BREATH OF FRESH AIR NEWSLETTER - APRIL, 2005 ...


"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to
give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the
hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping
a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your
good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Peter
3:15-16 NIV)

* * *

Hello again dear friends – I hope you've been having a wonderful
spring or autumn (depending on which side of the world you are on).
Down here, I haven't noticed too many trees changing colour or
losing their leaves, but as we're now half way through the season, I
imagine the leaves will be falling very soon. Most days are milder
and it's a lovely time of year – although we have still had a few
very hot ones in there as well. Makes it hard to know what to put on
each morning!

Anyway, as always, there's lots to tell you about this month! But
first of all, you can find out all about our latest family
happenings by visiting my April weblog at:

http://www.breathfreshair.org/blogger.html

As always, you may need to "refresh" or "reload" your page a time or
two to have everything show up. Don't forget to look for Jo's
favorite forward – Psalm 23 for the Workplace. Little reminders like
this are always good when the busyness starts to take over our lives.

Now on to what's new at Breath of Fresh Air and in FaithWriters'
Magazine this month...

TIME TO TAKE A BREATHER ...

Persecution comes in all shapes and forms – but are we willing to
put ourselves in line for even a small dose of it for Jesus? This
month's Breather is based on His words in Matthew 5:11-12a, "Blessed
are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all
kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven..."

http://www.breathfreshair.org/Breather.html


QUOTE OF THE DAY ...

"Jesus Christ did not say, 'Go into the world and tell the world
that it is quite right.'" (C.S. Lewis)


ENABLED FOR LIFE ...

I was given the privilege of sharing the message at church last
Sunday, and from the feedback I received afterwards, it does appear
to have been a word in season for several members of the
congregation. Praise God for every opportunity to be used as His
instrument.

The message, Enabled for Life, is available on CD, so if anyone
would like a copy of it, please let me know and I'll look into ways
of getting that to you - even if as a file via the internet.

Also, I am now available to bring a Breath of Fresh Air to your
church, women's group, retreat or conference. Please don't hesitate
to contact me (debporter@...) to discuss your
requirements.


APRIL ISSUE - FAITHWRITERS' MAGAZINE ...

Once again, we have a contents page in place again, and you can find
it here, even after this issue is archived on the 1st May (oh my ...
that's Kylie's 20th birthday! How hard is that to believe!):

http://www.faithwritersmagazine.com/April05/contents.php

God is whispering to you all the time – are you listening? This
month's Breath of Fresh Air message, "Chiming in ... and Tuning
Out," has already struck a chord with several readers.

http://www.faithwritersmagazine.com/air.php

As always, every department is crammed full and overflowing – and
spring is definitely in the air. Even being down here in Australia,
I've still really enjoyed all the messages of new life in our April
Issue – including the two front page features, "Spring Clean Your
Soul," and "The First Day of the Rest of Her Life." While you're on
the front page, make sure you have a quick read of my letter, for
some of the highlights of what's inside.

http://www.faithwritersmagazine.com

Something you can't miss though is our new department, "As I Imitate
Christ." This department is all about Godly leadership by example. A
lot has been written about leadership over the years, but this
department takes leadership to the heart. The two feature articles
for the month will bless you – I'm sure.

http://www.faithwritersmagazine.com/imitate.php

If you would like to take a browse back through some of the old
issues, you can always find them in our archives at:

http://www.faithwritersmagazine.com/archives.php

There's always more than a month of reading at FaithWriters'
Magazine. I hope you'll enjoy the April Issue as much as we enjoyed
preparing it for you.


PRAYER POINTS ...

This month's prayer points have been updated and the public prayer
requests can be seen at Breath of Fresh Air. As always, you are
invited to join with us in prayer for the needs of these precious
people...

http://www.breathfreshair.org/BreathofFreshPrayer_Points.html

Even if you aren't able to visit the Prayer Page, please take a
moment to join with us in prayer for this young man and his family:

* Please pray for Bea C., the mother of two sons, aged 2 and 5 years
old. Bea has been diagnosed with a brain tumor/mass/growth above her
pituitary gland. The mass has encompassed the optic nerves as well
as the carotid arteries. Let's pray for Bea's complete and
miraculous healing.

If you or a loved one needs prayer, please don't hesitate to share
it with us by visiting the Prayer Request page at Breath of Fresh
Air (see the link/url below) and completing the simple form. As
always, you have the choice as to whether your prayer request is
posted publicly on the Breath of Fresh Prayer webpage, or shared
with the Breath of Fresh Prayer team only.

http://www.breathfreshair.org/BreathofFreshPrayer_Requests.html

If you would like to become a part of the Breath of Fresh Air prayer
team, please let me know by sending an e-mail to
debporter@.... I'll look forward to hearing from you.

"To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our
knees." (Author Unknown)

Well dear friends, that's it for this newsletter. Until next time,
may God fill your homes and your hearts with His wonderful peace,
joy and love and may you take that peace, joy and love and be a
breath of fresh air everywhere you go and to everyone you meet --
for His glory!

Love always,

Deb