Grace Thoughts

Let's see the power of a heart that is giving thanks painted on the pages of this post. Another Tuesday stretches on as hungry bellies rumble and dinner time lingers around the corner. In my kitchen it would seem that two busy cooks are hard at work, preparing a meal.  One, in a hurry and flurry with murring tones, tosses beans in a pot. Plain, old beans covered in water. A stinky onion waits to be chopped and added to the beans. Steam and heat make them bubble. Some salt helps make them somewhat edidable. With a huff and a puff, some oil and seasoning are hastily stirred in the mix. Eager to finish the task, this one grabs a pot to start the rice. Beans and rice for dinner tonight. The other cook, with a smile, pauses as she gently washes some dry, brown beans. Pouring them into a pot she adds cool water and freshly chopped onions. They simmer and steam with a growing aroma. She waits for them to be tender and then adds a generous amount of seasoning and spices t...

We would need some good pairs of shoes in order to chase some dreams, wouldn't we?! Yes, indeed! My dream man traded his shoes in though for boots, because his dreams aren't your average, everyday kind of dreams. No, his are quite "heavy duty", adventurous, and extreme! Whereas I don't have any boots (anymore!) of my own, I do enjoy traipsing after him in my flip flops, which seem to do pretty good so far.  Anyway, we really are chasing dreams and following after the Lord wherever He may lead. My job now is to wait and hold down the fort, while his job is to go take on the world! I enjoy being the cheer leader and encourager as he does his duty and does something bigger than himself. You see, his boots do a pretty good job of clearing the path for us, and all I have to do is follow behind him in his foot prints. Sometimes though, I get sidetracked and don't do so good at the "follow behind him" part, and that's when my flip flops get me ...

"The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever." -- Isaiah 40:8 I read this verse with new eyes the other day, and now I find myself challenged by its truth. The verses preceding this verse portrayed people as the grass that withers away because our lives are so fleeting on this earth. This is true of all earthly things; nothing will remain forever.  Here is where I find myself challenged... Once again (as often happens in life), I find myself in a rut struggling to make time for Bible reading, memorizing, prayer, etc. Yet as I think about this verse, I realize that when I am in God's Word, I am storing something eternal inside of this "withering body" of mine. I am faced with a choice, do I continue grabbing at the chaff in this life or do I create the time to invest my moments in that which stands forever---God's Word?  Of course my choice is to go for what is eternal! Not easy, but totally...