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Archive for October, 2012

{Fear} Blessed is the Man Whose Trusts is the Lord

Posted on: October 30th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. – Psalm 3:5-6 I trust Jesus. Most of the time. But if I’m going to be honest, there are times when I’m doing everything else but trusting Jesus. Every once in a while I lay awake at night for hours, wondering why I can’t go back to sleep, when a thought hits me. Maybe Jesus woke me. Maybe He has something to say. When this happens, there are the times I simply pray and willingly say, “Speak, my Lord, I’m listening.” Yet, other times, I’m stuck with fear. What if Jesus is going to ask me to do something I don’t want to do? I anxiously ponder. I know I will do whatever He asks of me, yet at times, I fear what that might be. I know…

Freedom Through Grace

Posted on: October 23rd, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

Freedom Comes Through Forgiveness,justification, sin, no justification for sin, murder, kill, healing, following jesus, bible, bitterness, anger, answered prayer, redemption, redeem, obeying god, obedience, obedience to god, loving your enemy, hope, rebuking sin, repent, repentant, repentance, blame shifting, changed heart, scripture, letters to a murderer, our ways, gods ways, our will, god's will, forgiveness set me free, pain, victim, wound, romans 5:8Inspirational forgiveness story, forgiveness story, forgiveness testimony, christian forgiveness, biblical forgiveness, forgiveness, forgive, how do i forgive, how do you forgive, forgiving the unforgivable, freedom, freedom through forgiveness, grace, murder, forgiving murder, peace, jesus, god, christ, christian, grace to forgive,

“He’s doing it again,” I told my friend, Sarah, “listen to this!” I read the letter I received that afternoon from Anthony. “Why won’t he simply say ‘I did it. It was my fault. Period.’” I said. “He’s still trying to justify his actions! He committed murder! He killed my dad! There’s no justification for that!” After talking it though, I sat down and began to type my response, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I wanted to rebuke him. Set him straight. He claimed to be a Christian now. Why isn’t he repentant? Why does he keep blame shifting? I thought. I wrote, words pouring forth like flood waters out of my heart, addressing each of the issues and backing them with scripture. Oh, this is good, I thought, but I knew. This was not the response God wanted. I prayed, as I awaited direction from Jesus. Days passed and…

I Can’t Quit People {Guest Blog}

Posted on: October 19th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

It is my honor, today, to introduce you all to Lee Merrill, and amazing woman of God who lives life to the encouragement of others and to the glory of God. Much wisdom can be gleaned from her guest blog today. Enjoy! I Can’t Quit People By Lee Merrill Sometimes, I feel like I’m two separate people stuck in one me. There’s the one who wants Jesus to be everything. She drinks in God’s presence and truth the way a thoroughbred drinks water after the race of its life. Then, there’s the one who can’t get enough people praise. She strives and strains for “Atta girls” the way a house pet begs for tidbits from the table. I totally get Paul’s lament in Romans because I could have written it myself. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but…

{Red Like Blood} Freedom Through Grace

Posted on: October 18th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

Today, I have the honor to be guest blogging for RedLikeBlood.com. Join me there to read about the moment I was given the grace needed to forgive Anthony in my latest post entitled, Freedom Through Grace. If you’re visiting from RedLikeBlood.com, welcome! I hope you’ll take a moment, read, and stay a while… Red Like Blood is a book written by Joe Coffey and Bob Bevington, two men who have both experienced the amazing power of God’s grace in their lives, as I have. I, for one, will be reading their book. Here’s a little synopsis: …the grace of God is much more than sweet. It is also explosive, pervasive, powerful, relentless, amazing, devastating, raw, and beautiful. Grace is deadly serious stuff. Many of our encounters with grace—the real, true grace by which God changes us one step at a time—are much more like confrontations. These confrontations are jarring. They shake us…

{Love Your Enemy} Overcome Evil With Good

Posted on: October 16th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:17-21 Overcome evil with good. As I prayed about how to apply this scripture, I realized that God calls us to treat every person––regardless of who they are and what they’ve done––with dignity and kindness. This included Anthony, the man who murdered my dad. It became increasingly clear that if I…

{Discerning God’s Will} When Doors Shut.

Posted on: October 12th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

I was reluctant to correspond with Anthony prior to my planned visit, but I found it was necessary in order to work out the details of the visit. We exchanged several letters as we awaited approval from the prison, each letter unearthing feelings I unknowingly buried years before. One day, I received a letter from the warden of the prison. As I opened it, I was sure it would be the approval I had been waiting for. Much to my surprise, however, I read the following: Dear Ms. Coombs: Your visiting application was forwarded to this office for consideration. Due to safety and security conserns for the institution because you are the victim’s daughter, we are not approving visiting privileges for you. Sincerely, {Name Omitted}, Warden I was confused. My application for visitation was denied. Did I hear God wrong? God called me to bring Anthony a bible. I was certain…

The Same Spirit…

Posted on: October 10th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

Why do we feel that we must wait for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit when the Spirit continually resides within every believer? If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. – Romans 8:11 {The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in each and every believer! Live, knowing you are empowered to do that which Jesus calls you to!} Do you ever struggle with not feeling empowered do that which He calls you to? Leave a comment below!

Only a Breath

Posted on: October 9th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

I met a beautiful, godly woman while in North Carolina this summer at the She Speaks Conference named Melanie. She describes herself to be a southern girl, and she’s a sweet one at that. I feel so blessed that our paths crossed. Melanie ministers to women on her blog, Only a Breath, and she has graciously offered to have me guest blog for her today. Join me there today, if you’d like. And if you’re visiting from Only a Breath, welcome! Take a moment, read, and stay a while… Blessings!

Just a Bunch of Dumb Sheep

Posted on: October 5th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

“Really, we’re all just a bunch of dumb sheep,” I told my sister on the phone yesterday. “We’d like to think that we’re smart, that we can figure it all out on our own, but it’s simply not true. Dumb sheep must stay close to their Shepherd!” It doesn’t take long when observing sheep to realize they’re not the brightest of creatures. Because of this, they are vulnerable and need a shepherd to guide and protect them. In the bible, we are likened to sheep, and we are told that Jesus is our Shepherd (John 10). Referring to a shepherd, Jesus says, The sheep hear [the shepherd’s] voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice…. I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down…

Why Obey God?

Posted on: October 2nd, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

It’s my first “vlog” or video blog! I apologize in advance for my awkwardness…. Hopefully, by the grace of God, I will get used to speaking to a videocamera imagining that I’m speaking to YOU! I hope you enjoy! {We obey in response to God’s love. And, of course, God knows best!} So, what do you think? Should I keep doing vlogs?? Leave a comment below!