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...]
To be honest, there have only been two or three moments in my life when I felt CERTAIN that what I was doing, I was created to do. The first was when I discovered that God had made me a teacher. The second, is when I learned that God had made me a Mommy. A Mother. Those were the two times that I felt so confident in every move and situation, confident that if I didn’t know the answer I could find it.
I had no idea of what a family was until both of my parents died. It sounds harsh, but it is true. At that time in my life, I was a parentified child of my four younger siblings. Dad was an introverted workaholic and Mom was a drug addict.
by Wodline Hippolyte
I am blessed to today to have both men and women in my life who aren’t afraid to share their life experiences with me. Hearing their stories allows me to make wiser life decisions, strengthens my faith, and form lasting friendships.
by Kim Hyland
It wasn’t long ago when this evil hit my radar. And I went through all the emotions. I wanted to forget or to somehow make it not true. I desperately wanted to turn my face away, but I couldn’t. So I prayed. And as I prayed, my shock was turned to awe.
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 Brianne Hendrick
It began with a prayer. “God, make me a part of something bigger than myself, something my family can be invested in that will bless your kingdom, something that can only be explained by saying, ‘God is in this.’“ Literally, the day after I prayed that simple prayer, I logged on to Facebook and noticed a dear friend of mine doing mission work in Rwanda.
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.
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 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.
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 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 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 Sandy DelGrande
I don’t know about you, but by April, I am done…cooked, fried, ready for the school year to be over, ready to take a break from ministry. I am depleted and running on empty. This is when I start dreaming about my summer vacation and my favorite place in the world, CAMP-of-the-WOODS. [Continue Reading...]
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…]
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...]
by Amy Carroll and Tanya McAvoy
As a member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker team, I have the advantage of being surrounded by women who have blazed a path in front of me. When I needed help creating a message, Micca Campbell and Karen Ehman helped me. When I felt reluctant and unsure about promoting that message, I was trained along with our team by marketing experts and our fearless leader, Lysa TerKeurst.
I love lots of things about being part of a ministry team, but mostly I love not being alone. [Continue Reading...]
by Elise Daly Parker
‘Tis the season for gift giving. And we’ve come across some unique gift sites we thought you’d like to know about. They’re non-profits that pay it forward every time you buy a gift through them.
by Denise Trio
Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has just alerted us that we’ve reached our cruising altitude. You’re now free to move about the cabin,” the flight attendant chirped over the loudspeaker in our tiny airplane heading from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, to Nassau, Bahamas.
What seemed like less than five minutes later, I heard her voice again announcing that we had begun our initial descent and anyone moving about the cabin had to return to their seats with seat belts securely fastened. Our flight time that August morning lasted a total of 26 minutes. [Continue Reading...]
by Susan Panzica
What makes a writer, a writer? A writer writes. It’s that simple.
It may be for publication or for personal reflection, but putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to express one’s thoughts on a page qualifies. Because writing tends to be a solitary endeavor, it’s essential for writers to gather together for encouragement and accountability. [Continue Reading...]
She Speaks - A Speakers and Writers Conference From Proverbs 31 Ministries
Date: July 25-27, 2013
Registration: Open now and filling up fast!
We’ve had a few posts here on Circles Of Faith from the awesome women of Proverbs 31 Ministries, including Karen Ehman, Tracie Miles, Lynn Cowell, and just in the past few days, Amy Carroll. So I figured it was time to share just one of the fabulous opportunities Proverbs 31 provides. It’s their informative, instructional, applicable, inspiring annual She Speaks, Speakers and Writers Conference.
Two summers ago, I dared to venture out to the Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference…ALONE!
I had never traveled anywhere alone and stayed alone for several days. I’m a girlfriends’ girlfriend. I love traveling with a pack. I love having one of my birth or God sisters with me at times like this. I mean how much fun to prepare and plan, board the plane with breathless anticipation. To set down in a lovely foreign land (well from NJ to NC…it was new territory to me!) wide-eyed and bushy tailed ready to experience together a living, learning adventure. Then to return each night to our cozy little hotel room, giddy with fun and fellowship to share.
Well, my first She Speaks Conference wasn’t exactly like this, since I was…ALONE!
As it happened, I had been trying to get to the She Speaks Conference for a couple of years with a couple of interested gal pals. In fact, for my 50th birthday, my beloved friends, knowing the desire of my heart was to attend this conference, collected money to help send me on my way. I was just waiting till one of my friends could come along. But it had been two years and I was itching to go!
So, with great trepidation and nerves akimbo, I registered myself for She Speaks.
Yes, terror mixed with the excitement of actually doing this very big thing…ALONE!
I felt certain I was to go. And so off I went. The flight (I have some fear of flying) was smooth sailing. The shuttle was awaiting and quickly filled up with a spirited bunch of women, most of whom were exhausted from the pressures of leaving family behind and pulling it all together on the home front. We were mostly new to the conference. All of us were just silly with eagerness, chatting, exchanging stories, hopes, and plans, and getting to know one another in our moving bubble.
And then we arrived! It was actually one night before the Pre-Conference began; a great opportunity to relax and catch my breath before the opening of She Speaks.
I had already made a fast friend…
And so we agreed to grab a quick bite and go for a pool walk. Yes, we donned our bathing suits, jumped in the pool, and began walking laps as we shared like old friends do…though we had just met each other. For me, my new buddy was a sign that I was going to be just fine and this conference was going to be a girlfriend getaway and so much more, even though I was there…ALONE!
The next morning, I checked in to the Pre-Conference Session.
I was outfitted with my new conference tote and an awesome book by Renee Swope, A Confident Heart . I felt the book was a gift from God, since there was one of several book choices included in each bag, and this seemed perfectly chosen for me.
The journey of learning, connecting, worshipping, sharing, laughing, crying continued for three days. I was in the right place at the right time, meeting all kinds of amazing women I wouldn’t have met had I been traveling with others. The worship was rich. The keynotes were moving and left lasting impact.
I remember Lysa TerKeurst’s (keynote was Let God Chisel).Karen Ehman put on a hysterical skit on comparison (so relatable for comparison queens like me). Renee Swope’s testimony was powerful and moving. Oh and it was there that I first encountered Ann Voskamp, author of the life-changing One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are . I met the engaging and delightful Amy Carroll and signed up for some continuing ed, so to speak, through the equipping Next Step Speakers Services . I’ve since enjoyed Message Development coaching through Next Step from Karen Ehman and a recent eye-opening Group Service conference call, Writing a Bang-Up Book Proposal, also with Karen.
There were excellent workshops on marketing, writing, speaking, publishing, platform, and more. I was part of a Speakers Coaching Group (very intimidating, but I’m glad I did it!). And I even met with a couple of publishers to share my book proposal.
From beginning to end, I was so delighted to be at She Speaks. The friends I met, words spoken, lessons learned, challenges met…well it was all beyond what I could’ve asked or imagined.
If you want to sharpen your writing skills and hone your speaking message, enjoy lots of good girlfriend time (even if you’re alone!), be refreshed, equipped, and inspired, I’d say She Speaks is for you. Find out more here http://shespeaksconference.com/shespeaks/ .
And if you decide to go, please let me know. I’m doing my best to make my way there again this summer…this time with Circles of Faith Co-Founder, Managing Editor, and Friend Kimberly Amici. Hope to see you there!
Elise has been married for 28 years and is mom to four mostly grown girls. She is a writer, editor, writing coach, and blogger. She believes we all have stories that matter--big life bios and small meaningful moments. Elise believes our stories are a reflection of God’s glory and are meant to be shared. They have the power to inform, reform, and transform. She loves God, familly, friends...and really likes travel!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
