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 Coyle
When we think of change, our minds often turn to the big and the noteworthy. We think of the day we got married or the day we became a mother. We look back on the year we moved out of our parent’s house, or our first day on the job, or the night we accepted Jesus as our Savior. We often forget that our everyday lives are cyclical, peppered with changes small and the opposite of noteworthy
By Mellany Paynter
Grief is personal yes, but there are elements of this journey we all share. As I open up to my family slowly about how I still struggle sometimes with the thought of my mother gone forever, I realize that they too are hurting.
by Angele Tanyeri
If you were able to attend the Women of Influence event on April 16th at the Residence Inn in West Orange, NJ, not only did you get to hear powerful stories of hope, faith, and redemption, but you also got word of the exciting charity drive we will be hosting at our next Women of Influence event on July 16, 2015.
by Susanne Ciancio
Television shows like Everyone Loves Raymond are extremely popular because they hit upon a tender spot in the reality and culture of our family dynamics. Truth is stranger than fiction for sure and sometimes the Barone family problems pale in comparison to what we ourselves and our friends and neighbors are struggling with.
by Kathy Cheek
For me, quiet thoughts are a sweet savor, yet to have quiet thoughts there must first be quiet moments. I have found quiet thoughts and quiet moments are sanctuary. Sometimes I think something is wrong with me because I enjoy a quieter, slower pace in a world driven to go and do 24/7.
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!
by Noelle Rhodes
Marriage is a journey you travel with someone. It’s not always perfect but that’s okay. We are meant to grow together and get better at being “better people for each other.” I am glad Troy and I haven’t had it all figured out since the beginning of “us.” What a boring story we would have to tell you now if we were always perfectly in love and never fighting! It’s the victories in the tough struggles that give hope.
by Susan Panzica
The question of the day – most every day – for those who desire to follow God is How can I know God’s will? No matter how strong our desire is to follow God’s plan, when given a variety of options, it's may not be easy to make the right choice. The answer is not always crystal clear.
Last Thursday, Circles of Faith gathered our local Women of Influence enjoyed a Women's Night Out. It was a wonderful evening that included worship, the connecting with friends old and making new, and you guessed it... we shared more stories. For those of you that missed the event here is an encore presentation of words and images that so blessed all of our hearts.
by Kristin Hill Taylor
The creator and sustainer of time, God uses seasons to shape us and grow us. Sure, waiting is hard sometimes, but God doesn’t waste that time. He wants us to worship Him while we wait for the next season. Waiting may mean putting a dream on hold until God opens the necessary doors.
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. Have you connected with someone on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or online elsewhere that you would now call your friend?
by Elizabeth Myer
There are many types of grief. The one that seems the most unnatural is the grief of losing a child. It’s in those moments, when walking with someone after they have lost a child, that you want to say something, anything really, to help lessen the grief.
By Micalagh Moritz
Volunteering is one of the best decisions you’ll make. For me, it turned out to be a life-changing year of growth, challenges, joys, and deepened faith. I lived with six other women in a beautiful old house in a neighborhood that was rapidly gentrifying.
by Susan Panzica
In my nightmare, my daughter, who was studying in Australia at the time, was abducted and sold into slavery. I remember every agonizing detail of the dream, from the faded floral pattern of the peeling wallpaper in the stairwell where they grabbed her to the dread in her eyes, the terror in my heart, and my panic. It would take me 24 hours just to travel there and by then she'd have disappeared into the abyss.
by Kimberly Coyle
And I grew angry with myself for writing about my daily life on the most public forum on the planet, and withering when faced with criticism there. I exposed my son to people who, quite honestly, think the marriage of faith and everyday life is downright crazy.
by Kimberly Amici
With all the talk of STORY, it’s no coincidence that my personal reading has gravitated to biographies, memoirs, and the like. Today I’m excited to revisit First Friday Book Faves with some of the inspiring books I have been reading..
by Susanne Ciancio, LPC
Getting married is the most remarkable, significant, meaningful commitment most human beings ever make. Many young people dream of their wedding day their whole lives. If couples put as much time preparing for their marriage as they do their five- to eight-hour event, the divorce statistics would be immensely reduced. The wedding is a wonderful event, but the marriage is a challenging lifelong journey.
by Wodline Hippolyte
There I was, standing at the bus stop in all black, holding up my umbrella. When the bus arrived, I entered, paid my fare, and took a seat. I brought a book to read, but when I opened it I couldn’t even get through a paragraph. I had so much on my mind. This was going to be a day that would change my life forever.
The Jersey Shore Dream Center serves the lost and hurting families at the Jersey Shore. Join me as I have a chat with the Founder Pastor Isaac Friedel and Co-Founder/President Anthony Megaro of the Jersey Shore Dream Center as they share stories of loss and how they through faith, found redemption. They inspire us to answer the call to serve by starting small right where we are.
by Kimberly Amici
When most people think about Easter, they think of fancy dresses, bunnies, and chocolate eggs. As Christians, we know it’s a celebration of so much more - the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, one of the cornerstones of our faith. Holy Week is a time to prepare our hearts to rejoice in this epic story of triumph. Here are just a handful of ways we prepare for Easter in our family.
