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 Beth Stiff
The halfway mark of my husband’s deployment approached. It had been a long, cold winter and I needed to get away. Thankfully, I have a son and daughter-in-law who live in sunny San Diego, so I knew exactly where to go.The dreaded "D" word, deployment, has been our reality this year. My son is in the Navy and leaves for his first deployment this summer. [Continue Reading...]
by Beth Stiff
I had the opportunity to attend the Compel Conference in South Sioux City, Nebraska in January. The theme for the conference was A Dare to Dream with the lovely Deidra Riggs as the featured speaker for the weekend. We began on a Friday evening and I tried to write as fast as my fingers would allow to capture everything Deidra shared with us. [Continue Reading...]
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 Beth Stiff
With my husband now gone for at least 10 months, I keep saying it is time for me to find my new normal. Life without him is different. How could it be anything but different?
Well then I go and pick up a book by Jennie Allen called Anything. It's a book I've wanted to read for quite some time. I love how God knows when the time is right.
So as I search for my new normal and wonder what it will look like, I eventually get to these words from Jennie,
“What if heaven and God and forever became our normal?”
What if? [Continue Reading...]
by Beth Stiff
By the time you read, this Thanksgiving will be over and we will be counting down the days until Christmas. However, as I write I’m preparing for Thanksgiving, so stay with me.
I look ahead to both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday with mixed emotions.
My family will spend Thanksgiving apart. I will be off to see my husband for the last time before he deploys and our children will both be in different states. [Continue Reading...]
By Beth Stiff
The only thoughts occupying my mind these days are ones related to my husband’s upcoming deployment. This deployment will be a first for my family. One thing I’m sure of as my family enters this new season—God is with us.
The same God here with me today and always is the same God who will be with my husband while he is miles and miles away from home. The same God happens to be with you too wherever you may be. At times, this can be hard for me to wrap my mind around. [Continue Reading...]
