We planted the reapers and the plants grew into big, beautiful bushes with vibrant green leaves. From a distance, the plants looked healthy; however, upon closer examination, there was a curious lack of peppers. For whatever reason, this gorgeous looking plant was not bearing fruit.
But, with constant care, love, and help from the real Creator of the Carolina Reaper, we have peppers starting to grow. Hopefully soon, we will reap the fruits of our labor.
My relationship with my Creator mimics this Carolina Reaper plant.
I grew up with everything I needed for a strong relationship with God. I come from a long line of godly folks who grew up in church. I did too. Through my formative years, my life consisted of church, school, marching band, and whenever possible, sleep. I was more fortunate than most of the world, as I was handed the Gospel on a silver platter very young, and I ate it up.
I was baptized, helped lead a faith-based group in my middle school, prayed, shared my faith, rocked Bible trivia nights, spent a ton of time at youth group, and more. I was a typical church kid.
After a while, though, I saw my peers doing sinful things that seemed to be so much “fun”. I wondered how it was fair that others could do all these “fun” things their whole life, then repent at the end and go to Heaven. I struggled with that question a lot, causing my flame for Christ to flicker. I did my fair share of rebellious things in high school which we won’t go into, but I never strayed too far. I did, though, do and say all the right things in public, at church, and in front of my parents. Just like the Carolina Reapers, my visible leaves were vibrant, but there was no fruit. It reminds me of when Jesus rebuked the teachers of the Law:
“Woe to you… you are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones…” (Matthew 23:27).
In college, I barely even wiped down my tomb, much less white-washed it. I rarely went to church. I made bad decisions. And I was not showing God’s love. I felt “sheltered” in my parent’s house, so I often exercised my newfound autonomy in, shall we say, less than healthy ways.
After college, when I moved to Los Angeles, things got even worse. I still went to church some Sundays, but that was my only tie to the Savior.
Even though LA boasts a massive population and traffic is a nightmare, it was a lonely place for me. Avoiding church and making other bad decisions certainly didn’t alleviate the loneliness; but, like it or not, God never left me.
On one particularly lonely night, God orchestrated a divine appointment with an old college friend, Kristi. I noticed she was active on messenger that evening and, even though it had been quite a while, I reached out. We started talking. As it turned out, we never stopped talking. One thing led to another and after losing my job, moving across the country, Kristi losing her dad, and more, we got married. Almost ten years later, we have three amazing kids together.
You may think I would have straightened up once I became the “spiritual leader of my family”, but neither getting married nor having kids set me on a fruit-bearing path. It wasn’t until I really began putting Christ at the center of our family and we got plugged into our church that fruit started to show.
A plant that appears healthy and a plant that produces fruit are not always the same thing. We can say and do the right things, attend church, and post scriptures on social media so we look fruitful. But, real fruit only grows through nurturing a real relationship with God.
At the time of writing, we have harvested some Carolina Reapers and have a lot more growing. The plant is flourishing and producing peppers which I plan to use in my hand-made salsa. As the Spirit continues to produce fruit in me, I pray He will use me for His glory in His hand-made world.
]]>While this may seem like an absurd question for some parents, the reality is it could be anyone if your child has their smartphone with them at night.
Pornography is everywhere and easily accessed on that little rectangular box most everyone carries around in their pockets 24/7. With the average age of exposure to pornography creeping lower each year, reaching children as young as five years old, parents must take action to protect their children from accidental or intentional viewings. One look can quickly lead to lifelong struggles with sexual sin and the damaging effects on the brain and body that come along with it.
Drug addiction and pornography consumption are remarkably similar. Pornography addictions have become so prevalent, it’s assumed that the majority of the population has at least viewed porn and many have made it part of their regular entertainment. Of all the destructive effects of this heinous habit, fueling the demand of sex trafficking is one of the worst.
Sex trafficking exists only because there is a demand for purchased sex. Whether consumers of porn understand or not, the actors are performing under third party control. And, when watching isn’t enough to achieve the same level of “high,” they become purchasers of sex themselves. The blazing fire of sexual exploitation connects it all and only continues to expand. In fact, pornography was the second most common form of sex trafficking in 2020 according to cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
So, what can you do to prevent your kids from fueling the fire of sexual exploitation and protect them from being consumed by the ruthless flames themselves? Here are some tips:
Panic ensued as questions swirled in my mind. How did a prisoner get my address? Who would be writing to me from a prison cell? Is this for real?
I went inside to examine the envelope. It looked legit, so I opened it. Inside was a handwritten letter on notebook paper. In the top left corner was the author’s name, date, and a title: “Strength in Worship.” I found no explanation of why I was the recipient. Just a beautifully written story about God’s presence filling his prison cell on a day when he felt so alone.
I was taken back. This 38-year-old man isn’t a hopeless prisoner wasting away behind bars. He knows Jesus, and he knows how to worship.
I immediately called a friend whose son is incarcerated and told her about the letter. When we hung up, I remembered a former prisoner, Jimmy MacPhee, who Living Real Magazine published an article about and recorded a podcast with. So I gave Jimmy a call. Through this divinely-orchestrated conversation, Jimmy told me he knew Colin personally. Out of all the inmates in SC, they had been imprisoned together at Perry Correctional and had both graduated from Columbia International University in 2019 through CIU’s prisoner program. I asked him if he knew how Colin would have gotten my address, and the only thing he could come up with was that Colin had received a Living Real Magazine from one of the prison volunteers. Jimmy vouched for his friend’s character and told me Colin calls him every other week just to talk. He referred to Colin as a gentle giant.
Colin ministers through hospice care inside the prison. In a second letter, he stated “the gospel is very real, and it moves throughout these walls.” He knows he will never be physically free because of the crimes committed as a teenager. But his spirit was freed when Christ redeemed him shortly after he was arrested. Colin may have to live the rest of his life behind physical bars, but nothing can bar him from serving his Lord and Savior as long as he lives.
As Founder and Editor in Chief for Living Real Magazine, I’m constantly amazed at how God uses this publication to reach hearts in places I never would have imagined—like behind the walls of a prison.
Merely knowing I wasn’t alone softened the edges of my hurting heart. My little boy and I gathered around the table with Barbara’s family. I sensed an invisible cord of belonging. I was the blessed recipient of true hospitality. As the dinner progressed, my initial feelings of shock, fear, and dismay melted into comfort and ease as familiar, mundane dinner chatter brought a much needed respite. It was comforting to hear, “Pass the salt,” and “Knock-knock, who’s there?”
Crispy green celery sticks stuffed with crunchy peanut butter. That's the only menu item I recall from the meal, because the food isn’t what really mattered. I needed to experience some normalcy amidst my devastation, and I did. Hope was served.
I remember how Barbara made me feel. Wanted. Accepted. Important. She prepared the meal and served us heaping plates, but the sustenance I received was more than food. Everyone needs a meal when the stomach is hungry, but my soul was hungry, and my friend fed it.
Share what you have with the saints, so they lack nothing; take every opportunity to open your life and your home to others (Romans 12:13, The Voice).
Earlier that day, in my little home, despair overwhelmed me. Several weeks prior, my husband walked out on our young son and me - pregnant with our daughter. No amount of begging or reasoning swayed him. He’d been drawn into, what seemed to him, a more carefree life with someone else. Just by inviting me into their home, my friends lifted my spirit out of feeling abandoned and rejected.
Barbara’s gift of hospitality made an indelible mark on my heart. Her gift to me spurred me on to open my door countless times through the years since. My suffering, soothed with Barbara’s hospitality, ignited a passion to encourage other hurting women.
Don’t forget to extend your hospitality to all– even to strangers– for as you know, some have unknowingly shown kindness to heavenly messengers in this way (Hebrews 13:2).
How about you? Do you know the joy of extending biblical hospitality? Have you ever been on the receiving end? I encourage you to reach out to your neighbors and even to people you don’t know. We, the Church, are the body of Christ. We are the ones called to open our doors and share what we have with others. We are Christ’s ambassadors.
There are folks all around us who are discouraged like I was and need attention. Most people come into a relationship with Jesus through building a friendship. There’s no better way to make friends than to be hospitable.
If you’re an introvert like me, inviting neighbors into your home may feel overwhelming or draining; but, if I can do it, so can you! You’ll be fulfilled knowing you’ve made a significant difference in someone’s life, just like my friend Barbara did in mine.
Hospitality 101: Invite, Prepare, Serve
In 1 Timothy 4:1-2, the Apostle Paul said, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.” This departure from the faith is called apostasy—the deliberate rejection of the truth of God’s Word and the full acceptance of Satan’s lie–a position from which there is no return. Apostates abandon their faith in Jesus Christ because worldly attractions win their attention, and voices other than The Savior’s convince them that the broad path leads to salvation.
These warnings were not written for unbelievers, but for those who have professed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior to remind us how easy it is to fall for the less-convicting, easy-believism lies of the evil one. His goal is to deflect us from the daily disciplines of discipleship to prevent progress toward spiritual maturity. So, the deceitful spirits attract us with some unique religious fad and offer a different gospel message (or a new messenger). One level of deception leads to another until we are completely captured in Satan’s web of deceit. This, if left unchecked, leads to apostasy.
Think of the many leaders falsely claiming the “Christian” name, who daily deceive thousands with their lofty and logical messages, void of anything essential to the true Gospel. Their clever sophistry, winsome demeanor, and cultural relevance attract those who have yet to gain the spiritual discernment to know when they are being deceived. These false teachers use the Bible and Jesus’ name to validate their human-centric messages; but their goal is to lead their audiences away from the truth toward a lesser gospel.
In Ephesians 6:12, the Apostle Paul described this as “the darkness of this age.” Having rejected the true gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and suppressed the truth about God from their hearers, they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man (Romans 1:21-23). Like Nimrod, they formed their own concept of God and designed their own way to make themselves acceptable to Him.
How can a strong, unsuspecting Christian allow Satan to deceive their heart so deeply that they abandon their faith?
If you weren’t aware of the danger before, you are now: spiritual deception is around every corner. How serious are you about protecting yourself and your family from deception? It can’t wait. If you don’t take it seriously right now, then it’s too late. Know the Truth of God’s Word or fall victim to the king of lies.
Our only protection against spiritual deception is constant prayer and a commitment to the truth of God’s Holy Word. Heed His warnings. It is possible to resist the deceiver and to live real in this age of deception.
]]>As debates rage on, many discredit the veracity of the Bible by concluding, “Well, I’m sure God will still let me into heaven even though His word says how I’m living is wrong!” Some even suggest that God needs to catch up with modern times, with the Bible in desperate need of an up-grade.
None of that is true.
I am a Christian man and a long-time preacher of God’s Word. Even though He has blessed me through extensive study to be able to understand much about His Word, there are still many things about it and this world that only He knows and that my finite mind will never grasp. For instance, how does a black cow eat green grass, produce white milk which can be churned into yellow butter? I know it happens, and I love the goodness I receive from it; however I cannot comprehend how it all works. Should I refuse the benefits of it because I don’t understand it? Of course not.
Because I love and trust Him with all my heart, I accept God’s Word as the final authority on everything pertaining to life, death, and everything in between. I owe Jesus everything. And, because I am a disciple of His, I believe the Bible is true. By faith, I know everything He says is designed for my betterment and His glory.
I believe the Bible is inerrant. Every assertion in the Bible is based on God’s divine authority; therefore, I believe the Bible is foundational for living well. It is the rock on which I choose to build my behavior, life-style, attitude, disposition, and ethics.
I believe the Bible is life and hope. Every word directs us to the redemptive mercy and grace of God through His Son—who gave His life so we might have the power to live life free from sin, and live our lives with fullness of joy.
I believe the Bible is for all people. Because God so loved the world, Jesus died on the cross for all of us to be forgiven. When we believe in Him, repent of our sins, confess Him to be Lord and Savior by grace through faith, we are saved.
God in three Persons proves the Bible to be the final authority. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God is not only our Abba Father; He is our Creator. We’re created in His image. He created you and me to look like Him, love like Him, and to live with Him. When we see ourselves through the lens of the Garden of Eden, we see the perfection of His creation. But because sin marred His image imprinted on our hearts, we could no longer look, love or even live in His presence. However, because the Father never gave up on His image-bearers, He became our Grace-Giver. Ephesians 2: 8-9 says we are saved by grace through faith. His salvation plan made it possible to erase sin from our lives and to be born again. A complete spiritual do-over.
Jesus Christ is not only God’s Son, He is Savior and Lord. By fulfilling the Father’s plan, the Son provided the only way to mend our relationship with the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14: 1-6) Jesus also said, “Scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35) I do not fully understand why Jesus loves me so much, but He does. On that truth alone, why would I not believe the Bible given the fact that Jesus has forgiven me, created in me a new heart, and gives me hope beyond the grave?
The Holy Spirit is not only my Comforter in times of need and distress, but He convicts my spirit when I sin. When I try to convince myself that my way is the right way, though God says it is not, the Holy Spirit reveals my missteps. Confessing and repenting of sins realigns my steps with the righteousness and holiness of God. He also convicts me to share the truth about the reality of God’s judgment on those who refuse to acknowledge their sin and that they fall short of His glory.
This one true God is my Sustainer, Provider, and Promise-Keeper. As my dear friend, Dr. Billy Graham said, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.” God’s never changing character affirms why we can accept the Bible as His full and final authority.
I’m convinced the Bible is true. Every. Single. Word.
How about you?
]]>In a family of ten - five siblings, two parents, two grandparents spending a week with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents seems normal.
In 2007, twenty-two family members and a dog survived a week-long Christmas vacation (with no internet) on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Our ten-bedroom rental home sat on the sound front with an ocean view from the third floor. A few of us would escape the crowded family room for a warm, secluded massage in the hot tub. On the cold, windy mornings, I strolled across the island highway to explore the endless beach and splash in the refreshing waves of God’s presence.
This particular Christmas, we elected to exchange white elephant gifts. We did so in jest and were belly-laughing when the teens discovered old-fogy items in their gift bags.
As expected, though, some tense moments crept in among the laughs.
While playing Monopoly, my younger sister, influenced by the concoction in her red Solo cup, accused two brothers of bankrupting her domain. She shouted, “Y’all are out to get me. That’s it, I quit,” and stormed out.
One aunt binged reruns all week on the monstrous TV screen. When my daughter-in-law yelled, “Do you have to have it so loud?” to which the aunt defended her “rightful privileges” in regards to the TV. None of us like conflict, so quick intervention doused these sparks of discord. Spurned, she couldn’t let it go. At dinner that night, the aunt dished out mean words to my son’s wife. Had I not begged them to stay, my son and his wife would have left because of the exchange.
In families, we often experience tremendous blessings of love, as well as the cursed bitterness of unforgiven hurts; but love overcomes—especially God’s love.
We spent precious moments around the table recounting childhood memories which reminded us how much we really love, enjoy, and care for each other. Our teenage children connected with their cousins and have built lasting bonds. We even learned to love that rambunctious goldendoodle, Sammy, wet licks and all!
One highlight though, stood out among the rest.
My oldest brother (the tall, strawberry-blond reverend) spoke after our midweek supper. He recalled the family tree as he contrasted our ancestral saints with a few not-so-saintly ones, encouraging us to acknowledge our DNA that creates a propensity to become a drunkard.
Then, he nudged us way beyond our comfort zones. He placed a wooden chair in the front of the room, and said, “I want each child to come and sit here and one of you adults to stand behind them and pray over them.”
One by one, they took a turn. As God moved in our hearts, an aunt or uncle stood behind them and prayed incredible blessings of love, protection, and goodwill. I prayed for wisdom and a godly wife for my nephew. As we sent each prayer up, God sent down a wave of love, drenching us with His holy presence. Peace engulfed my soul.
What a blessing! This was the first time we had prayed together like this as a family, meals excluded.
God heard those prayers.
A few nephews and nieces are married, some have children, and many are followers of Christ. A few are not there yet, but I have faith they will make the right choices. My only son, who loved the Lord and his wife deeply, served God faithfully until He took him home in 2017.
At the end of our week without the internet, our family still loved one another and even planned more thrilling vacations together. I encourage you to reunite with your family, make some memories, and seek to love one another above all else.
]]>I make it through these seasons by standing firm on a strong foundation; one of faith and mental and physical wellness. Here are some things I do consistently to help me remain strong and focused.
]]>Do you ever feel like some seasons of life seem busier than others? It’s easy to allow life’s busyness to deplete our strength.
I make it through these seasons by standing firm on a strong foundation; one of faith and mental and physical wellness. Here are some things I do consistently to help me remain strong and focused.
Get Quality Sleep
It’s easy to make sleep a lesser priority when it seems there aren’t enough hours in the day to tackle our many tasks! But sleep is essential for restoring the body’s energy used throughout the day. Our body rejuvenates and repairs itself when we sleep!
Manage Stress
I recently heard someone say that you can be on the best supplements and have the perfect diet, but you won’t heal without managing your stress.
So, whatever season you find yourself in, slow down, rest, and enjoy it!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons avocado oil or ghee
2 leeks, washed, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped
Instructions:
Ingredients:
Sundried Tomato Variation:
Olive & Caraway Seed Variation:
Instructions:
Five weeks into the nightmare, hope began to slip away. Days on the calendar ticked off like slow, beating drums of defeat. The beautiful little things which brought so much joy to my life (a bear hug from Ethan, morning coffee with Evan, a well-timed pun from Andy) were stolen from me. I tried to survive life moment by moment, but weariness took its toll.
God appeared silent.
Driving to work one morning, I decided a treat for my tastebuds might lift my spirits. I pulled into a drive-thru and eagerly ordered a peppermint mocha. Anticipation quickly turned to disappointment as my tastebuds rebelled against the watered down, awful tasting substance. Seriously? Of all the difficult things happening in my life, is a simple drink too much to ask for? Frustrated, I drove to work grumbling the entire way.
After work, I decided to give the coffee shop and peppermint mocha another chance. While waiting in the drive-thru, I had a revelation: I have trust issues. Misplaced trust issues. The coffee shop let me down just hours earlier; yet here I am again, hoping they get it right this time. But, when life served up circumstances which did not meet my expectations, I allowed doubt to dictate my interactions with God. I approached Him through the pain of those circumstances rather than entering through the truth of His character. I doubted His goodness.
Unlike the barista, God wasn’t asking for my coffee order. He was asking, “Do you trust Me?” To deal with my pain and sadness, I trusted in a fallible, human institution instead of a good, loving, and faithful Father. His Word confirms His character through countless promises and stories of the power of His extravagant love. Immediately, I repented of my misplaced trust and this promise came to mind, “O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him” (Psalm 145:13b NIV).
Sweet and satisfying, or diluted and disappointing? We never know what a day may hand us, but each one is served up with the same question from our loving Father: “Do you trust Me?”
What is your answer?
]]>Lynn Kelly
In 2001, Lynn Kelly was working as a labor and delivery nurse in Columbia in size 4X scrubs. At 5’ 3”, she weighed 299 pounds.
As a busy 37-year-old working mom and wife, the Richland County woman says she wasn’t following healthy habits. Like many of us, her weaknesses were carbs and sugar.
“I didn’t have health issues, but as a nurse I knew they were coming,” she said. “I always wanted to be healthier, looking and feeling better.”
That year, Lynn underwent gastric bypass surgery at the South Carolina Obesity Surgery Center. She lost 165 pounds in one year. And she’s kept it off ever since. That’s more than two decades of success.
Today, at age 59, she’s a size four.
The Road to Weight-Loss Surgery
“I was a little chubby in middle school and high school,” Lynn said. “Not crazy fat. But I tried dieting along the way.”
It didn’t work.
In college at Winthrop University, Lynn put on more weight. Then she got married, became a nurse and had two children. All the while, she admits to eating the wrong things.
One day, her nurse manager said she wanted everyone to wear matching scrubs. “I was a size 26. I’ll never forget that. I needed the 4X scrubs. That’s the biggest I’d ever been.”
Lynn began researching gastric bypass surgery and found South Carolina Obesity Surgery Center.
Leading up to her surgery, Lynn met with clinicians from the practice who taught her about the diet and lifestyle changes she’d need to make. Weight-loss surgery is a tool, not a magic quick fix.
“You’ve got to be in it for the right reasons. If you think you’re just going to snap your fingers and not participate, you’re wrong,” Lynn said.
The surgery reduced Lynn’s stomach to a three-ounce pouch. Back then, the procedure included a large abdominal incision – there was no minimally-invasive laparoscopic surgery as there is today.
After the operation, portion control became essential.
“If your mind has not made the connection that you can only have a small amount of food when you used to eat a whole pizza, you’ll be sick,” she said. “A hammer won’t drive in a nail if you just lay it there. You’ve got to use the hammer to drive in the nail. Think of the surgery as a tool that you need to make it function for you.”
Cravings are still there. And if you overeat, you can gain the weight back.
Accountability Leads to Success
“I knew if I stayed accountable, I could achieve what I wanted.”
Lynn weighs less than 135 pounds today. She’s been a size 4 for more than 20 years.
“Lynn's success is based on her dedication to maintaining a healthy diet over the years. The surgery works to reset your weight to a healthy level over the year after surgery, said Glen F. Strickland, MD, FACS, of South Carolina Obesity Surgery Center, who performed Lynn’s surgery. “Maintaining that weight is a daily choice. Some people do it and others not so much.”
Lynn’s daily meals include three small portions of foods including grilled chicken, tuna fish, and sugar free gelatin. In addition, she’ll take a bite or two of other foods, then give the rest to her husband.
She only drinks water and coffee. And she exercises on a mini trampoline.
Lynn is thankful.
“I’ve been so happy that I’ve been part of the program for almost the entire 25 years it’s been established,” she said. “I wouldn’t do anything differently. And I could not recommend them more highly.”
Today, Lynn is a grandmother to three children.
“You’ve got to know how bad you want it. And I wanted it really bad,” she said. “To be here for my children – and my future grandchildren – who I’m here for now.”
For more information about South Carolina Obesity Surgery Center, visit SCObesity.com or call 866-560-4415.]]>
A.W. Tozer was spot on when he said: Today’s Christianity is not transforming people; it is being transformed by the people. It is not raising the moral level of society; it is reflecting the moral level of society and congratulating itself that society has accepted our surrender.
Tozer said that 60 years ago.
If we are to protect the essential doctrines of the Christian faith today and preserve the true gospel of Jesus Christ for the generations of tomorrow, we must forsake a self-centered fantasy of finding fulfillment in the things of this world. It’s time to unite with other believers in the battle for truth!
The battle for truth constantly rages around us. Satan uses as his mouthpiece those who preach a heretical theology-a false gospel-and the doctrine of demons. This can be seen in recent displays of Satan worship (i.e., the 2022 Common Wealth Games Opening Ceremonies, the 2023 Grammy Awards). To some degree, false teachers have wormed their way into every Christian denomination, church, school, college, seminary, and media outlet. By using Satan’s power of deception with false miracles and false visions, they lead immature believers away from the truth to embrace the enemy’s lies.
In Jude 8-15, the Apostle profiled false teachers as apostates who professed faith in Jesus Christ without a transformation of their minds. There was no regeneration of their spirit and their lives were not changed. They said they were saved, but they remained lustful, lascivious, lewd, lawless, insubordinate, defiled, greedy, materialistic, self-centered, shameless, proud, sensual in their character, and devoid of the Holy Spirit.
Satan intentionally uses humans to carry out his agenda. In Ephesians 6:10-20, the Apostle Paul explains, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood,” but instead we are at war with the evil powers behind them. Paul further states in 2 Corinthians 10:4, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
The Lord told us these days would come. So did the Apostles Paul, Peter, and John. Jude said those days are now here; and, if we are to win this battle for truth, we must remain faithful to our confession of faith by the consistent study of God’s Word and reaching out to those who have been or could be captured by the enemy. We must boldly confront them with the biblical truth that counters every lie Satan uses to deceive them.
In verses 22-23, Jude said, “On some have compassion, but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” James 5:19-20 says, “If any among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
As Dr. Francis Schaeffer stated, “As Christians, we are locked in a battle. This is not a friendly discussion, but rather, it is a life and death conflict between the spiritual hosts of wickedness and those who claim the name of Christ.”
How do you view your role in today’s battle for the truth?
Beloved, the power of God and the power of Satan are not equal opposites. Our God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient (all-powerful, all-present, all-knowing) but Satan is omni-nothing (zilch, zero, nada). Therefore, if we are in Christ, and Christ is in us, then greater is He that is in [us] than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). The time has come for every truth-bearing, born again believer to put on the whole armor of God and stand up against the wiles of the devil. The battle for truth is one we cannot afford to lose. The next generation’s ability to understand and live out God’s truth is something for which we must fight!
]]>
School drop-off is routine for most parents. Whether drop-off is at the bus stop or in the car line, parents hand their treasured blessings off to adults that may or may not have their child’s best interest at heart. When the bell rings, do you know what your children are being exposed to? Sadly, most parents never give it a second thought.
In my research and conversations with parents, many completely trust the public school system. Very few have even considered inquiring about curriculum, books their children have access to, what clubs are offered, or exploring the day-to-day happenings on school campuses. Education oversight is not happening like it should be. Our children’s minds are at risk of being held captive and turning away from the truth more than ever before–even those with a solid, biblical, Christian foundation.
No child is immune.
In school districts across the US, concerned parent groups have discovered much that should give us cause for concern. For example, the enemy is taking full advantage of a breach and is entering through our school media centers. What used to be a safe haven for children to explore and foster a love for reading is now a petri dish for growing a culture devoid of Christian values. Books filled with transgender romances, racist content, and radical gender theory are now promoted, provided, and prominently placed in front of minors.
Have you researched the books on the Book Award Nominees lists or visited a Scholastic Book Fair recently?
Evil and wickedness have already invaded social media. Physical safety is threatened by rampant drug use, lurking sexual groomers, unsafe viral “challenges” and more. Mental health is threatened as TikTok and other platforms isolate children from reality, causing them to be anxious and depressed. Why then would we not seek to halt invaders of the dark from infiltrating the schools?
Here are some tested and proven strategies to guard your children’s hearts from the influence of the evil one:
Pray. Prayer is the greatest weapon to wield against the evil one. Pray for yourself, your children, school officials, administrators, teachers, and others who have authority over your children. Pray over your children daily for God to protect their hearts and minds. Organize a weekly prayer walk around the schools in your district.
Teach. Teach your children the truth of God’s Word. Read books and sing songs that teach God’s Word, and provide books for the older ones to read that promote God’s goodness and truth.
Talk. Talk about the Word of God throughout the day. Talk with your children about what happens in their classrooms and on their school grounds and how God’s Word speaks to it. Refrain from giving your children devices as long as possible, then monitor their use.
Gather. Make time to gather with other Christians on your knees in prayer for the children. Share with each other what you and your children see and experience so you know what to look for, what questions to ask, and what topics need to be discussed through a biblical lens in the home.
Be involved. If you’re not already, attend local school board meetings and school events. Visit schools, classrooms, media centers, and don’t be afraid to ask hard questions. Your presence matters.
Remember parents, you only have them for a little while. Teach them well, so when the bell rings they will know the truth and the truth will set them free.
]]>
Our neighborhood is great! At least it was until we moved in. Now, I’m not so sure.
First is our landscaping. My husband keeps the grass mowed, weeds out, and shrubs trimmed, but one of our sons enjoys practicing his batting skills on our trees. I also buy and plant beautiful flowers but can't seem to remember to water them.
Next are our outdoor activities. One neighbor requested we remove the homemade ropes course our son built in the trees. He was concerned it might decrease his home’s value. Another neighbor called the cops when they heard a kid in our backyard yelling, “Help!” Turns out our children were role playing a Marvel movie they had recently seen.
Then there’s one neighbor’s car and another’s mailbox. I’m sure you already know where this is going. Both have revealed my ability to be a distracted driver and passenger.
Finally, the most disturbing of all is what I called our “Wailing Walks.” Let me explain.
We adopted our youngest two children from Rwanda when they were preschoolers. Blending their early developmental trauma with our imperfect parenting skills has led to some challenges. When my daughter was ten, one of her chores was to walk the family dog with me—which she hated. She always made sure I was aware of her displeasure. Stuck in her negative emotions, she typically spent the first ten minutes of our walks wailing. Not just sniffling, but screaming and moaning while plodding ten yards behind. So upset, she avoided walking close to me.
I often wondered what those within earshot were thinking as she wailed down the street: Which neighbor is calling the Department of Social Services (DSS)? Who is rehearsing helpful parenting tips to share with me later that aren’t so helpful for kids with trauma? Which neighbors will head back inside because we’ve interrupted their peaceful time on the porch?
Every few minutes I’d ask if she wanted a hug or to talk about her “big” feelings, but her feet always needed to walk a few blocks before she would comply. As her mom, I knew what the passersby might not: the exertion of the walk would help my daughter regulate physically so she could connect with me emotionally.
Like clockwork, she’d eventually catch up, apologize, and slip into rhythm beside me, relishing our relationship while enduring the task. The initial drama was exhausting—for both of us—but we persevered and our wailing walks transformed into smooth strolls.
I’m reminded of a similar walk in Scripture when God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt towards freedom. Though He performed a myriad of miracles along the way, we can “hear” their constant whining and complaining throughout Numbers and Deuteronomy.
God’s people were thirsty. They were weary. They were tired of manna, walking, tents, and deserts. They would forget God’s glorious provision and fail to trust Him. God led them with His outstretched arm, but they prioritized feelings of comfort over walking in faith with Him.
I’m no different. God has led me on some difficult walks throughout my life. Walks I have not enjoyed. Walks that were tiring and painful, and some that were merely inconvenient. When I have no choice but to put one foot in front of the other, I wonder how much time I waste wailing. How much time I waste pouting and lagging behind God when I could be savoring our precious relationship by walking beside Him. As I walk through the valley of shadows, I want to enjoy His peaceful presence and walk with Him in faithful obedience with my whole being, not just my feet.
So many faith-walkers have gone before us and struggled like we do; but they kept the faith and stayed the course. For example:
Our journey is not as hard when we fix our eyes on the One who walks with us, goes before us, and always has our back. Christ enables our feet to cling firmly to the heights of mountains like those of a deer and encourages us to walk on. When our relationship with Jesus becomes the focus of the journey, our wailing stops and our worship begins.
]]>
The darkness of human trafficking is extremely pervasive. Too often, people become aware of human trafficking but believe it to be happening in some third world country or in a back alley. No one believes this could be happening on the streets of their city or at their next-door neighbor’s house.The enemy would love for us to remain this naive.
St. Andrews Road in Columbia, SC is no stranger to human trafficking activity. In January of 2022, Lighthouse for Life was given a piece of property at 1038 St. Andrews Rd., right in the midst of this darkness. The building wasn’t even visible when we first stepped foot onto the property. The original plan was to sell it and use the profit to buy an “ideal” piece of property to open our long-awaited Survivor Support Drop-In Center. But, when we found a single, glittery high heel shoe underneath one of the building’s windows, plans changed. We realized that the very people we hoped to serve were already familiar with this location and had been squatters there for some time. This was the place of hope where our dream would become a reality. L4L would be moving into enemy territory for the glory of God.
Our goals for this space are both physical and spiritual:
Serving as a drop-in center for victims of human trafficking, the repurposed building will be a vision of hope for the community. Our Survivor Support program will make it possible to come alongside those looking to escape “the life” and guide them into a life of real hope and belonging. They will be welcomed with grace and given support for their individualized needs.
When we were discussing this God-sized dream with one of our current survivors, she said, “How about calling it The Harbor?
The Harbor.
A place of shelter.
A safe space in the midst of rough waters.
Yes! A harbor is exactly what we want to be for our survivors.
Following some renovations, The Harbor will become the hub for L4L’s Survivor Support program. It may not look like much now, but that high heel shoe reminds us that God has provided the perfect place for His light to drive the darkness away.
Please pray with us that The Harbor’s consistent presence of light draws those who need our help into her door. All it takes is one spark to cause darkness to flee. Imagine what a host of sparks could do on St. Andrews Road.
]]>
Seated on the floor cushions in my apartment in western Afghanistan, I poured the tea as Fereshta, a young woman I had met only the day before, poured out her heart.
“At sixteen, I married the man my father chose, but only a month later, before I could join him and his family in the UK, he died. My in-laws would never say more than that. I knew they were hiding something so [I] kept calling until finally, they told me he committed suicide.”
I gasped, wondering why. She noticed my puzzlement.
“He had to support his whole family…and he loved another woman.”
Had he fallen in love with a woman promised to another? Had he, like so many Afghan women, been forced to marry someone his parents chose for him instead? Had the weight of supporting his whole family crushed him?
Barely a bride, Fereshta became a widow. Now, no longer her father’s financial responsibility, she was forced to pay him rent. She sold her gold jewelry -her dowry gifts -to do it. She could have used the money in her late husband’s UK bank account which, by law, she was entitled to; however, she would have to collect it in person which requires a passport. Unfortunately, she needed a marriage certificate to secure the passport, but her in-laws refused to mail it to her from the UK. She was stuck.
Fereshta’s father allowed her to return to her job teaching English at a local NGO because her supervisor was his friend. But, he confiscated her earnings!
Fereshta was sure she could land a better job, perhaps even the United Nations; but, he wouldn’t allow it. Who would keep an eye on her there? My heart broke. Fereshta was forced labor–a slave.
“I could study public policy through a U.S. program; but, to apply, I need a high school diploma and a good TOEFL score,” she continued.
With her English proficiency, the TOEFL would be a breeze, and she only lacked one year of school to earn her diploma. Still, her father refused because he believed it was shameful for married women to go to school. My stomach turned.
Fereshta locked eyes with me. “I have considered ending my life.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Oh God, how can I help her? I feared, without help, her father would drive her into an early grave like so many Afghan women before her who had taken their own lives. I also knew my involvement, a foreign woman, would only anger and shame him. At a loss for what else to do, I appealed to the One who changes the hearts of kings as if they were streams of water in His hands (Proverbs 21:1). God, please don’t let Fereshta’s life be snuffed out. Did you not force Pharaoh to let your people go? Do you not still turn hearts of stone back to flesh?
Then, I asked Fereshta if I could pray for her in the name of Isa Masih (Jesus).
She nodded. “I have been praying to Allah about this.”
As a Muslim, she knew Isa Masih as a miracle-worker, a healer, and a prophet. I also knew Him as the Word-made-flesh, the One through whom the universe was formed, the One who conquered death itself.
Holding Fereshta’s hand, I thanked God for hearing us, for seeing her suffering, and loving her. Then, I asked for a miracle, perhaps to save her life. “Please soften Fereshta’s father’s heart so he will allow her to go to school.” When I closed my prayer in the powerful name of Jesus, she seemed touched and thanked me; but the disappointment in her eyes told me she was hoping for more. She took her leave to get home before dark.
An hour later, she called.
“I asked my father again for permission to complete my senior year. This time, he said yes!”
I could hardly believe my ears. “That’s wonderful news!”
“Your God must really love you!” she said.
“He really loves YOU!” I countered, my heart swelling with joy and wonder. When we hung up, I dissolved into tears. God, you truly are the Defender of orphans and widows. There is nothing too hard for You.
From one clay-footed woman’s prayer, God had forged the key to open the door to another woman’s prison. I marveled. By moving her father to say ‘yes’, God had restored Fereshta’s hope and authenticated Himself to her. How was this possible? God’s answer exposed the smallness of my faith and, at the same time, enlarged it.
When God poured out his lovingkindness on Fereshta, I found myself standing in its flow. She had not escaped His notice, and neither had I. The same God who counted a widow’s mite, a treasure and a young boy’s lunch sufficient to feed a multitude, had counted a last-resort prayer enough to move the mountain before us. Our faith only has to move our God who calls us His children, whose ear is always inclined to us, and who loves orphans and widows. He uses our faith to move mountains for us. Perhaps that’s why faith, the size of a mustard seed, is all it takes.
]]>
Catching a cold is not something we look forward to when winter rolls around. In fact, if our family makes it to Spring without using a legion of tissues, enduring the vapor of Vicks, and the after-taste of menthol cough drops, we consider ourselves victorious. One winter, after we left the holidays in the rearview mirror, sore throats, congestion, and body aches crept in, shattering our cold-free streak. I was so frustrated. How could I possibly accomplish all I need to do while fighting this nasty cold? Sickness was cramping my style.
What we may view as a curse can truly be a blessing in disguise. During this down time, while feeling physically drained, God gave me reason to pause. To stop. To rest and completely heal instead of pushing through and pressuring myself like I always have, God was urging me to slow down, be patient, and to lean into a place of peace He had for me. A peace that would reframe my active life-style mindset and move me forward in faith like I had never experienced before.
I did things to strengthen myself physically, like eating what I termed a “power diet,” but I ultimately surrendered to God to fortify me spiritually. I began a ritual of nourishing my spirit each day through reading, reflecting, and praying. In this season of rest, I spent more time in God’s Word and devotionals. What I had seen as an inconvenience, became an essential part of my spiritual growth. This season of spiritual growth inspired me to pen my thoughts into poetry, painting pictures of what I was feeling each day. God channeled the powerlessness I felt into something of beauty.
Despite discomforts caused by the sickness cold, I relished in the hope and peace of life’s simple moments. Moments like sitting by the window and soaking in the warmth of the sun. Proverbs 17:22 (CSB) says, A joyful heart is a good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones; I knew inviting myself to a pity party would not fix my misery; but, allowing God to open my eyes to His presence and faithfulness could. Though I had been focused on my physical recovery, seeking to lessen my symptoms every day, I began to take note of how my inner spirit was being strengthened. God was healing me from the inside out.
God affirmed in my soul that a cold can be a blessing. He is the Great Physician. He is able to pinpoint exactly what we need when we need it.Take some time each day to rest, listen, and be still in His presence. Healing often comes in ways we don’t expect or want, but it always comes in His time by His grace.
]]>During this consternation, while attending a mission conference in South Africa, the Lord put a wise woman in my path. Over a cup of tea, I shared with this new friend my deep fears about writing this book. I confessed I had no experience; yet, she reminded me that God doesn’t care about my qualifications. He cares about my faithfulness and obedience. She likened it to clay on a potter’s table. It’s just clay until the potter embraces it, rolls it in his hands, and transforms it.
In other words, the potter must feel his work. The same rang true for me. I had to start writing to feel this project. As I leaned into the Lord and trusted Him to do the work through me, the book began to take shape.
It was not easy. I’ve learned that anytime you ask God to use you, it is never easy. Throughout this season of crushing difficulties, personally and professionally, the enemy relentlessly whispered in my ear, “You’re a pretender. Your book will never sell.” His words often left me feeling paralyzed.
Some years later, my dear friend, Melanie Shull, advised me that if I failed to make my book a priority, it would never become a reality. Her words struck a deep chord inside me; so I got to work. One day, finally, I held my complete book in my hands. My heart overflowed with gratitude. I knew the Lord wanted this project to be more than just a cookbook so I included stories of God’s goodness in my life.
God intentionally created our awesome and complex bodies. The food from His pantry is filled with His goodness. He designed us to eat what He naturally created – not man-made, food-like substances crammed with empty calories and little nutrition. Food which comes from the hand of the Master Gardener needs no nutritional labels.
Part of my life’s work is to help others prepare delicious, wholesome recipes using ingredients from nature’s pantry. Through the 26 years I’ve been in this industry, I’ve noticed that most home cooks know how to cook and prepare meat, but less know how to turn humble fruits and vegetables into the star of the meal.
I love showing people how to make fruits and vegetables the star attraction, so that is the focus of my cookbook. I thank God for allowing me to write it and for using it to teach me that making Him top priority is my purpose.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Ingredients:
Dressing:
Instructions:
*Recipe adapted from The Vietnamese Papaya Salad in Bookdale’s Heavenly and Healthy Flavors
]]>Construction is underway on a new building to train University of South Carolina nursing students at Lexington Medical Center.
This project will grow a public-private partnership between the university’s College of Nursing and Lexington Medical Center. A 52,000-square-foot state-of-the-art nursing simulation center and teaching space will be built on the hospital’s campus to provide clinical training for the University of South Carolina’s growing nursing student population.
]]>This project will grow a public-private partnership between the university’s College of Nursing and Lexington Medical Center. A 52,000-square-foot state-of-the-art nursing simulation center and teaching space will be built on the hospital’s campus to provide clinical training for the University of South Carolina’s growing nursing student population.
“As the only locally-owned and independent hospital in the Midlands, Lexington Medical Center has a long-held commitment to excellence in nursing. Our partnership with the University of South Carolina will ensure that we can help teach skilled, compassionate nurses who want to keep working in South Carolina and take care of our families, friends and neighbors in the future,” said Tod Augsburger, president & CEO of Lexington Medical Center. “As leaders in the Midlands, our organizations share a responsibility and a vision to enhance services, create opportunities and support growth in our region. This partnership will improve the health of our communities for generations,”
Expected to be complete in 2024, Lexington Medical Center will build the new nursing facility and provide clinical instructors while the university will fund equipment needed for the simulation center as well as equipment and furnishings for classroom spaces.
“This partnership with Lexington Medical Center will provide advanced clinical training for our nursing students in a state-of-the-art learning environment,” said University of South Carolina President Michael Amiridis. “It demonstrates the commitment of our combined leadership to work together to improve health care and patient outcomes in the Midlands and across the state.”
Registered nurses are crucial to health care, but they’re in short supply – especially in South Carolina. Reasons include an aging population, expansive roles for nurses and high turnover made worse by pandemic burnout.
The University of South Carolina College of Nursing graduates approximately 220 nurses from the Columbia campus each May. With this new space at Lexington Medical Center, the University of South Carolina will be able to graduate 400 nurses per year in the Midlands — an 80% increase annually.
“South Carolina is projected to have the fourth highest nursing shortage in the country by 2030,” said Melissa Taylor, RN, MSN, NE-A, BC, vice president and chief nursing officer at Lexington Medical Center. “We’re excited about the impact of this partnership, which will grow the pipeline of skilled nurses for our organization and the state and give qualified individuals more opportunity to enter the nursing profession.”
The new building will be used primarily for clinical training of the university’s third- and fourth-year nursing bachelor’s students as well as master’s program students. The university’s health sciences interprofessional education program also will use classroom space. The facility is expected to open for the first cohort of nursing students in fall 2024.
“Our innovative partnership with Lexington Medical Center will have a lasting impact on the training for future nurses and the care residents receive,” said University of South Carolina College of Nursing Dean Jeannette O. Andrews, PhD, RN, FAAN. “We are gratified to help lead this charge for nursing workforce development and thrilled that Lexington Medical Center is investing in the future of nursing education in our state.”
University of South Carolina nursing students are consistently in the top 1% in the U.S. for their pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examinations for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The college’s family nurse practitioners and adult gerontological acute care nurse practitioners also have 100% board pass rates. The college ranks No. 1 for the best graduate nursing online program overall and for veterans according to the latest U.S. News & World Report. Since 2015, the college has increased prelicensure nursing student enrollment by 33%.
Last summer, the university and hospital also announced a partnership for a graduate medical education program to train primary care physicians. The hospital’s first GME program will be in family medicine and will accept 13 residents per year beginning this summer.
]]>“I’m sorry, Mrs. Feaster. The biopsy confirmed that it is breast cancer.”
One sentence from a phone call on November 17, 2021 changed my life forever. I couldn’t have cancer. I’m only 25 years old, and I’m six months pregnant. How could this be true?
]]>One sentence from a phone call on November 17, 2021 changed my life forever. I couldn’t have cancer. I’m only 25 years old, and I’m six months pregnant. How could this be true?
November was not my first appointment at Lexington Women’s Imaging Center. I had also gone in June to have an ultrasound on the same lump in my breast. After my first appointment, doctors told me “It’s normal breast tissue; there’s nothing to worry about.” That was Tuesday. Saturday, I found out I was pregnant with our first child.
Then, in November, a phone call rocked my world. I dropped my phone, left my office without a word to anyone, got in my car, and did what any child would do—called my mom. Then, after a few tough moments, I somehow gathered the courage to call my husband.
Driving home, I remember praying and crying out to God. I begged Him to spare my baby’s life and allow me to be her mother. I pleaded for this not to be the end of the road. I wasn’t ready to leave my family. My baby girl needed her mommy and my husband needed his wife. When I arrived home, I was greeted by my entire family. We hugged. We cried. And we knew we needed a plan.
We spent the next three weeks designing a treatment plan for the safe arrival of my baby girl. While pregnant, I would undergo three rounds of a chemotherapy called the “Red Devil;” then continue treatment after she was born. To say I was terrified is an understatement. I was scared for my baby’s life and my own. I had been dealt a deck of cards full of what ifs and unknowns. The doctors couldn’t even tell what stage my cancer was in because I couldn’t be fully scanned while pregnant. One particular scan deemed “safe” for the baby also showed a small spot of “something concerning” on my left lung. I spent the next three months not knowing if I was dealing with stage two triple negative breast cancer or stage four.
I spent a whole month crying. I cried all day long. Then, I met with my maternal fetal medicine doctor. He informed me that the risk of chemotherapy in the second trimester is limited. Since the risk is much greater in the first trimester, had I been diagnosed after the first check in June, the chances of my baby girl surviving would have been slim to none. The misdiagnosis saved her life. God used a “mistake” to remind me he is in control and to reignite my hope.
The misdiagnosis also reassured me that my God is bigger than cancer. With this reassurance that my God is bigger than cancer, I surrendered the fight to Him. After releasing the idea that I had any control over my circumstances in the first place, God opened my eyes to the ways His hand had been in all of this from the beginning.
The truth is, God wasn’t surprised by my diagnosis or that it seemed to crumble my world. He was ready for it. He had been preparing me for this battle in ways I never knew.
The Lord orchestrated our choosing of every doctor that cared for me. I knew at least one person in each doctors’ office, providing me with the support I needed while dealing with the mayhem in our healthcare system. He unexpectedly opened a way for us to move down the street from my parents. He blessed me with an employer who supported us for months without my being able to work. The list goes on and on. God showed out for us.
When I began chemotherapy, I was told it would likely slow down our baby’s growth; however, at our weekly checkups, she hit every growth milestone with ease. Then, at 33 weeks, I began experiencing symptoms of preeclampsia. God used my doctor to help me get through two hard weeks of migraines and extreme swelling. This spurred the decision to deliver at 35 weeks instead of 37. We had been praying that our girl would keep “cooking” until she was healthy and whole, but I was warned she could be so early that she would end up in special care.
With my body showing signs of an impending eviction notice, we scheduled a C-section for February 1, 2022.
That first day of a new month brought Isla Dawn Feaster into this world healthy and whole. She spent her required six hours in special care and then was brought to our room. The next morning her pediatrician stopped in to visit our miracle girl. While doing his exam, the first thing he said was,“This isn’t a 35-week-old baby. She’s as developed as a 37 week-er.” That’s exactly what we prayed for—37 weeks! God proved to us that He is not confined by time or space.
As if being a new mom wasn’t enough, I also completed four more rounds of chemo, had a lung biopsy which confirmed we were dealing with stage two cancer, and underwent a double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. I was also prescribed an extra layer of protection of oral chemotherapy.
Finally, on June 22, 2022, I shouted, “I am cancer free!”
I wish there were enough time and pages available to detail every miracle and whisper from God I’ve experienced along this journey. Instead, I will leave you with this profound truth:
“Why is Hippo sad, Collin?”
“He hurt his leg.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I replied. “Maybe you could sing to him. Music helps me feel better when I’m sad.”
He looked at me, his big eyes wide and thoughtful, and nodded. Drawing Hippo close, he tucked him under his chin and began to sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
Father, I prayed, blinking back tears, help this little boy to always know that Jesus loves him. Help him love your Word and never doubt it. Protect him from anyone who would lead him astray. Make him a mighty man of God for Your glory. Amen.
Now more than ever, parents, grandparents, family members, and friends bear the privilege and responsibility of praying for the children. It’s easy to become lazy or even negligent about praying for the children in our lives, so here are seven suggestions for how to pray over them:
“Lord, even in their sleep, draw their hearts to You.”
Father, help me be ever mindful of my responsibility to point my children/grandchildren to Jesus. Give my daughter, son-in-law, and other believing parents wisdom to raise their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4).
God, make them tender hearted and sensitive to the voice of your Holy Spirit. Help them confess sin quickly and always desire to please You.
Lord, surround my grandchildren with Christians who will love them in Jesus’ name.
Father, protect these children from the evil influences that surround them. Help them to never be deceived by Satan’s lies, the world’s schemes, or their own sinful desires.
Lord, call godly men and women to be teachers, civil servants, coaches, and mentors. Give them the vision to be salt and light in dark places.
Father, fill them with the courage to stand for truth and do what’s right, even when it costs them.
It’s easy for Christians to feel as though we’re sending our children out into the world defenseless. Thankfully, God provides us with a powerful weapon to fight for the physical and spiritual health of our children—the sword of prayer. If you believe this, then pick it up.
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective,” James 5:16.
]]>Bonnie became aware of an infant child being taken away from a mom because she needed extended time in rehab. “What if we were certified to foster?” Bonnie asked her husband. “We could have made a difference here.”
In August of 2020, this retired couple’s acute awareness of a dire need, and their willingness to meet that need, catapulted them into becoming foster parents. They filled out the application, prepared for home-study visits, attended online family classes, and more. Finally, eight months later, in April, 2021, Bonnie and Gene were officially certified as foster parents.
Then, on Mother’s Day weekend, life took an unexpected detour. Gene had contracted a UTI along with an unknown, undetected infection in his spine and blood stream, causing sepsis. The day Gene went into the hospital, Bonnie received a call. “We have your first [foster] assignment!” Brokenhearted, Bonnie had no choice but to say, “No.”
While doctors continued to treat the infection, Gene continued to experience intense pain in his back. He lost 45 pounds and was unable to walk. Bonnie told me, “I prayed to the Lord and told Him it’s okay if He has to take him. I love Gene too much to see him suffer like this.” But God, in His sovereignty, was working out His plan.
Finally, the doctor ordered immediate surgery followed by twelve weeks of IV antibiotics. The lonely hospital stay moved Gene to draw closer to His Lord. On September 1st, Gene was given the green light: “Go live your life!” the doctor said.
About a month later, the phone rang. When Bonnie answered, she heard the social worker’s voice on the other end say, “Two boys are on their way to your house in two hours.” Bonnie responded, “Ready or not, here we go!”
The more-than-excited retirees welcomed Ted and Dillan into their home. At ages eight and nine, the boys sprang from the social worker’s car, thin, thankful, and with huge smiles.
The boys enjoyed their dinner and opened up right away. “We weren’t given lunch or dinner some days as punishment,” Ted told them. “Yeah, and we were never allowed to take [our] lunch to school, even though school food is gross,” Dillan said. Eight-year-old Ted was intrigued by an Easy Reader book. As he picked it up, he asked Bonnie, “What does this say?” Bonnie was stunned that Ted couldn’t read.
The first night, Bonnie and Gene tucked the boys into their very own beds with a Bible story, prayer, and gentle back rubs. They had never experienced any of these before. Gene told Ted and Dillan they would have plenty of food while in their care, and Bonnie informed them they could take their lunches to school if they packed them the night before.
Before lights out, the boys elected to call Bonnie and Gene, Grandma and Papa. “If it’s okay with you, we can stay here forever,” Dillan said. Soon, they were sound asleep on scripture-inscribed pillowcases Bonnie’s friend made. Once outside the boy’s room, Bonnie whispered to Gene, “God is amazing!” Gene agreed.
So many new adventures occurred over the next months as their mom continued working on her reunification plan. They spent the day at the lake where Ted was ecstatic about a boat ride. The day Dillan got his glasses, he shouted, “I can finally see!” The boys, Grandma and Papa, received free tickets to a Fireflies baseball game.
They rode bikes, took karate lessons, enjoyed Family Nights with pizza and a movie. They experienced many firsts, including trips to the zoo, the library, and the local park. I was even able to share a music lesson with Ted and Dillan and had them record a song.
There were also sad moments, outbursts of anger, and hours of counseling, but their community always stepped in to help. The entire town was touched by Ted and Dillan.
So much life had been added to an otherwise quiet house. There were never-ending questions about everything, rowdy checker games with Papa, and best of all, much excitement about going to church.
One evening, Ted asked Grandma, “Does God ever sleep?”
“God never sleeps. You can talk to Him anytime,” she eagerly responded.
Ted got up and ran out the door. “I’ll be right back. I’m gonna talk to God!”
One Sunday morning during the altar call, Dillan told Papa, “I’ve got to go up there.” Both Ted and Dillan received Jesus into their lives while living with Grandma and Papa in foster care. This was worth everything they had been through. A medical detour allowed these boys to be the first foster children for Bonnie and Gene. They all needed each other, and God proved Himself faithful.
The date was finally set for when the boys would return to live with their mom. During their last evening with Grandma and Papa, Ted read a book on his own (his brand-new picture Bible), and Dillan read the bed-time story.
Eight months of bed-time stories, hugs, and saying, “I love you.” Grandma and Papa told me, “We miss them dearly, but we’re also thankful we said “Yes” to fostering.
Scan the QR Code to listen to Ted and Dillan’s song they recorded.
]]>1. Live in God’s presence. We may know what scripture says about God’s presence, but do we live in continuous fellowship with God? Living in God’s presence means we go beyond basic awareness. We relax in His presence, have confidence in His care, and interact with Him throughout the day. A.W. Tozer said, “Nothing in or of this world measures up to the simple pleasure of experiencing the presence of God.”[1] (Psalm 16:11)
2. Look up. Our natural tendency is to focus outwardly at circumstances causing our stress. Instead of seeking God’s solution, we obsess over our problem. Possibly we look inwardly as we try to handle these matters ourselves. We focus on how this situation affects us and spend valuable emotional energy on attempting to fix this problem, which leads to more stress. Instead, look to the One who always supplies our needs and has the answer to our predicament. (Phil. 4:19)
3. Affirm God’s activity. When our world unravels, maybe we wonder if God checked out. What is God doing? He is working together all things for our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28)
One afternoon years ago, I was walking to campus and met a friend who just moved to Fort Worth to start his seminary studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
I asked, “How’s it going?” He looked dejected and replied, “I’m going home. I’m moving back to Georgia.”
“What are you talking about? You just got here.”
Prior to our meeting, he tried to register for classes. The registrar’s office didn’t have a file on him and told him he couldn’t register. Imagine relocating 825 miles, moving into seminary housing, going through orientation, anticipating starting studies to prepare for ministry, and hitting this brick wall. Talk about stress!
He called his wife, very upset, and said, “Start packing.” She said, “What are you talking about?” He told her the issue and she responded, “Craig, I know God is going to work this out.”
Fast forward to our sidewalk meeting. He said, “They won’t let me register. “I immediately said, “Come with me. We’re going to see Lawrence Klempnauer.” Lawrence was vice-president of student affairs at Southwestern and my Sunday School teacher. His responsibilities included the registrar’s office. We walked into Lawrence’s office and asked his secretary, “Is Lawrence available? We really need to see him.” I introduced Lawrence to Craig and Craig related his dilemma. Lawrence listened and then said, “Come with me.”
They walked into the registrar’s office and Lawrence said, “Tell Dr. Basden what just happened.” Craig shared his story, and Dr. Basden asked, “Do you have a letter of acceptance?”
Craig said, “I’ve got it right here.”
“Do you have transcripts?”
“I know right where they are.”
The registrar said, “Come with me.” He took Craig to the assistant registrar and told her to register him for classes. God specializes in working things out.
4. Assess your stressors. List your top stressors and decide which ones you and God can do something about. Attack one stressor at a time. Don’t stress over what you cannot control, but remove those you can. (1 Peter 5:7)
Last August, Matt Luke was toiling as the Georgia Bulldog’s offensive line coach, getting ready for his second season at this powerhouse program. In February, Matt Luke resigned. At age 45, at the peak of his coaching career, one of the highest paid offensive line coaches in the country, Matt Luke walked away from the 24/7 grind. Luke’s explanation? “I want to be a dad.” Luke’s sons are 15 and 10, and he wants to see their ballgames and enjoy this stage of life. What stressors can you eliminate from your life?
5. Keep a “can do” perspective. An optimistic outlook grounded in faith goes a long way. (Philippians 4:13)
On a softball field in Milledgeville, Georgia, several years ago, runners were on first and second base with nobody out. The shortstop yelled, “That’s okay, let’s play for two.” This woman’s softball player encouraged the infield to prepare to turn a double play. The second baseman responded, “There’s nobody out, let’s go for three!” Forget how rare a triple play is. This young lady with the “can do” attitude believed anything was possible if you have the right outlook.
6. Remember God’s sovereignty. Nothing catches God by surprise, nor will our stressors ever overwhelm God. He sits on His throne and is totally in control. How often do we forget God is God and we are not? Let’s quit trying to control outcomes and let God do what He is more qualified to do—be in charge of our lives. (Matt. 6:8)
7. Receive God’s peace. Divine peace is more than resolved conflict. True peace is a byproduct of a growing relationship of trust and full reliance on our unshakable God and reaches beyond human understanding. (Phil.4:7)
[1] Tozer, A W, Experiencing the Presence of God: Teachings from the Book of Hebrews. Bethany House Publishers, 2010, 16.
]]>I’m a writer, but sometimes late at night, I’m also a weaver. I love this art form because it connects me to something ancient. For millennia, women have established their threads and woven a pattern while waving away toddlers who threaten to unravel their work. We weave to provide for our people, to give to others, and for the sheer pleasure of the beauty born of texture and time.
Before I begin, I must establish the in-between strings to create what’s called the warp. Simple, white yarn is pulled back and forth over a wooden, rectangular frame producing a stringy canvas full of gaps. The yarn catches a peg at every loop and vibrates like a quiet guitar string. These threads are rarely noticed, much less admired. Creating the warp is tedious and uninspiring work. The warp must be strong to endure high tension during the weaving process, unlike the colorful loops and lines that carry almost no weight at all.
Sometimes when I weave, I’m compelled to write. My mind is clear, and I more easily find the threads of life that connect and help make sense of it all. Last night after establishing my warp, I laid down my loom, picked up my laptop, and began to write:
I’m finding that most of life is lived on the warp — on the in-between threads that no one sees. But these are the moments that a life is crafted upon. The in-between loads of laundry, the morning routines, the conversations over sticky tables; these are the times when words of life are spoken into the hearts we love, when memories are made, when inner voices are established. And so often these in-betweens are the things we rush through.
We want the colorful threads — the ones that pop and are on display for others to see. We want to go out with our friends and paint the town red. We want a white Christmas. We want the perfect family portraits during golden hour. We want the green light on that project we’ve been praying about. To be honest, we just want the whole color wheel.
But it’s the in-between — the muted and mundane moments — that truly carry us through life. As we put up the dishes again, rewash the laundry that stayed in the washer too long, attend one more meeting that could have been an email, or do any of the things we find mind-numbing or inconsequential, we are actually establishing the strong threads which support all of the other moments we find so dear. As the day wears on and tension increases, life’s warp is being established—where our faith is tested and worked out. When we round the corner, we’re prepared for the pull of tomorrow.
Don’t underestimate the warp. Don’t rush it, either. There is beauty in its simplicity and necessity in its strength. A well-done warp invites inspiration and beauty. It begs potential and eventually contains all the colors and textures life has to offer. And at the end, the strings are loosened and clipped, the warp is tested, and if the tapestry holds, you will have a work of art.
]]>Many of us understand that the majority of human trafficking survivors, particularly minors, were first targeted and then groomed via social media. Therefore, in a world where even very young children have phones and access to the internet, what can parents do to protect them from predators?
Follow our four tips for social media safety, then visit lighthouseforlife.org to learn more about human trafficking and find additional resources to help equip and educate you on how to protect your kids.
Tips for Social Media Safety:
It has become the norm for people to share their locations in social media posts. Doing so lets the entire world pinpoint where they can find you. We encourage people to share fun vacation photos or even where they’ve been hanging out with friends, but only after they are no longer in that location. Avoid real-time posts.
Be conscious of sharing “emotional ammo.” Teens in particular tend to share whatever comes to mind like “my parents are the worst” or “not feeling pretty today,” both of which reveal insecurities and alert predators. Just because you think it doesn’t mean you should share it.
Anyone with a vulnerability can be targeted by a predator, and everyone has vulnerabilities. A few easy targets for predators are those who come from broken families, have broken hearts, need money, or project low self-esteem.
If parents aren’t engaged in minimizing their children’s vulnerabilities, predators will fill that vacuum.
Child predators have perfected disguises to lure vulnerable teens into trusting them:
Any new relationship your child has engaged in should be approached with caution and with the support of those you already trust.
4. Be a safe adult a child or teen can talk to.
Whether a parent, grandparent, youth leader, teacher, coach, or mentor, you can make a difference in a child’s life by being someone they can trust, especially when they discover they have stepped in over their head into a relationship that’s not what they thought it would be.
]]>
Afghanistan may not be in the headlines, but it remains the site of a real-life Hunger Games for our friends and allies trapped under Taliban rule. Hunted, many move from house to house to avoid detection. With their employers gone, they struggle to keep their families fed and sheltered. Those who have relatives outside the country survive on any remittances they’re able to provide. To work—if a job could be found—they would have to come out of hiding, an extraordinary risk.
Last August, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan with breathtaking speed, I scrambled to write P-2 referral letters for my former employees in hopes that the Priority 2 designation would help them get to safety in the United States.
When Afghan friends in Arkansas and South Carolina asked for help getting endangered family members evacuated (people who had worked for the US military, NATO, or within civil society to defeat terrorists and establish a democracy) my caseload ballooned from a dozen people to hundreds in just a matter of weeks.
Among those on my list included: Combat interpreters and other US military employees, a NATO interpreter, a UN employee who survived kidnapping and beatings, a US Embassy employee and his wife and kids, a women’s rights activist, a female newscaster, an employee of a South African-owned communications company, a widow facing forced marriage and her children, a Hazara family whose daughter dressed as a boy to avoid Taliban attention, and religious minorities vulnerable to persecution.
A friend in Ohio, who I had worked with in a refugee camp, volunteered to help with the growing workload. Because lives hung in the balance, she took a six-month unpaid leave of absence from her job, and I laid down the book manuscript I was writing to focus our efforts on the enormous task before us—submitting visa applications and names to evacuation lists, gathering identification documents, writing letters of threat, and communicating with those trapped in Afghanistan and others coordinating rescue efforts.
Another Afghan friend, who survived a Taliban attack before fleeing to the UK and who had 30 family members still trapped in Afghanistan, joined our team as an interpreter. Our far-flung team worked 24/7. We met on Zoom and communicated over a secure app with terrified people in Afghanistan, receiving 500 messages a day in the beginning. We provided the best information we had to assist them in making life-and-death decisions—whether to flee their homes to another city in Afghanistan, if and when to cross a border at the risk of being shot, or remain in hiding, all while wiring funds for health emergencies and food shortages.
Afraid for their lives, many with SIVs (Special Immigrant Visas) fled to Iran. There, they were detained, beaten, and humiliated—forced to clean public toilets—only to be expelled back into Afghanistan. One of my former translators attempted to board an evacuation flight with her small son, but got cut on barbed wire and sprained her ankle during the airport mayhem. Shortly thereafter, she lost a baby in utero, likely from the trauma.
As of March 2022, only about three percent of Afghans who applied for SIVs had been evacuated. According to the Department of State, the average SIV application takes 564 days to process; other sources say up to 996 days—a dreadfully long time to feed families in hiding.
Over a six-month period, our team raised $35,000 for groceries, housing, medical care, and communications while searching for ways of escape for Afghan friends, allies, and other vulnerable people. In the end, largely due to the efforts of my teammate in Ohio, we got 262 people listed for evacuation flights, most of whom are languishing in a refugee camp in Abu Dhabi awaiting resettlement. Another 138 people on our list remain trapped inside Afghanistan, struggling to avoid detection and meet basic needs while battling PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), anxiety, and depression.
On learning about humanitarian parole—a potentially faster process for getting endangered people to safety—I recruited sponsors. Columbia friends, a physical therapist and her husband, a schoolteacher, sponsored a Hazara family of five with a severely disabled child. The husband, a brother of another Afghan friend in Columbia who was herself once a refugee and is now a US citizen.
The nightmare continues for Afghan friends and allies trapped in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, but ordinary South Carolinians can offer them practical relief and comfort. Your church or civic organization can become a lifeline to a family in need with a wire for groceries and words of encouragement sent over a secure app. Through technology, it’s possible to communicate your love and build a life-changing relationship across the ocean.
]]>
Jesus repeatedly addressed the tension between light and dark with His disciples. In John 15:19 (CSB) He said, If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. Surely, this presents an insurmountable dilemma to every believer. It has to make every educator and every parent shudder. It must cause every student who loves Jesus, to wonder seriously how to live out one’s Christian faith in the context in which they live
God’s Word offers the solution. As we lean on our faith and trust the Lord, we must look to Him for the answers. He has never failed us yet!
In the first letter of Peter, it’s obvious God wanted us to know that He knew what our struggle would be. Jesus knows all about us because He made us. He hung the stars in their place. He knows about the seriousness of sin and how sin affects a lost and dying world.
Jesus willingly gave His life on a cross so every sinner could be delivered from the condemnation of sin and receive forgiveness and eternal life. Jesus knew full well He was leaving His disciples to live out their faith in a very hostile, antichrist world. This world would literally “hate” everything and anything that proclaims the holiness and righteousness of God through Christ Jesus.
Peter’s letter was written to you and to me. It is God’s instructions to the Church on how to be “salt and light” in this godless world. It encourages us to live triumphant regardless of our current situation.
Essentially, we’re instructed to do four things. Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list, but these four things provide a biblical framework for God’s call to action. These commands fuel the steps of our daily walk as we apply the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to our every circumstance and daily habitation.
First: Put God’s love on full display.
Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly (1 Peter 1:22, CSB).
Yes, our world is godless. Yes, the opposition is real. Yes, we have to live, work, and make a living in this lost world. Yet, we are born again of the Spirit of the living God. We are the recipients of a love we can never earn or repay. God loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us, therefore, we must love with a pure heart–no strings attached. This action begins with the love Christians show for one another. What does this have to do with our godless world? Jesus made it clear that loving one another is the very means by which “they” will know that our Christian faith is authentic. Our failure to do so could be why so many in the world do not embrace what we know to be true. The world is always watching us.
Second: Anchor yourselves in the “living and enduring word of God.”
…because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:23).
Since we profess Christ, and since we believe God in every way and in all things, it behooves us to plant our spiritual roots down deep, holding on to everything God instructs us to do and say in and through His Word.
Third: Rid yourselves of sinful habits.
For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the Gentiles choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry (1 Peter 4:3).
In Matthew 7:3-5, Jesus instructs us to deal with our own sins first before we judge another’s. The list we read in 1 Peter 4:3 is not exhaustive, but is a great place to begin. Any intention to do evil, any form of double-life, any evil conversation is not acceptable before the Lord.
Fourth: Do good.
For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good (1 Peter 2:15).
God wants us to not only desire to be all that He wants us to be, but to actually do it. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). In other words, we must prove God by the example of our own lives so He can reveal Himself to our lost and godless world.
Let your light shine. (Matthew 5:16)
]]>
In Los Altos, California, two young college dropouts, interested in electronics, started a partnership. Steve Jobs, 21, was the dreamer and Steve Wozniak, 25, the technical genius. Wozniak had been experimenting with a new design for the computer. Unlike the typical room-size computers of the 1970s, his computer was small, inexpensive, and easy to use. Jobs came up with the name inspired by an orchard in Oregon where he once worked. On April 1, 1976, Apple Computer, Inc. was founded, and it would significantly change the world.
In the Times book, Lev Grossman, author of “Apple Boots Up,” describes the phenomenon this way: “They didn't go out and celebrate that day…. Nobody, not even Jobs, saw what was coming next: that Apple would create the look and feel of every desktop in the world and start our love affair with the personal computer.”
Thirty-one years later, in 2007, while Jason and Lauren Schmick of Madison, Wisconsin were anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child, in California, 2100 miles away, another baby was developing. At the Macworld Conference in January, Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s new product, “a widescreen iPod,” a “revolutionary mobile phone,” and a “breakthrough internet communicator.”
On June 29, 2007 Apple released the first iPhone. The creators thought it would be a fun, easy way to send a few messages. They had no idea how dramatically it was going to change the world again—how people learn, work, communicate, and are entertained.
On the same day the iPhone was introduced, the Schmick’s baby, a son, Noah, was born. In a fascinating documentary, “The iPhone Baby: How 15 Years Shaped a Generation,” Joanna Stern, Wall Street Journal Senior Personal Tech Columnist, highlights the most significant changes in the iPhone’s 15-year history. She also traces the impact the iPhone has had on those born since 2007 and beyond, specifically, Noah Schmick. He is the “iPhone baby.” He’s never lived a day when there was no iPhone.
Over the past fifteen years, Apple has increased the iPhone’s power, battery life, and features. With digital music, front-facing camera, and thousands of apps, people began spending more and more time on their phones. As Noah expressed, “This is everything you need in the palm of your hands. Why would you ever be off of it?”
This unexpected and disturbing trend hit home in 2011 for Tony Fadell, one of the creators of the iPhone. While on vacation in Hawaii, he noticed that people could not put their iPhones down. Instead of enjoying the world around them, they were trying to capture the perfect paradise selfie. As he told Ms. Stern, “We are disintermediating reality with this screen in front of our face.” Apple creators wanted the iPhone to be helpful. “We did not think,” noted Fadell, “it was going to become the center of your life.”
Ms. Stern concludes her documentary with a thought-provoking question: “After 15 years of living with the iPhone we now have to figure out how to live with it less…will we control it or will it control us?”
Increasing data on cell phone use and abuse should be cause for alarm and vigilance on the part of every individual, certainly every Christian. What seems totally harmless in itself is gradually and surreptitiously robbing us of our time and our lives.
We are told to Pay careful attention to how you live…making the most of the time, because the days are evil (Eph.5:15-16, CSB), yet we spend hours on our phones texting and swiping. We check them first thing in the morning, even though the Lord calls us to seek Him first. (Matt. 6:33) We’re on them while driving, with full knowledge of the danger. We text people we’re in the same room with. We interrupt meaningful conversations to check non-essential messages. We light up our phones in dark theaters and look at them during meetings. We are spoiling family meals and disturbing others with our endless chatter in public places. We are locking ourselves into a prison of ever-increasing dependency. Has the iPhone become another idol?
Young Noah in the documentary shows maturity and insight: “... no one can stop you from being on the phone at all times besides your own self-discipline.” Don’t we owe it to the people in our lives, particularly the younger generation, and to God, to practice self-control and to genuinely love our neighbor? The answer is yes, and the action to take? Simply, turn it off.
Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering…. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking (Romans 12:1-2, MSG).
]]>Nursing Education
As part of its partnership with the UofSC College of Nursing, Lexington Medical Center is building a state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab and teaching space on the hospital’s campus and providing clinical instructors to help train students. UofSC will provide equipment for the simulation lab and classrooms, as well as furnishings. UofSC College of Nursing expects to welcome its first students to the facility in fall 2024.
Partnerships like this one are especially important with registered nurses in short supply — especially in South Carolina. In May, UofSC graduated 220 nurses from its Columbia campus. With this new space, 400 nurses will graduate per year in the Midlands — an 80% increase annually — to help meet the state’s growing health care needs.
“South Carolina was projected to have the fourth highest nursing shortage in the country by 2030,” said Melissa Taylor, RN, MSN, NE-A, BC, vice president and chief nursing officer at Lexington Medical Center. “We’re excited about this partnership, which will grow the pipeline of skilled nurses for our organization and the entire state.”
Graduate Medical Education
Construction began this year on a 45,000-square-foot building to house the GME programs’ instructional space and patient care clinics. The hospital’s Family Medicine Residency Program is poised to be one of the largest in South Carolina, increasing available residency positions in the state by 12%. Recruitment is underway for the first family medicine residents, who will begin training in 2023. Lexington Medical Center plans to establish additional primary care-focused residency programs over the next five to six years, including Transitional Year, Internal Medicine and OB/GYN.
“As the area’s only independent health system, Lexington Medical Center has a long-held commitment to excellence in primary care. Training the next generation of primary care providers is aligned with our mission of providing quality health services that meet the needs of our communities,” said Brent Powers, MD, MBA, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Lexington Medical Center.
The university’s School of Medicine Columbia is the top medical program in the country for graduates who practice in areas where there is a shortage of health care professionals, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate School rankings. Lexington Medical Center hopes to attract a number of UofSC School of Medicine Columbia graduates to its GME program.
“I applaud the vision and commitment of Dean Andrews, Dean Hall and the leadership of Lexington Medical Center in creating greater educational experiences for our nursing and medical students," said UofSC President Michael Amiridis. “Education in the health sciences is of great importance for the future of both the university and South Carolina.”
]]>
Bonus Tips:
Remember it’s all about balance. Enjoy your favorite treat now and then, but make your health a priority.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV).
Few people realize the potential health benefits of hibiscus flower tea. The benefits might include improved blood sugar levels, healthy blood pressure levels, improved digestion, and improved liver health. The tea is also rich in Vitamin C which is an antioxidant that keeps us looking youthful and also great to help support the body’s defenses.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
I eased over to stand with the group defending life. I was struck by the stark contrast of how the defenders of the unborn were pleasant, quiet, and kind-hearted. Their signs were covered with the truth of God’s Word, and their demeanor was calm and peaceful.
Dark vs. Light was on full display.
We were all there for the Ad Hoc House Committee’s hearing to listen to public testimony as to whether SC should make abortion illegal from conception. Several days prior, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a very significant verse:
Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants, You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger (Psalm 8:2, NKJV).
To silence the enemy.
Babies are certainly to be celebrated as God’s blessings, but did you realize that children are knit together in their mother's wombs (Psalm 139:13-16) for the purpose of silencing the enemy? No wonder Satan and his army are on the march to destroy as many children as possible. He does not want to be silenced. Over the last 50 years in America alone, 63,000,000 would-be silencers of the enemy have been destroyed. 63 million.
Standing in the gap for all children, from the womb to the classroom, was the sole reason I ran for the SC House of Representatives this past June. Though I lost by only 25 votes, I have no regrets—only hope. Bringing awareness to the tactics the enemy is using to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) our children was worth every handshake, knock on a door, phone call, email, dollar raised, and campaign sign planted.
The implosion of America does not lie at the feet of the wicked, but at the heart of the Church. For decades we’ve ignored our Christian responsibility to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6) and have allowed the secularists to train them. The number of children who have never stepped foot in a church or even heard the name of Jesus, except in vain, is continuing to increase. Even those who’ve grown up in the church are leaving the faith at alarming rates. Why do you think this is happening?
God’s hand on this nation has been profound from its conception. America was created to be a beacon of light for Christ here and around the world. Instead, over the last 100 years, we’ve allowed anti-God, anti-faith, and anti-family ideologies and philosophies to take root in our society. In doing so, the enemy has turned up the volume, ramped up his assault, and inserted himself into every American institution, including the Church. He has gained astronomical amounts of territory, especially with his assault on our children.
A self-serving society cultivates chaos, confusion, and ultimately, delusion. Scripture affirms that Satan is the dispenser of chaos and confusion. In Christ, we must combat both with strength and courage by standing firm on the truth of His Word so we can guard our hearts against the schemes of the enemy. Our very existence as one nation under God depends on it.
So, is there hope for the next generation? Can we slow or even stop the madness?
There's always hope. As Edward Mote penned, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." Christ is our only hope as individuals, families, and as a nation. For hope to illuminate again, all of us must take responsibility in spiritually training up the next generation, showing them Jesus, and for the sake of their eternal souls, stop compromising the truth.
Christ followers must immerse themselves in the Word to remain rooted and grounded for our own protection. Grow in faith, wisdom and understanding, and do not neglect the assembling together with an unashamed, Bible-believing, Christ-centered, church family. Together, let’s push back against the enemy, especially on behalf of the children, born and unborn. “Little ones to Him belong. They are weak, but He is strong.” (Jesus Loves Me, public domain)
It's imperative that the true Church move with haste to the frontlines of this spiritual war to fight for the unborn generation so they can silence the enemy.
]]>