Signposts – Part I

Signposts – Part I

Someone once said writing is like driving at night. The headlights illuminate a limited distance, but you can make the whole trip that way.

My journey into writing began in that fashion. God provided light for the “next step.” He prodded me with signposts, advancing me little by little. Though slow on the uptake, I realize now that finding purpose usually involves years of preparation. Here’s how it happened to me.

One day, over 25 years ago, I could barely address an envelope—a troubling realization. Tiny muscles in my hand simply froze, and I couldn’t move the pen. Fearing it was symptomatic of something far worse, I went to two different neurologists. Both came up with a condition known as, “Writers Cramp.” While that term is used interchangeably with “Writer’s Block,” it’s not the same. Writer’s Cramp is a medical anomaly that’s physical, not mental. And, it’s not from overuse like Carpal Tunnel. In fact, they don’t understand what causes it, and no known case has ever improved.

In a way, I felt relieved. The major motor muscles in my hand still worked. I could play piano and type. Other people coped with worse disabilities. Mine seemed relatively benign.

Then…Continue reading

God Says it Best

God Says it Best

On my last trip to Uganda, I was asked to speak to the older girls about sexual purity. I felt my heart sink.

Many of you know that my husband, Duncan Hill, started Uganda Orphans Fund in 2002 to rescue orphans and children at risk. On my first trip to Uganda, over ten years ago, I had asked a Ugandan woman named Eva the hard questions about AIDS in Africa. “This is catastrophic! Why don’t people talk about AIDS over here?”

She spoke calmly, explaining that their culture had deep roots in polygamy. In modern times, that translated to promiscuity—almost a male “right.” On top of that, women in Africa are far more dependent on men. “In your country, women are independent,” she said. “If a man puts sexual pressure on a woman, she can say ‘No.’ But here in Africa, if a young woman goes to work and her boss imposes on her—to refuse is the equivalence of anarchy.” In other words, she stands to lose everything. So men get AIDS and expose others, including their wives.

At the time, great efforts to stem the tide were already underway in Uganda. HIV rates had reached epidemic proportions in the 80s, but declined in the 90s due to a government campaign called “ABC”—Abstinence, Be faithful, or Condoms. Reports showed that promoting abstinence and monogamy were most essential in reversing the devastating spread of AIDS.

But cultural changes are not that easy.Continue reading

Dreaming with God

Dreaming with God

Did you know that Julius Caesar’s wife had a dream that foretold her husband’s tragic death? In 312 AD, Constantine dreamed about Jesus dying on the cross and as a result, provided protection for Christians through the Edict of Milan. Einstein’s theory of relativity came from a dream, and Handel composed Messiah after he heard it in a dream. Fantastic? Yes!

Author and speaker, John Paul Jackson, has taught a lot on the subject of dreaming with God. He notes that we will spend a third of our lives sleeping, and by the time we are 70 years old, at least six years of that time will be in dreamland.

The Bible has many accounts of God speaking to people in dreams and visions. Jackson says there are 224 references in Scripture, and it comprises a whopping third of the Bible!Continue reading