Philip Yancey | Faith Words

At least once in our lives, most of us are likely to wonder if our faith really matters—or we even ask, “What good is God?” Best-selling author Philip Yancey is no exception. To answer the question, he visited 10 places where devastating circumstances should have erased all traces of faith—but didn’t. From Mumbai, India, and its poverty to Virginia Tech after the massacre on April 16, 2007, to a conference attended by reformed prostitutes, Yancey saw proof that faith really does matter even when it’s put to the test. 

You probably never thought you could help rebuild the earthquake-torn nation of Haiti by purchasing hot sauce. 

Think again.

Churches and other nonprofit organizations are helping to improve Haiti’s economy by purchasing a Haitian-grown pepper sauce called Haiti Is Hot! The Haitian-American-owned company Bel Soley sells the sauce to churches and organizations that commit to using some of the resale profits to aid Haitian families in need.

The “flavorful” approach to economic development is having the greatest impact among Haitian farmers who grow the peppers. 

“Rural Haitian families have the opportunity to participate in an export market, and American groups can support that indigenous effort,” says Jean-Patrick Lucien, co-founder of Bel Soley. 

The company promises the sauce will add a unique flavor to fish, meat, vegetable dishes and more, while also improving the lives of struggling Haitians.

“The future of Haiti depends upon creating economic progress that generates returns for both local Haitian businesses and local poor families,” says Knox Singleton, president of the nonprofit Community Coalition for Haiti. 

“Standards of living for all Haitians truly will be built one pepper at a time.”

Group 1 Crew | Fervent Records

The award-winning trio Group 1 Crew return with more of their urban, hip-hop grooves. Their third album, Outta Space Love, includes tracks from their summer EP, Spacebound. Already a mainstream staple, the band feels called to write songs for the general market. That doesn’t mean they’re changing their message; they’re simply packaging it so people can receive it more easily. 

Ricky Skaggs | Skaggs Family Records

What do you get when you mix mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar and violin and mix them with percussion, a hammered dulcimer, a string section, bagpipes, a bouzouki, electric guitar, keyboards, slide guitar and more? That would be Ricky Skaggs’ new inspirational album, appropriately titled Mosaic. The 14-time Grammy winner offers a collection of 14 songs that speak of his faith through “music that is in my head and in my heart,” the artist says.

This month’s bible study  |  Read Ephesians 6:10-20

As Christians, we need to select our clothes from God’s wardrobe

In the conclusion of his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul wrote: “A final word: Be strong in the Lord. … Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” (Eph. 6:10-11, NLT). How often do you feel “strong in the Lord”? Many Christians more frequently feel “small and puny” or “frail and afraid.” 

The good thing is, Paul wasn’t telling the Ephesian believers (or us) that through self-effort we could just be strong—he wasn’t saying, “Just do it!” as the Nike commercial says. He goes on in verses 13-18 to explain that being strong in the Lord requires getting suited up for battle. Spiritually speaking, he compares it to dressing like the professional soldiers in his day.

First, he says, we are to put on is the “belt of truth.” Both truth and integrity must encircle every part of our lives as Christians. When humanism says that all truth is relative, God says, “I am truth” (John 14:6), and He never changes (see Heb. 13:8).

Second, we are to put on the “breastplate of righteousness.” We need God’s righteousness (being in right relationship with Him) covering and protecting our hearts. It is by Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross that we can accept God’s righteousness. 

Third, we are to cover our feet with a readiness to go and preach the gospel. Have you ever tried to walk on gravel in your bare feet? It hurts! You don’t want to move—it’s easier just to stand still. That’s why Paul urges us to cover our feet—so we can be ready to go with the gospel. Are you ready to proclaim the good news anytime, anywhere?

Next, we are to take up the “shield of faith.” Romans 10:17 says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (NKJV). Paul’s instruction to “take up the shield of faith” (NLT) points us to the Word of God. You must fill your life with His promises. 

To protect our minds, we are to put on the “helmet of salvation.” Are your thoughts protected? The Fire Bible: Global Study Edition note for verse 13 says, “Being renewed in our minds (Rom. 12:2) and confident in our relationship with God will protect us in battle.” You can do this by focusing on God’s good things (see Phil. 4:8) and not on the corrupting influences of the world around you. 

The next piece of God’s armor is the “sword of the Spirit,” or God’s Word. It’s imperative that we hide God’s Word in our hearts (see Ps. 119:11), for it’s not only a shield of faith but also a weapon for thwarting the enemy when he comes to put doubts in our hearts.

Finally, Paul tells us to “pray in the Spirit” on all occasions. Turning again to the Fire Bible: Global Study Edition, we read, “Prayer is not to be viewed as just another spiritual weapon but as part of the actual conflict itself,” and “Failure to pray diligently with all kinds of prayer in all situations is to surrender to the enemy.”

We must be like warriors who prepare and train for the battle they know they will face. This month, make your battle plan, ready your armor and draw close to God. In Him we are strong.

For 27 years Michael W. Smith has shared his music with the world. Yet the CCM legend calls his 22nd album, Wonder, his most personal to date. He talked to Charisma the project, what he’s learned over the years and what life is like as a grandfather.

What was the inspiration for Wonder? 

Michael W. Smith: I think all these songs are about what I’ve been going through just living life. Everything from “Save Me From Myself”—obviously I wake up every day and say: “Gosh, I’m a mess, God. I need You. Save me from myself”—to “Take My Breath Away.” There are some tough songs. “I’ll Wait for You” is about how life is hard, but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and mount up with wings as eagles. That’s one of my favorites. “Leave” is another one. No one wants to write about abuse, but it needs to be discussed and talked about. I couldn’t be happier with the record. It’s been a great journey.

How is this album different? 

Smith: Sonically I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. We cut everything to tape which gives the big warmness, the fatness, whether it’s the bass, vocals or drums. It’s really completely different than recording digital. I wrote 75 songs. How do you narrow it down to 12? That’s always a difficult endeavor, but I think we picked the best 12.

What do you hope listeners get from this album? 

Smith: If people have a chance to hear the record and let it wash over them, I think this record can bring healing. Times are tough, and I personally believe it’s a record for our time.

You’re a granddad now. A whole new feeling?

Smith: It’s awesome. I’m a kid at heart. I’m kind of crazy in a good way and I don’t feel old enough to be a grandfather, but I actually am, and we’re having a blast. Life is so good. 

You’ve been doing this music thing for a few years. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give a just-starting-out Michael W. Smith? 

Smith: I would say just be who you are. Don’t buy into what’s going on in the world musically. There are a lot of people who want to be Bono. There are a lot of people who want to be Coldplay or TobyMac. We already have a TobyMac. We already have a Bono. The advice I would give is be original, don’t try so hard, be yourself.

How has your perspective changed? 

Smith: I’ve learned that it’s not about me. You figure out that all this stuff that you think can bring you happiness doesn’t last. You can sell 2 million records, and if that’s all you care about and you want to be a star, then 2 million’s not enough; then you have to sell 5 million and then you have to sell 10 million. You finally realize it’s just all sort of pointless. Real peace only comes from the one who made it all. 

What is God showing you right now?

Smith: The big thing is just “Be still and know that I am God.” It’s hard because I have so many things in the fire, but there’s a way to do that. All of us have to fight for the time. We have to actually put it on the calendar that we’re going to turn our cell phones off and just be quiet. And I find that every time I do that, I get energized. It’s so valuable.

Tragedy made Heather Williams’ faith take a dramatic turn—for the better

When people hear that Heather Williams leads worship with her husband, Tim, it could be easy to assume that she has lived an idyllic life. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Williams grew up going to church with her mother and stepfather, but the family was broken. She experienced complete abuse and oppression and wanted nothing to do with God.

When she was 11, Williams went to live with her grandfather, a loving man but not the strictest of disciplinarians, she says. She did whatever she wanted and eventually her life spiraled out of control. 

As an 18-year-old, Williams reconnected with her birth father and started going to church with him. One day, she heard for the first time that God accepted her just as she was. He loved her. 

“I gave my life to Christ at that point. I accepted His forgiveness and I accepted the grace that He gave to me,” she explains. “But I wasn’t actively giving it away to anybody else.”

Everything changed on Dec. 30, 2002, the day the Williamses’ 6-month-old son, Caedmen, died unexpectedly. 

“I know that’s when my relationship with Christ really began because up to that point it was just this shell of Christianity, playing the part if you will, loving God, knowing who He is, accepting that His Son had died for me—but that was about it. 

“My life was all actions and words that were trying to prove something, not trying to live out what God wanted me to do, [which was to] reach people for Him, to forgive people who had wronged me and to be [an example of] Christ.”

God showed up in that tragic moment, and from that day forward, Williams hasn’t looked back. Now she’s also expressing her faith through her own music. 

“My heart’s desire is to have God take music that He inspired in me and touch other people’s lives,” she says.

But for Williams, this musical journey isn’t about being just another Christian artist: “I’m not seeking fame. I’m not seeking glitz and glamour. I’m seeking God.

“If you strip everything away my core message and what I want to stand for and have people say would be: ‘Look what God did in her life, and not only can He do it in her life, He can do it in mine because God is just that big and He loves me that much.’”

Chef Brett Swayn believes that teaching the homeless to cook can save their lives. 

Swayn says this was his experience after his marriage collapsed and his music career fell apart, causing him to live four months in a homeless shelter before he found work. He later emerged from his despair and learned a new trade in culinary arts. 

“I remember looking on some people with true pity,” says Swayn, worship leader at the Hope Center (Foursquare) near Nashville, Tenn. “When I [became] homeless myself, I went from pity to compassion. With compassion I knew what people felt, what they were afraid of, and how they looked at other people.”

Thanks to a connection he made at the shelter, Swayn later became a chef at an upscale restaurant. There he learned the culinary talents that will fuel Lambscroft, an outreach to the homeless he hopes to open later this year in a building owned by Belmont University.

The ministry has affiliations with several churches and nearly a dozen volunteers. It raised $25,000 through a charity banquet earlier this year and is working to raise another $25,000.

Swayn plans to open a small café that he envisions growing into a full-service restaurant, affording opportunities to teach job and life skills. Most importantly, Swayn wants the homeless to gain a new identity.

“They don’t believe in the Jesus [the church] often presents, but they believe in love,” he says. “They want to see it.” 

Say it Again

“When Jesus was on Earth He said: ‘Guys, I’m leaving. I’m putting you in charge. … Feed the hungry.’ It’s not a suggestion. If Jesus walked into Denver, where would He go? Who would He hang out with? He would come to Sox Place. He would go where the hurting people are.”

—Assemblies of God minister Doyle Robinson, who founded “Sox Place” in downtown Denver to provide shelter, meals, computer access and socks to the city’s large homeless youth population