At this time last year, I knew that my one word for 2018 would be a phrase prompted by this wonderful painting by Linda Klippenstein: Walking Strong in the Spirit. Walking Strong in the Spirit has been a great focal point for me in the past year: as I've continued to write and celebrated the … Continue reading The Top 10 of 2018 from April Yamasaki
If anyone suffered as much as Job, it was Job's wife. Together the two had lost all of their livestock and most of their servants. Together they mourned the deaths of their sons and daughters, who had perished in a hurricane. But finally, even their togetherness in suffering was taken away from them. Job's affliction … Continue reading Anger, Anguish, and Holding on to God
The unnamed woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 appears to be the woman who has it all and who does it all. She has a supportive husband and grateful children. She is a capable household manager and a commercially successful buyer and seller of goods and property. She is generous, optimistic, wise, kind-hearted, and God-fearing. Her many … Continue reading The Proverbs 31 Woman Revisited
As I look back on 2016, I'm so grateful for all of you readers--thank you for liking, sharing, commenting, emailing, following incognito, faithfully reading every article, or just dipping in here and there--THANK YOU! It's always a guessing game to know what articles will most resonate with readers, but hindsight is 20/20, and according to … Continue reading The Best of 2016 From April Yamasaki
To celebrate Jesus' coming, Mary did not light Advent candles or put up a Christmas tree. Not that there's anything wrong with these things. At church, we're counting the four weeks before Christmas by lighting a candle on the Advent wreath each Sunday. We already have a brightly lit Christmas tree at the front of … Continue reading How to Celebrate Advent like Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Everyone loves a story! What's more, everyone has a story, and for people of faith, everyone has a faith story. That's the background for my next writing project--and yes, I know Christ is For Us hasn't even been released yet, so I might have waited before starting something new. But when MennoMedia asked me to write Sharing … Continue reading Sharing Faith Stories (an Upside Down Living Bible Study)
"You're the first woman to preach in this church," said the lead pastor who had invited me to speak. "But I'm not going to say anything about that when I introduce you. It's part of our theology that women and men are gifted for ministry, so we're just going to go ahead and do it. … Continue reading Preach It, Sister!
How does God make a miracle? In the beginning, God spoke and created the miracle of life. In the gospels, Jesus spoke and healed the sick. In Acts,the Spirit of God descended in a mighty wind and spoke through the disciples in many different languages. In these and other instances, God performed a miracle with … Continue reading How God Makes a Miracle
April Yamasaki 