The Right Stuff

October 12, 2021 Gracie

The Right Stuff – How Can I Get It?

The Right Stuff – The Mercury Seven¹

Do you have “what it takes?”

In other words, do you have “The Right Stuff?”

I know, I know . . . there’s a movie by that name, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

Even better, to get “it” we don’t have to be astronauts venturing into space!

Specifically, I’m talking about what it takes to be a courageous Christian.

Navigating today’s troublesome world takes Courage, with a capital “C.”

We live in a dying, lost world.

We need Courage because, going forward, we’ll be persecuted for our faith.

As a former news reporter and longtime researcher, some of the disturbing things I hear about that are coming our way (or being proposed for the future) are so demonic that I continue to pray for a spiritual revival.

But, only God knows “if” another spiritual revival is in our future.

The alternative, Christians already know about.

This may be the time in our history that this Church Age will continue to progress to a fever pitch of evil coming from the wicked.

Since the Rapture hasn’t happened yet, (Come Lord Jesus!), we need to spend our remaining time on this planet telling the world about Him and teaching the younger generation about salvation through Jesus Christ.

Additionally, whatever your spiritual gifts or talents are – make sure you give glory to God in all things and let that be known.

It’s important to realize that the time for staying quiet about your belief in Jesus Christ is over.

God Loves us, but Judgment is Coming for the Wicked

God is sovereign so He allows sad things to happen in our world.

On the other hand, because He is a good God, this is a time of “great harvest.”

With that in mind, here’s some good news.

More and more people are coming to Christ all over the world as they take off their media-driven blinders and see the differences between Good and Evil.

As an illustration, think about some of the movies you’ve seen where a coach gives an inspiring speech to his battle-weary football team.

This is a good analogy because it describes what we’re facing now.

As Christians, we are on a team: Team Jesus.

We are coming up against powerful adversaries, but none are more powerful than our Sovereign God.

Decide Which Team You’re On

Satan will pull out all of the stops in order to distract you, alarm you, cause you doubts, get you to sin, beat you up with feelings of insecurity and loneliness, and much much more.

Be ready.

To illustrate, I really like what Christian author Susie Larson said about Courage, so will share it here.

I hope this is helpful to you going forward.

Daily Blessing
Courage means you get back up again after you’ve been knocked down. Courage means you face your fears and move past them. Courage means you stand up and remain confident in the face of your bullies. Jesus was the King of Courage, and He lives inside of you! Refuse to let your enemy kick dirt in your eyes or spew lies in your ears. Do you remember who you are? YOU are a child of the Most High God. You are someone heaven knows. YOU are profoundly important to the greater Kingdom story. So rise up and engage your faith. Face your day with fierce confidence and courageous strength. God is with you!
1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT ~ Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. – Susie Larson, Christian Author.³

The Right Stuff

Above all, have Courage, Christian friends.

We are on the winning team against Evil!

The Apostle Paul’s teaching about God’s grace is for all of us.

Romans 5:8-11

# # #

¹ “The Right Stuff, photo courtesy of NASA on The Commons, no restrictions, public domain, 17 March, 1960, via Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Accessed and retrieved October 9, 2021.

²Susie Larson devotional, courtesy of susielarson.com., “Take Courage”. Daily Blessing. October 7, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.susielarson.com/daily-blessing/2021/10/7/take-courage

Our Exceptional God

The Long Goodbye

October 5, 2021 Gracie

The Long Goodbye

Sweet Jazz in his prime

This is a sad time for us as we are grieving the loss of one of our best friends, so please bear with me.

After months and many efforts to try and preserve his quality of life, we had to say goodbye to our sweet 12-year-old Siberian Husky, “Jazz.”

Goodbyes are always difficult, and these past few days have been especially emotional.

Jazzy was diagnosed with an aggressive liver cancer. We tried everything we could possibly do to help him through it, but nothing would ease his discomfort.

When our longtime vet said our boy is at “the end” – it was one of the worst conversations of our lives.

At the end of a cherished pet’s life, they say “the hardest thing to do” is also “the most loving thing” to do.

We love Jazz so much . . . but now we grieve.

I’m sitting here in my office this morning waiting for Jazz to walk in to get the dog treat that he knows is always waiting for him.

But he’s not coming. (Tears falling.)

People often ask if their beloved dogs will be there to greet them in Heaven.

There are a lot of guesses about this, but no one really knows, except God.

And of course, nothing will compare to meeting Jesus face-to-face.

Speaking from my heart, I would like to add that through many tears, if you ask my husband and me whether our fur babies will be there also, we say “Yes.”

We know that at this very moment our beloved Jazz is already across the Rainbow Bridge, happy as he always was and waiting to greet us some day in our heavenly home.

Till then, sweet boy.

Our Exceptional God

Lean on Him

September 28, 2021 Gracie

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.

I’m a big fan of children’s choirs, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard that Compassion International was releasing 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 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

Does Your Heart Hurt?

September 14, 2021 Gracie

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

« 1 … 41 42 43 44 45 … 109 »