Monthly Archives: January 2021

157 Organizations Honored as “2020’s Certified Best Christian Workplaces”

Ministries, churches, and companies create healthy workplace cultures during prolonged COVID threat.

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – MERCER ISLAND, WA – Today, the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI) honored 157 faith-based organizations as Certified Best Christian Workplaces for 2020.

Says BCWI CEO and Co-founder Al Lopus, “Today, we honor extraordinary organizations whose leaders took a wise, courageous, and necessary step. Faced with the simultaneous challenges of managing remote workplaces, shrinking budgets and a cruel, unforgiving pandemic, they made it a priority to stop, survey, and listen to the needs, concerns, and insightful suggestions of their employees. By acting on a wellspring of honest, anonymous feedback, these organizations have discovered how to grow a healthy workplace culture of deepening trust, clear communication and cherished unity, resulting in greater organizational impact.”

Each of the newly Certified organizations met the certification standard determined by exemplary ratings by their employees who completed BCWI’s groundbreaking Employee Engagement Survey from January to December 2020. Employees in all 157organizations evaluated their workplaces based on BCWI’s proprietary “FLOURISH Model”: fantastic teams, life-giving work, outstanding talent, uplifting growth, rewarding compensation, inspirational leadership, sustainable strategy, and healthy communication.

As a pioneer in equipping and inspiring Christian leaders to build flourishing workplaces, BCWI’s Employee Engagement Survey has been completed by more than 300,000 employees from over 1,000 faith-based non-profits, churches and Christian-owned businesses in the U.S., Australia, Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe and Central America.

About Best Christian Workplaces Institute

BCWI is an international non-profit, research-based, organizational development and human resources consulting firm, with head offices in Mercer Island, WA. BCWI’s mission is to equip and inspire Christian leaders to build a flourishing workplace.

For more information, visit Best Christian Workplaces Institute online: www.bcwinstitute.org. Benefit from the proven, practical wisdom from top Christian leaders on the BCWI Blog and the Flourishing Culture Podcast.

The organizations honored as Certified Best Christian Workplaces from January to December 2020:

CAMPS AND CONFERENCE CENTERS
Cho-Yeh Camp and Conference Center – Livingston, TX
New Life Ranch – Colcord, OK
Summit Ministries  — Manitou Springs, CO
UCYC – Prescott, AZ

CHRISTIAN-OWNED BUSINESSES
ACR Supply Co. – Durham, NC
Aspen Group – Frankfort, IL
Brewer Direct, Inc.  — Monrovia, CA
C12 Group  – San Antonio, TX
Cline Hose & Hydraulics – Greenville, SC
Dow Smith Contracting Company, Inc.  – Smyrna, TN
ECM Development – Arlington, TX
EGW – Carrollton, TX
The FOCUS Group – St. Augustine, FL
Fort Defiance Industries – Loudon, TN
Gibson Oil & Gas Co., Inc. – Laurel Hill, NC
Grace Conservatory – Ponte Vedra, FL
LuGreg Trucking – Kingfisher, OK
The Nehemiah Company – Arlington, TX
Outreach  — Colorado Springs, CO
Premier Custom-Built Cabinetry – New Holland, PA
Premier Physical Therapy – North Charleston, SC
Remodel Health – Indianapolis, IN
SonicAire – Winston-Salem, NC
Texas Security Bank – Farmers Branch, TX
TradeMark Residential – Raleigh, NC

CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Calvary Christian Academy — Fort Lauderdale, FL
Cherry Hills Christian School – Highlands Ranch, CO
Colegio Cristiano Nicolás – Ixil, Nebaj, Guatemala
Knox Christian School – Bowmanville, ON Canada
Lincoln Christian School – Tulsa, OK
Lionheart Children’s Academy – Euless, TX
Mitchell Road Christian Academy – Greenville, SC

CHURCHES
2|42 Community Church – Brighton, MI
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Antioch Community Church – Waco, TX
Bayside – Bradenton, FL
Bethany Community Church  — Seattle, WA
Brentwood UMC – Brentwood, TN
Bridgeway Community Church – Columbia, MD
Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale   Fort Lauderdale, FL
Canyon Ridge Christian Church – Las Vegas, NV
Canyon View Vineyard Church  —  Grand Junction, CO
The Chapel – Baton Rouge, LA
Christ Community Church – Omaha, NE
Christ Fellowship Miami – Miami, FL
Christ Presbyterian Church – Edina, MN
Christ’s Church of the Valley – Peoria, AZ
Church at the Springs – Ocala, FL
Compass Christian Church – Chandler, AZ
The Crossing Church – Costa Mesa, CA
CROSSROADS – Odessa, TX
Fairhaven Church – Dayton, OH
Faith Promise Church – Knoxville, TN
Fellowship Bible Church – Little Rock, AR
First Baptist Church of Eugene – Eugene, OR
First Baptist Orlando – Orlando, FL
First Presbyterian Church – Winston-Salem, NC
Gateway – Southlake, TX
Grace Bible Church – Virginia Beach, VA
Harvest Church – Billings, MT
Irving Bible Church – Irving, TX
Kingsway Christian Church – Avon, IN
LCBC Church  — Manheim, PA
Miracle Life Family Church – Lusaka, Zambia
Mission Hills Church – Littleton, CO
NewSpring Church – Anderson, SC
Northridge Christian Church – Milledgeville, GA
The Peoples Church – Toronto, ON Canada
Seacoast Church – Mount Pleasant, SC
Southeast Christian Church – Parker, CO
Southridge Community Church  — St. Catharines, ON Canada
StoneBridge Christian Church – Omaha, NE
Summit Christian Church – Sparks, NV
Traders Point Christian Church – Indianapolis, IN
Trinity Church  — Lansing, MI
West Side Presbyterian Church – Ridgewood, NJ
WestGate Church  — San Jose, CA

HIGHER EDUCATION
Carolina College of Biblical Studies – Fayetteville, NC
Faith Builders – Guys Mills, PA
Los Angeles Pacific University – San Dimas, CA
Olivet Nazarene University – Bourbonnais, IL

MEDIA
Family Life Communications – Tucson, AZ
Hope Media Group – Humble, TX
Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram – Suwanee, GA
PositiveMedia – Mitcham, VIC Australia
Precept – Chattanooga, TN
RightNow Media  — McKinney, TX
Tyndale House Publishers – Carol Stream, IL
WGTS 91.9 – Rockville, MD

PARACHURCH AND MISSIONS
4KIDS  — Fort Lauderdale, FL
Act (Advocates for Community Transformation) – Dallas, TX
Agros International – Seattle, WA
Alpha USA – Naperville, IL
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Apartment Life – Euless, TX
The Ashland Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center – Ashland, OH
Asociacion Esperanza Internacional – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Avant Ministries USA & Canada– Kansas City, MO & Winnipeg, MB
BMA America  — Conway, AR
Bethesda – Colorado Springs, CO
Bible League Canada – Grimsby, ON Canada
Bible League International  — Chicago, IL
CARE for AIDS – Atlanta, GA
Care Net  — Lansdowne, VA
Catholic Christian Outreach – Ottawa, ON Canada
CDF Capital – Irvine, CA
Charlotte Rescue Mission – Charlotte, NC
Christian Children’s Home of Ohio  – Wooster, OH
Christian Family Care – Phoenix, AZ
Circle of Care – Oklahoma City, OK
Compass – Kearney, NE
Cookson Hills – Kansas, OK
East-West Ministries International – Plano, TX
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Everett Gospel Mission – Everett, WA
FaithBridge Foster Care – Alpharetta, GA
Focus on the Family Canada  — Langley, BC Canada
The Gideons International – Nashville, TN
The Global Orphan Project – Kansas City, MO
HOPE International – Lancaster, PA
Joni and Friends – Agoura Hills, CA
Lexington Rescue Mission – Lexington, KY
Life Network – Colorado Springs, CO
Lifeshape – Atlanta, GA
Light of Life Ministries – Pittsburgh, PA
MAP International – Brunswick, GA
The Mentoring Alliance – Tyler, TX
Miracle Hill Ministries – Greenville, SC
MOPS International – Denver, CO
Mission Training International – Palmer Lake, CO
The Mustard Seed – Calgary, AB Canada
Nashville Rescue Mission – Nashville, TN
The Navigators – Colorado Springs, CO
Operation Mobilization USA – Tyrone, GA
Outreach – Indianapolis, IN
Plant With Purpose – San Diego, CA
Reasons to Believe – Covina, CA
Samaritan Ministries International – Peoria, IL
Scripture Union Scotland – Glasgow, Scotland
Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission – Seattle, WA
Student Mobilization – Conway, AR
Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission – Philadelphia, PA
TMS Global – Norcross, GA
Union Rescue Mission – Wichita, KS
Upward Sports  – Spartanburg, SC
West Ohio Conference UMC – Worthington, OH
WinShape Foundation, Inc. – Mt. Berry, GA
Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. – Schroon Lake, NY
World Gospel Mission – Marion, IN
Wycliffe Canada – Calgary, AB Canada

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
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Classical Conversations – Southern Pines, NC
The Parable Group – San Luis Obispo, CA
TotalCare – Fort Worth, TX
Vala Secure – Plano, TX

CONTACT:
Kathy Lopus
klopus@bcwinstitute.org
206-230-8111

On Sexual Immorality, Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus!

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – The world has lost its mind on the issue of human sexuality. Easily half the visible Church has gone apostate over the matter. People no longer have an anchor and no longer know what to believe and why.

In the face of the wholesale sanctioning of gross sexual immorality in our culture, Mastering Life Ministries has issued a statement on the biblical model for human sexual expression – behavior that pleases God rather than brings judgment – and is inviting everyone to read and sign the statement.

Take your stand with Christian leaders & laypersons from around the world and add your name to this document. It is a summary of biblical teaching on human sexuality, composed by Dr. David Kyle Foster (M-Div-Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; D-Min-Trinity School for Ministry).

Read and download a pdf of the document at the link below. If it represents your personal beliefs and/or those of your church, ministry or organization, add your name to hundreds of others at …….

https://www.masteringlife.org/resources/morality-statement

We are hoping for tens of thousands of Christian leaders, laypeople, and media outlets to get on board. It is a vital witness to God’s truth for those who are unschooled or confused by what the world and the apostate church have been teaching.

Let’s speak out! As the prophets of old learned, whether the world follows God’s design or not, a witness must be borne to satisfy all righteousness.

The declaration reads as follows…….

Religious Declaration on Human Sexual Morality

Human sexual (genital) behavior is intended by God to be expressed solely within the confines of heterosexual, monogamous marriage. Since God is love, sexual activity can only be considered a true act of love when carried out within these parameters, clearly established by God in His Holy Word (the Bible).

Sexual intercourse is to be the same giving act that it represents – which is Jesus Christ’s union with His Bride, the Church. It is two becoming one flesh – physically, spiritually and emotionally – the ultimate end of the separating of Eve from Adam’s side.

It is a procreative and pleasure-giving act that may bear the fruit of children. It is a cause for the continuation of the human race and a bonding agent for the love shared between husband and wife. When done out of love by two spiritually healthy human beings, it will enhance the well- being and solidify the growing oneness of man and wife.

God purposed in creation that human sexual interaction be a reflection of that ultimate marriage to which He has called us – that between God and man / between Christ and the Church.

Just as God remains faithful, undivided and undeflected from His commitment to man, so this central act in marriage must remain equally faithful, undivided and undeflected – exemplifying the love, the trust and the commitment of a spouse to his/her marital partner.

Fidelity to God’s blueprint for human sexual behavior is integral to healthy human spirituality.

The proscriptions on human sexual behavior established by God in His Holy Word (the Bible) are positive and life-giving. They are designed to bring both maximum glory to God and to be protective measures for those who might otherwise try to find life and fulfillment in alternative sexual behavior, which can only bring death and destruction. As such, they are an expression of God’s perfect love and desire to protect those He has created.

Any deflection from these intended purposes of the Creator God is rebellion against the wisdom and goodness of God and sets one at enmity with Him until that person has repented of their actions and come into agreement once again with God’s design. The idea that man has the right to chose his own methods of sexual expression flies in the face of everything taught in sacred Scripture.

For those who find themselves caught in an aberrant sexual lifestyle, God offers the atoning death of His Son, Jesus Christ, which brings forgiveness, cleansing, healing and transforming power. Jesus did not come to condemn mankind, but to save any and all who would come to Him for cleansing.

We are Speaking Out

  • We are speaking out against the attempts by those in secular and religious communities who seek to overturn and redefine the clear teachings of the Bible, to make it appear as though sexual behavior outside of the bounds described above is somehow normal and blessed by God. There has been a clear and unbroken Judeo-Christian, scriptural witness on these matters for over thirty-five hundred years.
  • We are speaking out against the impression being given by a minority of religious and media figures that their version of sexual morality is consistent with the biblical witness and/or accepted by the Church.
  • We are speaking out against the unchecked confusion and division sown in the Church by such apostles of immorality.
  • We are speaking out against the death and destruction that such teachings have brought to our culture and the confusion that it has sown in our children.
  • We are speaking out against any sex education program that would teach such ideas to our young people.
  • We are speaking out against the impression given by some that those who support biblical definitions of morality hate those who refuse to accept or live by them.

We Stand in Opposition

  • We oppose any and all efforts to normalize or sanctify homosexual behavior, to advocate or bless homosexual marriages or to ordain those who engage in homosexual behavior.
  • We oppose any attempt to stigmatize or reject persons who are turning to Christ for forgiveness, healing and transformation who have been struggling with their sexual orientation.
  • We oppose any suggestion that they are lesser or more sinful human beings than anyone else. They are welcome in the Church.
  • We oppose any and all attempts to normalize or sanctify heterosexual immorality, including the use of pornography or prostitutes, adulterous or other non-marital sexual relationships or any other behavior outside of healthy, heterosexual, marital monogamy.
  • We oppose the taking of a human life in its mother’s womb or any other form of abortion.

We Call Out

  • We call for people to return to the God of the Bible, through His Son Jesus Christ.
  • We call for people to return to God’s design for human behavior (sexual and otherwise) as found in the Holy Bible.
  • We call for people to seek and receive from God Almighty the forgiveness, the cleansing, the deliverance and the healing that they need as a result of their unnatural sexual behavior.
  • We call for people to seek and receive from God the desire and the power to walk in His ways.
  • We call for those in government to honor the institution of marriage as it has been held for thousands of years by keeping it restricted to heterosexual, monogamous unions.
  • We call for government to resist the legitimization of alternative sexual lifestyles in creating civil unions for couples who do not qualify for marriage.
  • We call for our educational system to remove sex education materials that promote promiscuity, homosexual behavior or any other sexual behavior outside of traditional marriage.
  • We call for the producers and distributors of every form of media communication to resist the temptation to fatten their coffers by continuing to spread the toxic message of sexual immorality.
  • We call for religious leaders to stand firm against the tide of moral relativism and to remain faithful to God’s Holy Word.
  • We call for religious leaders to refuse to ordain those who engage in homosexual or non-marital heterosexual activity.
  • We call for those leaders and laity in the Church who have not yet done so, to extend the same hand of love and grace to the repentant sinner that Christ has extended, and to repent from any condescending or hateful attitudes that they have held toward those who struggle with unholy sexual temptations.
  • We call for religious leaders to refuse to bless what God calls sin, including homosexual unions, but to instead invite those who struggle with unholy sexual desire to the same fount of forgiveness and healing as everyone else – even Jesus Christ, the Lord.

To endorse this statement, go to:

https://www.masteringlife.org/resources/morality-statement

This statement may be copied or reproduced in its entirety for news stories, bulletins, newsletters, flyers, etc., or copied and distributed at public or private meetings for the purpose of obtaining supporting signatures, without our further permission. Please credit Mastering Life Ministries of Nashville, TN as the source and our web site as a contact point (https://www.MasteringLife.org <https://www.masteringlife.org/> ).

*     *     *     *     *

For thirty-three years, Mastering Life Ministries has borne witness to God’s design for sexuality through television, film, radio, podcasts, conferences and countless other venues. It’s founder, Dr. David Kyle Foster, is the author of

The Sexual Healing Reference Edition, Transformed Into His Image and Love Hunger.

New Book Looks at How Modern Science Can Help Our Understanding of the Book of Genesis

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – According to Christian scientist Neville Piper, the findings of modern science appear to contradict some of the stories found in Genesis, so much so that even some Christian leaders question whether Genesis should still be regarded as part of God’s revelation of himself and his plan for humankind. He discusses this in his highly anticipated new book, Science and Genesis.

Who better to discuss science and genesis than an experienced scientist himself. With Masters degrees in Science and Business Administration, Neville worked at the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (now called the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) and in industry, publishing ten papers in Chemistry.

However, let’s wind the clock back a long way. For ten year-old Neville, his future career was settled on the day his school teacher explained to the class that water was made when two atoms of hydrogen combined with an atom of oxygen. This was the most interesting thing that he had learned in six years of schooling and he decided at that moment that he was going to become a scientist.

He never deviated from that intention so that, early in his final year of high school, his future was all set – he would go to university to study science as a first step towards winning the Nobel Prize for Chemistry and he would play rugby union for the university.

But during that same year. one of his school friends kept inviting him to “religious” meetings. When he had finally run out of excuses, he agreed to attend one. That night he heard and understood the Gospel message for the first time and gladly yielded his life to Jesus Christ, the son of God. Accordingly, his life was changed irrevocably. In his own words, he stated, “Since that time I have studied the Bible alongside mankind’s growing knowledge in every branch of science in order to understand the fullness of God’s power and wisdom in his creation as well as in the revelation of himself through his Word.”

But studying the Bible alongside his science subjects made him conscious of a number of disturbing issues. “There was no doubting the reality of my continuing experience of God, but I was also being taught that the Bible was the literal Word of God revealed to humankind, written by men, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and protected from error,” he said. “I soon found myself being confronted with accepted scientific facts and theories that called into question many things written in Genesis.

“As a Christian, was I obliged to take literally all that I read in Genesis? If so, how much reliance could I place on the Bible as a whole since every apparent error in Genesis implied that any apparent errors elsewhere in the Bible could throw into doubt the truth and relevance of the whole Bible? On the other hand, if it is not to be taken literally in every respect, where do we draw the line between literalism and symbolism in understanding Genesis?”

For many years, Neville has researched these issues, including discussions with both scientists and theologians. In response to questions and concerns expressed by lay persons and students, he has now published a new book titled Science and Genesis with the byline “What science can tell us about the first book in the Bible”, published and released globally by Ark House.

While Neville acknowledges that a number of books already address some of the issues covered in his book, he believes many of these knowingly misrepresent scientific theories and discoveries in order to support the author’s conclusions. In his own book, however, the intention is to help the reader to better understand the meaning and purpose of Genesis.

In his book, he uses current scientific knowledge in fields as diverse as cosmology, biochemistry, geophysics, archaeology, palaeontology and linguistics to discriminate between mythology and the possible historicity of people and events, and also to understand what God is seeking to teach us through both historical fact and symbolism.

In the process, he has found that science is able to clarify our understanding of many stories (such as the Great Flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) and even helps us towards resolving some doctrinal issues (such as free will versus predestination).

Written for the scientific layperson, Neville provides a wealth of scientific knowledge in easy-to-understand explanations and is quick to identify areas of science where scientific research still has a long way to go.

While he has now retired from his day job as a scientist, Neville is still heavily focused on science and its relation to creation. He is now a lay preacher and Bible group leader and lives with his wife on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Science and Genesis is now available globally.

Following the Firstborn – a multi-layered panorama that leads us towards the Celestial City

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – In this most unusual of years, where we have all spent a lot more time at home and in isolation than usual, Jim Ward found that he finally had the time to stop and review his creative writing folder, which contained a number of poems that he had written over the last fifty years.

As Jim reread them together as a whole – perhaps for the very first time – it suddenly became clear that there was a definite sequence of faith challenges embedded in the verse. Thinking that his collection may be of assistance to others, especially those starting their journey of faith, or just considering what it is like to walk alongside Jesus, Jim then made the final revisions of a small ‘ten steps of faith’ anthology and has now published his first book, Following the Firstborn.

“Poetry is not read widely these days, but because it can be performed, like the Psalms, it is a wonderful medium for conveying memorable thoughts and deep emotions,” Jim said. “The connotations of well-chosen words are very powerful. As I edited the poems, I became very conscious of God’s guiding Spirit helping me to get the language working well to focus on our great need to have Jesus as our friend and find that He can release us from the anxiety of the woes of the world – even in a year of debilitating Pandemic virus.”

Getting excited at the prospect of seeing 50 years of hard work start to come to fruition, Jim had the idea of using some of his travel photographs to pick up and expand the symbolism of the poetry so that it would appeal to as wide a range of readers as possible. Following this came the thought of adding a reflection guide for both individuals and groups to use. This focuses on crucial questions and starter resources to take every reader much further in considering and preparing for the great challenge of a lifetime “pilgrim’s progress”.

“The photograph essays connected to each poem establish vibrant symbols that reinforce the powerful life challenges of the poems,” Jim continued. “Wisdom, which perhaps is only glimpsed enticingly in the poetry, is brought into satisfying focus that provokes deep personal thought and application. This is both confronting and exciting. The book pinpoints and illuminates ten key questions about our faith and life following the Firstborn – Jesus.

“The audience is not left to flounder in the wake of daunting questions, however. A detailed reflection guide underlines disparate aspects of the questions to explore further. Together with some starter “backpack resources” for this great heavenly hike, the tribulations facing every pilgrim can be prepared for and overcome.

“Another refreshing feature of this work is its lifetime panorama, derived from its contextual origins in Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. The poetry and questions build a rhythm of life towards eternity and present a big picture framework with which to put our journey into perspective. This makes good sense of our toils and troubles and builds hope and resilience.”

Jim Ward was born to missionary parents in Hong Kong in 1953 and a few weeks later, settled with them in East Malaysia, where the Sandakan death march ended just 8 years earlier, with only 6 survivors out of 1787 Australians. He told me that he has always been thankful that he was not born into that generation and has been challenged constantly not to waste his chance at life that these people never had.

On his family’s return to reside in Australia, they moved to the southern city of Melbourne, then settling in Townsville, Northern Queensland as his father became the inaugural Professor of Physics at James Cook University. Jim also ended up working in education and after a long career, he took up a deputy position at the new Thomas Hassall Anglican College in the western suburbs of Sydney, where he continues to work today.

Jim’s lifetime of work has a key mission for its readers: to tune in to the key faith navigation way points that are essential if we are going to complete our ‘mission impossible’ and experience the joy that the ‘Firstborn from the dead’ has prepared for His wonderful family.

“And so God has blessed this little book and thankfully moved the Ark House publishing company to produce it tastefully and get it printed in a convenient format,” Jim stated. “I believe that, although the concept of this book is unusual and multi-modal, that God will use it to lead others to faith in Him. Hopefully many will be encouraged on the great mission that is quite possible – that of Following the Firstborn home to an eternity of joy and secure peace, from which all evil has been banished forever.

“Much contemporary Christian literature is so issues-based that it must fixate on the treacherous track of the moment, as it traverses the enemy occupied territory of a world bent out of its beautiful shape by evil. Alert for every dangerous slip or slide in the mud, our eyes, quite rightfully, focus invariably on our boots. Following the Firstborn gives us some luxurious rest from this, so that we can look at the view of crucial route waypoints behind and ahead and check our progress. Our soul is fed and we can rise above the mire as an eagle soaring home by faith.”

Following the Firstborn is now available globally.

From front line human rights activist to dance therapist, this author aims to share the Joy of Jesus

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – Yumi Schaefer is one amazing woman. Born and raised in Japan as a third generation Korean, she had a vision to change the world.

While Yumi had a carefree upbringing as a child in the beautiful town of Miyazu in Kyoto prefecture, which has beaches in front and mountains in the back, being a Korean in Japan saw her face a series of difficulties and heartbreaks as she hit her teen years.

Yumi became a front line human rights activist for social justice that led her to complete her BA (hon,.) study in social justice in USA.

“My goal was to become an international public speaker for social justice, conducting speaking tours around the world,” Yumi stated. “Then, I had severe burn-out, which incapacitated me physically and mentally. I found out that I couldn’t change the world in my own strength, which was exactly how I was operating.

“In my darkest point, Jesus became real and I became a born-again Christian. I started to reclaim what I had forgotten – JOY in life. God gave me an audible direction to become a dance therapist. I moved to Australia with His divine leading in 1998 to study and attain a qualification in dance therapy, which has been my passionate profession for 20 years, using dance and creative arts.

“The joy of the Lord has become my strength and life force. It is my calling to spread the joy of the Lord! The Christian life is the most exciting and joyful way of living above all and I want the world to know it.”

Yumi has just released a new book titled Sparking Joy, in which she shares the joy of the Lord through creative expressions of faith. Her vision is to see Christians enjoy God and have joy as their birthright.

“I have been a born again Christian for about 25 years,” she said. “I have discovered worshipping and praising God in creative expressions like dancing, drawing, painting… even pottery art is joy and happiness giving to our life. I felt it is my calling to create a book in which fellow Christians discover fun and the joy of the Lord through their own creative and artistic expressions.

“I feel I am the happiest, healthiest and fittest person for my age group. Doing what I love and loving what I do, I am passionate about joyful and healthy living. If there is a book that makes you happy by holding, this book is it.” The message from the book is positively contagious. It is a Christian mindfulness book, which draws us to the Father. This book will lead you to enjoy God and enrich your Christian life.

“Light the spark of praise and thanksgiving – that is what this book is about. It is not a skill or talent-based book; it is about playfulness and spontaneity, which will keep the readers captivated. One is the Joy of discovering your own dormant creative energy and playfulness given from our Creator and the other is the Joy of discovering God in an intimate and fun way.

“It has been set out as a 30 day devotional journal which captivates the readers over time of 30 days… or more however long people want to take to go through it. Each day also has a ‘Gratitude’ page to have Emmanuel time – “God is always with us” with thanksgiving.  It will enrich Christians’ daily life across all age range – children, teenagers, adults and the elderly.”

Yumi believes that it will also be an ‘ice breaker’ to introduce Christianity to new people.

This, however, is not her first book. Her first book is titled ‘Renew Me – The Art of Living Well – 7 Steps to your Optimal Wellness’. It was self-published in 2009, with a second edition released in 2015. It is a fruit of her study, research and her own experience from her healing journey to a life of optimal health and fitness. She told me that this book is “God’s guided content as to how to take care of our temple and enjoy our precious life”.

In a serious world, where our media consumes us with depressing story after story, Sparking Joy offers a refreshing Christian experience. So often, we think of Christianity as ‘picking up our Cross’ needing ‘, when there is in fact so much freedom in the Christian life. As Yumi told me, “Have fun with Jesus!!  Find gems of sparking joy in your daily life.”

Sparking Joy is now available globally.