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QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

I have priceless memories of eating ice cream at the lake in my hometown. And to this day, it’s a grounding experience that brings me peace. You see, my grandparents lived on a lake in rural Michigan, and every summer we’d spend at least a week there. There was an ice cream parlor called King’s Trading Post near their house. King’s is still open, and whenever I’m up at the lake with my family, we always make a stop (or multiple). And always for Moose Tracks.

So much has changed since the early 1990s when I was a kid, holding a dripping ice cream cone after a long day on the lake, my face and hands covered in ice cream as I sat with my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings. Nowadays, anytime I’m back at King’s Trading Post, it feels like the world has stopped. When I’m there, I can set aside the stress of what’s going on back at home or at work and focus on who I’m with and what we’re doing together. We share memories from the decades of visits and we make new ones every year.

Being at the lake every summer is grounding. After moving many times growing up and even more as an adult, having a place I feel at home is priceless. The lake is home for me. It’s a place where I can reconnect with my family and with God, where I can stop and remember and reflect on the past year and all that has happened, or not happened, since the last visit. It’s a place where I can't be distracted by the world (because there’s actually no cell service at King’s Trading Post) and where I can rest.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called "nonspiritual" activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?

The first “big” hike I ever did was nine miles into (and back out of) the Grand Canyon. Going down wasn’t much of a cardiovascular challenge, and I was mostly focused on taking pictures. But coming back up was so much more difficult than I’d expected. I’d recently walked through a really challenging season personally and spiritually, and getting out of that canyon felt like a physical representation of what I’d experienced. Even though I was so tired that all I could do was count how many steps I was taking and how many switch-backs we had left to go, God revealed so much through that struggle.

Since then, most of my major life events have been marked by challenging hikes. Whether I was pouring my heart out to God and asking him to answer a specific prayer or whether I was praising him for what he had already done, I’ve been able to best reflect on God’s movement in my life when I’m in nature and doing something physically challenging. And there’s nothing quite like climbing a massive mountain and seeing the majesty of God displayed in nature as I’m asking to see him move in my own life. Seeing what he can do and has done in creation and what he has helped me physically endure as I hike to the top of a mountain or canyon gives me the strength to trust him with whatever I’m walking through at the time.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

My weakness is showing weakness. I like being strong, I like being capable, and I like being independent. Anything that would somehow jeopardize my ability to be those things, I stay away from. But that means I often don’t listen to my limits, and then I pay for it later.

I first recognized this when I fractured my tibia in three places from overtraining — I had simply worked out too much. Instead of admitting that I needed a rest day, I kept working out until I literally could not put any weight on my right leg for eight weeks. Even as I recovered, I didn’t stop working out. I did upper body strength training on crutches. I used the rowing machine with one leg. I even walked a half-mile in the sand, on crutches, instead of admitting that I couldn’t make it out to the beach with my friends. (I did make them carry me back to the car, though.)

Since then, I’ve recognized my pattern to avoid weakness in other areas of life as well. Instead of seeing my need for rest, I’ll take on another project. But I’m learning to set boundaries and rhythms that keep me from reaching my breaking point. Without margin in my life, I can’t live the way God wants me to live. I’ve also seen the spiritual ramifications of this type of mindset: I depend on myself for my strength instead of believing God will meet my needs and come through in my weakness.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?

I am passionate about helping others understand Scripture and learn how to study it for themselves. A lot of us in the church are often afraid to read and study Scripture because we believe it is too difficult to understand or because we’re afraid we’ll interpret it incorrectly. There was even a time in history when the church told believers that they couldn’t understand and know God unless someone else explained Scripture to them. But that’s not true! As believers in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit in us, showing us and teaching us truth when we study God’s Word.

We live in a time when the Bible is available at our fingertips on our smartphones! We also live in a time in history when many of us have access to multiple versions of the Bible. But one of the things we lack is the confidence to read and learn from it. Sometimes we interpret things incorrectly, and that’s okay! As long as we’re attentive to the Holy Spirit and willing to learn, God’s Word is always working in our lives and hearts.

I’ve had the privilege of editing several Bibles, including the “She Reads Truth Bible” and the “(in)courage Devotional Bible” as well as the “Love God Greatly Bible” and the “Young Women Love God Greatly Bible.” It has been so neat to work with so many different women who have contributed to these projects as writers of devotions, testimonies and other features and to share a passion for helping others know and understand God’s Word.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?

Right now, I’m serving as the content director for an international women’s ministry. Most days, I’m writing or editing Bible studies and other resources that are used in English as well as over 40 different languages around the world. It’s often overwhelming to think about the reach of the words I’m writing, and I’m constantly asking God for grace to correct any biblical or theological errors.

Finding creative energy to write can be a challenge. I’m rarely struck with some great inspiration or have an idea that I have to get down on paper. Most of it comes from being disciplined to get myself in my office and in front of my computer. But even in that, I recognize the Holy Spirit continually giving me wisdom through what he’s teaching me in my own faith — and often as I’m walking through it.

I’m often encouraged to keep going when I see God using what he’s teaching me as I create content for others. I am almost working out my own faith and my own understanding of Scripture or God’s character as I’m writing. I recognize how God is working in my own life and how he’s working through me when I re-read a study or a resource and don’t remember writing it. He’s been incredibly faithful to allow me to teach others as he’s teaching and growing me. That’s not always an easy process though — there’s nothing like wrestling with God over unanswered prayer while writing a Bible study on hope. But it is incredible to see how God uses my brokenness to bless others and point them to him.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?

For the past 10 years, my job has been to study and read the Bible — whether because of my work in Christian publishing, seminary or ministry. Prior to seminary, I never struggled with reading my Bible. That spiritual discipline always came easy to me. However, after working in Christian publishing and creating Bibles, then going to seminary and studying much of the Bible in the original Greek and Hebrew, then creating two more Bibles and about 20 Bible studies, I’ve struggled with opening God’s Word on my own. So much of my time in Scripture now is done with the end goal of teaching others, and as a result, I can often get distracted thinking about what I could teach from a passage instead of what the Holy Spirit wants to show me.

In this “rebuilding” stage of my personal Bible reading, God has really blessed my personal prayer time. I have a friend who told me about a daily prayer system of writing different people and topics on note cards and organizing them by daily, day of the week and day of the month. I have a box of notecards full of prayer requests for friends, family members, community and global issues, and ministries that I’m praying for every day. I mentioned earlier that doing physical activity also helps me feel connected to God, so I take my notecards and go for a walk as I pray each day. It has been the most impactful thing I’ve done in my walk with God. I’ve not only seen God answer some very specific prayers in incredible ways, but I’ve also grown in my understanding of his character and his love for me. It has been a vital part of my routine that I cannot miss!

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you?

One of my all-time favorite resources is “Praying God’s Word” by Beth Moore. She walks through ways to pray Scripture over your life in specific areas. In my first major season of depression, I went through the prayers she shares about depression and began praying them daily. It not only helped me find Scripture that related to my situation but also gave me words to pray when I had none myself. Years later, I worked with a friend who was creating a pack of memory verse cards for her small business. I used almost all of the verses I had clung to and prayed during that time in the bundle we created for grief and depression.

Another is the “Infographic Bible” by Karen Sawrey. I love a good map, chart or timeline! This resource is full of creative, visual depictions of the Bible, from the way the tabernacle was set up to the most common teachings of Jesus. It’s such a good way to understand complicated aspects of Scripture and theology. I use it all the time, especially when I’m trying to think of a way to simply explain a difficult concept.

Finally, “Vindicating the Vixens” by Sandra Glahn. This resource is compiled by several contributors and it gives a fresh understanding of many women in the Bible, women who have often been marginalized, sexualized or vilified in church history. It offers a better understanding of who they were and the culture they lived in, and even the way we’ve come to talk about them in the church. Definitely a must-read, especially for anyone in ministry!

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it's done for you.

Right now, it’s my notetaking Bible. (There are so many of these available in lots of different versions, covers and sizes.)

In this season, I’ve been journaling dates and events that are happening in my life as I’m reading through Scripture. What’s most encouraging is seeing things I’d written years ago and knowing how God worked in those circumstances.

My favorite seminary professor always says, “God’s faithfulness in the past is a model and a promise of his faithfulness in the future. But he’s too creative to do the same thing the same way twice.”

When I see his past faithfulness, it reminds me that he’s still working, that he’s doing things I can’t see or may not see for a long time, and he’s more creative than I am and will write a better story than I ever could.

QUESTION #8: dream

God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

I have such a passion for equipping women. Through the ministry I’m working with now, “Love God Greatly,” our team is working hard to equip women around the world with Bible studies in their own languages. It has been amazing to see God use these incredible women to reach their nations with the gospel.

As we’re walking into this post-COVID world, we’re seeing women reconnect in person. We all have such a strong desire for relationships, and God is building these incredible communities around the world centered around his Word. He is doing a mighty work, and he’s given us opportunities we never would have had on our own.

This year, we also finished a Bible for young women, the “Young Women Love God Greatly Bible.” We’ve seen the need for the next generation to be adequately equipped with an understanding of God’s Word as well as the hunger they have for truth. Regardless of what the media says, these young women (and men) are hungry for the gospel and long to know God and walk with him. It has been incredible to see God move in our organization as we begin to create resources for young women and as we grow our kids’ content as well!

Through my ministry and my life, I hope to always be able to help women grow in their understanding of who God is and his love for them. I know God is doing an incredible work, and he’s allowed me to be a part of what he’s doing around the world! I’m still blown away that I get to do what I do, and I’m humbled at the way he’s using me to teach others!

It’s no secret that having a sense of purpose can be immensely fulfilling. But did you know that it can also lead to a longer life? A 27-year-long study revealed that people who reported having a sense of purpose lived longer (and in several ways, were healthier) than those who didn’t.

But this should come as no surprise to Christians. After all, the Bible repeatedly speaks to the amazing purposes God has for us. Take these words from Paul as an example:

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV).

It’s true that we all share the same purpose of glorifying God, but this passage shows that each of us also has a specific purpose — a ministry God calls us to fulfill. It may not be as a full-time pastor or evangelist or Bible teacher. But whatever and wherever it is, it changes lives and is important.

So, friend, what is God calling you to today, this week and this year? What unique purposes has he given you?

Melissa Fuller is the content director for Love God Greatly, an international ministry that equips women around the world with Bible study resources. She loves God’s Word and is committed to helping women fall in love with Scripture. With her Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, she served as general editor of the NET Love God Greatly Bible and the NET Young Women Love God Greatly Bible and as managing editor of the CSB She Reads Truth Bible and the CSB (in)courage Devotional Bible. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where she loves to run and hike.

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