Debbie W. Wilson

Refreshing Faith

3 Tools to Help People Know Christ this Christmas

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Christ…sent me “to spread the Good News. I didn’t use intellectual arguments. That would have made the cross of Christ lose its meaning” (1 Cor. 1:17 GW).

Many of us will connect with friends and family during this Christmas season. Have you wondered how you might discuss the “reason for the season” with those who may not know Jesus?

My son and I recently joined my sister and brother-in-law and their ministry team on university campuses. We asked students if they would take a short survey with us. Many shared their thoughts with us. Afterwards, one man told me he wanted to continue our discussion. (For your convenience, links to the tools we used are included in this post.)

Use Open-ended Questions

God has placed eternity into the human heart. We want to know why we are here and if our lives matter. Yet problems, pleasures, and the pursuit of the urgent distract us from the inner longing to know God. The Great Exchange uses a survey to tap into that natural curiosity.Continue Reading

How a White Christmas Showed Me God’s Love

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With Christmas less than a week away, I was remembering one of my favorite Christmases.

The first Christmas I spent away from my family was also my first Christmas of walking with the Lord. I was living in Needham, Massachusetts. Having grown up in the deep south, my assignment to Boston out of college couldn’t have been more exotic if it’d been Mars.

I had arrived in early October. The beauty of the colored leaves intoxicated me. I loved the quaint town with its mixture of Victorian houses and small clapboard homes. The locals’ accents fascinated me. One student, named Barbara O’Conner, introduced herself as “Barba-er O’Conna.”

The ministry team I joined was made up of seven young single men and women. We quickly became fast friends.

I’d planned to return home for Christmas. But our national director had other plans. He asked everyone to remain at his or her assignment to prepare for the conference that would begin the day after Christmas.

The Lord had prepared my heart for this change in plans. I was actually excited to experience a New England Christmas. Since Boston winters were much colder than Savannah winters, I wanted the perks of a New England Christmas. I asked the Lord for a white Christmas.Continue Reading

What Frodo Teaches Us about Forgiveness

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The Holiday season often brings unexpected pain. We’re left out of gatherings we used to be a part of, or we have to join ones that include people who’ve wronged us. If this season has stirred some hurtful emotions, I hope this post I’m bringing back will help.

By: Jose Maria Miñarro Vivancos

Some people have no conscience. The woman who stole your husband parades around the family reunion showing off your grandchild! The man who stabbed you in the back preaches unity and love to your team. They wronged you. Now they pour acid in your wound and dare you to flinch.

How do we handle such injuries? Some biblical wisdom and J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings have helped me.Continue Reading

Help for the Stuck this Christmas

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I’m delighted to introduce to you my awesome AWSA sister Pat Layton and her new book A Woman’s Quest to an Unstuck Christmas. Here’s Pat…

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28 (NIV)

Picture this, you are propped up on a narrow bed with pillows lifting your head and your feet snuggled firmly under your great-grandmother’s heavy, crocheted blanket. Spicy hot tea steams from a thin china cup beside you and visions of sugarplums dance in your head as you are drawing the words “my wedding day” in swirly letters across the top of a crispy page of parchment.

This is really happening. You have seen the ketubah (the marriage contract) signed by the required 2 witnesses. Continue Reading

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