Because Thank You Isn’t Enough

There’s a little sign that sits on the desk in my home office.

It says just one word, “Grateful.”

There’s not much to it really – I bought the little piece of wood at Hobby Lobby, and then simply painted it.

Artistic-wise, not much of a masterpiece, right?

But, the meaning of the word “grateful” for me is far more precious than I can describe.

I am so thankful to God for sending us His Son Jesus, and I’m so grateful for His work in me.

Looking back, I remembered I wrote a poem about gratitude to God several years ago.

Thank You isn't enough Through the good times and all of the challenges we face in this life, God has a purpose for them, even though we don’t always understand the “whys”.

Paul addressed the following verse to the Romans, but like all of Scripture, it carries God’s message through the generations.

God is Sovereign.

His character never changes.

Through our beginning as babies in the womb, through our end (and of course everything in between), God has a purpose for our lives and for our good.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28, (NASB).¹

For all that God has done for us, it seems that a simple thank you isn’t enough.

That’s why when I heard Tasha Layton’s song, “Thank You Isn’t Enough,” bells started going off.

Okay, I have to share this one!

It’s hard to pick a favorite verse in the song, but here’s mine:

Got a resurrection story
One I gotta tell
How Jesus changed my life
And I’m still overwhelmed – Song lyrics, “Thank You Isn’t Enough.”¹

What an amazing song to remind us of God’s faithfulness.

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²Song lyrics to “Thank You Isn’t Enough” featuring The Choir Room, courtesy of AZLyrics.com.

MercyMe’s Newest Release: Wonder and Awe

August 18, 2025 Gracie

Personal photo – Bahamas concert 2015

Wonder and Awe: MercyMe’s Latest Release

Are you going through a rough time right now?

You’re not alone.

It seems like most everyone I know is dealing with something.

That’s why I was immediately drawn to a particular song on MercyMe’s newest release: “Wonder and Awe.”

There are so many songs that I like on the album, but at the risk of this post being too long, I’ll just mention a few.

This first song is simply titled, “OK”.

While the future may seem uncertain, in just a minute and 45 seconds, the catchy beat and easy-to-remember lyrics deliver a reassuring dose of “It’s gonna be okay.”

The next song, “Canary In A Coal Mine” has an intriguing title, don’t you think?

The reference is to the historical use of canaries in underground mines to detect toxic gasses.

So how does this relate to God’s protection?

In a lively tune with a southern gospel appeal, MercyMe delivers this toe-tapping reminder that Jesus goes before us and shows us the way.

Wonder and Awe: Trust The One

The next track I wanted to mention is “Trust The One.”

One word: beautiful.

It’s a reassuring ballad gently reminding us that we can trust in God no matter what our circumstances.

He is faithful.

Romans 8:28 says,

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28, (NASB).

This Bible verse doesn’t mean we get to live an easy life as long as we believe in God. Quite the opposite.

We will face many challenges, but we are not on this journey alone.

Trusting in God through our struggles will reap the greater eternal reward of being with our Lord in Heaven.

That future joy is indescribable this side of eternity.

MercyMe on Tour

Seeing MercyMe live in concert years ago was an absolute blast.

It’s not just the music.

The camaraderie between the band members plus other fans singing along with you makes for a fun and memorable date night.

This year they’re out on tour with TobyMac and Matthew West!

You can check out their upcoming tour dates here.

Don’t miss it!

MercyMe on tour

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Our Exceptional God

Are You Too Stressed To Feel Blessed?

Do you remember those pop quizzes we used to have in high school?

You know the ones.

too stressed to feel blessed We would sit in class ready for a lesson and then the teacher would tell us to close our books and get ready for a pop quiz.

Those quizzes weren’t “open book” either.

Yikes.

We could see the stress levels rising on each other’s faces.

Considering the way things are going in today’s world, on a national and global level, you’d think everything is a pop quiz.

What are the answers? How are we to respond?

Disturbing situations we’d never think would happen . . . are happening.

Stress levels are high, and depression rates are soaring.¹

Are we too stressed to feel blessed?

All the more reason to bend our knees.

God has a sovereign plan for all of history. He is working all times and epochs, as well as our times, after the counsel of His will, for our ultimate good (Eph. 1:11; Rom. 8:28). We can know that when tragedy hits us, God was not asleep or on vacation. His sovereignty is a great comfort in a time of trial. We can know that He has designed our distressing situation to teach us more about what it means to take refuge in Him. – Stephen J. Cole, author and theologian.²

Too Stressed to Feel Blessed? Pray!

Prayer is our opportunity to fellowship with God.

He hears you and me.

In fact, Proverbs 15:29 reminds us, “The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.³

If you are alive, (and obviously you are because you’re reading this), God has a purpose for your life.

Our reason for living . . . is to glorify Him with our hearts, minds, and actions, even as the world around us is seemingly falling apart.

He wants to bless us.

When stressful times come into your life, trust Him to give you the strength that you need to withstand the challenge.

He loves you that much!

¹⁴For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:14-19, (NASB).⁴

God is the God of our past, present, and future.

We honor God by trusting Him through all of it – no matter what the stresses are that we face.

To sum up, this is great food for thought from the late Christian missionary, Hudson Taylor:

I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me. It does not matter where He places me, or how. That is for Him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions He will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones His grace is sufficient. – Hudson Taylor, Christian missionary to China.⁵

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¹Source Credit, [2023] Courtesy of news.gallup.com. By Dan Witters, from “U.S Depression rates Reach New Highs. ” Web. Accessed 13 October, 2023.

^{2 Steven J. Cole quotation is courtesy of bible.org. from “Psalm 31: The Remedy For Stress.” April 18, 2013. Web. Accessed October 15, 2023. Retrieved from https://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-31-remedy-stress}

⁵ Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) quotation. From AZquotes.com. Accessed October 13, 2023. Web. Retrieved October 14, 2023.

Our Exceptional God

God Who Never Fails

October 25, 2022 Gracie

The God Who Never Fails

Child of God – remember that you are loved, and that you are not alone even when you cry silent tears.

No matter how bad things appear in your life, we have the words of Jesus to comfort us through our temporary suffering while here on earth.

Know that He is with you through every trial.

We know that verse so well, don’t we?

But, it’s important not to misinterpret what it says.

The promise that God works all things together for good does not mean that all things, taken by themselves, are good. Some things and events are decidedly bad. But God is able to work them together for good. He sees the big picture; He has a master plan. – Got Questions website.

Perhaps you have also turned to this verse in 1 Peter for comfort as well.

We serve the God who never fails, in any and every circumstance.

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
– 1 Peter 5:10. (NASB).²

Is There Purpose in Our Suffering?

Through sleepless nights and uncontrollable tears, our desire for resolution of our problems can lead to questions like:

How can you let this happen to me, God?

Why does everything bad happen to me?

Some day, we will know the answers to our whys.

The reality of suffering is a tough pill to swallow, but there is a welcoming light at the end of what can be a very dark tunnel.

That light is our great physician, Jesus. In eternity, all of our suffering will be removed.

A man may go to a physician, and be prescribed a course of treatment which at the time is unpleasant or even painful; but if he trusts the wisdom of the man of skill, he accepts the thing that is laid upon him. It is so with us if we love God. But if a man does not love and trust God, he may well resent what happens to him and may well fight against God’s will. It is only to the man who loves and trusts that all things work together for good, for to him they come from a Father who in perfect wisdom, love and power is working ever for the best. – William Barclay, theologian and author.³

It’s difficult for our finite human minds to totally grasp, but we can know that Jesus understands our sufferings – having undergone the worst, most wicked death on the cross.

Jesus is now in glory with the Father and He is waiting to welcome you, dear believer, when it is your time.

Perspectives on Suffering

Have you ever heard the expression that something was a Godsend?

How about in relation to suffering?

Here’s an astonishing idea: Can suffering actually be a Godsend?

Popular Christian recording artist, Riley Clemmons, presents a perspective in her lovely song appropriately titled, Godsend.

No matter what happens in our lives we have a God who never fails.

As our nation fails, as our sufferings increase, our mission is clear: to spread the grace of the gospel.

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¹Quotation from gotquestions.org, from “What does it mean that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28)?” n.d., para. 5. Web. Accessed October 21, 2022. https://www.gotquestions.org/all-things-work-together-for-good.html

³ William Barclay quotation, “Bible Commentaries”. [1706.] Courtesy of Studylight.org., https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb/romans-8.html, n.d. para. 46. Public Domain. Web. Accessed 21 October, 2022.

Our Exceptional God