by Angele Tanyeri
The Collyde Summit is a gathering of passionate believers in the NY, NJ, and PA area, who love Jesus and are convicted to become world changers. Collyde turned out to be a life-changing experience for me! To gather and worship in this way was profound. It also gave me a chance to ‘collide’ with individuals I may not have had an opportunity to meet otherwise.
by Elise Daly Parker
So for pretty much the 30+ years my beloved and I have been married, we have been “working” on our finances. Initially, it was just a matter of trying to be responsible with our money and not get in over our heads with debt. Truth be told, our success was short term. Some of this was circumstantial – unanticipated life and salary changes threw us for a loop. But, really? We overspent.
by Kathleen Whittam
There is a nickname for people who only go to church on Christmas and Easter--a ChrEaster. My mom has long been a fan of the Christmas cactus, a plant that, oddly enough, blooms around Christmas as well as Easter. I started calling them a ChrEaster Cactus.
By Beth Stiff
I wanted to start from the beginning...
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.~ Genesis 1:1-2
My focal point was going to be on the three words God says over and over again in the first chapter of Genesis: “…it is good."
He looked at all He created and said it was good. ~ Genesis 1:31
Starting from the beginning sounded like a good plan because I’m currently reading from the Book of Genesis and those three words jumped off the pages as I read. If we believe everything He said as truth, and he says those three words several times, I’m thinking those words are rather important. [Continue Reading...]
by Elise Daly Parker
Even if you don’t go for a big New Year’s Eve celebration, the New Year can mark a fresh start, a new beginning, a shift in focus. It’s a good time to take a look back at the past, and consider a vision for the year ahead.
Many people choose a New Year’s resolution or two… [Continue Reading...]
by Noelle Rhodes
At nine months pregnant, I pulled a small chair to the side of the dumpster. I stepped up on the chair and lifted the lid of the dumpster only to be met with the most horrifying rotting smell I have ever experienced. I held my breath and then jumped in. Yes, I jumped into the dumpster. As I began to tear into the trash bags around me, my panic began to grow inside of me. What if I couldn’t find the painting? What if I had really failed?
by Elise Daly Parker
It's been a little over three months since New Year and so it is a good time to reflect on our One Word for the New Year. I’m hoping you will share an update on your One Word too. You can LinkUp or share in the comments below.
by Kristin Hill Taylor
A year ago, I had no idea 2015 would be such a life-changing year for Team Taylor. We were considering a mission trip to Guatemala and knew our son Ben would start kindergarten in August. Otherwise, the year was wide open. Turns out, God had much planned for our 2015.
By Mel Schroeder
When she was teeny-tiny, I used to LOVE doing bedtime. We’d rock in her chair, read stories, I’d sing to her and pray…really, it was the scenario I’d always dreamed of. And with just one child, my husband and I would invest a good 45 minutes in the whole bedtime routine…it was pretty picture-perfect, even until the time she turned four.
By Wodline Hippolyte
Over the last few years, the holiday season has been difficult for me. It was during this time three years ago that my world was turned upside-down. As a result, I didn’t care for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. I was holding on to the pain I experienced during those holidays.
By Kim Hyland
Some may question giving thanks when our hearts are weary worn, as if it’s disingenuous or even delusional. But I’d argue the opposite. The delusion happens when we allow our problems to consume and define our reality. Gratitude restores a proper perspective.
By Susan Panzica
A few years ago, my friends traveled the world. Along their journey, they had some great experiences, and some not so great. But at each stop along the way, they purchased various souvenirs – clothing, jewelry, household items. Eventually, those treasures lost their newness.
by Ashley Mafima
Although a scripted role sounds good in theory, it is the exact opposite that brings out the best in this heroine. Katniss doesn’t come to life in predictability and safe outcomes – only when she is free to react and be in the moment does this character begin to thrive.
exhaustion hits us all- usually when we least expect it or want it… you know the bone weary feeling- you don’t want to move eat, shower or talk…. but you pick yourself up because life calls you.
The truth is my identity wasn’t in being but it was in doing, which created insecurity and competitiveness in my life. As a young woman I struggled for many years not knowing my identity. I lived with addictions, self-destructive behavior, and low-self esteem. After a radical conversion where I was spared from a life-endangering situation, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
"…He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart…" Isaiah 40:11 NIV
Heart, circumcised the gentile wraps herself cozily in a wide tall it fingers the knotted tzit' tzit one by one and remembers the ordinances
by Kimberly Coyle
Around the time my youngest child turned two, when we lived in the thick of toddler tantrums, I began having meltdowns of my own. My daughter’s usually occurred in the toy aisle at Target, but mine were mostly behind closed doors. I could be found quietly sobbing in the bathtub or lying in bed at night, blood pulsing hard and my thoughts a roar into the silence.
by Micalagh Beckwith Moritz
As I write this, it is about three months since I gave birth to my first baby, Hudson. I feel that I am still emerging from what I like to call, “Babyland.” It’s a twilight zone where days and nights fuse into one, where sleep is a coveted and little-known resource, where there is little time for anything other than feeding, changing, rocking, cuddling, and repeating that process.
By Mel Schroeder
And though we don’t often talk about it anymore, it’s a strange existence to have two homes in opposite hemispheres that span oceans. It creates longing and homesickness that fall into categories that can’t quite be described. Some days I try, but most days I just accept that this is the way life will always be.
by Susan Panzica
I’m an accidental abolitionist. At this point in my empty-nester life, I thought I’d be winding down from work and from ministry, but I find myself busier than ever. What began as a passing interest has multiplied into a ministry that has had a global reach.
by Barbara Ruglio
On June 26, 2015, nine men and women in Washington, D.C., ruled that marriage between two men and two women was a right in all 50 states of the USA that could not be denied. In their decision, they declared in lofty beautiful language that love wins.
by Wodline Hippolyte
I was sick and tired of sending my resume out and getting no response, As a result, my faith was shaken. I was a single mom with a college education who felt rejected and unwanted. Going on social media didn’t help at all. There I would read posts of young adults sharing the successes of their businesses or how God opened doors for them.
by Maude Pych
I can't make you love Him if you don't can't strike a match to cause your heart to blaze at the mention of His Name can't cause you to tremble as I tremble before His holiness can't jumpstart love from the outside in It only happens from the inside out
by Kathleen Whittam
There is a nickname for people who only go to church on Christmas and Easter--a ChrEaster. My mom has long been a fan of the Christmas cactus, a plant that, oddly enough, blooms around Christmas as well as Easter. I started calling them a ChrEaster Cactus.
by Mel Schroeder
2010 was a hard year for us, in many ways. We faced huge life changes and transcontinental relocation, all within a matter of weeks. We had no idea what to expect and had many days when we simply had to hand all of it to our Father, loosening our grasp from what felt impossible.
