Grace Alone…

Wear Waterproof…

Do you worship Him besides Sundays? I hope you do. There is nothing better to get prepared for your day ahead than to worship Him in the morning. Turn up the volume of your radio (or favorite praise CD) – lift your hands in praise.

As I was driving to work this morning, the radio station played Matt Redman’s song “You Never Let Goâ€. When Matt started to sing the refrain, I could not help but turn up the volume, raising my hand in praise (at the stop-light). Tears of joy rolled down my face singing with Matt:

God sends us daily reminders that He is with us every single day. Through a Bible verse; through a song you might hear; or even a simple note from a dear friend…He will see you through the valley. One thing I do suggest: wear waterproof mascara. I am glad that I did this morning …

Be blessed today and as always…

Current Mood: Blessed †

Back to Basics

Humanity is looking for something – something better. We are all searching for hope – for an ‘easier’ life – for purpose. The problem is that we sometimes look in the wrong places.

From where I am standing, life is hard. Yes, I struggle with life, with people, with circumstances, with every day ’stuff’. I would lie if I’d tell you that life is ‘peachy’. Let me share my secret on how to travel the road of life. Let me introduce you to my personal ’self-help’ book I refer to daily. It gives me strength, peace, comfort, joy, hope, direction. I am confident that the Author of this particular ’self-help’ book is trustworthy. You are wondering what I am talking about? The Bible of course.

Some might say that the Bible does not apply to today’s society; it is too ancient, times have changed. I beg to differ. God is still God; humans are still the same as they were thousands of years ago. Nothing has changed. Except that 2,000 years ago, God provided a way ‘out’. He sent His one and only Son to die for the sins of this world…to give us a hope, a future.

Over the past two years many self-help and New Age books have flooded the market. What concerns me is that we, as believers get caught up with the masses. Even some Christian authors forsake the Truth to market their books – to have a book on the “Hot Seller†list. The Gospel message is rewritten to appeal to the masses.

Let me tell you: the Gospel message is appealing to the masses by itself. There is nothing more pure, full of truth to read God’s promise in John 3:16-17 (ESV):

There are different translations of the Bible out there. It can get confusing. Do your own research on which Bible translation is best for you. All Bibles are translated from the original languages Hebrew and Greek. The difference is that the translations are either word for word (NASB, KJV, NKYV, ESV, NRSV, NAB), thought for thought (NIV, NLT, NJB, CEV), or paraphrased (TLB and MSG). No matter which translation, it is God’s Truth, the best ’self-help’ book on the market. Get back to basics – no New Age book can come even close…

My friend Lynn posted a very thought provoking post on Monday. Over the last couple of days I prayed if I should blog about my own thoughts – on what is going on in the Christian (writing) community; what unbelievers think of Christians. The more I prayed, the clearer it became – I have to. I hope that God will give me courage to share more of my thoughts over next several weeks. How about you? I would love to hear about your own thoughts…

Blessings to you and as always…

Footnote – Bible Translation:
CEV Contemporary English Version, ESV English Standard Version, KJV King James Version, MSG The Message (Eugene Peterson), NAB New American Bible (Catholic), NASB New American Standard Bible, NIV New International Version, NJB New Jerusalem Bible (Catholic), NKJV New King James Version, NLT New Living Translation, NRSV New Revised Standard Version, TLB The Living Bible (Kenneth Taylor).

Current Mood: Okay

Thankful Thursday ~ Random

Before I share my random list of thankfulness with you all, I want to say “Thank YOU” all for the wonderful birthday wishes last week during our ‘get-together’ on Thankful Thursday. You all made my heart skip a beat…

If you have read my post “Welcome to ‘Grace Alone…’” you know that I really had a hard time over the past 6 months. Nothing seemed as it should have been. I was down — all the time. I want to apologize for not being a better hostess on Thursdays…The Lord has lifted the dark cloud, put the spring back into my step …Isn’t He grant????

I promise I will stop babbling now, and share my list with you all…

Lord, thank You for lifting the dark cloud. Thank You for putting a spring in my step, joy in my heart… I am thankful for my beloved. He made my birthday special last Saturday. He looked all around town to get me a manual camera. He now is patiently teaching me photography from the ground up… I am thankful for God’s guidance. Tuesday morning I read this post from my friend Lynn. You see, I was praying for subjects to blog about. Little ole’ me thought - well maybe about marriage, raising a son. But NO - He has a different agenda for me. I pray that I will not chicken-out. I will trust Him to give me words to share with you all (and hopefully some who see Christians in a not so good light). I am willing to be His tool (although a little scared)… I am thankful for Lynn’s hard work on putting together a wonderful Fall Giveaway prize. If you have not seen it yet; check out the giveaway post at Laced with Grace… I am thankful for Darlene’s site “Writing Fundamentals“. I have already gleaned some great insights on improving my writing. I need all the help I can get - still the German thought pattern working in this ole’ brain… I am thankful for women like Lysa TerKeurst. They step out in faith, sharing their heart with the world. I was really touched by her post “My Secret“… I am thankful for Firefox. I know this seems kind of odd to you. You see, I have IE at work (an old version). It keeps crashing when I try to access some blogs because of the plugins used on the blogs. It gives me hardly any time to read blogs during my lunch-time (30 mins), because I constantly have to reboot. So, yes, I am thankful for Firefox here at home - fast browsing, tabbing, linking, clicking, leaving comment…ahhhhhhhh And last but not least I am thankful that God gives me strength every.single.morning to stay on ‘target’ with my life. I had asked Him what needed to go in order for me to be available to Him. It was hard to give up scrapping as a CT, but I know it was necessary…

Okay - I better stop, because I have so much to be thankful for — I want you to have a chance to also visit others…(ps - I am my old self again - PTL!!!!)…So, what are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving your link below…

Thanks for stopping by today. And remember: He is able to put a spring back into your step - keep on thanking Him for the things He has done and will do in your life…

Be blessed today and always…

1. Stacy - big announcement
2. Tammy
3. Melanie
4. Denise
5. JesuLalaine
6. Lisa@BlessedwithGrace
7. Nancie
8. speaking from the heart
9. To Know Him
10. Cheryl
11. our family story
12. Angie
13. Lynn (Spiritually Unequal Marriage)
14. Angela (son #2 is home!!!)
15. Felicity (The Voice of FMLL)
16. Laurie @ womentakingastand
17. BP @ Raindrops & Rainbows
18. Cheryl@Hope
19. Heather
20. Lori @ Front Porch Legacy
21. Laurie Ann
22. JanuJenn
23. Aisha @ The Holley Herald
24. Tonya @ Safe in His Arms
25. Jerri @ Jerri’s Journey
26. Sarah (part-time job)
27. heidi (a special friend)
28. Tammy @ Munchkinheads
29. Peggy
30. Mariposa
31. Janera
32. Beth@The Accidental Pharisee
33. mama meji
34. Rocks 35. Tara
36. Esthermay
37. Marsha
38. Linda
39. Amy
40. Crystal @ News from the Zoo
41. Lori ~ Simple Life at Home
42. architect
43. Kim-
44. Willow
45. Liza’s Eyeview
46. Amanda Bowers
47. Erica
48. jennifer’s joyride
49. Nemo @ daily-dabble.com
50. He & Me 3
51. Tracey
52. Kristi-Kiki’s Corner
53. Heather @ Not a DIY Life
54. Debra
55. Jill - awards 4 u
56. Newlyweds
57. Amy @ Joy of my Heart
58. gen/entryhere
59. Dana
60. Tami @ The Next Step
61. Patricia@Typing One-Handed
62. Lea
63. Kathy C.
64. pam @ Without Fear
65. Susan @ Forever His
66. Bonnie
67. Tarah
68. Nichole @ A Call to Higher Places 69. Susie-Pink Carnation in Bloom
70. Debbie @ Heart Choices
71. Kat
72. It’s All About Him!
73. Michele
74. Jennifer
75. Nancy @ Homemade Blessings
76. Angel (house under contract)
77. gail @ challenges and adventures
78. Tea with Tiffany
79. Mandy
80. lisa
81. Darlene @ Everything to Me
82. Sherry(@myjourney)
83. Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting - 29 Days of Giving
84. Rachel (Persecution in India)
85. Marcia
86. Sab
87. Rosheeda
88. Kathy @ BlessedBuilder
89. Kathy @ Joyful Journey Journal
90. Catherine
91. Heather
92. Denise @ Teacups & Time
93. Dori
94. Tessa @ Jesus-Filled Hope
95. becky aka theRAV
96. Ann
97. Tanya @ texastanya.net
98. Mommy’s Gems
99. Karl
100. Rebecca
101. Miss Ellie for feelin’ feminine

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Current Mood: Thankful & Blessed †

Laced with Grace Fall Giveaway

Laced with Grace has teamed up with Women of Faith for this year’s Fall Giveaway. The grant prize: tickets to the 2009 “A Grand New Day” conference at a city of your own choice. To find out more details, please visit Laced with Grace starting October 1st.

I personally am planning on attending the conference in Phoenix in October of 2009. Something to look forward to in the new year. You know what the theme is for next year? “Mercy” — how awesome is that ?

Blessings on your day and always…

Current Mood: Esctatic