Newsletter header
Vol 2,  Issue No. 4
 
April  2009
Is It Time for a Fresh Dose of New Life? 
           
     On Easter morning, when my nephew, Erik, was 3 years old, I rushed to meet him after Sunday School.
     "Did you hear about Jesus' resurrection this morning?" I asked him, Woman Celebratingusing a word quite big for even a bright 3-year-old. 
      "New life!" he corrected me, with a big grin. "We learned about new life."
     New life is one way to simplify to children what Easter is about. I suppose to Erik -- and many children his age -- new life represented flowers in bloom, baby bunnies, chicks hatching from eggs and the new life that Spring brings. But I thought about how new life so accurately represents what Jesus came to bring us, the reason He had to die on the cross for us, and the glory behind His resurrection from the grave. 
    Although Erik is 21 now and knows clearly that new life means dying to self and living for Christ, which he does radically, I've been thinking a lot about "new life" lately:
  •  New life that I need breathed into my soul at times when I get complacent.
  •  New life when I begin to feel defeated and forget that I now live victoriously in Christ.
  •  New life when it comes to temptation to go back and live the old one.
  •  New life that is filled with blessings and opportunities because I know Him.
  •  New life that is mine simply because He lives.                                                      

    Jesus said, in Matthew 16:25: "If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life" (New Living Translation). In John 10:10, He said "I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest" (CEV).   

      As you celebrate Easter this Sunday, may your heart be encouraged and your spirit strengthened knowing that -- because Christ has risen from the grave -- you, too, have a new life...a resurrected life...that is forgiven and made perfect in His sight and can go forth and conquer in His name!
     I once heard Pastor and Bible Teacher Dr. John MacArthur say: "On the cross, God treated Jesus as if He lived our life, so He can treat us as if we lived His."
    Think about that. And rejoice in this new life that is yours -- this new life that is His -- because of what He has done to set you free!
    
 For more on the life He came to give us, see my book When God Pursues a Woman's Heart.  
 
Are You a Woman on the Edge? 
 
Many things can make us feel like we're "on the edge." A financial crisis, a stressful schedule, a troubled marriage, a child in rebellion, or a body clock ticking. What is it that makes you feel you just might lose it at times?
 
I'm in the process of writing my newest book Women on The Edge  and I'm looking for real-life examples of women who feel desperate now and then, and what leads them to that place.   If you would like to share your story, or just some examples of what sets you on the edge, I'd love to hear from you. You can remain anonymous or choose to go by a different name if you'd like. I just want to represent you  (and what you deal with) as I put this book together to encourage women who, at times, feel desperate.
 
If you think you might want to share with me some examples from your own life, please respond to this email with "book survey" in the subject line. I'll then send you a survey to look over and email back to me if you'd like to respond. Or,  just shoot me an email at Cindi@StrengthfortheSoul.com. If I end up using your examples or story, I'll send you a complimentary copy of the book when it is released next July.
 
Serving You in Hopes of Ministering to Your Heart,
Cindi   
                   
Where's Cindi Speaking Next?
 
May 1-3: "The Role of a Lifetime" Women's Retreat, Cedar Lake Ministries, Cedar Lake, IN  
May 9: "Discoveirng Your Dream" Ladies' Luncheon,  First Baptist Church, Camarillo, CA
May 15-17: "Any Road at Any Cost" California Southern Baptist Ministers' Wives Retreat, Jenness Park, CA  
 
For more information on any of these events, email Cindi at Cindi@StrengthForTheSoul.com.
 
To book Cindi for your event, (or to hear a sample of her speaking) click on speaking presentations at  www.StrengthForTheSoul.com