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Forgiving the Church
Today, I am honored to be a part of Quarter Life Conference by speaking on a topic close to my heart–forgiving the church. When it comes to my heart for the church–I’d say it has been growing since I was 5 years old! That’s the day I asked God to come into my heart, forgive me of my sin, and make me new! In the 25 years since I became a Christian–I’ve encountered many hurts from people who call themselves followers. People who go to church. And I’ve also hurt other people. None of us are perfect, and in light of my new book Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me, I wanted to…
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Church is
[Guest Post by Laura – When we were first introduced, her story startled me. Not only has she experienced the joy of serving God and the church overseas, but overwhelming heartbreak. If you want to read her previous guest post on anxiety, rape, and kidnapping please click here. I’m encouraged to learn that she is now safe in Ireland and still serving God. Let’s praise God with Laura today!] Church is the body of Christ–it’s about His people. Currently I’m serving in my third country, which means it’s also the third time I’ve been involved in a church in a foreign country. Each church has looked different, yet each church…
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Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me Blog Tour
Welcome to the Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me blog tour! I’ve been waiting to say this for so many years, and I can’t wait to finally share bits and pieces with you on the blogosphere. + Mind Blowing Forgiveness (via iBelieve.com) + Forgiveness, A Good Place to Start (via Church 4 Chicks!) + The Greater Good of Forgiveness (via Songine’ Clark) + Forgiveness is Not The End! (via Ed Cyzewski) + Forgiveness is a Personal Choice (via Ungrind) + Review: Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me (via Emily Miller) + Prayer Changes Things (via Wendy van Eyck) + The Importance of Forgiveness and Prayer (via Dawn Wilson) + Real Reconciliation (via Daniel Darling) + Why Is…
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A Barren Wife
[Guest Post by Jessica Quinn – I had the pleasure of being introduced to her through Tyndale House Publishers. She is an amazing godly woman with a husband and a thriving PR career. I can’t wait for you to read her story about being a barren wife. And I have to wonder–if any of you can relate? Be encouraged today by her story!] Cinderella is my favorite princess. I think it has something to do with the fact that she rose up from feeling unwanted and unseen to meet her prince charming, and then went on to live happily ever after. That is the answer, right? Meet prince charming and…
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Your Love Can't Change Him
[Guest Post by Teryn O’Brien – Want to know why I appreciate her so much? She writes things I swear I could have written. It just makes me want to fly to Colorado Springs, CO and give her a big, BIG hug. If you didn’t already read her previous post, Follow God’s Heart–you should read that immediately after reading this post!] In many chick flicks and romance novels today, there is a common storyline. It goes like this: Bad boy meets awkward, shy girl. Girl’s innocent charm completely captivates boy. Her love heals him. Boy changes and they live happily ever after. As females, this dream is close to our…
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Single Mom by Choice
[Guest Post by Krista Pettiford – We met each other through the San Diego Christian Writer’s Guild. She is a gifted and talented writer, and I am absolutely thrilled to have Krista share her story about her family. If you know of any broken families who might need encouragement, please pass this one along!] I was married and had four children when I became a Christian. Before that, I was very worldly. Though I had been raised by religious parents and even went to Catholic school for my early education I never had a real example of godly living. When I met my husband I was an unwed mother of…
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Forgiving My Rapist
[Guest Post by Amanda Espinoza – I can’t say thanks enough to those who are willing to share about something so deeply personal and painful. I want to personally thank Laura, the first person to share her story of rape on my blog. You can read her story here. Also, my friend Carla who shared her story of rape, and you can read her story here. If any of you are struggling on this topic I encourage you to reach out and get help. Jesus cares and He wants to help you process this painful event.] It is easy to forgive someone when they sincerely apologize and ask for that forgiveness.…
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Forgive a Murderer
[Guest Post by Laurie Coombs – I met my new sweet friend through our mutual friend Sarah Francis Martin. Her story on forgiveness rocked my world. Could I forgive a murderer and not only that but–without ruining her story–please keep reading!] What do you do when your world comes crashing down upon you? What do you do when tragedy strikes? When relationships fail? When trust has been broken? When your cheated on, lied to, abandoned, and just downright sinned against? I can tell you this much. Everything inside you will want to hold onto the anger you feel. You’ll be drawn toward bitterness. Yet, even though you may be just…
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Forgiveness: The F Word
[Guest Post by Nicole Reyes – I can’t wait for you to hear her later this month as one of the speakers for Quarter Life Conference. She is an advocate for the local church, and I can’t wait for you to hear why. In the mean time, read her powerful story about forgiveness.] Forgiveness, also known as the F word, can be a hard pill to swallow. Archbishop Desmond Tutu knows what he’s talking about. He said, “Without forgiveness, there’s no future.” Many of you are thinking… “Well, you don’t know the pain I’ve been through.” I don’t know your past pain, but I do know what’s even worse than…
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If I Told You How I Felt
If I told you how I felt–you might not forgive me. This month’s new theme is on forgiving others. And recently, I’ve felt lousy. I even posted this on Facebook last week: “If you’re afraid to say how you really feel for fear of losing the friendship, maybe (gulp) they were never a true friend to begin with!” I felt I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Thankfully, when I woke up early one morning I came across this life changing post from Donald Miller. He admitted to being too careful. He wrote, “The sad thing is when we’re careful, we are actually being affected by fear. People are careful when…
