Loving One Another

Posts tagged ‘grace’

Surviving with Doubt


Doubt

Today’s Sermon

The sermon at our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church was delivered today by Elaine Hundley, Christian educator extraordinaire. She titled it, “Perfect Weakness,” as she focused on the messages in Isaiah 40:1-8, 28-31 and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

Is there Perfect Weakness?

The Apostle Paul spoke of his weakness, his struggles, and his ability to find strength in spite of his troubles – by leaning on the Power of God. But, is there “Perfect Weakness?” The message today said, Yes, there can be, but not without giving our weaknesses to God… and letting Him take away our doubt and give us the strength found only in His Power.

Poetic Sermon Notes

Here are the notes I took away from the message as I heard it this morning:

 

Is doubt your constant companion?
Do doubts creep into your heart?
Do you read or listen to the news
And wonder when the next war will start?

person holding a burning news paper close up photography

Photo by Connor Danylenko on Pexels.com

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The mass murders in the USA
Are so many in number this year
That there have been more deaths by far
Than there are days, I fear.

photo of man holding rifle

Photo by Maurício Mascaro on Pexels.com

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Struggles abound – and it’s hard
To keep our chins up!
Can there ever be peace on earth?
God, says, “Believe, trust I’ll fill your bins up!”

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But we are a fragile people
Who struggle to see our future bright.
We wonder if we even have bins –
Let alone bins that are filled up bright.

focus photo of yellow paper near trash can

Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com

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We need to remember that God is HERE
And He can lift us up.
We need to trust His power
And know He’ll fill our cup.

pexels-photo-302899
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We need to know that He knows
Our every struggle – our loss –
He’s here beside us by the grace
Of Jesus, who took our loss upon the cross.
.

Let’s follow His lead –
Accept His grace –
And just love one another!!
Can’t we???

mountains nature arrow guide

Photo by Jens Johnsson on Pexels.com

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Breaking News:
29 dead and many more injured
in the past 13 hours
in the USA
in two mass shootings!

When will these senseless
tragedies cease?

What can we do??

I pray:
God bless the families,
the friends,
the loved ones of those
involved in these mass shootings
in the USA yesterday and today.
May they somehow find comfort in their faith
and in the compassionate comments,
hugs, and support of their friends.
.
I beg:
Lord, help us find solutions
for the problems of
mental illness
that rampage our country –
and the proliferation of assault weapons
that are in the hands of unstable civilians.

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pexels-photo-887349-2
See ya tomorrow
(God willing!)

Category:

Faith, God, Heartache, Jesus, Life and Death, Life's Challenges, Love, mental health, Poetry, writing

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Free Write


Free Write

pexels-photo-210661-1

 

My Madison Valley Writers’ Group meets every first and third Friday. We begin with a free write for about 15 minutes – prompted by a topic drawn out of a bag. I have the bag and members are invited to add topics to it whenever they are inspired to do so.

Arriving five minutes late yesterday, I forgot the bag… so our topic was “Stream of Consciousness.” We were invited to write about whatever was on our mind.

Here is what I wrote:

LIFE

Life is a series
Of highs and lows
It’s full of surprises –
Some hugs and some blows.
As long as we’re able
To roll with the punches,
Life gives us roses
And blessings in bunches.

Roses from Gerrons

It’s when we are stiffened
By pain and cruel people
That life knocks us over
And we topple from the steeple
Of security and safety
That we have always had.
So send those folks back out
And come back to being glad.

bob-jan

Life is a series
Of questions with too many insults
Unless we learn to toss away
The negativity for positive results.
So, set your mind on “Happy.”
Let that sad emoticon disappear
And remember when you need a hug,
I’m always ready … always here.

smiling woman hugging another person

Throw out the old boxing gloves.
Don’t return blows in life’s fight.
Just give back love and grace –
And keep your spirit ever bright.
It’s not Pollyanna thinking.
It’s possible – even probable – I know,
Because I practice that love daily.
It’s where I get my inner glow!

god-loves-you
… and so do I!

pexels-photo-887349-2
See ya tomorrow

If you had a chance to do a free write
on a stream of consciousness right now,
what would your topic be?

Category:

life, Life's Challenges, Love, Poetry, writing

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Looking Back for Inspiration


Inspiration from
Daily June “Take-Aways”

Life's a Book

When daily I read
Daily Guideposts 2019, – A Spirit-Lifting Devotional –
I write 2 to 9 words on the page
to remember the message
that I want to “take-away” with me.

Here are the daily Take-Aways from June:

  1. Think creatively!
  2. Trust first; Faith follows.
  3. Work at Loving.
  4. See and feel God (at work in my life)
  5. Relax into what comes.
  6. Accept and Appreciate God’s Grace
  7. Some things are worse than death.
  8. Share Openly My Faith
  9. Find God is the Seeing, not the Being
  10. Create in Me a Legacy of Love
  11. Respond with Compassion
  12. Project Positivity to All!
  13. Let You Inner Self Sparkle!
  14. Let God Keep You Tuned
  15. Forgive as You’re Forgiven
  16. Pray Daily for Confidence in God’s Wisdom and Guidance
  17. Trust in God’s Hope
  18. Find and Follow God’s Paths
  19. Be a Reflection of Jesus’ Love
  20. Accept Barriers
  21. Be in the Moment
  22. See Beauty Everywhere
  23. Live in and Love the Trinity
  24. Praise Him – It Feels Good!!
  25. Speak Love; Exhibit Kindness
  26. Erase Past Regrets
  27. Bee Generous ;o)
  28. Go With the Flow
  29. Focus on Blessings
  30. Live with Purpose!

Which one speaks loudly to your heart
and gives you the inspiration to go out
and JUST DO IT?

Thanks for dropping by.
I’d love to see your choice below.

pexels-photo-887349-1
See ya tomorrow

Category:

Bible Lessons, Living in Christ's Family, Love

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Feed and Follow


Sermon Notes from
5/5/19
Rev. Jean Johnson’s message
inspired by John 21:1-19

“Feed and Follow”

We are needy people
Who need daily encouragement.
We need assurance;
We need to know what Jesus meant
When He said, “Feed my sheep.”

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We call out for forgiveness.
We are hungry for God’s grace.
How shall we feed on grace?
How shall we receive forgiveness?
Obey Christ’s command, “Feed My sheep!”

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We hunger for His grace.
We yearn for His mercy.
We are healed by forgiveness.
We are to care for and feed those
Christ meant with, “Feed My sheep.”

.
Christ converted Shakey Simon
Into the Solid Rock Peter.
Through Christ, God provides us
With the Solid Word to feed others.
We can, in fact, follow “Feed My Sheep.”

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In His command is God ‘s promise
Of provision for His followers.
The church will feed on the Gospel.
The church will nourish others
With Good News – “We feed God’s Sheep!”

.
We are here as needy people
To receive the encouragement
To feed on His assurance,
And then to go out and indeed
Do as He commands: “Feed My sheep!”

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On this Cinco de Mayo,
I have decided that when we
go out into the world and
Feed His Sheep,
we bring color into their lives.

colored sheep
Don’t you agree?
The Good News certainly colors MY world!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo, my friends.
See you tomorrow.

Category:

Animals, Bible Lessons, Faith, food, Giving, God, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Serving One Another

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Accept Grace & Express Gratitude


Day #7 in the A-Z series: Adding Meaning and Purpose to Life

G = Grace and Gratitude

Are you grateful for God’s chisel?

pexels-photo-1486470.jpeg

Photo by Werlley Meira on Pexels.com

You know, our lives are filled with things that crowd out what’s really important. Sometimes, we clutter our time with frivolity. (Do you ever feel like your blogging might qualify in that category?) Transforming our lives so that the most significant goes to the top of our to-do list is not an easy task.

The shaping tool that God uses is like a chisel. By His Grace, He chips away at our selfishness, our self-centeredness, our pride, our laziness, and our greed. When we accept His Grace, He replaces those attitudes with generosity, concern for others, diligence, and a far-sightedness that only He can give.

Unlike my SnapChat app that can instantly turn my skin silky, vibrant, and wrinkle-free, and surround me with hearts of love, God’s chisel is not a one-click deal!

I am grateful for the shaping tools God uses to help me slough away the detrimental parts of my being. (I wish it COULD be a one-click deal, don’t you?)

In yesterday’s devotional page in Daily Guideposts, Isabella Yosuico identifies some of those shaping tools:

He sends people to challenge some obstinate defects in me.

He puts me into circumstances beyond my existing skills to control… to compel me to grow.

He allows problems that overwhelm me. They are sometimes so beyond me that I have no choice but to turn to a Higher Power, and surrender to His/Her solution.

By Grace, I have

Love,

Courage,

Strength, and

Wisdom.

By Grace, I can exhibit

Sympathy,

Loyalty, and

Power –

The Power that lifts me into The Word.

bible blur christ christianity

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

In my eight decades of living on this troubled earth, I have found the wisest and, ultimately, the easiest path to a meaningfulness, purpose-filled, contented life is to submit fully to the Chiseler’s Hands. The Word, my Bible, is my guide. Its guidance directs my attitudes and actions. The Holy Spirit is my constant companion. I am grateful for its presence in the heart of me.

The Grace of the Holy Spirit + Gratitude = HAPPINESS 

Tales from the Mama Duck – family5power –
posted this from the image: Medium
on the subject of Gratitude today:

gratitude=happiness
May The Chiseler’s grace continue to shape me.

God Bless You, my “Ideal Reader.” I am grateful for you.

May God’s Shaping Tools continue to chisel away at you, too!

Category:

blogging, Faith, God, Gratitude, happiness, Life's Challenges, Love, peace

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Wisdom Lives On


Do the best.jpg

Maya Angelou
Was our Poet Laureate
Her wisdom lives on

Today’s Good Friday
A day to remember Christ
Gave more than His best

He gave us His all
That we’d have Eternity
There’s no greater gift

Live in His wisdom
Accept His wonderful grace
Now we know better

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, Giving, Haiku, holidays, Love, Promises

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Conscious Refueling


blur dusk evening gas station

Photo by Jonathan Petersson on Pexels.com

PRAYER FOR CONSCIOUS REFUELING

 
When I look with an honest eye
At my conscience and what it is saying,
I hear all the sinful confessions,
And know peace –  only by praying.

 
I pray for God’s grace and forgiveness.
I pray for God’s patient renewal
Of my attitudes and behaviors.
Please, Lord, help me come and refuel.

 
Your station of spiritual love
Is right here at my open heart door.
May I drink of its true Living Water,
And return daily to fill me once more.

timelapse photography off water fountain

Photo by Gabriel Peter on Pexels.com

Category:

God, Love, mental health, peace, prayer

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