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An Exciting New
Co-Authored Resource!

Are you looking for a way to enhance your daily devotions? Whether you’re an established Christian or new in your faith, Quicken Devotional Bible Reading Program offers fresh, biblically-based insights into God’s Word.

For example: Do you know which miracle, outside the Resurrection, is the only one noted in each of the four Gospels? Have you read Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians, Corinthians, and others as they fit into the timeline established in Acts?

Join Lori Wagner and Kara McCoy as they lead you in a six-month, chronological journey through the New Testament. You will go beyond religious history into theological insights and practical applications derived from the authors’ complementary ministerial and educational backgrounds.

Each entry includes a reading from the New Testament, a selection from Psalms or Proverbs, a brief devotional, and space for your personal reflections. Daily “spark” questions encourage deeper contemplation and discussion, and an appendix provides supplementary information on selected topics.

To make your reading program more dynamic, find someone to share it with. Who knows where your journey will take you! 

Spiral bound
218 pages

$14.95

[Click Here] for ordering information.

Honored to Present

Lori recently was honored to be selected to present an academic paper at the Society for Pentecostal Studies meeting at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado.  
 
[Click Here] to read the paper, "Examining the Soteriological Implications of Acts 19:1–20 Through a Narrative Critical Lens."

A Fresh New Look

In concert with the new year and the updated website, Affirming Faith is pleased to present its new ministry logo. You are invited to check out the updates and resources available at www.affirmingfaith.org. 

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For information on scheduling Lori Wagner to speak at your church or event, email: loriwagner@affirmingfaith.com

Dear friend,

   It's a new year, and with every transition comes opportunity. I hope you will join me in committing afresh to making the most of the time God has given us--seeking His face, receiving His grace gifts, growing in knowledge and experience, and extending ourselves to others.

   The Lord has given me a word for the year. While I didn't expect this type of word, I know it is right. Breathe! [Read more] Not only have I embraced this annual focus, but I'm happy to say that “breathe” has much more meaning than just inhaling and exhaling! This type of breathing aligns us with God’s will. We relax into it even as we passionately pursue being and doing all God has planted in the soil of our souls.

 

GREAT CONCEPT, BUT HOW DOES THAT
LOOK IN REAL LIFE? 


   First, we must abide. Sit with Jesus. Practice His presence. In sweet communion with the Lord, we breathe in the atmosphere of Heaven and it infuses us with vibrant faith, hope, and love. As we study the Living Word, we intentionally commit ourselves to God’s superior wisdom and invite the Lord to inform, reform, and transform our thinking and behavior. There is a type of “knowing” that comes exclusively from our personal encounters with God from which we gain perception through participation, greater stability, and depth unattainable through studies alone.   
 

Every worthwhile endeavor
begins with a relationship with God.


   In addition to spiritual connectivity, the Lord imparted three directives for this year (which I believe are applicable to His church as well):

  • Fine-tune
  • Hone
  • Unite

   Taking on these powerful charges will increase our personal growth as well as our ministry (and we are all ministers, see 2 Cor 5:11–21). The process of fine-tuning involves adjusting our routines and habits. We declutter, reorganize, scale back, add things in, and cut things off even if only for a season with the goal of clarifying where we should invest our time and energy to maximize our effectiveness. Honing requires repeated contact with a “sharpening stone" (see Prov 27:17, Deut 32:4). Through an abrasive process, instruments (you and I) are smoothed, refined, and perfectly finished to accomplish targeted actions, tasks, or functions. In order to unite, our hearts must align with God and each other. In itself, the word implies the joining of different groups or individuals. We know this was Christ's prayer for His church. He knows we are different, and he also knows the power of agreement. 
 

Power flows where unity prevails. 
 

   Coming full circle now, we see that abiding means coming into oneness with God--and that peaceful union should result in oneness with His people. Scripture tells us God’s thoughts are continually upon us and about us (see Ps 115:12). In response, we purposely direct our thoughts to include Him--that we might know Him so well we are able to anticipate His desires. I want to know God better. First, because He is worthy and wonderful. Second, because "flowing" comes from "knowing." Our world needs God's Spirit to flow, so we must endeavor to gain and maintain unity with the Spirit and unity in the Spirit   

   Thank you for sharing a few moments of your day. My prayer for you in 2023 is that you would find pleasure in your God-ordained purpose and that you would live with joy in the "house" of the Lord.

Rev. Lori Wagner, MTS
Traveling Minister, Author, Teacher
Affirming Faith Founding Director

"Let every activity of your lives and every word that comes from your lips be
drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One" (Col 3:17, TPT).
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Copyright © 2023 Affirming Faith, All rights reserved.


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