Saying Yes to God | Laurie Coombs

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You don’t have to have it all together!

Posted on: August 27th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

If there is one thing I know it’s that I don’t have it all together. Not a day goes by that I’m not faced with my shortcomings. Thoughts flood my mind continually. Thoughts like: I shouldn’t have eaten that. I should have said that differently. I need to love Travis (my hubby) better. I should have given more undivided attention to my girls. I shouldn’t have spoken those critical words. I need to be building up, not tearing down. I should have spent more time with Jesus this morning. I need a greater fire in my belly for the Lord. I should be loving and serving people better. And it goes on and on. I am far from perfect. But you know what? I’ve learned that it’s okay because, you see, I serve a big God. A God who sees my mess and loves me anyway. Despite my inconsistencies, despite my inadequacies,…

Sometimes, we simply need to do it scared.

Posted on: July 29th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

The following is an excerpt taken from chapter 4 of Letters from My Father’s Murderer: A Journey of Forgiveness. Do It Scared One of my favorite phrases in the Bible is “but God.” I have it posted beside my bed, and every so often my girls ask me why I have those two little words there. I tell them, “All through the Bible bad things happen—people sin or something goes wrong—but over and over two words make it all okay: ‘but God.’” You see, no matter what happens in life, no matter how bad things seem to be, God is still the constant. He is still working all things for good. The psalmist wrote, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:26, emphasis mine). Joseph echoed this sentiment when he said, “As for you, you meant evil against…

“The Fall” – Excerpt from Letters from My Father’s Murderer

Posted on: July 22nd, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

The following is an excerpt taken from Letters from My Father’s Murderer: A Journey of Forgiveness (pages 36-38). The Fall “I don’t know how you do it, Laurie,” some would say. “You’ve been through so much. You’re such a strong person.” And in my heart, I’d think, I know. I am pretty amazing. These comments were intended to be compliments, words to encourage me, but they only fueled my growing pride. And, as they say, pride most certainly does come before the fall. I started noticing issues with my health little more than a year later. I was nauseous all the time, and I just didn’t feel quite right. “I think I’m pregnant,” I told Travis. “Really?” “Yeah, but the tests keep coming back negative. Do you think I should get a blood test?” Travis thought I was being silly, but I went to my doctor the next week anyway. He…

Where the Healing Begins

Posted on: July 8th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

I didn’t want to revisit my past, but I knew I needed to. I had already seen God move mightily on my behalf in the short time since giving my life to Christ, but I knew He wasn’t finished yet. Healing begins the moment we allow Jesus complete access to the darkness contained within our souls. Darkness must flee in the presence of light, in the presence of Jesus, but light cannot go where it is not permitted. Doors must be opened for light’s rays to touch our darkest dark. And at this point, I was flinging doors open left and right, begging, Come, Lord Jesus, come. Soon, I heard God’s gentle whisper––“It’s time to forgive.” I knew what God was calling me to. I knew I was being called to forgive Anthony, the man who murdered my dad. But quite honestly, I thought I had already done that. Yet…

This Wonderfully Messy World

Posted on: July 1st, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

I know some of you are familiar with my story, but some of you newer readers aren’t. And so with the release of my new book, Letters from My Father’s Murderer: A Journey of Forgiveness, I thought it would be a good idea to write a few articles to fill you in. I pray you are blessed. I had always thought the world was a wonderful place, full of beauty and love and light. Growing up, the life I imagined for myself looked more like a fairytale than I care to admit. I had plans for my life, big plans. But just as I was coming into my own, just as I was about to seize all life has to offer, my world unraveled when confronted by an evil I never imagined possible. My dad, who I love more than I can ever say, was murdered, and with that loss, all…

Letters from My Father’s Murderer is out today!!!

Posted on: June 27th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

Hi friends! Today’s the day Letters from My Father’s Murderer is released! I must say, it’s a bit surreal. This project has been in the works for three and a half years, and it’s finally out for the world to see! If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can grab it from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or wherever else you like to buy books. It’s available on Kindle and Nook as well, by the way (but not iBooks––whah, whah). If you’re still not convinced enough to pick up a copy, perhaps hearing what others are saying (outside of my friends and family) will give you the nudge you need: “Truthfully, I could not put the book down.” – Dan “Powerful! …This is a must read.” – Page “Been reading every spare minute…. I honestly had a hard time putting it down.” – Patty “Cannot put the book down! I started it last…

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…

Common Misconceptions about Forgiveness

Posted on: June 10th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

I knew I needed to forgive. Even as a non-Christian, I knew it would not be healthy to hold onto all the anger I felt after my dad’s murder. For many years, I tried to forgive. I tried to move on, but without God in my life, I ended up burying my anger instead. Like a seed in fertile ground, my anger was effectively planted, yielding the corrosive fruit of bitterness that resided deep within my heart. You see, I had mistakenly subscribed to the “forgive and forget” mentality this world puts forth, but this way of thinking does not lead us toward true forgiveness or healing. Following the “forgive and forget” model only represses emotions––it does not heal them. I did not know real forgiveness––what it looked like, what it was, or how to do it––until Jesus showed me nine years after the murder, as He led me on…

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…

He Gives to His Beloved Sleep: The Discipline of Rest

Posted on: May 28th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

Have you ever looked at your ever-increasing to-do list and thought, How in the world am I going to get this done? Or even, Okay, if I work every moment of every day over the next several months, I might be able to do this? That has been my life lately––or at least that’s been my most frequent temptation. But what’s incredible is that, despite the temptation, God has continually given me grace to resist giving in to this toxic way of thinking and has regularly realigned my thoughts with His. Now, that’s not to say thoughts like these don’t come, but when they do, I’m reminded of the truth. God has been teaching me many things about time management, but I’d like to focus on one of the most overlooked elements of time management today, and that is rest. At first glance, taking moments of rest seems counterproductive to achieving our…