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 Becky Crenshaw
It was our last walk on the beach. The pink sun glittered down on white sand as our ten feet marked their way across the Destin beach. Our family kicked off summer on these Florida shores - seven summer days of castles, cannonballs, and snow cones, each day a celebration of a school year complete. [Continue Reading...]
by Toni Cambell
Is Your Church Looking for a Powerful Way to Impact its Community? Consider offering the MAKE IT program.
Ikecia was 16 and pregnant, but determined not to become a high school dropout. Her story is one of hardship, healing, and triumph as she fulfills God’s mission for her life. She worked hard to stay in school, eventually going on to college, and getting her BA in Psychology at Rutgers. Not long afterward, she began to feel a tug on her heart…an overwhelming sense of purpose to help people. [Continue Reading...]
By Kim Hyland
The choices before us when it comes to raising our children are unprecedented, and that can be both a blessing and a curse. Not only is the decision about where and how to educate our children logistically demanding, it can be emotionally draining as well. With all these options, we moms can easily find ourselves feeling isolated and unsupported. [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Coyle
I signed up for the race because I need the goal of a finish line for motivation to run. I need to pay some money, put my name on a list, and make a promise I plan to keep at 6:45 every weekday morning. It was my first relay race, the first race in which I promised someone other than myself that I would show up and do the hard work of running three legs in twenty-four sleepless hours. [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Amici
Callie Grant understands the lasting impact a story with vivid illustrations can have on a child. After struggling to find books for her little girl that would reinforce a firm foundation with God, she founded the company Graham Blanchard, Inc., a Christian Publishing Company. [Continue Reading...]
By Susanne Ciancio, LPC
In my early days of seeking God, in pursuit of hearing His voice, I heard this message quite frequently, “You have two ears and one mouth!” This was my first clue as to what is most important to God...talking or listening? Think about it for a moment, do we need to tell God the minute details of our situations as if He needs to be informed? Nothing wrong with pouring out our hearts to God and expressing our feelings, as a matter of fact it can be very cleansing indeed. However...if we want to hear from God we need to stop talking! [Continue Reading...]
By Nancy Gentile
My husband John asked me to bring our youngest daughter, Julie, a senior, to the airport to fly back to the University of Arizona. We have three daughters, all of whom have gone to colleges a plane ride away from home. But John is usually the one who takes them to and from the airport. This time, I was the designated parent. Let's just say I don't do airports well! [Continue Reading...]
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! [Continue Reading...]
by Elaine O'Neill
New Jersey rivers flooded, not once but four years in a row. Rising waters overcame the same homes and neighborhoods, over and over again. Personal belongings were strewn across lawns waiting for the local trash collectors to gather and dispose of forever. Collectables, photos, furniture, clothes, toys, and other assorted memories were destroyed and thrown away. [Continue Reading...]
by Kristin Hill Taylor
I’ve stared at my phone, thinking I could will it to ring. I’ve wondered if my friend was ever going to understand what I meant to say. I’ve spent years trying to get pregnant only to realize that wasn’t God’s plan for us. I’ve journeyed through two adoption processes full of anticipation, and waited unsuccessfully for others that never worked out. Waiting has been a theme in my life – and I’m guessing you’re no stranger to waiting either. [Continue Reading...]
by Denise Trio
When people ask me about my heritage, I proudly proclaim, "I'm Italian." I've got an Italian grandmother whose meatballs would put an Iron Chef to shame. My family is big and loud. We are proud to be Italian. I'm also part Irish. After listening to Rend Collective, a folk-worship band from Ireland, I quickly identified more with my part-Irish roots. [Continue Reading...]
By Angele Tanyeri
At last, summer is here! Hopefully, you are finding time to slow down and soak up the sun. While some may be enjoying a stay-cation this season, others may be gearing up to travel abroad.
Before you leave good ole’ U.S.A., take a peek at my ever-growing list of things I wish I knew before traveling internationally. [Continue Reading...]
by Becky Crenshaw
Summer days can be long.
And this one day in particular was overcast and cool. A day when the pool was not an option, but neither was spending another minute inside the 2100 square feet of our home.
I called my neighbor and asked her if she wanted to take her two kids plus my three to a park nearby. Without hesitation she said yes. Within the hour I had loaded her crew with mine and off we went to shake off the indoor woolies on a too-long summer afternoon. [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Coyle
I discovered most of my friends’ hidden talents by accident. I walked into a café and found a dear friend’s photographs hanging proudly on the walls, a label in the right hand corner of each frame alerting me her work was for sale. One friend stood up to sing karaoke during a summer evening out, and we sat wide-eyed when she blew us away with her singular voice. Another wrote and published a novel before I even realized she was a writer. [Continue Reading...]
By Susan Panzica
I sat in the front row of the Christian high school auditorium, waiting to be introduced, about to speak to the students and faculty about who I am in Christ, reflecting on the morning that had turned into a comedy of errors! My hair was a mess. I tried on four outfits before settling on one that hid most of the major flaws. A heavy load of coins in my blazer pocket slipped through a small hole and were circling and jingling around the hem of the blazer! [Continue Reading...]
Our vision is to inspire, empower, educate one another through ongoing community exchange. One of the ways we would like to do this is through our Friday Community column, in a monthly series called In Your Words. We reached out to our contributors and guest writers to ask them a question.
Read what they have to say and share your answer in the comments below.
What are you into these days and what are you over? [Continue Reading...]
By Micalagh Moritz
Sometimes we as Christians don’t allow ourselves to ask the questions. Or we move too quickly to give answers - for ourselves or others - offering automatic responses, like, “It’ll all work out in the end,” or “Just trust God,” or a dozen other similar phrases. I myself am guilty of this. I want a quick resolution; I want the uncomfortable feelings to end right now. [Continue Reading...]
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!
Join us!
by Susanne Ciancio, Licensed Professional Counselor
When I listen only with the intent to reply, I'm missing the entire message of the speaker - the content, intent, feelings, and so much more. My focus is me and my thoughts, feelings, and reactions. There's a guarantee the speaker won't feel heard, understood, or connected to me. When we practice that kind of listening, we are truly ineffective listeners. So how can we change that? [Continue Reading...]
By Joy Charles Kay
Anyone who knows me knows that my family loves lacrosse.
My son has been playing for years, my husband and I watch it on TV, go to random youth games, oh and I also have a blog dedicated to lacrosse moms. It has become my passion to watch my son and his teammates play. For nearly ten years, my husband and I have traveled the East Coast lugging chairs, Gatorade, blankets, coolers, chips, sandwiches, and everything else across turf and grass fields. [Continue Reading...]
