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 Jan 08 [70:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (505)

* Interview with Mary DeMuth , whose newest book, an e-book especially for writers, Nonfiction Book Proposals that Grab an Editor or an Agent by the throat (in a good way)!, is now available.

* Points to Ponder with Dr. Dan Price

* Interview with Ken McCardell, author BibleRhymes.

* Success From Home with Diana Ennen

* Interview with Tricia Goyer , discussing her newest book, Generation NeXt Marriage: The Couple’s Guide to Keeping It Together.

Q: I would just like to say that your ‘test’ is an absolute disgrace. [Referring to "The Good Person Test" at Candace's personal website.]

Could you imagine a child looking up his or her favorite "Full House" actress, taking that test, and being frightened to her soul that she will suffer in Hell?

Children don’t understand the terminology used in this horrid test, Candace. You were a child star; you must understand that your fans are children. Children are still seeing reruns of your sitcom on television; you are still 13 years old to them. These are the people searching for your website, not grown adults looking for holy answers on DJ Tanner’s website.

I would appreciate a response for my daughter’s sake.

Thank you.

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A: Thanks for visiting my website. I’m sorry "The Good Person Test" offends you. I admit I was too, until I understood God’s grace and mercy. It was a tool that helped me get right with God, and I have it on my website because it has encouraged others to do so as well. I do understand that not everyone agrees or sees eye to eye on the Bible, but there’s no question as to the God I serve. I’m very upfront about it as it’s the first thing talked about on my home page.

I do have a lot of young fans but even more adult fans, who grew up with the show and follow me through my ministry career. (I know this by the amount of emails I receive and whom they’re written from.)

I’m not D.J. Tanner, but Candace–a wife, mother, speaker and actress. My website is not a fan site for Full House, but a website about my life today, and one that I hope reflects my relationship with Jesus Christ.

As for children not understanding terminology–I beg to differ. My children are 5, 7, and 9 years old. They know well the words of the Bible, who Jesus is, sin and its consequences, heaven and hell, grace, mercy and His unconditional love.

I hope that any children who are of a young age surfing the internet would not be doing it alone. If you are concerned about your daughter seeing the test, hopefully you will filter the things in which you don’t want her to see and will be alongside her while she surfs the net.

Again, the "Good Person Test" is on there because I see value in it, and have had some amazing testimonies from people who have read it, are thankful for it and have sought out God because of it. I hope this had shed some light to your concerns.

(Click here if you’d like to read "The Good Person Test")

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Q: First off I just want to say what a true blessing you and this magazine are to me! So thank you so much for your time and great words!

Lately it seems like I have a hard time letting go of the sins I have committed in the past. I know I have been forgiven due to asking God for forgiveness and basically saying that I am sorry, but I still think about things I have done, and it brings me to tears sometimes.

I re-dedicated my life to God a few months back. I have been visiting churches in my area (I recently moved from my home town so I have been praying that God will find me a church in my area). But it’s been hard, trying to back away from "worldly" things that are out there.

I was brought up in a Christian home. My grandfather is a preacher at the church I went to in my hometown, and at age twelve I was saved, by asking God into my heart and forgiving me as a sinner. When I graduated from high school and started college, I started going down the wrong path, and then I would feel guilty and ask for forgiveness. It wasn’t till a few months ago that I realized I needed to change and start putting God first in everything I do. I know that if we ask God to forgive us, we are forgiven but how do I shake this feeling of "why did I do that?"

I have been reading my Bible and I just got the book you recommended: The Way of the Master. Any advice you have would be great!!

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A: Thanks for your email. I’m so glad you’re enjoying this column and CWO, and it’s good that you got The Way of the Master, because that’s the book I’d recommend reading.

I suspect you’ve never come to a place of Godly sorrow–I’m talking in tears, on your knees, over the sin in your life. It’s a place so deep inside of you, where you understand how offensive you’ve been toward God. Then understanding what He did for you on the cross and His grace.

I know you know "all the words" and what they mean, but I don’t know that you’ve been affected by it in your soul. It didn’t happen for me until after I read The Way of the Master. Maybe this will trigger it for you too, or maybe it will be something else.

In any case, once you’ve experienced Godly sorrow, you can come to a place of true repentance. Asking God to forgive you, and turning from your sin. See, it’s not just about feeling guilty over it and confessing it, but feeling so sorrowful that you don’t want to do it anymore. When you’ve asked for that forgiveness, it’s been given to you. There’s no reason to wallow in the guilt, that’s not going to do anything. You have to trust that once you’re forgiven, you’re forgiven.

"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you." – Acts 13:38

Move on, and move into a right relationship with God. Dig into the Word to better know Him, and what He wants to do with your life.

About The Author:

Candace is best known for her role as DJ Tanner on ABC’s hit sitcom Full House. Over the years, Candace has been on a self-imposed hiatus in support of her husband, NHL hockey star Valeri Bure and their three beautiful children, ages 4, 6 & 8.

Candace currently speaks at various churches, colleges, and outreach events throughout the year sharing her testimony and Christian faith. She has a heart for evangelism and recently traveled on a missionary trip to Ghana, Africa. Her long history of charitable work includes the Starlight Foundation, Make-A-Wish, Compassion International, Children’s Hunger Fund and Sheridan House Family Ministries.

Learn more about Candace at her website, CandaceCameronBure.net.

I was reminded as I was looking through books to find a suitable craft for the vacation Bible school coming up, and when I came upon one about rainbows
and promises, I knew I had found the right one.

It reminded me that the rainbows only come after there’s been a rain storm, and the beauty of the arch up in the sky is all the more so because the landscape is all wet and forlorn.

It reminded me to think of the storm as a promise, not just gray clouds and rain, and to look for that silver lining as the storm is on the wane.

And just when you think you won’t ever find it, there it is overhead, arching as far as the eye can see, just as the Lord has said.

Suddenly you are lost in the beauty, the colors fill your heart to the brim, and you can’t help but praise the One who would give this gift to the world made by Him.

And it also reminded me of our lives; for before I met you I was in a storm – everything was gray and cloudy and dark, I was lost and searching, trying this thing and that, hoping each one would be the right start.

Only when I met Jesus, did things come together for me, for He transformed my heart from within, wiped away sin and set me free.

Then I met you and suddenly I saw my world full of the colors of the rainbow, and I knew in my heart that He’d given me this gift, a new life and new love to know.

Now I look back and see that the storms in my life were just a prelude of what was to come, and now I live in a rainbow world, and now I know just where it came from.

For only with God can we truly be free, and He can make all our dreams come true, for this was His plan, the one He had for me, when He first brought me to you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Trish Thompson

When most people hear the word "January," they think of cold and snow, abandoned New Year’s resolutions, short days and long nights. But when I hear "January," once the shivering stops, I think of down time. Between holiday recovery time and uncertain weather, many activities take a break during January. That gives you a chance to prepare for the new year. The best way to do that is to gather the tools you need and make them part of your routine. And the most important tool to have in place is your daily planner.

I know, I know. You’re thinking, "Why is she talking about this again? We went over this in August." You’re right. We did. But at that time I promised we would revisit the daily planner this month and maybe add a few bells and whistles. And being a woman of my word, except for that silly vow I made about never eating chocolate again, a second look at how to use the daily planner is in order.

If you missed the first column and want to start at the beginning, or if your memory is like mine and you have no idea of what you ate for breakfast this morning, much less the contents of an article you read last August, take heart. A quick trip to the August column will get you up to speed.

Evaluate Present Use

This January commit the new year to God and ask Him to help you redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16) He’s provided. One way to do that is to use your planner well. If you haven’t purchased one yet, the link above tells what you need to get started. Once you determine what you need, you can shop websites like www.dayrunner.com or www.franklincovey.com or visit your local office supply store.

If you already use your planner regularly, now’s the time to evaluate how effective that use is. Ask yourself these questions:

* How can I improve my daily planning time?
* Do I ask God to guide the way I use my time?
* Do I take my planner wherever I go?
* When does it save time?
* When does it waste time?
* What can I change to utilize it more effectively for household chores and family responsibilities?
* What can I change to utilize it more effectively within my business?
* What do I need to add?

Make Necessary Adjustments

Based on the answers to the questions above and ones you think of yourself, you will see where to adjust your present practice. For example, if you aren’t planning daily, make that a priority each morning and include prayer time in it. Or, if you forget your planner when you leave the house, try clipping your car keys to it. You won’t forget it again!

Keep all present practices and features that save time. But if some waste more time than they save, figure out why. If you just need more practice until they become second nature, keep practicing. If moving components to a different part of the planner or tabbing them differently would help, try that. But if something is a true time waster, abandon it.

Add Needed Features

As your family and business grows, so will your planner. When I first attended writers’ conference, I exchanged business cards and stuck them in the front of my planner. A quick shuffle through the cards was enough to jog my memory so I could find the person I needed to locate. Once I attended a few more conferences and hit the ripe old age of fifty, that method tanked. Cards began falling out of my planner. I couldn’t recall the face or conversation that accompanied the name on the card. But at the DayRunner website, I found a plastic holder that displays all the cards at once. And I now write a note on the back of each card to help me remember the person who gave it to me.

In the same way, you will add features when previously workable practices become frustrating. When that happens, think about what you need to make them work again. Ask others if they had the same problem and how they solved it. Search online to see what’s available and when you find it, add it to your planner.

Create a Habit

If you started using a planner once and then gave up, don’t despair. Be patient and persevere. Remember, it takes six weeks to turn a new practice into a habit.

You just need to think of easy ways to keep the new habit in front of you at all times. So if you forgot to use your planner today, put it where you will have to touch it tomorrow. Depending on your morning routine, that place could be: on your breakfast chair, in a sack hanging from the doorknob, on top of your purse or Bible, beside the alarm clock, in your shoes…you get the idea. This method works so well you can use it to help other people in your house remember their stuff, too.

Time is a gift from God, and He’s given you a new year of minutes and hours and days and weeks and months. The four steps above can help you redeem that time in a way that honors your family, your business and the Giver of all good gifts.

About the Author:
Jolene Philo is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Boone, Iowa. She shares her house and her home office with her husband Hiram, daughter Anne, and dachshund Abby. You can learn more about her at her website, www.jolenephilo.com.