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"I believe God can use ordinary people to personally spread His love around the world (as Rosalind Rinker said, "One person telling another person where he found bread." We can present our personal faith in Christ around the world with a modern technology never available to the Early Church in Bible times. What a tremendous opportunity to reach our world for Christ! Christianity is alive and well on the Internet--just ask me--do I have a story for you!!"

Peggie C. Bohanon

Monday, December 2, 2002

GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD (WIDE WEB!)

By Peggie C. Bohanon
Webmaster and Creator of Peggie's Place:
www.peggiesplace.com 
Special to ASSIST News Service

SPRINGFIELD, MO  (ANS) -- Me? A missionary? You must be kidding! I'm a busy wife and mother. "Mom's Taxi Service" is in constant demand at our home, in addition to laundry, meals--you name it! I know the world is a mission field and I must do my part, but how? (Pictured: Peggie at work).

I've found a wonderful way! For you see, I send my professor husband off to Evangel University (www.evangel.org), our youngest son off to high school for the day, (the oldest, I hope, is out of bed and in graduate school where he is supposed to be!), and THEN, I head for the "mission field," via a Macintosh computer in my home office. In a few minutes, I am surfing the world via the World Wide Web.

Now before I "surf the world," and begin my work day, I check my email--for who knows what today's mail will bring? To my delight, letters arrive from Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Africa, New Zealand, Scotland, Yugoslavia, around the USA and Canada--from people I have never met, both Christians and non-Christians. One of my favorite new friends is a pastor from Mauritius, who, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and prompted by the Holy Spirit, sent me a word of encouragement--just when I needed it!

If this boggles your mind, be assured it boggles mine! For you see, a few years ago, I did not even know how to turn on a computer. Prompted by an inner "nudge" from the Lord, I took two computer classes at Evangel College (now University), enabling me to better serve in my calling as a Christian writer. As a lowly freshman, very intimidated middle-aged "mom," I proudly aced the courses, got a computer and began my journey into the amazing world of technology.

A year later, I decided to check out this strange "Internet" I had heard so much about. At first, it appeared to be a mass of confusion, an overload of technical jargon, and an impossibility to learn. But gradually, I gained confidence and soon was "surfing the world." I discovered Christian networks and resource organizations--and people everywhere!

But it was still "just fun" - I wasn't a missionary by any means. Then, slowly I began meeting people, developing friendships with other Christians. Mysteriously, I discovered a dream building within me. A home page for my family--now wouldn't that be neat--but impossible! I would have to learn HTML coding and a "million" other technical things--why, I could NEVER do it! But God--who loves to surprise us with unexpected blessings--helped in an amazing way!

After a short "learning curve," I had a home page on WWW. What excitement! The simple page soon became a virtual small "home" on the Web. Today you can visit "Peggie's Place!" (www.peggiesplace.com) and tour my massive, 12-room "mansion"--The Son Room, Fun Room, The Family Room, The School Room and more. Each room has varied resources for the Christian family. Devotions, holiday pages, teen and kid pages, creative writing, resource links all make up a fun Web site "you'll never see in a day"--a maze of rooms, hallways, corners--and even a broom closet! People come daily from around the world--174 countries and territories have visited; since November 1995, the counter has recorded over 5 million page views--and is climbing! Statistics show 75,000 to 100,000 page views a month, sometimes more, much to my delight.

What are the most popular pages? Holiday pages bring in people by multiplied thousands--especially "A Top Ten Christmas at Peggie's Place (www.peggiesplace.com/Christmas.htm) and "Twas the Night Before Easter" (www.peggiesplace.com/easter.htm). (One interesting sidelight on the Easter page was its being featured for Easter holiday weekend one year on AT&T's WorldNet home page, right alongside features of Jack Benny, Al Capone, and the dinosaur fossils! They reviewed it as a "clever rewrite of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas." To this Christian's heart, it was far more--God was using this "communications giant" to proclaim His gospel message to His world. How thrilling to stand back and watch God sovereignly move in His own unique way.

Currently, over 500 original devotionals exist on the Web in a novel "devotional buffet" (http://www.peggiesplace.com/buffet.htm) with new devotionals periodically added to the "dessert bar" - many articles dealing with contemporary issues. Daily and weekly devotionals --(Daily Bible Booster:  www.peggiesplace.com/booster.htm  - and Words from the Well -  www.peggiesplace.com/words.htm  - are two very popular features--they are my "pulpit"--and being a pastor's daughter, three-point sermons come easy--with God's help, of course! My writing style is personal and conversational, with a generous sprinkling of humor, and addresses common life issues from a Christian perspective. (Stress is one of my favorite topics--can you guess why!) And, of course, with a passionate love of chocolate, I had to develop a fun page, "The Chocolate Shop," (www.peggiesplace.com/chocolate.htm) with lots of chocolate links, humor and would you believe, chocolate-related devotionals! Another popular page is "Tickles 'n Truth," daily humor and inspirational articles gleaned from the Web (www.peggiesplace.com/tnt.htm).

The tragedy of 9/11 brought with it additional opportunity to minister. A series of "tragedy" pages (http://www.peggiesplace.com/tragedy.htm) including "Tower of Strength," a twice-weekly devotional (http://www.peggiesplace.com/tower.htm) was born to bring comfort and peace to persons trying to deal with this terrible crisis; it remains on the Web to continue its mission of help to troubled people in difficult situations.

A weekly newsletter, "Fun 'n Faith at Peggie's Place," (www.peggiesplace.com/fnfnewsletter.htm) now has 7300 subscribers--and climbing! I'm a busy/dizzy lady, but having more fun and fulfillment in ministry than I've known in my entire life.

A Christian community exists on the Internet unlike the normal denominational divisions in the "real" world. There is great friendship, fun, and sharing of mutual faith, and I've developed wonderful friendships with Christian believers. Some have become close friends and visited my "real" home! But best of all, incredible ministry is taking place, by God's grace, as "Peggie's Place" soars in Christian service across cyberspace, 24 hours a day around the world.

I've shared God's love with many needy persons--Christian and non-Christian. One gal attempting suicide found my chat room, Christians led her to the Lord--and she is alive and serving the Lord today. Another gal, a self-proclaimed atheist, "stumbled" into my room at random and I was able to tell her of God's love. A young man in Holland, struggling to live for Christ, communicated his questions and problems--across an ocean--and I was able to assure him of God's love and help for his need. A young man from a Hindu family, a new Christian, communicates--and as he moves around the world to continue a doctoral program--what fun and inspiration he has become. The stories go on and on! My files are full of testimonies from people blessed and touched at Peggie's Place.

God has opened incredible doors to share the amazing story of Peggie's Place--Focus on the Family, Moody Broadcasting Network, Christian Computing Magazine, the secular press, an Assemblies of God women's leadership conference, the Internet Evangelism Conference, Gospel Communication Network conferences, an Evangelical Press Association conference and more. It is exciting to watch Him open doors of ministry both on the Web and through the media and ministry conferences throughout the United States.

God has been gracious, doing far more than my wildest dreams or imaginations--it's "amazing grace" for sure! I had no idea, when beginning a simple home page, what He had planned for my life--and for the world. The fun of "surfing the NET" has evolved into the joy of "friendship evangelism"--reaching and touching people, with the love of God. My spirit soars in praise to the Lord Who has opened an unbelievable "window of opportunity" as I sit in my own home office and "go into all the world." Me? A missionary? You'd better believe it--to God be the glory!

Copyright 2002 by Peggie C. Bohanon, Springfield, Missouri, USA. All rights reserved. 
O;-) smiling cybersaint!

Peggie's Place: www.peggiesplace.com/
"The most fun Christian home on the Web!"
Visit the Rooms: www.peggiesplace.com/rooms.htm
Dine at the Devo Buffet: www.peggiesplace.com/buffet.htm
Gospelcom.net ministry team: www.gospelcom.net
Editor/IFC newsletter: www.gospelcom.net/ifc/newsletter.shtml
(Peggie Bohanon is a Christian homemaker, editor and writer, residing in Springfield, Missouri, with her husband, Dr. Joseph Bohanon, organic chemistry professor at Evangel University. They have two young-adult sons. Peggie is also executive editor of the Internet for Christians newsletter (www.gospelcom.net/ifc/newsletter.shtml), sponsored by Gospel Communications Network, Muskegon, Michigan, and a children's writer for Global University, Springfield, Missouri.)

Peggie C. Bohanon
1853 E. Wheatridge
Springfield, MO 65803
Telephone: (417) 833-4717

Email: pbohanon@peggiesplace.com

This is an updated article, written and first published by Woman's Touch magazine: www.ag.org/womanstouch/archive/2000_03-04/archpeggiesplace.cfm

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