Good evening everyone!
There is a friend of mine who I have been praying for and encouraging for years to start a magazine. This friend is gifted in sharing words that are actually worth one's time in a beautiful, engaging, and enjoyable way. And by the grace of God, she finally did!! It is OH so encouraging. Here is what I told Josephine in response to the first issue:
...Aaaah!!! This magazine!!! What a blessing from the Lord!!! This issue was *so* refreshing, inspiring, challenging, encouraging, and convicting!!! Not to mention beautiful, easy to navigate, and a delight! I immediately praised God so much for this... Ah, there is so much I could say!! All glory to Christ. :))
I asked Josephine to share some information about the magazine for you all to get a glimpse into what God is doing through her and "Renewing Your Mind."
Hi Josephine! Can you tell us who you are?
First of all, I am a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, which of course is all encompassing and a divine miracle! I’m thankful for the life God has given me as part of a close knit family, Word-centered church, and small-town community. By God’s grace, I am able to have opportunities each day to invest in others, work at a job I love, do school flexibly, and just do life with my family. These are all huge gifts and I don’t take them for granted! The National Bible Bee was a special part of my high school years — God used that time in His word to ground me in assurance of salvation as a 13 year old, and now He is continuing to use it to ground me in His truth. The Word of God is such a vast territory, and I know that if I hadn’t spent my time studying even the parts that don’t seem as “practical” or inspiring, I wouldn’t have the love for and familiarity with this book that I do today. Praise the Lord for His word that gives us all things necessary for life and godliness. The biggest lesson I took away from Bible Bee is that we don’t need to go searching outside His word for wisdom, advice, or anything else that we need.
{Kina's Note: Josephine was also the 2019 winner of the National Bible Bee competition!}
Tell us the story of how God put a magazine on your heart!
The Lord has put people in my life who have really encouraged me to read and seek out godly books and sermons — ones that open up the whole counsel of God, present the glorious character of our Holy and good Savior, and push me to pursue biblical holiness. Whether it’s been my Grammy sitting me down on her bed and reading from Martyn Lloyd Jones (“Now listen to this description of how God’s truth is much more important than anything you feel right now!”), or parents and older friends from church giving me sermons to listen to in the car, people have been gracious to share deep theological truths and writings that magnify God and His word. And when the Lord gives us rich blessings, it’s ultimately so that we can use them to praise Him and encourage others. The more I read things that expand my view of God and expound the Scripture clearly, the more I want to share them with friends.
Dangerous lies bombard us every day, and unless we have our minds and hearts firmly grounded in the truth of God’s word, our Christian walk will be weakened and our testimony will be tarnished. This is why I wanted to create a small magazine to share older, faithful resources that clearly present the truth. I casually put the idea to my parents, grandparents, and some friends, and got encouragement from them (including from Kina — thank you!). A couple years later, the Lord put the magazine on my heart in a special way as I realized the huge fight I was in to renew my mind according to the Word. I also realized how much I benefited from the writings of those who were serious about their walk with the Lord and who lived out of deep awe and love for Him. That’s how Renewing Your Mind got started. :)
Why a magazine? (As opposed to other forms of outreach)
So many Christians have made good resources, articles, and sermons available to others — through magazines, reprints of older books, or just by handing faithful writings to their friends and saying, “Read this.” I’ve been really strengthened in my walk with the Lord by this — by knowing that what I’m reading has been loved and trusted by other believers and has helped them along the road to heaven. But there are so many good articles and books that just aren’t getting distributed or are hard to find. Through the magazine, I am trying to share these lesser- known writings by breaking them up into readable, applicable articles. I’m hoping that people will be able to read and meditate on these truths, save the articles, and hopefully come back to them later when needed. It can be easy to lose focus in the Christian life or forget that others are pushing towards the same goal and dealing with the same struggles we are. Reading deep, worshipful exhortations from Christians of the past — all while knowing your family in Christ are reading and benefiting from the same truths today — can be a special gift. I’ve been blessed by those who’ve said to me, “Read this, it will strengthen you and give you perspective,” and hope that through this magazine I can do the same for others, even in a small way.
What are key features of each issue?
Each issue is pretty simple. It starts out with a few articles written by godly women of today — older and younger. :) The rest of the magazine includes a collection of articles from faithful Christians who have gone before us. Each issue is centered around a particular theme or topic. The summer issue was on a lifestyle of prayer — seeing it as our lifeblood and life’s work to be in communion with God, pleading for His blessing in His kingdom and in our souls.
What goal do you hope each issue will accomplish, if the Lord wills?
I am praying that people will see beyond these brief articles to the One who makes the truths in them sweet and real. It isn’t so much about the magazine, or even about the articles, but about the fact that the truths presented in them magnify God, make us realize how small we are, and invite us to closer communion with Him and deeper obedience and joy. This is the effect that these writings have had on Christians throughout history, and I believe that God will continue to bless them to our hearts and lives today.
How is your magazine different from other resources?
Renewing Your Mind is mostly focused on older writings. It’s full of faithful expositions of Scripture broken down into small, readable articles. I have been given wider views of God and deeper longings for His presence by these articles, and I pray that He would use them to glorify His name. I’m hoping it will be a way for people to read and meditate on faithful writings that might be harder to find elsewhere, while also being encouraged by articles from faithful women who are serving the Lord today.
How can I subscribe?
Email me at 1john31@zohomail.com. :) Put "subscribe" in the subject line. I’d love to hear from you!
Thank you for sharing, Josephine!
Check out "Renewing Your Mind" here!