A few weeks ago, my online writing group was discussing mission statements. I didn’t have anything to contribute because … I don’t really know what my mission is. I just like to write, and when I write I feel like I’m pleasing God. That’s it.

One of the mentors in our group impressed on us to pray about every aspect of our writing, and ask God to show us how to best spend our time this year. So I began to pray, “God, please show me what you want me to write. Please show me what you want me to read.”

As soon as I prayed that prayer, things began to fall away for me. I felt less excited about certain writing assignments and more excited about others. Seek Me and You Will Find Me. This is the phrase I’ve been impressed with since the start of the year.

I don’t feel like a parenting expert or a writing expert or even a “Christian Living” expert. But these are the areas I love sharing about. And in the past week two invitations have come to write as a parenting columnist. Thank you, Lord. This seems to be what I’m called to do this year.

As I’ve prayed about reading material, certain books have jumped off my stack of TO READ books, making my heart beat faster when I open the first page.

One of those books had a pretty green cover with a picture of a Chinese woman drinking tea. The cover intrigued me, and so I began to read Across the China Sky by C. Hope Flinchbaugh.

Wow.

I am NOT the same person since finishing that book! My heart weeps for the persecuted church of China — and I had no idea God would use the connecting point of my interest in orphaned children to captivate me with Flinchbaugh’s story.

When I finished the book, I wanted to know more. It was based on a true story involving the kidnapping and torture of a group of Chinese pastors. The author went to China and interviewed some of these people, and her writing reflects a depth of passion and knowledge that is unlike anything I’ve ever read.

I wrote the publisher (Bethany House) to see if I could ask the author some questions about the book, and Flinchbaugh graciously responded. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a Christian in modern-day China, come back tomorrow and you’ll learn why we must PRAY for our brothers and sisters in China.