You searched for sunset - Page 3 of 3

The Best Place To Pray

January 24, 2017 Gracie

A Special Place for Praying

The best place to pray Is there a special place you go to say your prayers?

Is there a particular time?

Do you pray only at night in bed, before you go to sleep?

I do pray in bed, but it’s not the only place I pray.

There’s no right or wrong answer.

It’s whatever is personal to you.

Embrace the Peace and Quiet

Quiet places are best.

It’s hard to meet with God when distractions are everywhere, such as the familiar ring of a cell phone, barking dogs, and loud television shows in the next room.

I prefer the quiet.

There’s not a room in my house where I haven’t said a prayer or two. Whenever I feel that urge to pray for someone, or for another request that comes to mind, I try to make an effort to pray right then and there, rather than waiting for later.

I’ve even said prayers while driving in my car.

Have you been on any jammed interstates lately? 😉

I’ve also prayed silently in the pharmacy at the grocery store, as odd as that may sound.

Streams of Tears

streams of tears

I remember that day well.

My husband had just had surgery.

After several hours at the hospital, I got him home, tucked him into bed so he could sleep the rest of the day, and headed to the pharmacy to pick up all of his prescriptions.

Nothing unexpected, but I had also just heard that my husband’s cousin, Carol, had passed away that morning.

We loved Carol and that news, along with the stress of my husband’s surgery, just knocked me for a loop. I handed the prescription to the pharmacy tech and went to the waiting room where she directed. There was no one else in the waiting room. I just sat there. All of these sad thoughts flooded my mind.

Missing Carol, worrying about my husband.

A few minutes later? Bring on the tears.

They were rolling down my face and,

How come I never have a Kleenex when I need it?

The pharmacy tech called my name, and I walked up to her, eyes wet, barely able to talk. She looked at me and didn’t say much. I think she knew that if she asked, I would have lost it even more. I got home, bawling at that point, and just sat around in the quiet house, my husband sleeping in the next room, feeling sad and alone. I poured my heart out to God that day. I did feel better afterward.

Is There A Best Place To Pray?

I’m mentioning all of this from my personal life because I want to encourage you that it doesn’t matter where you pray, God will listen. He understands us more than we can ever know.

^*15For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. – Hebrews 4:15-16, NASB

Your Quiet Place

The whole idea of setting up a “prayer closet” for meditating creeps me out. The more I’ve read about that practice, the more it appears to resemble contemplative (or centering) prayer, which is not a good thing.

You can pray anywhere.

One of my absolute favorite spots, when it’s not freezing outside, is on the porch. I go out about dusk, enjoy the sunset, and say a gratitude prayer to God.

It’s all very peaceful.

On Your Knees

No Embarrassment

There’s a song I listened to a lot when I first became a Christian.

It’s called “On My Knees” by award-winning Christian vocalist, Jaci Velasquez.

Please don’t feel embarrassed to get on your knees to pray to the King of Kings.

May God bless you this week.

Our Exceptional God

Trending Topics and God’s Reminders

October 26, 2016 Gracie

Trending Topics

God’s Reminders

How about some briefs that reflect something good for a change?

These are some of God’s reminders I like to think about and want to share with you. Take a look at these truths and remind the other believers in your life what we have to look forward to, no matter who wins the election. There’s an ending to all of this global junk and it’s a Good Ending. There’s no cliffhanger to keep us guessing. The Bible tells us how it ends.

In the meantime, when fear and doubts come, dear ones, please remember:

1. God does not abandon Us

He hasn’t gone anywhere. God will never break His triumphant promise. He never violates His Word. Regenerate believers – He’s right there with you. Talk to Him when the fears come.

God will listen I’ve done that myself. I’ve walked outside during a beautiful sunset and silently prayed to God about my concerns. I know He is listening. I feel a sense of peace I can’t even adequately describe and His peace eventually takes over any fearful thoughts. Try it sometime.

**Even so, the cross we carry is only for a little while at most, and then we shall receive the crown, the glory. Surely we should love the cross and, instead of shrinking from it, count it very dear, for it works out for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. – Alistair Begg, Christian Pastor.

2. God continues to bless us individually according to His Will

Christians have the blessing of eternal life. But, in addition to that beautiful assurance, God will also continue to pour out His blessings on us as individuals. Don’t miss those blessings.

Let’s start with this morning. You’re up and breathing, right? Have you thanked Him yet? God didn’t create you just to go through life, work yourself to the bone, retire someday, and then breathe your last breath. Poof! It’s all over. That’s a defeating premise for someone like you and me who God is holding in His grip.

God's reminders

God created you and me for so much more. We can’t waste our lives on the trivial stuff. If there’s something you can do to bring glory to Him, do it! Acknowledge Him. You may never know in this life whose lives you may have touched by doing so, but some day you will know. Your witness may help plant the seed that leads someone else to eternal life with Christ, and it’s all worth it.

3. There is one way to eternal life, and that is through the saving grace of Jesus Christ

One way. Not ten ways, not a thousand, not even a trillion. (How many zeroes is that?) There is one way, praise the Lord!

Why does the Bible refer to us like sheep? It’s not flattering. Sheep play “follow the leader” and will blindly follow the herd off a cliff.

*⁶All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

– Isaiah 53:6, ESV

Christ took the fall for all of yours and my sins and gave us His saving grace. Praise the Lord we have a Shepherd to guide us and protect us until He calls us home.

4. God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is our Advocate. The Holy Spirit convicts us. Take the hint 🙂

Cherish the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. If you mess up, apologize sincerely to God, and He will forgive you.

5. Everything in life is working out according to His Will

Life may feel like it’s going to hell in a hand basket, but God’s Will is done every day, behind the scenes. His will is at work and we can’t fully understand it.

I’ve asked that question myself, “How can this be right for our country? How can that even be happening?”

Remember that sheep analogy earlier?

As sad and as tragic as events in this world will get (a fact of life), all circumstances are following God’s timeline.

God is all-knowing. Nothing surprises Him. And the good news is that His Light will always win out over darkness. The trials and sufferings we have experienced (and will experience) during our lifetimes are gone in a flash when Jesus returns for His Church. Remember, God’s timing is very different from our concept of time.

To God, a year or more is nothing

As an example, a year can seem like forever to us. To God, a year or more is nothing.

Everything that happens to us as believers is leading to a spectacular and very real event in our future.

6. Everyone who should be saved will be

It’s comforting for me to know that no true Christian will be left behind. That’s why we must take it to heart to share our stories of how our lives changed once we started following Him.

God doesn’t want anyone to perish. We must humble ourselves as a child, and seek His forgiveness. In the final chapter of our lives on this planet, earthly power, riches, success, and status mean nothing. The only thing with eternal meaning is our relationship with Him.

As I was leaving a morning Bible study recently, I had this song playing on my iPod. I always liked the melody, but intently listened to the lyrics this time and thought how foretelling they are. It’s a song by MercyMe called, “Finally Home.”

If you get a chance, please listen to the lyrics. Think about meeting God face to face. Imagine reflecting on your life with the One who gave you life. He loves you that much!

God bless!

###

**Begg, Alistair, “Your Cross.” Crosswalk.com. 5 April 2017, Web Access 05 April 2017. Copyright Truth For Life. Used with Permission.

Our Exceptional God

Grace

September 21, 2015 Gracie

His Grace Is Enough

The word “Grace” is, to me, one of the most beautiful words in the English language. When you think about what the word means, unexpected and unmerited favor, it gives me great encouragement to know that God created the potential of this beautiful quality in all of us so that we can share it with others.

Grace started with Him. His grace is enough When Jesus paid the penalty for yours and my sin, His grace covered all of it.

Do we still sin? Yes, but if we truly repent, God forgives and continues to refine and perfect us. Remember the “potter and the clay” analogy? It’s a perfect description of how God works in all of our lives. God’s grace is a refining fire in the midst of trials.

Everyone has the opportunity to receive His grace. It makes me sad when I hear that there are people who still believe they have to earn their way into Heaven.

They can’t. It’s impossible. We must believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal salvation and that is the path we must take.

A Thorny Path

It’s a path that’s sometimes filled with thorns. Bad things will happen to us – we can expect it at some point in our lives. We may even question God about the injustice of it all.

Take heart, dear one.

God has promised He would always be with us, and if it’s in His divine plan, He will bring healing if it accomplishes His purpose. There is always a purpose.

Cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease – there are so many words like these that strike fear and discouragement when they become a part of our lives or of someone we love.

How do we survive a diagnosis such as these?

faith and prayer With Faith. It has to be with Faith.

Please add “a lot of prayer from friends and family” to that because God listens to every one. He hears your every heart beat and He hears your every word. Trust in Him and His plan for your life. We know that God is already working your suffering for good, maybe tomorrow or maybe way into the future. We must trust Him, even when the healing doesn’t come in this life.

A friend of mine, Martha F. from Texas, has experienced God’s grace within her own family. We are all sinners in the eyes of God. Here’s a verse to illustrate that from the book of Romans:

Romans 3:23 —

* ²³All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

All is Not Lost However

Taken by itself, one might think that all is lost, that there’s no way we can measure up. But all is not lost. Jesus provided a way for us to spend our lives eternally in His presence and where there will be nothing but joy.

Martha adds:

This verse sums up the human race to me and the grace that is available to all who receive Jesus as their Savior. It is a reminder to me that no one, no not one, of us are pure and blameless, but we have hope in Jesus as He took the punishment for our sins. Everyone has sinned, but everyone also has the opportunity to receive Christ. Because we all are sinners, Jesus died for all, not just an elect few. We all have the opportunity, as we are all sinners, to receive eternal salvation.

Nothing Compares To God’s Grace

We will have an eternal future with Him that will be better than anything we have ever experienced – that means all the beautiful sunsets, fun times spent with our loved ones, personal experiences with grace, exciting vacations, alone time spent with God – when it’s our time to leave this world, we will spend our time with Him in His holy presence and nothing can even compare with that.

His grace will always be enough. Here’s a song I love by Sara Groves. I hope you enjoy. God bless you all this week.

Our Exceptional God

Thank You God

May 18, 2015 Gracie

Thank You God for Everything!

First and foremost, through this blog I want to give glory to God. He has blessed me in more ways than I can count and I am humbled by His mercy and kindness.

Thank you God!

Thank You God It is a privilege to write about my delight in God and my hope is that something I write will strike a chord in someone else. When you have good news, you want to share it, right?

Sometimes with all the busyness of everyday life, we forget to thank the One who knew us before we were born. I want to do that now.

Thank you God for Your love and grace – for loving me (and us) so much that You gave Your only Son to die on the cross to pay the price for my (and all) of our sins. We are wretched humanity and we deserve absolutely nothing, but in Your infinite love, You provide the way for us to receive Your salvation and spend our eternity with You.

Salvation

A Life Turned Around

Thank You God for my life. I remember eighteen years ago wondering what the purpose of my life was. I praise You for letting me find the answer and that is, to come to know You and to make Your name known. A horrible life-changing accident years ago could have taken my life, but You chose to spare me and give me a second chance. My life has completely turned around. I’m not the same person I once was. I am a new creation and I understand the responsibility and the joy of what that means now.

The Bible

It’s All True

Thank You God for Your Word – the Bible. You cared so much about humanity that You inspired the gospel writers to write down Your message of love, salvation, and forgiveness for all of us to read until the end of time.

It saddens me that some, even some Christians, doubt the inerrancy of Scripture or try to soften the message to appease a very dark world. People can’t have it both ways. They shouldn’t say they believe in the Bible and then turn around and say “well, only some of it is true.” ALL of it is true. If someone has doubts temporarily, it’s okay, but they need to actively research it and they will come to know the truth as well. I did. No one has an excuse when the information is so readily available to those who seek to understand how everything falls into place in the Bible. I provide some resources in this website for you.

Thank you God for my husband. He is a man of God and was the one who helped lead me to Christ. He is also the one who saved my life years ago in our family accident. Out of all the places my future husband could have moved for a job, he ended up moving to the same apartment complex.

I know that was You, God.

God’s Timing Is Better Than Mine

Some of us are a little resistant when it comes to finding the right guy for us. It took several bad dates for me to realize what I was looking for in a husband – and he lived right next door to me! Bill is my rock and I will never stop thanking God for him.

Thank you God for the wonderful people You have put in my life through the years. I treasure those relationships, each and every one. I love and pray for my friends who are Christians. For those who aren’t, I love and pray for them as well. I pray that my life will reflect the joy that I feel of knowing You personally and knowing that You love me back. There’s no rejection in Christ Jesus. None. While some people we come across in life will reject us, even spread lies or try to hurt us, we as Christians have the knowledge that Jesus will never abandon those of us who seek Him.

Beautiful creation

Thank you God for the beautiful creation that You designed just for us. Every sunrise and sunset is a priceless masterpiece. It is a privilege to live here and experience it, but I never forget the Artist behind the painting.

Thank you God for my health. It’s not perfect and there have been scares. As emotional as that can be, I know there’s a purpose in it no matter what happens in the future. My body will wear with age, but my soul knows that one day, I will spend eternity with You. There will be no pain, no rejection, no sadness, no hurts, no aging – all will be perfect because that is what You have promised us who accept Your grace.

a passion for writing about God

To God Be The Glory

Thank you God for my passion for writing about You. When my television career ended so many years ago, I felt my love for writing would end along with it. I look back on the journey and realize there’s no easy path. But I’m here now and grateful for the rocky path it took me to get here – not at the time, but I get it now 😉 Your timing is always right.

Thank you God for my enthusiasm for Christian music. It truly blesses my life. I like to listen to a lot of different artists, but the most respect I have is for those musicians who dedicate their lives to glorifying God through their talents. As my iPod list continues to grow, I discover more and more artists who inspire me through their words to trust in You.

Thank you God for Your many blessings on my life, both seen and unseen. Many times I think to myself “I know that was You, God.” but there are the too-numerous-to-count blessings that I don’t see right now. I know that You have protected me from many things and I look forward to knowing someday what those were.

Thank you God for our church. We attend a Bible-believing, God-honoring church and we’re grateful to God that we are able to attend.

Thank you God for the tragedies, the losses, the difficult times in my life. This is hard to write, but it is important. We were never, as Christians, promised that our belief in God would lead to an easy and prosperous life. Far from it. In fact, life seems to get harder at times.

Praying

Seeking God’s Peace

When the job losses come, or the surgery date approaches, or you lose a precious child in your family – the questions nag away at you. Why, God? Why me? Did I do something wrong? How long, God?

Don’t stop praying. He hears us. Seek the peace that only He can give us.

Don’t stop trusting Him, even through the pain. The non-believers want you to give up on God. They want a “quick fix” to problems and when you don’t get one for your suffering, they swoop in like vultures to tell you that God doesn’t really care about you.

He does.

He does care.

He does love you and He loves me.

Thank you God!

Our Exceptional God

Sharing God’s Creation One Photo At A Time

Sharing God’s Creation One Click at a Time Have you ever seen a photo that just takes your breath away? In fact, I’m talking about the kind of photo that makes you stop everything else you’re doing so you can stare and admire how beautiful it is. I’ve seen a photo like that. In fact, I’ve seen several. What’s even

« 1 2 3