“Ah, Lord God,” I said, “I don’t know how to speak because I’m only a child.” —Jeremiah 1:6 (Common English Bible)

Freedom. It’s something that rings. It is something that calls out to be heard, to be known, to be declared. A trumpet call. A canon fired. A flag raised. When freedom is claimed, it is a statement made.

When we introduced the Abingdon Women "Your Life, Your Faith" Cruise giveaway in early March, we never expected to be overwhelmed with so many stories of such amazing women. Through your nominations, we met women who have inspired and encouraged others, and women who have remained strong in their faith despite overwhelming setbacks and challenges. We read stories of women who serve as caretakers, leaders and teachers--women you call mom, sister, and friend.

“I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.” ~ George Washington Carver

In March, more than 30 women were part of our audience for the taping of Melissa Spoelstra's video for Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World. As we eagerly await her Bible study, which releases in August, we're happy to share... read more

"We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees, flowers, grass—grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.” —Mother Teresa

The LaGrones recently sent this message to members of their church. As Abingdon Women readers who have come to know Jessica through her Bible study Namesake, we thought you'd like to hear of her new calling:

We first introduced you to soon-to-be-Abingdon Women author Melissa Spoelstra back in April (read Part 1 of our interview). We're now a month closer to the August publication of her first book, Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World, and we thought it would be a good time to ask Melissa about the writing experience:

I’m convinced my memory is accurate regarding my baby sister’s reign as Pork Princess (no reflection on her petite frame) for the annual Dairy Festival Parade in our hometown. She insists she was some other kind of princess—name a farm product. Silage Princess? I don’t think so.

On Wednesday we announced Rosalind Shirley as the winner of our cruise retreat--be sure to read her inspiring story. Now, we've added yet another name to the guest list: new Abingdon Women author Melissa Spoelstra! In August we'll publish Melissa's Bible study Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World. And in February, she'll share her gift for ministry on our Abingdon Women - "Your Life, Your Faith" Cruise, February 2nd - 7th, 2015.

When Abingdon Women suggested that you “Send a Friend Sailing” on our Your Life, Your Faith cruise retreat, we had no way of knowing just how many incredible women we would meet thanks to your submissions. Selecting just one of them to... read more

My friend Jonathan is a finance professor who teaches at a large state university in Texas. At the end of one semester a student named Chris approached him at the end of class to inquire about why his grade was so low. Jonathan replied: “Well, I looked for you in class to tell you that you were losing points because of the attendance policy, but every time I looked for you, you weren’t there.”