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 Kimberly Amici
It’s been 12 years since I have been free of consumer debt. Having struggled with managing money myself, I knew it was important to equip my kids with the necessary tools to manage their money. I want my kids to know their math facts and spelling words, but I also want them to be financially intelligent.
i begin many of my writings
with these few words,
“i was born broken.”
if this is my truth,
by Sheri Stewart
if i stand by this today
as i have my entire life,
then where does that leave God?
by Toni Campbell
The IF:Gathering first took place last February in Austin, Texas, and sold out in minutes. The organizers determined to make the content available through a live webcast. From there, it blossomed and took shape. Women spontaneously gathered friends and neighbors into their homes to watch and share in the experience.
by Kristin Hill Taylor
Because Jesus may call me to lay down something or pick up something new or invite someone in or go against what I’ve always known or take steps into the unknown. God doesn’t leave us the same. He makes us new and continues making us new. He doesn’t leave us in the wilderness but changes us as we journey to the Promised Land.
by Kimberly Coyle
Every December, I buy a new daily calendar for the year ahead. And every January, I sit down and fill in the blanks—the birthdays, anniversaries, school dates, and vacations we planned in advance. I find it comforting to know a few of the things that lie ahead, giving me something to look forward to as I flip the year’s pages.
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.
Read what our contributors have to say and share your answer in the comments below. HOW DO YOU DE-STRESS DURING THE HOLIDAYS?
by Elise Daly Parker
It’s not too late! If you haven’t made any resolutions and don’t plan on it, you might want to consider choosing One Word for the New Year instead. This is a word that acts like a compass, a reminder, an anchor for the unfolding year.
by Kathleen Whittam
Last week I was thrown from my high horse. My vision of my angelic child was shattered. Indeed, he is not perfect. I caught him in a lie. A big fat lie. A lie he repeated over and over again for a month. Lest we all get too excited, the lie was about wearing retainers nightly even though they were actually lost at summer camp.
by Susan Panzica
We often think - that is IF we stop to think about it - that human trafficking is something that occurs overseas in remote, dark corners of the world. And that is true. It does occur there. But we are mistaken if we think that it doesn't occur here in the U.S., in our cities and suburbs, our neighborhoods, our local schools and shopping malls, our farms.
by Susanne Ciancio, LPC
In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the research of marriage counselors and psychologists John and Julie Gottman on married couples, which revealed Four Predictors of Divorce. The Gottmans refer to these predictors as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which include criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling. This month we will look at a couple of strategies the Gottmans suggest using to avoid these predictors.
By Jennifer from Swing Whistle Zing
We started out with the best of intentions, but as the clock ticked by and the minutes passed, frustration began to rear its ugly head. My arms began to ache from being extended indefinitely while my husband ran into a roadblock of sorts trying to get the final pieces to lock into place. We both gritted our teeth and pushed on.
On Fridays, at Circles of Faith, we talk about COMMUNITY - books, music, ministries, interviews, and events to connect you.Today we are sharing our most popular and favorite posts from 2014. If you have some time, why not catch up on some you have missed. And when you are done share with us in the comments your favorite post from the past year.
On Wednesdays, at Circles of Faith, we talk about LIFE - new ideas, how-tos, and DIYs to equip you. Today we are sharing our most popular and favorite posts from 2014. If you have some time, why not catch up on some you have missed. And when you are done share with us in the comments your favorite post from the past year.
On Mondays, at Circles of Faith, we talk about FAITH - stories, testimonies, and God moments to inspire you. Today we are sharing our most popular and favorite posts from 2014. If you have some time, why not catch up on some you have missed. And when you are done share with us in the comments your favorite post from the past year.
by Kim Hyland
Why Winsome? Because we all want to be! It literally means {JOY}some. And who doesn’t want some joy? I'm not talking about circumstantial, bubbly, fragile joy, but deep, strong, messy, right-here joy. In these circumstances, good or bad. Joy, that not only brings happiness on our good days, but sustains us through our worst.
by Maude Carolan Pych
Among my most meaningful things to do
while reading the Holy Scriptures through
is write Messiah's Name in the margin
of the Old Testament, where'er I find Him.
Of course, I do not find Jesus' Name,
but I certainly find Him, just the same.
by Elaine O'Neill
My lonely heart hurt with quiet feelings of sadness. Instead of the noise and laughter I experienced when we took in these needy souls, a heavy silence hung over my home. I felt depressed. We lacked the joy that a foster child brought to our home during the Christmas season.
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.
Read what our contributors have to say and share your answer in the comments below. What is the best gift you have ever given?
by Joy Kay
Most of my life I have heard how different it is to parent a son. And all of my life I have heard how hard it is to raise an African-American boy. But I never wanted to believe that these stereotypes affected all African-American boys. My husband and I raised our now young adult children to be God-fearing, hard working, determined people. However, I knew that my son would be treated differently than my daughter by our society because of the stereotypes seen in all forms of media that people have come to believe.
By Tracie Miles
It had been a few years since God healed my heart of the shame and regret of past mistakes, and now He was calling me to a new purpose. I believed God could never use me for anything special, because I felt I had nothing special to offer in light of my past.
