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Archive for November, 2013

Being Thankful for God’s Grace in All Things (Even Our Trials)

Posted on: November 28th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

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There are times I forget to be thankful. Times when circumstances––and all that is simply life––seem to get in the way of being able to clearly see my life for what it is. To see all the beauty found in all the little things. All the big things. And all those in-between. Life is full of blessings. Full of grace. And I must choose to see. To see every bad day as evidence of my need for Jesus and as a chance to draw close to Him. To see interruptions to my daily schedule as a opportunity to abandon myself––and my agenda––for the sake of loving someone else. And to see every hardship and every trial as a blessing in disguise (which is something I know well). We serve a God who redeems. A God who takes what is broken, sinful, and ugly and uses it all for our good. Nothing…

Finding Joy in Thanksgiving

Posted on: November 26th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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There seems to be a direct correlation between the level of joy we experience and our level of thanksgiving. And I’ve come to believe being thankful is something we must deliberately purse. After reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, I came to realize that we must fight for joy through deliberate recognition of God’s grace upon our lives. Ann encourages others to begin to list each and every grace, or gift, seen in our lives and in the world around us. We must list our gifts so we might properly recognize them. You see, we live in a broken, sinful world––there is much darkness to be seen. And it seems the darkness––with all that is wrong in and around us––is sometimes much easier to recognize than the light. But light shines ever-so-brightly upon every one of us. It’s there––always present, but in order to recognize it, we must train our eyes…

Can Jesus Really Redeem Our Losses?

Posted on: November 21st, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

I’ve been finishing my book proposal this week, and it’s almost done, which means it should go out to publishers within the next few weeks! It’s super exciting; I’m just so close, which is why I chose to focus most of my attention on my proposal this week. And it is also why today’s post is a repeat, of sorts. I originally wrote this piece for another blogger as a guest post a while back. Some of you may have seen it, but most probably haven’t, so I hope you enjoy and are blessed by it. I’ll be back with all new posts next week. Thirteen years ago, I sat on top of a houseboat next to my dad watching the sun set behind the towering canyon walls of Lake Powell. Dad half-heartedly joked about how he was getting older, and I was sure to poke fun at his old age. I…

Modern Day Slavery and The Power of One

Posted on: November 19th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

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Did you know there are more slaves in the world today than any other time in world history? [Tweet that] It’s true. There are an estimated 27 million people in bondage across the world today. This industry is extremely lucrative, “representing an estimated $32 billion per year in international trade,” being the third largest criminal industry in the world (Wikipedia). “Men, women, and children are being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will” around the globe. And what’s even more astounding is that many of the victims are children or young girls who are forced into the sex trade and made to service up to twenty men a day. Tragically, the average age of trafficked victims is 12 years old (source, The A21 Campaign). TWELVE YEARS OLD! This could your child! My child! But regardless of whose child this is, this is unacceptable. Something must be done! When I first…

Have You Stopped at Mere Belief in God?

Posted on: November 14th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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And [Jesus] did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. – Matthew 13:58 We serve a mighty God. A God who still performs miracles in this world. But do we believe it? God has been inundating my world with one message, lately––BELIEVE ME! Not believe in Me, but believe Me. What would happen if we were to believe God more? It seems many Christians today––myself, at times, numbered among them––merely believe in God and fail to believe God. And there is quite a difference there. Believing in God means we simply believe God is who He says He is. It’s believing in Jesus, the One sent by God the Father to die for our sins. But is that enough? Possibly. It may be enough to obtain salvation. But maybe not, for we’re told, “Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19). So, maybe it’s not enough. But here’s the thing,…

Love Does Book Winner and Fullfill Magazine Article

Posted on: November 12th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

Love Does Book Winner Today’s the day! Thank you to all who entered to win Bob Goff’s book, Love Does. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your comments on what “love does” means to you! Here are a few. “Honeybee” said, “Love does” means expressing your love for God, yourself and others through action. In these times people are so quick to express love in words on social media, texts and even in person but do nothing to back up those expressions. So true. I completely agree. Paula, said she has wanted to read Love Does ever since one of the teen girls she mentors told her, “You HAVE to read it!” Paula says this girls was “practically jumping out of her seat with joy” when she spoke of the book, and I can certainly relate! “Gracevaga” makes a valid point by saying, Absolutely believe that one of the reasons the…

Three Shootings in Three Weeks – What Can We Do to Make a Difference?

Posted on: November 7th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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On October 21st, a 12 year old boy brought a gun to Sparks Middle School––a school 12.3 miles from my home––and opened fire, killing a teacher and wounding two classmate, before turning the gun on himself. Last Friday, a 23 year old man walked into Los Angeles International Airport and opened fire, killing one TSA worker and injuring three other people before being shot himself and arrested. And on Monday, a 20 year old man walked into a New Jersey mall shooting into the air and at security cameras “causing widespread panic” before committing suicide. That’s three shootings in three weeks. I don’t think it takes much intelligence to recognize we’ve got a problem here––a problem much of America feels helpless to resolve. I am not one to advocate more gun control, I grew up in a hunting family, and I believe Americans have a right to bear arms. Additionally,…

Love Does – Book Review and Giveaway!

Posted on: November 5th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 9 Comments

I just love books, and I’ve decided to share my favorites with you all. Once a month, I will review and giveaway one of my favorite books. I figure it’s a good way to pass along some great titles and give you some insight into what’s influencing me and my thoughts. I hope you enjoy these posts and find these resources to be as inspirational and influential as I did! … This month’s book is quite possibly one of my favorite books I’ve ever read, and it’s author may be one of my favorite people I have never met. It’s true, I have never personally met Bob Goff, author of Love Does, but I just love this man! {I know that may be a bit weird, but it’s true!} Bob has one of those magnetic personalities. He’s the kind of guy we’d all like to spend some time with because you just…