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 Diana Jones
Budgeting is one of my favorite things to do!
Yes, really. I love to steward our family’s income and put each dollar to work as best as I can. I have not only managed our budget throughout the years, but I’ve helped my friends and family with this too. [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Coyle
When the judges at the dance competition asked him his name, he stuttered. Each question they asked brought on another short, halting answer. The judges smiled, they knew he was there to show off what he could do with his feet, not to give a speech, and they said, “Let’s see what you can do.” What he could do when the music set his body free, brought tears to the eyes of the panel. [Continue Reading...]
So here we are…one year after our launch of Circles of Faith, Where Faith, Life, and Community Intersect.
We think that’s cause for a celebration. Don’t you?
Over the past year, we’ve had over 150 posts by fabulous, passionate writers from all over the globe on a variety of topics such as missions, marriage, relationship, parenting, God-stories, music, and books. We’ve made it our mission to share with you stories and articles of excellence from both known names in global ministries and voices you may never have heard of; each with something important to say. [Continue Reading...]
By Elise Daly Parker
I’m not sure exactly what happened…But I’ve gotten completely off track. And then, I started to get overwhelmed. I was doing too much, going too many places, living life to the too full. I started turning to the right, when I should go left, turning left, when I should go right. I said yes, yes, yes. When I should’ve checked in with God. Instead, I checked out, put my head down, and forged ahead on automatic pilot. [Continue Reading...]
By Micalagh Moritz Beckwith
It has been two months since my husband and I packed up and stored most of our earthly belongings, gave as much as we could away, placed what was left into four suitcases, and flew to Belize, Central America. As we said goodbye to friends and family with much reminiscing and tears, we were reminded of just how amazing and supportive our community was. [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Amici
As a mom of three young children, I felt like I was always cleaning up after someone. There were always dishes to wash, laundry to be cleaned, and meals to cook.
After only a few years of motherhood, I began to feel like Cinderella.
When my kids were toddlers, we took various Mommy and Me classes. Every single one of these classes had a cleanup song. I witnessed my kids put away blocks and instruments. I realized, If they can clean up here, I can put them to work at home. [Continue Reading...]
By Chelle Wilson
When San Fernando joined our family I didn’t have any idea how he would change our lives. I could not know that he would become my ongoing object lesson in Faith. He has taught me in numerous ways that God is everywhere, particularly in the deep brown eyes of a puppy way too big to be a lap dog but still and forever adorably my baby. [Continue Reading...]
By Susanne Ciancio, LPC
This is the third installment of a series I’ve been writing on Bob Hamp’s Foundations of Freedom.
One of the most basic premises of the Foundations of Freedom series is that we have a bad definition of freedom. We define freedom as the absence of something bad or negative, so our goal in life is to try and rid ourselves of something. But a Biblical definition of freedom is quite different: It's the Presence of Someone, namely our Savior, Healer, Deliverer, Redeemer! Let's try this on for size. [Continue Reading...]
By Barbara Ruglio
I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me (Is 1:2b)
Can you relate? I certainly can! Blessed with compliant elementary-age children, I experienced their coming-of-age years like a death. My sweet children had disappeared and I found myself staring at my defiant teen and wondering, “Who are you and what have you done to my daughter?” [Continue Reading...]
Review By Micalagh Beckwith Moritz
I first heard the buzz about Rachel Held Evans last Christmas when a friend of mine emceed a youth conference where she was a keynote speaker. I soon began following her blog. Then when another friend received for her birthday Rachel’s book, A Year of Biblical Womanhood, I was first in line to borrow it once she finished. I am happy to say that the book did not disappoint. [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Amici
Every night the same scene played out at my house.
It was 5 o’clock; I stood in front of the refrigerator wondering what to make for dinner again. The kids were getting hungry and restless. As I stared at the food I thought, I hate this time of day. I walked back and forth to the pantry and waited for the audible voice of God to tell me what to cook. I heard nothing. 20 minutes went by and I was still pacing back and forth trying to decide what to feed to my family. My children, now cranky, yelled from the other room, “Mommm, when are we going to eat?” [Continue Reading...]
by Chelle Wilson
Our son is an aspiring musician, and he was preparing for a big performance. The night before, we set out a suit, pressed a shirt, debated ties, buffed dress shoes, picked socks, and packed everything including grooming products. Suit bag and tote at the ready, we were all set. [Continue Reading...]
by Chelle Wilson
Starting today we will be hosting a Facebook Prayer community; a place where we can join together to share our prayer needs and our testimonies of God’s provision. It is a forum for us to share what we are believing God for, so that we can knit our faith together.
Prayerfully, thoughtfully, with hearts broken open, we seek those who would not only help us build our community but... [Continue Reading...]
by Diana Jones
I recently saw a commercial for the show The Hero hosted by Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson.I was intrigued by the title and decided to tune in. For those of you who have not seen the show, it’s a reality competition. 10 ordinary people are placed together in a house and put through a series of mental, physical, and emotional challenges. Each week, the viewers vote to determine which contestant was the most heroic. [Continue Reading...]
By Kimberly Amici
Last winter I took a 4-week photography class called Understanding Your DSLR. It covered the fundamentals of taking great pictures. I was thrilled to no only learn how to use the numerous buttons on my camera but to cross an item off on last year’s goals list. I learned a lot in that class...and it wasn't just about taking pictures. [Continue Reading...]
by Denise Trio
Mandisa, who was nominated twice for a Grammy and competed on American Idol’s fifth season, delivers her fourth studio album entitled Overcomer.
It is appropriately named not only because Mandisa did not win American Idol, but also because she has overcome harsh feedback and negativity with her positive and empowering albums. On this album, her songs, saturated with biblical truth and God’s promises, boast synthy, pop, and dance-infused beats and instrumentation that support memorable and singable melodies. Vocally, she is impressive and inspiring, with her gospel roots evident. [Continue Reading...]
by Susanne Ciancio
Last month I shared about a wonderful resource I highly recommend to our Circles of Faith community called Foundations of Freedom. It's a five-part DVD set presented by Bob Hamp, a pastor who also has mental health credentials/licenses.
I will continue to write about the content of the series and why I'm so excited about it next month. This month, however, I would like to devote my space to a dear friend's wonderful testimony about how the series impacted her life. [Continue Reading...]
By Elise Daly Parker
I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, Philemon 1:4 ESV
It was THE day…the day we actually left my baby at her new home, Eastern University, a few miles outside Philadelphia. I was told I was not allowed to cry. “Mom, we’ve done that…no, I don’t want you to cry.” “Okay, I won’t.”
I defined the meaning of stiff upper lip. When the inevitable quivers came, I straightened up, took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and tightened my mouth. [Continue Reading...]
by Susan Panzica
What makes a writer, a writer? A writer writes. It’s that simple.
It may be for publication or for personal reflection, but putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to express one’s thoughts on a page qualifies. Because writing tends to be a solitary endeavor, it’s essential for writers to gather together for encouragement and accountability. [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Amici
I wasn’t sure what to pray with my kids in the evenings. I got tired of giving
thanks for the wonderful day and then asking God to give us a good night sleep. “Now I lay me down to sleep…” didn't seem like a good option. I can remember as a little girl saying it before I’d go to sleep at night, though I could never remember if I was supposed to pray for my soul to keep or to take. Eventually, fearing that I was going to get it wrong, I stopped praying this prayer altogether. [Continue Reading...]
