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...

Washing dishes can be a truly enlightening experience if one is willing to do some hard thinking while scrubbing, wiping, rinsing, and drying. Perhaps this never ending chore offers us Christ followers one of the simplest pictures of our daily life and ministry in this fallen world.  You see dirty dishes just never seem to end. They pile up everywhere! In the sink, on the counters, the stove, and even on the floor! You could wash all day long and have a glowing kitchen at the end of the day, but the next day all your hard work would be undone as one by one each dish returns to its dirty state. However, as I scrub and scrub away I realize that this chore is so necessary for me to do so that I can serve my family. How else would I be able to cook and feed them yummy, healthful meals? And how else would they be able to enjoy these meals without creating dirty dishes in the process? You see, as we have all heard before, when it comes to serving, getting dirty just comes along wi...

-Wife Lessons- 1.) Know and perfect the art of how to fix your husbands coffee (and learn to "be his coffee"). ~ In the same way that you would learn how your husband likes his coffee, so also cultivate in your heart these same qualities: be your husband's "strong cup of coffee"---and my Dream Man likes LOTS OF SUGAR in his!   Be strong of heart for your Love...be his energy booster...be the one who warms him on cold, dreary days...be the sweetness in his life...and remember there are a million ways to fix coffee, but you want to fix it how your Love likes it.

~An Exhortation to My Heart~ O Heart, do not forget the Promise you've made.  Even as life hurries by, let not your words be in vain. Remember the covenant, so holy in God's sight; Entered in by you and he---You pledged your love for life. You sealed your love with faithfulness---ever to remain; And offered up your hands to be servants of the King. Pledging honor, respect, and obedience to the one you love Calling as witnesses those present and even all of heaven above. He stands true to protect you with his life and love, But know that you are entrusted with his heart  To defend his honor and respect his name Stand fast in this great calling giving him no shame.

Pure joy is not found in living for me, But in giving my life to be lived for Thee As an offering plucked from my heart, For in selfless surrender your life you impart. So though the "I" in me shall die Christ's life in me indeed shall rise His beauty will overwhelm my soul Like the blazing fire does to a smoldering coal.

Jesus you are the reason for this season. Your light shines brighter than any Christmas lights. You are the greatest gift ever given. May all these fond traditions and memorable holiday activities  Point me once again to the baby in the manger... who grew up and went to the cross... to the tomb... AND AROSE FROM THE DEAD! VICTORIOUS! CONQUEROR! LIFE GIVER!

   Ever changing from day to day; seasons come and go. Winters ice melts into wet Spring days that waters Summer's flowers and trees, which turns into Fall's crunchy fallen leaves. Far off places simply mark their seasons by wet and dry, but even they change day by day. So in our hearts, we must realize that God has appointed His seasons and times. Some are easier to pass through than others, but all are from Him. How hard it is though to live out these moments if not lived daily in the grace God gives to us in each season.  Spring's joyous song fills our hearts with awe as new life blossoms and grows up from the deadness we have seen and felt. The promise of new life coming, the whisper of hope tickling our hearts as we realize that winter was not forever. The deadness all around cannot triumph when Spring's trumpet sounds. Summer's heat grows ripe with life springing up everywhere. Worry seems to melt under the intense gaze of the Son. New strength i...