The son of the well-respected Rev. John Coleridge, Samuel became known in the Victorian period as one of the most important apologists for the liberal Anglican point of view. Although Coleridge himself struggled with his faith throughout his life, he deemed religious heritage a crucial part of a child’s upbringing.

A story is told about Coleridge’s encounter with a man who argued that children should not be given any religious training, but rather, should be brought up free to choose their own faith. Instead of arguing against his friend’s point of view, Coleridge decided to express his opinion with a powerful visual.

He invited the man for a stroll around his garden.

As the men walked together, Coleridge’s friend was astonished with the garden’s poor condition. It was obvious the poet’s gardening skills did not match his literary genius.

“Do you call this a garden?” the visitor asked. “There are nothing but weeds here!”

“Well, you see,” Coleridge replied, “I did not wish to infringe upon the liberty of the garden in any way. I was just giving the garden a chance to express itself.”

I pondered about this thought-provoking story during a conversation with my friend Sandra Onal, as she shared the passion behind her upcoming concert “Generations” on Nov. 5 in Buford.

Sandra is a talented gospel singer and worship leader, who has been brought up in the Christian faith. As an adult, Sandra has chosen to remain in the faith of her grandparents and parents, not because of legalistic decrees or family coercion, but rather, because what she was taught as a young girl has become reality in her life as a believer. She wishes to share the importance of passing on these family and faith values to the next generation.

I could not agree with her more.

At a time where family and faith have been increasingly under attack in our society, I think we, parents and grandparents, should reflect on how we are raising the next generation. Could it be that we, in the name of religious or social tolerance, often silence our voices and compromise our values?

Could it be that we, in the name of religious or social tolerance, often silence our voices and compromise our values?
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I believe this is a worthy reflection.

Not long ago, I had a conversation with our teenager about her faith. Because I was not raised in a Christian home, but rather, sought God for many years in different places, I have a great concern regarding our children’s faith walk.

And the concern is this: I want my daughters to believe, not because “mom and dad said so,” but because they have proven their God to be true.

I am fully aware that there may be a time when they choose to walk away from the faith we shared with them, but that should not be because we chose to remain silent and not share our beliefs at home.

While living at home, my daughters will hear me proclaim his grace and mercies with my words, while doing my best to live out my faith with actions.

What I will not do is remain silent.

Not proclaiming what I believe to the next generation is like leaving a garden to fend for itself. Because one thing is certain: There will be seasons of drought and distress, and unless we choose to care for our garden, the weeds will take over and the roots will die. Therefore, I unashamedly join my friend Sandra and the other singers and performers’ voices as they proclaim on Nov. 5: “We cannot be silent. We must proclaim our faith and values to the next generation.”

You can find out more about “Generations” the concert at www.sandraonal.com.

This article was published in Patricia’s column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Faith & Value Section on Saturday, October 29

The post Proclaiming Our Faith to the Next Generation {Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

As many of you know, my yearly cancer check up was inconclusive last November. I had only two more annual CT scans before the doctor would release me for good, when a “spot” was found in my kidney, close to the place where they removed a cancerous tumor from my left kidney in April 2012. The doctor said it could just be surgery residue, but they couldn’t confirm it for sure. Therefore we embarked on a 5-month wait until the next scan. I wrote about it on this blog: “The Big C – In God’s Waiting Room.”

Yesterday was my check up and the doctor confirmed that the spot that lit up on the scan in November was not cancer. And although deep down inside, I had the peace of Philippians 4:7 that sustained me during these months of wait, the confirmation that this dreadful disease is gone was sweet music to my ears. All praise to Yahweh Rophe, my Healer!

I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who prayed for me during this time. I have so many stories of how God keeps us through the hard times to share on our upcoming conference. I can’t wait to share my heart, and teach these sweet ladies on how they can keep their faith, regardless of the uncertainty that may surround their current circumstances. The SHE SOARS Conference is around the corner… and I hope you can join us! We have women from all over Atlanta, and as far as Chattanooga (12 congregations so far!) who are joining us on April 30th. The line up of speakers and worship is amazing. You don’t want to miss it. Click HERE FOR INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER.

One more thing: It’ll take less than 10 minutes for you to watch the video below, where Babbie Mason interviewed me about the conference. The video ends with a song from the conference’s worship leader, Sandra Onal.

Come SOARS with us!

The post Cancer-Free! appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

About three years ago, God put in my heart the desire to put together a conference.

A day in which a group of Jesus’ girls could get together and share their stories.
A day of digging a little deeper… loving a little wider.

A toolbox-kind of day.

Here’s the idea behind the SHE SOARS CONFERENCE:

We go to church, listen to our pastors and Sunday School teachers. We listen to our favorite preachers on the radio, read our Bibles and our favorite blogs throughout the week.

But when life happens….

And you lose your job…

Or your marriage is falling apart…

When you are told you have cancer… or someone you love is affected by this dreadful disease…

When you exhaust your finances and the job is still to come…

Or your children, who were raised to love Jesus, turn away from the church… from Him…and even from you…

When your loved one dies… after a long battle… or all of a sudden.

When these and other circumstances happen to the believer, we are often left with an empty place in our hearts, anxiety, depression… and the question that lingers:

How do I keep on soaring with Jesus through it all?

God has put together an amazing group of teachers for the first SHE SOARS CONFERENCE.

They have walked through the valleys of cancer, loneliness, financial crisis, unemployment, infertility and chronicle illnesses.

They have suffered. They have known anxiety… and fear… and doubt.

Some of them are still walking through those valleys.

But GOD.

They realized He never meant any of these trials for their harm… Rather, they understand that He designed each one of the trials to shape them into the women He designed them to be.

In the process, He filled their toolboxes with just the right trinkets and spiritual tools to keep them encouraged… and encouraging others through it all!

And so they learned to laugh and be joyful. In. Spite. Of.

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These women don’t fly. Because flying is what birds do on their own strength. They SOAR.
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Because they have learned to press on to the place where JESUS becomes the wind beneath their wings.

And they choose to trust wherever He leads them.

Day.by.day… Step.by.step…

In the light… and in the darkness of their circumstances.

And they want to share their stories with you.

Meet Alison Everill, Lisa Ryan, Stephanie Wilkins,  Sandra Onal and Yvonne Conte.

Beautiful Eagles for Christ.

I call them friends.

And warriors.

And I invite you to meet them as well.

Join us at our upcoming conference on April 30^th at Kennesaw First Baptist Church.

We plan to spend the day encouraging you… and giving you practical tools to help you Soar above Life’s circumstances with Jesus.

I can’t wait to see you!

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED INFORMATION

PS: Don’t delay! Early bird registration ends March 15th!

Click here to Register!

In His matchless love,

The post Come Soar with Me! {An Invitation} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.