Lean on Him

One of the many great gifts that God has given us, in my opinion, is the blessing of music – yet another reason I delight in God.

You could say I’m especially partial to church choirs since I’ve been singing in one since the 1990’s.

I’m a big fan of children’s choirs, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard that Kirk Franklin and Compassion International were teaming up to release a new song.

The single dropped Friday and it’s nothing short of wonderful.

It’s the kind of song that brings tears of joy to my eyes.

Here is Kirk Franklin with Lean on Me (Worldwide Mix) featuring the Compassion Youth Choir . . .

Sponsoring needy children thru Compassion International has been a rewarding experience for us.

We have a boy and a girl both under 12 years old.

It’s been such an enriching experience to be able to communicate our love for them across the globe.

We get to learn about their culture and they learn about ours, but even more importantly, we share the love of Jesus with each other.

These two precious ones are understandably scared of the virus – the origins of which are disturbing and that has so quickly spread throughout the world.

Like the song says, we try to reassure them not to worry and not to fear.

It breaks my heart that, along with growing up in poverty, they are now having to deal with this.

We must lean on Him always.

Praise God that Jesus is coming back and He will deliver us in the Rapture from the worst that’s yet to come.

Naysayers will always be naysayers.

B e l i e v e.

T RU S T.

# # #

Our Exceptional God

There Is Jesus

September 21, 2021 Gracie

There Is Jesus

If you haven’t yet heard Zach William’s album, “Rescue Story” from last year, what are you waiting for?

You’ve had a whole year!

I’m just kidding.

But seriously friends, there are so many good songs on there, a couple of which I’ve written about before.

The song I want to feature this time though is,“There Was Jesus.”

I love all of Zach’s songs, and on this one, he teams up with the immensely-talented Dolly Parton.

The song is so good it won a Grammy for “Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song” this year.

Check it out.

There Was Jesus By Zach Williams

Was I right?

It’s the kind of song you want to play again and again.

When I look back at some of the difficult events in my own life, I know there were times back then that I felt alone.

Even so, that was part of my journey of faith.

We are never promised an easy life, nor are we entitled to one.

But . . .

there is Jesus

After all these years of ups and downs, and knowing what I know now, not only was there Jesus, there IS Jesus!

With you and me.

Right now.

Forever and ever and ever.

# # #

Our Exceptional God

Heart Condition: Does Your Heart Hurt?

How is your heart these days?

Does your heart hurt?

I’m not talking about a heart defect, but rather the emotional hurt that comes when you feel powerless to stop bad things from happening.

My heart hurts.

My heart hurts when I think of persecuted Christians here in America, and overseas.

It breaks my heart when I hear that some churches closed their doors out of fear-pressure due to the virus.

Especially considering what kind of businesses stay open.

It hurts my heart when I hear of the growing discrimination against non-vaxxed people.

Intimidation and accusations directed towards anyone, whether they’ve had the shot or not, is discrimination.

We should aim to do better than that.

Respect each other’s decisions!

The world can be so ugly at times, wouldn’t you say?

Give us a renewed hope, Lord.

Help us to see the world through Your eyes.

Waiting for His Return

We are a hurting and lost world in need of our Savior.

There’s such a pervasive divide between the Good and the Bad now that any little glimpse of grace can sometimes bring tears to my eyes.

Those glimpses of grace are a window of what’s to come in our eternal home – for those who trust in Jesus for their salvation.

I am sad for our country, but our blessed HOPE is on the horizon, closer now more than ever.

I love this from Christian author Susie Larson.

Daily Blessing . . .

May you be honest with God about the hurts in your heart. May you discern the difference between grief and self-pity. May you be okay with not always being okay. God will one day wipe away every tear from your eyes, but until then, He’ll help you walk this journey with peace in your heart and assurance in your step. He is with you. One day Jesus will turn your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into songs of joy. In the meantime, enjoy the little graces you find along the way. Celebrate the small victories. Dare to dream. And take one step at a time. You’re going to be okay. Blessings on your day today. – Susie Larson, Christian author.

Lord, grant us peace in these trying times.

Does your heart hurt?

Heart Hurt and Glimpses of Grace

Does your heart hurt?

Keep going.

Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Don’t throw in the towel.

In other words, those little glimpses of grace along the way are reasons to thank God.

You’ve reached another day to celebrate God’s blessings, and it’s another day that you’ve moved closer to your eternal home.

# # #

¹Susie Larson, courtesy of Susie Larson.com, “One Step At A Time.” Daily Blessing. September 7, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.susielarson.com/daily-blessing.

Our Exceptional God

Happy Labor Day 2021!

Happy Labor Day 2021

Can you believe it’s September already and that Labor Day is here?

Hopefully, you have Monday off to relax with family or friends.

If not, and you’re an essential worker in any occupation, God bless you for honoring your responsibilities.

A verse in Colossians tells us that, when we are working, our focus should ultimately be on serving God.

Colossians 3:23-24

When we work as for the Lord, some of those irritations on the job take on lesser significance.

Someone captured the heart of this truth when he observed, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that the hosts of heaven will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.‘“ – From Glory in the Grind, https://www.preceptaustin.org/colossians_320-25

May everything we do today and every day

bring glory and honor to God.

Happy Labor Day 2021!

# # #

²Heart of the truth quotation is from the Colossians 3:20-25 commentary. [2021.] Courtesy of Precept Austin, https://www.preceptaustin.org/colossians_320-25., 4/29/21. Subheading, “Glory In The Grind.” Web. Accessed 4 September, 2021.

Our Exceptional God

God Help Us Endure

August 31, 2021 Gracie

God Help Us Endure The Sufferings To Come

The news out of Afghanistan is, in a word, devastating.

Are you as outraged as everyone else?

Thirteen U.S. soldiers, both men and women, killed in the line of duty.

There’s more.

Stranded Americans and allies face potential death and persecution.

God help us endure

Could the videos of those poor people pleading for rescue from that airport get any more heart-wrenching?

There’s so much to say about our nation’s failure in this, but that’s not the purpose of this blog.

Thanks be to God, there are glimpses of good news.

This from Samaritan’s Purse. . .

And this from name withheld . . . ↓

Closer to home, this past Sunday, gulf coast communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama were ravaged by Hurricane Ida.

Power outages, high winds, and massive flooding caused extensive damage – all on the 16^th anniversary of a devastating storm from the past, Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Ida August 29, 2021

In recent weeks, you may remember that a 7.2 earthquake shook Haiti to the core, bringing down buildings and leaving many already poor residents, homeless.

Tropical storm Grace hit shortly after, adding more death and destruction. The video of those poor families hunkering down under tarps while a tropical storm barreled down on them was very difficult to watch.

Haiti Earthquake August 14, 2021

Tragedies are breaking out all over, here in America, and overseas – at a shockingly rapid pace.

Did you ever think that you would see this in your lifetime?

Please PRAY for our nation and for the whole world.

God help us endure the sufferings to come.

Our Lifeline

Brothers and sisters in Christ – thankfully, we know that this world of increasing suffering and persecution is not our final home.

Our Savior, at an unknown time, will rescue us from this fallen world.

Hold on to that blessed promise!

We must endure until then.

Going forward, it will be hard and it will be heartbreaking at times.

The Bible tells us to expect it.

I don’t want to see any more suffering either, but I know God has a plan.

His plan is so perfect that it could only be designed by the Maker of Heavens and earth Himself.

We will be with Him and there will be no more suffering.

Amen!

We are citizens bound for heaven, a paradise of never-ending joy and happiness.

Are You Ready?

Who is ready for the Lord to come back?

Count me in.

But God.

Only He knows the time, or the hour of Jesus’ return. We just know that it will be “some day.”

Until then, keep your eye on the prize.

Encourage each other. We will all need encouragement in the coming days, months, and maybe years ahead.

Focus on the One who gave you life and the One who wants you there with Him in the end.

“Some day” we’ll have Jesus and delight in His kingdom of endless hallelujahs.

# # #

¹Hurricane Ida 2021 photo, courtesy of NASA (website) NOAA (Satellite), public domain, 29 August, 2021, via Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Accessed and retrieved August 30, 2021.

²Haiti earthquake photo, courtesy of the ECHO/European Commission, CC BY<a 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Accessed and retrieved August 30, 2021.

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