An almost Merry Christmas to each one of you, family & friends! With crazy snowfall records all over the country this year and crazy negative degrees I’ve been inside cozily working on something, while the girls whirl around me creating mini-tornados in every room upon arrival and exit. I want to share all about it with you in hopes that you could come along-side and help me carry this new "baby” into the world!
It is a new magazine that's going to print in January! Although there are many magazines similar to The Hephzibah our specific aim is to tell of how God works uniquely in the many lives of sinners and saints. My hope for The Hephzibah is that the many gifts and stories He’s given each of us are shared to display His glory! It came into my mind from watching the Aurora Borealis as its light danced across the sky (the most spectacular dance of nature I have ever witnessed to this day). The whole sky was full of shimmering Northern Lights, for hours! But what amazed me most was to find out what created these lights. Science isn’t really my preferred major, but when it describes to me something as cool as this I can give it a little of my attention. A dumbed down version, from my own understanding, is that when certain molecules touch the rays of light (coming directly from the sun) they can’t help but dance and reflect the brilliance of that great star. This was what awakened a spark in me that soon turned into a flame that I couldn’t contain. If the sky is alive with the glory of God then we should also be living to proclaim what God is doing in our own personal lives! In short, my hope for this magazine is that it can be the voices of the Body of Christ declaring that God is still with us (working and moving).
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24 NIV).
This morning I awoke to a little girl who had thrown up all over herself, her bed, the floor, and then had proceeded to drag that mess across the entirety of the house. Not thrilling, but even this I see as directly from the Lord, for He pulled me up from the comfort of the warm blankets, into the quiet of the sleeping house, creating a perfect work environment for me. Here I sit now just bursting with a joy that runs so deep. I've begun reading through the articles that I’ve been collecting from other believers for the last month. A month ago, I didn’t even understand what God was putting in front of me. But isn’t that exactly how He works? Revealing one step at a time? First He welcomed me into His warm embrace as I watched the show of the Northern Lights. Then amidst moving houses, He revealed a beautiful name, with an even more beautiful meaning (Hephzibah - His Delight Is In Her) from Isaiah 62:4. A name for what? I still wasn’t sure! Yet, even then there was an excitement and a clarity amidst the puzzlement (that I just knew could only have come from Him).Then, He awoke me one morning and directed me as I invited others into a project that I didn’t even have a clear direction for. Step-by-step, He has revealed His plan for The Hephzibah in all of this. And still, as Braden and I stumble through what it looks like to design a magazine, we are content and at rest in the unknowns, because God is working even when we can’t see Him, even when pieces don’t make sense yet.
Seeing the pieces fall into place, seeing the sweat and tears that go into creating something like this, makes me want to welcome others to read and devour the art and hard work that so many have put into making this first Issue possible! The Lord is at work in this world, and if we are still we can hear His voice speaking!
We will be releasing our first Issue of The Hephzibah in January! But please dear friends don’t wait to order. Get a subscription now! We are offering a quarterly digital version for $3.99 (so for clarity, our second Issue will be coming in April, and so on…) Or there is the option which I like the most, a quarterly print version for $14.99, so that it can sit on your coffee table and be perused at your leisure. This first Issue is jam packed with around 20 different contributors, so it is going to be filled with much substance for the whole family, and it will take a while to digest! There are also annual packages if you would like to subscribe for the entire year in one go at a significant discount! Find out more and subscribe - HERE.
Thank you all for the many different ways of support that you have sent to us amidst the beginnings of this project! I’ve even felt prayer lifting us up as we move forward confidently in this. If you want to hear some of the other amazing stories of how God has specifically moved and worked so far, I always would love to share more with you! Give me a call and I’ll tell you about how good our God is!
With lots of love,
Sarah
PS. Please share this with others! From my inside view, the stories & art in this first Issue are a spectacular display of the light we have in Jesus and need to be shared with the world!
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