Leilani Haywood
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How I Found Freedom in Prison
In November 2001, I received a verdict that felt like a prison sentence. I discovered that the baby I was carrying had a disability. The geneticist that gave me the diagnosis recommended that I terminate the pregnancy. I didn’t want to have an abortion yet. I was overwhelmed by the fear of the unknown that …
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When God Restores Christian Women Marked by Bad Marriages, Divorce and Crazy Kids
Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson had been married twice with her second marriage that involved police incidents. Melinda Estabrook was a high-profile Christian TV celebrity who announced her divorce on her network. Lorie Hartshorn is a Christian leader who had three children who became ensnared to drugs, alcohol and the partying lifestyle. Thompson, a 700 Club Canada …
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Uh-Oh, My Dad Is on Ashley Madison
As the fallout explodes in our nation with suicides, divorces and broken families in the wake of the massive exposure of men signed up on a web site that facilitates adultery, I’ve often wondered would my dad have been a client if he were alive today? My dad’s philandering was often dismissed by jokes that …
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Onething Live ‘Shout Your Name’ Album Released
“Onething Live: Shout Your Name” is available today from Forerunner Music. Jon Thurlow, the singer/songwriter on the title track and Jaye Thomas who contributed to the project, visited with Charisma’s contributing writer to talk about the project at the International House of Prayer’s Higher Grounds Coffee House in Kansas City. Other worship leaders featured on …
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3 Words I Would Say to My Dad if He Were Alive
My father, Leonardo Aquino Corpus Sr., once wielded a bolo knife—a Filipino style machete used by farmers and warriors in the Philippines. He waved his bolo knife in the dark wee hours of the morning looking for my ghostly tormentor. I was a toddler who tried to climb into bed between him and mom. He …
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The Impossible Happened when I Partnered With the Prophetic
Death, debt and barrenness are impossible situations that create a prison sentence in life. Yet a few moms in the Bible defied their circumstances defined by death, debt and barrenness. These moms show us how we can see the impossible happen in us. In 2 Kings 4:1, a widow whose husband served the prophets, came to Elisha. Her husband’s death removed …
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How My Obedience to God Affects You
We live in a culture saturated with individualism. “Do your own thing” was the cry of a generation and we paid the price with skyrocketing rates of divorce, dysfunctional families and broken homes. We box our relationship with God into an individual spiritual experience. In the Bible, God started His relationship with two people, Adam …
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WATCH: We Need a Different Definition of Sex
The biblical definition of sex brings more depth, joy and beauty than the worldly view of sex.
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When God Deals With Terrorists
I’m horrified at the latest brutal beheadings by ISIS of the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian men. Every day I read reports of children being enslaved, beheaded or imprisoned by terrorists. While I’m appalled at the apathy of the church and Christians in general, I know that there is a long history of how God dealt …
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8 Tips for Christians Using an Online Dating Site
Sharon credits Facebook for connecting her with her husband, Harold Boomer. Jennifer’s romance started with friendly online chats via ICQ, the precursor to AOL’s IM, with her future husband, Ryan Wyse. Both romances began online with a friendship that led to in-person meetings. Chat Leads to Date“I was 15 at the time when I was …
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Camp Equips Next-Gen Worship Leaders for ‘Emerging Sound’
Songwriter Jennie Lee Riddle has won multiple Dove awards for her worship songs, among them “Revelation Song.” But her vision for leading people in worship goes beyond songs, which is why she recently launched the Emerging Sound Camp for creative teens with the goal of raising up a new generation of worship leaders. “The Lord …
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When Your Worship Turns Against You
A river turns to blood. Croaking, hopping frogs inundate a city. Clouds of gnats darken the streets. The blood-soaked river, heaps of frogs and cloud of gnats as told in Exodus 7-8 were a demonstration of Egypts’ gods turning on them. The Egyptians worshipped Hapi, the river god for the water it brought to their …
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Why I’m Not Mad About the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Movie
Christians are in an uproar over the movie Fifty Shades of Grey, which glorifies sexual violence against women. The movie hits theaters on Valentine’s Day and promoters are positioning the story of an abusive boyfriend as a romantic story. I’ve seen plenty of other campaigns launched by Christians against movies. I even picketed against a …
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What You Need to Succeed in Your Job
Diane Paddison is the author of Work, Love, Pray: Practical Wisdom for Young Professional Christian Women (Zondervan). She has held the chief operating officer role in two Fortune 500 commercial real-estate companies—an industry dominated by men. She holds an MBA from Harvard. She is also married and a mom and wishes to share about her journey to …
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How God Set Me Free From Racism
“How are you?” The guy asked loudly and slowly. He didn’t think that I could speak English. Maybe it was because this was a party for International Students in Lexington, Kentucky, and I’m Hawaiian and Filipino. “I’m fine!” I replied at the same volume. He was startled. “I speak English,” I laughed. When I first …