Saying Yes to God | Laurie Coombs

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{Lessons Learned} God is Calling You to an Adventure

Posted on: July 16th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 6 Comments

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I’ve been a follower of Christ for only four years now, but I can honestly say that the last four years have been an adventure without parallel. I sat in on a church service last weekend. The pastor asked his congregation, “Who here thinks of your walk with God as an adventure?” No hands went up. It seems to me that most Christians fail to recognize the adventure God calls them to. As Christ followers, we are not called to bunker down and simply hang on until the rapture. But instead, we’re called to join the mission of God in this world. And what a mission it is. Brokenness: The Need We needn’t look too far to see brokenness throughout the world. Sin. Darkness. Pain. Enslavement. Fear. They’re all there for us to see. If we take a closer look, we see children orphaned and dying on the streets each day, without anyone to love…

Is It Time to Right Some Wrongs?

Posted on: July 9th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

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There comes a time that we need to right the wrongs we’ve committed against others. [Tweet that] I was a baby Christian when this time came for me. Jesus whispered the words “it’s time to forgive,” and I began to search my soul. Anthony––the man who murdered my dad––was the obvious one that needed my attention, but there were others I needed to forgive as well. My unforgiving heart ran deep. There was the girl I hated in high school. There was the man who witnessed for the defense in my dad’s murder trial yet had once called my dad friend. There was my dad’s ex-wife. And there were even some family members. Apparently, this German-Irish girl knew how to hold onto grudges. But it was time to let them go. [Tweet that] As I did, I was given perspective, and I began to see how my behavior contributed to the issues…

What Do We Do With Freedom?

Posted on: July 4th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

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Are you ready for a history lesson? Alrighty here we go. Stick with me. I promise, I’ve got a point coming! Heroes or Criminals? On July 4, 1776––two hundred thirty-seven years ago today––56 colonial men signed a document challenging Great Britain’s rule over the thirteen colonies. The Declaration of Independence declared these “United Colonies” to be free, independent states, yet the war had not yet been won. In fact, it had just begun. Touted as heroes by many colonials, yet deemed criminals by the British crown, the signers “pledge[d] to each other [their] Lives, [their] Fortunes and [their] sacred Honor,” confidently assured of “the Protection of Divine Providence” (Declaration of Independence). Yet, with the signing of this document, each of them effectively signed their own death warrant as they opposed the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world. And for what? Freedom. As we all know, freedom was won. In…

{Lessons Learned} Do You See As You Ought?

Posted on: June 25th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

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I was a wreck. “I’ve spent my entire life trying to achieve and set goals for myself,” I told my husband, Travis, “and I’ve hinged all happiness on the achievement of those goals only to continuously fall short of true happiness. It’s like there’s this emptiness inside, but I don’t know how to make it go away!” I felt empty, defeated, depressed, and anxious. And I had no answers. It was a very dark place. Over and over I kept saying, I just want to feel peace. I just want peace. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t save myself. [Tweet that] Blind and Paralyzed Then, I had a dream. I dreamt I became blind and paralyzed. And when I awoke I was perplexed and greatly disturbed. I didn’t know what it meant. Perhaps it means nothing, I tried to convince myself. But still, I couldn’t shake it. Yet, it wasn’t…

{Lessons Learned} Abiding In Christ – We Can’t Do Anything Apart from Jesus

Posted on: June 11th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 14 Comments

And there's nothing we can do that will have significant, lasting impact apart from God. [Tweet that] First John 4:9 tells us, "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him." Jesus came that we might live. Truly live. Not endure. Not get by. But live fully, bountifully.

I camped out in the fifteenth chapter of the gospel of John for quite some time during my correspondence with Anthony, the man who murdered my dad. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own. I knew nothing of any value could be accomplished through my endeavor apart from Jesus. For apart from me you can do nothing. I read these words over and over. Jesus says, I am the vine. Abide in me. Abide. What does it look like to abide? I looked it up. Abide – to stay; to wait; to remain fixed in some state or condition; to endure; to sustain; to submit to… Abide in me. I clung close to the cross, I devoured God’s Word, I prayed like never before, I got down, prostrate before our mighty God and learned what it meant to abide in Jesus. And as I did, it became increasingly…

{Lessons Learned} The Power of God’s Word to Transform Your Life

Posted on: June 4th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

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“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” – John 17:17 “Change is not possible,” says the naysayer. “We will always be the same. You can’t change who you are.” True. But God can. The naysayer is correct. We can’t change ourselves. Though we may be able to change our behavior, we can’t will ourselves into any lasting change. But the moment we lay our lives down before Jesus, we are new, and God does change us. So, change is possible, but it can only be attained through Jesus. So, how do we change? Jesus tells us in John 17:17 that God’s truth leads to transformation. It is His Word that leads us through the process of sanctification, which is a fancy, theological word for being made more like Jesus. Sanctification is change. Lasting change. As a baby Christian I remember picking up my Bible, being told it’s what good…

{Lessons Learned} Your Faith Requires Action

Posted on: May 31st, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

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I’m seeing that the Christian life is NOT a life of passivity but a life of choices empowered by the Holy Spirit. – My prayer journal, May 13, 2010 The Christian life is not one marked by passivity, but instead, it requires that we step out in faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to do whatever it is Jesus calls us to. Following Jesus means that we get off the couch and do something. [tweet that] When I first became a Christian, (only about a year before I was called on my crazy journey with Anthony) I was under the impression that Christianity should be characterized more by a “let go and let God” theology than one that requires action. But, when Jesus called me to love and forgive the very man who murdered my dad, this paradigm was shattered. I was presented with commands. Forgive. Love your enemy. How…

{Lessons Learned} An Intentional Life

Posted on: May 28th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

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Let all that you do be done in love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14 All that we do should be motivated by the love of God. As you may have noticed, I’ve been hung-up on this topic lately. Many of my most recent posts have had this theme, or a variation of it, threaded throughout them. But this has been a mega-theme of my life recently. Honestly, I have to confess. I think I’ve been missing the mark on this one for quite some time now, but God’s giving me grace, and He’s renewing the love I had at first, which I am unbelievably grateful for. It All Begins With Love As I’ve mentioned time and time again, my journey with Anthony began with God’s whisper, showing me my need to forgive. But then He told me I needed to love my enemy. You see, it all began with love. All the craziness that happened, all the tears,…

Romans 8:28 Rings True

Posted on: May 6th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

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Last Thursday began like most days. Toward the end of my quiet time with Jesus, my girls came into my bedroom in all their morning cuteness, blurry-eyed and hair a fright. We cuddled together for a moment before beginning our morning routine of showering, dressing, and the like. My girls usually finish getting ready before I do, so they ran downstairs, busying themselves with coloring and drawing in the kitchen. Moments later, however, I heard Avery, my younger daughter, yell, “Mom, Ella poked me with a pencil!” To which Ella replied, “But it wasn’t very hard!” Really?!? I thought. It was all going so well. Turns out, Ella intentionally “poked” or stabbed (to be more exact) Avery with a pencil. Not okay in my book. But after disciplining Ella, we had a serious talk about hurting others. Ella is seven. Up to this point, we have taught her about Jesus, we’ve talked…

{Lessons Learned} Forgiveness Requires Humility

Posted on: April 29th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

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When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. – Proverbs 11:2 Two options were set before me when called to forgive Anthony (the man who murdered my dad): I could either choose to remain prideful––failing to see error in my perspective––or I could choose to humble myself before God and recognize that my “truth” was not God’s truth. Truth is, forgiveness requires humility. [Tweet that] It requires us to recognize that we may have some culpability in the situation or, at the very least, that we’re not seeing as we ought. We need to recognize that not all of what we believe to be the truth is ultimately God’s truth. When forgiving another of a sin committed against us, we must take a moment to examine ourselves as well. We need to understand that our perspective may be askew. We need to ask ourselves some very important questions….