Product Shout Out

I'm not one to advertise. I'm not even good at advertising my own books. But I am so excited about this product! I've been waiting for someone to come up with a good alternative to artificial dyes in food coloring.

I tried my own. I've tried steeping red onion leaves and beets and I've only succeeded in making a mess and some very questionable beige and brownish green colors. Cringing all the while, I've had to resort to the artificial dyes come Christmas or Easter. But this Christmas, a happy little surprise was sitting on the shelf at Meijer.

This was the final result. I was a little worried as I started mixing my colors together that they were going to be that weird and faded brownish tint, but for some reason these colors get brighter the longer they sit. The green turned out perfectly and the red ended up a hot pink, which I'll take! The package contains the three primary colors, red, blue and yellow, and you mix them together to get other colors (instructions are included.)You can find this product on Amazon here. Please note this is an affiliate link and also that Amazon is a little steep in price (though I probably would have paid that much!) I believe I paid around $7 at Meijer for the same product. Also note I was not asked to use or review this product, I am only posting about it because I found it and loved it!

Let's reward McCormick for coming up with this product and giving us an alternative to dyes, which are suspected of causing health issues for many people. (Read this article from Eating Well for more info.)I'm thankful that they have allowed me to better stick to my "only God-made food" policy!

What do you think? Have you tried these? What was your result? How do you feel about having an alternative to food dyes? Let me know in the comments!

Blessed are the Peacemakers

I guess this is one of those "open letters." This one goes out to my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. You know who you are.

I'm glad we're in this together. I'm a believer in our Christian community. I see the way we're letting go of things that were holding us back. I hear the way we're talking to one another and having each other's back in hard times. I see how loyalty, courage and worship are becoming more of a way of life for us. We're being honest with one another. We're opening up. We're growing. I just have one caution. Just one word of advice.

We don't have to argue about everything.

I've been watching the body, both in social media and in the press as well as in person. I see a trend that I'd love to speak up and say something about. I want to remind you all who we're trying to be like.

Jesus.

Jesus didn't argue with people. Jesus didn't give the standard, expected response. When his enemies tried to trap him with questions, he didn't respond either way they expected, which meant he always won his arguments.

It's a difficult time to be a Christian. I get that as much as anyone. The Bible is growing in unpopularity with societies and nominal Christians who care more about tolerance and political agendas than the Word of God. The darkness is strong. Sometimes it's hard to reflect the light. Sometimes we get put on the spot and we panic. But I'd love for us all to have a plan for when this happens.

These thoughts occurred to me today when I saw in my Facebook feed that everyone was talking about the Gaines. Chip and Joanna, who love fixing up houses and showing families how to see the gems in the most questionable places, who have never made it a secret that they are devoted followers of Christ, have come under fire simply for the teachings of their preacher, which happen to be the very teachings of our Creator and the author of our existence. Without saying a word, without veering for a moment from their quiet, simple testimony of faith, Satan is trying his best to upend their example in our culture.

It's a trend. Whenever believers are put on a pedestal and become a hot topic, Satan will inevitably send someone in to discredit them, and if there is nothing to discredit, he will put them on the spot and make them choose between the accepted ways of our society or the truths of God's Word. This isn't a new strategy for the king of this world. In the Roman Empire, Christians could be put on the spot to worship the Roman gods and deny Christ or lose their lives. It's really no different, except that believers haven't had to choose between their lives and their faith in this country.

I don't know how or if the Gaines will respond. But my hope is that they won't choose the expected. I hope they don't panic and go back on their faith as some have, and have weakened the illumination their spotlight could have accomplished in a dark world. I hope they won't become argumentative and divisive, standing up for their rights and calling all Christians to be militant in the face of persecution. I hope they'll follow fast after Christ and love.

Love fellow sinners. Meet them where they are in the saddest, hardest, loneliest places and be the friend that doesn't quit just because everyone's watching or society disapproves or the church turns up their nose.

In fact, I pray we'll all learn to love like Jesus. I pray we'll take to heart the warnings about not letting sinful attitudes, philosophies and actions invade our thinking and cause us to turn away from the truth, but I pray just as hard that we'll stay out of arguments that don't accomplish anything except to make us look just like everyone else who wants their own way. Let's be the lovers Christ was. Let's be the kind of Christians that walk to the cross in humility just because it's best for that soul who doesn't even know he or she is lost. Let's give a cup of cold water to an enemy who has fallen and doesn't have the strength to get back up. Let's be the friend to the one who is trying so hard to have it all together and make their beliefs work, and let's not trample on those who are already so lost.

We can believe what God said about sin. We can believe it with all our heart and still go out into this crazy world and find sinners to love into eternity. We don't have to show up on their doorstep, present a spiel and go on our way as the doors slam in our face. It doesn't have to be that way.

Does your neighbor know you are safe? Does your friend at work know they can trust you? Do your family members believe they can count on you when they are in need, even if their own decisions cause their heartaches? Can you sit by the bedside of a dying friend and hold their hand and give them grace even if they have sinned in ways that make you uncomfortable? Will you be willing to go out into the streets and give food and water to people who have lost their homes and who have no idea where to turn for the most basic needs of life?

Jesus did it for you. Jesus met you where you were. Jesus came to every one of us laying in our own filth and pulled us out at his own painful, terrible expense. It's our job to love like that. It's not our job to be indignant because unbelievers sin. We did the same things as unbelievers. SUCH WERE SOME OF US, as Paul reminded us in 1 Corinthians 6:11. None of us have any ability to resist what God has called sin without his intervention in our lives. Jesus is the answer. And we're the ones that know it. We're the ones who have experienced the tidal wave of his love and have been changed completely from the people we used to be.

I recently heard a quote that went something like this: Don't judge people for the point you jump into their story. Believe the best. Hope for their future. Show them by your example and the love of Christ working through you that there is a light at the end of their tunnel.

Spread peace. Be a refuge. Do the unexpected, and watch God use it for his kingdom. After all, isn't that why we're here?

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

James 3

40 is the New 20!

Forty. I'm about to turn forty.

I have been living in this world for forty years. Until now, I've always had the impression that forty was old. As in elderly. I was sure that if I didn't do something before I turned forty, I would never do it. I'd be too old and tired and achy. I'd have to start camping out in a rocker, knitting. I'd have to give up hopes and dreams and prepare for death.

Okay, my anticipation of this age may have been a little on the dramatic side. But I have come to a strange but relieving conclusion about turning forty. I'm okay with it. Not only am I okay with it, I can honestly say things are better now than when I was thirty. Or twenty. Or even ten!

How about an explanation?

I have a standard answer I save for the conversations that inevitably lead to the question "Why in the world do you have such a restrictive diet? Why are you so careful about stress, food and exercise?"

Well, the best way to put it is: my body hates me.

Most people don't struggle with this conflict to the degree I do. But then again, you don't hear most 40-year-olds saying that they feel better than they did at 30, 20 or even 10. But I absolutely do. I guess sometimes we get things backward.

 This is a picture of me with my sisters (I'm the oldest sitting on the far right) when I was almost ten. (Please disregard the hair. It was 1985 and my mother expected sons.)Most people don't remember feeling too poorly when they were ten. But to be honest, I'm not sure this nearly ten-year-old knew any better. I'd already been fighting asthma and allergies for as long as I could remember.  When I was ten, I was hospitalized for a week with an asthma attack. I took it in stride. It was the first time I'd had a T.V. all to myself, after all. And you don't spend too much time contemplating your mortality when you're ten. But it was the start of a long series of autoimmune issues. In those days, you took daily medicine and steroids for asthma. I'm not saying they didn't help keep me alive, but there are reasons why we no longer treat this condition this way.

Fast forward ten years. Ten long years of trying to keep my weight under control though I wasn't eating any more or exercising any less than anyone else in my family or circle of friends. I got into the habit of blaming myself between extreme diets. Obviously, there was something wrong with me. Obviously, I had no self-control and I must be doing something to cause my problems.So at twenty, I added emotional problems to my growing list of issues. By now, it was asthma, allergies, IBD and migraine headaches. I was hospitalized twice when I was nearing the age of twenty because I had caught a stomach bug and my body completely overreacted. And for every condition I was diagnosed with, a long list of prescriptions was the only answer I was given. No matter that my body overreacted to the medicine as much as it overreacted to a stomach bug. I went off the meds after dealing with every side effect known to man.This was the first time I asked God if I was going to die. I felt like I would both times.

Midway on my way from 20 to 30 I faced a new hurdle. I knew I was meant to be a mother. I was convinced there were four little ones - two boys, two girls - who needed me to be their mom. Problem was, my body didn't agree. I added PCOS to the list of body malfunctions and got fed up enough to do more than starve myself and exercise obsessively. 

My research in order to get pregnant was the first major step I took toward becoming healthy. My trail led to a simple little unassuming book called "Fertility Foods" by Dr. Jeremy Groll. It changed my life. I lost weight as I learned to eat less carbs and more protein. To my joy, my prayers were answered with a baby girl at the age of 26. 

Followed by a boy. And another girl. And another boy.

Pregnancy and childbirth took a toll on me. Through my early thirties, I probably felt the worst I have in my life. The hormonal issues I had with PCOS spun out of control. I couldn't control my weight. I felt old and tired and desperate.

I don't regret a single one of my children, by the way. Worth it.

But as our family reached completion, I reached the end of my ability to deal with my stubborn, uncooperative body. I needed ANSWERS. So I went back to researching. Slowly over the next few years, God brought answers in the form of people who taught me how to think differently. How to go outside the box of the normal and do things that would heal my body and bring a measure of peace.

I stopped eating wheat, sugar, anything with chemicals or preservatives, and inflammation drastically reduced in my body. I learned to deal better with stress, and with the help of the Holy Spirit I addressed my wrong thinking and let him begin to change me from the heart. I had the blessing of meeting a caring integrative doctor who treated my then undiagnosed thyroid problem with a natural form of gentle thyroid medicine that made me feel like a completely different person. And finally, not even a year ago, I met a wonderful doctor I only spent 15 minutes with who told me to consider the PCOS factor again. And a lot of new research, the loss of forty pounds and six months later, I cannot imagine a time in my life I have ever felt better.

And I'm forty. It took me forty years to figure out how to live at peace with this body. But it was possible. Persistence paid off. 

So maybe I'm living life backward. Or maybe God intends for all of us to grow into our bodies and our minds and feel like 40 is way better than 30 or 20 or 10. Either way, I feel responsible to share this story and help others find their way. I know better than anyone that you don't have to live in survival mode with a body that hates you. There are answers. They just take a little hard work, persistence and faith to accomplish. And the truth is, I couldn't complete the jobs God wants me to do when I was in that survival mode. So this healing is giving him glory. That's what it's all about, after all.

So all that being said, I'm glad to be forty. I wouldn't go back even if I could. I know there will be new challenges ahead, but I'm ready. 

Thank you Lord, for forty years of life you gave me to serve you. I give you the rest of my days and ask you to use my story to inspire others to pursue peace in their bodies.

 

On Being a New Creation

 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.The old has gone, the new is here!2 Corinthians 5:17

If you haven't spent a lot of time with a butterfly, you may have the impression that becoming one is a simple, automatic thing. Awkward little caterpillar is transformed, he pops out of his chrysalis and flies away on a happy little breeze surrounded by sunshine and flowers.

Not so much.

My 6-year-old son loves bugs. He found a crop of black swallowtail caterpillars on the parsley in the garden and brought them all inside to raise. I was all for raising 2 or 3, but he found 9, so we've been doing this for a while. The only thing you really have to do is give the caterpillars fresh parsley to munch on, provide a few sticks for them to crawl on ... and clean up poop.

Caterpillars poop. A LOT.

After cleaning up an inordinate amount of bug feces, we were finally rewarded with a tank full of sleeping caterpillars undergoing transformation. We kept them moist and watched. And waited. For days.

Isn't it just like God to create something like the butterfly? What person would come up with the idea of morphing a slowpoke crawly creature into a winged beauty that defies gravity and flies off into the sky? When you really think about it, the butterfly is a miracle. We can't recreate it. We can't hope to understand what happens while that caterpillar sleeps. God makes something completely new out of a totally different creature.

But is this change automatic? Does the caterpillar know he's different? From watching butterflies fall out of their chrysalis, I can tell you most assuredly they have no clue. They flop and fall and freak out as they drag slime everywhere. They panic and try to crawl like a caterpillar only to have the huge growths on their back keep them from getting anywhere. They fall off the stick over and over again until finally they decide it's better just to be still and they find a place to hang out. That's when things begin to change.

Why the science lesson? As I watched this little guy today, I couldn't help but think about us. When we humble ourselves before God and admit we need Jesus, that we're nothing on our own and we are in dire need of a transformation, things change. But it isn't an automatic, everything is happy and wonderful change. Usually, it's a fairly awkward and somewhat slow change. We aren't going to be everything God intends for us the moment our faith is born.

I think of it more like a line. We have a starting point, when our faith is new, and an ending point, when our faith is realized and we are home with Jesus in glory. All along this line between the two, we are changing. We're getting closer to that final result, but we're not ever "done" if we are still breathing.

All this to say, we're all works in progress. Judging other Christians or ourselves based on a standard of perfection will always reveal problems. The questions to ask are "Am I growing?" "Do I have more of a love for Jesus than I did a year ago or ten years ago?" "Has my maturity level in spiritual things gotten better, even if slowly, over time?"

God isn't finished with us yet, fellow flopping butterfly. Someday we will fly. Let's be open to him doing his work in us, and let's be loving as we help others around us who may have just fallen out of the chrysalis. 

Let's be all about the process of becoming new creations, because some happy day, we will be finished.

At the Father's Table (Available Sept. 19)

Does the world really need another Bible study book?

When my fellow leaders of the women's Bible study ministry of our church asked the question, we found the amount of information staggering. But we also found that today's offerings for teaching us how to study the Bible are often heavy, technical and just plain hard to read. We longed for something that was more nourishing. Profound, yet simple. Informative, yet enjoyable.

This is a back-to-the-basics course on developing habits that will help you know your Savior better after your time in his word. We have attempted to condense all the best suggestions currently available, including new trends in journaling and incorporating art into Bible study, all with the mindset of sitting at our Father's table. We want to learn how to enjoy the rich, nutritious, delicious food he is serving to those with willing, searching hearts.

It has been nearly a year since we first had the idea to create our own study guide instead of trying to find exactly what we were looking for. If we had known the amount of work that goes into a Bible study, we may have balked at the start. But we were fortunately ignorant, and took it one step at a time on a journey of learning how to communicate better, how to research, how to apply without losing the connection with God we longed to be the theme.

Our own women in our church study helped us immensely in getting this study from a rough, choppy attempt to the final version which will be available on Amazon September 19, 2016. We hope you will benefit from our adventure and take part in the feast God has provided for us. For truly, if we take the heart out of our Bible study time, we find only monotonous routine. But if we view God's word as a table full of good things to find and eat, we will not only find life, we will find everything our hearts desire.

More info coming soon.

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. –Mark 3:25 (NIV)

“We should take this nation back.”

“America was founded by Christians for Christians, and we have rights we won’t be denied.”

“I am not the problem. I refuse to take the blame for things my ancestors did.”

“Our nation cannot be divided against itself any longer. Which means everyone should be forced to live by biblical principles again. We cannot lose our heaven on earth.”

We’ve all heard at least one of these themes recently. The problem is—this isn’t what Jesus was saying in Mark 3:25. He was proving he wasn’t Satan, because Satan couldn’t drive himself out. That doesn’t really stake our Christian claim to the United States. Even more so, America was never heaven.

AMERICA WAS NEVER HEAVEN.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%27s_House_Divided_Speech. See footnotes for further study.)

Abraham Lincoln used Jesus’ words correctly. As a diagnosis of a problem, leading to the solution. But one thing he didn’t promise was that legislation could change hearts or heal wounds. He didn’t say that the war would be the end of the matter, even though the outcome abolished slavery. We still haven’t reached the end of the matter.

If further proof of lack of Christian claim to America is needed, let us look to the past. The first people who arrived here were not perfect, squeaky-clean, Bible believing, law-abiding citizens who lived comfortable, happy lives on America’s quiet, idyllic shore. They were travel-weary, nutrition-deprived rebels who came here hoping to escape their troubles. There is reason to believe they didn’t get along well. My own ancestor on the Mayflower, Christopher Martin, was not well-liked. He also died in that first year, along with half of the others.

Follow this rough start with a distrust and inability to cohabit this land with the natives. Continue along in history and relive the unrest preceding the Revolutionary War as we tried to shake ourselves from the overbearing reach of a monarchy across the ocean. And just as that conflict is settled and we are finally on our own, our nation turns inward to try to purge itself of the evils of slavery, and thousands more die gruesome deaths in the wake.

Americans are hearty. They bounce back. They live hard and pursue their passions. I’m not saying I’m not proud to be an American, and that I don’t believe the freedom we take for granted wasn’t worth the cost. But at the end of the day, it is an imperfect, man-made, fragile bubble of protection—this freedom we thought to be infinite. Man-made freedom always falls apart eventually.

Why is this? Why can we not continue indefinitely in our pursuit of our comforts and passions? Why can’t we have it all? Why can’t we expect our lives to be the ideal we desire? Quite simply, because we are people. And people are broken. They will not be fixed by legislation or laws or a firm talking-to. They can only be fixed by Jesus.

THEY CAN ONLY BE FIXED BY JESUS.

But what does that mean? Doesn’t it mean we should just expect everyone in America to act like Jesus? To get over their prejudices and conflicts and let go of the past and force them to be as righteous and perfect as Christ?

When did we start believe we could force people to be like Jesus, when we ourselves don’t even act like him much of the time? If living with HIS SPIRIT IN ME doesn’t make me perfect, how could I expect it to make perfect someone who doesn’t know him?

I say these things in the wake of a week full of tragedy. A week that reveals our nation has not completely healed of its wounds. It only takes an incident, be it accident or willful harm, to reveal the infection has not been driven out. Sometimes it’s easy to think the battle is over. Of course I don’t believe there is any difference between my soul and the soul of my dark-skinned friend. Of course I don’t still harbor those feelings of superiority my ancestors thought were normal, that made them think they could own another human being, that made them treat other people like animals.

But does it matter whether I think it or not? Are not my dark-skinned friends who face pressures and dangers I will never understand, allowed their feelings, their fears, their own processing of what has been done to their people in the past? Should I not, as Christ’s ambassador, love them without conditions? Should I not meet them wherever they are, in whatever emotional place they find themselves, and prove to them their fears are unfounded and their guarded stance is not necessary? Why am I so proud to believe I do not owe them anything? Considering the debt I owe my Savior, I should find it easy to humble myself low enough to repay the debt to those whose families and lineages have been damaged by mine.

It is not an uncomplicated, easy answer. It is not an answer that will not cost me anything. It is not an answer that leaves me without responsibility. And so it is unpopular. It is uncommon. But if those who claim to be inhabited by the very Spirit of Christ were truly interested in seeing God at work, they would be about his business. And the very nature of the business of Christ is ULTIMATE HUMILITY, UNBRIDLED SACRIFICE and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

Dear Christian, remember this as you post things on your social media, as you interact with your friends and family, as you go to your Savior to seek his face and know his heart. Remember that this one life we are given has solid purpose that will matter for eternity, and live for the heart of Christ. Let us no longer pursue our own interests and comforts and stay within our net of safety. Let us not be spoiled princes and princesses out of place and time. Let us live with abandon through this breath, this blink of an eye, this short life we have been given—for the things that will matter forever.

Interview with the Justice Network

Whiter Than Snow deals with the problem of prostitution in brothels and saloons at the turn of the century, and what people were doing to try to eradicate the problems. Unfortunately, the ugly truth is that we still haven't washed clean this stain on our society. With the Whiter Than Snow release only a couple weeks away, I'm excited to introduce you to two real-life abolitionists. None of us like that there is child slavery and sex trafficking happening in our world as we speak, but often we don't know what to do. How can we possibly get involved or make any change to what's going on?

Tanya Dennis (tanyadennisbooks.com)

Susan Panzica (susanpanzica.com)

It is my great privilege to share with you this interview with the Justice Network, founded by Tanya Dennis and Susan Panzica and tirelessly dedicated to ending the problem of modern-day slavery and sex trafficking:

Miranda: At the turn of the century, with groups like the Anti-Saloon League and Carry Nation smashing saloons and picketing, it’s easy for us to look back and see they were going about their fight in the wrong way. We don’t want to cause more trouble or get in the way of God’s working. What are some ideas for people to start getting involved in their own communities that will truly benefit the people who are being harmed by human trafficking?

Tanya: This is a great question. Just as some of the characters in your book spread condemnation rather than hope, we can often cause harm when trying to help. These unintended consequences often come through lack of understanding. Many take action before seeking to understand the situation fully, before know the dangers, before thinking through the solutions and what happens next.

Justice Network's mission statement is "to educate, empower, and equip our friends and neighbors to become abolitionists." The first step toward helping is education. If we want to be effective in our efforts, we must understand what's really going on. We have a number of fabulous resources on our website — www.Justice-Network.org — from films and documentaries to books and websites.

I encourage people to search for like-minded organizations in their local areas, too. Find people who are doing something good and join them.

Miranda: We confess our hesitation can mirror Joshua’s when he was faced with the question of how far he was willing to go to help Kathleen. How do we answer to our fears about getting involved in the messy parts of other people’s lives?

Tanya: It is important to distinguish the source of our fears before listening to them or going against them.

Fear can be a good thing. God gave us fear as a means of protection. Human trafficking is a very dangerous business and fighting it can be war. Quite literally. Joshua was a law enforcement officer. He had authority that most of us do not possess. If you're not in law enforcement, be very careful. Do not engage until you have had proper and adequate training.

While some fear comes from God, some comes from a lack of faith. I think this is the heart of your question. Just as God gives us fear to avoid unwise circumstances leading to dangerous situations, He also gives us the strength to overcome unfounded fears. The safest place to be is always in the center of His hand and will. If He calls you to something — to a situation where you can serve, where you can help, where you can love — it is far safer to walk in that calling than to go against the will of our righteous God.

Love is messy. It's not safe, but it's always worth the risk.

I always find my strength solidified through Bible study. Consider those we meet through Scripture: Moses, Joshua, Esther, David, Deborah, Rahab, Ruth, Nehemiah, the Apostles ... Jesus Himself! I could list forever the people who have faced fears and overcome! Each and every one of these fought social injustices. They rallied against the norms of safe society to chase the will of God. And that will is to love Him and love others. We can't go wrong pursuing that.

Miranda: How can we teach our children to be abolitionists?

Tanya: When I started working against human trafficking, our children were 7 and 9, far too young to understand the extent or details of the issue. But they understood justice. They understood fairness and equality. And they understood human value. So I talked to them in those terms. I explained that God wants us to love others, no matter what their appearance, circumstance, or history. I explained what slavery is and explained that God wants us to do whatever we can to stop it and to help those caught in it. 

Most of us will not be involved in busts and rescues. We'll be involved in education and restoration. There are many, many ways to get involved in this and many ways you can involve your kids in it, too.

PRAY. Only God can change the hearts of people and only God can restore the lives of the broken. Prayer is our #1 weapon against injustice.

EDUCATE YOURSELF AND OTHERS. Read books on the topic and the solution. Talk about the issue. Raise awareness. Seek to inform.

SHOP FAIR TRADE. People often think human trafficking is just about sex trade. It's not. Huge portions of major industries run on the backs of slaves and child laborers. Coffee, chocolate, and fashion are the top three offenders. Buying fair trade ensures that the items we consume are not fueling slavery around the world. Learn more at www.fairtradeusa.org.

GIVE. Organizations cannot run without support. Seek out rescue and restoration initiatives in your area and see what they need. Gifts may be monetary, but they could also be clothing, food, educational tools, personal items, or just cards of encouragement. 

ACT. Justice Network started with prayer and then a film viewing to raise awareness. In two short years we had reached a national impact networking through educational events, training sessions, hospitality support, and restoration efforts. Seek out an organization or ministry in your area. If you can't find one, start one. Start small with what God has already placed within your reach and see where He leads.

Miranda: You mentioned fair trade. Some argue that supporting fair trade or boycotting companies who use child and/or slave labor takes jobs away from people who are surviving on them. Is this a misconception?

Tanya: Fair trade doesn't eliminate jobs at all! Rather it serves as an advocate, making sure workers are paid for the jobs they do. Families absolutely do need these jobs and fair trade is the only way to ensure that they can survive with them. Without fair trade, there are no consistent economic regulations or floors for prices. That means the one with the lowest prices (typically with the highest education and exposure) gets the money. This consistently leaves those already in poverty deeper in poverty, exploited by those who have resources. The poor keep getting poorer while the rich get richer.

Fairtrade isn’t about charity; it's about fairness. It is about rethinking the relationship between producers and consumers. Fair trade makes sure that, establishing mutual honesty and respect, producers can make a decent living within healthy working environments.

Miranda: Now tell us more specifically how we can pray for this movement.

Tanya: Pray for the safety of those on the front lines of rescue teams. Pray for peace and strength for their families. Pray for salvation of the victims. Pray for restoration and healing for the survivors. Pray for the pimps to know God. Pray for the Johns (those buying). Pray for the mothers so entrenched in poverty they see no choice but to sell their children. Pray that hearts will be changed and lives redeemed. Pray that governments will do all they can to protect life and to promote equality and justice. Pray that God will make Himself known in undeniable ways and that He be glorified through our efforts. Pray that those who fight will find rest in His perfection and that we will not grow weary in doing good. Pray that we will see an end to slavery in our lifetime.

Miranda: What can we do to support Justice Network?

Tanya:

1.  Follow us online. We're on facebook
     (https://www.facebook.com/JusticeNetwork/?fref=ts) 
     and twitter (https://twitter.com/NetworkJustice). 
     We have a monthly newsletter and a weekly blog. 

2.  Tell others about us and encourage them to follow as well.

3. Join our efforts. We have a number of events and  opportunities, both local and virtual.

4.  Donate.

Miranda: Are there other groups like yours we can support?

Tanya: YES! The largest international organizations include International Justice Mission (IJM) and A21, but smaller local groups are popping up all over the country. Check out our website for Network Partners.

Miranda: What does God say about helping those in slavery and trafficking?

Tanya: Oh, God says a LOT about social justice! The founders of Justice Network are currently writing a book on the subject. Be sure to follow us for release dates. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite verses on the subject:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8 (ESV)

“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." – Isaiah 1:17 (ESV)

“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” – Proverbs 21:3 (ESV)

Whiter Than Snow - Coming May 1!

I can't describe how excited I am to share this story with you. This story began with the question "How far could God's love really reach into the darkness of our lives?" and the more practical "What could I do to help people know the Father wants them to come home?"

Kathleen's quest to know who she is leads her on a road that reveals her stubborn nature. She speaks to those of us who have gone too far, who have strayed far from home. We don't think there's a chance our Father will forgive us for the paths we chose and the sin we embraced. We can only fear his rightful judgment.

On the other hand, Joshua whispers to those of us who have known redemption and forgiveness. We find ourselves on a mission to protect ourselves from those who would hurt us with their messy lives. We are determined to arrange our lives to have perfect outcomes, forgetting this world is not our ultimate home.

Essentially, Joshua and Kathleen are the older and younger brother in the story of the Prodigal Son. Is there a way through these stubborn hearts to find answers for the needs of their souls? How far is God willing to go to get us to the place where we are able to see him lavishing his love and blessing on us?

Get ready to be encouraged, wherever you find yourself, by this inspirational historical romance, WHITER THAN SNOW, the sequel to WHERE WE BELONG and the second book in the series "Midwest Maidens." WHITER THAN SNOW is due out May 1 on Amazon for print and kindle.

Interview with Creative Madness Mama!

I'm glad to have met Christian book reviewer Margaret, also known as Creative Madness Mama. Though she's a busy mom, she loves Christian books enough that she puts time and effort into helping authors get the word out. I'm thankful and blessed to have "Where We Belong" featured today on her blog!

Check it out at creativemadnessmama.com