Listen Now
I didn’t even realize this was our fifteenth anniversary until a friend brought it to my attention. I was just busy doing the next thing and the next thing.
Maybe that’s the secret to having a God-dream come to pass. Do the next thing in front of you, and then the next, and the next, and the next. Sometimes there are really exciting days, though most days are pretty ordinary with a number of hard days peppered throughout.
I am often asked why I started Reach UP magazine. There’s a short answer, a long answer, and a God-reason.
Short answer: Fairness. There was no magazine just for women who are battling challenging life-situations and have limited income. It wasn’t fair.
Long answer: I don’t have enough room here to tell you how it all came about. If you’re interested, my story is told at reachupmag.org/about-2/founder
God-reason: I felt God put it in my spirit to do. At first, it was an exciting thought. The name Reach UP came almost instantly. We all need to “reach UP” to do most anything. For me, reaching up was a way of life. I am always asking God things like, “Help me,” “Show me how,” “Guide me,” or “What is the best timing for this?”
Yet the more research I did on developing a magazine, the less I felt able to do it. For three years I backed away. I even remember praying, “God, You’d better tell someone else to do this because it needs to be done!” I think He smiled (or rolled his eyes)—and He didn’t give up on me.
One September morning while I was exercising, I suddenly knew how to start. God was downloading a plan, and I leaned in hard for His help. I called a few friends, and we went to work. The first issue was published on my birthday, December 6, 2007. I couldn’t have been more thrilled.
Since then, His plan with His wisdom has unfolded. God has brought around dozens and dozens of people to write, advise, edit, and produce. It’s a beautiful thing to see. But more than that, and this is the most important thing: God had YOU in mind. Reach UP is about YOU and the Almighty, All-knowing God who loves you more than you can imagine. This magazine is one of the ways God is using to help you, to encourage you, to give you a smile, and so much more.
My love to you, and a hug from God,
Crystal Wacker Knapp
Founder
