. And, that when the Holy Spirit points
out your idols, that you would destroy them and
fill that space with more of Jesus. Finally, my
friends, as Paul says in Romans 15:13, ‘May the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as
you trust in him, so that you may overflow with
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’.
 Single.

Sassy.

Loved.

Visit Exemplify’s Singles Channel today @ http://exemplifyonline.com/singles/

27 magazine February 2010 February 2010 magazine 27


The Truth
Stands Written by Brooke McGlothlin
One of the hallmarks of the Christian life is the
moment we realize that every single part of the
Word of God is true, and then choose to act on
that truth. Grief, heartache, regret and disappoint-
ment could so often be spared if we lived out that
choice every day. I know I can’t simplify my life
much more. The tasks my hands are laid to each
day – mothering two small children, loving a man
whose schedule makes us struggle to be con-
nected, working part-time in non-profit ministry,
writing that feeds my soul in hopes of feeding
another’s, Bible study, the quest to get back into
shape, responsibilities at home – are the simpli-
fied version of my life. Much prayer and a heart
for wisdom have brought me to this point. But
finding joy in the doing of these things simply
means that I must trust God at His Word.
As I look ahead, my desire is simply to believe
that God’s Word is true…and in every situation,
to choose to live out that Truth.
How is that possible?
28 magazine February 2010
I must learn to submit to the Truth. My four year
old son, after getting caught in an act of disobedi-
ence, said to me, “Mommy, can’t we just stop be-
lieving that we have to obey?” Unfortunately, we
can. But our choice to stop obeying has no impact
whatsoever on the fact that God’s Word is true.
And the truth is that if we disobey, there will be
consequences. The truth is not dependent on my
choices, or my four year old’s. The truth stands
even when we don’t stand behind it.
Do you believe that disobedience (sin) brings con-
sequences? James 1:14 – 15 tells us that, …each
person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by
his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived
gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown
brings forth death.
Each time I choose anything but submission to
God’s Word as Truth I choose the consequences
of sin.
I must learn to choose God’s Truth over my emotions.
Several years ago, before children, my job required
that I travel about an hour to and from a satellite office
we were trying to open. I long ago developed a love for
long road trips alone in the car. I love to turn the radio
up and enjoy the music that makes my heart happy.
Especially because my husband and I do not share the
same taste in music. I have a deep and abiding love
for music from the 70s and 80s. He hates it. I know, I
know…most people say that music skipped right over
the 80s and moved into the 90s, but I honestly enjoy
the fun, light-hearted nature of 80s music.
This particular day found me enjoying some of the best
of the best of that time period. Sunroof open, windows
down, breeze blowing my hair and sunshine warming
my heart…singing like no one could hear me (come
on now…you know what I’m talking about, right? I
know I’m not the only one). And then a particular song
came on. I recognized it immediately. And immedi-
ately I was whisked away to another time and place…
and another man whose heart had once captured mine.
Memories of that love began to fill my mind and a
feeling of deep loss etched its way into my emotions.
I could literally feel myself being sucked down into a
place I didn’t want to go.
As quickly as the song came on, I felt a check in my spirit. My
husband’s sweet face blew its way through my mind and the Lord
spoke to my heart, “Chose to turn it off.” And I did. But my heart
wanted to stay. Turning the channel was a physical act of the will
and it was hard. But now, each time I hear that song or any other
that reminds me of a relationship other than my marriage I turn
the channel immediately. A choice to act on the Truth of God’s
Word…a choice to protect my emotions and so protect my mar-
riage.
Do you believe that you are not REQUIRED to be controlled by
your feelings and emotions? There will be times when your heart
tells you something is true that the Word of God says is false.
Jeremiah 17:9 says,
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick…
Each time I choose to listen to my heart over the Truth of
God’s Word I choose the consequences of sin.
I have to choose to love God more than I love my sin. Sin is
enticing…sometimes even beautiful. There has to be something
attractive about it or we wouldn’t be so inclined to it. I love food.
And my tendency when hurt, stressed, disappointed, threatened
or emotionally exhausted is to run to it for comfort. The past two
years of my life have included the loss of a friend, the birth of a
strong-willed child, a day of believing my husband’s life was in
danger, the loss of two favorite uncles within a 10 month time
span, a horrific wreck that nearly took the life of my grandmother
and now watching her slip into the clutches of dementia, the near-
loss of my cousin’s life to a ruptured appendix and a gripping
feeling that tells me I have no control over anything. My response
has been to throw my health out the window. Food has been my
comfort of choice, my idol, and it now shows on my body.
Do you realize that even things that are good can become idols of
your heart? Deuteronomy 6:5 says, You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your might.”
Each time I choose to love something else more than I love
God I choose the consequences of sin.
I must embrace obedience even in the small things. Each time I
choose something other than the Truth I communicate to God that
Christ’s sacrifice on the cross means nothing. Jesus came to set us
free from the power of sin and death. In the previously mentioned
conversation with my four year old I was faced with a choice; to
be mad and yell, “You have to obey because I SAY SO!!”, or to
look for an opportunity to teach him. Our conversation ended like
this:
“Sweetie, that’s exactly why we need Jesus. God sent Him
to us because left to ourselves, none of us has the power
to obey. The Truth is that if we disobey our lives won’t
go well. But none of us will choose Truth unless there is
Someone to help us overcome the sin in our hearts. We all
want our own way. You, me, Daddy and your brother…
we all need Jesus to help us want to obey. Let’s ask Him
to do that in our hearts now.”
Do you believe that your response in the small things mat-
ters? It’s all about your heart. There is a direct line from
your heart to your mouth. What resides in your heart will
come out in the form of your behavior. And your behav-
ior will always reveal what you really believe to be true.
What do those around you think you believe about God?
Jesus said in Matthew 12:34,
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaks.”
Every time I choose disobedience, even in the small
things, I choose the consequences of sin.
Simply put…The Word of God is true.
Simply put…Our choice to obey His Truth matters…even
when our emotions tell us something different.
Simply put…God want us to choose Him first over any
other good thing.
Simply put…Your heart reveals what you truly believe.
This year I’m asking God to help me simplify. Not to let
go of more “things” that clutter it up, but to rid my heart
of those things contrary to His Truth that reside there and
replace them with the faith to believe that what He says
is True…and the strength to live out that Truth no matter
what.
Join me?
February 2010 magazine 29

The Book Nook with
Deborah Boutwell
Jamie Carie pulls her setting for Wind
Dancer directly from the history pages
of America, using actual events and
characters, such as George Rogers
Clark, who fought the Illinois Cam-
paign in 1778 to set the tone.
The story opens with a scout for Clark
being chased through the woods by
the Shawnee Indians, who are set on
capturing the Glorious One, Samuel
Holt, and claiming his blond locks as
a prize. From that first scene, the
reader is taken on an adventure that
will have their heart pounding with the
sound of the ponies’ hoof beats and
the Indian drums, then breaking at
the cruelty of a very realistic look at
frontier life, and finally finding joy and
peace even in the midst of adverse
situations.
Samuel Holt has positioned himself
in strategic areas to find out where
sympathies lay toward America’s fight
for complete freedom from the Brit-
ish. He sometimes finds that he must
bend the truth a bit before revealing
his true purpose; which he does when
he encounters a small group traveling
through the woods, being led by an
Indian guide. He quickly realizes that
he has miscalculated their strength
when he finds himself at the end of
the barrel of a rifle, being held with as- and they all find themselves captured
surance by Isabelle Renoir.
30 magazine February 2010
Isabelle, on a journey with her brother,
Julian, and their guide, Quiet Fox, is no
stranger to the woods or the handling
of weapons. More at home outdoors
than in, she is relishing in this adven-
ture, sanctioned by her mother, to pick
up a load of books from Kaskaskia.
When the handsome “trader” appears
in the middle of a storm, she recog-
nizes in him a familiarity that has her
inviting him to journey with them, even
though she has some misgivings about
him.
Samuel finds that his heart is being
taken captive by the spirited Isabelle,
who dances in the moonlight a dance
offering to God. Yet his soul is still held
captive to memories that forced him to
run from his family and his daughter
four years earlier. Can he surrender to
this woman/child that seems to know
no fear?
“I am trusting you with the lives of
many men, with dreams of glory and
freedom. Don’t disappoint me.” Sam-
uel finally confides in Julian his true
purpose after they wake to find them-
selves deserted by their guide, under
the attack of wild animals, without
water, and at the mercy of strangers
that believe that Samuel and Isabelle
are traveling as a married couple.
Upon reaching Kaskaskia, Isabelle
learns that during the night, the fort
has been taken, without a single shot
fired, by the Long Knives, lead by
Clark. She then discovers the truth
about Samuel. “She paused, looking
into these two faces, bold and dar-
ing, sure and strong…and something
else – something that told her this
was important, that something vast
and beyond her understanding was
happening.” She swears her loyalty
to this new freedom and heads back
with Samuel and Julian to deliver the
treasured books to her priest.
However, freedom is not easily won
by the Shawnee. “Sunukkuhkau
was watching him…This was not
like looking into the face of death;
this was looking into the face of hell.
And it was more terrifying than any-
thing Samuel had yet experienced.”
Can they find freedom while in
bonds? Only through God do they
learn what true freedom is.
As I read through this wonderful
book for the second time, I was
captured by a secondary charac-
ter that I had not noticed before,
Hope, Isabelle’s mother. She is
a blessing tucked into this story,
of quiet strength, a mother’s love,
and a woman desiring only God.
“She was a warrior of prayer. A
warrior in a realm more real than
this flesh would prove to be, of
that she was certain. And as God
knew, she could carry this mission
to anywhere on the earth, even in
the shadow of her rainbow-seeking
husband. No, especially in his
shadow.”
This isn’t always an easy tale to read.
Isabelle’s heartbreak becomes your
own. You cry out to God with her, you
rejoice in her healing. Jamie doesn’t
sugar coat the events that happened
to people during clashes with the
Indians during that time period. She
accurately relates the stories without
going into gory detail. She weaves a
tale that shows God’s hand working
in each life.
Jamie Carie has been steadily build-
ing her reputation as an author ever
since her first novel, Snow Angel,
was released in 2007, when she won
National “Best Books” Award from
USA Book News. I have been follow-
ing Jamie with eager anticipation for
each title to be released ever since.
I’ve not been disappointed, I don’t
think you will be either.
devotional
is it well Written by Kara Cox
with my soul?
I have had a desperately challenging week. I’ve
been hurt by people I love and I know I’ve hurt
people I love in return. I’ve lost things I never
thought I would lose and I’ve questioned things
I once thought secure. I’ve struggled and fought
and cried and pretty much worn myself out. At
this moment none of these things is getting any
better, even though everything in me is crying
out for them to improve. And if I was the only
one who ever felt this way I’d have good reason
to feel sorry for myself. However I know that at
some time or another we have all felt at some lev-
el what I’m feeling right now: hurt, disappoint-
ment, confusion, chaos. It’s just life. It’s not fair
and it certainly isn’t easy. I don’t know where in
the world we got the idea that it was. Right now,
I’m blaming Hollywood, but check back with me
next week and I’ll probably blame it on cosmetic
companies or something else. Something vague
and blamable. Is blamable even a word?
In light of some pretty devastating struggles
this week the thing I’ve wished the most is that
I could go back to a much more simple time.
Like childhood with it’s carefree, fun, easy days.
A time when bills weren’t due and then past due,
days when the biggest concern was whether to
ride bikes all afternoon or pretend I was Anne
Shirley and my backyard was Avonlea. I wanna
watch Little House on the Prairie and read Lit-
tle Women and play dress up and write silly po-
ems in my journal. I don’t want to deal with the
crazy stuff my life has been pummeled with lately.
I want something easier, sweeter, more peaceful
and less chaotic, something more light and less
difficult. I want that simple life that doesn’t dev-
astate me with loss, hurt and chaos. Is that even
possible anymore?
31 magazine February 2010
In the midst of all this I’ve been surprised
by a still small voice. It’s not the voice of
my long lost, carefree childhood. It’s the
voice of my Savior. “Come to me all who
are weary and burdened,” I hear him say.
Oh is that ever me right now, “and I will
give you rest.” I’m listening now. Rest does
sound good. “Take my yoke upon you and
learn from me, for I am gentle and humble
in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls.” (Matthew 11:28-30.)
No matter what your struggle is, Jesus’ in-
vitation to lay down your heavy load is one
of the sweetest this side of Salvation. The
promise of rest and relationship is better
than a chance to time travel back twenty
or so years to a “more simple” time. It’s an
opportunity to experience something real
with Jesus. It’s something refreshing and
life altering.
There could be no sweeter words for
tougher times, could there friends? Be-
cause the truth is life is going to mess with
you from time to time. It’s not easy walk-
ing through a fallen world without feeling
like your about to fall apart yourself. But
there is One who never leaves your side.
There is one whose invitation is free, sure
and measureless. Crummy circumstances
aside, I can know rest when I come to Je-
sus with the burden of out of control cir-
cumstances and life issues that seem unre-
solvable. “Cast all your cares upon Him,
for he cares for you.”
I’ve decided the simple life isn’t what I
thought it was. It isn’t childhood dreams
and it isn’t Hollywood fairy tales. It’s a
pure, real relationship with my burden
bearer, Jesus. It’s coming to Him daily
and taking up His yoke that is easy and
His burden that is light. It doesn’t mean
life doesn’t try to toss me around with dev-
astating blows now and then. But it does
mean my anchor is secure and I can say“It
is well with my soul.”
February 2010 magazine 31
 Apologetics Series:
Meddlin’ Believers! Written by Tara Rachel

How many of you used to watch Scooby Doo cartoons as a child? Do you remember the
famous tagline from the end of the show? At the end of every episode, when the super-
sleuthing kids had the “bad guy” cornered and unmasked, he shook a belligerent fist at them
and said, “And I would have gotten away with this, if it weren’t for you meddlin’ kids!”

Now I’d like to propose a question to you today: how many of you would like to become a
“meddlin’ believer”?

Before you think I’ve completely lost my mind, let me explain...

I don’t have to tell you that we live in a

world where the Word and things of God
are under ferocious attack. We live in a
culture today that is driven by a secular
mindset. Religion is tossed aside a crutch
for the weak and unintelligent. The pri-
mary argument against religion is that no
one with any sense or a shred of intelli-
gence would follow a religious system.

It’s a well-reasoned argument from the en-

emy’s camp, playing right into man’s desire
to puff up and elevate himself.

32 magazine February 2010

 Of course, it’s also complete hog-
wash.
We see in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that
this tactic isn’t exactly a new thing.
Paul warns the Corinthians, “The
god of this age has blinded the
minds of unbelievers, so that they
cannot see the light of the gospel
of the glory of Christ, who is the
image of God.”
The target of the enemy’s attack is
the mind. Today we see him el-
evate the minds of those who hate
God and maligning the intelligence
of those who love God.
Turn with me to Isaiah 1:18.
Look closely at the first part of
the verse. What is it God in-
vites His people to do with Him?
__________________________
Incredible, isn’t it? The Lord of
Creation, founder of heaven and
earth, Savior and Righteous Judge
– invites us to come reason with
Him.
33 magazine September 2008
In the same verse where He promises
to wash our sins away and make us white
as snow, He assures us that to do so, we
don’t have to check our brains at the
door.
Ladies, our God is not afraid of the ar-
guments coming against Him like arrows
from every which way. He knows the
voice of the serpent is tantalizing, that
it appeals to our flesh. He is not afraid
of questions we have; rather, I think it
pleases Him to put the answers out there
for us.
I imagine His smile
when He looks
down and sees His
children learning
more and more
about Him, joyfully
discovering all the
treasures He has
left for us to un-
earth.
I’d like to examine a few verses
regarding knowledge. I pray that
these will encourage you to see the
seriousness of filling our minds
with the truth of God.
Read Hosea 4:6. What does
God say is the result of the lack
of knowledge in His people?
________________________
The people of Hosea’s time were destroyed be-
cause of their lack of knowledge. Their disregard
for the knowledge of God had serious spiritual
repercussions. The Lord rejected their priests
and forgot their children because they never saw
fit to retain the knowledge of God.
Read Proverbs 1:7. What does Solo-
mon say is the beginning of knowledge?
______________________
Our knowledge must be hedged within a proper
reverence for God. Spiritual knowledge must be-
gin and end with awe and worship of the Lord.
I love what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:6. “For
God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,”
is the One who has shone in our hearts to give
the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Christ.”
I am so excited you have decided to join us here
at Exemplify on this journey. I personally believe
the need for sound biblical knowledge is more
needed now than perhaps ever before in history.
As we go through the evidence of, as I like to call
it, the greatest defense ever written, I pray that
you will be encouraged in your daily walk with the
Lord. I pray that you will see yet another beautiful
facet of our Father and His Word. I pray that your
love for and belief in Jesus Christ will be magni-
fied hundred-fold as you dig deeper and deeper
into His life and His ministry. I pray your knowl-
edge will spur you on to share the good news of
Christ with others around you.
I saw a great quote on Facebook yesterday. A
friend from college wrote, “I’m pretty sure the
Word is out of season. Paul said we should
preach it anyway.” Amen, brother.
And when we get to the end of this study, our min-
istry toolboxes considerably heavier than when
we started and the lies of the evil one unmasked,
I hope that the enemy will be sitting there, shaking
his belligerent fist, whining, “And I would have got-
ten away with it, too, if it weren’t for you meddlin’
believers!”
***
34 magazine February 2010
The cornerstone verse for this study is 1 Peter 3:15. Read
it with me now and begin working to commit this verse to
memory, if you haven’t already done so.
“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being
ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give
an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness
and reverence.”
Peter lays out some instructions for us when it comes to
defense of the Gospel (lit. apologia; a verbal defense, a
reasoned statement or argument). I want to examine these
before we jump into this study.
1. Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
There is no purpose – let me repeat, NO PURPOSE – in
studying apologetics if Christ is not sanctified as the Lord
of your heart. Apologetics can become a touchy subject,
especially if these topics come up with nonbelievers. The
flesh likes to rear its ugly head and “prove” itself, even
when dealing with spiritual knowledge. Also when you re-
ally begin to see the errors of other belief systems in detail,
if Christ is not sanctified in your heart, it is easy to become
puffed up and prideful as a follower of the truth. The pur-
pose of studying apologetics is not to prove ourselves right
or others wrong, but to glorify Christ. This is so, so impor-
tant and I firmly believe it is why Peter, under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, put this before giving us permission to be
on the defensive. As in all conversations, any conversation
regarding apologetic topics must be yielded to the Lordship
of Jesus Christ so that He receives full glory, which He is
due.
2. Always be ready to make a defense to everyone that asks
you about the hope that you have.
Peter is encouraging us to be prepared. We live in such
a politically-correct society that nowadays Christians are
silenced for the simple speaking out about their faith. Let
me share a hard truth with you: the opposition is build-
ing their defense, and they are verbalizing it. If you don’t
believe me, just turn on any television, radio, or open any
news magazine and look at the direction our world is spin-
ning. One of the best weapons of the enemy is to make us
believe we should keep silent so not to stir the waters or
offend anyone. Peter says always be ready. Who would
you rather listen to?
3. Be gentle and reverent.
I think a corresponding verse for this would be Colossians
4:6, where Paul tells us to keep our conversations full of
grace and seasoned with salt. Regardless of whether or
not you agree with whomever you are speaking, honor
Christ by keeping your speech gentle, respectful, loving,
 ***
It is physically impossible to study defense of Jesus, Chris-
tianity, and Christian doctrine without using the Bible, so
the validity of the Bible is going to be our first stop on this
journey. Over the next couple of months we will study how
the Bible we hold in our hands came to be, as well as ex-
amine some common accusations against the validity and
historical accuracy of the Word of God.
Today I just want to cover some verses that I hope will be
a refresher or encouragement to you. I have listed some
verses, and after each one, I’d like for you to write in the
blank the word(s) of the verse that describe the Word of
God.
Hebrews 4:12 __________________________
______________________________
1 Timothy 3:16 ________________________________
1 John 1:1 ________________________________
1 Peter 1:24-25 ________________________________
Living. Active. God-breathed. Word of Life. Stands for-
ever.
Seeing these verses gives me goosebumps. They remind
me of the power contained within the Word of God. This is
not a dry, dead, dusty book we are dealing with. The Word
of God is very, very much alive today.
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:13. What are two ways we can ap-
proach the Word of God?
1.
2.
Ladies, it is my prayer today that you fall into the latter
category Paul mentions. That you accept the Word of God
for what it is – His divine revelation to His people! And we
see yet another active description of His Word. When we
choose to believe it is from Him, it will perform its work in
us!
Can you wrap your mind around that? It blows me away.
The God of Creation loved me (and you! and you! and
you!) so much that He left His Word in our hands so that
we have a direct copy of His heart and His thoughts. This
is such a foreign concept in every other religion – a God
who reaches down to His people. Praise Him that He
would stoop to meet with us out of His love!
35 magazine February 2010
Next month we will cover the background
manuscripts for the Old and New Testaments,
but I wanted to share these verses with you
today to remind you exactly what we’re dealing
with here. The very breath of God recorded for
His people! Hallelujah!
I can testify that when I first began this study
and my eyes were opened more and more to
the perfect tapestry that is His Word, it came
alive to me. It spoke to me in new ways. It
settled into my brain, etched into my heart,
flowed into my life. My friends, He wants that
for you too! And it’s not something you have to
seek and yearn for – His Word is so awesome
it is its own catalyst to spark the flame in your
life!
I hope you will join us here at Exemplify next
month and for the remainder of this journey. I
am looking forward to what the Lord is going to
teach us together!
***
Sources used in the study (feel free to check them
out for yourselves!):
How We Got the Bible by Neil Lightfoot
Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible by John Haley
The Tanakh – the Holy Scriptures by JPS (Jewish
Bible)
The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible by Martin Abegg, Peter
Flint, and Eugene Ulrich
The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh
McDowell
Works by Norman Geisler:
Christian Apologetics
When Skeptics Ask
When Cultists Asks
When Critics Ask
Love In Action
God’s Extraordinary
Written by Marsha Harwood

© Wam1975 | Dreamstime.com
36 magazine September 2008

Hunger Has a Name
Recently, I saw the face of God. I wasn’t looking for
Him when I saw Him and I never anticipated seeing
Him where I found Him. No, it wasn’t in a photo of
the Shroud of Turin, a gnarly tree trunk or even the
shape of an imposing white cloud gracing the blue
sky.
I found Him in the form of two hungry little Kenyan
boys clutching a dead cow rib. Each so hungry they
would eat raw or nearly raw meat from a cow that
had just died due to the draught and famine.
Just a year ago I visited there and I hugged,
laughed and played with these little boys. They
didn’t have much, but they had porridge in their
bowls. Now the pictures my daughter and son-in-
law had sent me reduced me to tears.
For me, hunger has a name. It’s Nanyu and her
family. I know these precious people and pray for
them daily. A day doesn’t go by that my life is not
impacted by having met them. So when Travis
called and told us that Nanyu lost her baby she was
pregnant with because of malnutrition, my husband
and I knew we had to get involved. The people
have no food or resources and they walk one mile to
get clean water from the source Travis was able to
install for them.
My husband and I are just ordinary people with or-
dinary means. But the Lord in His extravagant abun-
dance, lead us to share the need with other ordinary
people. Then He added his EXTRA to our ordinary
and He did some EXTRAordinary things through ordi-
nary people.
37 magazine February 2010
God’s EXTRAordinary =
Baby Steps of the Physical and Spiritual Kind
Along with a couple from our church who also
graciously provided money, we sent money
to feed Nanyu and her extended family for six
weeks.
As soon as our son-in-law knew money was
on its way, he went into town and spent $20,
enough to buy food for one week for this large
family. When he arrived with the bags of food,
Nanyu was overjoyed and said this was the
happiest day of this year! (In the picture, Nanyu
is the woman on the right with her young-
est on her back. Her Mother is in the middle.)
They have lost so much weight since I last saw
them, and I thought they were skin and bones
then! Her little 9 year old brother is sitting on the
ground holding one of the bags. He has fluid
that collects in his skull and withered limbs. Any
“extra” money they get goes to having the fluid
removed periodically.
For Nanyu, Jesus has a name and face. He
looks like those who have reached out with
compassion and are feeding her and her fam-
ily.  How humbling it is to be the hands and feet
of Jesus.
For me, I saw the face of God in two of
Nanyu’s children so hungry they would eat raw
meat. Matthew 25:37-40 tells us that by feeding
the hungry, we have directly ministered to Jesus
Himself and blessed Him.
“Then the righteous will answer Him, sayings,
‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed
You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
And when did we see You a stranger, and invite
You in, or naked, and clothe You?  And when
did we see You sick, or in prison, and come
to You?’  And the King will answer and say to
them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you
did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the
least of them, you did it to Me.’” Matthew 25:37-
40 (NASB)
We thought we had accomplished much in
Jesus name with the limited resources we had.
But God quickly let us know these were just
baby steps. We were only feeding one family
and there were hundreds more in the village
that were starving. He was desiring to expand
our faith and move us into action.
 God’s EXTRAordinary -
Sharing the Vision
Our daughter and son-in-law sent us pictures
daily. The lush green savannah was parched
and totally lifeless. Thousands of dead cattle and
wildlife laid scattered as far as the eye could see.
The worst place was in the river, the main water
source for the villagers, and it was almost dry. The
pictures showed dead animals in the water and
along the banks.
People were bathing, washing clothes and pots,
and collecting water to take back to their huts all
from this contaminated water source. Our son-in-
law and his workers were pulling dead animals out
of the water nearly all day long. They were warn-
ing the people not to use the water for anything,
but to use the clean water sources that they had
installed for them to use.
Laura and Travis ministered continually to the
needs of the village God has called them to.
They wept as the people began to die from an-
thrax, water borne diseases and starvation. They
knew what they needed was a miracle to provide
water and enough food to start a food pantry
that would be able to feed the people in their
church and other villagers.
The need was so great. It was bigger than
any one of us could tackle alone. But God once
again added His EXTRA to our ordinary.
Thanks to various forms of social media, we were
able to share with others what was going on in
Kenya. People’s hearts were stirred and within 10
days we raised thousands of dollars to be used
for water systems and to stock the food pantry for
several months.
Lives were spared and hearts were changed
in their village. Every Sunday brought more and
more people to church and more and more cry-
ing out for God to save them physically and spiri-
tually. And He did. The people are not only be-
coming physically nourished, but a spiritual revival
has taken place in their village as well. It’s now
months later and people are still receiving Christ
as their Savior and growing in the Lord.
But it wasn’t only there in Kenya that God was
changing hearts and lives.
38 magazine September 2008
God’s EXTRAordinary -
And a Little Child Shall Lead Them
Lana is an ordinary 7 year old girl.  She
enjoys flowers, tea parties, baking, singing,
dancing and anything pink. She flits and flut-
ters through life filling her family and friends
with kisses, cuddles and giggles, just like other
little girls her age.
But in late September, this ordinary little girl
did something extraordinary.  She started a
cookie business with her Mom called Mom &
Me Baking Co .
You may be thinking that sounds pretty ordi-
nary.  Lots of 7 year olds start little businesses
selling cookies, lemonade, taking care of
pets, washing windows.  And you’re right, but
God did something special.  He put His EXTRA
with Lana’s ordinary and together, Lana is
now doing something extraordinary for God.
Lana saw a picture that broke her heart. 
Children starving, going to bed hungry at
night, and some of them were dying from
eating dead cows.
There’s a draught and famine going on in
Kenya Africa and people and live stock are
dying every day.  Most 7 year olds don’t even
know where Kenya is, let alone even care
about what is happening there.  But Kenya
is a very important part of Lana’s life and
has been for almost 4 years.  Her Aunt Laura
and Uncle Travis and her 4 cousins Sarah (8),
Summer(almost 6), Savannah (2) and Skylar
(almost 7 months) are missionaries there.
Enter God’s EXTRA added to Lana’s ordi-
nary.
Lana decided she wanted to do something
to feed the starving people.  A family of 9-12
can eat for $20 a week.  Now her baking has
an EXTRAordinary purpose and Kookies for
Kenya was born.  In four months time she has
raised hundreds of dollars for the food pantry
in that tiny village in Kenya. Little children her
age and younger have food to eat everyday
because an ordinary 7 year old girl allowed
God to show His EXTRAordinary love in action.
 Update:
God’s EXTRAordinary
Through Ordinary You Since this article was written, the Maasai
people have had some rain but because the
Every day over 28,000 people die from starvation
ground was so hard it caused some
around the globe.  Through the aid of various
flooding. Some areas have begun to see
organizations 27,000 tons of food aid is distributed
patches of green, so the Sawyers are now
a day while we here in America waste 131,000
offering seeds to the people in their village so
tons of food A DAY!   The average American
they can plant gardens. Nearly all livestock is
church member only gives $1.17 A YEAR to feed
dead.
the hungry.
The needs are still great because of unsafe
What would happen if each of us average, ordi-
water, not enough food, dead animal car-
nary people were to say, “God, I want to partner
casses and an increase in serious, life threat-
with your EXTRA so I can show EXTRAordinary love
ening illnesses caused by all this.
to someone.”  I would venture to say those num-
bers would change dramatically.
If you would like to help install safe water and
help stock the food bank, or learn more about
Children are going to bed hungry here in Amer-
Travis and Laura Sawyer and their mission
ica, too.  Did you know that $1 donated to your
organization, please visit their blog. http://
local food bank will provide about 3 meals?
thesawyerscoop.blogspot.com/
God is inviting you to come alongside Him for
the sake of His glory.  Dare to do EXTRAordinary
things for God.  His EXTRA + your ordinary = EX-
TRAordinary!

“But whoever has the world’s goods, and be-

holds his brother in need and closes his heart
against him, how does the love of God abide
in him?  Little children, let us not love with word
or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”  1 John
3:17,18

Lord,

Open our eyes to see what EXTRAordinary things

You have for each of us to do.  The needs are
great, but the laborers are few.  Lord, use us ordi-
nary people for Your honor and glory.  And thank
You for coming alongside my family, giving us a
glimpse of what our ordinary can do for You. 

In Jesus Name, Amen.

39 magazine September 2008

spotlight on...
Sherrie Marlene:
Being a host at Reach Magazine TV, Sherrie
Marlene is on the cutting edge of media entertain-
ment, but her aims are high – as high as heaven,
in fact.
Reach Magazine TV is a new program featuring
Christian hip-hop music videos, entertainment,
news and fashion. The show’s aim is to touch the
lives of youth and inspire viewers to follow their
dreams and always persevere through obstacles.
Sherrie, a Hesperia, Calif., native, said this is one
show no one will want to miss.
“Filming is going great, we have been blessed to
have the opportunity to film at the San Diego
Zoo, Magic Fashion Trade Show in Las Vegas
and Knott’s Berry Farm,” Sherrie said. “With
every show, the viewers are left with an inspira-
tional message about persevering, and overcom-
ing. Also, with every show we incorporate our
tagline, ‘Reach for your best, Reach for success,
most importantly, Reach for God, because God
is love and love is everything.’ Our hope is that we
can leave viewers with substance.”
Besides being a host of Reach Magazine TV,
Sherrie is also a wife, mother of two sons, and
guardian of her two siblings. In a previous Q&A,
Sherrie said her parents struggled with their mar-
riage and various addictions, making her grow up
early.
40 magazine February 2010
Written by Judith Roberts
Reaching High
Through Reach
Magazine TV
“My life situations gave me strength and
maturity,” she said. “As a child, when you’re
thrown into a situation that is out of the or-
dinary or threatening, you quickly learn your
role. My role, being the oldest, was to care for
and protect my younger siblings. As a result
I gained maturity and became very domestic
at a young age. Forced into a leadership role
in my family molded me into being a leader
outside of my family, so although my life expe-
riences were not always the ideal situations,
they have definitely contributed to the person
I’ve become.”
Sometimes, though, such as with her the de-
cision to become the guardian of her two sib-
lings, the answer as to what was best was not
always so easy to find.
“(My husband and I) believe God should
be the foundation all aspects of life,” Sherrie
said. “I took on guardianship of my brother
and sister after only being married for a year
and a half; I was seven months pregnant with
our first child. Although we were very much
overwhelmed with the added responsibil-
ity with my brother, sister and new baby, we
knew we had to trust God and have faith it
would all work out. My husband, Dave, is a
very patient and supportive man. Dave and I
now have two children, both boys; their ages
are four and almost two years old. Although
we have two children, we are a happy family
of six.”
Dave, Sherrie added, was a rock of support
in her decision to join Reach Magazine TV
as a host.
“Dave has always encouraged me to step out
into what God has called me to be. When I
was presented with the opportunity to be-
come a host for a Christian TV show, for me,
after praying about it, I felt like my life was
put into perspective,” Sherrie said. “I felt so
blessed to have an amazing opportunity to
reach out to people, share my experiences, my
challenges, be relatable, and through God,
make a difference in people’s lives. For Dave,
it was a ‘no brainier,’ as he says it; he just felt
like this was clearly God.”
One of her goals as a host, she added, was to
show that teens – specifically teen girls – can
learn that following Christ is the best option.
“What is so interesting about my passion for
teen girls is I originally disliked them,” Sher-
rie said. “In my junior high and high school
years I always felt teen girls — girls my own
age at the time — were very obnoxious, con-
niving and catty. It wasn’t until after my sister
came to live with me at her age of 13 that I
began to see teenage girls through a different
light.”
That realization, she added, came with mer-
cy, understanding and love.
“Through my sister and her friends, I found
that in most cases the obnoxious, conniving
and cattiness were a result of hurt, broken-
ness and insecurity. My heart now goes out to
young woman,” she said. “For me, there were
a few things that helped me get through the
difficult teen years. I made a decision early on
as a teenager to do the right thing in whatever
areas I had control over in my life. Although
I struggled, like most teens, with peer pres-
sure, through the power of God I was able
to persevere. I thank God for the distractions
he provided in my life like Wednesday night
youth service, the school’s basketball team
and writing poetry.
“Being on a routine helped me to stay focused and out of
trouble. There is so much insight I would love to give to
teens, but I’ll give the short version for now. My advice
for all teenagers first and foremost is to seek and stay close
to God. Regardless of your circumstance, God will never
leave you. I also want to point out even though you may
be in a situation that is beyond your control, you can still
take control of you. Get to the place where you truly believe
anything is possible through God, do your best, and God
will open doors.”
Though filming has already started, a date, as of yet, for
the premiere of Reach Magazine TV has not yet been an-
nounced. Visit www.reachmagazinetv.com to stay up-to-
date!
“Although faith based, our show is for everyone,” Sherrie
said. “We want our viewers to be left with encouragement
and motivation to be the best they can be. We have some ex-
citing things planned for the beginning of 2010. We will be
recognizing observances such as alcohol awareness, child
abuse prevention, breast cancer awareness, and Physical
Fitness and Sports month. So stay tuned and prepare to be
‘edutained,’ as we like to call it: educated through entertain-
ment.”
———————————————————-
Reach Magazine TV will be aired throughout Southern
California on a new television network called LA Media
TV (http://lamediatv.net).
LA Media TV will premiere on DirecTV and Dish Net-
work channel 20 in Ventura County, Los Angeles County,
Orange County and throughout the Inland Empire and on
digital channels 20.4, KNLA-Los Angeles 27, and KPAL-
Lancaster 38. Reach Magazine TV will also be available
online. At time of press, Reach Magazine TV premiere
date has been pushed back due to LA Media TV premier’s
being postponed. Visit www.reachmagazinetv.com for de-
tails.
————————-
ALSO: Sherrie’s online!
Twitter @ http://twitter.com/sherrie_marlene
Myspace @ http://www.myspace.com/sherriemarlene77
Facebook: search Sherrie Marlene and Reach Magazine
TV
featured writer
Mission Possible
     One of my favorite things about Exemplify
Magazine is the gifted women the Lord brings into
my path. So many of you are living lives that glofirfy
Christ in powerful ways!
One such woman is Deborah McCarragher. I’d
love for you to take some time to get to know her.
She’s written a book Mission Possible specifically for
women who are married to men they are trying to
lead to Christ.
Mission Possible is a unique book in the Christian
marketplace.  It addresses a subject that is often
overlooked and misunderstood.  It is a candid look
at my struggles and quest to reach my husband for
Christ.  I became a believer seven years into our
marriage.  It is written as I have lived it, and applies
scripture and biblical context to each chapter.   The
book has bible study application questions at the
end of each section, as well as three self-reflection
points to help the reader “digest” what they have
read. Mission Possible was nominated for Christian
Small Publisher’s Assoc. Book of the Year Award
for 2009.
42 magazine February 2010
Tell us a little about your background, Deborah.
I grew up in a Navy family and moved frequently as a child.
I married my first husband right out of high school. That
marriage ended in divorce four years later. I remarried in
1982 (to my current husband) and we’ll be married 28 years
in January 2010. Seven years into our marriage, I gave my
life to Jesus as Lord and Savior.
What inspired you to write this influential book?
  I was involved with a local intercessory prayer group at the
time, and was prompted by God during prayer to write down
what He was conveying to me about my husband and his
salvation.  It was quite literally written while inspired, and
without much effort on my part.  I just typed on the com-
puter as He led me to bible verses and topics to talk about.  I
remember writing down the names of the (7) chapters during
prayer time on a tablet - just looking at them afterwards in
awe.  It was quite
a moving experience. 
What primary advice do you have for women who
are married to “non-believing” husbands?
 
  I think the most important advice is to have faith in
Who God Is and His sovereignty.  We can’t “pre-
package” our spouse’s conversion experience, and
God will always do what will bring Him the “most
glory”.  We also have to remember that we don’t
wrestle against flesh and blood.  Our spouse (if un-
saved) isn’t governed by God’s Spirit - so we have to
release them from that accountability.  We must have
faith that rests in God and not in our own under-
standing, or by sight!
What kinds of reactions has the book generated
thus far?
 
  I have had great reaction to my little book.  Some
women love it because it is not lengthy, and they
can read it quickly - yet refer back to it over & over
again.  One woman emailed me a testimony that
she was nearly ready to leave her husband, but
after reading the book, felt that God was leading
her to give her marriage another try.  That was very
humbling and gratifying for me.  I just want to help
women see that there is an alternative to being miser-
able in an unequally yoked marriage.
What’s the main message that you’d like readers to
take away from it?
  I would love readers to discover that God has a
plan for each marriage that is in spiritual disunity.  It
involves us, but it is always done HIS WAY!  I want
readers to know that it is a process that evolves over
time, that we must not put Him (God) in a box, but
give Him room to move in our spouse’s life.  They
need to know that because we are not perfect and
continue to sin, that satan will harass us (women)
and try to influence us to believe that our “mission” is
not possible - but with God, all things are possible!
Deborah is generously giving away a copy of
her book to two of our readers! To
enter, head on over to our Marriage Channel
& leave a comment on the post entitled
“Mission Possible” or simply tweet
@exemplify that you’d like to enter! Winner
will be announced in one week!
Any final thoughts you’d like to share?
 
  Just that I know how difficult it is to be married
to a spouse who doesn’t share your love and devo-
tion to the Lord Jesus.  I, like many of my readers,
get frustrated and disillusioned, but I know God has
perfect timing and our best interests at heart overall. 
He wants our spouses to come to a saving knowledge
of Him and embrace a future together that brings
glory to Him. 
How can our readers learn more about you and
contact you directly?
  They can visit my website at www.Godmissionpos-
sible.com or email me at deb@alabasterboxpublish-
ing.com They can also visit my Blog page at www.
Godmissionpossible.blogspot.com. My book is avail-
able on my website at www.Godmissionpossible.com
or at www.Amazon.com , and several other online
retailers.  I have my book available in (4) different
forms: as a trade paperback, audio book on CD,
downloadable MP-3 format, and as an E-Book.
Deborah began her journey of creative writing soon after com-
ing to know Jesus as her personal savior in 1989.  She uses
her spiritual gifts of encouragement and teaching in her home
church.  She also enjoys in-depth bible study in her personal
time, and is a small business owner of over twenty years.  Her
love of the Holy scripture and bible study are evident in her po-
etry and literary works.  She and her husband attend Hibernia
Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs, and reside in Fleming
Island, Florida.  Her primary goal is to share her personal
testimony with others while bringing hope and practical help
through her books.
fiction column

Written by Tara Rachel

“But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back

from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will
stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17
Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May
the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything
but death separates you and me.” Ruth 1:15-17 (NIV

44 magazine February 2010

I grieve.
I can barely remember a time when grief was
not my constant companion.
I lay under the stars, a blanket pulled up to my
chin. Tears seep from the corners of my eyes,
chilling on my cheeks under the fierce wind.
Oh, the memories…
Sometimes I feel the slightest bit of warmth
and imagine him lying, heavy with sleep, be-
side me. But when I reach out to him, there
is nothing but cold emptiness filling the air
beside me.
Sometimes I turn to tell him the latest
thoughts of my mind, only to face my moth-
er-in-law, sister-in-law, stranger, or worse –
nothing.
Sometimes I hug myself, remembering every
path his fingers every traced on my body and
around my shoulders. But my arms are not
long enough to effectively mimic his reach.
My life has been turned upside down. Ev-
erything I have known for the last decade has
been ripped from me. And my heart has been
ripped with it.
I blink the tears out of my eyes and imagine
the stars spell his name: Kilion.
A sob rises up within me, causing my whole
body to tremor with repressed grief. My eyes
cast into a blurry blindness again, I roll over,
clutching my linen wrap close to my chest and
willing the ever-evasive sleep to come.
The morning sun burns through my eyelids,
sticky and stinging from tears mingled with
desert dust. I smell animal flesh roasting on
a stone. I can hear the lap of the Lake of Salt
as it slowly washes in and out. In and out.
Almost grudgingly, with little ripples.
Fiction:
Ruth
I walk through life as the lake ebbs. I am mov-
ing only because I have to, but not because I
consciously choose to.
We are following the perimeter of the Lake
of Salt, on the north side so as to avoid Edom
and its warring people. One day we will reach
Bethlehem. The home of my husband.
Or at least, where he once called home. My
throat stings.
I pick through the sparse food passed to me.
I have lost so much weight. I find no pleasure
in any of this life anymore. Part of me wishes
I could just go on and die so I would reunite
with him.
The thought unnerves me, as always. Be-
cause I just don’t know…
I glance over at Orpah, and at my mother-in-
law. Orpah has abandoned her food and is
seated, staring out over the water. My moth-
er-in-law sits with her head low, tears drip-
ping off her nose into her lap. Both are silent.
We are a morose trio for sure.
I force myself to swallow the remainder of my
food so not as to offend the young girl who
prepared it for us. My thoughts wander… to
Kilion… to this Bethlehem… to the Unknow-
able God who was so important to both of
them…
* * *
 One of my first impressions of the Jews was
fiction: ruth their wretchedness when it came to racial re-
lations.
Little did I know I was destined to marry a
Jew.
I remember when they started flooding into
Moab, like vermin chased out of a dark corner
by light. I heard rumors and whispers – their
God had forsaken them. He had brought
famine upon their land as a punishment for
their disobedience. Of course, this was sec-
ondhand hearsay from my fellow Moabites.
No pious Jew would consider having a con-
versation with a Moabite, and especially any
conversation that would malign the name of
their God.
This made my blood rage and boil. I found
them arrogant and insolent – forced to take
refuge in our land for sustenance when their
own God shoved them out. And yet they
refused to have any communion with us, as
though we were lower than dogs.
I wanted them gone from our land.
And then I met Kilion.
I remember being struck by his beauty – his
dark eyes, thick wavy brown hair, his skin the
color of ripened olives. I fell in love with him
at first sight. And he returned the sentiments.
We agreed to join in marriage.
He was an amazing man. A hard worker. He
told me the most wonderful tales of his histo-
ry, his people, and His God. His stories did
not match the hearsay of my fellow Moabites.
Oh, and the abuse he took for my sake! So
many of his fellow countrymen shunned him,
called him a blasphemer and an unpardon-
able sinner. All because he chose to marry a
non-Jew.
46 magazine February 2010
This only made me love him more. He told
me on more than one occasion he felt his
God had a purpose for bringing us together.
And I believed him. I believed his God, who
I didn’t know and didn’t understand, had
reached out to me through one of His own. I
felt special and loved.
And then… Kilion died. His God took him
away.
So what am I supposed to think now?
* * *
We walk until the sun grows too hot, then
take refuge for an afternoon lie-down under
the shade of some low trees on the bank of the
Lake of Salt. I try to calculate how far we have
traveled and how many days out of Moab we
are, but because of the sparse consciousness
I have entertained over the past several days,
I have no idea where we are or how far we’ve
come or how far we have yet to go.
Orpah gathers her things and sits down as far
away as she possibly can. She craves solitude.
She’s said little during this whole trip.
I hear Naomi talking softly to a member of
our camp. Her voice was laced with bitter-
ness as she spoke about her God. Kilion’s
God. Her voice expresses the contempt and
anguish and need for answers I feel racing
around in my own head and heart.
Suddenly she stands and walks to me, taking
my hand. She leads me over to Orpah, who
rises slowly from her reclined position, confu-
sion etched in her pale face. “I need to speak
with you,” Naomi announced, her voice raspy
and weak. There is no softness in her face,
only the hard lines of grief and disappoint-
ment and disillusionment.
Tears slip from the corners of her eyes. “My
beloved daughters,” she whispers, reaching
out with one hand to cup my face and weave
into Orpah’s fingers with the others. I place
my hand over hers.
“How it pains me to say this, because I vow
before Jehovah that you are all I have left. I
beg of you, please, return to your mothers’
homes. I pray that Jehovah will show kind-
ness to you, as you have shown to me and my
sons. I pray that Jehovah will bless you great-
ly in another home with another husband.”
Her composure cracks, and a sob escapes
from her chapped lips.
She leans over and kisses my cheek, the mois-
ture clinging to hers mingling with my own
tears. Beside me Orpah sits silently, tears
tracking steadily down her cheeks. Naomi
leans in and kisses her, and the tears pour
faster, like an overturned pot.
Our grief is tangible, thick, choking us, cloak-
ing us. It blacks out any light, any joy, any
hope. The three of us sit, bound intimately
by the greatest tragedies our hearts could
ever fear.
My world spins. Naomi is all I have left, and
now she too is leaving me? Perhaps I should
just throw myself into the lake and end this
misery once and for all.
My stomach lurches and I turn and vomit
onto a patch of grass. I wipe my mouth with
the back of my hand and straighten. Orpah
is kneeling face down in the grass, sobbing.
“We are going back with you to your people,”
I stammer. Though I am a stranger, I would
rather be a stranger with companionship than
a native and alone.
At my words Naomi’s face breaks again. My
heart erupts over the anguish I am heaping
onto my beloved mother-in-law. “Return
home, my daughters. Why would you come
with me? Am I going to have any more sons,
who could become your husbands?”
Orpah shakes her head, and I feel a surge of
anger at her defection.
Orpah’s agreement seems to bolster Naomi.
“Return home, my daughters,” she repeats. “I
am too old to have another husband. Even if
I thought there was still hope for me—even if
I had a husband tonight and then gave birth
to sons – would you wait until they grew up?
Would you remain unmarried for them? No,
my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for
you, because the Jehovah’s hand has gone out
against me!” At this she crumples, hugging
herself as though a chill wind blows violently
across her.
Orpah and I dash to her side, each hugging
her and trying to comfort her through our
own tears and anguish. Orpah meets my eyes
with her own red-rimmed ones. “I will do as
you say, Mother,” she whispers softly. “If it
brings you comfort, I will do as you say.” She
gives me a pointed look. I know what she is
willing me to say.
Naomi clasps her hand and kisses it. “I love
you so, Orpah.”
They both shift and look at me – Orpah, with
fierce determination; Naomi, with sorrowful
hope. And my heart rends within my chest
as my mind battles to make a decision about
something in which I wished I’d never had a
choice.
I grab Naomi’s free hand and press it to my
lips as I kneel before her. “I cannot leave you,”
I breathe into her flesh.
Orpah exhales noisily through her nose, and
I can sense her disapproval. Naomi slips her
hand out of mine and brushes back the hair
that has fallen forward onto my sweat-frosted
forehead. “Look, Ruth, my love,” she began,
her voice thick with emotion, “your sister is
going back to her people and her gods. Go
with her.”
 Her people. Her gods. Plural.
Kilion had his God. Naomi has the same
God. Orpah has her gods.
But who do I have? My heart despairs at the
impending loneliness and isolation.
I feel a rush, a sweeping wind, warm without
the aid of the sun. And I hear a voice.
Ruth… Ruth, My love, I call you Friend.
Friend?
Ruth, listen to Me, My child. I am calling
you out of the washbasin and into the land of
plenty. Into My House of Bread. I beg you
to come to Me, to My land, and allow Me to
love You and provide for you in ways you can-
not imagine.
I listen eagerly, relishing the voice that speaks
soothing salve over my wounds.
But the gods of Moab?
Leave them, Ruth, and don’t look back! Fol-
low your mother-in-law, for despite what she
believes I have not abandoned her nor turned
My face from her afflictions. Why would you
return to the confusion of many false gods
when you can come to Me and live in the sim-
plicity that is My presence, for I am the I Am,
the God who Is.
The tears are flowing again, but not for
Naomi or Orpah, nor for myself or my lifeless
husband. My tears flow out of the promise in
the words of Jehovah. My life is confusion, a
great destructive mess. I crave the peace He
offers. I fear without it I cannot go on.
48 magazine February 2010
But…
Lord Jehovah… I am not a Jew…
Ruth, have you not heard Me? I have called
you friend. Your lineage, your past does not
matter to Me. Turn now to Me with your
whole heart, and I will welcome you with
waiting arms. And I will make beauty from
your ashes. I will turn your mourning into
dancing. Though your sorrow will last for
the night, My joy comes with the morning.
Who do I have? I thought to myself as I fell into
the arms of the God I thought unknowable
but who knew me deeper than even Kilion.
I found myself surprised to discover the em-
brace of an unseen God not only equaled that
of Kilion, but surpassed it. “Whom have I in
heaven but You?” I whisper, my heart soaring
with hope, an emotion almost foreign after
being entrenched in grief for so long. “And on
earth there is nothing I desire besides You.”
I believe… I believe I am accepted in Your
sight…
I turn to Naomi, the fire in my heart spread-
ing to my extremities and burning in my
cheeks. “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn
back from you. Where you go I will go, and
where you stay I will stay.” I swallow thickly,
seeing the combined frustration and elation
in Naomi’s eyes.
Go on, He speaks. Commit the rest of My
promise.
I will, Jehovah Lord… I draw in my breath
and continue my pact. “Your people will be
my people and your God my God.” No lon-
ger her people, Lord. Our people. “Where
you die I will die, and there I will be buried.
May Jehovah deal with me, be it ever so se-
verely, if anything but death separates you
and me.”
Orpah rolls her eyes, but I only seek out Nao-
mi. She wavers, her eyes rimmed with shim-
mering tears even as a smile breaks out across
her lips. “So I cannot convince you?” she asks
halfheartedly, gripping both of my hands in
hers.
I shake my head firmly, squeezing her hands
back. I don’t trust my voice to speak.
“Then there is nothing more to say.” And
rather than abandon me in the shade of the
grove, she reaches out and embraces me.
Joy explodes within me as I cling to my moth-
er-in-law, the one who has stuck with me,
supported me, and loved me. I have no doubt
she prayed for me throughout my marriage to
her son. And now, in her time of great need,
I will return the favor.
* * *
We divide the camp, Orpah and several oth-
ers returning to Moab. Naomi and I will con-
tinue on with a few travelers, not stopping un-
til we have returned to the House of Bread,
to the land of His promise.
We walk on, the Lake of Salt consistently to
our left. Moments of doubt creep into my
mind at times. What am I thinking, leaving
everything familiar? Going to a land where
I am a reviled foreigner, where I will have to
start over from scratch? Leaving the grave of
my husband and my people?
And as always the peace – the peace that re-
moved my sorrow and allowed me to grieve
with joy over my beloved husband – settles
over me. And I know it is Jehovah and His
Spirit, guiding and protecting me and calling
me home to Him. He is not a God of confu-
sion but peace.
I look to my mother-in-law, her back still bent
over in grief. I ache for her. I find it strange
that she – the one who knew of Jehovah be-
fore and after Moab – cannot seem to find
her peace in Him, while I – a foreigner and
stranger – have been called into His presence.
Accepted.
With a rush Kilion’s words come back to me.
I believe God has a purpose for our being to-
gether.
How right he was.
His first purpose for our being together was
to draw me to Himself. Oh, how blessed He
is that He called me!
As I survey my mother-in-law, still chained by
bitterness and grief, I have a sense of what the
second part of His purpose might be. To love
and comfort her. To be His hands for her.
I smile as joy spreads through me, warming
me deeper than the hottest rays of the sun. I
wonder with awe what other purposes He
will see fit to do in my life. He has prom-
ised beauty from my ashes. The scattered,
windblown, charred, fragile ashes of my life.
He has brought them together in the simple
beauty that is His love.