The life of Carol Swain is one of the most inspiring stories I’ve ever heard. Born into a family of 12 children in the backwoods of Virginia, Carol grew up without adequate food, clothing, education, indoor plumbing or running water. Eventually she dropped out of school in the ninth grade, was married at 16, had her first child at 17, and three small children by age 20.
Despite poverty, racism, sexism, and many other factors, she was determined not to let these challenges define her. She writes, “I am a follower of Jesus Christ who believes that faith in Him should be evidenced by a lifestyle that reveals his influence on our lives.” Her conviction, faith in God, and determination transformed the trajectory of her life. While working 40 hours a week, nights, and weekends, she earned her high school equivalency and entered a community college, where she earned the first of five college and university degrees.
Today Dr. Carol Swain is the host of the podcast “Be the People” and an author or editor of nine books. She is a former university professor of political science and law at Princeton and Vanderbilt Universities, and a nationally known political commentator who has appeared on ABC Headline News, CNN, Fox News, BBC Radio and NPR, among other outlets. Her opinion pieces have been published in the New York Times, USA Today, CNN Online, the Epoch Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. You can find out more about her here.
This Sunday we’ll visit a small group of unlikely heroes faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Chapter 28 of “The Story” (Acts 1-10) traces the story of this desperate band and the power that transformed them and the world with the message that Jesus is Alive. Just prior to His ascension, Jesus said, “and you shall be my witnesses”. We’ll see this amazing transformation in the first ten chapters of the book of Acts and what it means for us today.
Next weekend is our Global Outreach Conference. You can find out more here. Saturday morning is a breakfast with our GO partners and a prayer walk that afternoon. Sunday morning and evening we’ll explore the theme, “God is on the Move”, and taste desserts from all over our planet.
Finally, as you read through the book of Acts you’ll see that when people believed the Gospel and followed Christ, they always got baptized. We encourage anyone who has not taken the step of obedience to do so with others on May 8. Contact Marcia if you’d like to be included.
In Christ,
Kurt