I’ve often wondered how can we live in a world with so much pain? People around you are hurting, they’re searching for relief from their trials. Are you suffering from a chronic illness and/or pain? Have you had a traumatic event happen to you? A death or some other major loss? If so, you probably have thought about how your life could be without the agony. Reading Finding Purpose in Pain by Stacy Williams helped me understand things like continuing to dream about the future, praying scriptures, focusing on the good in life, having healthy boundaries and balance during a difficult period and eliminating fear all while in the life trial.

Finding Purpose in Pain gives complete and scripture based devotionals in 21 days that lead the reader to seek God in understanding their role in life’s difficult circumstances. Sometimes you are in the middle of the storm wondering, “Why God?” This devotional helps direct that question and points to God’s word for answers.

At one point, there is a touching story that displays the importance of turning to God when you are going through a hardship, even if you don’t know what to say to the Lord! Williams puts it well by saying “And remember, sorrow is not the end of the story - not in your life or anyone else’s.” She points us to the hope we can all find in our storm.

Maybe you’re not going through a deep struggle in life or experiencing a loss, this devotional would still be a useful tool to pray for those around you who are hurting. In the last few months it seems as if I have witnessed more people’s pain than ever before. I have a friend went through chemo for cancer, another who fell and hit his head almost dying and has now been in the hospital for over month, or my other friend who lost their baby. My heart has broken for all of these people, but I thought I was limited in what I could do or say for them. Reading William’s devotional helped me see an insider perspective to the struggles a person may have when in a trial.

Most of all, I appreciated how much this devotional encouraged me to continue to live in God’s will no matter what my suffering looks like. To live in God’s will for your life requires to live by faith. It may not look like what I expected, but faith is knowing God’s will is best for me. Something I have always struggled with is worry. I worry about tomorrow, even when the Bible says it’s useless to! Williams tells of her own struggle: “My life is in God’s hands and I want to be in His will - and that means not worrying about the what ifs and the things I can’t control and focusing on living a life that pleases God.”

Hedy is a graduate of Fort Lewis College with a BA in Psychology. She is married with a son. She can't get enough of God and works for Master Plan Ministries at Three Trails Ranch in Durango, CO. Before coming to Colorado, Hedy grew up in Sitka, Alaska. 
Hedy loves to hunt and fish with her best hunting partner, her husband! Most recently she has been hunting in Colorado and Kansas.  When she has a free moment or two, Hedy enjoys to knit and bake bread.

Want to read more from this contributor? Put her name in the search box at the top.  
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I have had the privilege of reading and studying alongside this book and I mean privilege.   I crave books like this.  Ones that intimately walk along side you as you read through scripture.  It is as if I’m doing a one-on-one bible study with a good friend – except the friend is Beth Moore. 

I love seeing the bible passages referenced at the beginning of each chapter, so I excitedly grab up my bible, dive in and make all of the notes that the Holy Spirit brings to my attention through the verses.  Next I get to pick up Beth’s notes. (Insert sheepish grin)  I’m like a nerdy college student who after reading the assignment I can’t wait for class. Except we’re diving into the Word of God and instead of becoming overwhelmed at the work load and the upcoming test, I become overwhelmed with Him.  Also, the passages that have always left me scratching my head she explains so clearly. She takes the text deeper into the context and the literal translations of some of the key verses. 

Many of her books are structured this way.  There are many commentaries available by different authors, and maybe it’s a woman thing, but the way she writes hers are personal.  She writes from the overflow of the Holy Spirit at work in her heart and that’s what I relate to.

I would recommend this book to a beginner - one who has never studied the Word of God and also to an expert - one who knows every fact about the word of God but wants to take the bible back to their heart level.  It is also great for helping someone bring structure to their bible study routine or lack thereof. J

Her bible studies are best buds with my bible and I look forward diving into them every morning!

Now you have the opportunity to win one for yourself

Melissa Bradley is married with two small children.  She serves at a church plant in Hendersonville, NC. The passion of her heart is to live every day missionally. You can also find Melissa at Beautiful Mommy Feet, she and her husbands personal ministry page, a women’s ministry page -Radiance and on Facebook.

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There are some verses in the Bible that we try to ignore.  Some are controversial.  Some are confusing.  Some are just plain convicting.  Which category does this one land in for you?

"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you ." {James 1:27}.  

For me, this verse is convicting.  It reminds me that I need to think of others before myself, and that maybe, just maybe there are a lot of ways that I can make a difference in the plight of orphans around the world.  This verse also overwhelms me with anxious thoughts.  Where do I begin to make a dent in this global problem?  Does this really mean that I need to adopt a child, although I struggle enough to parent the three boys I already have?  

In Johnny Carr's book Orphan Justice: How to Care for Orphans Beyond Adopting, these concerns of mine were addressed. Carr presents the sobering facts and statistics on what is definitively a global issue. Here are a few that took me by surprise:

• According to UNICEF, 153 million kids worldwide have lost one or both parents due to all causes. 
• Nearly 300,000 American children are at risk for trafficking in the sex industry
• More than 20% of children in the U.S. live below the poverty level

With personal stories of his own experiences, Carr brings these statistics to life.  As I read about Carr's experiences, I began to look more closely at my own community, recognizing that these realities are not far from home. In each chapter, Carr addresses an issue {poverty, HIV/AIDS, abortion, etc} and shares his personal experiences and research on the topic. At the end of each chapter, Carr provides a few ideas as to how a person, group, or organization can address the issue.  

Most importantly, Carr discusses the theological implications of orphan care. Our involvement is evidence of living out the Gospel in its entirety, not simply addressing a single verse in James. I was most challenged by the chapter on abortion, where Carr points out how our concern for life begins in the womb, but extends to orphans as well. Valuing children and adopting them into a loving family is fulfilling God's design for life and also living out God's adoption story.

The first step to making a difference is becoming educated about an issue.  If you're looking to make a difference in the plight of orphans around the world and in America, Orphan Justice will empower you with knowledge, understanding, and a vision for where to get started.

Check it out here
 We are not being compensated in any way to post this review.

Most days Keri can be found cruising in her Swagger Wagon, reading a good book, or laughing with friends over large cups of coffee.  She finds great fulfillment in serving those who might not walk through the doors of a church, but still desperately need the Hope that only God can give.  She also enjoys learning about God through unorthodox means, and occasionally blogs about it at Pop Parables.  She also gets in touch with her creative side at BringingCraftyBack. Keri lives in the Greater Seattle area with her husband, their three boys, and 2 weiner pups.

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I love my Woman’s Study Bible (Thomas Nelson Publishers). In fact, for the last 18 years I've loved it to pieces. Literally.

While I was leading a women’s Bible study a few years ago, the front section of the Bible separated and broke apart in my hands. About a year ago, I discovered my table of contents was inexplicably missing.

So, after almost two decades of cramming sermon notes in the margins and leafing through its pages for Bible study prep and personal devotions, I was finally forced to have it rebound. 

Could I have bought another Bible? Easily. So, why didn’t I?

Because, in my opinion, The Woman’s Study Bible is the best study Bible available for Christian women. Here’s why I think so:

* The study notes and commentary are written from a complementarian interpretation of Scripture (the understanding that while the genders equally bear God’s image and are equal in worth, Scripture outlines distinct roles for man and wife.)

* The study notes are written by scholarly women! Not only is textual insight geared to women, it is written by women who have dedicated their lives to biblical scholarship and how it intersects with issues common to modern women. The result? Nearly 300 articles on what Scripture says about topics such as adoption, homeschooling, women’s ministry, infertility, divorce, motherhood, singleness, and more.

* Almost every page is loaded with helpful charts and excurses that break apart the text according to topic, literary genre, and more. Especially helpful are the character profiles provided for almost every woman in the Bible. 

So, when I was asked to review the latest edition of The Woman’s Study Bible I jumped at the chance. I was eager to see how the newer version stood up against my well-worn and well-loved copy.

Here’s what I discovered about the 2nd edition of The Woman’s Study Bible:

* It has the same solid scholarly commentary & textual notes highlighting a modern woman’s concerns. Additional information is added to some notes such as the explanation of complementarianism in Ephesians 5 (see page 1598).

* It has the same practical goal to help women apply difficult passages. A little disappointing , however, is the removal of first edition editor Dorothy Patterson’s fabulous exegesis of 1 Tim. 2:9-15 - a helpful piece for navigating potential interpretative errors in this important passage.

* It has an even lovelier and modernized design.

* It has the same user friendly indexes & charts.

What’s new? The 2nd edition has additional devotional book excerpts by popular women’s authors like Stormie O’Martin, Kimberly Daniels, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and more.

I recommend this study Bible for any believing woman – both new and wise in the Lord. However, I would caution any buyer to be choosy in selecting their choice of translations. The Woman’s Study Bible is now offered in the NIV, NKJV, and the KJV. (The first edition was available in NKJV only).

The accessible language of the NIV is immensely helpful for breaking down difficult passages – particularly Old Testament poetry and some portions of the Pauline epistles (let’s be honest, Paul’s Greek isn’t for the novice). But I truly believe the latest version of the NIV to be textually inferior to the NKJV, ESV, or the HCSB.

That being said, I would wholeheartedly suggest this Bible for a friend or loved one. In fact, I recently recommended a new sister in Christ purchase this very Bible. Currently, there is no other study Bible geared to women on the market that compares in doctrinal depth and or in desire to maintain the original author’s intention at the time of writing.

If you'd like to check it out for yourself or want to have an extra Bible to giveaway we have a chance for you to win one below. There are lots of ways to enter and some you can do everyday to increase your chances. We will pick a winner next Friday. We will email and display the winners name. 

Melissa Deming is the creator of HiveResources.com–a site that helps women sweeten their walk with Christ through devotional articles, book reviews, and more. Melissa holds a Masters of Divinity in Women's Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C. She and her husband, Jonathan, have four-year-old twins, Zach and Jonah. They are part of the core team of a new church plant in Pittsburgh.

A copy of this Bible was provided free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review.  


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For years I squinted at my reflection trying to believe I was beautifully and wonderfully made for the Bible tells me so, and then one day my mother got cancer and I realized, it’s not about how you view yourself. It’s about how you view life.

As women, we suffer from an extreme case of Guilt, and many women believe the guiltier they feel, the better a person they are, but it’s a lie. All it’s doing is preventing us from effectively loving our children. Guilt makes us wallow within, versus allowing us to invest in others.

And sometimes it takes something as hard as cancer to learn what we had in the beginning: An identity defined by something other than the past.

When we believe we are loved, everything around us becomes, as Ann Voskamp says in One Thousand Gifts, grace. A hand-wrapped present from the father of the heavens, and once we start believing this, then, and only then, can we look in the mirror and see someone who deserves that gift.

And it’s in this love that we find our true calling. A calling that rises above weight and numbers and dress sizes. A calling that says we are made in God’s holy image, and what does this mean?

It means, we were created to give God a face.

Maybe this is done in the way you serve a customer at Wendy’s, or through the way you mop floors or fold the laundry, or maybe it’s in the way you splash paint on canvas.

However you do it, you are an extension of God on this earth. You are made to reflect his beauty. I believe that if we were to truly realize the identity we had in Christ, we could move mountains. We could show such extravagant mercy and compassion and gentleness, we would die for one another and to ourselves, while creating masterpieces of music and art and literature because we wouldn’t be.

Instead, he would. God would be, within us.

***

I’m giving away a copy of my new book today, Mom in the Mirror: Body Image, Beauty and Life After Pregnancy, co-authored by Dr. Dena Cabrera, and foreword by supermodel Emme.

Here’s an excerpt from the book:

Giving birth produces life in more than one sense. It’s the baby powder, milky-breathed spirit found in the softest limbs you’ve ever felt, and it’s the respect a man feels for his wife as he watches her give up her body for another.

And it’s the deep-rooted soul satisfying feeling of knowing you were born for more than the mirror. That you were born to see the face of God in your child, and to know, you yourself are a miracle.

I want to give you this book. Tell me one thing you love about yourself and you'll be entered in the draw.

Otherwise, you can order it through the book’s website, here: www.mominthemirrorbook.com.

So I'm picky. Dare I say really picky. And I love teaching God's Word and leading Bible studies. The Lord has given me many years of experience and ability so I have a tendency of being picky when I hear people teach. I often find myself thinking things like, "Oh, this would be a great place to talk about this", "Why did you illustrate that and not this?" etc. So when I was contacted about doing a review of Jennie's study I was nervous. What if I didn't like it? I couldn't lie on a review, so what would I write if I thought it was not that great?

I said yes and the study arrived in the mail. Immediately I was hopeful, the design was great and it came with a DVD, leaders guide, study guide AND questions for discussion. As I began to dig through the treasure box, I kept saying, "Wow! This lady knows what she's doing." She has great knowledge of the Lord and His Word but beyond that she communicates in a way that's easy to understand, engaging and practical. 

The study isn't just a let's heap up a bunch of head knowledge type of study. It gets to the heart and yet doesn't bypass the mind. A beautiful combination! It is obvious Jennie has a gift of teaching and a passion for women to not just have information but for them to deeply connect with each other and with the Lord with the end goal of life change for the glory of God.

And check these out...

These cards alone are worth the price of the study. Leading Bible studies for 16 years I've come to realize the hardest part is getting women to connect on a deeper, here's my life and who I am, and what I'm going through right now, level. And what I've found is asking questions is the best way to draw women out. Jennie gets that. There is a whole box of questions, really GREAT questions I might add that will bring a depth of relationships in a group. 

I am impressed. Really impressed! And that coming from a Bible study snob.  ;)

So basically, you should get this study and see what I mean. It's really not that expensive, only $25ish for the DVD, study guide, leaders guide AND the questions. Amazing deal really.

Here's what Jennie has to say about it.

And here's a little bit about the study
What are you chasing?

We're all chasing after something, something that we think will make us happy—comfort, success, a bigger house, or someone's approval. But if we are all honest, it feels like trying to catch the wind.

A man after God's own heart... As David's life weaves throughout the pages of Scripture, we see he was a man who spent his life chasing after God. Chase explores the events that defined David's life and the Psalms that flowed out of those experiences. Through David's example we'll discover what God really wants from us.

The lessons in this study are simple yet deep and very interactive, offering Bible study, stories, and projects to dig into Scripture and deeply engage the mind and heart. God has carved out a space in each of us that only He can fill. So whether you are running from God or working your tail off to please Him, David's journey will challenge your view of God.

God is invisible, and yet He is the only thing we can chase that won't leave us feeling more empty.

Study Kit Tools:
Study. The study guide uses projects, stories, and Bible study to engage the mind and heart. There are seven weeks of Bible study and an introductory session for your group.

See. Eight short but deep videos provide a starting place for meeting God and for transparent conversations. Each video is 8-12 minutes long.

Ask. Conversation cards offer questions for spontaneous and authentic discussion time. You choose the questions that speak to you.

Lead. The leader's guide prepares you to lead this study and encourages you along the way.

Available here
CBD - http://zndr.vn/Rlliat
Amazon - http://zndr.vn/Rllh6u
Barnes & Noble - http://zndr.vn/RlljuR

So, I really really would love to keep this study for myself. But since it really is so great I'll just buy my own so you guys have an opportunity to win it. There's lots of ways to enter, so good luck!

Laura, the creator and host of Missional Women is married and has four kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries to college students for 11 years serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura is the Staff Women's Development Coordinator and has discipled over 150 girls, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks 10-20 times a year. Laura is an award winning author of a 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, recently released Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, and A Devotional Journey through Judges, a devotional to accompany the free online Bible study at TheBookofJudges.com. You can find her on facebook,twitter, pinterest and youtube.

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I love reading, coffee, and stories of God’s transformation in people’s lives and recently I had the chance to read a book by Tiffany Dawn called The Insatiable Quest for Beauty.  

I loved the raw honesty she brought to her book. Tiffany did a wonderful job of drawing you into her story by her personal approach of calling each chapter coffee dates. I was drawn to her personality and love of coffee and had an image in my mind through the entire book of sitting down with her in a coffee shop as if she was my best friend pouring her heart out to me; in fact, by the end of the first chapter I felt like she was my best friend. 

So what is an insatiable quest for beauty? As Tiffany puts it, “Insatiable is a longing that cannot and will never be completely filled.” When we are searching and longing to be filled up by a desperate unquenchable thirst for outward beauty, it will never satisfy us; the only thing that will ever satisfy us is the search and quest for God. Proverbs 31:30 puts it this way, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” I believe we all see the worth in inward beauty and as we read Proverbs 31:30 we know fearing the Lord is what we should be striving for. But if we are honest, it is a process and there is much to learn along the way. 

If we are looking for affirmation from the world through our beauty we will feel an empty hole in our hearts, a place that isn’t satisfied, and a place that longs for more. In our search for identity it is easy to think a relationship can fill us but, as Tiffany explains in her book, our confidence should come from the promises of who God says we are, not in having a boyfriend or being married or having people praise us for our outward beauty. Dressing up and putting on makeup isn’t what’s wrong; it is when we think our image is our identity and what defines us. 

I admire her creativity in her book and how at the end of each chapter she has a link to her website TheInsatiableQuestforBeauty.com, where both men and women share their own struggles and victories over body image, eating disorders, insecurities, relationships, and more. 

Tiffany also has a CD that she wrote to correspond to each chapter. I recommend you check out her website, CD, and book. 

We are doing a free Book/CD giveaway of The Insatiable Quest for Beauty and Tiffany’s CD. Enter to win below.

Hope McCleary graduated from Mesa State College with a degree in Mass Communications. After graduating she spent two years working in local news at KKCO 11 News in Grand Junction, Co. She decided to give up her career in the media to share the message of Christ full-time. She joined full-time staff with Master Plan Ministries the summer of 2012 and got married to Forrest McCleary in September of 2012. Through her own personal ups and downs in college Hope has a heart for college women understand their worth as God’s daughters, to see them grow in their faith, to grow in the unique gifts God has given them, and to stand firm in their faith even with the pressures of the world all around them. Hope’s interests include world and local missions, photography, singing, playing guitar and writing music, reading, meeting new people, coffee, and hiking. 

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.

Have you ever felt like your relationship with the Lord is missing something? Like it's just routine and life-less? This is exactly what sweet, passionate for the Lord Kathy Howard goes after in her book, Fed up with Flat Faith. She's been there. She knows what it's like to see others with strong, passionate, intimate relationships with the Lord and feel like you're missing something. 

She wants other women to know they are not alone in their struggle with flat faith and wants to help them grow their faith into a fiery zeal for the Lord. 

Fed Up with Flat Faith equips women with five biblical attitudes and five practical behaviors that prepare their heart and life for God’s work. Drawing from her past experiences with flat faith, Kathy shares practical truths principles that will help shift your attitude and behavior so you are positioned for God’s activity
in your life. It's a quick read and I'm sure you'll love it.

We are giving a copy of Kathy's book away to one of our subscribers. So if you already follow Missional Women by email, then you are already entered. If not, sign up here.

Read the first chapter

Purchase Fed Up with Flat Faith:

• Amazon
• New Hope Publishers
• ChristianBookDistributors
• Barnes and Noble

Laura, the creator and host of Missional Women is married and has three kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries to college students for 11 years serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura is the Staff Women's Development Coordinator and has discipled over 150 girls, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks 10-20 times a year. Laura is an award winning author of a 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, recently released Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, and A Devotional Journey through Judges, a devotional to accompany the free online Bible study at TheBookofJudges.com. You can find her on facebook,twitter, pinterest and youtube.

I was introduced to the heart of Kimberly Smith through my father who is a missionary for Bethany Kids. After hearing him retell some of her stories from the depths of Darfur, I became a stalker of her website.  My heart has ached to be a part of these ministries. 

My heart longs to run to these orphans, wrap them up in my arms and kiss them with the love of Jesus.  However, I have always been petrified of being hot. No really.  I've always said, “Lord, if You say go, I will go, but please let there be running water and don’t let it get above 94 degrees.”  I’m ashamed of my small faith now and would go in a heartbeat (a timid heartbeat, but a heartbeat all the same). 

However, I have many obstacles that keep my hands full and occupied for the time being.  For months I prayed for the Lord to show me how I can help this need or for Him to open my heart that feels what He feels over these regions.  I became a contributor; I started selling 31 Products just so I would have the money to give.  Then my dad passed me off her new book, Passport Through Darkness.  I sat on it for a while just because I hate reading.  I have 2 small children and as soon as I sit down to read I begin a thrilling game of 20 questions and end up reading the same paragraph 15 times.

However, I finally got away for a few short days and by the grace of God I picked up this book to take with me.  There have been very few books that I have ever been so overwhelmed by.  From the very first page I could not put it down. It’s as if Kimberly takes you by the hand and vividly walks you through where God brought her from to the heart, passion and life-impacting stories of Darfur and the other regions. Makeway Partners rescues orphans from sex trafficking and from being enslaved by the militia. If your heart has ever been burdened for the victims of sex trafficking or to understand the devastation in Darfur you must read this book – and share it.  This is not a book that you can be silent about.  This book will change your life, but be warned you must read with tissues and the willingness for your worldview to be shaken up!

If you want to be a life-changer, these are 2 ministries that change thousands of lives each year! 

Melissa Bradley is married with two small children.  She serves at a church plant in Hendersonville, NC. The passion of her heart is to live every day missionally. You can also find Melissa at Beautiful Mommy Feet, she and her husbands personal ministry page, a women’s ministry page -Radiance and on Facebook.

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TV is a powerful resource given this generation. It is the main influence discipling our nation and potentially the world. But sometimes it's depressing that this incredible tool seems to be used more for evil than for making Jesus known. For years I had spent countless hours praying for God to raise up directors, writers, producers actors etc. who will be willing to enter the entertainment industry for the purpose of glorifying God. A few years ago I sort of gave up praying. It just seemed the tv shows and movie were getting worse, not better. But just as the Lord does, He reminded me that there's hope, that He is moving. A few weeks ago I got an email about a new tv mini-series starting THIS SUNDAY night. Mark Burnett (producer of Survivor, The Voice, Celebrity Apprentice etc.) and his wife Roma Downey (from Touched by an Angel), motivated by widespread Bible illiteracy decided to produce the Bible. They wanted to put on screen what God put in Words so long ago.

* Half of all Americans can't name the first five books of the Bible
*12% believe Noah's wife was Joan of Arc
*1/3 think the Sermon on the Mount was delivered by Billy Graham
*And some even believe Sodom and Gomorrah were a married couple.

They saw the need to bring relevant, relational storytelling to the masses with excellent production values and a desire to reach the lost, a desire to reach an audience Christian ministries can't. 

The Lord is so good at re-motivating isn't He! Will you pray with me the Lord would continue to raise up missionaries to go to Hollywood. Ones that will stay strong and humble. And let's pray the Lord uses tv as a way to draw people closer to Him. And will you pray many would tune in on Sunday night and would get to see and be changed by God's grand story.

I hope you'll be able to watch The Bible as a family this Sunday on the History channel. And I hope it sparks some great conversation about what the Bible really says and other great things about God. 

Total side note but interesting thing about the filming: 
They filmed in Morocco for five months and had to hire a snake wrangler to keep the cast and crew safe. The wrangler would catch all the snakes and keep them off the scene. The one they hired was one of the est in the business, a native Moroccan. On an average day he would catch three or four snakes a day. But when they shot the Crucifixion scene there were more than 47 snakes caught! The wrangler said he had "never seen so many snakes in one place in his entire life."

Here's a preview:

Laura, the creator and host of Missional Women is married and has three kids, two of whom are adopted. They have been missionaries to college students for 11 years serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura has discipled over 150 girls, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks 10-20 times a year. Laura is an award winning author of a 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, recently released Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, and Glimpse of Glory; A Devotional Journey through the book of Judges, a FREE devotional which accompanies the online Bible studyTheBookofJudges.com.