by marian | Nov 26, 2017 | Blog
And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”–Revelation 14:13 (NASB) I heard the sad news today that Dr. Leonidas Fengos, had departed for heaven on Friday, November 24, 2017. He was a powerful pastor in Greece that was highly used by God. He was a dynamic and Spirit-filled preacher with an anointed message. Brother Louis, (Αδελφο Λουη) as we called him, was a chosen servant of God who gave his whole life for the Gospel. He had a long and effective ministry and a tireless zeal to preach anywhere and everywhere. He stood without apology for God’s Word. He constantly read his Bible, studying it all day long for many hours and underlining important passages. He exemplified what it was like to live a holy life. Over the years, our family had become friends with his and his life matched his preaching. I thank God for this truly one-of- a-kind man of God. He encouraged me in so many ways in my walk with God to grow closer to Him. Over ten years ago, I decided to translate his book on Revelation from Greek to English. It took many months of tedious and careful study and it became such a blessing reading Revelation and his commentary on it. How I wish that I could be there for his funeral! I know it will be a blessing to be in the same church that he preached in countless times...
by marian | Oct 8, 2017 | Blog
I love it when I go to a conference and get to hear a brand new author–at least “new” to me. For me, this year, it was Glenys Nellist. I have to say I wasn’t sure what to expect from her session title, “Retelling God’s Story For Children,” but it was, by far, one of the best sessions I’ve ever gone to. Glenys is genuine and super funny and full of wonderful ideas and tips on writing. I just loved it when she said that we need to have an encourager in order to be a writer. She’s so right. I know this for a fact because I have one. It’s my mom. She is always, I mean always, encouraging me. She tells me that I can do it with God’s help and that He can use my gifts for His glory. Thanks, Glenys, for reminding me of that. And thanks, Mom, for always encouraging me. “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”–I Thessalonians 5:11...
by marian | Oct 9, 2016 | Blog
I was so blessed to get to attend the Breathe Writer’s Conference once again this year! The speakers and classes were amazing! One speaker called it a feast and that’s exactly how it felt! I was stuffed full of great thoughts and encouragement! I think it’s going to take me a few days to digest it all! I’d like to share the highlights over the next few days, but the one that stands out is that we need to approach our writing with the view point of a missionary. We don’t have to worry about who will accept it–or not. We are simply called to be faithful in our writing and let the Lord take care of the results! ...
by marian | Sep 30, 2016 | Blog
I will not forget your Word.–Psalm 119:16 I forgot my cell phone today. At times during my day, it was inconvenient to have to use a landline when it would have been so much faster and quicker to just make a call with my cell phone. While forgetting my cell phone was a minor nuisance, forgetting God’s word is another matter. Without it, I lose my sense of direction and don’t know which way to go. With it, I have a clear purpose for living. I need to be intentional about making God’s word the main priority of my life. It’s not really the top priority or one of the top ten on a list of important things to do daily to be successful. Rather, it’s the main one of all. That means everything else in my life is filtered through it. It permeates and saturates all the other priorities so that God’s word infuses every part of my life. It’s kind of like baking a cake. That aroma of an almost-finished cake seeps through the house and fills every room so that it beckons me to find my way to the kitchen and have a slice as soon as it comes out of the oven. That’s how God’s word should overwhelm us with it’s goodness and sweetness. It should have an undeniable impact on literally every aspect of our lives. It’s daily as well as moment-by-moment living that follows the Lord’s ways. It’s constantly abiding within the plan of God. And it organically becomes an overriding influence on my Christian walk so that it all naturally aligns with God’s word. A follower of Jesus that...
by marian | Apr 24, 2016 | Blog
When the moment came to finally pick up the boxes with my CD’s, I couldn’t wait! I was about to see the fruit of years of work. With a trembling hand, I opened the first box. There it was! My shiny, new CD! It seemed like I was experiencing a miracle from God right before my eyes. I couldn’t get over it! Was it actually here? Was I really holding it? It just didn’t seem real as I fought back tears of joy and gratitude. God was so unbelievably good to me! It took me a few days to get over that exhilarating moment! But I knew that I had to get back to earth as soon as possible–and return to my usual practice routine. I had less than three weeks til the CD release date and there was so much to do. April 25th finally dawned and I remember spending most of the day warming up. As I tuned the last string, I remember thinking, “This is the day I’ve been praying for for so long. I just can’t believe it’s finally arrived! Thank you, Lord, for answering my prayers!” Once again, I felt overwhelmed at God’s kindness and love. There was no way I could fight back the tears. I’ve made it a practice to be intentional about remembering moments and days in my walk with God. When I pause to remember, I can clearly see a gracious Father that ordered my every step. He had a perfect plan in place. He was not taken by surprise about anything. All the blessings of this life come from His hand. His grace is undeserved. His mercy unending. His love...
by marian | Apr 7, 2016 | Blog
The Pensacola Christian College spotlight reminded me that being in the spotlight is what I do. People know that I get in front of an audience. I perform. That’s basically it in a nutshell. There’s however an important spiritual component to being a Christian musician that’s deeper than this update story and my CD. It goes beyond the lessons I was blessed to learn at PCC. It’s not some secret to being successful that I learned during a lesson. Rather, it’s something that I’ve learned very slowly over the past twenty years since graduating. I’ve learned that in order to have a fruitful life as a Christian, I have to make an effort to have a daily quiet place and time. I have to be serious about cultivating the basic disciplines of prayer, reading God’s word, and being a part of Bible-believing church. While there are more, these are the three bare essentials. If I let one of them go, I begin to see tell-tale signs that my spiritual health is faltering. I need to maintain a close walk with God or I’m not ready for the spotlight. Of course, I can go through the motions, but my performance will lack that power that only the Holy Spirit can grant. I need that power–and I desperately crave it all the time. I’ve learned the hard way that I can’t survive on a diet of Christian “lite” snacks–a quick prayer, a verse on-the-go, and a church service here and there whenever I sort of feel like it. I desire a full and rich relationship with my Lord and Savior. It’s...
