No i In Grace

January 28, 2025 Gracie

There’s No “i“ in Grace

A favorite preacher of mine once said, “There’s no ‘i’ in grace.’”

The beauty of that assurance has stayed with me.

In fact, grace is one of my favorite words in the entire English language.

The Apostle Paul described God’s wonderful gift of grace to the Ephesians in earlier biblical times.

Likewise, God’s grace and mercy extend to us today.

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. – Ephesians 2:8-10, (NASB).¹

As so eloquently stated above, “We are His workmanship . . . “

There’s no “i” in grace.

To God alone be the glory for all He has done.

In our sins, we are unlovable and undeserving and yet, it is by God’s grace alone that we are the blessed recipients of His unfailing love.

When you hear these words, your hearts should sing!

No i in grace

Christian theologian, Augustine, once wrote:

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.²

You are loved, dear Christians.

Transformed by His grace, we should live out our faith through our humble actions giving all glory to God – a natural outcome of our new identity in Christ.

Get ready to shine

Worth pondering . . .

Our every humble act of kindness and compassion is our living testament to His glory.

It is through our humble endeavors, that His greatness is magnified.

His light shines through us.

We are His beacons of hope and compassion.

Get ready to shine!

# # #

²Quotation by Augustine, early influential church leader, courtesy of Christian quotes.info.

Our Exceptional God

God Makes A Way

Have you ever heard the expression, “God finds a way”?

The truth is – if it’s in His will, God makes a way.

I remember after our tragic family accident in 1997 (you can read about it here), our lives were completely turned upside down.

While grieving and still recovering from the tragedy days before, there were also many difficult decisions that we had to make, constant phone calls with friends and family, plus my husband wanted to attend the out-of-state funeral.

When my husband left, we needed someone to stay with me since I couldn’t walk at the time. Thankfully, in His gracious way, God prompted one of our cousins to volunteer to do just that.

My left leg was in a heavy knee-to-ankle boot for about three months. There was no way I could drive to work like that.

At the time, I was working at a Fort Worth TV station – which wasn’t even close to where my husband’s job was located. After not being able to work for a few weeks, I was starting to worry about being let go from my job.

After much prayer, God’s grace shone His brilliant light on us once again.

A co-worker at the TV station unexpectedly offered to pick me up half-way every morning.

As only God can do, the arrangement worked out perfectly and my co-worker and I forged a bond and then a close friendship that is now just as strong as ever.

We had so many wonderful faith-filled conversations on those drives.

I am forever grateful for experiences like that which affirm God’s grace and compassion.

God makes a way right when it seemed like there was no way.

When faced with seemingly impossible situations – we need to remember that, nothing is impossible for God.

Our Sovereign Lord, if it is in His will, is the God of our impossibles.

Brandon Heath God Made A Way

Recently, I was checking out new Christmas music and came across a song that I couldn’t wait to share.

Just in time for the Christmas season, Dove Award winner, Brandon Heath, released a new song duet with the incredibly talented Tasha Layton.

Here is “God Made A Way.”

I hope this song blesses you as much as it does me.

“God Made a Way” debuted on YouTube on November 22nd of this year. As of this writing, it has garnered over 3000 views on the social media platform.

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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

Gifts Of God

October 10, 2018 Gracie

The Ultimate Gift of God’s Grace

We are blessed.

Truly blessed by an immeasurable gift from God.

The skeptic says,

“What gift?

What has God ever done for Me?”

He has given every single one of us access to His Grace – a grace that only He can give.

How can people not see what a blessing that is?

This is life-saving, transcendent grace.

It’s the type of grace that we can’t even fully understand the magnitude of it until, as Christians, we enter into eternity to be with Jesus in Heaven.

I am sad over how easily a growing number of people will reject His offer.

Can we honestly look at the beautiful creation all around us and reduce its grandeur to an imperfect, godless theory full of holes invented by man?

The Giver of all Blessings

Because of His infinite grace, our Creator God sent His beloved Son Jesus to reach the lost here on earth.

Jesus is coming back someday, and every knee will bow.

In the meantime, we have glimpses of God’s perfection in His breathtaking creation and we celebrate the One who created it.

Thankful for the Gifts of God

A fellow Christian writer, Stephen Wong, wrote a beautiful poem “Gifts of God” I thought you might enjoy.

Evidence of God’s majesty is everywhere.

Gifts of God

Gifts of God

by Stephen Wong
07/04/13

The gifts of God are in the green of our gardens,
the triumph of the mountains reaching
for the skies,
reflection in our awestruck eyes,
a thousand candle lights, dancing
in a night sky,
while roaring seas
rest upon their soft yellow bed.

The gifts of God are in a delicious afternoon tea,
a warm steaming beverage,
the mesmerizing smells
of chocolate sweets
drifting,
as a blanket of bread
spreads out fresh
from the oven.

The gifts of God are found in our hearts,
every kiss, every warm embrace,
every sparkle of kindness,
affection,
every costly sacrifice
says the words “I love you”.

The gifts of God we breathe in deep,
the sun smiling,
the wind greeting our faces,
sounds of dancing,
echoes of laughter announcing
we are still alive.

Then come times of great tribulations,
dark storms
tossing us off
life’s comfy sofa,
temptation
lurking at every corner,
urging us to give up
all hope.

Yet when we feel lost in misery,
weary
from daily struggles
falling down,
the tears flooding,
on our knees begging,
we should remember,
that from life’s grueling tests,
we learn invaluable lessons that are also
the gifts of God.

# # #

*Poem shared, courtesy of Stephen Wong, from article url: https://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=185177

Our Exceptional God

Honoring Our Senior Citizens

April 4, 2018 Gracie

Honoring Our Senior Citizens

There’s a large group of people in our world that I have tremendous respect for.

Many of them are veterans, and some not.

I’m talking about the men and women who make up our older generation.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where disrespect and a lack of manners are common.

I once saw a teenager eating with his grandmother at a local restaurant. It broke my heart to watch her try to engage the teenager in conversation, but he was way too busy checking his cellphone the whole time.

What’s happened to the social graces that Baby Boomers like myself grew up with?

Appreciating The Older Generation

Christian “change” can start with us.

I believe we should make an effort to show kindness and respect to everyone, but with a special nod to our senior citizens.

If an older person in your path is approachable, then by all means why not say hello, look them in their eyes, and ask how they’re doing? You can pray for them too if they say they have a concern.

We have to start recognizing again that there are years and years of valuable experience and wisdom that we can learn from them.

Paying It Forward

There are many ways to honor the older generation, but here’s one idea.

My husband and I do this at restaurants, anonymously of course. We’ll talk with the waiter privately and pay for the meal of someone, especially if they are a veteran.

It’s a double blessing of joy – for the other person, and for us.

Grace is like a breath of fresh air in our discontented world.

A Blessing For Me

This past week, I was sitting next to a much older man.

We had a few moments to chat and share a few laughs.

He’s been married over fifty years and was more than happy to share his wisdom about the secrets for a long-lasting marriage – including expressions of love, sharing laughter, and mutual respect.

I enjoyed our conversation so much. He was polite and a real gentleman.

After a while, we were interrupted, and he had to leave. As he left, he looked back at me with a smile and said, quite humbly, “I hope I didn’t talk your ears off.”

I didn’t get a chance to respond because he had to leave quickly, but here’s what I wanted to tell him.

No, Sir, you didn’t talk my ears off at all.

I’m grateful to have had the short time with you that I did.

And I won’t forget those little pearls of wisdom you shared.

Thank you for blessing me!

Our Exceptional God

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