We are offering the opportunity to get one FREE copy of Fearless (paperback) with every paperback book that you purchase. There is no limit on the number of books you can buy, we will match one for one while supplies last (or until June 9, 2013).
This paperback edition includes “Adam’s Legacy,” a collection of more than 25 letters from readers who were impacted deeply by Adam Brown’s story. These letters are just a small sampling of the thousands of letters author Eric Blehm and the Brown family have received from readers who were inspired to overcome their own challenges after reading Fearless. This is a unique chance to share in Adam’s legacy and encourage others.
This book goes on sale May 21, 2013; books will ship at this time.
Missed Shaunti Feldhahn’s, LIVE webcast from May 7th? Watch the on-demand version now. Shaunti shares new insights and takes questions from webcast viewers about her recently updated books, For Women Only and For Men Only.
As women, most of us need an example like Mary’s [the mother of Jesus] to help us believe God can use us in any significant way. We have no trouble believing God can use others, but when we look at ourselves, all we can see is our inadequacies and inabilities. So, clinging white-knuckled to our comfort zones, we tend to stick with what comes naturally. We shrink back from God’s upward call and find ourselves reluctant to say, “Yes, Lord! I’m Your servant. Use me as You please!”
I’ll be the first to admit that’s often been true of me. I find it easy to believe God can use my husband. When we started Gateway Church, for instance, I had no doubt God would bless it. My excitement soared, and my faith roared into action as I stood on the sidelines cheering God and Robert on!
But when my turn came, I felt altogether different. Faced with leading the women’s ministry, excitement fled. My faith faltered. I struggled with the idea of God’s using me because I knew myself too well. I was familiar with my weaknesses and character flaws. I could see all the reasons why I didn’t qualify. When I reminded the Lord of my inadequacies, however, He was unimpressed by them. He drafted me anyway. As I’ve already mentioned, that’s how it felt at first. Like I’d been conscripted into a calling I really wasn’t fit for. Yet, uncomfortable as it may be for us, God steers us in those directions for our own good. He does it so He can shine on us, in us, and through us into the lives of others. And I’ve found that by leaning into His plans, we can always find the greatest joy. Of course, it took me a while to discover that.
Excerpted from The Blessed Woman by Debbie Morris
Daily Reflection: How can you lean into the plans God has for you that may be out of your comfort zone?
Most of us have heard Mary’s story so many times we take it for granted. We sang about it at Christmastime standing on risers, dressed as white-robed preschool choir cherubs. We acted it out in nativity plays at church. We heard over and over again about the angel who came to tell Mary of God’s plan and how she responded with a statement so simple and full of faith that it’s echoed through the ages ever since: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
As children, we didn’t grasp the gravity of the statement. To us it was just a line from a Christmas pageant. Even as adults, we sometimes think of it that way. But Mary never did. For her it was a momentous declaration of faith that forever changed her life.
Granted, when she said it, she didn’t fully understand the eternal implications. She didn’t foresee the magnitude of God’s plan of redemption or the honor she’d receive for generations to come because of her part in that plan.
No, the day Mary stepped into her divine destiny, she was an ordinary girl living her life much like you and I do on our most ordinary day. She was a typical young woman with normal dreams: she was preparing to get married, start a family, and live happily ever after. But God interrupted those ordinary dreams and gave her a much bigger vision—a vision that seemed not only unreasonable but also downright scary. In fact, it was a vision so intimidating that one of the first things the angel said when he showed up to tell her about it was, “Fear not” (Luke 1:30, kjv).
Personally, I’m grateful for those two words. They remind me that Mary was a lot like the rest of us. When she first glimpsed God’s great plan for her, her natural response was to draw back in fear.
Excerpted from The Blessed Woman by Debbie Morris
Daily Reflection: What good works will you do in His name?
What an incredible thought! You and I have been created for the purpose of doing good works. God designed you, He gifted you, and He placed you in the world so that the fruit of your life would have an everlasting impact. He even prepared those activities for you before you were born.
Out of all the centuries in time, this is the generation into which God chose to place you. Of course, you had nothing to do with the country in which you were born or the family you were born into. But clearly God placed you in His world at this particular time so that you could do something special.
Excerpted from Secrets of the Vine for Women by Darlene Wilkinson
Daily Reflection: What good works will you do in His name?
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