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Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Colley House Gift Cards are Here! Annual Christmas Contest is Now!

Posted on November 22, 2022

I’m happy to announce this new gift idea from The Colley House. We’ve never offered gift cards before, but here they are! Available in several different denominations, printable and digitally downloadable, it’s one easy way to get the best kinds of gift materials into the hands of people you love. Just in time for the holidays, you can surprise people across the miles with gifts for the soul! 

Find them here.

Next, here’s the holiday contest for this year! With a nod to our DD study of COMFORT this year, I’m asking for your best Holiday comfort recipes. Submit the recipe for your favorite holiday comfort food and, in 50 words or less, tell us why this recipe/food brings you joy, nostalgia, good memories and/or comfort during the holidays. We’ll choose five great recipes, share them with you, and award those who submitted them! Five winners will each receive $25.00 digital gift cards from The Colley House. We’ll try to share lots of the submitted recipes via this blog! 

Deadline for submitting your recipe is December 5th. Winners will be announced shortly thereafter. Submissions must be sent to byhcontest@gmail.com. Any submissions sent to any other address or text number or message will not be retrieved. (You ladies are all over the board and I cannot keep up with you!)

I hope your early merry is coming on you unexpectedly! But there are many readers who are struggling. Death has take loved ones of several who read this blog in the last few days. I am shocked and saddened at the early passing of some great Christians. I am profoundly thankful for the hope that anchors those left behind. There are others who wake up every day to a different kind of “lonely”. Some are finding themselves in marriages that are being ravaged by sin. Some face Satan’s attempted manipulation in intense ways.  Some are keeping vigils in the NICU or in the Pediatric ICU. Some are saying the slow good-bye that accompanies a parent with dementia. Some are battling cancer. Some are realizing that their children may never come back to holiness. The list is not exhaustible. But our God is good and He knows. I am praying for sisters who are fighting the depression that comes with holidays that are not filled with “merry.” I hope you are studying with me the “Father of Mercies” this month and trying to remember that the trials of this life are preparatory and brief, in comparison to our “stay” in the place where tears are banned!

I anxiously await that place. 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Ellis Glenn Colley: Seven Pounds of Perfect!

Posted on February 12, 2021

…And the winners are…Nancy Johnson Koester and Tonja McRady, both of whom exactly nailed the length, weight and hair color of Ellis Glenn Colley! Born at 12:36 pm on Tuesday of this week, this now three-and-a half-day-old bundle has already brought three-and-a-half lifetimes of contentment and gratitude to this mammy heart of mine. His big sister Maggie, is perfectly proud of him— gentle and sweet—so far. 

We got the word that Ellis was on his way very shortly before Glenn’s plane landed in Huntsville, Alabama on Monday afternoon. He had been preaching in Houston for a few days, so we hurried home from the airport, threw a few bags of dirty laundry out of his suitcase, replaced the dirty with clean, and started the nine-hour drive to Orange Park, Florida. In only a scant 48 hours, we were making the trek again in the opposite direction. We drove 17 hours for 17 minutes of baby-hugging, and it was worth every mile! (We’ll be returning again soon for another dose of Ellis and Maggie….So thankful they have another set of grandparents who came even further than we did!) We praise God, from whom all blessings flow, for this healthy and blessed child. In advance, we praise God for every opportunity he will have to convey His gospel to those who did not have the blessing of being born to faithful parents. We pray that our little troupe could grow into a channel of His blessings for those whose hearts are open to the will of the Father.  As two-year-old Maggie said in her prayer recently, may we all “help the bad people to get repenting.”

When Ellis got home from the hospital, his Papa read to him—two letters that we wrote to Caleb, Ellis’ dad, back in 1983. (Ellis was not so attentive, however.) The letters were dated (one from me and one from Glenn) two days before Caleb was born. It was sweet to finally open up that envelope that had been sealed for 37 years and be reminded of how very little we knew (I mean next nothing!) about raising kids prior to the birth of our first son. 

But our Father does have all the answers to all the problems before the challenges surface. May every mama and grandmama who’s reading do the James 1:5 prayer every single morning. And may He give His people wisdom for day-to-day parenting challenges like never before. The “roaring 20s”, this time around, are full of the roar of 1 Peter 5:8. May we be ever vigilant, ever protective of the most innocent and most vulnerable among us.

P.S. Nancy Johnson Koester, I need your home address!

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Baby G3 Gender Guessing Contest! Go!

Posted on May 6, 2020

Mother’s Day is Sunday and our 40th wedding anniversary is on the 16th, so I’m getting, Lord willing, a very special gift next week! Baby G3 (the fourth grand-baby for these two blessed people) is due to arrive on Thursday of next week and we could NOT be more excited!  We have many blessings, but it’s easy in a pandemic to magnify the negatives and allow them to block our view of amazing provisions and platitudes. A blessing of this magnitude is one more reason to keep our focus on the One who already knows every outcome of this chaotic state of Covid-19. I will not get to be at the hospital, but I will be sharing the news of baby brother or sister with his/her two older siblings and with YOU! Post your best guess about Baby G3. Post gender, weight and length. All correct gender-guessers will then compete in weight guessing. Length will be used for exact tie-breaking. Winner will receive 4 (in honor of the 4th grandchild) free items of your choosing, from the Colley House site (www.thecolleyhouse.org). All guesses must be in comments below this post on my personal FB page. SO go there to guess. 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Digging Deep Month Nine Winners!

Posted on June 6, 2019

Here are the winners for the Digging Deep, Month 9 summary paragraph contest. There were lots of exceptional entries and, as a group, diggers are talented writers. I was deeply moved by some of your thoughts and encouraged for the future of the church by all of them. I heard from women who are doing all they can to raise their sons to be godly leaders for the future battles of the body. (The devil will make sure there are always adversaries of truth!) I also read about husbands who are struggling as current elders and their wives’ renewal of commitment to be their supporters and provide the peace and balance they need at home. While I made the assignment for the growth of those studying, I am sure I was most blessed by the reading. Your entries made me keenly aware of some ways I can be a better helper to the godly husband who leads our home and works diligently for the kingdom.

The three winners are:

Lilly Howard

Jeri Oppermann

Kara Spillmann

Here are their thoughts:

#1

In Hebrews 13:20, 1 Peter 2:25, and 1 Peter 5:4, Jesus is referred to as the Shepherd of His people. He is also called Bishop, or overseer, of our souls. In Acts 20:28, the elders are referred to by these same terms. This leads to an interesting question: how are the elders specifically like Christ? Obviously, they are conformed to his image, as all Christians should be (Romans 8:29, Colossians 3:10). But other Christians are not deemed shepherds or overseers. One parallel I would like to point out is this. According to Strong’s, the word “over” in 1 Thessalonians 5:12 means “to stand before.” The preacher at our congregation, Heath Rhodes, explains the word this way: in ranks of soldiers, the ones on the front lines take the hits for the others. They stand out front and take the hits so that the soldiers behind do not have to. Truly, the most amazing thing is that the elders take this position willingly. Now consider. “The wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23. “All have sinned,” Romans 3:23. Thus, all of accountable age deserve death. Yet, because God loves us, Christ died on the cross, so that we wouldn’t have to. Passages such as Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 3:18 make this clear. Verses such as Hebrews 7:27, Ephesians 5:2, and others make known to us that this sacrifice was willing. As Christ willingly took the punishment for our sins, so the elders willingly stand before us. Christ and our godly elders take the hits so that we don’t have to. And it all is done willingly. One way our elders are like Christ is in their loving, willing, selfless sacrifices for the good of our souls. May we always be thankful both to them and to God for people like that, and even more so, for the perfect example and salvation Christ’s sacrifice has given to us.  (Lilly)

#2

12:52 a.m. glares at me as I am awoken by my husband’s tossing and turning. This has been a recurring episode, since he took the role as elder at our congregation. The book “Awake at Night” is not only a book for elders, but also the wife and all Christians in the Lord’s church. It really opens my eyes and heart to all those beautiful men and the issues they must handle. Through my husband’s stress-filled, loving eyes and his sleepless nights, I can see just how much sacrifice and hard work that goes along with the role of an elder.  An elder has a huge responsibility overseeing the Lord’s people (1Peter 5:2). Sometimes I used to think that elders aren’t doing much but meeting once a week to discuss the happenings in the building and an occasional problem with members. However, there is so so much more to their role. Meetings and conversations occur so often and with great discretion. Through their Biblical knowledge, conversations must be had, and decisions must be made using sound judgment. These can wear on our elders. This is more than a job; it is a serious commitment that these men have chosen. They will have to give account for every soul. (Hebrews 13:17) As the wife, I must admit there has been some tough and selfish times. There are times he is not physically there while he is out making visits or having meetings. Other times he is not mentally or emotionally there, thinking through and hurting for these individuals. Being supportive can be difficult at times as my heart aches for him because of the many emotional moments and all I can do is be there to pray, especially with circumstances he is unable to share. However, I am so very proud of my husband and honored to be his wife. This role takes much love and diligence as well as a great knowledge and wisdom of the Word.  I respect and appreciate our eldership and the love they have for the Lord’s church and for souls. I pray for my husband and all elders as they serve the Lord in shepherding his flock. (Jeri)

#3

About 25 years ago, when I was in a youth group that was
comprised of nearly all girls, I made a vow to God.  Frustrated that
there were no Christian boys to date, I promised that if one day He
would give me boys, I would raise them to be faithful Christians. Fast
forward to present day: I am “Mama” to two wonderful young boys.
Even though at the time my promise to God was made for selfish
reasons, I have never forgotten it. My focus, thankfully, has shifted:
from that of a youthful desire to a serious responsibility. I’m doing all
I can to keep my promise, but after reading Awake at Night, I realize
that I must take things a step further. I need to be training them to be
faithful Christian leaders – to one day desire the office of an elder
and to boldly, yet humbly shepherd the flock with wisdom from above. (Kara)

So, congrats to these three sisters. Please send me an email at byhcontest@gmail.com and let me know what three free items you’d like from https://thecolleyhouse.org/store and they will be coming your way! (Be sure to include your address.)

Coming soon:

Thoughts about 1 Corinthians 11 and the head-covering of women.

More from Digging Deep Israel

Dig-A-Bits for Digging Deep Month Ten

So much to write, so little time. Let’s be praying about (and registering for) Polishing the Pulpit 2019 (https://polishingthepulpit.com). Only a few weeks till lots of us will be meeting there! Even if you can only come for a part of this rich experience, it will be worth your time/money investment. I hope to see you there.

 

 

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

The Colley House International Writing Contest for Kids!

Posted on September 20, 2018

You might know that the Colleys are pretty fired up about writing: blogs, books, articles, sermons, and Bible studies. In the interest of raising the next generation of writers, The Colley House is sponsoring an international writing contest for kids ages ten to thirteen.  So, if you or your kids are in that age range, get your creative neurons firing and follow these rules. Winner will receive the Colley House International Writer’s trophy and a $30.00 gift card to Chik-Fila. If the winner is outside of the continental United States, the award will be simply a commensurate cash award. 

  1. The article or story should contain between 500 and 1000 words and should begin with one of the following (your choice):

**It was the pinnacle of the trip for me…

**We were about five minutes early for worship when we walked into the building to see…

**I always knew I was born into the wrong century…

**I didn’t think it would happen in a million years…

2. Send your submission by midnight on October 15th to byhcontest@gmail.com.

3.  Be sure to include your name, telephone number, USPS address, and age with your submission.

4. Winner will be chosen based on creativity, grammatical correctness, and adherence to the stated rules.

5. Winner will be chosen by an objective and unbiased outside expert.

6. Winner will be announced on this blog within a week of the submissions deadline.

7. Entry in the contest implies contestant’s permission to publish any submitted material, but does not guarantee the publishing of any material by The Colley House. 

8. Prizes will be awarded via USPS. 

9. Judge’s decisions are final.

10. Parents/Teachers may offer advice and serve as writing coaches in this process, including proofing and grammar help, but the works must be original to the student. 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Guess Maggie’s Weight and Win!

Posted on July 5, 2018

      Win $50.00 in merchandise from The Colley House!

July is almost certainly the birth month for our sweet Magdalene Joy Colley! Proud parents are Caleb and Rebekah and she will be living in Jacksonville, Florida. As we are counting down to delivery date, let’s have some Colley House fun and a prize package for the best weight predictor. Here’s how to enter the contest:

  1. Post your guess directly in the comments beneath this post on www.thecolleyhouse.org.
  2. Guess the weight and length of our Maggie.
  3. Winner will be chosen based on the closest weight guess.
  4. Length guesses will only be used in case of a tie.
  5. Guesses must all be made prior to Maggie’s birth.
  6. Winner will be announced on this blog shortly after the big day (whenever that is).
  7. Lucky winner will receive his/her choice of merchandise from The Colley House totaling a retail value of $50.00.
  8. This guessing game has no excluded parties. All Colley family members and all of Maggie’s relatives are welcome to play. People who are not excited about her arrival cannot play.
  9. Only one guess per person, but children, who do not have a facebook account,  may guess under the guess of a parent. Just note “This guess is for (your child’s name).”

So that’s a lot of rules for our little Maggie guessing game. Go ahead and guess. You know you really want  another one of those Hannah’s Hundreds to drive you nuts in the car or a new episode of Digger Doug to  do the job when you are home. Seriously, though, I’m pretty sure Bekah and Ben both have new books coming out soon and I know there’s some new Digging Deep stuff in the works, too. And, if you do not have Awake at Night…well, I’m biased because I love that author, but your nightstand needs that book. So guess.