Woman in the Spotlight: Lora Roz

February/March 2010

This months woman in the spotlight is a Wife, Missionary, Author, and Professional Christian Web Designer who believes the Worldwide Web can be used as a tool to reach others for Christ. Her name is Lora Rozkowski, she and her husband Gary have a serious passion for outreach. Their mission is not only to get the word of God out via the internet but also to those who are underground and yearning for the truth in other countries where it might not be protocol to own a Bible and have access to the living Word of God. For some time now I have been trying to have a one on one interview with Mrs. Roz to share her story with you all her testimony, and praise God I am now able to do so. Read, Be Encouraged, and Enjoy!


W2W: Lora, I love your motto, "reaching our world for Jesus Christ on WWW, What inspired you to begin web designing?

Lora: Sherri, I was inspired to begin web design by just trying it out on some free-servers about 11 years ago. I seemed to have a knack for it and continued to learn how to develop websites. Creating websites made me realize that the Web was an avenue to assimilate information to thousands of people all at the same time. It was a way to outreach the message of the "Good News" of Jesus Christ to all the world.


W2W: Tell us a little bit about your two Christian Businesses.

Lora: Roz designz-- After learning and experimenting with web design I realized early on that Christian ministries, businesses and churches needed to get their message out into Cyberspace and I could help by being their vision enhancer. I am completely self-taught and learned web designz through mistakes, sweat and much prayer. Roz desiginz is a platform to be a Barnabas (encourager) to others to reach towards their destiny in Christ. http://rozdesignz.com

The Emerald Empire--My husband and I sell hand-selected Colombian emeralds as a part-time business. The LORD has just recently expanded our market into Hong Kong and we are thankful that God has opened this door for us. We had been praying for some time on what direction to take with the business and the LORD answered us. Our emerald business began over 15 years ago when we went on a missions trip to Bogota' Colombia to help with an orphanage there. We befriended a native Colombian that worked for the Embassy in Bogota' and spoke excellent English. He came to visit us in the states a year later while on his trip with the Gideon's to Miami Florida. He brought some emeralds with him and asked us if we ever sold them, and so The Emerald Empire was birthed. Here is our website for more information. http://theemeraldempire.com

W2W: It inspires me to see others with a heart that truly loves the Lord and live their life showing it. Lora please share with us your testimony of faith.
Lora: I grew up in Detroit Michigan's metropolitan area and lived there until I graduated High School in 1976.
My parents were devout Lutheran's at that time in my life and we (2 brothers and 1 sister) grew up with Christian values, teaching, and a stability I would soon realize in times of trouble I would cling to. I became very restless and eventually quite rebellious and left home to find out what life had to offer. I fell into the lifestyle of "sex, drugs and rock n' roll" which was a pit not easy to get out of. During times of my deepest anguish and loneliness I knew God was there. He comforted me with my own voice singing songs like `Somewhere Over the Rainbow', a kind word from a stranger, or even one time a Christian handed me a very small bible with just a knock at the door. Let me encourage you that whatever you are going through or where ever you have been God is there. EMMANUEL

I eventually came back to my parents home and found them born-again and speaking about Jesus Christ and their personal relationship with Him. My Me & Sapphire Mother recently told me that she was praying that her prodigal daughter would soon return home. The Lord spoke to her, and said "Put a place setting at the dinner table, I am bringing your daughter home." I thank God for a praying Mother and was soon restored to my family. Shortly after my return I met my husband Gary. We married within a year of our first meeting. We were wed in a Spirit-filled church although, we were not yet born-again and we still did not know about God's plan for our lives. Gary and I lived quite the party lifestyle for a few years after our wedding in 1981. Eventually we decided together that we needed to make a go at a better life for ourselves and moved to the Tampa Bay area in Florida.

I had felt the tugging of the Spirit of God on my heart for a couple of years and became filled with the Holy Spirit in 1988. I began reading the Bible in a whole new light. It was like a light had been turned on and the eyes of my understanding were now enlightened. There were allot of events that took place after my receiving the Spirit but...Like I had said the pit was difficult to get out of and we soon fell back to our old habits but...SUDDENLY THINGS CHANGED...Gary was busted with drug possession and had his (our) whole future pass before our eyes. He has his own testimony of how God brought him out of a life of no hope! Now life was about to change radically for both of us. One day in December of 1990 Gary asked me, "Lora would you like to make a New Year's resolution and go to church?" My heart leaped inside and I said, "YES, it's something I have wanted to do for a very long time"! Gary accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his heart within a few weeks and we gave our lives totally to Him that year of 1991. We have been radically saved and on fire for Jesus Christ ever since. I can see how God allowed those things to happen in my life just the way they did for a reason, to reach out to others that are hurting and going through similar circumstances and need Jesus.

W2W: In November 2009 you went on a missions trip to China, tell us about it.

Lora: Right now in 2010 as Americans we have an open door/window to smuggle Bibles into Communist China without any harsh penalties. (just a small fine and the Bibles returned upon exit) The underground Church is in desperate need of Bibles. There is something like 25,000 coming to Christ annually in China and to avoid the oppression of the government run Church they go underground to worship Jesus Christ freely. Families, teens, seniors are all welcome to join us on our next trip to Hong Kong/China this coming fall of 2010. The kingdom of God is growing rapidly in China and as a young Church they are in need of teachers as well as Bibles. We covet your prayers. Here is our website for CHINA: http://china.rozshome.com


W2W: Time passes so quickly, we are already into the second month of our new year. What are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2010?

Lora: God continues to challenge me to step into new things in 2010. I truly believe for all of us as Christians that God is calling us into a deeper intimate walk with Him. I pray that the LORD will use my life to inspire others to step out into the deep and trust the LORD with every step. My question of the LORD right now is: a song by Misty Edwards off her new album (1 One thing) and the words that run through my spirit are...How far will you let me go? How abandoned will you let me be? That is my goal for 2010 to jump off the cliff and know God is there to catch me!


W2W: What scriptures inspire you most in the bible and why?
Song of Solomon-- 3:16 - to know Him

Psalm 27:4 - to see beauty

Ezkiel. 16:1-14 - we are free from our past

Psalm 63 - we must be true worshipers

Jeremiah 29:11-14 - God has a plan, no need to worry

Jeremiah. 1:4-10 - called to speak the oracles of God

Colossians. 1:13-14 - the Blood of Jesus adopts us into the kingdom


W2W: Would you offer a few words of encouragement to other women in ministry.
Lora: Beloved, stay the course that God has for your life. Do not be in a rush because all things come in His timing, just be diligent and never give up. He is faithful. God has a plan and purpose for your life, you were called. Surround yourself with people that celebrate, help and encourage you to walk in your destiny. ENJOY the journey!


W2W: In closing, how can we your sisters be in prayer for you during the New Year?
A. revival fires to ignite in our community and the Tampa Bay area.

B. hearts burdened for the China mission field.

C. strength to move into unfamiliar territory (spiritually).

D. protection and undetection as Sigi & David move into Muslim territory to reach the lost.

E. Personally-- for direction on the Flag ministry that is in my heart.


W2W thanks Lora Rozkowski for sharing with us what God has been and continues to do in her life. If you are interested in any services Lora can provide for you contact her through her website at...Roz Designz

Words: They have the power to build or destroy...How do you use yours?

How do you use yours? Do you build up others with your speech or cut them down? Do you guard your tongue or could you care less whose feelings you hurt in the process of getting your point across. We need to be careful we aren't using our tongues to destroy the spirit of another. It's not always what you say, it's how you say it that makes all the difference in getting your point across effectively without bruising the spirit of another. Words can hurt and its sad many people fail to realize this. The Bible speaks in detail on how we should treat one another and that we should guard our tongues. Hurt feelings can cause one to want to act in a fleshly manner to get back at another, to make them feel the same pain that they have made us feel in their choice of words and the tone they use in expressing something us. I see more relationships break up because people do not know how to communicate or express themselves to another in the way in which God says we should speak. I find many people do not guard their tongues, they speak first and think last, but once you have said something to a person wrong its hard for them to forget and you surely cant take it back once you said it. The only thing you can do if your heart leads you to is apologize. Some apologize later because they feel remorseful for the damage they have caused with their tongues but many don't because they don't feel they have done anything wrong/ and or dont realize that they have been offensive, even worse some know and flat out could just care less. However, on the flip side of our inflicted pain we must find it in our heart to forgive them. Yes it can be hard especially if you have been publicly humiliated but no matter how difficult it may seem to do so we must because its what God says and wants us to do always remembering the He said we should be not just hearers of the word but DOERS.

The Bible says....Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you....Ephesians 4:32

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man....Colossians 4:6

Are you a burden bearer?

No matter how strong you think you may be, none of us are exempt to burn out, having are strength and emotions zapped to the point where you feel almost completely taped out.
Thank God from the strength that comes from the Lord. The Lord wants us to be there for one another and love one another. In his word he said we are to bear one another’s burdens and pray for each other. It is during burdenful times that we need one another more than ever. If you can be an ear, or a warrior of prayer on their behalf, I encourage you to do so. Your unselfish act of compassion can mean the world of difference in the life of that individual in need at the very moment of their near mental or physical breakdown. What you say or do through Christ Jesus can feed their spirits and give them the hope and encouragement that brings them spiritual revival.

Blessings, Sherri

God Loves You!

Social Media in Business

Social media is a wonderful way to market your business. It’s a great way to be yourself, learn from others, and meet new people. When you network you are there to help others. You learn about their business and what they offer and you refer others to them. When others network properly, they will do the same for you and your business. Referrals are great for business and they make you feel wonderful. When you refer people to the ones you’ve networked with, they will feel good about the relationship and will more than likely refer people to you.

There are so many social media groups you can join. One thing you don’t want to do is join too many. Joining too many groups can lead to stress. It can also defeat the purpose because you won’t have time to network properly. Joining a half dozen or so groups is about all you want. You want to be active so others remember who you are and what you do. That is crucial in growing your business through this type of marketing.

Here are a few of my favorite social media sites and what they are all about.

• Twitter

Twitter reminds me of Instant Messenger. The messages are posted immediately and you can direct messages to certain people. You can follow people so you can read and respond to their messages. You can also direct message people so the messages are sent directly to them and nobody else can read them.


Twitter is a great way to network with others and make friends. It’s also a great way to find clients or customers. You can ask for help and show others what you are doing. I love to brag about my boys on Twitter as well.

• Facebook

Facebook is a great social media place. It’s also very addictive. You can join groups that are of interest to you. You can visit the sites of your friends and sign their wall. It’s also a great place to network. You have the ability to post information about you, your business, and many other things. You can also find your friends on Facebook and stay in contact with them.

• Squidoo

Squidoo lenses are easy to create and great to share with others. You can create a lens on any topic you want and share it with others. To network with Squidoo, you can do a search for lenses that belong to your target market. Once you find them, you can sign the guestbooks that are attached to them. You can also mark them as your favorites and keep an eye on them and comment when they make changes.

You use Squidoo the same way as other social media sites. You build a trust and relationship with other lens creators and they will in turn build the same trust with you.

Social media is great for business and building networking relationships. Networking on the sites above is easy to do and it can be a lot of fun. Not only will you meet great people, you will also learn things and gain more traffic.

Check out more articles from Corrie's Corner at Woman2Woman Lounge.