Media: A lovely little magazine

Media: A lovely little magazine

When my Footprints magazine turns up in the post, it is usually at a time when my little soul is crying out for feeding or I need a little kick in my step that I can't get with stilettos and red lippie. It's a handy, soul-candy little mag for Christian women that's ideal for your handbag, full of stories and poetry and heartfelt words. In short, it's a DELIGHT. And it might make you cry.

Dorothy O'Neill's story of a man named Frank who had polio got me off to a right Kleenex start: during the London Olympics of 1948, he told a crowd gathered at a church, "If I had the chance to be the finest athlete in the world, but be without the friendship of Christ, I would not accept it. I would rather have Jesus." Three days later, at age 31, he died.

'Little Girl Lost', a poem by Felicity Squire speaks straight to the heart: "One day my little girl soul and I will dance together once again." Dorothy Adamek's piece on mistakes (the materials of God's restoration) is a beautiful metaphorical comfort as it hinges on the craft of knitting. 'Married to the minister' gives us cause to think about the unique pressures put upon wives in the church spotlight, "under constant scrutiny" who need genuine, loyal friends just like you and me; and Laney Somerville's Christmas as a first-time mum will resonate with those who've given birth in 2011.

Pat Dillon's 'Neither poverty nor riches' is a timely feature in light of today's Satchelnomics report. She writes of Proverbs 30: 8-9, "...give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonour the name of my God."

Jo-Anne Puggioni's practical and honest story on unplugging from social media (in order to stop striving to keep up with the Jonses) leads in with a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts, of life, are not only not indispensable but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have even lived a more simple and meagre life than the poor."

A guide to fasting for first-timers (as act of humble obedience to God), 'The beauty of truth', The Art of Christian Conversation and tips for marriage ("Believe in your love, in your partner's love for you and in God's love for you both") round out the book. Editor Janet Camilleri and her 15-year-old daughter appear on the summer 2011 cover.

Janet shares of her grief in losing her mother on the 'Dear reader' page, sharing that "Mum passed on her love of reading, books and magazines to us. She never missed an issue of New Idea, Woman's Day, or the Women's Weekly (back when it really was a weekly!) and it was always a race to see who could get to read them first."

No doubt her mother would be proud to know that it's her daughter's magazine that creates the same anticipation in its readers and leaves a lingering sweetness that speaks of the presence of Christ himself. Bless you, Footprints.

Girl With a Satchel