Love | Laurie Coombs

Archive for the ‘Love’ Category

Modern Day Slavery and The Power of One

Posted on: November 19th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

Modern, that somebody is you, change the world, Jesus, Jesus hands and feet, Christine Caine, A21 Campaign, God, Christ, following Jesus, Christ follower, join the fight, slavery, modern slavery, trafficking, sex trade, more slaves today, 27 million, make a difference, the power of one,

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

works of god, wonders, do you believe god, wonders of god, Salvation, Matthew 13:58, James 2:19, Hebrews 13:8, Belief in God, Believing God, Believing in God, God is same yesterday today forever, who is God, what does God do, miracles, miracle worker, God, Jesus, Bible, Scripture, faith,

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,…

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

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

school shootings, school shooting, mass shooting, mass shootings, Sparks Middle School Shooting, LAX shooting, New Jersey Mall Shooting, problem, gun control, more gun control, don't need more gun control, root cause, cause of shootings, hurting people hurt people, hurting people, wounds, sin, sin is never justifiable, Martin Luther King Jr, Martin Luther King Jr quote, darkness cannot drive out darkness, hate cannot drive out hate, love one another, loving one another, change the world, Jesus hands and feet, follow Jesus, Following Jesus, follower of Christ, Christ follower, God, Jesus, Christian, Christ, children need love, break down of family unit, killing, killings, single parent, single parent how many, role model, Godly role model,

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…

Go

Posted on: October 15th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

Go, God, God is holding you, god is with you, i am with you, Matthew 7:13, anxiety, fear, trusting god, saying yes to god, faith, following Jesus, Jesus, God, Christ, Christian

My girls are off this week for fall break, so I’m taking the time to be with them. Today’s post has been recycled, so to speak, but it’s still new to this site. I originally wrote it back in 2012 to be a guest post for a friend. I hope you enjoy it! And I’ll be back next week with all new posts. My daughter, Avery, busied herself in our home office while I was getting things done around the house. She was four, at the time, and she had no idea I was wrestling with God. As I worked, my mind was flooded with thoughts, inundated with worry. Avery came running into the kitchen where I was cleaning counter tops. “Mommy, Mommy!” She cried, with excitement. “I have something for you! Here!” I bent down and took the little card my sweet child made for me. Not expecting the message I…

{Lessons Learned} God is with Us

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

God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Christianity, following jesus, follow jesus, God is with us, God with us, follow me, God's whisper, murder, forgiveness, forgiveness testimony, Christian forgiveness, God forgiveness, Jesus forgiveness, be still, be still and know I am God, Psalm 46:10, Trust God, trusting God, trusting Jesus, Wait for the Lord, Wait, Waiting, Waiting on the Lord, Wait Lord, Deuteronomy 31:8, Lord goes before you, do not fear, Isaiah 48:17, Immanuel, Jesus God with us, God with us, Romans 8, Romans 8:31, If God is for us, God is for us, Christine Caine, Matthew 28:20

Of all Jesus taught me throughout my correspondence with Anthony, the man who murdered my dad, the most important, life altering lesson was displayed by His mere presence. Throughout this very difficult season, Jesus showed up. He was there through it all. Never once did I doubt His presence, for it was almost palpable. There were times I heard His gentle whisper beckoning “follow me.” And I would follow. There were times, after receiving another difficult letter from Anthony, I sat in confusion day after day, unsure of how to respond, unsure of God’ leading. Yet all the while, He was still there––His presence very real––urging me to “be still, and know that [He is] God” (Psalm 46:10). “Trust Me. Wait on the Me,” He said. And I would wait. Show me the way, I prayed. Show me how. And He would lead. All throughout Scripture, we see the Lord going before…

{Love Your Enemy} Fight Darkness With Light

Posted on: September 17th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

overcome evil with good, good vs evil, good v evil, good evil, good, evil, sin, light dark, light darkness, darkness v light, light, dark, darkness, martin luther king jr, love, love your enemy, loving your enemy, enemy, Jesus, God, Christ, Christian, Christianity, devotional, children, children's devotional, childlike, hate, love hate, darkness drive out darkness, light drive out darkness, hate cannot drive out hate, truth, god satan, Satan, Romans 12, Romans 12:14-21, Marks of a true christian, overcome evil with good, lord will repay, vengeance is mine, wrath of God, grace,

Jesus taught his followers a new way to treat people. Usually when people hurt you, you want to hurt them back. If people don’t like you, you don’t like them either. But Jesus tells us to love our enemies. It’s never easy but Jesus can help you. If you do good to your enemies you could change your life and theirs forever. – Avery (right before her 6th birthday), quoting one of her children’s devotional books. I came across this piece of paper a few weeks back and had to share it. As I busily cleaned the house one day, my daughter, Avery, decided to grab her “devo” and copy down one of its entries. This is what I found. Now, I don’t know if her selection was intentional or not, but out of the 365 entries in her book, she chose this one, and of course, you all know how…

Passionate Faith––Stoking the Fire

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

Jesus, Christ, Christian, God, follow, follow Jesus, Following Jesus, praise, worship, Passion, Passionate Faith, Faith, stoke the fire, stoking the fire, campfire, s'mores, camping, tending fire, snuffed out, how do you get on fire for God, Building your fire, Fire heart, John 15:5, bear fruit, apart from Jesus, grace, fire left unattended, Source of heat, Jesus center, increase passion, on fire for Jesus, on fire for God, Remember your baptism, Martin Luther, Deuteronomy, Remember, forgetfulness, stoke your fire, wildfire,

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…

Together We Can Change the World

Posted on: August 22nd, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

You do your part, I do my part, together, change the world, impact the world, what you do with your life matters, your life matters, Christ, Christ follower, jesus Follower, Follower of Jesus, following Jesus, Christianity, Jesus, God, portion, how to I impact the world, do what you are called to do, calling, God's call, God's calling, child of God, grounded in Christ, Christ at center, the Lord, walk in calling, plate, what you do, doing, do, make a difference, God's will, love, love God, love others, effective life, intention, intentionality, living with intention,

What you do with your life matters. As mentioned in my last post, Do You Want to be a World-Changer?, I believe each and every Christ follower is called to change the world, but that will look different for each of us. I think one of the most important questions we can ask God is this: What portion of Your Kingdom would You like to entrust to me? We are not called to take on the world by ourselves. But instead, we are entrusted with a portion of the world where we’re intended to make an impact. One thing I learned early on in my walk with Christ is that I can’t do it all. I tried to do it all, but then soon, I was burnt out. I tried to take on each and every opportunity to serve only to discover that I wasn’t making much of a difference in any…

Do You Want to be a World-Changer?

Posted on: August 20th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 8 Comments

world, world changer, created, God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, mission, missional, Matthew 5, Matthew 5:14, Matthew 5:16, light of the world, let your light shine, light, dark, darkness, calling, what is my calling, what am i called to do, why am i here, what is the purpose of life, why live, what am i alive, why was i created, creator, Christ, Ephesians 2:10, good works, works, good, evil, make the world better, make a difference, how do I change the world, how do we change the world, change the world, little by little, don't eat an elephant in one bite, intention, intentionality, rooted in love, love, love god, love others, love one another, do what you're called to do, do what you can, your life matters, power, holy spirit, believer, christ follower, following jesus, follow, follow jesus, how do i follow jesus, how do you follow jesus,

It’s a bit idealistic, I know, but I’d like to change the world. And it seems to me, that changing the world really isn’t as big of a challenge as we make it out to be. Truly, if there’s one thing I am sure of it’s this: we serve a God who accomplishes the impossible. Our God restores what is lost, redeems what is broken, and works all things for our good and His glory. Yet, God chooses to use His children to bring about His purposes here on earth. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus (the Light of the World) refers to His followers as the light of the world, and we are told to “let [our] light shine before others, so that they may see [our] good works and give glory to [our] Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16). We are the light of the world. We were created…