Three Word Wednesday: Faith ~ Life ~ Community {Guest Post}

***The next post in The Love Dare series will be on Friday.***

I fell in love with Circles of Faith the day I stumbled upon their website. The Co-Founders, Elise Daly Parker and Kimberly Amici, have created a beautiful community which is why I want to share them with you. Last month you had the opportunity to meet Kimberly and today Elise gives us a closer look at her dream come true.

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Dreams can sometimes take an awfully long time to come true, right? So it is with my dream, which has resulted in Circles of Faith – Where FAITH, LIFE, and COMMUNITY Intersect.

FAITH

On Mondays - Circles of Faith is a place for people to Inspire one another.

I was traveling around New Jersey, my home state, and many other Northeastern states to share the ministry of Moms In Prayer International. It was an exciting time. I loved meeting moms who were tenderhearted, yet fiercely determined to protect, care for, love, and pray their kids through the many stages of growing up.

As we shared the power of praying, many women through tears of praise and thanksgiving would also tell their inspiring stories of answered prayer. Together we were strengthened, renewed, refreshed, empowered. The impact of sharing our FAITH stories is life-changing.

My burning passion to share our FAITH through stories started then as an ember. 20 years later, it continues to grow, fueled by mounting evidence that Jesus is alive in these stories. I believe everyone has a grand story of faith, marked by many moments of God winks and whispers. Everyone’s story matters—to others, ourselves, to God, and often a combination of all three.

LIFE

On Wednesdays – Circles of Faith is a place for people to Equip one another.

I've been blessed to travel the journey of LIFE with many fellow sisters-in-Christ. We do LIFE together. LIFE can be hard, wonderful, full, empty, lovely, and chaotic. We need the gifts, skills, talents, know-how, fellowship of one another. You may have the answer to my burning questions like:

40-50% of all US marriages end in divorce – How do we stay married?

My family isn't what I pictured – How can I create a Mission Statement?

We have terrible eating habits – How can I fill my home with nutritious options?

I’m lonely…off-track…angry…my relationships are off – Help!

COMMUNITY

On Fridays – Circles of Faith is a place to Connect over music, books, ministry, and events.

Sharing our FAITH and LIFE together leads to COMMUNITY. Through Circles of Faith, I have met women I never would have met without the World Wide Web. (Beth is one of them!) And this year I've been extravagantly blessed to meet many of my online friends in person. That has sparked an effort on the part of CoFounder Kimberly Amici and me to seek opportunities to build in-person Christian community. We've just started a monthly Bloggers MeetUp and we've got plans in the works to host a retreat.

We also now have an excellent, pertinent, informative COMMUNITY calendar that’s coordinated by our dedicated Director of Communications, Joy Kay. New Jersey, which is our own backyard, is a great place to start this effort, but we have a bigger vision. We’d like to see our Christian events calendar populated with happenings all over the US. (If you want to get the word out in your state…contact us.)

And we build COMMUNITY by highlighting resources - music, books, ministries, conferences, retreats. We now have a monthly First Friday Book Faves LinkUp, an In Your Words feature where contributors chat about traditions, how we spend time with God, trends, and more to come.

• Sharing FAITH stories that reform, inform and transform.
• Pouring our gifts and knowledge into one another’s LIFE.
• Building COMMUNITY that crosses over denominational, cultural, ethnic, and racial lines.

At Circles of Faith, we share Jesus…He is the UNITY in our COMMUNITY. He is where the people who gather through Circles Of Faith Intersect.

Come on over and check out Circles of Faith. Subscribe FREE, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. And if you’re a writer, we welcome you to Guest Post and share your story of FAITH, LIFE, and/or COMMUNITY.

Co-Founders: Kimberly Amici and Elise Daly Parker

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Elise Daly Parker is passionate about sharing stories that inspire, equip, and connect. She believes everyone has a story that matters! As a result, Elise is the CoFounder and Executive Editor of the community/contributor site, Circles of Faith, Where Faith, Life, and Community Intersect. Elise has been a writer and editor for over 30 years and is also a speaker and writing coach. Married for almost 30 years, Elise and her beloved husband Chris are navigating life in a “successful nest” (Chris says “empty nest” is too negative). They have four mostly grown daughters, one son-in-love, and a new grandbaby who has filled their lives with new joy. Elise serves as a Mentor Mom in a MOPs group, where she hopes 30+ years of parenting can help calm the choppy seas of marriage and motherhood for others. Join Elise on her blog Our Stories, God’s Glory,  Facebook, and Twitter. Get the full picture at EliseDalyParker.com.

Three Word Wednesday: Faith ~ Life ~ Community {Guest Post}

I consider it an honor to be a regular contributor for Circles of Faith. It has been a little over a year since I stumbled upon this beautiful community and the co-founders, Elise Daly Parker and Kimberly Amici, have been such a blessing to me. They have embraced me as a friend and sister-in-Christ from the very beginning.

Today I'm excited to have Kimberly Amici sharing with us for Three Word Wednesday. You will get to hear from Elise next month!

Both of these ladies are AMAZING. I really hope you take some time to get to know them by visiting Circles of Faith and their personal blogs.

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In my kid’s playroom we have bins. Each of them has a label on it that marks the contents of what’s inside. There are buckets for pens and pencils, tubs for balls, and crates for toys. It not only helps my little ones put things back where they belong but it satisfies my need to be organized.

Just like my children’s stuff, my LIFE used to be compartmentalized. My relationships fell into separate categories: work colleagues, playgroup moms, gym buddies, and playground acquaintances. I had work clothes, everyday wear, and my Sunday best. Everything had a particular place.

Even my FAITH had its own bucket.

I live in the Northeast where most people do not wear their religion on their sleeve and somehow I had become one of them. I listened to Christian music with my Christian friends and secular music with my “not so religious” friends. I didn't talk fashion or design with the church gals nor did I speak about the deep matters of the heart with ladies I knew in my COMMUNITY. Even my ‘spiritual’ books were on different shelves from my novels and self-help/how to books.

I hadn't meant to do this, it just happened.  I began to wonder, What would it look like if all of it, FAITH, LIFE, and COMMUNITY came together? I began to think not just about myself but the region I lived in. Was it possible for the body of Christ, in this part of the country, to cross denominational lines and become unified and do life together?

I wanted to live out my FAITH in community.

Little did I know that God was working behind the scenes and stirring a similar desire in the heart of a woman I was yet to meet, Elise Daly Parker. God brought us together and after almost two years of sharing our hearts with one another Circles of Faith was birthed. It’s the place where FAITH, LIFE, and COMMUNITY intersect.

Nothing replaces real-life relationship, but thanks to technology I get to experience God in online community. Circles of Faith is a place to meet new people, share stories, learn new things, and hear about Christian books, music, movies, and ministries. It’s also a place where readers in the NJ area can find out about events through the local calendar. And this month we are excited to host out first in person meet-up for bloggers.

God is more fully revealed when we experience Him in our everyday and in our everything – especially in community.

My FAITH had grown since I have been in COMMUNITY over at Circles of Faith and I am so glad to have it in my LIFE.

Kimberly Amici is an enthusiastic and dedicated founding member of the Circles of Faith team. She is known for her creativity, strong faith, and commitment to living life with purpose and passion. Kimberly is a writer and community builder whose desire is for hearts to be healed, minds to be renewed and women to be connected in fellowship just as God intended.

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A Story of Transformation

When my son left for boot camp to become a sailor, the only item he was allowed to bring was a Bible. He had never owned one as we had not been a church-going family. I determined that if all he was allowed was a Bible, then a Bible he would have.

I purchased a small Sailor's Bible and stuffed it with photos. Post-it notes were also stuck to various pages telling him how proud we were of him and how much he was loved.

Four months before my son left, my husband had departed to pursue his dream of becoming a soldier. At the age of 41, he was making his dream come true. Never did I dream of us becoming a military family.

It seemed like out of the blue I had become an Army wife and Navy mom.

I remember the letter I received from my husband telling me he had taken a knee for the first time and prayed to God. He was struggling with his weapons qualifications and simply asked God to allow his shots to fly straight. He prayed this prayer because he worried about extending his time away from home. He was worried about me having to manage our home on my own longer than anticipated

We never talked about God in our home. I can't say I didn't believe in Him, however, I was certain if He was real He had forgotten about us. We clearly had not been worthy of His love. If He loved us, why did he allow so much pain in our lives?

Our marriage had been filled with anger and many tears.

Dark clouds hovered over us in what felt like a permanent state. Twice I thought there had to be something better “out yonder.” The first time I was convinced of this, I packed my bags and moved out taking our children with me; the second time I asked my husband to pack his and he moved out. We were both guilty of extramarital affairs and many other hurts. Our broken hearts seemed beyond repair.

I don't know how or why--maybe it was our unconscious obedience not to give up on each other--but God was silently moving in to our hearts. He began to ease our suffering by leading us to a place of forgiveness. We went through months of counseling, but ultimately I believe God was at work in us healing our brokenness and giving us a reason to have hope.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” ~ Psalm 34:18

While my husband was completing his basic training, his bunk mate would stay up late reading his Bible. With no other books available to read, my husband found a Bible and began reading too. Meanwhile, a mother of one of the other soldiers, whom I had bonded with online, shared the words from Romans 5:1-5 with me in an email one day. For the first time as an adult, I opened up a Bible.

Before my husband returned home, we both felt led to attend church. On the very same Sunday, we attended similar Christian churches. Our hearts were equally stirred by the messages we received.

It was April 2011 when my husband returned home. Together, we began attending Living Hope Church.

Several months later, we found ourselves joining a small group. With our newly purchased Bibles, we walked in to the home of our small group leaders rather clueless. They were studying Philippians.

“Where do I find the book of Philippians? Who is this guy Paul?” Though we were out of our element, God nudged us to keep returning.

In February 2012, our church started a study on Romans 12. For the first time I read the words from Romans 12:2:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Most of my adult life has been spent believing I’m not good enough: I’m not pretty enough, thin enough, or smart enough. Who I am could never be enough.

These thoughts have led to an ongoing battle with bulimia.

Romans 12:2 gave me hope—hope that my way of thinking could be changed, transformed.
On February 21, 2012, I sent an email to my pastor that said, “I’m all in.” I surrendered my life to Christ.

Freedom has not come overnight though. Many days I find myself saying, “Here I am, Lord. Change my way of thinking.” My battle with an eating disorder may remain, but I know God wants me to have victory. So again and again, for as long as it takes, I will surrender to Christ and say, “I’m all in.”

Today, Monday, July 22, follows the day when my husband and I together asked God to wash us clean from our sins. Yesterday, with loved ones by our side and in the presence of God, we were baptized.

The transformation for my family began with a Bible and a man kneeling in prayer. It has and will continue to be a journey of transformation and healing—it’s a journey we do not take alone. Because of God’s overwhelming grace we can overcome.

“With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26).

Here’s a song that has ministered to me: Healer, by Hillsong

“You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease
I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You are all I need
Oh, I believe, I believe Lord
I believe You’re my portion
I believe You’re more than enough for me
Jesus You’re all I need
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands”

How about you? How did you come to know God?


This post appeared first on Circles of Faith.