Faithful, Lifeway Title, & Much More

Emily Wickham began her writing and speaking journey in 2005. She writes for Lifeway Christian Resources and enjoys serving the Lord as an author, speaker, and podcaster. She teaches via Indestructible Life, a podcast that helps women discover the life Jesus is and treasure the life God's Word gives. Emily also shares brief messages about the return of Christ on her YouTube channel. Please connect with Emily by subscribing below to her blog, Heart Stirrings.

FAITHFUL, LIFEWAY TITLE, & MUCH MORE

Dear Readers,

It’s interesting as a writer to share more updates about speaking than writing 🙂. But God has opened certain doors at the present time, and I’m enjoying each one. Somehow the Lord weaves everything together.

After successfully launching my podcast last week, I treasure God’s faithfulness in greater measure. He accomplished everything needed each step of the way, guiding me through the beginning stages of a new ministry adventure. And there’s nothing more comforting or empowering than the Lord’s loving presence.

My YouTube ministry also continues, and I’m grateful for the Spirit’s leading. He knows the message each subscriber needs to hear plus how to impact my heart in the process. Meditating on Christ’s return truly puts each day as well as eternity in perspective.

Let me tell you more…

THE GLORY OF JESUS: FAITHFUL

“Then the LORD said to Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you’” (Genesis 31:3, NASB).

The early account of Jacob and his two wives, Leah and Rachel, sorrows me greatly. Reading Scripture’s details produced a sadness I didn’t anticipate, but God enabled me to see some goodness in their story. Or rather, goodness in Him.

Genesis 30 and 31 cover parts of Jacob’s marriage to two sisters—aspects involving Leah feeling unloved yet bearing children and Rachel experiencing love but enduring childlessness. At a certain point, each sister offered one of her maids to Jacob as a wife, and he fathered more children through them. Ugh. I can’t imagine. I know times differed back then, but I don’t believe God ever intended for a man to take more than one wife simultaneously.

A myriad of feelings must have afflicted Jacob, Leah, and Rachel throughout their crazy marriage and family ordeal. Deception, dissatisfaction, rejection, competition, bitterness, jealousy, manipulation—all this and more colored the leaves of their family tree. It’s heartbreaking.

As I reflected on this dismal situation, the Lord revealed a bright gem. Against sin’s oppressive darkness, God’s beautiful character shone more brightly. Despite Jacob, Leah, and Rachel’s failures, God remained faithful. He never changed amidst their ups and downs. The LORD stayed with Jacob as promised even though Jacob sometimes behaved in ungodly ways.

God is faithful. He’s the same today as He was back then, and knowing the surety of who He is strengthens our hope. We mess up. We fail. We shudder to think of our lives being written about for all to see the good, bad, and ugly. But JESUS. We are accepted in Him. “To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6, NKJV).

LIFEWAY TITLE REVEAL

It’s the perfect time of year to share! Remember how I wrote one lesson for a Lifeway Bible study? The book title is…

Grateful: Giving Thanks to God in All Things.

I absolutely love the topic of gratitude, and I remain grateful for the God-given opportunity to contribute to this 4-week study. The Lord taught me a great deal as I read the Bible, researched, prayed, and wrote. It was such a privilege and honor to participate as part of the writing team. Now, I pray this book will impact many women’s lives for God’s purposes and glory. He is worthy!

Grateful is scheduled to become available in August 2023. If you’re interested in obtaining a copy for yourself and/or your women’s group, please CLICK HERE for more information. (All this is still so exciting—thank you for your prayers!)

REST

Today I returned from the beautiful home of a dear friend. She touches my life with her gracious, loving ways, and it’s a true privilege to be her friend.

God is so good in the gift of friendship. My visit here has been filled with shopping, walking, cooking, crafting, and of course, talking. The Lord has used this little getaway to provide sweet moments outside of regular responsibilities. Time spent with precious friends remains one of God’s good gifts to me. Thank You, Lord.

PODCASTING LIFE

I called out to the Lord after multiple recordings of episode 1. It was so hard! I couldn’t seem to get it right, and it needed editing plus audio attention before going live. On top of that, I didn’t even know exactly how to start an official podcast. Plus my family was coming in town for the weekend to celebrate my birthday, so I needed to clean and prepare.

God reassured me by whispering 1 Thessalonians 5:24 within me, “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

And He did.

In a last effort before family arrived, I sat down to record episode 1 for what seemed the umpteenth time. I sensed the Holy Spirit’s presence, and words flowed. Praise the Lord! I tucked the material away until I could focus on final details. My children arrived, and we enjoyed a fabulous weekend together.

God did exactly what He promised. Episode 1, JESUS: the Way, the Truth, & the Life aired last Tuesday, and God deserves ALL the glory. He is faithful indeed.

PODCAST DETAILS

Sometimes I reflect on the name of my podcast, the Indestructible Life, and feel it’s too good to be true. But it’s not. Because the Bible teaches we have “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3, NASB). And 1 John 5:12 reads, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” Christ is our life. Knowing we have an indestructible life in Him should always lift our spirit and add a spring to our step.

Please plan to listen on November 8 and 22. If you’re a subscriber to this blog, you should receive a Heart Stirrings e-mail, which will include the podcast link, on each of those evenings. (And if you’re not a subscriber but would like to join the Heart Stirrings community, please subscribe below.) Also, if you sense the Holy Spirit’s leading, please share the link with your friends and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Both of these actions will help others discover the Indestructible Life, and I thank you ahead of time!

FOR MY WRITER FRIENDS

I just learned about a writers conference scheduled for June 2023. Though the Write-to-Publish Conference has existed for 50+ years, it’s now being operated and managed by the Christian Writers Institute. Dan Balow, literary agent for The Steve Laube Agency, is directing this event in Wheaton, Illinois. Perhaps the Lord would have you or I attend? This is something we can pray about and consider, so I wanted to share the information. Please CLICK HERE to learn more.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

May our faithful Father in heaven bless you with a marvelous Thanksgiving Day. Wherever you are and however you celebrate, may God grant you the sweetness of a growing relationship with Him. Because that’s what eternity is all about.

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

In Christ’s Love,

Be encouraged by God's faithfulness, learn more about the Indestructible Life Podcast, and discover what Bible study Emily contributed to! #FaithfulGod #lifewaywomen #podcastlife Share on X

 

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2 thoughts on “Faithful, Lifeway Title, & Much More

    1. Thank you, J.D. God has shaped my ministry in ways I didn’t anticipate, but it’s a joy and pleasure to go where He leads. He is ever faithful. May His blessings abound in your life and ministry.

      In Christ’s Love,
      Emily

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