Redemption - Laurie Coombs

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Lessons Learned Through Forgiving My Dad’s Murderer

Posted on: January 10th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

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The Gospel tells us about God. It tells us about our fallen nature. It tells us we serve a merciful and gracious God, who had every reason to simply write off humanity, but instead, choose to die on our behalf. It speaks of redemption, that we have been redeemed and are being made new. And finally it speaks of restoration, that one day, all things will be made new, and we will live eternally in the presence of God. All of creation proclaims God’s truths to humanity, but God, Himself, also speaks to each of us, through His Word and in many other subtle ways throughout our lives. Every time we come to Him, He honors us with His teaching. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” All we must…

Will You Press Through to Get Into the Presence of God?

Posted on: December 20th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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There is an account found in three out of the four gospels. It is the story of a woman who endured a discharge of blood for twelve years. One thing we must understand is that a condition such as this rendered the woman “unclean.” She would have been a lonely woman, devoid of touch or much companionship at all. Come with me for a moment and imagine…. You are this woman. You cannot touch others, and others cannot touch you. You’re outcasted. Desperate, you spend all your financial resources going to doctors. One after another. But they’re no help. Instead of seeing improvement, you only worsen. Can you relate to this woman in any way? Quite possibly, in some area of your life, you need help. You seek help––help that promises a solution to your problem––only to find yourself right where you began, or perhaps even behind a step or…

Connecticut Shooting: How Do We Respond?

Posted on: December 17th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18 What do we do when 20 little children and 7 adults are slaughtered before our eyes? How do we respond? No words of mine will ever do justice to this tragedy. To say it was a heinous act is an understatement. Terrible. Wicked. Evil. Horrific. None encapsulate the gravity of what has happened. Having been on the receiving end of tragic news, I still have no words of comfort for those affected by this tragedy. To tell them I know what they’re going through can oftentimes be a slap in the face. I remember many––with good intentions––tried to comfort and console me after my dad’s murder with their own stories of loss. I hate to admit this, but those who attempted to comfort me in this way only made me angry. They don’t know what I’m…

The “Dad Bomb”

Posted on: November 13th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

For almost a decade, revealing the story of my dad’s death to others proved to be difficult. In fact, after a number of years, I began calling it the “dad bomb.” I knew that if you stayed in my life long enough that the bomb would have to be dropped––at some point, I had to reveal the truth. It usually came up when asked about my parents. My dad would come into question, and I’d have to tell them. “Well,” I would say reluctantly, knowing where this would lead, “my dad died when I was twenty.” To which they would reply, “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Then the look on their face begged the question before it was asked. Some had enough nerve to ask the question right away. Others, however, waited, at times months, to get around to the inevitable question, but I knew it was coming, “So, how did…

{Redemption} “Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life!”

Posted on: November 8th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 17 Comments

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“Your testimony may have saved a life!” wrote Anthony––the man who murdered my dad––from his prison cell. Holding the letter, I stood in stunned silence, tears rolling down my face. Oh Lord, I thought, as I closed my eyes and dropped my head back, in awe. There really were no words. Thank you, Lord, thank you, was all that I could say in worship to our mighty God. I was called to forgive. To love my enemy. To allow Jesus unhindered access to the pain, the bitterness, and the wounds of my past which took residence in the deepest recess of my soul. I knew that He wanted to take me to a new, better place. A place of healing, peace, and forgiveness. So, I followed. By the grace of God alone, I followed Jesus as He led me down the messy, war-torn path toward wholeness. It was a trial like no…

Freedom Through Grace

Posted on: October 23rd, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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“He’s doing it again,” I told my friend, Sarah, “listen to this!” I read the letter I received that afternoon from Anthony. “Why won’t he simply say ‘I did it. It was my fault. Period.’” I said. “He’s still trying to justify his actions! He committed murder! He killed my dad! There’s no justification for that!” After talking it though, I sat down and began to type my response, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I wanted to rebuke him. Set him straight. He claimed to be a Christian now. Why isn’t he repentant? Why does he keep blame shifting? I thought. I wrote, words pouring forth like flood waters out of my heart, addressing each of the issues and backing them with scripture. Oh, this is good, I thought, but I knew. This was not the response God wanted. I prayed, as I awaited direction from Jesus. Days passed and…

{Red Like Blood} Freedom Through Grace

Posted on: October 18th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

Today, I have the honor to be guest blogging for RedLikeBlood.com. Join me there to read about the moment I was given the grace needed to forgive Anthony in my latest post entitled, Freedom Through Grace. If you’re visiting from RedLikeBlood.com, welcome! I hope you’ll take a moment, read, and stay a while… Red Like Blood is a book written by Joe Coffey and Bob Bevington, two men who have both experienced the amazing power of God’s grace in their lives, as I have. I, for one, will be reading their book. Here’s a little synopsis: …the grace of God is much more than sweet. It is also explosive, pervasive, powerful, relentless, amazing, devastating, raw, and beautiful. Grace is deadly serious stuff. Many of our encounters with grace—the real, true grace by which God changes us one step at a time—are much more like confrontations. These confrontations are jarring. They shake us…

Only a Breath

Posted on: October 9th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

I met a beautiful, godly woman while in North Carolina this summer at the She Speaks Conference named Melanie. She describes herself to be a southern girl, and she’s a sweet one at that. I feel so blessed that our paths crossed. Melanie ministers to women on her blog, Only a Breath, and she has graciously offered to have me guest blog for her today. Join me there today, if you’d like. And if you’re visiting from Only a Breath, welcome! Take a moment, read, and stay a while… Blessings!

{Love Your Enemy} Pray Like the Dickens!

Posted on: September 18th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

I have to be honest, when I began this journey, I understood my need to forgive and knew that forgiving would bring me to a new and better place. I wanted to forgive. The thing I did not want to do, however, was love my enemy. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. The word “love” in the same sentence as “enemy” didn’t seem to make sense to me. What’s more, the word “love” in reference to Anthony was repulsive. Still, I knew that this is what the bible tells us to do. Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Yet, I didn’t quite understand it. The only insight I had on how to do this was to pray for Anthony and to do what God told me to do, which was to bring him a bible. So, out of obedience,…

But God…

Posted on: September 11th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 9 Comments

One of my favorite phrases in the bible is “but God.” It may seem silly, I know, but I have it posted on my lamp beside my bed. It helps me to remember where God found me, and that I can trust Him no matter what situation may arise. We so quickly forget what God has shown us, what He has done, but this is something I always want to remember. Something I must remember. My girls are beginning to read and are becoming increasingly aware of the words they find around them. One morning not long ago, my older daughter asked me why I have these two words written on a post-it, haphazardly stuck to my lamp, and I told her this: “all through the bible there are things that happen––people sin or something goes wrong––but over and over there are two words that make it all better, ‘but…