SPLENDEUR Magazine was created by founder, Lydia Summer, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic during the summer of 2020. After having lost her job due to the ramifications of the crisis, Lydia dreamed and prayed to the Lord for clarity in the next steps and how to use the talents and gifts He gave her to glorify Him. With a love for writing and encouraging women in the faith, the Lord placed on her heart to start a Christian women's magazine with the intent to share testimonies of women in every career field in how they use their talents to glorify God, in order for other women to feel empowered to do the same in their field of work.
SPLENDEUR is named after the splendor of the wildflowers in Luke 12:27. The flowers of the field do not labor or spin and they are able to grow in the splendor that God created them to be. Should Solomon not have worried, labored, or spun to achieve his goals, he would have been dressed in even grander splendor than the wildflowers. This is God's desire for His children. He has given unique spiritual gifts and talents to every one of His children, and SPLENDEUR desires to equip women of the faith to go out in the world and feel empowered to follow the dreams that the Lord has placed on their hearts, without striving to reach them or worrying about what tomorrow will bring.
The mission of every believer is to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). SPLENDEUR staff believes that disciples can be made in every medium and field of work, as long as we believe that we are empowered to do so in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that we are equipped to use our talents and gifts to glorify God and bring others to know Him to further advance His kingdom.
Lydia Summer grew up in a military family traveling around the world for most of her childhood years before her family settled down in Peoria, Illinois. With the desire to travel and get away from the cold, Lydia moved to San Antonio, Texas, where she received her Bachelor's degree in Music Education at Trinity University.
After college, Lydia spent a few years working in the opera field as part of the artistic administration team, then, feeling called by the Lord to leave work, she spent a few months as a missionary in the Philippines, and most recently, finished her time off with a Christian ballet company, based in Chicago, as their Marketing Director. Lydia believes that each step she has taken has been a part of the path that God created for her to found SPLENDEUR Magazine. Through her work and life experience, Lydia saw that the Lord delights in seeing His children use the talents that He's given them to glorify Him. Whether a person serves as a missionary in another country, starts a new business, works in trade, or works a 9-5 desk job, Lydia believes that we are all called—men and women alike—to glorify God through their gifts and make disciples in their field.
Lydia currently finds herself living again in Peoria, Illinois, where she serves as the Editor-in-Chief. She hopes that SPLENDEUR will be a source of encouragement for women that will help them know who God made them to be, empower them to use their gifts to glorify God, and equip them to make disciples in their field, all without worry or strife.
