Laurie Coombs

The Day I Met the 80 Year Old Professional Poker Player

Posted on: June 28th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments

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“Where should we sit?” I question my thirteen year old niece. I have a mind to go right. Emily, my niece, points left. “Right there,” she says with resolve, pointing to a booth next to the window. We sit down, McDonald’s ice cream cones in hand. I have a lot of kids with me. Two, my own. Three, my sisters, including my two month old nephew. At once, all four big kids eagerly take their first lick. Soon, the baby begins to fuss, so I take him out of his infant carrier and stand, bouncing and soothing. I notice the man sitting in the booth next to ours. He looks at me, sees the kids, and smiles a warm, inviting smile. A whisper comes to my soul. Speak to him, the Lord prompts. Tell him about Me. The man looks to be about seventy or so. He has warn skin, but seems to…

{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…

I’ll Be Back Next Tuesday!

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

Happy Friday everyone! Normally, you would see a new post from me today, but this week has been my girls’ last week of school, and let me tell you, it’s been a busy one. Our week has been packed full of fun, end-of-the-year events. We’ve had a Kindergarten graduation, a super fun pirate party field trip, end of the year slideshows, and so much more which means that I had to take off my writer’s hat as my mommy hat remained securely in place all week long. Here’s a peek into what we’ve been up to: This afternoon, we’ll be kicking summer off with our first camping trip of the year! But I’ll be back next Tuesday and from there on out. Have a great weekend! Laurie

{Lessons Learned} I Am Not a Victim

Posted on: June 18th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 9 Comments

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I never intended to be a victim. Shortly after my dad was murdered, my family and I were referred to the victim services department at the courthouse. It was the first time we were called victims. But honestly, I didn’t consider myself to be the victim. My dad was the victim. But somehow, I think the victim thing crept in, and my dad’s death became the defining moment of my life. I didn’t want to be defined by this tragedy, but I was. I became the girl whose dad was murdered. I hated being this person. I hated being a murder victim’s daughter, but as far as I saw it, it’s who I was. I couldn’t escape it. I guess I am a victim, I finally concluded. At this time in my life, I was very much in the world. I didn’t know God, and I certainly wasn’t following Jesus yet….

{LeannePenny.com} Can Jesus Really Redeem Our Losses?

Posted on: June 14th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

Today, I’m over at Leanne Penny’s blog, sharing my story, focusing upon loss and redemption. Leanne has quite a story herself. She writes about loss, grief, grace, and hope. I know you’ll find her to be a source of strength along your own journey, so go ahead, check her out! But here’s the question I pose today on Leanne’s blog: Can Jesus really redeem our losses? It’s an appropriate question, I think, one that I struggled with for quite some time. And I hope you’ll join me as I attempt to answer this question in my post titled Can Jesus Really Redeem Our Losses? If you’re joining me from Leanne’s blog, I’m happy you’re here. Welcome! I hope you’ll take a moment and stay a while. One More Thing Okay, I have only one more thing to share, so stick with me! Since writing my post for Leanne, God has given me…

{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…

{Devotional Diva} Forgiving a Murderer

Posted on: June 7th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

Today, I am honored to be writing for Renee Fisher on her blog, Devotional Diva. Renee ministers to twenty-somethings and has written four books, one of which is to be released in August called Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me. I’d love it if you’d join me on Renee’s blog today to read more about my journey in a post entitled Forgiving a Murderer. And if you’re visiting from Devotional Diva, welcome! I hope you’ll take a moment, read, and stay a while….

{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,…