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 Denise Trio
This month we are excited to share with you some music matchups!
Oftentimes, it’s difficult to find new music to enjoy so we are offering up some suggestions based on the albums we’ve reviewed this past year.
I don’t like the phrase “having it all.” Frankly, it’s just silly. I realize that the media, C.E.O.s, working and stay-at-home moms/dads, etc., love to debate the topic. Can you have it all? How can you? What should you do if you don’t have it all?
By Susan Panzica
Matthew 14 opens with the horrific, senseless beheading of Jesus’s cousin, John the Baptist. In His grief, Jesus sought solitude and set out by boat to a remote, desolate place. But crowds of people, over 5000 men plus women and children, followed Him along the shore. Jesus had compassion on them. Can this familiar story speak to us today?
by Susanne Ciancio, LPC
On any given day, I'm a daughter of The Most High with all the resources of Heaven available to me...but at times I may not be accessing any of those resources because I don’t see myself the way God does. I also don’t see my problems the way God sees them.
By Chelle Wilson
Today wasn’t a good day. I was feeling pressed down on every side; discouraged, devoid of Hope, ready to pack it in and join the circus (that’s usually the image that comes to mind when I’m ready to give up. I don’t think I’d ever really run away and join the circus; I doubt they’d have me, but it’s a nice fantasy when I need one. I digress.) Instead, My Beloved and I watched Nature on PBS.
Our vision is to inspire, empower, educate one another through ongoing community exchange. One of the ways we’re doing this is through our Friday Community column, in a monthly series called In Your Words. We reach out to our contributors and guest writers to ask them a question once a month. This month we want to know What Is the Best Compliment You’ve Ever Received?
By Emy Dean
No one in the world wanted to do it right as much as I did. Act right, talk right, eat right, model right, interview right, the list goes on and on. Every day, I struggled to feel beautiful, to catch a glimpse of worth in the mirror, but it was never good enough. The reflection I saw was continually disappointing. My story is one of ups and downs, bumps and bruises, moments of triumph and loss. Growth. Imperfect human, imperfect, beautiful story. Glory through redemption. Life is an adventure story.
Jesus, the omniscient, all-knowing God. The One who knows our every thought and every word before we even speak them. He knew exactly what the blind beggars needed. There was no guesswork involved. Jesus could have sent power to heal them three miles away. He needn't stop and ask, "What do you want me to do for you?" [Continue Reading...]
Both boys and girls are susceptible to the deception and manipulations of traffickers. The primary factor of vulnerability is the child’s age. The average age of entry into prostitution is 13 years old. But there are other risk factors as well. [Continue Reading...]
By Megan Romeo
Can you believe it, friends? Summer is just about officially over and we are falling into a new season. Between making a splash at the pool, park adventures, and beach visits, it’s been quite a busy summer for my little family of three. We’ve satisfied what I crave in all seasons - making memories, snapping pictures, and enjoying the slower pace, wishing time would stand still! But, why in my heart-of-hearts, with all this summer joy, is such a deep hurt still lingering? [Continue Reading...]
by Denise Trio
On August 19, 2014, Amy Grant’s newest album, entitled In Motion: The Remixes, was released. As the name suggests, the album contains remixes of her greatest hits that were released two decades ago. The six-time Grammy winner delivers these signature classics with new life from multiple producers including Chris Cox, Tony Moran, Moto Blanco, 7th Heaven, and Dave Aude. [Continue Reading...]
By Toni Campbell
Have you ever been on a date when the conversation dries up? You exchange pleasantries, discuss a few “safe” subjects, and then…silence. Awkward! And no electronics? What if my kids, or someone from work or church needed me? I started off with a long, leisurely walk around the lake to clear my mind. [Continue Reading...]
by Chelle Wilson
I sat in the circle with my sisters today. One recent glorious afternoon, beneath a clear blue sky, I fellowshipped with my sisters in our Circle of Faith. For some of us, it was “hello, again.” For me, it was finding the piece of myself I never knew wasn’t there. I encountered friends I knew and friends I didn’t know I didn’t know. Let me tell you about our circle… [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...]
God wants to talk to you. The supreme, sovereign King of the Universe longs to have an intimate relationship with you and me. INTIMATE...not just rule-following, church-going, service-oriented Christianity, but intimate relationship! That kind of relationship includes dialogue! [Continue Reading...]
by Kristin Hill Taylor
The people we love aren’t perfect. Consequences of poor choices fill our days – sometimes they are our own poor choices and other times the consequences are the ripples from other people around us. Sadly, conflict weaves its way into relationships, people don’t seek Jesus, and bad things happen to good people. [Continue Reading...]
by Emily Varee Dean
My personal desire to be told I was beautiful, to have my beauty affirmed, and to live in confidence and assurance of my personal worth as a human being would have to come from somewhere else. But where? Verity Vareé. It is a company for women, by women. Our Reveal process gives women the opportunity to write their own story through a photo shoot in which they are the models. [Continue Reading...]
By Micalagh Beckwith Moritz
For me, it has been eye-opening living in Belize, Central America, where there are over 350 species of birds in a very small country (not to mention the amount of bugs who feed those birds). The more I see of God’s awe-inspiring creation, the more I am compelled to work to save it. [Continue Reading...]
Our vision is to inspire, empower, educate one another through ongoing community exchange. One of the ways we’re doing this is through our Friday Community column, in a monthly series called In Your Words. Read what our contributors have to say and share your answer in the comments below.
What App Can You Not Live Without? [Continue Reading...]
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...]
