I''m a Contributing Editor with Guideposts and I''''ve also written books on prayer and developed a video series called Personal Prayer Power. (www.personalprayerpower.com) I grew up in Maryland near Washington, DC and since my marriage have lived in the South.
When our son Chris was in Iraq in the Army I started a website called www.militaryprayers.org where anyone can post prayers for our soldiers.
Journey:
I''ve been in church all of my life. When I was a teenager our church had a Lay Witness mission and told about how knowing Christ had given them power in their lives. I responded to the altar call and started my journey of faith. I started keeping journals about 20 years ago and in them I have written my thoughts and ideas about God, favorite Bible verses and have worked through my problems. About 4 years ago I decided to try an experiment to see if I could find 100 answers to prayer in my own life. I started numbering my answers to prayer using the three main categories of prayer answers I discovered when I was writing my book Surprised by Prayer. I reached 100 in 51 days and kept on numbering and today I have 1,374 answers to prayer written down!
Right now my favorite prayer is, "God, I don''t know what I''m doing" because I''ve launched out by making a video series on interactive prayer and I''ve had to do things I never thought I could do. Following a life vision can certainly show you how to rely on God when you''re not sure the next step to take!
Interests & Activities:
I''m a garage sale addict. I love to find interesting old things. I''ve bought nearly anything you can name at garage sales including rhinestone jewelry, sea shells and antiques. I recently ran out of storage space, so I''''m tryng to wean myself off of bargain hunting.
I also like to visit small towns and stay at an old home that''s been turned into a bed and breakfast.
Denomination:
United Methodist
Goals and Dreams:
One day a few years back I asked God to give me a life vision statement and this came, "To open the way of prayer for many." I think that it''s hard these days to have the kinds of powerful personal prayer lives we''d like because of so many factors - being busy, lack of private time, but most of all, lack of seeing results. I see myself as something of a personal prayer coach or cheerleader. I want to help people get excited about their personal prayer lives and to truly be able to hear from God and enjoy feeling him nearby in every kind of life situation.
Inspirations and Role Models:
Catherine Marshall would be at the top of my list. I think she was something of a faith experimenter and I''d like to be like her.
Another role model is my mother. She knew her Bible extremely well and was always counting others better than herself.
Proudest Moment:
When our son Chris returned from a 15 month tour in Iraq. We were in a large hangar on base and the soldiers marched in off the plane and they played the National Anthem.
Biggest Challenge:
I''d rather write and create than take care of business challenges, keep records, and worry about numbers.
My Favorites
Bible Verses:
For there is nothing that God cannot do. Luke 1:37
Books:
Praying for My Life by Marion Bond West and All the Way to Heaven by Elizabeth Sherrill
