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 Angele Tanyeri
After visiting my dermatologist and being tested for allergies, I discovered that I am allergic to a highly common, toxic chemical found in almost all of our everyday products – from dish soap to cosmetics. Despite my best efforts to be healthy, I was contaminating my body on a daily basis. Then add the daily intake of certain dietary components…it was no wonder my immune system was out of whack.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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 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 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?
by Susanne Ciancio, LPC
The Gottmans say they can predict whether or not a couple may be heading for divorce within the first 15 minutes of interviewing them. They call these predictors the "4 Horses of the Apocalypse." Take a look at these predictors to discern if your marriage is in trouble.
Before I had kids, I scrapbooked regularly. Greg and I would live life – and then I would document it. When I had one baby, I kept up with the scrapbooks pretty well. And, trust me, I took many pictures! Now, Greg and I are loving life with two kids, who are almost five and seven years old. But there’s not as much time for preserving memories in albums when we’re spending evenings at the soccer field, working on homework in the afternoons, and spending time with other families we love.
by Micalagh Beckwith Moritz
In a culture that likes to fill silences with noise - meaningful or not - we don’t think a lot about the concept of silence. Over the years, silence has become an important part of my regularly practiced spiritual disciplines. It is a part of my prayer life. It helps center me, ground me, and reminds me of the Holy Spirit’s presence in me.
by Susanne Ciancio, LPC
Above all, as followers of Christ, we know He is seeking an intimate relationship with us forged by devotion to the Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers. Those disciplines connect us on a deeply personal level with His voice and direction. Scripture ties in hearing the voice of God with abundance and soul prosperity.
by Kristin Hill Taylor
Encouraging friends when they’re happy, healthy, and successful is one thing. I can buy their books or like their social media posts. I can host a baby shower or a birthday party. Congratulations and well wishes can be texted, emailed, telephoned, or spoken aloud.
I don’t like the phrase “having it all.” Frankly, it’s just silly. I realize that the media, C.E.O.s, working and stay-at-home moms/dads, etc., love to debate the topic. Can you have it all? How can you? What should you do if you don’t have it all?
by Susanne Ciancio, LPC
On any given day, I'm a daughter of The Most High with all the resources of Heaven available to me...but at times I may not be accessing any of those resources because I don’t see myself the way God does. I also don’t see my problems the way God sees them.
By Emy Dean
No one in the world wanted to do it right as much as I did. Act right, talk right, eat right, model right, interview right, the list goes on and on. Every day, I struggled to feel beautiful, to catch a glimpse of worth in the mirror, but it was never good enough. The reflection I saw was continually disappointing. My story is one of ups and downs, bumps and bruises, moments of triumph and loss. Growth. Imperfect human, imperfect, beautiful story. Glory through redemption. Life is an adventure story.
By Toni Campbell
Have you ever been on a date when the conversation dries up? You exchange pleasantries, discuss a few “safe” subjects, and then…silence. Awkward! And no electronics? What if my kids, or someone from work or church needed me? I started off with a long, leisurely walk around the lake to clear my mind. [Continue Reading...]
God wants to talk to you. The supreme, sovereign King of the Universe longs to have an intimate relationship with you and me. INTIMATE...not just rule-following, church-going, service-oriented Christianity, but intimate relationship! That kind of relationship includes dialogue! [Continue Reading...]
by Kimberly Amici
Finally, it was time for my husband and I to take all those wonderful things that we already wrote down in the Mission Statement Discussion Sheet and Family Culture Discussion Sheet and weave them together to form our Family Mission Statement. We learned a lot by going through the process and found it really worthwhile. Hopefully you will too. [Continue Reading...]
