Grace

Amazing Grace Lyrics
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

  

T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.
   Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.

  

The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.

  

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.

  

When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.

  

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,  
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-mNT0axB9U

GRACE:

a. Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.

b. The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God.

c. An excellence or power granted by God.

a.  the free and unmerited favour of God shown towards man

b.  the divine assistance and power given to man in spiritual rebirth and sanctification

c.  the condition of being favoured or sanctified by God

d.  an unmerited gift, favour, etc., granted by God

1. elegance and beauty of movement, form, expression, or proportion

2. a pleasing or charming quality

3. goodwill or favour

4. the granting of a favour or the manifestation of goodwill, esp by a superior

5. a sense of propriety and consideration for others

It's been awhile since I've written.  I actually began this post on January 13th, but put it aside in the draft box for awhile.  I was asked by a friend yesterday why I haven't written in awhile; another dear friend e-mailed me today and told me to really listen to the words of Amazing Grace; and if that wasn't enough signs to get back to the blog, my other dear friend finally started her own healing blog....  http://bkissesfromheaven.blogspot.com/2011/01/its-time.html 

Grace

G =God's

R =Riches

A =at

C =Christ's

E =Expense

I've tried for a long time to summarize Grace.  I still don't know that I completely grasp it, but the best I can say is Grace is God's eternal love.  Grace is our ticket to heaven.  Grace is forgiveness.  Grace gives me hope. 
The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.
NB had a reason for telling me to listen to Amazing Grace - this verse keeps sticking out at me.  In searching the Bible on grace, I found this passage:

1 Peter 5:10And 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.

I'm not perfect; and it brings tears to my eyes to think about all the imperfections in my past, present, and those to come in the future.  One thing I am learning is to not dwell on those imperfections, to get over my past disappointments, to live for today, and to surround myself with people who do the same.  I am learning to accept God's Grace and truly embrace it. 
  "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,  
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

 

Thank you Heavenly Father for Your gift of Grace.  I am a wretch who has been saved and am also the happiest I have been in many years.  As the story today said; be the coffee bean - use the turmoil around you to make the ugly better.  I thank you for Your Presence.  Continue to bless my children and comfort them when things are hard.  Help them to understand tears are OK and healing. 

In Your name,

Amen

Praise

I'm going to do this a bit differently.  Today I really need to journal as I'm talking to God, writing a letter to Him, praying.....

I praise You each day Lord.  I thank You for things seen and things unseen.  I am grateful each day for the life You have given me.  Some days I want to just cry and complain...I want to let myself go there at times....but then I come back and remember how fortunate I am and that I need to trust You.  You have plans....The road is layed out, but no one ever said it was going to be a paved interstate.  There are days when I feel the joy of riding down the interstate (in a convertable :)) with the radio cranked, smile on my face while the wind blows warmly around me....It's really quite easy to thank and praise you on those rides!  THen there are days where I feel like I am climbing mountains on narrow bumpy paths that are covered in ice in a rickety old buick....Even on those days though, I thank you that my car is still running and I have gas in my tank - although my smile is not quite as big....
Last   Thursday in Jesus Calling, You talked about praise.  It is impossible to praise or thank Me too much.  I inhabit the praises of My people.  Sometimes your(my) adoration is a spontaneous overflow of Joy, other times your praise is more disciplined and measured - an act of will.  When you thank Me for all the pleasures I provide, you affirm that I am God, from whom all blessings flow.  When adversity strikes and you thank Me anyway, your trus in My sovereignty is a shopiece in invisible realms.  Fill up the spare moments of your life with praise and thanksgiving. 
I have had a hard time writing to you this past week.  Each time I've sat down to voice my thoughts, the words are jumbled and they don't come out.  I've been in the mood of "needing a break" - whatever that means.  A break from life?  A break from my kids?  A break from work?  A break from You?  A break from reality?  Why have a felt this way?  Maybe that's why my words weren't available...The timing wasn't right.  Today I feel better!  This past week has been miserable!!  I took a break from my relationship with you, and in doing so everything suffered.  Don't get me wrong, I prayed to you, I talked to you, but my heart wasn't in it.  I had let satan get the best of me for this past week.  I didn't like how I felt, what I thought, or who I was. 
I knew today was different.  I knew when I sat down to share with You, my words would come.  Maybe that week break was what I needed to realize how lucky I am to know You and have You in my heart.  Not that You wanted me to take that break, I chose it, and it was the wrong choice.  I am back to praising You with my heart and not just my words.  Thank You for showing this to me.
Now I have some requests.  I have some close friends who really Need You right now.  Some are struggling with day to day life, others struggling with the demands of others, some the loss of loved ones, and some just needing to feel Your strength surrounding them.  Please be with these friends and all others who have these needs...I will continue to add them to my prayers.  Thank You for taking care of us....

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

—Psalm 92:1   

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved,
for you are my praise.

—Jeremiah 17:14

 

Amen

Question?? continued.....

Dear Lord, please bless this day of ours.  Help me be the mother, teacher, friend, and person You have intended for me to be.  I know I have so many questions, and I know over time, with patience and guidance, my questions will be answered.  I will continue to turn to You for the answers.  I will continue to seek out Your presence and allow You deeper into my heart, for it is You alone who can take my burdens and give me comfort.  Thank You for this.  In Your name, Amen

John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I think my questions come because I need reassurance.  I want to be at that place where I know my reassurance comes from God.  I have to admit I am continuing to get there, but find it easier to have my questions answered by a person I can see and directly hear.  It seems as though I have to work so hard to hear God right now.  I know this will get easier as I continue to turn towards Him with my burdens, questions, accomplishments, and joys.  I know this. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJlVWvCCicE&playnext=1&list=PL910354BFD64B7CCF&index=19
This song says it soooo well.  Happy Matthew West
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRIQxBJCRWU  More Matthew West
I had this song flagged as a favorite and when I went back to listen to it, it brought a smile to my place.  This is how I feel God feels about me!  How could any love be better???!?!?

We all have questions.  My job as a teacher is to answer questions every day.  I am constantly answering questions as a mom.  And each day I love them more... my children, my students, my family, my friends, and most definitely, my GOD.  Questioning is OK.  It is good.  It keeps us growing.  It is how we learn.

Question??

Last night I had to question God.  I was struggling.  I just didn't understand why certain things were happening and how in the world it could work itself through.  I wrapped my prayer shawl around me and REALLY PRAYED.  I mean closed my eyes, hands over my head, bent over and PRAYED.  I needed answers.  I needed bits of doubt and confusion to be cleared up.  I needed ANSWERS!  And I needed GODS answers.  Directly from HIM.  I wasn't satisfied with what I was reading, I wasn't satisfied with what I was trying to interpret.  I wasn't satisfied with trusting myself.  Well, that was my problem.  This is what came to me - what God spoke. 
Staci, Listen to ME!  Staci, Staci, Listen to ME.  Trust Me.  You cannot figure this out on your own.  You cannot do this on your own.  You need ME.  You need to turn it over to ME and let Me take care of you.  I have plans.  Follow my path....Depend on Me....

WOW.  Pretty incredible.  After that, I read my book Broken Into Beautiful by Gwen Smith.  Matthew Simpson  describes mosaics he saw..  God is picking up the little worthless pieces of stone and brass that might be trodden underfoot unnoticed, and is making of them His great masterpiece.  Gwen says, "It reminds me that when the broken pieces of our lives are placed in the loving hands of our extraordinary God, they can be transformed into divine work of beauty.  Oh, how it causes me to wonder why God would even care to hold my broken pieces, let alone arrange them, polish them, and gently transform them into something whole...something beautiful."  Ken Gire in his book, The North Face of God: When suffering shatters the carefully kept vase that is our lives, God stoops to pick up the pieces.  But He doesn't put them back together as a restoration project patterned after our former selves.  Instead, He sifts through the rubble and selects some of the shards as raw material for another project - a mosaic that tells the story of redemption.  Gwen goes on to say.  "You may find it hard to hand over hurts.  I get that.  It's hard for me too.  But difficult as it may be, it's time to hand them over and let our masterful Lord create a stunning work of beauty in you.  And He's going to need all of your broken pieces to complete the mosaic."

Too be continued....

Patience

James 1:12  Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
This summer I was looking online for a daily devotion that would just appear in my inbox each morning.  I came across Girlfriends in God.  www.girlfriendsingod.com  Each morning I couldn't wait to open my mail to see what I would learn and what God was telling me.  I kind of felt like this devotion was the telephone between God and myself.  I used GIG to open my heart and mind to my Lord.  I didn't know it at the time, but now I see how God used this devotion to open my heart and mind to a direct relationship with Him.  I still look forward to reading GIG each morning, but I don't rely on it the way I used to.  I don't need the telephone to hear God anymore.  I know how to talk without having an interpreter.  I know how to listen without a middle person. 
Mary Southerland is one of my favorites.  Her last passage from Friday, December 31st, talked about Patience.  It made me stop and really think about how to practice patience AND how once again, things are not in my control.  Mary says  "What is patience? To be patient is to have the ability to endure, but it doesn't stop there. Patience must also have the capacity to be wronged and not retaliate. In other words, patience is love persevering and love waiting. We are not only to be patient in the way we face difficult situations but in our relationships as well."  Wow, she says it best - kinda sums up life doesn't it? 
The first time I REALLY opened my ears and heart to God and REALLY heard HIM speak to me, He said "Be strong little one, you will persevere."  My stomach did flip flops!  I couldn't believe I had ACTUALLY HEARD God talk to me?!?!?  After that, it became easier to really HEAR. 
I have however been running out of patience lately and haven't heard God for awhile.  I know it's not because He's not trying to speak to me, it's because I have been sooooo impatient and am not taking the time to really listen. 
Yesterday's reading in Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young talked about God's presence and how we must completely let go of ourselves and the control we feel we need to have and let God take the reigns.  Why is that so hard to do? 
In Colossians 1:11, the apostle Paul writes, God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient!

I can do it.  You can do it.  We can do it.  Through God, patience, and perseverance. 
Be strong little one; you will persevere.

Change

The first day of the New Year - 2011.  What is in store for this New Year?  A great friend told me this
"Each year you make a resolution to Change yourself....How about this year you make a resolution to Be yourself..."  So, So, So very true. 
Life is full of so many changes.  Some that are in our control, and many that are completely out of our control.  In the past 6 months my own life has been through some of the biggest changes I had never imagined until they became my reality.  Learning to do things as a single person, changing homes a couple times, changed jobs, changed towns, and changed my way of living.  Many of my relationships with people changed also - that was probably the toughest of all the changes.  Life is to short to not be who God made us to be.  Sometimes things need to change in order to live that life fully. 
No one said change is easy.  In fact, I think I've said more than once that change is hard.  A few years ago, our school was working at changing some of the ways we teach in order to implement the best instruction for our students.  After teaching the same way for 20 - 30 years, changing things was difficult for some; and why wouldn't it be?  Just as I ask the question what is in store for the New Year, we ask ourselves what will this change have in store?
This I am certain of; change is necessary, life is full of change, change is both controlled and uncontrollable, God however IS in control of change.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let
God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
Then you will learn to know
God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
Romans 12:2 (NLT)

What I've learned is the best change we can make for ourseleves is "to BE ourself".  It's not always easy, but it is the only way God wants it.  Back to my favorite verse.
Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for this New Year.  Thank You for the opportunity to be ourselves.  Continue to bless us with Your Presence and Guidance.  You are the only One who knows what lies ahead.  Help us to trust in You and the changes You present in our lives.  Allow us to be proud of who we are and what is important to us in Your eyes.  Thank You again for ALL You have provided.  In Your Name, Amen.