A Woman of Grace

Have you ever met someone you would describe as a woman of grace?

I am blessed to say, “Yes!”

This extraordinary woman was my mother-in-law, Jane.

She’s in heaven now, but my husband and I think about her a lot. I have so many fond memories of visiting my in-laws at their home in California.

Bird of Paradise flower

Whenever I see a Bird of Paradise flower, I think of those fun visits. My in-laws had several blooms planted near the front steps of their home.

Speaking of beautiful, we have a gorgeous, smiling, picture of Jane in her wedding dress featured on a wall in our home. By all standards of beauty, my mother-in-law was a knockout, but her beauty was more than skin-deep as she was also one of the kindest women I have ever met.

To me, Jane was the epitome of grace. Her strong faith spoke volumes to me as I began my faith walk so long ago. She truly knew how to delight in God.

I came across a lovely poem recently that reminded me of my mother-in-law. These meaningful words celebrate ALL women living grace, and I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Please enjoy.

A Woman living Grace

by Elizabeth Hexberg
01/22/12

May I be that ray of sunlight,
when the sky is overcast.
A petal from His Roses,
with fragrance made to last.
A hint of coming rainbows,
in the darkest Winter Storm,
and the softest pink horizon
to remind you of the Dawn.

Seeking out the wonderful,
with laughter on my face.
But most of all I pray to be,
A woman living Grace.

A child of God.
Friend to all.
Ever Loving heart.
Live my life with courage,
My God how Great Thou Art.
Dance to every melody.
Sing to every song.
Be the one to help you know
He Loved you all along.

Someday to help you see it too,
find a safer place.
But most of all I pray to be,
A woman living Grace.

May I be the one who never said,
‘I told you so my friend’.
May I be the one who always cared
beginning to the end.
The one who saw the good in all,
walked the extra mile.
Saw the Magic of His Plan,
and never lost her smile.

A hand to hold, when life grows old,
to finish up this race.
But most of all I pray to be,
A woman living Grace.

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A Poem of Discernment

poem of discernmentSometimes the beginning of a poem I could write just pops into my head, seemingly out of nowhere.

Usually, it’s when I don’t have a pen and a piece of paper!

My latest one, “A Poem of Discernment,” basically started writing itself when I was out on the back porch one evening.

Tares Among the Wheat

I was thinking about some of the false teachers out there. My husband and I get into some pretty long discussions about them. Unfortunately, in today’s world, there are many false teachers.

One example is the prosperity preachers and their promise of riches for tithes.

Another example is the increasing deception that there’s more than one path to God.

apostasy

I know you’ve heard of wolves in sheep’s clothing. The Bible is very clear on this matter.

Acceptance of “many paths to God” diminishes the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Man-made philosophies designed to make people feel good about their sins is apostasy.

The Good News

God has promised us so much more than the world as it is.

His glorious resurrection grants eternal life to all Christians. We have victory through the Cross!

A Poem of Discernment
Lord, give us discernment in the coming days,
false teachers on the rise who try to amaze,
with signs and wonders that don’t hold true,
the only real miracles come from You.

You taught us to test
every claim against Scripture.
It’s as simple as that,
why don’t some get the picture?

Your Word, absolute truth,
but some continue to deny,
they laugh and they scoff
bought into Satan’s lie.

Christians, stay strong
for temptations will come,
but rest in the knowing
that to Him you belong

Reading the Word
Thoughtful immersion,
Remember the enthusiasm
at your conversion?

Shine His light to the world
and tell of His love,
the Father will bless you
from Heaven above.

As for the Lost,
they do need our prayer.
It’s our true calling
to make them aware
to seek His forgiveness
because He truly does care.

Copyright July 20, 2016 Gracie Jane

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Hitting the Refresh Button On Our Discouragement

Are you feeling discouraged?

Are the challenges in your life overwhelming at times?

I believe hitting the Refresh button on our troubled souls can help.

We should focus on God’s promises and reflect on the evidence of His grace and blessings in our lives.

The truth of God’s word can help us shut out worldly distractions and discouragement.

The key? We must remember who we are in Christ.

Always, always, always, even when it pours. when it rains it pours

When It Rains

I remember a difficult time in my life several years ago. I had recently become a Christian, and it seemed like a lot of things were going wrong, all at once. The difficulties piled on, one right after the other.

My recovery from a terrible accident felt like it was taking forever. Keeping up with my job responsibilities was difficult. The heavy cast on my damaged leg was a constant reminder of the accident and the effect it had on my family.

I just felt…broken.

Isn’t it interesting how the devil attacks when we’re at our most vulnerable?

One evening my husband and I went to a Wednesday worship service at our church.

The praise music was great. It lifted my spirits to sing out loud with fellow believers.

I stood in line to receive the Lord’s Supper. When it was my turn, the deacon placed the wafer in my outstretched hands and said, “Remember, you are God’s masterpiece.”

I’ve never forgotten his words. It was the right encouragement and the precious reminder that I needed to hear at that moment.

“Remember, you are God’s Masterpiece.”

The Master Designer thought enough of me and my potential to send me into the world.

He thinks enough of you, too.

It’s up to us, along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to delight in God and shine His light to the whole world.

You are God's Masterpiece

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Heartbroken For Our Troubled Nation

Heartbroken For Our Troubled Nation

Pray for our police

Words can hardly describe my sadness after what happened tragically in Dallas Thursday night. My husband and I turned on the news, and like most of America, watched the horrific events unfold. Several Dallas law enforcement officers were ambushed, mowed down, and murdered after what is being described as a peaceful rally downtown. Bystanders and other officers were wounded and are now recovering in the hospital. These officers were simply doing their job and that was to protect the peaceful protestors and any onlookers.

My heart is breaking for these people, their families and loved ones, for Dallas, and for our country. I wept as we watched non-stop news coverage and heard replays of the kill shots. I am still weeping and shaken in my heart.

They showed video of one police officer standing by his police car. He pounded the car window with his fist, wiped tears from his eyes, and got down on his knees and prayed.

I can only imagine what he was going through.

Poignant Words in the Midst of Tragedy

I wanted to share a portion of an excellent Facebook post from Taya Kyle, wife of slain US Navy Seal, Chris Kyle.

My husband and I attended his memorial service three years ago. Taya, in the midst of her grief, was able to speak eloquently through her tears about her husband’s service to our country. Her words touched me deeply.

I believe that her Facebook post concerning Thursday’s mass murder in downtown Dallas is worth sharing.

From Taya Kyle, https://www.facebook.com/TayaKyleAmericanWife/posts/1104747409571383:0.

To anyone who has lost a loved one out of someone else’s hatred, my heart breaks for you. Today I am physically ill for the police officers in Dallas who lost their lives or were shot because of someone else’s hate. My heart is broken for you and your families. I mean that literally. I am physically ill over your loss and the devastation of life as you knew it.
To anyone who has fanned the fire of someone else’s hate, their blood is on your hands too. It is time for people to stand up for Godly values. It is time to start encouraging each other to rise above and find inner peace. It is time to remember it is a fallen world and our job is to find grace and strength in spite of our suffering.

Jesus Came to Save us All

Red, and yellow, black, and white – we are ALL precious in His sight, including the unborn.

The Monday morning quarterbacks will come out from everywhere to blame this problem on a particular group or race, even the guns, you name it. Furthermore, racial hatred (against blacks, whites, every skin color) is from man, not God.

Evil is everywhere. Please pray for your non-believing friends and family members to seek the Savior. Only God can provide salvation and saving grace to a person – no human-elected government, leader, or principality will ever come close to giving our nation and our world what it needs.

May our whole country pray for repentance and turn back to God.

A nation in need of our Savior

 

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Blue Jean Christianity

Blue Jean Christianity and What it Means to Me

What is “Blue Jean” Christianity?

blue jean ChristianityThe good news is that it has nothing to do with that pair of jeans we own, so our closets are good. 🙂

Frankly, the idea of a Blue Jean Christianity has a spiritual meaning for me. It’s a term I came up with to describe a “casual” faith.

It’s the kind of faith that surfaces only on our terms, when it benefits us, or makes us look good. Sadly, a casual or lukewarm faith doesn’t exist for God’s purposes, but for our own. It’s when church-attending happens only twice a year.

The Bad News

We know that God is sickened by “lukewarm” believers.

Whoa – did I say “sickened?”

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. –From Revelation 3:16, King James Version (KJV), Public Domain.

A graphic description, huh? God is so nauseated by lukewarm faith that He wants to spit it out of His mouth.

If that isn’t convicting, I don’t know what else is.

Unfortunately, that kind of faith used to describe me, starting back during my college years up until about age 30. I believed in God, but never talked about my faith or got into discussions about faith matters. I went to a few church services in college, but not many after that. It was all about the business of friendships and pursuing a career. I never even considered my eternal consequences. The adage, “come what may,” seemed to suit me perfectly.

But God

I was heading in one direction back then, but God’s will would not fail. It took several wake-up calls, before I finally got it. I’m grateful that my life changed, even though the spiritual road I’ve been on is fraught with a lot of painful bumps and bruises. It took time, but God is now at the center of my life where He should be.

Have I missed opportunities to share my faith? Yes. Instead of seizing an opportune moment, I’ve taken the easy, “keep your mouth shut” route. We all do it at times. God opens a door, and we’ve blown it.

It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over

A glance at the definitions of “lukewarm” in the dictionary include “tepid, and “blase.´”

Do those terms describe your faith?

Does your faith take a back seat, present only on Sundays? Or, are you active, engaged, and ready to share when an appropriate occasion comes up?

We can pray for those opportunities, and God will bless our prayers.

Why Did God Put Us Here in the First Place?

It’s pretty simple. We’re here to glorify God. Our focus should be on Him, not on fame, celebrity, fortune, or anything society deems as most important.

That means that casually pulling out the “faith card,” only when we’re in the mood or at church, doesn’t cut it.

No one is advocating tackling someone or “thumping” them, as some atheists and misguided people like to characterize what we do. They are wrong on so many levels.

As human beings, we should care about the lost because,

God cares that none of us should perish.

Nonbelievers will face judgment.

Our Truly Caring God

He created us, not the other way around.

Thankfully, we have a just and merciful God. He has clearly paved a way for our redemption through the Cross, our repentance, and faithful prayers. Once we take hold of that divine promise, how could we not share it with our neighbors?

The time is coming when this world will sink into apostasy. It’s already infecting America, and it’s spreading rapidly like an incessant virus. Our blessed hope is in God’s promise of salvation for authentic believers, and He always keeps His promises. Our desire should be to take the promptings from the Holy Spirit and plant those seeds when and where we can. The Holy Spirit will do the rest. Our mission field could be overseas, or it could be right down the street in our neighborhood.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.                                      –From 2 Peter 3:9, King James Version (KJV), Public Domain.

what constitutes successLife isn’t about bragging rights – that new car, new house, or vacation in Hawaii.

If you’re braggin’, it ain’t right.  😉

Those fortunes are exciting for a time, but unlike what society says, they don’t represent the true meaning of success. Our lives are designed to worship and glorify God.We are here for His pleasure.

Do we thank Him for those blessings when they come our way? Do our lives and actions always reflect His glory? If we’re honest, the answer is most likely, “not always.”

Something to think about, huh?

Holy Spirit power

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