Laurie Coombs

Is God Really Faithful? AND Some News

Posted on: October 15th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

I’m super excited to share some incredible news on the heels of the article I recently wrote called, Living Victoriously in the Messy Middle. What I’m about to share serves as an example to what was written in that article, particularly the point I made about doubts. So anyway, here’s the news! The Coombs Family adoption has taken a bit of a twist. Just under a month ago, my husband Travis said, “If God wants us to adopt, He’s gonna have to drop something in our lap.” Famous last words, it seems. Not more than a few days later, it happened. A wonderful little bundle of joy was dropped in our lap. A baby girl, only a few weeks old, in Uganda. For those of you just tuning in, we’ve been pursuing an adoption in Ethiopia for the past five years, not Uganda. Hence, the twist of this incredibly wonderful, yet immensely difficult, faith-testing journey….

Living Victoriously in the Messy Middle

Posted on: October 8th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

“How’s the adoption?” A friend asked excitedly as I walked into church one Sunday. I desperately wanted to tell her that we were moving forward without a hitch and that we had everything ready and that we would soon be traveling to bring our children home, but I couldn’t. Instead, I reluctantly spoke words that broke my heart. “We’ve hit another roadblock,” I said, before mustering enough faith to add, “but we’ve been here before.” I expected to see sorrow in my friend’s eyes at my response, but she simply said, with complete and total assurance, “Yep, and you know how to get through them,” before she quickly hightailed her way to service. I was a bit stunned to be honest at her quick reaction to my heartfelt confession, but I couldn’t help but smile. She’s right, I thought. I do know how to get through them! God was reminding…

Paradigm Shift: What We Need More Than Answers

Posted on: October 1st, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

Life sure has a way of throwing us curve balls, doesn’t it? I recently heard someone point out a significant dichotomy that exists in our world that I found interesting. At any given moment throughout the world, this person said, and even in our own lives, we see and experience incredible beauty and extraordinary evil all at the same time. Herein lies the tension of life. In one moment of time, we can hear the joy of a baby’s laughter while reading of horrible atrocities committed against children around the world. We can relish a beautiful moment with our family only to be interrupted and left stunned by the latest tragedy seen on the nightly news. We can take time to soak in the beauty of God’s creation only to receive word that an unexpected tragedy happened that will effectively change the course of our lives forever upon our return home. There is joy and beauty and…

The NIV Bible for Women has just been released!!

Posted on: September 22nd, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

I received an email several months back from an editor asking if I’d consider contributing to the new devotional Bible by Zondervan called NIV Bible for Women: Fresh Insights for Thriving in Today’s World. There were apparently a few contributors who dropped out at the last minute, and this poor editor had only a few days to pull the whole thing together. It was Saturday. The project was going to print on Monday. And God had brought her to me (and I’m sure a few others). “I can do it!” I told her with excitement, as I thought about how God had done it again. He’d provided yet another opportunity to get my message out there, and I was thankful––even though this project had effectively hijacked my weekend. I was asked to write a devotion on Revelation 4:8, focusing on the fact that God is still on His throne despite all the pain we see…

What is Jesus really asking us to do, anyway?

Posted on: September 3rd, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

The following is an excerpt of my new book, Letters from My Father’s Murderer. I spent most of the night in prayer, asking Jesus for grace. I desperately needed His grace to trust and follow Him where He was leading. I prayed for Him to grow my faith. To allow me to see as I ought. And as Dr. Graham’s words came to mind once again—about how Jesus loved and prayed for His enemies, even as He hung on that cross—I thought, what is Jesus really asking me to do, anyway? Then it hit me. He was simply asking me to give that which I had already received. That night, I began to see and understand the gospel more fully. I began to see that, prior to coming to faith in Jesus, I was in fact an enemy of God. Yet while I was still far from God, He loved…

On the Harvest Show

Posted on: August 28th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

I had the privilege of being on The Harvest Show this week. I thought some of you might be interested in watching, and so here it is. Be sure to let me know what you think! The Harvest Show (August 25, 2015) Click here to watch this episode of The Harvest Show on YouTube. Any thoughts? Join the conversation on my Facebook Page!

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,…

The Key to Stop Judging

Posted on: August 18th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven…” – Luke 6:37 A 16th century English church Reformer named John Bradford allegedly said, “There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford,” as he watched executioners lead his fellow prisoners to their deaths. Bradford, who had been imprisoned in the Tower of London for his Protestant faith by Queen Mary I of England, was later burned at the stake, dying a martyr’s death. It is said that, “Before the fire was lit, [Bradford] begged forgiveness of any he had wronged, and offered forgiveness to those who had wronged him. He subsequently turned to his fellow and said, ‘Be of good comfort brother; for we shall have a merry supper with the Lord this night!’” (Wikipedia). What an amazing man of God! Forgiveness was the last sentiment…

While We Wait

Posted on: August 5th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

The following is an excerpt taken from chapter 12 of Letters from My Father’s Murderer: A Journey of Forgiveness. While We Wait I trust God even though He doesn’t usually operate on my timeline or do things the way I’d like Him to. I wish I could say that I began trusting God like this the moment I gave my life to Christ, but I didn’t. Trust came with time as I saw God work in my life. As I witnessed God’s hand begin to work all things for good in my life, I came to believe that God does, in fact, know what He’s doing. So when things aren’t going my way, I now trust that God must have a better plan—a better way. I think that’s why I decided not to send that letter. I figured God knew something I didn’t, and I was pretty sure that God’s…

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…