I met Alida online at the beginning of my blogging journey. Back then she and her husband were missionaries in Russia; she is now currently ministering and serving a Belize. She has shared her heart and God's as she wrote about her time in Russia, her children, weddings, births, disappointments, and triumphs all with the central theme of serving God in every aspect of her life. It's a treat to end this year of this series with Alida's thoughts and it is a testament to God's faithfulness. Since I started this series in the Spring of this year, I have met 9 women to date for whom God's Word is their source. I'm sure there are much more out there and in the new year, I will continue to share their insights with you. I hope you are enriched as I have been. Meet this month's Woman of the Word - Alida Sharp.
1. As someone who studies the Bible, what are your favorite tools and resources?
AS: After my actual Bible, I love the YouVersion Bible App on my phone, and the websites BibleGateway.com, and BibleHub.com.
2. Old Testament, New Testament or both?
AS: I’ve spent much of the past two years in Psalms and in the New Testament. So I’d have to say both!
3. Why do you study the Bible? What was your initial motivation?
AS: I began a more serious study of the Bible when we arrived in Belize. My initial motivation was that I wanted to know more about God and enhance my relationship with Him. I study because I love to learn! I study because as a missionary I often get called on to speak at retreats, or do a devotional for chapel at a Christian School, or speak for a women’s group, etc., and I want to have a good understanding of what I’m sharing or teaching so that I can teach and speak from the heart.
4. How does inspiration work for you? How do you know that what you're writing or understanding is as if God is moving the pen and you're just the vehicle?
AS: When I get inspired I usually cannot let it go. Whether it’s a word or a phrase, I ponder it until I start to write. I don’t know if it will take the form of a song or a blog post or a talk that I’m asked to give but it’s always interesting to see what comes out of what I believe I’m hearing God say to me.
5. How do you handle complex topics that may not align with popular views? Can you give an example?
AS: If there is an issue that I’m passionate about I will write about in a way that is not condemning to anyone else but still speaks the truth I’ve found in God’s word. Since I focus on my life, the people I love, and my relationship with Christ, I handle everything as if it’s my personal testimony based on what I’ve learned from God. For example, I wrote about people being overly critical online. And I used an example of someone being critical of me and pondered if I’ve come across as rude to others.
6. When confronted by the truth of scripture, even for difficult topics, how does it re-orient you?
AS: Scripture is what grounds me. When I face the hard topics I have to break things down, chew it over, and meditate on the passages. I love to look at things from different angles. In each of the hard spaces of my life, I’ve had to re-orient myself in Him many times over the years. So that instead of going off-track in a crisis I ultimately end up going deeper and clinging harder to Him.
7. Who is your target audience and what is your overriding message?
AS: My target audience is women who desire to grow closer to the Lord. And I have a special passion for those who are broken and wounded. My overall message is one of hope and healing. My deepest desire is to point others toward Him with my words, songs, actions, and lifestyle.
8. Tell us a little bit about yourself, current projects you are working on and where you can be found.
AS: I’m a missionary in the country of Belize. My husband and I have been married for 35 years. We have two adult children, 1 daughter-in-love, and 1 granddaughter and a second grandchild on the way. We’ve been on the mission field for 12 years. Belize for 7 years and we spent 5 years in Russia prior to coming here. We work for a social justice NGO called the Child Development Foundation. We offer counseling to children, teens, and women who’ve been abused or exploited in some way. I’m also a singer and songwriter and I have a new reggae worship song called ‘Exalt His Name’. And I’ve got a new music video and a devotional ebook to go along with the project all scheduled for release in October. My blog is called Life, Love, and Lordship https://alidasharpministries.blogspot.com/
My music is available on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/alida-sharp/id973716240 and Amazon mp3 https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_srch_drd_B00UHAZX1Y?ie=UTF8&field-keyw ords=Alida%20Sharp&index=digital-music&search-type=s
9. How do you deal with discouragement and doubt? (Bonus question)
AS: I journal, pray, exercise, and meditate on scripture. I sing and praise my way through as much as I can. And I constantly call on others to pray for me as well. If you think of me then please pray for me!
--Nylse
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What an inspiring interview. I love how you still write on touchy subjects but make sure that it's not condemning. I'm learning and praying over this very thing. Thank you for this interview!
ReplyDeleteLoved reading this interview. I could relate to so much of itππ
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