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...]
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by Denise Trio
The music of City Harbor delivers exactly what a world searching for consolation needs--comforting words to listeners everywhere. Circles of Faith was thrilled to preview the duo’s debut album, which releases on February 4.
We couldn’t be more excited about this fresh, new music. [Continue Reading...]
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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...]
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By Chelle Wilson
This prayer is dedicated in part to the Polar Vortex, which has given us some of the most intense winter weather I can ever remember. It may be because I am older now, and snow and cold are more about heating the house, having suitable snow tires, and driving safely rather than finding the steepest hill to sled down, making the most audacious snowman, or filling an as yet undiscovered virgin plain with a heavenly host of snow angels. In any case, I am grateful that God speaks to me in many ways, often through the deep brown eyes of my beloved fur companion even on a treacherous and icy morning stroll. [Continue Reading…]
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Review by Joanne Viola
This is my first time reading anything by author, Emily P. Freeman. I have so enjoyed A Million Little Ways. Within the covers of this book, I found words that made me realize each one of us is truly born with a longing and a need to be creative. Each of us has an art, hidden inside of us, waiting to be developed and shared with those around us. [Continue Reading…]
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By Jennifer from Swing Whistle Zing
The first time I meet someone and tell them that I write about kids’ music, I often get the same questions:
How did you get into kids’ music? Are you a musician? What do you recommend?
The answers are actually pretty simple: I’m a passionate mom (who prefers that more noise come from happily singing kids than the TV). No, I’m not a musician (see answer A). Well it depends; what are you looking for? [Continue Reading…]
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Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... (Matthew 6:19-21, NRSV)
This verse has taken on a new meaning for me since I got to Belize. In this tropical climate, things, stuff, objects, don’t last very well. They break, they fall apart, but most of all, they mold. I didn’t believe people when I first got here. I thought, surely, my things would be the exception. But after a week of living in our small Belizean house, I started to see the effects of living in a tropical climate. My books started to grow mold, the clothes in my closet, my favorite shoes, my pink wallet, even my pillow (yuck)! [Continue Reading...]
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By Kristin Smith with Delonna Gibbs
Our friend Kristin Smith shares an Impact Opportunity each month…and this month, we’re sharing it with you!
This is me and my dear friend Delonna in Washington, D.C., earlier this fall! We had so much fun talking our way through the Botanical Gardens! ;)
Delonna is a fellow dreamer and a part of the God Sized Dream team (read more about this here link). She has been such a blessing to me this past year. It has been exciting to see her grow her dream and watch the many ways God has used this dream to bless the lives of orphans. [Continue Reading…]
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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...]
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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...]
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By Susan Panzica
If you think that slavery in the U.S. ended in 1865, think again.
Human trafficking, a.k.a. modern day slavery, is the fastest growing criminal enterprise. The illegal buying and selling of human beings is second only to drug trafficking, equal in scope to arms trafficking. “Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, and/or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor.” (NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking) [Continue Reading…]
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by Susanne Ciancio, LPC, Licensed Professional Christian Counselor
What if I'm the one being broken up with? Ouch! That can really hurt!
You may be very bonded to a group of women you're raising kids with. Then your family moves out of the neighborhood or your kids are a little older and in a different school. At first, you're surprised and then very disappointed when you realize the women in the neighborhood are still gathering and doing all the fun stuff you all used to do together. But there’s one big difference: they're not including you. [Continue Reading...]
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by Beth Stiff
With my husband now gone for at least 10 months, I keep saying it is time for me to find my new normal. Life without him is different. How could it be anything but different?
Well then I go and pick up a book by Jennie Allen called Anything. It's a book I've wanted to read for quite some time. I love how God knows when the time is right.
So as I search for my new normal and wonder what it will look like, I eventually get to these words from Jennie,
“What if heaven and God and forever became our normal?”
What if? [Continue Reading...]
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WHAT ARE YOU READING?
That's the question we will be asking COF contributors and you, our readers, each month. Is there a book that you just can't seem to put down, that's teaching you a profound spiritual lesson, or making you laugh amid your struggles? We want to hear about it!
There are two ways you can join us! Tell us in the comments what you are reading or use the LinkUp below to share your blog post about a favorite book you've read. [Continue Reading…]
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by Jennifer Camp
"You are not strong." He says it again.
"My child, you are not strong."
These words He repeats four more times and I crumble, heart wrenching, chest tightening. It comes again as I type this, the screen blurring and my fingers wavering with the truth so close: Yes, I want so much to be strong. [Continue Reading...]
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By Micalagh Beckwith Moritz
I have been thinking about Mary, lately. Mary, the mother of Jesus. I have been thinking about the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to a son, but not just any son. She would give birth to the Messiah, “the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32). [Continue Reading...]
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by Jennifer Pine
Families in America celebrate Thanksgiving Day with food, family, and football. Adding to the mix is travel, exhausted adults, good cheer, and piles of dishes. It’s a fun-filled day ripe with annual rituals and the autumnal kickoff to the holiday season.
Our extended family lives far away so our family tradition includes running in a local race to burn off expected calories, Dad cooking up a hearty meal of an extra-large turkey with standard trimmings, and a weekend filled with creative turkey leftovers. My personal favorite is turkey slices on Texas Toast with Brie cheese, topped with a hot salsa/orange marmalade jelly all toasted and bubbly!
All year long we participate in various community and school fundraisers, as well as holiday gift giving to the needy. [Continue Reading...]
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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...]
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by Beth Stiff
By the time you read, this Thanksgiving will be over and we will be counting down the days until Christmas. However, as I write I’m preparing for Thanksgiving, so stay with me.
I look ahead to both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday with mixed emotions.
My family will spend Thanksgiving apart. I will be off to see my husband for the last time before he deploys and our children will both be in different states. [Continue Reading...]
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By Denise Trio
‘Tis the season!
For overplayed Christmas music that would make even the jolliest listeners into Scroogy humbugs. So today, I will present a roundup of five great Christmas albums. These records are from a variety of artists, filled with their unique renditions of familiar Christmas songs that are also blended with original songs that stay true to the artists’ individual styles. [Continue Reading...]
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