Meet Wendy - Featured Member

Y'all are such a joy to me. Every week when I put up these Featured Member's spot I am so thankful to meet such sweet new ladies. Isn't is precious to be Sister's in Christ and to know that we belong to the family of families?

This week we introduce Wendy from Faith's Firm Foundation. Make sure to visit her blog after you read all about her!

Faith’s Firm Foundation

Hi! Thank you so much for the honor of being featured on Faithful Bloggers this week.  I guess I’ll start out by telling you a little about myself. My name is Wendy. I’m a Homeschooling mom, wife to Jerry, mother of Dane, 23, and Kelsey, 20. We’ve homeschooled from “the beginning of time.”  I’m a newbie to blogging—only since March of 2009.  I love the opportunities it’s given me and the people I’ve met!  I’m so grateful for people like Kelly and Courtney at Faithful Bloggers and I share their vision to commit your blog to the Lord and use it for His glory and purposes.  I ask God every day to lead me as I write and to lead more and more people to Faith’s Firm Foundation, as He has been doing.

I grew up in a religious, but not Christian, home.  I professed belief in Christ, while still trying to be in the driver’s seat, until I “crashed” my life, so to speak. I asked Jesus Christ to come in and take control of my life and surrendered everything to Him at the age of 19. He has been my Savior and Lord, in the driver’s seat, these past 34 years. He has shown Himself faithful in my life as my Comforter and Guide, through His Spirit and the Word, as I’ve experienced the deaths of loved ones, a miscarriage and cancer.

Titus 2:3-5 is the goal of my blog: to be a “teacher of good things,” “to teach the young women to be sober” (sober = to have a sound mind, be disciplined and correct), “to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet” (discreet = safe/sound in mind, moderate as to opinion or passion/self-controlled), “chaste” (chaste = freedom from defilements or impurities), “keepers at home” (keepers at home = one who looks after domestic affairs with prudence and care), “good, obedient to their own husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed.”  I do this through writing on themes like showing Hospitality, Homeschooling and organization tips, and my own experiences, but also by connecting my readers with Godly people and great books through interviews, reviews and an aStore.

I am so blessed to be a stay-at-home mom--I love it—and want to help women by coming alongside as a friend and mentor, because God has blessed me so much through other women in my life. I love people and meeting new friends from all over the world which is one of the many blessings I’ve experienced through blogging. It is such a pleasure and honor to be featured today. Thank you so much!

Meet Loren - Featured Member

This week we have the privilege of meeting Loren from The Magoos News!  Make sure to take the time to stop by her blog and leave her some comment love.

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1.Tell us a little bit about you and your family.

I am a SAHM and a Noni (grandma) I have been married to my husband for 19 years and we have 3 beautiful children, the oldest being from his first marriage ~ but mine none the less :)  My husband is an Executive for the Nations 2nd largest Appliance Parts Distributor. He spoils me rotten, makes me laugh pretty much every day and doesn't mind when I blog about his silliness! But honestly, God truly made him JUST for ME!  Our oldest daughter is married to Casey and they blessed us with our first grandchild last December.  Our middle daughter is a junior in highschool and is an athletic trainer and an aspiring photographer and witty like her Father. Our youngest is 12 going on 80. Just kidding but seriously, he is a young man with an old soul. He loves life! He is entreprenuer ~ He has started his own company making dog treats and also takes cooking classes at a local Gourmet cooking school. Up until last May I was a Hair Stylist. After much prayer  we felt the Lord was leading me to step out from doing hair. I fought HIM tooth and nail but now I see and I praise HIM that I am able to be at home fulltime!

2. Would you share a little of your testimony with us?

I have to say that I didn't know the Lord until I was married and we had our daughter. When she was born I knew I wanted to raise my children knowing the Lord and living for HIM.  I went to church with a friend one Sunday and the next week I asked my husband to go with me and we have grown in our walk and deeper in love with the Lord ever since!  I am a Faith girl! I learned early on in my walk that I have a strong Faith ~ like mustard seed and mountain moving Faith ~ I know it is a gift from the Lord. Personally, I think a testimony is a continual thing :) I am a firm believer that God is never done growing, healing, and changing us from glory to glory.

3. Why did you start blogging?

Ha! Well, I started because a friend of mine (Nicole) had a blog and she shared her love of blogging with me so I thought "hmmm, I want to learn how to do that!" I thought it would be a great way to share our lives with my family but again the Lord had other plans. HE has shown me clearly the scripture... "In his heart a man plans his course but the Lord determines his steps" (Prov 16:9) I walked into blogging to share pictures and events of our kids with our family on a daily basis, but the Lord directed me to so many who have given me and my family an unbelievable amount of support, love, friendships and prayers ~ OH MY! Bloggers are prayer warriors in the most amazing form! I have grown in HIM and seen HIM move through various posts that I read and/or participate in.

4. How long have you been blogging?

My first blog post was January 15, 2009 so a little more than 10 months!

5. What are your favorite things to blog about? Why?

I love to blog about my family and the funny things that they do! This week was a perfect example of that with my husband cleaning out the coat closet and my son having different dress up days at school. They know now that if I take a picture it could very well be on my blog!

I am grateful to participate in three meme's. Thankful Thursdays(host varies month to month), Friday Funnies (by Kim,last weeks featured member) and Spiritual Sundays (by Charlotte and Ginger). These are all hosted by such precious women and I love watching them grow each and every week.

I blog about my Dad. He was diagnosed with lung cancer this past May. I have seen the move of God in His people like you can't believe. Prayers buttons, Prayer blogs for him and even more than that they have sent him cards filled with love, prayers and encouragement that have touched him and my stepmom beyond what words could ever say. I know it would have been so hard to make it through this without the Lord allowing me this blog and these amazing prayer-filled friends.

My Favorite subject to post on would definately be about families, specifically our personalities and most importantly, encouraging women in marriage. I seek the Holy Spirit and am led to post at times about some very deep issues ie; Spiritual Head of the Household, Infidelity etc.  but other days it is light-hearted and encouraging and hopefully fun.

I love to post my book reviews! I am an avid reader and because of blogging I have been able to review books for a couple of publishing companies! How awesome is that! When I left doing hair It broke my heart because that was my ministry but in blogging the opportunities to minister come in so many different ways!

Meet Kim - Featured Member

I have been thoroughly enjoying meeting you ladies through Featured Members Friday.  What a blessing to experience the many different, yet wonderful, personalities.  This week we are happy to introduce you to Kim from Homesteader's Heart.

************************************ 1.Tell us a little bit about you and your family. I have a wonderful husband to whom I've been married to for 13 glorious years and 3 great kids, 1 girl and 2 boys. We live on a barrier island on the east coast of Florida. I am a SAHM and homeschool our children. God has been very good at providing for our family so I am able to do that. My husband is an electrician and all around hunky handy man. I so love being married to some one who can take my ideas and build them for me! LOL. My children are a joy and keep me laughing and praying all at the same time!

2. Would you share a little of your testimony with us?

I asked Jesus into my heart at age 7. I started to do my own thing at the age of 16 and thought I knew what was best for my life. I look back now and realize how incredibly selfish I was and how many wrong decisions I made because of it. When I met my husband we both knew that we couldn't do life or marriage without the Lord as our head so we both rededicated our lives back to Him and have been going strong ever since. I love Him with all of my heart and realize my need for Him on a daily basis. He has been so good to me and I am yet so undeserving.

3. Why did you start blogging?

This may sound crazy but I had never heard of a blog until I watched this movie where they mentioned a blog and being a blogger. It was like a foreign language to me, so I decided to see what it was all about and I haven't looked back since. I'm hooked and the blog world is stuck with me!

4. How long have you been blogging?

I've been blogging for a total of 2 1/2 years now. Wow, where does the time go? Just don't go back in my archives because I'm sure I've repeated myself on many points by now! LOL

5. What are your favorite things to blog about? Why?

I love to make people laugh and my life seems to offer up the perfect opportunities, and then I just share them on my blog. People seem to really like laughing "with" me. If you look at my left sidebar you'll see that I like to post about a lot of things. It really does change on a day to day basis. I kind of take it as it comes and then just go with it. So far it doesn't seem to drive people to crazy! Or maybe they like crazy! Either way I blog what I like and like what I blog! LOL. I do host a Friday Funnies each week. It's your opportunity to link up YOUR funny and share it with everyone. We have a really good time with that and everyone gets a good laugh to end the week on. And that's about it I guess. It's hard to talk about yourself without sounding prideful, so I hope it was boring enough to be humble but exciting enough to keep you interested! LOL Oy! Yup! This is pretty much what my blog is all about!

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Please make sure to visit Kim and give her some comment love over at Homesteader's Heart.  Also head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom for more Say it Forward links!

Meet Karin

We hope you enjoyed last week's "get to know you" with Debbie.  This week we are featuring Karin from Flickers of a Faithful Firefly.  You already know a little bit about Karin from her guest post a couple of weeks ago entitled Think Before We Tweet.

Tell us a little bit about you and your family. My husband and I live on twenty acres of beautiful land in rural Manitoba with our dog Faith and various barn cats.

Would you share a little of your testimony with us?

One evening as I sat at the computer, in my Chicago suburban home, an internet message came through from a stranger, not unlike most I'd regularly receive, asking for basic info, simple questions.  I stopped what I was doing, and asked a few basic questions of my own. The info he provided included the fact that he was in a very committed marriage, satisfied with his life, and a Christian. We began chatting online. He warned me that somewhere along the way he'd try to save my soul. I took it as a joke, and a challenge.

I had lived 43 years, with no sense of a higher power in my life, no belief, living one day at a time, for that day only.   After this internet contact I found I was stuck in the middle, I couldn't believe and I couldn't return to my life of non-belief. I spent sleepless nights, trembling beneath blankets, asking God for comfort, and for signs. I couldn't hear Him telling me that faith means believing in what you cannot see and cannot prove. I wanted to say the prayers asking Jesus to be my savior; in fact, I did recite the words, but wasn't sure if I could feel them. I didn't want to be a hypocrite, wanted to be sure. It was faith I lacked, and didn't hear Him telling me "just ask and I will teach you all you need to know. Hear me, believe me, accept me, and you'll receive all the help you need."

I thought I needed to be perfect before I came to God. But then I took that giant leap of faith that God had been requesting all along.  On a long car ride home from work one evening, I spoke aloud to Him, confessing that I could never be good enough on my own, I knew that I needed Him to shape me, to set me on the right road. I thanked Jesus for all his sacrifice on my behalf, and asked Him to be my Savior. I continued talking out loud, not so He could hear my words, but so that I could better hear them. And I knew He was there in my car with me, knew then that He had always been there with me, waiting with astounding patience for me to merely come to Him and ask.

When I opened the door to Jesus, His light flooded me, pushing into even the emptiest corners.  And the heart that I didn’t know was there has been swelling, expanding, and growing larger with each day.

The following spring, through divine design I met a man of His choosing and followed His leading to Manitoba, Canada.   When we married we knew that God must always be the center of our relationship and our lives.  Without really knowing much about this country, God has truly placed it upon my heart, giving me an unexplained passion to see Canada arise to fulfill her destiny as a healer to other nations.  Each time I question how I ended up here, I am uplifted and restored by His Word in Esther 4:14: “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this”

My hunger for God and desire to be molded by Him and not this world has continued to grow ever stronger.  My desire is to be totally surrendered and radically obedient to His calling.

Why did you start blogging?

I began my blog when we returned from a short term mission trip as part of a global build team for Watoto Childcare Ministries in Uganda.  I had experienced so much I was bursting to share.

How long have you been blogging?

I began my current blog in January 2008.  Prior to that I had maintained various other websites but not with the same regularity. What are your favorite things to blog about? Why?

I enjoy blogging about the ways I see God at work, in the lives of those around me, in nature, in my marriage and in my own heart. I always pray that my words encourage and spur on others to listen to the voice of God.

Please visit Karin at Flickers of a Faithful Firefly.  For more Say it Forward stories, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Debbie from Heart Choices

Our very first Featured Member here at Faithful Bloggers is Debbie from Heart Choices. Debbie is our top commentor and we are so blessed by the comments she leaves.  Please read on to learn more about Debbie:

Tell us a little bit about you and your family.

Hi, I’m Debbie Petras.  I live in Phoenix, Arizona and have been married for almost 25 years to my husband Greg.  I was born and raised on Long Island, New York.

I was a very sickly and sedentary child because I was born with a congenital heart defect before open heart surgery was very advanced.  I know I’m showing my age but that’s OK.  Eventually, the surgery was performed when I was seven years old and I’ve been healthy ever since.

I became a nurse and worked for 25 years as a cardiovascular nurse specialist in a variety of healthcare positions including Intensive Care, Cardiac Rehab and cardiology practices.  I left nursing and have been working with my husband for the past few years in technology startups.

I was unable to have children but enjoy spoiling my nieces and nephews.  Greg and I dealt with many years of infertility issues.  For 8 years, I served as a children’s leader in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) teaching little 3-5 year olds.  I believe this was a gift from God who never forgot my desire for children.

Would you share a little of your testimony with us?

I prayed to receive Jesus when I was seven years old.  The pastor’s wife took me for a ride prior to my open heart surgery to make sure I knew where I’d go if I died.  I understood and desired that relationship.  However, I had some wild years when I wasn’t living for the Lord.  About 16 years ago, I returned to church after attending my grandmother’s funeral.  She was a very godly woman and I just felt the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart.  Since that time, I’ve grown in my faith and I love the Lord more than ever.  I guess the difference now is that He is Lord of my life and not just my Savior.  I want to allow Him to work in and through me to reach others.

Why did you start blogging?

I began my blog Heart Choices in March of 2007 but only published 10 posts that entire year.  The reason I started blogging was to learn more about the internet and social networks because of the work I was doing with my husband.  It really wasn’t until the latter part of 2008 that I began to post on a regular basis.  At first, I thought I would write about heart health related issues because of my nursing background.  But I soon realized that physical health was only a portion of heart health.  And that’s where my faith came into the picture.

The focus of Heart Choices became …your day to day choices determine what your tomorrows will become.  These choices impact your body, soul (mind, will and emotions) and your spirit.  I can’t help but share my faith but I also welcome ALL people to Heart Choices.  I don’t mind discussions and different opinions but I always request that they be respectful.

How long have you been blogging?

I guess I already answered that one.  It took quite a while before anyone commented on Heart Choices and I was so excited when people began to follow.  But I always try to remember that it doesn’t matter so much about the numbers.  If there’s only one person who needs to hear my message, that’s OK.

What are your favorite things to blog about?  Why?

• • Faith – most important in my life
  • Health and fitness – establishing a healthy lifestyle is so important so we can be about the work we’ve each been called to do
  • Thankful Thursday – I love having one day a week to focus on all I’m grateful for
  • Family – I’ve found several new relatives through my blog
  • Friendship – I love meeting new blogging friends all over the world
  • Lifelong learning – I love to continue learning and reading no matter how old I am.  I enjoy participating in memes and writing on weekly quotes for In Other Words Tuesdays.

Come back next week to learn more about another Faithful Bloggers member.  Also, visit Say it Forward over at Five Minutes for Mom.