Christian Singers Open Up About Motherhood | Black Christianity Before the Civil War: CT Direct

[Also: The CT Science Writing Contest | 6 Markers of Welcoming Churches] Also: The CT Science Writing Contest | 6 Markers of Welcoming Churches | [View online]( [Christianity Today Direct Newsletter]( Monday, February 13, 2017 WOMEN [Making Music and Babies: Christian Singers Open Up About Motherhood]( For artists like Kari Jobe and Audrey Assad, family comes first, but that doesn't mean their careers go away. Kate Shellnutt What happens when you're in the middle of living the dream... and another dream comes along? Jaci Velasquez had spent over half her life recording and performing Christian music by the time she gave birth to her first son a decade ago. "I remember thinking to myself, How can I ever go back? How can I ever make music again?" said Velasquez... [continue reading >>]( CT Pastors [6 Markers of Especially Welcoming Churches]( Insights from a church secret shopper. Greg Atkinson Christian History [Black Christianity Before the Civil War: Did You Know?]( Spiritual memories of slave—in their own words. Science [Announcing the CT Science Writing Contest]( Join with all nature in manifold witness. Christian History [Baptist Power]( How the largest African-American denomination in the world got its start. Carolyn McCulley Pivot [Jesus Didn't Wake Up this Morning Depressed By the Size of Your Church]( Mondays can be tough for pastors of struggling churches. But Christ is with you. And he has good news. by Karl Vaters The Exchange [How to Welcome New Neighbors and Invite Them to Church at the Same Time]( Invite new neighbors to church! Ed Stetzer News [Why Tim Keller, Max Lucado, and Hundreds of Evangelical Leaders Oppose Trump's Refugee Ban]( Regardless of court fight's final outcome, fewer persecuted Christians will make it to America under president's plan. Jeremy Weber Quick to Listen [What Will God Do with Betsy DeVos?]( Education expert Andrea Ramirez on what the appointment means for the public school system and the church. Christian History [The Holiness Movement's 'Washerwoman Evangelist']( Meet Amanda Berry Smith, an AME preacher, singer, missionary, and orphans' home founder. Chris Armstrong Women [Farewell to TV's Most Powerful Single Ladies]( What primetime pioneers Mary Tyler Moore and Lena Dunham teach us about culture-making and Christian influence. Laura Kenna Gleanings [Meet the Pastor Who Challenged Africa's Oldest Dictator with Surprising Success]( #ThisFlag protest leader Evan Mawarire is back home—and was back in jail until yesterday. Ann Thompson Gleanings [Why It Took 5 Years to Give Away This Free Christian College Campus]( Once intended for C. S. Lewis College, former property of D. L. Moody will now host evangelist's museum and Catholic school. Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra The Exchange [Toward a National Renewal of Evangelism through the Local Church in Our Day]( Americans are far more open to the gospel than you may imagine Dr. Rick Richardson News [Who Awaits the Messiah Most? Muslims]( Islam and Christianity share Second Coming hopes. Can this be a bridge? Jayson Casper in Cairo Follow Us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Google+]( [RSS]( [Subscribe to this newsletter]( IN THE MAGAZINE [Current Issue]( [Luther's Return to a Gospel of Grace Is Still Relevant 500 Years Later]( [Reading the Reformation in 2017]( [Pro-Life's Reformation Ripples]( [View Full Issue]( [Subscribe Now]( MORE FROM Christianity Today Speaking Out [Under DeVos, the Real School Choice Christians Face]( The future of public education will depend on the church. Andrea Reyes Ramirez Entertainment ['The Young Pope' Takes an Anxious Look at the Danger of Doubt]( HBO's unsettling Vatican satire asks what happens when spiritual leaders shirk their own faith. Wade Bearden Gleanings [Southern Baptists Back Away from Backing Mosques]( Trustee scuffle over 'unholy alliance' leads IMB to leave ERLC's side on religious freedom fights. Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra [Trump's Religious Freedom Order Won't Help the Baker, Florist, and Photographer]( Federal protections will only go so far in the complicated tussle between faith and LGBT rights. Kate Shellnutt Women [Making Married Sex Mutual]( Pervasive ideologies distort our view of female sexuality. God's Word shows us a better way. Dorothy Littell Greco Spirited Life [When God Fights Idolatry with Unconventional Weapons]( A better way to read the bizarre story of Elisha and the bears. Andrew Wilson Related CT Newsletters [CT Entertainment]( Reviews and perspectives on movies, TV, and music. [Sign Up Now]( [The Galli Report]( Weekly must-reads from the editor of CT. 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