Cheri Colburn
Meet Cheri Colburn
In our first few years of marriage, Greg and I were starving for friendships. Jobs had us hopping all over Texas, moving six times in the two years after our wedding. We’d both grown up attending church, so that’s where we decided to search out like-minded couples. And we found plenty of folks there who, like us, were juggling babies and careers and houses and all the other things that swamp us as we start making a life on our own. We soon clung to this group, our human life raft on a sea of chaos.
Taking turns teaching Biblical texts each Sunday, I found my land legs as I studied God’s word for myself and then discussed what I’d learned with my new friends. Honesty and vulnerability opened us to deep conversation, leading to deeper friendships. The head-heart connection began to form within me. Obedience to God, I learned, was His protection and the Bible a combination road map and owner’s manual that kept me – His cherished daughter and creation – out of the ditch and headed towards His purpose in my life.
We’ve moved numerous times since that first transformation from church-goer to church grower, cultivating a stronger relationship with Christ and His body, the church. Through serious illness, family deaths, and glorious celebrations - within various local church families in our 30 plus years of marriage - we’ve been surrounded by grace. It continues to be our dear Christian friends who buoy us, both as curb and encouragement, pointing us back to Christ in order to stay the course, speaking the Truth in love.
My passions for God’s word and relationship are fostered as well as challenged at Faith Bible Church. Sitting under incredible teaching and then given opportunities to serve together, I’ve been blessed to share my passions as free-flowing, intergenerational streams through women’s Bible study, Apples of Gold, leading a small group for young women, mentoring in ReGeneration, organizing food for the community, and teaching about spiritual gifts throughout our church family. I even get to do a bit of yard work at the church, one of my other passions. New friendships are forged constantly; seasoned ones get sweeter as we travel together. And I’m thankful these folks will be moving with me eventually. In fact, I’ll be spending eternity with them. Truly, my church family holds my forever friends.
In our first few years of marriage, Greg and I were starving for friendships. Jobs had us hopping all over Texas, moving six times in the two years after our wedding. We’d both grown up attending church, so that’s where we decided to search out like-minded couples. And we found plenty of folks there who, like us, were juggling babies and careers and houses and all the other things that swamp us as we start making a life on our own. We soon clung to this group, our human life raft on a sea of chaos.
Taking turns teaching Biblical texts each Sunday, I found my land legs as I studied God’s word for myself and then discussed what I’d learned with my new friends. Honesty and vulnerability opened us to deep conversation, leading to deeper friendships. The head-heart connection began to form within me. Obedience to God, I learned, was His protection and the Bible a combination road map and owner’s manual that kept me – His cherished daughter and creation – out of the ditch and headed towards His purpose in my life.
We’ve moved numerous times since that first transformation from church-goer to church grower, cultivating a stronger relationship with Christ and His body, the church. Through serious illness, family deaths, and glorious celebrations - within various local church families in our 30 plus years of marriage - we’ve been surrounded by grace. It continues to be our dear Christian friends who buoy us, both as curb and encouragement, pointing us back to Christ in order to stay the course, speaking the Truth in love.
My passions for God’s word and relationship are fostered as well as challenged at Faith Bible Church. Sitting under incredible teaching and then given opportunities to serve together, I’ve been blessed to share my passions as free-flowing, intergenerational streams through women’s Bible study, Apples of Gold, leading a small group for young women, mentoring in ReGeneration, organizing food for the community, and teaching about spiritual gifts throughout our church family. I even get to do a bit of yard work at the church, one of my other passions. New friendships are forged constantly; seasoned ones get sweeter as we travel together. And I’m thankful these folks will be moving with me eventually. In fact, I’ll be spending eternity with them. Truly, my church family holds my forever friends.
Posted in Faces of Faith