(G)Leaning on Grace

As I was sitting at my desk this morning reading and having my time with the LORD, He brought a friend to my mind. This friend has shared some struggles that he has had in his life confident that I would faithfully lift him in prayer. We talked about shame, guilt, discouragement and rejection. He has been wondering, because of the difficulty in this season of life, if he is experiencing a trial of sanctification or, because of his struggles with doubt, if indeed he is even saved at all. He has read many books containing testimonials about freedom and forgiveness looking to discover their secrets and desperately longing to experience the same thing.  During our original discussion I reminded him that justification, being saved, occurred when he chose Christ as his savior and invited Him into his life. That sanctification is a process not an instantaneous event.  It is an ongoing journey, a transformation toward becoming more like Jesus. Now, I knew my friend was aware of the definitio...

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29 ESV This morning, as I spend some time with God, I am continuing the quest to determine the reason behind the fears that plaque my journey toward writing. As I read this mornings daily reading assignment in Acts, this verse really stood out to me. It’s as if God highlighted it, made it jump right off the page and into my heart.  Despite being imprisoned, beaten and warned not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, the disciples did what they knew was right.  Peter’s response speaks volumes beyond mere words. Think about the responses of the powerful in our day. Has much changed in the way we humans respond to the world around us?  In the U.S. we may not be beaten in public or imprisoned, but our freedom to speak is being infringed upon. If we do not hold politically correct views we are considered to be intolerant and closed minded. This points out a primary integral component of a true relationship ...

What a wonderful day I have had today doing techie stuff like learning a new software and hooking up a new monitor in my home office. Lost in my thoughts its been a time of reflection, investigation and just little bit of pure laziness. After half the day had flown by as I was intensely focusing on this new work setup, I was still wondering why this new monitor/ HDTV was so grainy at 1080p. I finally decided to change the HDMI port that my computer was connected to. Certain I had read the instructions correctly I figured it sure wouldn’t hurt to try. Wouldn’t you know it, all of the sudden the screen looks so much clearer with striking color depth. The edges of the flowers on the computer wallpaper were now sharp and precise. It was like putting a new pair of reading glasses and for the first time being able to discern the text without squinting or extending my arm to full reach. Considering this much improved view, I realized I was given new vision for a dream that God had put in ...

Writing. Why does something that I have loved to do most of my life often incite procrastination? Just thinking about putting words to paper, or screen in this case, excites me. Thoughts of all that I could bring about with the flurry of my fingers racing across a keyboard, my mind whirling faster than my hands can go, also puts a twinge of fear in my heart. As long as I can remember I have used journals, writing letters, making notes or even doodles to process my thoughts and feelings. As a child, I can remember keeping a small notebook handy to jot down things that made me mad, hut my feelings or brought happiness to my life. Scribing my musings helped me organize my thoughts and find some kind of peace in the midst of chaos or to remember the delight of a good day. Of course, when I was quite young, the issues at hand were generally not life altering, but to my delicate young heart, they were important.  Through my teenage years I had several journals. I was not alw...