GRACE..God's riches at Christ's expense!

G R A C E...please stop making it cheap.  It is free to all who receive it and believe in what Christ did for us when he died and rose again~but it is not cheap!

It breaks my heart to see people who try to cheapen the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Yes, it is true that our sins, past, present and future are forgiven by the finished work of Calvary.  BUT....this does not give us the right, the licensee to live unholy.  No, we can never be good enough to earn the gift of this Grace, but it does not mean we can sin and do what ever we feel like doing because we are covered by His Grace.  That is making a mockery of the awesome work of His Death, Burial and Resurrection.  May that never be what we as believers do.

We are called out to be a chosen people, separate from the world.  The word says a peculiar people.  Does that mean we will not sin?  NO, we are still in our human form, and we will slip up and sin, we are not above sin, but we are NOT to opening purposely sin because we have the gift of Grace to cover our sins.  We are called to be a holy people. 

Holy...consecrated or set aside for sacred use (as opposed to pagan or common use); standing apart from sin and evil; characteristic of God, especially the third person of the Trinity.   Sinless~NO, Perfect~NO, Better than others~NO......Forgiven~YES.

Please, I beg you...look at your life and ask yourself, am I making the wonderful Grace of Jesus Cheap?

Purpose in your heart to be set apart, to walk a Holy Life, to Thank God everyday when He forgives you of your shortcomings and sins....but don't get caught up in the lie that Grace gives you the liberty to live like this world.  We are not of this world, we are called to be the light of this world, causing the people to want what we have that makes us shine.  If we live life like we can do, say and act anyway we want to; what would make the world see us as having overcome this world?  What would make them want what we have?

My prayer today, this last day of 2011, is that the Lord would help me to be an over comer and not be filled with condemnation about past failures, sins and disappointments.  I choose to thank God for the GRACE He has given to me and to live my life in such a way that others will want what I have. 

S H I N E on for Christ in 2012!

My Joruney to Bethlehem...

Late yesterday afternoon I went on a journey to Bethlehem.  No, I did not board a plane and land on a foreign soil; but I did find myself taken back to a time that ended up being not so much different than today.

The Missionary Church in Davison did a wonderful job of taking me back to a time long ago and to a land far away.  The events of one mysterious night in Bethlehem were being reenacted.  I experienced the sights and sounds of the city of Bethlehem.  I met Micha the profit, I stood before King Herod and I even had to pay taxes before I could enter into the city.

Once I entered into the city itself, I began the walk... I passed many beautifully decorated stores...all of them trying to entice me to purchase something.    There were costly perfumes, fancy pottery, speciality foods, beautiful jewelry and so much more.  The people were dancing and singing and making merry all round me.  There were happy people, angry people, and busy people in the city.  Some seemed nice and some seemed so intimidating (like the Roman Solders).  It was such an interesting journey. 

As I got close to the end of the city road, there it was, a small barn.  Inside the barn sat a young couple.  They were looking into a manger where a newborn baby had been placed.  He was wrapped up tight and sleeping so peacefully amidst the loud commotion of the city. 

That is when it hit me....this is just like today.  Not much has changed at all.  All of the malls and stores have merchants trying to entice me to spend money on "stuff".  I am invited to many events where there is dancing, singing and making merry all around me.  Everywhere I go there are happy people, angry people, busy people and even intimidating people.  The bright lights are shinning all round and everyone is in such a hurry.  It is so easy to get caught up in the "busy" that we forget that there is a reason for this Season.  A King has been born!

There is nothing wrong with buying "stuff" or enjoying the dancing, singing and pretty lights...but Please do not get so caught up in the party that you forget why we are having the party.

H A P P Y    B I R T H D A Y    J E S U S

Read it, study it, live it....the Word of God.

It is powerful and full of tools to live by.

Have a Super Wonderful Day...

    Smile at everyone you walk past, it will make them wonder what mischief you have been up to.

To B U S Y to be Thankful?

I am back....This week I became one of those people who was SOOOO    B U S Y   that they did not make the time to do the things that are most important to them! 

That must   S T O P   and stop it will ~ today!

Late last night (when I could not sleep, because of the million, trillion, even zillion, things that were running through my head)  I got on facebook.   I saw the new profile picture my niece had placed and it really moved my spirit.  It was one of those cute poster like sayings that are becoming so popular on facebook.  But what moved my spirit was what it said...."What if you woke up today and all you had left in your life were the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

WOW... what an eyeopener. 

Do we get to busy to even say thank you to God for the things in our life?  How sad is that? 

I am a volunteer trainer at hospice and one of the exercises I do to help the volunteers understand the many loses the patient is experiencing; is quite simple ~ but very profound.  I give each volunteer 5 slips of paper and ask them to write five different things in their life that they are thankful for...things that give them joy, purpose and the zeal to go on.  It must be things not people. 

My five slips of paper would read:

• My ability to read my Bible
• My ability to talk to God
• My computer
• My HGTV
• MUSIC

Next, I ask them to turn the slips of paper over so I can not see what they wrote.  I talk about the hospice patient and the fact that the disease has won, and the patient now has a limited life expectancy and they are beginning to loose the things in their life that gave them joy, purpose, and zeal.  As I walk around the room talking about these loses and how the patient has no control over them; I take away their slips of overturned papers...one at a time until they only have one left in front of them.  Then I ask them to turn over their one remaining slip of paper and read to me what they have left.  They become pretty perturbed at me and the fact that I took away so many of their favorites.  The one thing they have left may make it really hard to stay thankful.

Life can get like that sometimes....we may loose our slips of paper, and find ourselves with slim pickens compared to what we once had.

So my question to you and to me is ....Can we stay thankful for what we do have in our life instead of looking back and pining for what we used to have?

Can we wake up every morning and really say Thank You to God for the things in our life?   

Y E S....it can be done.  Faye's very condensed interpretation of what Paul wrote: Not looking back at what was in our life...but looking at what is and being thankful for it is one of the  keys to peace and joy in the Lord.  Learning to be content in whatever state we are in (and that does not mean Michigan, Arizona, North Carolina etc) it means learning to B content and thankful for what IS.

My challenge for you and me today is to stop and thank God for what we do have in our life.  Thank Him for everything ~ even the things that seem little...Because we never know what life is going to bring our way and we may find ourselves with only one of those slips of paper left.

Read it, study it, live it...the Word of God.

It is powerful and full of tools to live by.

Have a Super Wonderful Day...
   Smile at everyone you walk past, it will make them wonder what mischief you have been up to.

Are you saying yes, when you should be saying no?

I let a friend down today.  That makes me feel sad and disappointed in myself.  What happened to the day when someone said they would do something and you never gave it another thought because you knew they would do it because they said they would?  I did it...the thing I hate most....I said yes when I should have said no. 

B U S Y...that is the theme of our society today.  Are we getting to busy to keep our word? ouch.  There is a price to pay when you let someone down.  You not only have to live with your own inner guilt, you have to live with the consequences that you caused your friend to have to deal with.  Now the faith and trust that friend had in you must be rebuilt.  So....how do we go about rebuilding that faith and trust? A day at a time by our actions, that is how you rebuild that trust.  Life Lesson..."What you do, speaks so loud that I can not hear what you say."

So how do I move on?

• First and most important is to ask God to forgive you for the pain you caused this person.
• Next and just as important is to  F O R G I V E  yourself. 
• Tell the person you are sorry and that you are aware of the situation it put them in.
• Then let it go....stop beating yourself up....you can not have a do-over ~ Learn from the pain and begin to ask yourself this very important question when someone asks you to do something - "Am I saying yes, when I should be saying no?  

Grieving people are not really selfish people or untrustworthy people; they are people who really want to be there for others but sometimes they are barely there for themselves.  Maybe the lesson I learned today is to say no, when I want to say yes.

Read it, study it, live it...the Word of God.

It is powerful and full of tools to live by.

Have a Super Wonderful Day...

   Smile at everyone you walk past.  It will make them wonder what mischief you have been up to.

The Angel on top of the tree...

When I walked into the Church Sanctuary Sunday Morning, the Christmas Tree, all decorated and glorious, became the focal point of my attention.  There she sat in all of her magnificent beauty and poise... the Angel on top of the tree.  This is not a common site these days...to see the Angel on top of the tree.  Just look around if you do not believe me.  You may see a star or some pretty bows...I even saw a red cardinal today; these are the "new" tree tops.  But seldom...rarely...not nearly often enough...will you see the Angel on top of the tree.

Growing up we had an Angle on top of our Christmas Tree.  She was a magnificent beautiful Angel. She sat there proclaiming that Christmas was coming as she perched there atop our tree.  Her beautiful long blond hair, wings with glitter, the candle she held in her hands and her long flowing white robe illuminated from a hidden bulb inside her, these sites will forever be etched in my childhood Christmas memories.  How lovely was our Angel on top of the tree.  She was a big part of our Christmas decorating and celebrating...even after Faye decided to cut her long beautiful locks into a more modern bob cut.  She continued to sit there on top of our tree for all to see....

...to see that we all have hope and joy because of the Christmas Season.  Our Jesus Christ was born to bring us restoration and forgiveness for our sins and to give us the real gift of Christmas....Life Eternal, Sins Forgiven, Grace and Mercy given freely to each of us who believe and receive.  It did not matter that our Angel on top of our tree had the scissors of "life" come upon her.  She continued to stand there tall and proud, magnificent and royal...proclaiming the Good News; as she let her light shine from the bulb hidden deep inside of her!

Can you do that today?  Can you let your light shine from deep inside even if the scissors of life are cutting away at the things around you?  I challenge you to be the Angel on top of the tree today...LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE.

Fun thing to do....look at all the tree tops you see this Christmas Season and

record the variety of tops you see.  Remember...the Angel on top of the tree,

 is a reflection of the Angel on the hillside who told the Good News.

Luke 2:8-15

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them.  They were terrified, but the angel reassured them.  "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find the baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others - the armies of the heavenly - praising God and saying, "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

Read it, study it, live it...the Word of God.

It is powerful and full of tools to live by.

Have a Super Wonderful Day...

  Smile at everyone you walk past, it will make them wonder what mischief you have been up to.



Everyone is in such a hurry!

I don't know about you, but I feel sad that we are all in such a hurry we can no longer take a day off to just enjoy being quiet.  Black Friday starts on Thanksgiving Day?  What?  Is this whole life thing about making money???  Simple pleasures no longer bring pleasure. Gotta run here, gotta run there....go go go. 

I am going to  S T O P  this holiday season and try to reclaim the simple pleasures. 

Do you want to join me?

Read it, study it, live it...the Word of God.

It is powerful and full of tools to live by.

Have a Super Wonderful Day...

  

   Smile at everyone you walk past, it will make them wonder what mischief you have been up to.

T H A N K S G I V I N G

I don't have to tell you that tomorrow is Thanksgiving...I am pretty sure everyone knows that by now.  As I sit here in front of my computer screen thinking about my blog and what should I write about today...my mind keeps thinking about past Thanksgivings.   Now, when you are 58 years old, you have a lot of past Thanksgivings to remember. If you will allow me to go back into my memory bank, I would like to share a heart memory from the Thanksgivings our family had during the years mom and dad lived up north.

"Over the River and Through the Woods...to Grandmothers House We Go".... for several years after my dad retired my family and my sister and her family would gather at mom and dads up north house for Thanksgiving.  Tom and the kids would pick me up at the bank and we would head out for the three hour journey.  Traditionally, the first stop was at Long John Silvers in Bay City.  yummmmy.  Then back on the road.  We started seeing snow around Clair.  And the closer we got to Harrietta the more snow we saw. 

Mom started her baking and cooking days before.  She LOVED having all of us there.  The minute you walked into the door, the magic began.  Mom and Dad met you at the door with smiles beaming from their faces.  I can still see dad with his quilted plaid shirt and mom with some really cute sweat shirt.  You could not even get up to the door before it would swing open and there they were ready for hugs and kisses and everyone was talking at the same time.  Sharon and Roy were usually there before us, so her family was a big part of the welcoming committee. 

The grand kids immediately went to work on their "annual" entertainment preparations.  Lance was usually the leader of the pack. His leadership skills shown through as he assigned the parts to the other 5.  Some would sing, some would dance and some would tell stories.  We knew whatever was in store for us was going to be full of belly laughs and lots of fun.  Of course we had to have a ticket to attend, so some of the kids were assigned the task of creating the tickets. 

Thanksgiving Dinner over and the sun setting in the sky meant it was time for the show.  Here we would all come.  With ticket in hand, we would find our favorite seat in the living room and the show would begin.  Sharon and Roy were in charge of the video and those have become a precious treasure now that our little stars are now grown and have children of their own.

If you do not have them already, start this Thanksgiving to make some of those heart memories to carry with you.  It helps when me when I must face Thanksgiving Day without Mom, Dad, Dan, and Tom.  

Read it, study it, live it...the Word of God.

It is powerful and full of tools to live by.

Have a Super Wonderful Day...

   Smile at everyone you walk past, it will make them wonder what mischief you have been up to.