Abbie Coffey

 It's here! My daily devotional A Deeper Presence has been printed. The first 250 copies have sold out already! Another order has been placed and the book is available for order online through Book Baby. I'll be posting that link as soon as it is live online. Let me know if you'd like a copy!

My Daily Devotional Book is almost ready for print! It is in the final stages of proofing. I'll be posting here about it. The main thing to note is that even though it is curated from my blog posts, it is different than my blog. I have revised many of the days and I'm excited to get it out there in print! Thanks for following along on the journey!

In case you are unaware, I have been blogging on a new blogger site since 2016.  Please click the "Seek316" link below to take a look! My apologies for not posting this on this blog site sooner. Seek316

My year is complete.  I will not be posting any new Daily Devotionals.  However, I may post some updates on what is coming next for me as a writing project.  I will leave the site up for you if, you're just starting or just wanting to reread.  I am grateful to all of you who have read and journeyed with me this year.  God has been good in the midst of trial and joy.  I pray the best for you in 2015.  Thank you for reading!

Philemon 6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. I would say this is my prayer for all of you.  I have learned so many good things through posting this year by actively sharing my faith.  There are so many ways for us to share our faith.  Some of them are very visible, like pastoring or teaching or even blogging.  Others are quietly beautiful like walking alongside of a hurting friend or praying for someone.  Any way you choose to share your faith is sure to grow you.  I am always amazed at how the Spirit prompts and what happens inside after I've moved.  My perspective changes and I am able to see where God is at work in the midst of all things, from the happy to the tragic.  Jesus is bigger than my circumstances.  I have come a long way on my journey with Jesus, but I have so much more to learn.  God is moving and I am excited to be a par...

Colossians 4:17 Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord." This verse struck me today as I come to a close of a year of daily devotional writing.  (I realize there is one day left.)  It is amazing how much you learn by doing what God asks.  I am still unsure as to why I was supposed to write these devotionals and post them for the world to see.  It has been quite the experience overall.  I feel that I have grown closer to God and spent time with Him in ways I hadn't before.  I encourage you to listen to how God may be prompting you.  It may be a conversation or word you are supposed to have or say to someone.  It may be a letter you need to write.  It may be your presence at an event.  It may be to read your Bible daily.  All and any of those things are important when you are prompted by the Spirit.  I guarantee, it is worth it to listen and follow through.  God is amazing throu...

John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. I have had a difficult time finding a single verse today.  I have been all over my Bible, reading and thinking.  I'm settling on this verse, mostly because it is closely related to one of my favorite verses.  I sometimes get caught up in thinking I need to do certain things to grow in my faith.  These things are not inherently bad, nor are they necessarily good.  Two big stumbling blocks for me are fasting and tithing.  I find myself getting hooked into the religious value of them rather than the relational value.  I find that spending time with God gives me a clearer picture of my own motives for wanting to do these things.  I find that I usually feel the need to fast when I'm feeling poorly about my body image.  I find that wanting to tithe usually comes after reading verses in the Old Testament about God blessing Israel for its offerings.  Both of these are mot...

Romans 15:20-21 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.  Rather, as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand." I agree with Paul's thinking here.  This has been my ambition in education as well.  I want to go to those places where students, and sometimes staff, do not have the opportunities to see Jesus.  I consider it part of my mission and my calling to show Jesus to those who will more than likely never shadow the door of a church.  (This does not mean that I have a heart for overseas ministry, however.)  In my field of work, showing Jesus is really the only thing I can do because I cannot speak about Him unless I am asked.  This is where the Spirit and I are in constant contact.  My prayer is that I am always acting through the Spirit.  I know I mess up and I have major mom...

Oh Lord, you have brought me through another year of this journey.  You have protected my soul and have made me whole in moments when I was so very broken.  Father, You have carried me through dark hours and run with me through happy moments.  Your love have washed over me again and again and Your grace has unfailingly sustained me.  I am grateful for you, Jesus, and the way you have made my life complete.  You meet me every time I need you, without failing.  You are my constant.  Spirit, you have washed over me so thickly this year that I have not even been able to stand at times.  You have filled my soul to the fullest and have given me strength when I had nothing left. You are my lifeblood.  Oh, beautiful Godhead, I am in awe of the power, glory and grace you bestow on me.  I am your humble servant.  With love, Amen.

Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining on toward what is ahead.  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. The day after Christmas, and the hope remains.  I would say, that as a family, we are ready to put this year behind us.  However, we do not do so with disdain or bitterness.  We are pressing on toward what is ahead because of the hope we have found in Jesus throughout this year.  We are moving ahead with great expectation that God is moving and working for the good of those who live Him, us.  As you move on from the expectation of what Christmas brings, live in the expectation of what the Christ child has already done for you.  Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men!  There is hope!

Acts 10:34-35 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God goes not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." This message is the one we are called to deliver.  God loves all people and Jesus is the proof.  Jesus was sent to the world, not just to a certain group of people.  He is Lord and we are called to share Him and His message.  On Christmas, it is easy to get wrapped up, no pun intended, in all of the family traditions we are a part of.  These are wonderful things to celebrate.  We have several in our family too. This year though, I want to be sure I share Jesus outside of my family.  I want to help others have the life of freedom that I have received through Jesus.  I want His grace to wrap them up and touch their hearts so deeply that they are never the same.  This is what I have learned over the last year.  God is with me at all times, especially in my darkest mo...

Matthew 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us." The birth of Jesus is really something when you think about it.  The time and design God took to send His Son to us is a picture of immaculate beauty.  The prophecy and detail are a good reminder for me to think about how God cares for each of our journeys.  He works His will into each of our lives, just as He planned the coming Messiah.  The beauty of our journey is that He walks with us the entire way.  He is on all sides of us, living in, around, and through us.  We are cared for so deeply, yet we often times miss it.  Don't miss it.  Ask for Kingdom eyes to see where and how God is moving.  Many people missed the Christ child because of their own ideas of how God would come to earth.  This always fascinates me because God was very clear of exactly how He would come in the Old Testament through the...

Luke 1:41-42 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!" I've been thinking about blessing this Christmas.  Today I was drawn to Mary's story and the fact that Elizabeth calls her blessed.  Mary's life would have been very difficult after the angel visited her.  She was a virgin with child.  Her husband-to-be was unhappy and wasn't sure what to do.  Their life was hard and yet she was blessed.  At Christmas time I think we often think of all of the "blessings" of life, the happy things.  Family, friends, gifts, and so on.  This year, I challenge you to find the blessing in the hardships of your life.  My mom is in Heaven and I am challenging myself to find the blessings this Christmas that are wrapped within her being there.  Not just the blessing for her, but ...

John 13:5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. During Christmas, it is hard for me to stay only at the birth of Christ.  My mind travels to what was ahead for Him.  I find myself in awe of the fact that the man who would save the world and show us how to love another would come as a He did.  There was nothing kingly about his entrance into the world.  And there was nothing kingly about His ministry either.  We want to make Jesus this majestic, ornate vision of loveliness, when in actuality He was very ordinary and  humble.  His countenance was a beautiful image of unconditional love.  People were and are drawn to Him because of the way He loves.  This is the Jesus I want to know and spend time with, the One who is not proud and pompous, but rather the One who humbly sits on His throne of grace and carries me through this life.  He is almi...

Job 42:5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. This is one of my favorite verses in Job.  It depicts exactly how we come to know Christ.  We hear of him and the life he lived.  We hear of his death and resurrection.  But until we come into contact with him, until we see him face to face, our hearts are unsure and we doubt what he offers.  This is my hope in the Advent Season for all people, to see Jesus face to face.  I'm seeking these encounters.  I am looking for Him daily to confirm what I know is truth.  I have seen Him each day during Advent and I am anxiously awaiting His next move for 2015.  God is always moving and what joy, and relief, that is!  It is His will to be accomplished, not mine.

Father, I praise You for the wonder of Your Son.  I praise You for coming to us as one of us.  I praise you for the miracle that is Jesus.  I praise You for the gift of life.  I thank you for the love you bestow.  I thank you for Your Spirit that guides.  I thank you for the opportunity to share You.  Lord, you are my rock and my strength.  In You I take refuge.  I you I find eternal hope, everlasting joy, and indescribable peace.  Father, You are my all.  Be near this Christmas.  Amen.

Luke 2:32 ...a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. The story of Simeon is close to my heart.  I do not know why exactly.  There is a particular painting of Simeon with the baby Jesus that I believe is beautiful and maybe that's why I love the story so much.  It is the promise of hope that God gave Simeon and the fulfillment of that promise brings me hope.  And then when Simeon sees the baby and holds him for the first time, he quotes Isaiah, confirming the words that Jesus had come to the world for all of the world.  In this season, I am challenged to apply this love.  Jesus came to the world to save it, not to a certain people or nation.  He is truly the light of the world and His saving grace is for each individual.  That is the hope of Jesus.  May you find Him this Christmas.

John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. This is part of Jesus' prayer for the disciples.  It is interesting that Jesus prays for protection for the disciples instead of Heaven.  He, of course, knew they would be in Heaven with him eventually, but He knew that there was work to be done on earth first.  This is something I know I get caught up in myself.  I don't always want to engage or invest in people.  I get frustrated with them quickly.  I don't always love the life I'm living.  I get tired of the day to day grind or sick of waiting for the next step in the journey.  Those are moments when I think, "Oh Lord, just take me home.  Let's be done with all of this."  But then I think on Jesus' words here and my vision begins to change.  I realize that my statement of wanting to go home is completely selfish.  I am not on this earth because of anything I have ev...

Luke 2:9-10 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy what will be for all the people." I don't know that I have any big words about this scripture, but I will tell you, I'm on the lookout for angels this Christmas.  Are you?

Ezekiel 11:19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. God's work in our lives is sometimes inconceivable.  We want to think that we somehow have control over our own hearts and lives.  We want to believe that if we have a good attitude and stay positive, our hearts will become good.  The truth is, we have no control over our hearts.  We can control our attitude, but making the decision every day to have a positive outlook can get very tiring when things continue to be difficult.  What we often miss is that if we allow God to make our hearts undivided to Him and give us a new Spirit, we will have the positive outlook and good attitude that we so desperately work at.  We will become the individual who has a heart about others because we live through the One who gave His life for others.  Our heart change is God's job, not ours.  All we do is acce...