Anger | Laurie Coombs

Archive for the ‘Anger’ Category

The Keys to Biblical Forgiveness

Posted on: June 17th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

My dad was murdered when I was twenty years old. It was a deliberate senseless act committed by a man whose selfish desires had left him blind. This man had taken my dad from me––stolen what was rightfully mine––and quite honestly, I hated him for that. Forgiveness was one of the first things God spoke over my life when I came to Christ nine years later, and though I was receptive to His leading, I was a bit confused. You see, I thought I had already forgiven that man. I honestly didn’t think about him very much at that point, and when I did think about him, I didn’t feel the hatred I had felt before. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t like him one bit, but if he came to mind, I was able to keep my feelings in check. Still, I figured if God was calling…

A Sneak Peak of My New Book, Letters from My Father’s Murderer (releasing June 27th!)

Posted on: June 1st, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

One of the most frequent questions I have been asked over the last couple years is, “When does your book come out?” Over and over, I have given the same answer: “June 2015.” Quite honestly, June 2015 seemed like it might never get here, but with time flying by as it has a habit of doing, June 2015 has most certainly arrived. Can you believe it? You probably can, but I can’t! It’s hard to believe I’m nearing the end of this three-plus-year writing journey. Letters from My Father’s Murderer: A Journey of Forgiveness will officially be released on June 27th!!! (Though if you pre-ordered the book on Amazon, you may get it earlier, but you didn’t hear that from me!) To celebrate the month of my book’s release, I’m giving you (my readers) a sneak peak of the book today, one that’s not included in the official excerpt provided by my publisher, found here. I do…

A Letter to the Brokenhearted this Christmas

Posted on: December 17th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments

To the brokenhearted – I know you’re lonely. I know that your heart has shattered into what feels like a thousand pieces. And I too know that you’re probably wondering if the pain you feel right now will ever go away. I know this because I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to have someone ripped from your life, one terrible moment. I know how hard it is to believe they’re gone. I remember wondering if I was ever going to feel normal again––wondering how long it would take to heal. But now that I’m on the other side and many years have passed between then and now, I’d like to whisper some truth to your broken heart this Christmas, if you’ll let me. I know you may not see Him right now, but God is with you. I didn’t see Him at the time, but looking back, I now know that God was…

I Am Not a Victim

Posted on: November 17th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

The following is a repost of one of my most popular posts that I’ve edited and revised a bit. I believe it contains important truths for each of us to consider. What I’d like you to take away from this article more than anything else is this: we are not victims. “Victim” is not our identity. We may have been on the receiving end of evil, but that evil does not change our identity. Far too many people carrying the heavy label of victim around on their shoulders. Far too many of us are crushed beneath the weight of this false identity. It’s time to free ourselves. I never intended to be a victim. Shortly after my dad was murdered, my family and I were referred to the victim services department at the courthouse. It was the first time we were called victims, but I honestly didn’t consider myself to be…

A Story of Hope

Posted on: October 23rd, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

My family and I attend a church here in Reno called Life Church. It’s an amazing church full of people sold out for Jesus. And I love that! Our pastors have been teaching a series on hope, using the recently release book The Hope Quotient by Ray Johnston. Shortly before the series began, my pastor and I had spoken to one another about bringing my story to our church. And after a while, he asked if I’d be willing to film a short video to be used during this series to illustrate the truth that hope can be found on the other side of tragedy. To show that God does, in fact, work all things for good for those who know and love Him. I’m sharing that video here with you today, and I pray God uses it as He intends to bring greater perspective and hope and light to those who need it. Laurie…

Loving Your Enemies {A sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.}

Posted on: September 19th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs

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I don’t usually share sermons on my blog, but I came across a sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that’s pertinent to each of us. This may not be something you’re dealing with at the moment, but I guarantee, at some point in your life, you will be called to love your enemy, and so I encourage you to read the excerpts of his sermon below. It’s well worth the read. Loving Your Enemies A sermon delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama on November 17, 1957. …So I want to turn your attention to this subject: “Loving Your Enemies.” It’s so basic to me because it is a part of my basic philosophical and theological orientation—the whole idea of love, the whole philosophy of love. In the fifth chapter of the gospel as recorded by Saint Matthew, we read these…

Is Your Truth God’s Truth?

Posted on: September 8th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

A sea of tissues––crumpled up and used––littered the ground around me. Hours had passed since I had first sat down with that blue binder, praying for God to allow me to see, and it seemed my prayers were beginning to be answered. More than nine years had passed since Dad was murdered, but in all those years, I had never once read through the contents of the binder in its entirety, let alone in one sitting. But now, I needed to. God had called me to forgive the man who murdered my dad. I had just received my first letter from him that afternoon, which I certainly did not welcome. But after having read the letter––after having cried out to God for what seemed like hours––it occurred to me, for the first time, that perhaps my truth was not God’s truth. And in that moment, all I knew came into…

{Guest Post} Loving Your Enemies as Yourself

Posted on: July 2nd, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

Loving Your Enemies as Yourself Written by Sophia Reed I cannot tell you how many times I have been deemed weird or seen as too forgiving because of my Christian ways. The natural, human thing to do when others do you wrong is for you to come right back at them and treat them the same way they treated you. I am not ashamed to admit that this is how I use to be. If you had something to say that I perceived as mean, I would fire back at you and bite your head off. I behaved this way even when I was Christian. Now, I am quite the opposite. I have grown. I know how to let things go and forgive, not because I want to, but it is because God wants me to. People who do not know how I used to be perceive this as a…

When Anxiety and Depression Threaten to Pull You Under

Posted on: March 19th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 21 Comments

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It occurred to me the other day that I haven’t written much about anxiety and depression. If you’ve read some of my early posts, you know that I experienced severe anxiety and depression about five years back, which was ultimately what God used to bring me to Christ. Prior to this, I had been able to get through everything on my own, but I couldn’t seem to get myself out of this one. Honestly, I think God needed to present something to me that I had absolutely no control over for me to finally turn to Him. And though I would never want to return to this terrible place, I am thankful that God did what was necessary to bring me to Himself. But it was such a horrible, dark place to be, and I didn’t know any other person who had been through what I was experiencing, which made…

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,…