Something More Powerful
When France’s ministry of health realized that 17.8 percent of French women smoked while pregnant, they came up with a plan. For a trial period of thirty-six months, seventeen French hospitals paid women up to 300 euros to stop smoking during their pregnancies. Of the 612 participants, 22.5 percent of the women gave up their cigarettes.
an unwed mother
Imagine this scene. Joseph leading a donkey-drawn carriage towards Bethlehem. Inside that carriage sits his pregnant wife, Mary. She was found to be pregnant before they had consummated their marriage! This would be the scandal of the town. Imagine the gossip and stares. Surely she was a promiscuous woman. And both of them are guilty of premarital sex!
silencing the barren womb
Dear Sheridan,
hope deferred
As any couple trying to have a child knows, every 28 days you’re looking for signs of success. For many couples, this expectation is met with disappointment for a few months until conception occurs. But for others, this monthly cycle of raised and dashed hopes can last for years. Proverbs 13:12 describes such an experience well: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”
you choose Q: did Mary give birth to other children after Jesus?
Q: In the Scripture versions I read, Mary had several children with Joseph AFTER the virgin birth of Jesus. A friend believes Mary was a virgin throughout her live and had but one child—Jesus. Moreover, the term "brother or sister" was often used when referring to relatives, such as cousin, nephew, etc. Can you enlighten me regarding this issue? —Edward
A: The…
mother robin
Thousands of Indonesian women refer to Robin Lim as “Mother Robin” because she helped them through pregnancy and childbirth. Without her care and access to the clinics she established, the women wouldn’t have been able to afford the care they needed. Lim says, “Every baby’s first breath on Earth could be one of peace and love. Every mother should be healthy and strong. Every birth could be safe and loving. But our world isn’t there yet.”
rescued
One of the young women in my Bible study group shared with me that an acquaintance of hers had just found out she was pregnant from a one night stand. The pregnant woman had scheduled an appointment for an imminent abortion. I had no qualms about immediately shortening our bible study to spend extra time in prayer. Explaining the need…
protecting life
Russell Turnbull was riding a bus one night when a fight broke out. He tried to intervene, but in the process someone sprayed ammonia into his right eye. The powerful liquid scarred his cornea, causing him to lose sight and experience chronic pain. A doctor was able to cut away a tiny portion of Turnbull’s other cornea and use adult…
unplanned
At 17, she was in the midst of a brief season of rebellion. One night, instead of staying at a friend’s house, as she had told her parents, she went to a party thrown by a guy in his twenties. Although drinking and drug use took place, she abstained and eventually fell asleep. Later, she awoke to find herself being…
