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Archive for May, 2013

{Lessons Learned} Your Faith Requires Action

Posted on: May 31st, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

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I’m seeing that the Christian life is NOT a life of passivity but a life of choices empowered by the Holy Spirit. – My prayer journal, May 13, 2010 The Christian life is not one marked by passivity, but instead, it requires that we step out in faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to do whatever it is Jesus calls us to. Following Jesus means that we get off the couch and do something. [tweet that] When I first became a Christian, (only about a year before I was called on my crazy journey with Anthony) I was under the impression that Christianity should be characterized more by a “let go and let God” theology than one that requires action. But, when Jesus called me to love and forgive the very man who murdered my dad, this paradigm was shattered. I was presented with commands. Forgive. Love your enemy. How…

{Lessons Learned} An Intentional Life

Posted on: May 28th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

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Let all that you do be done in love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14 All that we do should be motivated by the love of God. As you may have noticed, I’ve been hung-up on this topic lately. Many of my most recent posts have had this theme, or a variation of it, threaded throughout them. But this has been a mega-theme of my life recently. Honestly, I have to confess. I think I’ve been missing the mark on this one for quite some time now, but God’s giving me grace, and He’s renewing the love I had at first, which I am unbelievably grateful for. It All Begins With Love As I’ve mentioned time and time again, my journey with Anthony began with God’s whisper, showing me my need to forgive. But then He told me I needed to love my enemy. You see, it all began with love. All the craziness that happened, all the tears,…

Choosing to See

Posted on: May 24th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

And truth was this: we can choose to see and focus on the good in life and in the people around us, or we can choose to see and focus only on the bad.

Abraham Lincoln, one of my all-time heroes, once said, “If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.” And I do believe Lincoln was right. After all, we do live in a fallen world. Yet, I also believe the opposite is true. If you look for the good in others, I think you’ll find it as well. While it is true that we are sinners in need of grace, it is also true that we are image bearers of God (Genesis 1:27). We were created in His likeness and image, which means that we’re a reflection (though only a dim reflection) of who God is and of His character. Though it’s unpopular to say in some Christian circles, mankind is not completely bad. I grew up watching the movie Pollyanna. It’s a Disney movie about a young orphaned girl who is taken in by her wealthy aunt. Before their…

The Influence of a Thought

Posted on: May 21st, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. – Philippians 4:8 I’m a “thinker,” by nature. I think and analyze constantly. I’ve always been this way. And over the years I’ve learned that this trait can serve as one of my best assets or it can work against me proving to be one of my greatest weaknesses, which is why Jesus spoke Philippians 4:8 over me very early in my walk with Him. Honestly, when Jesus found me, I was a mess. My thought patterns were extremely toxic, and because of this, I learned quickly the power our thought life has upon us. The Influence of a Thought Follow me for a moment. First, you have a thought. That thought impacts what you feel…

{Lessons Learned} Healing the Broken Places

Posted on: May 16th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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I didn’t want to go digging around my past, but I knew I needed to. I knew some residual effects of my dad’s murder had to still be there. As I walked through some of the most difficult times in the weeks, months, and years following the murder, I remember thinking I sure hope this doesn’t screw me up. My dad wasn’t married at the time of his death which meant that my brother, sister, and I were legally responsible for picking up the pieces when he died. Our extended family helped quite a bit––as much as they could, really, which I am so thankful for––but there was only so much they could do. My mom, however, was the backbone that held us all together, and I will forever be grateful to her for that. She played an integral part in the process of helping us wade through all the mess. (Thank you,…

{Lessons Learned} Be Gracious or Forgiveness Flows Out of a Changed Heart – Part 2

Posted on: May 13th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

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Early on in my walk with God, I was told that the Bible says that we’re sinners. Logically then, I thought, this would infer that I sin. It was a novel concept to me. Really, it was. Up to this point, I never really thought about sin, and I certainly never thought I was a sinner or that I needed anything, let alone the help of a supposed God that could very well be the figment of someone’s imagination. Truly, I was blind to the ways of God. One day, after attending church for several weeks, however, I prayed. God, I said feeling a bit foolish, if I have any sins, show me. And boy did He deliver! I went from self-loving and self-idolizing (even though I was in a very bad place at the time) to self-loathing in no time at all. Once stripped of all deception, I began to see…

{Lessons Learned} Forgiveness Flows Out of a Changed Heart – Part 1

Posted on: May 9th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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Forgiveness––true Biblical forgiveness––requires that we have encountered and experienced the risen God. [Tweet that] It requires a changed heart. Truly, prior to forgiving one another, we need to understand and receive the forgiveness of God. For, we cannot give something we have yet to receive, and we cannot receive apart from understanding. [Tweet that] As I’m sure you know, the term Gospel––which refers to the work of Christ––literally means “good news.” I’ve heard many pastors say that in order for there to be good news something bad would have to be true. And until we understand the bad news, we cannot fully grasp how good the good news is. [Tweet that] This is why we all must come to understand who we are apart from Jesus. We need to understand just how sinful we are so that the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf––and consequently, the forgiveness He made possible––can be understood…

Romans 8:28 Rings True

Posted on: May 6th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

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Last Thursday began like most days. Toward the end of my quiet time with Jesus, my girls came into my bedroom in all their morning cuteness, blurry-eyed and hair a fright. We cuddled together for a moment before beginning our morning routine of showering, dressing, and the like. My girls usually finish getting ready before I do, so they ran downstairs, busying themselves with coloring and drawing in the kitchen. Moments later, however, I heard Avery, my younger daughter, yell, “Mom, Ella poked me with a pencil!” To which Ella replied, “But it wasn’t very hard!” Really?!? I thought. It was all going so well. Turns out, Ella intentionally “poked” or stabbed (to be more exact) Avery with a pencil. Not okay in my book. But after disciplining Ella, we had a serious talk about hurting others. Ella is seven. Up to this point, we have taught her about Jesus, we’ve talked…

Love Comes First

Posted on: May 2nd, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 10 Comments

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I received a letter from Anthony (the man who murdered my dad) a couple weeks ago. In it, he said, “I also know you feel as I do, if only one person read [our testimony] and came to Jesus because of it, because of our pain, tears, repentance, and forgiveness, all of it was worth it.” Anthony is right. And He got me thinking. If our story saves one––only one––I do believe my efforts to share what God has done is all worth it. Yet, I also believe Jesus called me to share this story with many. In fact, I believe I’m called to write a book about it. What It Takes to Publish Today When writing a book, you hear a lot about the need to build a “platform” or establish a “tribe” of followers who engage with you both on your blog and on social media (Twitter, Facebook,…