Laurie Coombs

Twenty-One Days: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain

Posted on: April 15th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

There’s an incredible account of God answering prayer in the tenth chapter of Daniel. I was amazed by it the other day and still am today. At first thought, most of us think only of Daniel in the lion’s den when we think of the book of Daniel, but this book has many more gems to mine than we may know. Now, I’ve always believed the truth taught in Daniel chapter ten conceptually, but even though I’ve read through this book several times before, I have never seen it for what it is. For some reason, I have been blind to what this passage shows us. As you read through the book of Daniel, it seems Daniel sought the Lord continually, but at this particular time in his story, Daniel decided to fast. For three weeks, we’re told, he “ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered [his] mouth.” He was mourning, as he considered the…

Losing Your Life to Save It – The Illusion of Control

Posted on: March 27th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

My daughters are beginning spring break today, and so I’ll be taking the next two weeks off to spend time with them. We’re looking forward to park days, bike rides, time with friends, painting our Ethiopian kids’ room, a trip to the travel medical clinic for our trip to Ethiopia, and applying for the girls’ passports! I’ll be back with you soon! Have a blessed Easter! I felt like I was in control of my life before my dad died. I had everything planned. I knew just how my life would play out. But then my plans shattered. The moment I was told what happened, it seemed my whole world came crashing down. I hadn’t planned for this. Life was not going my way. And all sense of control vanished. I didn’t realize I was doing this at the time, but after that, I tried to grasp hold of control….

Expectation v. Expectancy

Posted on: March 17th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 7 Comments

There’s a vast difference between expectation and expectancy. These two mindsets can be applied to just about any part of our lives. They can be applied to our life-long dreams, our marriages, our children, our friendships, our careers, our ministries. And they can also be applied to our relationship with God. Expectation expects things. It expects a certain outcome. Or that the outcome will be derived a certain way. Expectancy does not expect things. Expectancy hopes. It has faith that good will come but releases the expectation of what or how it will come about. Expectations lead to disappointments and frustration and disillusion. Expectancy leads to faith and joy and thankfulness. I recently had the privilege to attend a weekend “Encounter.” The entire purpose of the weekend was to meet with God. To encounter the One and Only. I had heard stories of others going to their Encounter, coming home saying things like, “It changed…

Jesus Prom Book Review

Posted on: March 12th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments

I was asked several months ago to review a book that was released last October called Jesus Prom, by Jon Weece. I didn’t quite understand the book at first glance, to be honest. I mean, what does prom have to do with Jesus, anyway? But after reading this book, I must say that Jesus has a lot to do with the kind of prom Jon’s talking about. You see, Jon pastors a church in Kentucky, and he and his people throw a party every year for two thousand mentally and physically challenged adults. They call it “Jesus Prom.” Jon uses this example as a metaphor of the message he shares throughout the book. In Jesus Prom, Jon calls attention to many verbs we, as Christ followers, ought to be acting upon. “Nouns need verbs,” Jon says, and I believe he’s right. We (the nouns) need to do stuff (the verbs). The Christian life,…

The Correlation between Our Thought Life and Mental Health

Posted on: March 10th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

I wrote an article for iBelieve a few weeks ago that I’d like to share with you here. It’s titled 9 Steps to Overcome Anxiety and Depression, but really, it’s an article intended for everyone of us, whether you’ve experienced anxiety and depression or not. It’s about our thoughts, deliberately choosing to think life-giving thoughts. I believe our thought life is the greatest contributor to mental health for each of us. And so I invite you to take a moment to stop by iBelieve today.

Will You Hold onto the Faith? #PromisesOfGod #Adoption

Posted on: March 6th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 8 Comments

All it took was one word! How amazing is that?!? I have to admit. The last few weeks have been a bit crazy here in the Coombs’ household. Good crazy, but crazy nonetheless. I’ve been buried in piles of paperwork, all to bring our little ones home. Now, I know it sounds super cliche, but God truly has done the impossible once again. “Shell-shocked… Speechless… Dumbfounded… Ecstatic… Terrified… These are but a few of the emotions that I have been experiencing these past 48 hours….” my husband Travis wrote after receiving the news. But in order to understand the significance of those words, I must tell more of our story. We began our adoption journey four and a half years ago, full of hope and conviction for what we believed God was calling us to. Travis and I had been blessed with two healthy, absolutely amazing biological children already, but…

All It Took Was One Word!

Posted on: February 18th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 9 Comments

This post is going to be extremely informal. Quite honestly, my plate this week and next is incredibly full (for good reason!), but I just had to get on here briefly to share some amazing news––news I hope will strengthen you in your faith as it has me in mine. If you have yet to read last week’s post, Fully Convinced, I’d encourage you to do so. God’s timing of that post is just beyond words. In that post, I wrote briefly of the challenges my family and I have faced in our Ethiopian adoption. Our adoption had gotten to the point where it did not just seem impossible, but by all accounts, it was. But once again, we have seen God do the impossible! I received a call Monday, a call we have been waiting for for four and a half years, telling us of two amazing little people…

Fully Convinced

Posted on: February 13th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 6 Comments

I held my Bible as I sat with one of my girls on each side of me in bed. “Do you see a pattern?” I asked. They looked at the passage and said, “What pattern?” “Look at what I’ve circled and highlighted.” Almost in unison, they read, “‘And God said…’” Pause. “‘And it was so.’” Fingers ran down the page, “‘And God said,’” they read. “‘And it was so.’” Over and over, their little fingers stopped on each of my markings. “‘And God said… And it was so.’” “Do you see it?” “I think so,” Avery said. “What do you think it means?” “It’s like God says something, and then it happens.” “Yes!” I said, with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm. “Nothing is too difficult for our God. He speaks, and it is so! Just like He did in the beginning here in Genesis. Isn’t that amazing?” Both girls nodded….

When We Say Yes

Posted on: February 4th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

I just had the privilege of speaking to a group of incredible women today about my story. It was such a blessing to be there. To share the message God has given to me and to hear theirs in return. This is the church––we’re the church––and we’re called to love one another. To gather together so that we might encourage and spur one another on toward Christ. I’ve already told you about the resistance I’ve felt on occasion toward the call God has placed on my life. It’s no secret. But what’s incredible to me is what God does when we say yes. There’s a story in scripture about two sons. To the first, the father said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” To which the son replied, “‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went” (Matthew 21:29). The father said the same to his other…

It Is for Freedom That We Are Set Free

Posted on: January 29th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

There’s a song that I just can’t get out of my head. It’s called “I Am Set Free” and is written and performed by All Sons and Daughters. The chorus is what keeps playing a loop in my mind continually. In fact, I’ve even woken up hearing the lyrics several nights in a row: “I am set free oh oh oh oh I am set free oh oh oh oh It is for freedom that I am set free.” It is for freedom that I am set free––words echoing a truth, written by Paul long ago to the churches in Galatia, that said, “For freedom Christ has set us free…” But I love what comes next in this verse–– “…stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (5:1). I think we all have a tendency to slip back into old habits, back into things we’ve been freed from. When I read the…