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 Sharon Gamble
I came across a Bible verse the other day that reminded me of my reluctant submission to the concept of rest. Here it is: …In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. (Isaiah 30:15).
That part about “you would have none of it?” That was me. [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Amici
This year, let’s go beyond the good intentions and create a plan that will help us achieve those things that are on our heart. But where and how do you start? A good place to start is by creating SMART goals. The acronym SMART stands for: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. When creating goals for the New Year here are some things to consider:
by Elise Daly Parker
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
Happy New Year!
Did you choose your One Word for the New Year?
I have been reflecting, thinking, praying and have finally come up with my One Word for the New Year. Before I tell you what it is let me tell you a little about my journey. [Continue Reading...]
by Noelle Rhodes
Being a parent of a child with significant struggles has made the journey of parenting...unique. Though at times, it has been hard and heartbreaking, it has turned out to be a great adventure that has changed my life forever. It has deepened my faith and has taught me huge life lessons. [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Amici
A great way to keep God’s Word on our lips and in our thoughts is through Scripture memory. Memorizing Bible verses fills our mind with truth and builds our faith. Over the years, I have found a few things that make Scripture memory easy and fun.
by Kimberly Amici
Finally, it was time for my husband and I to take all those wonderful things that we already wrote down in the Mission Statement Discussion Sheet and Family Culture Discussion Sheet and weave them together to form our Family Mission Statement. We learned a lot by going through the process and found it really worthwhile. Hopefully you will too. [Continue Reading...]
How do we prevent the values, beliefs, and expectations we have for our family from getting lost in the shuffle of our modern-day life?
That’s the question my husband and I asked ourselves just a few months back. We talked about what we wanted our family to look like; it wasn’t the over scheduled, disconnected, and burnt out family we were becoming. So we decided the best way change our course was to create a family mission statement and have a discussion about family culture. [Continue Reading...]
by Cathy Baker
For several years, our family has had lots of fun with this simple idea during the summer months. You take the letters of the alphabet and you come up with 26 activities – one for each letter of the alphabet.
So you don’t have to think of all the ideas on your own, I’ve compiled a huge list of them into this ebook, A to Z Summer Fun, available on amazon. The activities range from free to adventurist, and are adaptable for preschoolers through teens. My girls are already making plans for this summer’s list! [Continue Reading...]
By Susan Panzica
The command to observe the Sabbath is the fourth among The Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 31:15. This is a commandment with by far the most instruction but, even within Christian circles, it seems to be dismissed as optional by our busy society. [Continue Reading...]
By Micalagh Beckwith Moritz
eing in real relationships is sometimes a difficult, scary concept; it is not easy to open ourselves up to the possibility of our own weaknesses being revealed or getting hurt. Engaging in a deeper community takes courage, and here are some things that have been helpful for me along my journey: [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Amici
Blogs are more popular then ever before. And while it’s exciting to have so much content, information, and inspiration to choose from online, it can also leave us thinking, How do I read it all?
Many of us don’t have time to stop by and read the latest posts on the blogs we follow regularly. What happens if we want to read something new from a new writer, on a different topic than our usuals? [Continue Reading...]
By April Sliwak for the Glory of God
I come from a family of “yellers.” I never thought anything of it; raising our voices when we spoke to one another was common. Then, my oldest daughter, at about four years old, asked me one day, “Mommy, why are you always angry and yelling at me?” I stopped in my tracks. I realized instantly, by the grace of God, that I was communicating in the only way I knew, and it wasn’t pretty. [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Amici
Things turning out the way I planned.
When my husband and I first got married, we talked about many wonderful ideals for our family. We wanted a welcoming home with an open-door policy, a family that loves and serves God together, a simple life that prioritizes relationships.
Years later, the values, beliefs, and expectations we had for our family were getting lost in the shuffle of our modern-day suburban life. [Continue Reading...]
By Noelle Rhodes
Make no mistake about it, I absolutely love living in Ireland! There is truly no place as beautiful as this island. Yet I still suffer from occasional bouts of homesickness. From time to time, I pine for the place that I call “home.” I dream of the scenes, the smells, the faces that I have been far away from. I begin to feel lonely…and disconnected from both the place I miss and the place where I presently live.
Here are a few things that I have done to cure my occasional bouts of homesickness. [Continue Reading...]
by Tiffany at Don't Waste the Crumbs
Our kitchen was filled with all sorts of boxes that were supposed to be food, but very little food itself. This was the result of a year worth of couponing and stocking up when the prices were too good to pass up. Of course it was never my intention to feed my family boxes, but manufacturers don't issue coupons for bananas or beans or whole chickens. We were on a very tight budget, so I used coupons and bought only what was on sale. Unfortunately, that meant we were buying mostly food that came in boxes. [Continue Reading...]
By Amy Carroll
I was afraid to risk hope.
In my previous post, Without a Net , I shared about my journey to dive into a new idea from God while letting go of my own backup plan. It was scary to bring a proposal to launch a coaching service for speakers that was beyond my formal education and different than anything I had accomplished in the past. [Continue Reading...]
By Toni Campbell
Throughout the evening, the snow had silently fallen, blanketing everything under six inches of pristine whiteness. Most people had made what my friend calls their “French toast run” – the obligatory dash for bread, milk, and eggs. When morning broke bright and clear, my urban neighborhood was uncharacteristically quiet.
I slept until the cat pawed my face for her morning meal. Once she was fed, I put the tea kettle on and sat at the dining room table to read my Bible. It wasn't long before the sounds of metal scraping concrete filled the air as people dug out. [Continue Reading...]
By Amy Carroll
A new year is a time ripe for the launch of a new dream. Here’s my story about swinging into space toward a new dream and without the net of my backup plan.
I stared gloomily at the tops of my students’ heads as they worked on their newest assignment. How could I be so completely miserable in a job that had once brought me such joy? Where had the girl gone who wanted to be just like her favorite teacher, Mrs. Warren? [Continue Reading...]
By Noelle Rhodes
Our little girl was turning five.
It had been a big year for her. We moved to a new city over the summer and she started a new school this fall. We felt like the best way to celebrate her was to throw her a really fun 5th birthday party: A RED RIDING HOOD BIRTHDAY!
We were able to rent an authentic thatched roof cottage to host the party (one of the perks of living in Northern Ireland). Several friends pitched in and helped make buns, scones, and sandwiches. Interns from our church offered up their face-painting services and helped decorate the cottage for the party. [Continue Reading...]
I caught myself doing it again this morning...
Waking with intentions of having a quiet time, but instead finding myself caught in the tangled world wide web of Pinterest. Yes, Pinterest - instead of starting my day with Jesus.
I wake early for Him. I make coffee to sit with Him. I grab my Bible to read about Him. I open my computer to blog about Him, but without warning or reason, I open a second window and start to Pin. But nothing about Him.
Social media could be the death of quiet times as we know them if we aren't careful. [Continue Reading...]
