Tag: barrenness

A Story of Fertility Hope – Part 2

Posted on by Evangeline

It can be difficult to maintain fertility hope BUT, God is the God of the impossible.

I met Camille virtually, through my blog, in July 2012. She was disheartened about her infertility and was searching for some answers. We exchanged a couple of emails during my attempt to encourage her to keep her hope alive. I shared her email in last week’s post.

Fast forward to July 2014: As I stated last week, I “happened” to come across her email while cleaning out a file (I LOVE IT WHEN GOD SETS THINGS UP!). I decided to check in with her to see how she was doing.

Here’s a part of her email. My prayer is that is gives you hope and inspires you to trust the promises and faithfulness of God. He is not only able, He is willing!

Hi Evangeline,

It is so nice to hear from you. God is good. I am happy to report to you that my husband and I have been highly blessed and favored. I am a few days away from being 38 weeks pregnant with a little boy due July 28th.  Your book, A Seed of Hope, was so encouraging and truly advanced my faith that this would happen for us one day!

I have to say that my husband and I read your book and it was so encouraging.  I would re-read certain passages over and over again when doubt and fear crept in. Back in November my husband and I decided to start the process for IVF.  This was after trying 3 unsuccessful IUIs before I ever read your book. So we thought we would go for it and if it was God’s will, it would happen for us.

Here’s Camille’s back story:

One day I was talking with my best friend about my struggle with infertility. I have to mention that she and her husband had just given birth to my god-daughter through IVF and while I was extremely happy for her, I felt why was God not making it happen for me.

However, on this particular day of talking with my best friend, I was so down and depressed … I felt she could no longer relate because she had her baby. That’s another story.

I remember going to Wal-Mart to get some household supplies after getting off the phone with her and when I came out it was pouring down raining. With no umbrella and getting completely soaked and wet, I looked up to the sky and said to God, “Come on… are you serious?” I was so full of anger and depression.

However, when I got home, I had an email from you! Now I had never spoken to you and am sure that I had only posted on your blog just one time. This was a sign to me that the Lord hears us and he sends people our way (sometimes even strangers) to show us that he is still with us even when we think he is not. I have used this story as a testimony.

I really wanted to let you know how much you and your book have meant to our lives. You following up with me is another reminder of the importance of telling our story of God’s greatness and continued blessings.

Thank you and I love you!

Camille

Camille was so thoughtful– she sent me a set of her baby’s pictures. He’s adorable and such a cutie pie when he yawns. 🙂

I hope her story will serve to encourage you to continue to trust God’s love for you, stand on His promises by believing and speaking God’s Word into your life, and expect that they will produce His and your desired harvest in your life.

Need more encouragement? Decide now to pull away from the stress of infertility and renew your mind to the promises of God about your fertility.

Join me at my next iHope Fertility Retreat in November 2014!

The iHope Fertility Retreat is a time of refreshing, restoration, and renewal.

 

fertility hope, iHope fertility retreat

Truths from a Grapevine

Posted on by Evangeline

In John 15:4-5 [MSG], Jesus says, “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.“

Grapes in San Francisco

If you look at this picture I took of a grapevine in Napa Valley, you’ll see a thick, strong vine standing at ground level. The vine is always firmly rooted, remaining in a fixed state. Above the vine, tied onto the trellis, are many tender and flexible branches filled with large green leaves and clusters of  juicy grapes. They tend to be blown in the direction of any wind that comes along, thereby the need for the trellis so that the branches aren’t torn away from the vine by gusty winds. The branches get their nourishment through the vine, which transports energizing sap to each branch. The vine acts as the strong connector to the source of energy and nutrition—the root system in the soil.  Because the vine imparts sap, each of the branches has the ability to produce leaves and fruit.

Jesus said that He is the Vine. As the Vine, He imparts His nature (the sap) to us. With His strength and power to stand against the winds of life, He brings stability to our lives as we choose to make a pointed recognition of Him in our everyday lives. Because He is connected to the Father (the roots), He is always giving to us whatever the Father gives to Him. The Father is the source of everything good and EVERYTHING the Father gives to Jesus is good (James 1:17). The blessing in that fact is that Jesus has finished the necessary work on the cross in order for us to receive all that goodness and favor from the Father. His answer to every promise that He made is “YES” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

As the branches, we are in constant need of spiritual contact with Jesus in order to live the abundant life He died and rose to give us. Believers will always have Him living inside their spirit but, with no pointed commitment to fellowship with Him, we don’t bear much fruit–there’s not a lot of evidence of His favor working in our lives. Abiding in Him is the difference maker in our personal harvest.

Abide= to be established, to have continual fellowship with no separation

Abiding is an act of faith in His grace. It means we choose to depend on Jesus and rest in His finished work. It means receiving His “no matter what” kind of love over and over again everyday. A branch separated from the vine cannot produce leaves or grapes. By remaining connected with Him, we branches receive the Vine’s sap, the stream of supernatural Life flowing from the Father to Jesus to us. Abiding provides for greater production of fruitfulness/good things in our lives.

Without Him=making no use of, having no association with, lack of connection and fellowship

As a believer in Jesus, you are never out of His care because He said He would never forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). After salvation, it is our choice whether to make daily fellowship with Him a priority so that we take advantage of the Life flowing from Him to us. When we have the combination of Him in us and us abiding in Him, then we bear much fruit and enjoy the abundant life Jesus speaks of in John 10:10.

We have free will to choose whether to abide in Him today. We get to decide whether we will look to Jesus throughout the day and abide in Him or be distracted by the gusty winds of life and feel disconnected.

What will you choose?

 

iHope Fertility Retreat – Save the Date!

Posted on by Evangeline

If you’ve been thinking that you need to get to the iHope Fertility Retreat, you can now put it on your calendar for this fall. Registration details are coming soon but until then, let me know you’re interested by sending an email to Evangeline@EvangelineColbert.com.

And just in case you’ve been wondering what the spring fertility retreat was like, check out the recap.

 

Fertility Retreat-- Save the Date

Guest Blogging Today

Posted on by Evangeline

I’m honored to be a guest blogger at www.waitingforbabybird.com today.

Come check out my post that I shared with Elisha Kearns’ readers!

 

Baby Bird logo

Expect the Unexpected!

Posted on by Evangeline

I recently received an email from a reader of my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility. She gave me a bit of exciting news.

She’s pregnant! YEA!!!

What Should I Expect?

I’ve been sharing my thoughts through this blog for 3 years and I’m still surprised when I get a note like hers.

But why am I surprised? Shouldn’t I EXPECT to receive news like that on a regular basis? If I’m praying that someone receive the gift of a child from God, shouldn’t I expect that it will happen? Should I anticipate and look for it to happen?

According to 2 Corinthians 5:21, I should.

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV

God’s answers to His promises are a  resounding “YES” in Christ because Jesus has done absolutely everything for us to be able to receive the promise. He has made us righteous so we can stand before the Father with no shame and no self-condemnation, having only an expectation of good. He took every punishment that was meant to come our way so that we could take every blessing that was meant to come His way. He did it all because He valued us above His own life.

Jesus did everything it takes for us to experience and enjoy every promise the Father made. That’s why we can confidently expect good gifts and perfect gifts to come our way as we put our faith in His promises.

 

What are you praying for today? If it’s based on the promises of God, are you EXPECTING it to happen?

 

 

Image courtesy of vectorgirl-fotolia.com

You Should’ve Been Here at the iHope Fertility Retreat!

Posted on by Evangeline

iHope fertility retreat themeI recently hosted and facilitated a retreat to help women who are struggling with infertility. The iHope Fertility Retreat helped women attending from across the country to:

  • Pull away from the daily stress of infertility and hear what God has to say about infertility. 
iHope Fertility Retreat workshop booklets
iHope Fertility Retreat workshop booklets
  • Spend a weekend of R&R—Resting and Receiving.
iHope Fertility Retreat 2014
iHope Fertility Retreat – Times of Rest and Relaxation
  • Enjoy a time of fun, pampering and recreation– Pajama Party, Pedicure, Swimming, Nature Walk. 
iHope Fertility Retreat Nature Walk
iHope Fertility Retreat Early Morning Nature Walk at South Mountain
  • Address the spiritual aspect of infertility and get new Word-based tools to help maintain hope.
iHope Fertility Retreat Shower Power
iHope Fertility Retreat Shower Power
  • Receive prayer and encouragement for overcoming infertility.
iHope Fertility Retreat balloon release
iHope Fertility Retreat balloon release

Workshops at the iHope Fertility Retreat were based on the content of my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility. We discussed many topics that helped with increasing trust in God such as God’s lavish and unending love and  His faithfulness to always follow through on His promises. The weekend was filled with revelation and spiritual growth as we held open and honest discussions centered on God’s promise.

In addition to hearing my personal story of victory over infertility, attendees were empowered through video testimonies of other women who have overcome infertility. Guest speakers provided encouragement and fun insights. Activities and props enhanced the lessons learned in the workshop sessions.

A personal chef provided delicious and nutritious meals that incorporated natural, “good for you” foods because the goal was to feed the women “as if they were pregnant.”

iHope Fertility Retreat Meals 2iHope Fertility Retreat Meals

The iHope Fertility Retreat provided an environment to recharge each woman’s spirit by tapping into what God says about infertility in the Bible. Learning how to increasingly trust God’s love and believe His fertility promises in the Bible helped the women to experience enhanced peace.

I was excited to share spiritual strategies and solutions that specifically related to infertility and empowered women to leave with a more hope-filled focus for having a child!

If someone you know is struggling with infertility, invite them to contact me about the next iHope Fertility Retreat, which will be held in Fall 2014.

 

Monday’s Marinade

Posted on by Evangeline

Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on this Word. Repeatedly think about and quietly say it to yourself.  Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!

Here’s your spiritual marinade for this week:

Monday's Marinade Ps 71-14

Win A Signed Copy of My Book

Posted on by Evangeline

Paperback Edition

 

Over on Caroline’s blog, In Due Time, my book is being offered via a Rafflecopter contest.

It’s a fun way to get a free copy of my book. I’ll sign it with a personal note to you.

Check out the contest here. There’ll be three (3) winners!

Will you be one of them?

 

 

 

Countdown!

Posted on by Evangeline

Fertility Retreat

 

The women’s Fertility Retreat is right around the corner! It’s only ONE month away! Woo Hoo!

I am so honored that God is using me as a vessel to bring this special weekend of R&R to those women who battle the daily grind of infertility. The R&R in this instance stands for Rest and Receive. This intimate gathering  starts on Friday, May 30 in Phoenix, AZ.

Join us for a weekend of:

  • spiritual connection through workshops based on my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility
  • pampering
  • good food
  • fun
  • and more!

This will be much more than a “Calgon moment.” You’ll be allowed to turn off all the infertility stressors from your everyday life and plug into God’s promises so you can Rest and Receive.

It’s an all-inclusive weekend—your registration fee covers your lodging, meals, and workshop materials— and I hope you’ll be a part of it.  

If you’re not personally affected by infertility but know someone who is, consider gifting them a weekend away so they can shift their focus from the despair of infertility to being hope-filled in God’s promises of fertility.

Find all the details here.

What’s the one thing you’d want to do/address at this event?

 

Focus Friday

Posted on by Evangeline

I chose this scripture partly because of  National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW).

I pray that it gives you hope! 

Focus on this scripture throughout the day. It’s God’s Word and it’s what He desires us to believe. Believe it is true for you because God’s Word is Truth. Use it as an affirmation. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day. Personalize it by putting your name in it!

NIAW