Despite all of God’s nudges, I never issued that invitation.

I'll always wonder if I could've prevented a suicide: If only I'd responded to God's nudge, could things have ended differently?

A stay-at-home mom of young daughters at the time, I was cozily ensconced in my neighborhood network of mom-friends with whom I met regularly for coffee or backyard chitchat. So I wasn't on the lookout for more friends in my life; it already was filled to overflowing.

Our home faced the side yard of a house where Dan, the man my husband and I referred to as Speedo Guy, lived. We didn't really know Dan; we'd only chatted briefly a few times while he was out mowing his grass (dressed in - you guessed it - a skimpy Speedo). I'd never met his wife.

I didn't realize how unforgiveness had me ensnared.

I'm a sucker for summer-movie hype, so I went to see Spider-Man 3 on its opening night. I don't want to give away too much of the movie's plot, but I found a prominent theme in the film is the importance of forgiveness. As my friend Jennie and I left the theater, I commented that even though the ending was messy - just like forgiveness is in real life - it felt satisfying.

Forgiveness has been on my mind a lot lately. I guess it's because I recently encountered a former friend I hadn't seen since we parted ways three years ago. The emotional fall-out left me hurt and confused by her painful words and manipulative behavior. As a Christian, I knew hanging on to my anger was poisonous, so I forgave her.

Or so I thought.

Why Dan Rather got me "hotter than a Times Square Rolex."

Last week I almost drove off the road.

It wasn't because of a tire blowout, or the distraction of a cell-phone call, or juggling the steering wheel with my extra-large Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

No, it was because something I heard on the car radio riled me up. A report stated that former CBS news anchor Dan Rather (who retired last year with something of a cloud over his journalistic reputation) had unloaded on Katie Couric, the first solo female anchor to break the glass ceiling of the big boys' broadcast club. Rather had opined on MSNBC that CBS's ratings were sinking basically because hiring Katie signaled an effort to "bring the Today Show ethos to the Evening News, and to dumb it down, tart it up in hopes of attracting a younger audience."

Excuse me?

As Ruth Graham passes, we recall and celebrate her faithful legacy.

She was a remarkable Christian woman. The daughter of missionaries. A preacher’s wife (make that the preacher’s wife). The mother of prodigals. The author or coauthor of 14 books. A guest of national leaders. A recipient with her husband, Billy, of a Congressional Gold Medal. A woman of outspoken humility and unshakable faith.

Ruth Bell Graham died at her home in North Carolina yesterday, surrounded by her husband of 63 years and their five children. She was 87.

Recently I spent my Saturday night sitting in the bleachers of a parks and recreation building on the outskirts of Chicago, rooting for Hoosier Mama and Georgia O'Grief. It was a roller-derby match-up between the Windy City Rollers and Seattle's Grave Danger. In other words, a bunch of tough women sporting helmets and knee pads, flying elbows and fishnet stockings, creative names and impressive bruises.

Not my typical Saturday night.

Welcome to our first TCW Editors' Blog post! Each week I hope you'll enjoy reading what's on the hearts and minds of the women behind Today's Christian Woman magazine: Camerin Courtney, our managing editor; Elizabeth Diffin, our editorial coordinator; and me, Jane Struck, the editor. As we reveal behind-the-scenes life lessons and reactions to current cultural and world events, we hope you'll chime in with your thoughts, experiences, and opinions. The more we converse with each other, the more we'll build that wonderful connection between us, Christian women who desire to grow in loving God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:25-28) and in engaging our world for Christ.

While the other magazine editors and I blog about our steps (and missteps!) in this walk of faith each Monday, our second blog, Walk With Me, will contain fresh posts every Thursday. Hosted by articulate authors Nancy Kennedy, Patty Kirk, Carla Barnhill, and Holly Robaina, Walk With Me promises to be a great source of encouragement in our faith journey together, and to provide you with thought-provoking insights to ponder. We hope this blog begins an invaluable dialog between you and these women as well.