header

Archive for the ‘Redemption’ Category

{Forgiveness} What Biblical Forgiveness IS

Posted on: September 7th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

I am well aware of the fact that we’ve been dealing with some pretty heavy stuff so far. But I’d like to encourage you to hang in there. Don’t let the weightiness of these difficult topics deter you from the blessings that awaits you on the other side of forgiveness. To be completely honest, healing is hard work. It’s painful. It requires you to go to the hard places––to the deepest darkest crevices of your soul––and to allow Jesus to mine out that darkness and replace it with His light. This is no easy feat. It hurts, but beauty is left behind when we allow Jesus full and complete access to our wounds, our walls, our pain. Oh, how I love our God! As mentioned before, I am no expert, and I too, find myself struggling with forgiveness from time to time, but the Lord has taught me much on…

Read More

Live It Out

Posted on: September 6th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

There’s an amazing woman I’ve recently had the pleasure to meet named Sarah Martin. She ministers to twenty-something Christian women through her blog Live It Out and her book Stress Point, and she has so graciously offered to allow me to share a bit of my heart on her blog. Be sure to check it out! And if you’re visiting from Live It Out, welcome!! I hope you’ll take a moment and stay a while. Thank you, Sarah, for your heart, your ministry, and for being the blessing that you are.

Simply Me

Posted on: September 5th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

Today, I am blessed to be sharing a bit of my story on the blog Simply Me. Be sure to stop by Simply Me and see my new friend, Veronica, as she explores being content in who God made us to be. Many gems can be found in Veronica’s posts! If you’re visiting my site from Simply Me. I’m glad you’re here! And I hope you’ll enjoy, explore, and stay a while… Blessings to you all!

{Forgiveness} Why We Forgive – Part 2

Posted on: August 27th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment
God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Christian forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness story, forgiveness stories, inspirational forgiveness stories, inspirational forgiveness testimonies, Biblical forgiveness, Colossians 3:13, forgiveness is not an option, forgiveness is a command, Sermon on the mount, matthew 6:14-15, Matthew 6:14, Matthew 6:15, God's heart, the heart of God, why does god have all these rules, why does god have rules, why does god have laws, love, god's love, commands, commandments, god knows best, follow jesus, following jesus, obey, obedience, obey god, for our good, glory of god, healing, heal, lay down our pride, pride, strength to forgive, how do you forgive, how do i forgive, why do i forgive, why do i need to forgive, decision to forgive, decide to forgive,

As explored in Why We Forgive – Part 1, we are called to forgive because we have been forgiven. In respect to forgiveness, God simply asks us to give that which He so graciously gave us. And that’s just it. God asks us to forgive, which means that forgiveness is not an option. [Tweet that] Colossians 3:13 says, “as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” It’s a command. Jesus tells us during His Sermon on the Mount, For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. – Matthew 6:14-15 While this command may seem harsh, we need to look at the heart of God to gain understanding. We know God is not just loving, but that––as the bible says––God is love. That’s simply who He is. It’s part of His character….

Read More

{Forgiveness} But I’ve Already Done That!

Posted on: August 21st, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments
Forgiveness, fool ourselves, need to forgive, why do we need to forgive, anger, bitterness, healing, prayer, forgiveness begins with prayer, how to forgive, who do i forgive, irritable, quick to anger, grumpy, following Jesus, christ follower, how do i follow jesus, what does a relationship with jesus look like, Anthony, murder, the man who murdered my dad, victims, how do victims forgive, how do you forgive, unconditional forgiveness, I thought I forgave, why am I so angry, why am i mean to those i love most, bitterness in heart, anger management, counseling, i need jesus, i needed jesus, jesus heals, does jesus heal, prayer journal, gut-wrenching, follow me,

About a year after becoming a follower of Christ, I began to hear God’s gentle whisper––it’s time to forgive. Forgive? I thought. But I’ve already done that! I rarely thought about Anthony, the man who murdered my dad. And when he did enter my mind, I didn’t feel hatred or anything like that. Yet, God slowly showed me that, while I had forgiven Anthony as far as I was capable, I needed His grace to do it completely and unconditionally. … Oftentimes, we fool ourselves into thinking we have no need to forgive as we unknowingly drown in a sea of bitterness. [Tweet that] You see, I thought I was a forgiving person. I thought I had forgiven Anthony. To be honest, I didn’t think I had issues with anyone in my life. And I sure didn’t think I was bitter! But soon, God began to show me that I was constantly…

Read More

{Forgiveness} Show Me How…

Posted on: August 16th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments

I love this song and the truth that it points to! As with all things Jesus calls us to do, forgiveness begins with prayer. Show me how… And what proceeds out of this prayer is nothing less than a miracle. Hearts change, bitterness and hate are replaced by love, and lives are set free to walk a new path. Now, I don’t claim to be an authority on any matter, but God showed me many of His truths through my journey toward forgiveness that I’d love to pass along. This post is the first of my new series on forgiveness. During this series, I’ll address many aspect of forgiveness including: why we forgive, what biblical forgiveness is and what it is not, what it looks like to walk in forgiveness, how I came to unconditional forgiveness, and much more. I hope you’ll join me throughout this series, and that you’ll…

Read More

Torn Down and Saved

Posted on: August 14th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 18 Comments
Jesus, God, Faith, Christ, Christian, murder, i'm pretty stubborn, god's mercy is greater than my resistance, Savior, god is good, darkness, light, in my Father's loving arms, In God's hands, God is holding you, resistance, god is bigger, I feel empty, feeling empty, why do I feel empty, what's missing, something's missing in my life, something is missing, what is missing, morals, I wanted to be my own god, the divinity of Jesus, is God real, Does God exist, is there any proof that God is real, blind faith, there is nothing to back up God's existence, health problems, anxiety, what is anxiety, what are the symptoms of anxiety, symptoms of anxiety, something is wrong with me, what's wrong with me, what is wrong with me, depression, why am i depressed, I think I might be going crazy, am i going crazy, i need hope, hope, i am a horrible person, searching for truth, what is true, what is truth, world religions, Buddhism, Buddhist retreat, new age, religion, what religion is true, anti-depressants, medication, nothing is helping, what if I die, I'm afraid of dying, fear, achievement, emptiness inside, how can i be happy, how can i find happiness, dark, lonely, i want peace, peace, how do i find peace, how do i get peace, how do i feel peace, i cannot save myself, i can't save myself, i can't do it, dream, bad dreams, church, should i go to church, why should i go to church, why should we go to church, desperate, defining moment, God spoke to me, can God talk to us, blindness to sight, grave, love,

Nine years after my dad’s death, Jesus brought me to my knees. You would think that the murder itself would have gotten me there, but no. I’m pretty stubborn. Yet, God’s mercy and grace is certainly bigger than me and my resistance. During this time, Travis and I got married, and we had two beautiful, healthy little girls. I was truly blessed. Aside from the murder, I was living the life that I had always dreamed of. Travis and I were happy together, and we loved our girls. Yet, I was still without God. Though I was never at the point that I was able to say with absolute certainty that God is not real, I highly doubted his existence. And so, I was the highest authority in my own life.  I was the one in control. I was the one who defined what was right or wrong in the…

Read More

Forgiving a Murderer

Posted on: August 2nd, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments
Dark Night shooting, Aurora, colorado, colorado shooting, shooting in colorado, movie theater shooting, tragedy, wake of destruction, destruction, victim, victims, victim families, family of victim, family of victims, victim's family, families of victims, healing, wholeness, forgiveness, God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Christian response to tragedy, how do Christians respond to tragedy, how should christians respond to tragedy, wounds, wounded, i will never be the same, will never be the same, my life is forever changed, changed, changes everything, anger, rage, bitterness, forgive, forgiveness, peace, how can I have peace after tragedy, healing, love your enemy, loving your enemy, how do I love my enemy, forgive my enemy, grace of god, forgive unconditionally, unconditional forgiveness, how do you forgive, how can I forgive, forgiving the unforgivable, writing letters to a murderer, letters to a murderer, murder, my dad was murdered, murdered, prayer, praying, pray for your enemy, Redeem, redemption, bringing good out of evil, good out of evil, how does god bring good out of evil, beauty for ashes, breaking free from the past, pierce o'farrill, james holmes, romans 8:28, genesis 50:20

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. – Genesis 50:20 I read an article this afternoon telling the stories of those who died during the “Dark Night” shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Honestly, there are no words to describe a tragedy like this, so I won’t even begin to try. Twelve people died, in a matter of moments. Twelve people! The youngest of which was a six year old little girl––a girl the age of my own daughter. Not to mention the dozens of people left wounded. A tragedy like this leaves behind it a wake of destruction. It affects so many. It affects not only the victims, but the families, the friends, and even the acquaintances of those who died or were wounded. They have all been changed by this senseless act and will never be the same. Certainly, there were physical wounds that…

Read More