Laurie Coombs

Why Do You Cry Out To Me?

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

God’s people were hard pressed. Slaves to a foreign king, the Israelites cried out to God to intercede on their behalf. Their cries were heard, and scripture tells us “God saw the people of Israel––and God knew” (Exodus 2:25, emphasis mine). He knew their distress––knew their pain––and would soon come bringing deliverance along with Him. We all know what happened next in the story––Moses, the burning bush, the plagues on Egypt––all resulting in Pharaoh’s reluctant release of God’s chosen. The Israelites were free. Set free by the heavy hand of God upon an unbelieving ruler. The story is familiar. So familiar, in fact, that we often miss treasures––hidden just below the surface––that are intended to bring greater depth and richness to that which has become commonplace. I just love how God’s Word is inexhaustible––there are always more treasures to be found. A few months ago, I sat reading Exodus 14…

Kisses From Katie Winner

Posted on: December 10th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

Today’s the day! We only had one person enter to win Katie Davis’ book, Kisses From Katie. So, the winner (by default) is Paula!! Congratulations! You’re going to love this book!! And I’m so happy it’s message will be passed on to all those young girls you mentor! Paula, if you would kindly send me an email {laurie@lauriecoombs.org} with the address you’d like the book shipped to, I’d greatly appreciate it. Be sure to watch for next month’s giveaway!

On Loss and Finding Healing – A Poem

Posted on: December 5th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 6 Comments

This is my first attempt at writing a poem. It may be absolutely terrible, but I’m putting it out there anyway. Let me know what you think (and be honest––I can take it)! Darkness strikes. We recoil in fear, pain. Loss and grief threaten to pull us under as clouds, thick and impenetrable, envelope our being. Time, they say. Time is what you need. Time will heal. Time heals all wounds. But time passes, and though pain becomes dull, it remains. In the depths it remains, hidden––poison to the soul. Anger turns bitter. Bitterness rages within, undetected by the eye but known. Deep within. We cry out, desperately seeking solace––something to ease our hurt, but find nothing. Nothing eases the broken. The bed left empty. The voice forever silenced. Laughter nevermore to be heard. And we wonder, can hearts broken mend? Years pass. Still, time has not done its duty….

Kisses from Katie Book Review and Giveaway

Posted on: December 3rd, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 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 has been influencing me and my thoughts. I hope you enjoy these posts and find these resources to be as inspirational and influential as I did! I wanted to actually do what Jesus said to do. So I quit my life. – Katie Davis Following Jesus’ call to radical obedience, Katie Davis found herself in Uganda––first for a short-term mission trip while still in high school; then for a longer, one-year commitment after graduation to teach kindergartners. But after that year ended––after returning to the States, to her “normal” teenage life––Katie realized returning to “normal” wasn’t possible for her any longer. She had seen too much….

Being Thankful for God’s Grace in All Things (Even Our Trials)

Posted on: November 28th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

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There are times I forget to be thankful. Times when circumstances––and all that is simply life––seem to get in the way of being able to clearly see my life for what it is. To see all the beauty found in all the little things. All the big things. And all those in-between. Life is full of blessings. Full of grace. And I must choose to see. To see every bad day as evidence of my need for Jesus and as a chance to draw close to Him. To see interruptions to my daily schedule as a opportunity to abandon myself––and my agenda––for the sake of loving someone else. And to see every hardship and every trial as a blessing in disguise (which is something I know well). We serve a God who redeems. A God who takes what is broken, sinful, and ugly and uses it all for our good. Nothing…

Finding Joy in Thanksgiving

Posted on: November 26th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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There seems to be a direct correlation between the level of joy we experience and our level of thanksgiving. And I’ve come to believe being thankful is something we must deliberately purse. After reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, I came to realize that we must fight for joy through deliberate recognition of God’s grace upon our lives. Ann encourages others to begin to list each and every grace, or gift, seen in our lives and in the world around us. We must list our gifts so we might properly recognize them. You see, we live in a broken, sinful world––there is much darkness to be seen. And it seems the darkness––with all that is wrong in and around us––is sometimes much easier to recognize than the light. But light shines ever-so-brightly upon every one of us. It’s there––always present, but in order to recognize it, we must train our eyes…

Can Jesus Really Redeem Our Losses?

Posted on: November 21st, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

I’ve been finishing my book proposal this week, and it’s almost done, which means it should go out to publishers within the next few weeks! It’s super exciting; I’m just so close, which is why I chose to focus most of my attention on my proposal this week. And it is also why today’s post is a repeat, of sorts. I originally wrote this piece for another blogger as a guest post a while back. Some of you may have seen it, but most probably haven’t, so I hope you enjoy and are blessed by it. I’ll be back with all new posts next week. Thirteen years ago, I sat on top of a houseboat next to my dad watching the sun set behind the towering canyon walls of Lake Powell. Dad half-heartedly joked about how he was getting older, and I was sure to poke fun at his old age. I…

Modern Day Slavery and The Power of One

Posted on: November 19th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

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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

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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,…

Love Does Book Winner and Fullfill Magazine Article

Posted on: November 12th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

Love Does Book Winner Today’s the day! Thank you to all who entered to win Bob Goff’s book, Love Does. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your comments on what “love does” means to you! Here are a few. “Honeybee” said, “Love does” means expressing your love for God, yourself and others through action. In these times people are so quick to express love in words on social media, texts and even in person but do nothing to back up those expressions. So true. I completely agree. Paula, said she has wanted to read Love Does ever since one of the teen girls she mentors told her, “You HAVE to read it!” Paula says this girls was “practically jumping out of her seat with joy” when she spoke of the book, and I can certainly relate! “Gracevaga” makes a valid point by saying, Absolutely believe that one of the reasons the…