Dear Friends, I’m trying something new with my blog format–at least for a little while. For the past year and more, I’ve had seasons of faithful postings and seasons of, well, nothing. I think at least part of why that happens is because writing is my profession. So when I have assignments and deadlines and clients waiting to read my words or receive my edits, it’s easy for me to put writing for work first. I can’t fix that. Work remains a priority. But if I’ve discerned anything about my values over the past few years, it’s this: relationships matter. I Would Die for You, the first book I agreed to write (you can read about it/read an excerpt here) came out of a relationship of prayer and friendship. In fact, every book I’ve written since (eight total now) has come from the relationships God has allowed me to build. And the five mission trips I’ve been privileged to take with Never the Same Missions and first Susie, then Sisterhood Magazine? Each time, I went as the writer for the trip. But what came out of them was, well, relationships—with the students and adults on the trips (including some of you!) as well as in the countries where we served. That’s true for the two mission trips I’ve taken with Awe Star Ministries as well. Their president (and my writing partner), Dr. Walker Moore, has taught me that everyone matters to Jesus, so everybody matters to me. And someday, Jesus will matter to everyone. The other day, I asked a quick question on my Facebook page about what people might like to read here. Answers ranged from “Anything you write” to specific titles for blog posts to topics of deep personal concern. And I intend to use most, if not all of them. I had wondered if I might need to abandon some aspect of “Read. Write. Pray,” but the consensus doesn’t seem to indicate that. So instead, I’ll seek to remain faithful to those three broad topics and, within those topics, faithful to you, my friends. To remind me of our relationship, I’ll turn my posts into letters like this. I’ll keep them short (most of the time, anyway). I’ll keep them positive, pointed toward the truth, and personal. Because blogging isn’t work. It’s something I do for you. It’s something I do for me. Because we have a relationship. You matter to me. Because you matter, I pray for you. Do you have a special prayer request for 2015? I’ll be glad to add yours to my growing list. Feel free to share in the comments below or in an email through the “Contact” link at the top of...

Today’s devotional concludes our series from missionary Avis Goodhart’s memoir, Out of the Dust: Story of an Unlikely Missionary. And it’s a fitting day to conclude, because Out of the Dust has now released in multiple venues. Also, because of a misunderstanding on Amazon’s part, the Kindle version is temporarily FREE. The publisher tells me this won’t last long, but if you’ve enjoyed the devotionals, feel free to take advantage of this accident. We’d love it if you could help spread the word about Out of the Dust, since all proceeds go to benefit Avis’s important work in Peru. Blessings! #14 Free and Clear  Scripture Reading: And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Thought: If we step out in obedience to follow Him, God takes care of the details. Excerpt, Out of the Dust: In November, 2001, I returned home from a month-long mission trip. Within weeks, doctors discovered that my husband, Dean, had inoperable cancer. I put my mission work on hold to care for him until his death in February of the next year. I still feel sometimes as though I’ve lost my anchor. Dean was that for me. He held our grown kids, finances, and home together while I ran all over the place. And he kept track of everything, including me. I set everything else aside during his final months to focus on him. But just as he told me, God was preparing the way for me to serve overseas full-time. He took care of our finances first. Thanks to Dean’s wise money management, we had no house payment. But while he was ill, the bills mounted, and the funeral cost more than his burial policy covered. I started calling around to figure out what we owed. With our small savings and the huge gift from the pie supper, I was able to pay off his doctors along with the imaging clinic. But that left the biggie: the hospital. I made the phone call and reached the accounting department after a few transfers. I explained who I was and that I wanted to begin paying my huge bill. Something incredible happened next. “You owe nothing, Mrs. Goodhart. You’re free and clear.” That news still flabbergasts me. It was a turning point, one of those times where you know God is sending you in a particular direction. I realized that being debt-free was a beautiful gift, but back then, I had no way to know just how beautiful. When I think back, I realize I would never have gone to the mission field with unpaid debt. I would have gotten a job, started a business,...

What do we do when we face what looks like an impossible task? Today’s Out of the Dust devotional shares the story of some volunteer missionaries who, along with their leader, Avis Goodhart, cooperated with God in accomplishing His work. What do we do when we face what looks like an impossible task? Today’s Out of the Dust devotional shares the story of some volunteer missionaries who, along with their leader, Avis Goodhart, cooperated with God in accomplishing His work. #13 Purpose-Driven Prayer  Scripture Reading: Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose (Phil. 2:12-13).  Thought: God works in us to make sure His purposes are accomplished. Excerpt, Out of the Dust: As my passion for international work grew, I began leading multiple mission trips a year. When I took a team into Honduras, we had lots of items to take with us: personal luggage, medical supplies, and shoeboxes filled with toys and other children’s items. This was back before the days of severe baggage restrictions, so we planned for everyone to bring along two large tubs filled with items we wanted to deliver. I called ahead, and the airline okayed the containers as long as they stayed within the weight limit. The team agreed to confine their personal luggage to one carry-on apiece. We ended up with twenty-five bins of shoeboxes and medical supplies and one shared bin filled with the team’s tennis shoes. When we got to the airport, the trouble began. An airline counter employee refused to check us in. “But the children at the feeding station need these supplies,” we told him. “What can we do?” We turned our prayers into action. One at a time, the team members opened their carry-ons and began putting on every piece of clothing over the clothes they already wore. They then transferred the items from the tubs into their now-empty carry-ons. “That’s enough!” the man at the counter finally said. He checked in the remaining tubs and watched our overdressed team members march onto the plane like robots, their limbs stiff with extra clothes. They didn’t care how they looked. They just wanted the shoeboxes to reach the kids. (Chapter 15) Prayer: Father, forgive me for sometimes giving up when the situation looks impossible. Help me to recognize you as Lord of all and to trust you to accomplish your purposes.   Do you have a question, comment, or prayer request? Feel free to share it below or email me...

Avis Goodhart’s life story is not a Bible study, but it contains many life lessons. In today’s Out of the Dust devotional, she shares one from which we can learn alongside her.  #12 Lesson Learned  Scripture Reading: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29). Thought: No matter what a situation may look like, we need to keep our words about others kind, pure, and wholesome. Excerpt, Out of the Dust: In 1998, when Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras, I knew God wanted me to help. I collected a truckload of supplies from our Arkansas community. After several adventures on a shrimp boat in the wake of the hurricane, the supplies and I, along with my Honduran friend Gladys, made it to the capital city, Tegucigalpa. By daylight, all we could see was destruction. The slick roads were covered in mud. Almost every treetop had furniture or other household objects lodged in it, and any houses that remained had suffered horrific damage. Hurricane Mitch’s terrible power had stripped most people’s clothes from their bodies. They covered themselves with blankets or anything they could find. I remained in Honduras for two more weeks. We’ve had some terrible disasters in our country, but the Hondurans had no insurance, no savings, no anything. Yet they still managed to smile. Gladys and I went out to the refugee camps set up in the state schools, where the scenes were equally unbelievable. People were trying to cook in old paint cans or discarded pieces of tin. The hurricane filled the outhouses with water and mud, but everyone needed them. Gladys and I dumped bleach in each facility to help prevent disease, working like crazy to help in any way we could. On one of the first afternoons, I saw a big Coca-Cola truck heading up the mountain. “Look at them, taking advantage of people who have nothing left,” I told Gladys, sure the company was making money through disaster relief. Later that day, one of the area men told us about the visit from the truck. “They handed out bottles of water and soda,” he said. “No one had to pay.” There amid the tragic scene, I had to stop and repent. My words reflected my poor attitude. I judged the company without knowing the truth. Later on, God would remind me of this incident whenever I was tempted to question someone’s motives. There are always things we don’t know. (Chapter 13) Prayer: Lord, guard my heart and my tongue when I’m tempted to make a snap judgment. Help me check my...

How can a good God allow bad things to happen? The problem of pain is one of the classic questions theologians and others explore. In today’s Out of the Dust devotional, Avis Goodhart shares her answer and how God turned a disability into an asset. #11 Battles and Blessings Scripture Reading: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4). Thought: God can use everything, even our trials, to carry out His purposes and bring Him glory. Excerpt, Out of the Dust: The spiritual battles continued on my next trip to Honduras, when a strange facial paralysis struck me. A diagnosis of Bell’s palsy didn’t keep me from serving on the mission field, but it did keep me home from my teaching job that fall. By November, though, I realized something else must be wrong. The Bell’s palsy had healed, the swelling disappeared, and the virus that caused the problem had vanished. So why is the pain so horrible? I wondered. The neurologist who examined me said some of my nerves had healed the wrong way. This left me with severe facial spasms, eyes that wouldn’t water, and unbearable pain. Another long round of doctor visits began. I missed my students, but I couldn’t return to teaching. Not yet. . . . I finally wound up at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where I received Botox shots to relax the cramping in the left side of my face. These reduced the pain and improved my appearance, but the nerve damage had its effect. I couldn’t pronounce certain words correctly. I had hearing damage in my left ear and reduced sight in my left eye. Some speech pathologist friends taught me how to speak and gave me exercises to help me close my eye. The shots, which I still get every six months or so, make the pain much more bearable. I still struggle to pronounce words correctly, but with God’s help, I manage. “How could all this happen to you when you were doing the Lord’s work?” people often ask. God’s Word says it rains on the just and the unjust. And the Bible also says, And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28 NASB). I know God heals. I’ve experienced healing and I’ve also had the gift of healing operate through me. But sometimes, He has another plan. After months of waiting, praying, and seeking medical help,...

 Today’s Out of the Dust devotional tells about a turning point, a critical time in Avis’s life when her choice would affect eternity. Desperation can drive us to act in ways we never anticipated. But God can also use it to move us into surrender.  #7 I Surrender All Scripture Reading: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1-2). Thought: God wants more from us than a shallow faith. He calls us to surrender all. Excerpt from Out of the Dust: After my first marriage ended due to infidelity, I tried to make a new life with my second husband, Dean. But only a few months into the marriage, it looked as though I’d made another big mistake. Our plan to put our two families together just wasn’t working. On top of that, Dean was drinking, running around with other women, and drinking some more. He asked me to move out because “You make me feel guilty.” No kidding. At first, I took the kids and went back to my own trailer home. Then we moved to Arizona, closer to more of my family. That’s where I lay that night, ready for the dating game. I sat up, shimmied my shoulders, fluffed my hair, and unfastened my top button. What’s the point of being good, anyway? I’ve been good my whole life, and look where’s it’s gotten me. Time for a new plan. Mine. I looked in the mirror. I just want to have a good time. I continued my preparations when a voice interrupted. “Go ahead. Try to make yourself happy.” What? God must have known I needed more than a voice, because the scene played out like a movie on the screen of my mind. A woman, fixing up a house for her kids and a man. The house looked beautiful, but soon the man got bored, and another came. The same scene repeated itself with another man, another house, another man, and another house. At the end, I saw the woman. Old. Wrinkled. Used-up. Worn-out. I was the woman. I knew God was offering me a choice: His way or my way; life or death. No more playing around with Christianity while keeping my options open. No more one foot in, one foot out. I spoke to God as directly as He did to me. “With my children, without my children. With...