Malinda Fugate on Let’s Chat
Welcome, everyone!
Malinda Fugate grew up in children’s ministry. After two decades of dedicated volunteer service, she now serves full-time as the Children’s Education Director at a church in Southern California. Malinda studied communications and theatre at Azusa Pacific University, then worked behind the scenes at the Los Angeles Salem radio stations, including The Fish and KKLA.
Her writing includes The Other Three Sixteens, Bible Time for Active Kids, commercial copywriting, various faith-based stage and screen plays, as well as co-producing A Single Girl’s Guide To, a lifestyle blog and web series. Her lifelong study of God’s Word continues to reveal more about the Lord every day. She lives by the beach with her pup, Yoshi.
I‘m eager to hear from Malinda. How about you?
Malinda Fugate in her own words.
It all began in children’s ministry.
Memorizing John 3:16 is almost a rite of passage for a kid in church. And for good reason- the words in that single verse speak deep truths about God’s love and salvation. Once the words were committed to memory, a lifetime of learning what they meant helped them sink deep into my mind and my heart. I graduated from children’s ministry and grew through the ranks of each age group… until, as an adult, I found myself as the children’s ministry director of a local church. Life had brought me full circle, now teaching a new generation the beautiful words from the third chapter and sixteenth verse of John.
But a funny thing happened as I turned the pages of the Bible during my own study.
Every time I encountered a 3:16 in other chapters, the words would jump off the page. I know this was simply due to the familiarity of the John scripture, but the similar chapter and verse assignment caused me to pay a little bit of extra attention. My curiosity led me to seek out and examine all of the other 3:16s! Then the Lord inspired another question: If everything in God’s Word points back to His love (because God IS love), then could there be a common thread in these 3:16 verses?
And so my quest began, and the more I read, the more delighted I was by the treasures in scripture. It seemed too good to keep to myself, and so the book, “The Other Three Sixteens,” was born. While keeping each verse within its context, God revealed attributes of His character, which overflowed with His love. Then, the realization of what it means to be loved by God transformed my perspective. Understanding the details about how He cares for us enriches our relationship with Him. Meanwhile, when we learn to love the way Christ loves, our entire lives are changed. A journey sparked by curiosity became a milestone on my journey of faith. And my prayer is that the Lord will bring others along on this rewarding, remarkable, and refreshing adventure as well.
The Other 3:16s by Malinda Fugate
“For God so loved the world . . . “
Many of us could finish that sentence in our sleep. John 3:16 is a beautiful Scripture that neatly and simply sums up the message of the Gospel. But what do all the other 3:16s in the Bible have to tell us?
The words of the Bible weave a tapestry of love, particularly the love that our Heavenly Father has for His children. But a love so deep and so wide cannot be contained in one memorized phrase. It takes multiple authors of sixty-six individual books to begin to explore the mystery of God’s care for us.
The Other Three Sixteens by Malinda Fugate examines each third chapter and sixteenth verse in the Bible and invites a fresh, new perspective to help readers uncover surprises or remind them of forgotten truths of a faith that has become routine.
Through Genesis to Revelation, we can soak in its depth, wonder at its intricacies, and be moved at how much the Lord truly does lavish upon us. Together, we discover God’s love under the weight of Eve’s sin in the garden. It’s there in front of Moses, burning in a bush that is somehow not consumed. God’s love sits in the dark with Job, rebuilds a wall with Nehemiah, and encourages a young pastor named Timothy.
Together we will find a deeper understanding of the way our Heavenly Father cares for each of us today.
Malinda Fugate Links
Website: www.malindafugate.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Other-Three-Sixteens-Malinda-Fugate/dp/1935507141
Christianbook.com: https://www.christianbook.com/the-other-three-sixteens/9781935507147/pd/507140?event=ESRCG
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-other-three-sixteens-malinda-fugate/1136921910?ean=9781935507147
Social Media:
www.twitter.com/malthestar
www.instagram.com/malthewriter
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Dear Lord, please bless each word Malinda writes for you.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~
It sounds like a Great book! Thank you for sharing about it and thank you for sharing your thoughts. Have a Great week and stay safe.
Great to see you in the circle, Alicia. Thanks for the encouragement!