by Elise Daly Parker
Several years ago I learned about a concept that has forever changed the way I communicate. It’s called Connect Before You Correct. We yearn for connection — with kids, spouses, parents, siblings, and friends. And the way we build those connections is by communicating, hearing and being heard, giving and receiving love, being concerned for one another, and coming alongside each another in the journey of life. But life is busy, juggling home life, work life, marriage, schedules, who has time for relationship? [Continue Reading...]
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by Elise Daly Parker
Do you ever feel like you’ve got enough friends to keep up with? And besides, making new friends can be a little uncomfortable…awkward even. Well I’m generally a people person. I like people. I grew up in a tribe of five. I am genuinely interested in people’s stories and I like to know what makes them tick. I am blessed with a lot of friends. I love them, but I feel like I don’t get enough time with them as it is.
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by Elise Daly Parker
It's been a little over three months since New Year and so it is a good time to reflect on our One Word for the New Year. I’m hoping you will share an update on your One Word too. You can LinkUp or share in the comments below.
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by Elise Daly Parker
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
Happy New Year!
Did you choose your One Word for the New Year?
I have been reflecting, thinking, praying and have finally come up with my One Word for the New Year. Before I tell you what it is let me tell you a little about my journey. [Continue Reading...]
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By Elise Daly Parker with Annie Ly Johnson, MOPS Coordinator, Montclair Community Church
MOPS groups “connect moms all over the world to a community of women, in their own neighborhoods, who meet together to laugh, cry and embrace the journey of motherhood.”
Annie and I sat around her kitchen table a while ago. I wanted to know more about MOPS and only wished I had heard about it when I was a young mom. Here’s Annie’s story. I think it’s one many young moms can relate to… [Continue Reading...]
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The content on Circles of Faith is relevant, insightful, helpful for intersecting and integrating Life, Faith, and Community. Our writers shared powerful stories that resonated with you, our readers. We want to go beyond the written word, deeper than our 800-word limit allowed. Podcasting allows us to do that.
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by Elise Daly Parker
How do you mark the New Year? Do you make resolutions? Do you embrace a theme? Or maybe you’re a One Word for the New Year type like me. Regardless of how you mark your New Year, now is a good time to take a look back and ask yourself a few questions. The best way to do this is to...
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by Elise Daly Parker
I sought clarity, but confusion was my constant companion as I made categories – home, work, social, physical, emotional, financial – and lists within those categories trying desperately to get control of my schedule and get it all done.
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by Elise Daly Parker
We gathered in a circle, the team members of Circles of Faith, to pray over the evening. And we were off…Time to greet the attendees of Circles of Faith LIVE – Women of Influence. Each woman who joined us seemed eager to meet others, hear an inspiring message, break bread together, and cross over bridges of separation - denomination, race, age - to connection.
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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.
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by Elise Daly Parker
I cried. I cried out. I was desperately sad, living a nightmare for a time. I just couldn’t square God’s supposed love for me with this loss. He was God…He could’ve prevented this and He didn’t. Turned out this God who I thought was for me, was cruel and heartless.
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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.
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by Elise Daly Parker
Does your marriage ever feel more like a business to be managed than a relationship to be cherished?
Are you a Get-It-Done type who has a whole list of things for your husband to do at all time?
Do you ever find yourself barking orders at your husband as you try to manage all the coming and goings of your kids’ and their activities?
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by Elise Daly Parker
Are You Having an Affair?
Well I was. I didn’t know I was. In fact, it came as quite a shock…
It was one of those periods when I was particularly critical of my husband; every little thing he did bugged me. He got his hair cut too short. He wasn’t loving enough. His chewing was bothering me. And appreciation that he was willing to empty the dishwasher wasn’t my first thought…No, instead I thought about how annoying it is that he always leaves one thing out. You know, he puts all the cups, plates, silverware, utensils away…but he leaves the one lone bowl out, below the cabinet where it belongs. [Continue Reading...]
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by Elise Daly Parker
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been skeptical about the World Wide Web. I mean, are the relationships we think we have, real?
Plus, the World Wide Web…well, it can be a scary place, right?
We know there are predators “out there.” Our families can be overly exposed to news, trends, and pictures; evil we fight hard to protect them from.
But the World Wide Web can expose us to good too. [Continue Reading...]
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by Elise Daly Parker
My lover is mine, and I am his. Song of Solomon 2:16
Chris and I were engaged on February 14, 1984, 30 years ago. And we’re still here—together, married. It was a lovely romantic evening at the historic Summit House in Jersey City, NJ. I had an inkling. Chris and I had been together for four years…we had been talking about marriage. I had my reservations. Not about Chris. About timing.
Were we ready? [Continue Reading...]
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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...]
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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.
Check our list out…
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By Elise Daly Parker
I’m not sure exactly what happened…But I’ve gotten completely off track. And then, I started to get overwhelmed. I was doing too much, going too many places, living life to the too full. I started turning to the right, when I should go left, turning left, when I should go right. I said yes, yes, yes. When I should’ve checked in with God. Instead, I checked out, put my head down, and forged ahead on automatic pilot. [Continue Reading...]
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And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, Genesis 1:14 ESV
A new day dawns. Sun rises. Birds sing. Flowers grow…It’s a new day. It’s as if all of creation knows, as if all of creation grows…today is a new day for my daughter.
Today, after years of preparation—hard work, sleepless nights, APs, SATs, ACTs, essays, extra help, extracurricular, education—today she decides where she will spend the next four years of her life. [Continue Reading...]
Just like the baby birds in the nest outside my window, Amelia is getting ready to fly. She’s the youngest of four. The last to soar. Will she make the right decision? What is the right decision?
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