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 Kimberly Coyle
And I grew angry with myself for writing about my daily life on the most public forum on the planet, and withering when faced with criticism there. I exposed my son to people who, quite honestly, think the marriage of faith and everyday life is downright crazy.
i begin many of my writings
with these few words,
“i was born broken.”
if this is my truth,
by Sheri Stewart
if i stand by this today
as i have my entire life,
then where does that leave God?
by Elaine L. O'Neill
When we exchanged our marriage vows, we both meant it when we said we would commit to each other from that day forward: In sickness and health, rich or poor, till death do we part. It was the part about loving and cherishing I had to learn more about. My dreams and goals did not always line up with my husband’s. As a result. I struggled with humility and resisted putting aside my plans to minister to and walk with my husband.
I love throwing parties. I love Mexican food. Give me a reason to throw a Mexican-themed party and I am elated. I have a handful of go-to serving dishes, tablecloths, and decorations just waiting for the next social gathering. Recently, my husband and I were throwing a party with a Spanish flair for our daughter’s birthday and I wanted to serve chips and salsa, one of our family’s favorite munchies. I looked everywhere for our large blue, red, and orange chip and dip bowl but couldn't seem to locate it. I could not believe I had the perfect piece to present the snacks, but could not find it anywhere. The party went off without a hitch even though the presentation wasn’t exactly what I had in my mind.
It is so frustrating when you can’t find what you are looking for.
Our basement is a catch-all for the things that have no place in the rooms above ground. It's the space that’s served as a playroom for the big toys, laundry, gift wrap station, storage, etc. At one time, it also housed a Pilates machine; a late-night purchase from the HSN Shopping Network. For months it went untouched except of course for the kids playing on it, and we always shooed them off. Filled with promises of lean muscles in half the time, I decided I was finally going to give it a try. I turned on the little TV, popped in the DVD that came with the machine, and laid down ready to transform my body. As I lay there and looked up, my eyes were drawn to the top shelf of the wire racks that ran along the wall…and I saw it! It was the infamous chips and salsa dish that went MIA months before.
In changing my perspective, what seemed lost was found.
I was no longer looking at eye level. I was seeing through a worm’s eye. Perspective is an important element in art. In photography, for example, it adds to the story and perfects the shot. By changing my perspective I saw more. My limits were removed.
You can take a picture of the same subject, engage in the same activity, look in the same places, yet have a different outcome when you change perspective.
A shifted perspective reveals that there is more than meets the eye at first. One of the things that will radically change your perspective is a heart of gratitude.
We talk a lot about thankfulness during the month of November, but what if we talked about it all year round?
I certainly could stand a little more gratitude thrown my way in my home. I am tired of making meals that are met with complaints or cleaning the house only for it to be littered with stuff soon thereafter. Yet, I realize, if I want the climate in my home to change, thankfulness has to start with me and be intentionally modeled to my kids. The thankfulness I practice now is often reactionary. It is in response to what I have, nice things done for me, and my comfort. That's the stuff of greeting cards. The gratitude tends to be fleeting…it doesn't contain power to change our perspective or produce joy.
In the book One Thousand Gifts, A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, Ann Voskamp says:
"The practice of giving thanks...eucharisteo...this is the way we practice the presence of God, stay present to His presence, and it is always a practice of the eyes. We don't have to change what we see. Only the way we see."
What if I didn’t wait for the perfect scenarios to give thanks?
I am now on the hunt for that which I have not noticed before. I am looking beyond the obvious and being proactive in giving thanks. This Thanksgiving, my family will not be wrapping up a month of thankfulness but will be kicking off a new journey of partaking in willed eucharisteo in hopes of transforming our perspective. My husband and I will be leading our kids each day in writing down those things that we are grateful for and keeping that list in a place that can be see on a daily basis and by others who enter our home.
How do you participate in giving thanks in your home?
Kimberly is an enthusiastic and dedicated founding member of the Circles of Faith team. She is known for her creativity, strong faith, and commitment to living life with purpose and passion. Kimberly is a writer and community builder whose desire is for hearts to be healed, minds to be renewed and women to be connected in fellowship just as God intended.
You can follow Kimberly in her journey to discovering the Sweet Spot of God’s success for her everyday life on her blog at Living in the Sweet Spot. or on twitter @kimberlyamici.Click here for her full bio.
"Do everything without grumbling or arguing,” Philippians 2:14
Complaining, weary, grumbling, impatient…I’m skipping down the path of least resistance. Almost giddy as my negative emotions pick up momentum. Oh, it’s so easy to go there.
* No power, day 6. And the predictions are power may not be restored for another week. [Continue Reading...]
By Phyllis Doerr
“We are shaped by the words of those who love us or refuse to love us.”
It’s a powerful concept. One that piqued the interest of ten women gathered at my home for five Tuesday mornings recently. We used Sharon Jaynes’ book, The Power of A Woman’s Words. From the very first paragraphs, we were all amazed at the truth of the title – and how much we needed to learn about using our words wisely.
by Kimberly Amici
Funny how you can hear a scripture over and over again but then all of a sudden you just “get it.” Even though the truths in the Bible are eternal, they were written in a time and a place that seems very far removed from the life we live today. We may have a hard time truly understanding references to a culture and time we are not familiar with. The profoundness of what we are reading is sometimes obscured. I am thankful to the many teachers, commentaries, and translations that have helped me along the way.
