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

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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

Helpful Bible Pronunciation Guides

October 19, 2020 Gracie

Helpful Bible Pronunciation Guides for Honest People

helpful bible pronunciation guides

Okay, be honest.

Do you have trouble pronouncing some of the names and geographical locations in the Bible?

You can tell me, it will be our little secret. 🙂

My friends, I have been in your shoes.

Take it from this once “star speller” in the seventh grade, some Bible names and locations are hard to say and difficult to spell.

But, because I love the Bible so much and because it is His Story, it’s important to get help when needed.

Say What You Mean to Say

how to pronounce bible guides

Let’s take the Book of Isaiah for example. In chapter 8, we read about a very real person named Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

That’s 18 letters!!!

What were his parent’s thinking, right?

Maher-shalal-hash-baz was one of Isaiah’s sons, and the Lord Himself prescribed the name.

When the Lord says do it, you do it.

As little Maher-shalal-hash-baz was born, his name had great significance concerning the coming Assyrian invasion.

God always knows best.

Let’s take a look at another one.

Take the name “Sennacherib.”

Important person, right?

He was the boastful and godless Assyrian king who sought to invade Judah.

The Lord had other plans and Sennacherib failed.

Every time I came across his name in my Bible reading, I pronounced it differently.

I needed some help, obviously.

My Four Picks: Helpful Bible Pronunciation Guides

bible pronunciation guides

Here are a few resources for Bible name pronunciations that you may not have heard about.

Here are my go-to’s:

Now granted, these resources may not have absolutely every single name and every single geographical location in the Bible, but they have many.

If the first resource doesn’t have the name that you’re looking for, try the second resource and so on.

If you visit each website you will see the little audio icon that corresponds to the Bible verse containing the difficult name you’re potentially having trouble with.

I hope these resources are helpful to you.

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Our Exceptional God

National Day of Repentance 2020

September 22, 2020 Gracie

A National Day of Repentance

Dear fellow Christians –

You may have heard that Saturday, September 26^th (just a few days away) is designated as the National Day of Repentance 2020.

There’s so much at stake here in America that I urge you to take part and pray.

America is in desperate need of prayer.

It’s impossible not to see the great divide unfolding in our country, provoked by those who want to destroy her.

Even so, I’m encouraged by the prayer and repentance events scheduled to take place all over the nation.

Why Should a Whole Nation Repent?

There’s a simple answer to that – because our nation has turned away from God.

Now is not the time to bury our heads in the sand, and pretend that wickedness isn’t happening, and even increasing on our soil.

Sexual trafficking and child exploitation

Christians cursed and mocked

A complicit news media

Churches threatened

Millions of babies brutally ripped from their mothers’ wombs

Family values made fun of as Hollywood “entertainment”

So many heartbreaking things going on.

Even though there’s always been a spiritual battle between the forces of good and evil around us, we can see it with our own eyes now like never before.

We have to face it – God allows bad things to happen, even under a good President who believes in the power of prayer.

There’s no doubt, this contentious election is bringing out the worst in people. I’ve seen it and I’m sure you’ve seen it too.

It might be difficult to understand this now, but the Bible teaches that something good will eventually come from all of this turmoil for those who love God.

Therefore, we must pray and repent as a nation.

Praying shouldn’t end on November 4th.

We’ve gone so far down a rabbit hole of wickedness, we may only be able to recover just a little of our respectability as a God-fearing nation.

But, it may be enough to spark a much-needed spiritual revival.

Throne of Judgment

God is love, but just in case you’re being told otherwise, He is also a God of Righteous Judgment.

Do we really think that our Creator God will not execute judgment on America (and the world for that matter), in His timing, for those who don’t repent and follow Jesus as Lord and Savior?

Those who do not believe in the Son, who do not receive Him as Savior, will be judged on the day of wrath (Romans 2:5–6). – Got Questions website.

That day is coming.

Have you accepted Christ into your life?

Please don’t delay.

Are you prideful, believing in your own greatness, or do you have a repentant heart?

Simply being a “good” person may earn you friends here on earth, but it doesn’t get you into Heaven.

We truly aren’t “good”, we have all fallen short.

Salvation in Jesus Christ is the only answer.

The Bible and the National Day of Repentance 2020

You don’t need any book other than the Bible to tell you what we need to do right now – while we still can in the public square.

day of repentance

How do we pray for repentance?

It’s in the Book – the Bible, that is.

Currently, my studies have focused on the major and minor prophets.

Undoubtedly, the verses therein are focused on the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel and God’s judgment. But, we need only to learn from the history of God’s people that disobedience to God, rejecting Him, and lawlessness lead to a path of destruction. I can’t tell you how many times in my readings that I have recognized America, as a whole and looking at the culture, making the same disastrous mistakes.

What’s Next On The Timeline?

Only God knows the timing of prophetic events that will happen to our great nation and globally.

As Christians, I believe we need to follow the historical call of the prophets in Scripture and pray for nationwide repentance.

In Daniel 9:15-18, the prophet pleads for God’s people at that time.

Take heart, fellow believers, our God has great compassion.

Maranatha!

¹⁵And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. ¹⁶O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. ¹⁷So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.

On this National Day of Repentance 2020, it’s time to call on “the Great I Am.”

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Quotation from gotquestions.org, from “What is the biblical understanding of the wrath of God?” n.d., para. 3. Web. Accessed September 16, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.gotquestions.org/wrath-of-God.html

Photo source credits:
– Group prayer photo by Ismael Paramo on Unsplash

– Woman praying photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Our Exceptional God

Leave The Heavy Lifting To God

August 18, 2020 Gracie

Leave The Heavy Lifting to Someone Else

Have you ever tried to carry something so big you thought you’d collapse under the weight of it?

leave the heavy lifting to God

I used to take swimming lessons back when I was in middle school.

Our final swim test was to “save the lifeguard” in a mock drowning incident.

When it was my turn, the lifeguard began thrashing around in the deep end like he was in big trouble.

Confidently, I dove in to rescue him.

Uh oh.

Saving him was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

It wasn’t long before I was swallowing water and losing any of the strength I had to pull him out.

He was so heavy I thought I was going to drown, and that he’d end up having to save me.

I think he did, actually. 😉

When you get down to it, sometimes in life, we have burdens that are just too heavy for us to carry alone.

But we aren’t alone.

Best leave the heavy lifting to someone else.

When the storms of life hit, we should leave the heavy lifting to God.

No burden is too big for Him.

Leave the Heavy Lifting to God

Have you ever heard someone say that they felt like a black cloud had settled over their house?

I have, because I was the one who said it once. 🙂

When you receive a lot of bad news all at the same time, sometimes it gets hard to bear those burdens.

We have to remember we can’t solve everything on our own.

We aren’t in control, but God is.

A time-honored lesson to keep reminding ourselves:

Be thankful

No matter what our circumstances, remember how God has blessed us in the past and His promises for our future.

Jesus really is the answer.

Billy Graham quote

Aren’t you glad that we have a personal Savior who knows each of us by name?

When a close friend of yours is hurting, you don’t abandon them when they need you the most. On the contrary, you offer to be there for them, run errands, take the kids, whatever they need to show them your support during a difficult time.

Father God loves us even more.

We are His children.

In Isaiah 46:4, the prophet assured God’s people that throughout their lives, which were often wrought with danger, they were not alone.

His Word is true.

Isaiah 46:4

With Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He can do the heavy lifting for us, from now until our last breath.

Lay your burdens at the Cross.

Have you heard Christian singer Jamie Kimmett’s song about this?

His song, “Burdens” is a touching reminder of God’s tender care.

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Our Exceptional God

Who Me, Lord?

February 20, 2019 Gracie

Who Me, Lord? Are You Sure?

Who me, Lord?

“It’s not working, I don’t know why I even try!”

Have you ever felt that way?

Perhaps you’re trying to witness to a non-believing friend, or share your testimony with complete strangers at a local coffee shop.

Your progress = Zero.

Crickets.

Loud and clear.

It’s disappointing.

So why then do you keep on keeping on?

If you knew in advance that your God-appointed mission to reach others would seem like a failure by human standards, would you still do it?

A good question to ponder.

Trust “His” Outcome

When was the last time you got a real “thank you for speaking truth”?

For me, it was three years ago on a Monday.

Just kidding.

Whatever you do, please, please, don’t give up.

Our Heavenly Father sees it all, and nothing you do, is hidden from Him.

Disappointments will come.

That’s just life.

Even so, we must trust the outcomes to Him and the inner workings of the Holy Spirit on the people we’re desperately trying to reach.

Whether we get a “thank you” someday or not, it’s not about us.

Life is about glorifying HIM.

Words Of Wisdom

Recently, I read an excellent and thought-provoking article by a fellow Christian writer, Joanne Sher.

Joanne talks about the discouragement we may all feel at times.

Here Am I Lord, Send ‘ ‘ Wait, What Did You Say?’
by Joanne Sher
02/05/19
Our pastor is preaching through the book of Isaiah this quarter (insert psychotically happy emoticon here). I was saved in this book, and it is one of my favorites because of its richness. I know parts of it by heart and have read it (and read it through) more than the average person. But on Sunday, it slapped me in the face, and convicted me anew.

Even people who aren’t as obsessed with Isaiah as I am (which is pretty much 99.9% of the known world) are familiar with the passage Pastor Brian Cederquist preached on this past Sunday. It is one of the most well-known evangelical passages in the Old Testament: one that missionaries often claim as their inspiration to serve. Isaiah 6 shows the prophet’s vision of God’s throne, his cleansing, his call to prophesy, and his acceptance of that call.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8 NKJV

As I read through the first few verses of Isaiah 6, I see the holiness and beauty of the throne, the reverence and worship of the cherubin, and the power of God. I could understand Isaiah’s desire to be cleansed before God’s holiness and perfection, and I could see myself getting swept up in majesty and experience, and responding just as he did when he heard God’s call to go.

But then comes verse nine and following:

And He said, “Go, and tell this people:‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy; and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed.” Isaiah 6:9-10 NKJV

So, Isaiah (now a young adult) will preach to his people for the rest of his life (sixty years or so, according to Pastor Brian), and the message will be rejected every time.

*He won’t be praised for sharing God’s truth.
*He won’t get that self-esteem boost from seeing the people he loves turn from their wicked ways and back to God.
*Nobody will throw him a prophet’s thank-you luncheon in appreciation of his hard work.
*The priests and rabbis won’t acknowledge his faithfulness from the pulpit (unless it is to denounce him).

It will be, in earthly terms, a thankless job.

And he is told this from day one.

As I sat thinking about this, I pondered how I would have reacted in Isaiah’s place. I could easily see myself saying, “Um…God? Nobody will listen to me? You’re going to harden all of those hearts? Can I…um…take back that whole ‘Send me’ thing? Or could you send me somewhere else? Somewhere that at least some of the folks WILL respond positively? I don’t need a full-out revival or anything – just a bit of encouragement here and there. You know how I love that encouragement thing. Waddaya think?”

I am an encourager, and I thrive on encouragement from others. Almost everyone who knows me knows this. I truly don’t know if I could do what Isaiah did. And that makes me sad.

Am I depending more on what others think than what God does? I hope not.

Is God’s approval and encouragement enough for me? It should be.

I serve in the church in several capacities – would I finagle my way out of some of them if I didn’t feel appreciated by the people I was serving? Am I avoiding ways God is calling me to serve because of my own desire to be appreciated? I really don’t know.

I know that not everyone is called to do the same job in God’s kingdom, but this has been a wakeup call for me. Thank You, Lord, for convicting me to check my motives, and learn to depend on You more.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7 NKJV

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*Article shared, courtesy of author Joanne Sher, from article url: https://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=185177.

Our Exceptional God

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