Grace | Laurie Coombs

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Are There Physical Benefits to Forgiveness? {Guest Blog By Anthony, My Dad’s Murderer}

Posted on: August 29th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments

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“The door is always open,” I told Anthony. “If you ever feel led to share something on my blog, you’re welcome to.” Recently, he took me up on that offer. But it’s not the first time. Anthony wrote two other posts for me a while back (I Forgive You and A Word From Within the Prison). If you missed either one, be sure to check them out. Today, however, we have the privilege of hearing from Anthony again about the physical benefits he has experienced as a result of the forgiveness he received both from God and myself. … I was forgiven. Now, what was I doing to do with it? The daughter of the man I had shot and killed 12 years previously had forgiven me. We had spent two years writing back and forth, working up to this. So many sleepless nights, days spent staring at letters I didn’t want…

Passionate Faith––Stoking the Fire

Posted on: August 27th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

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With sticks outstretched, we sit around our campfire roasting marshmallows. An old 1960’s green canvas wall tent stands erect nearby. A relic––from my childhood and my dad’s––that’s now become a part of my children’s lives. It’s late, the sun has finally set after another long summer day, yet we cannot allow the children to go to bed before sitting around the campfire, and they certainly don’t object. S’mores supplies stand ready on a nearby table. Two grahams topped with a piece of chocolate wait for the golden, or sometimes charred, mallow to make one of camping’s greatest delicacies. Excitement fills the air, as the children make, and anticipate enjoying, their treat. My husband, Travis, sits close to the round rock pit, stick in hand, poking the fire within. He watches closely, tending to the fire, as we talk and share stories. Laughter echoes through the stillness of the woods. In…

{Lessons Learned} Sometimes You Need to Do It Scared

Posted on: August 15th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 “Follow peace,” I was told. It sounds like good advice. It’s a nice sentiment, and it certainly sounds spiritual. But I’ve learned that, sometimes, peace doesn’t show up until later. Sometimes you need to do it scared. [Tweet that] And boy, was I scared. I had just contacted a murderer––one that had spent close to a decade in prison at that point––and I had anything but peace in my heart. Perhaps he’s really good at conning people, I thought. What if he deceives me? What if I’m led astray? Fears flooded my mind. But I knew what I heard. I knew what God was calling me to do. This was God’s will and Jesus’ direction. I was sure of that. I prayed for a word from God to ease my mind and was given Psalm 23….

Failing Faith and Lost Hope

Posted on: August 9th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 8 Comments

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After a long, exhausting weekend, I decided to turn in early. Yet as my head hit the pillow, thoughts began to running away from me. After hearing some news about our adoption––news that most likely won’t negatively impact our adoption at all––I began to think. And what you must understand about me is that I’ve always been a “thinker.” I analyze and reason through everything. This can be a good thing. But sometimes, I have a tendency to think too much, which can lead me down some pretty dark alleys. And that’s precisely what happened this night. An hour passed, full of thought and cries out to God, when I realized I needed help. I needed wisdom. And I needed someone else to pray alongside me for clarity about our adoption. So, I texted my girlfriend and said, Ok. I need some help. Feeling super discouraged about our adoption. Maybe…

It’s Been Thirteen Years

Posted on: August 6th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 6 Comments

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My dad died thirteen years ago yesterday. It’s hard to believe thirteen years have passed. It’s all still a bit surreal. My life seems to be somewhat of a paradox. Tragedy weaves throughout the storyline of my life, yet God has given me a good life––full of many joys, many blessings, and yes, much heartache. Honestly, I miss my dad. I think I always will. But my dad’s absence is always a bit more real on the anniversary of his death. Three years ago, on August 5th, I found myself writing my fourth letter to Anthony. All doors had closed. I wasn’t going to be able to visit him in prison as I was hoping to. Yet, I was committed to pursuing forgiveness and peace through our correspondence. In my letter, I wrote: Ironically, I’m writing you on the tenth anniversary of my dad’s death. While in a way, it does…

Legendary Faith: Unleash the Faith of Old

Posted on: August 2nd, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 7 Comments

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I want great faith. I want the kind of faith that allows us to step out of the boat and walk on water toward Jesus when He beckons, knowing we can do all things through Him. The kind of faith that confidently says to Jesus, “Only say a word,” knowing full well that even the impossible is possible with God. The kind of faith to follow Jesus into the unknown––into our scary places––regardless of the cost, knowing confidently He will work all things for His glory and your good. The Presence of Faith Christian reformer, Martin Luther, was quoted as saying “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” Do you have this daring confidence in God’s grace? You know, Jesus tells us that even “if you have faith like a grain of…

The Day I Was Given Eyes to See

Posted on: July 30th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

God, Jesus, Christian, Christ, Christianity, Love, Love God, Love Others, Ruth Graham, Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Ruth Graham Poem, Give me eyes to see, spiritual eyes, ordinary, mundane, souls, people, love people, love other, making a difference, make a difference, change the world, make the world better,

Look o’er the people about you–– faces so furrowed with care, lined and hardened by sorrow sin has placed on them there; think of the evil they live in, hopes none and joys so few; love them, pray for them, win them, lest they should perish, too. – Ruth Graham, age 13. (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) … I love these words. But more importantly, I love the heart behind them. Give me eyes to see, I pray. For, when we see as we ought––when we see with spiritual eyes––the world and the people in it take on a different hue. Checking out at the doctor’s office a few months ago, I stood waiting. The receptionists busied themselves with work. One was helping me. One was speaking to a patient on the phone. Another typed intently at her computer….

Living Joyfully Free Radio Interview

Posted on: July 29th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

Author and Speaker, Lisa Buffaloe, recently asked me to share my testimony on her radio program, Living Joyfully Free. If you’re interested, head over to her website to listen to my interview. (Just as a bit of a heads up: The program lasts about one hour, so be sure to set aside some time or listen while engaging in some other “mindless” activity.) Praying you are blessed this Monday morning! Laurie

Real Faith – Igniting the Fire

Posted on: July 26th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments

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We all want to live victoriously, and that is only possible by living a life of faith. As mentioned in my last post, faith comes only when given. Truth is: we cannot will ourselves into a place of faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Emphasis added). We are saved through our faith, but our faith is given to us by the grace of God. How Does Faith Grow? So how, then, do we grow in our faith? We are told in Hebrews 12:1b-2: …let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before…

Why I Couldn’t Have Faith

Posted on: July 23rd, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

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I’ve been camped out in the book of Hebrews for a while now. I keep reading the same chapters over and over, and for whatever reason, I can’t seem to move past this section of scripture. And I don’t want to either. So much is packed into this book. There are so many nuggets to be mined, and I honestly feel Jesus speaking a powerful word over my heart about faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:6 goes on to tell us that “without faith it is impossible to please [God],” which tells me that it’s not about what we do––though that does matter––it’s primarily about what we believe. Faith is believing. “You just need to have faith,” Travis would tell me during the trials we went through before I became a Christian. Without trivializing…