Month: August 2024

The Beginning

Hearts and Hands

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

In the Wilderness, Or Comfortable Homes …

Lamentations 3:41

Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven.

James 5:13

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.

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Words of Grace For Today

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The beginning of everyday is to give God thanks

for saving us

though we do not deserve it, not at all.

It matters not if we are doing well, or suffering terribly.

The most determinative thing in life is that, by Grace alone, God has set us right with God, saved us, blessed us with many gifts, and sent us out into life to be God’s embodiments of that same Grace for others.

Hearts and Hands.

And Voices

And Minds

And all we have

giving God thanks.

That’s a start, the best start, to a day of striving to do the best we can,

Out of fear of God, and love for God and thanks for all God gives to us to share with others.

Success?

How Would We Know?

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Sometimes There Is Barely Any Light Where God Sends Us!

Genesis 24:21

The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.

Acts of the Apostles 13:2-3

While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

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Words of Grace For Today

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God sends us out, perhaps not just like Paul and Barnabas, yet even so God sends us, each and everyone of us!

But are we successful?


As I drove with the radio playing my feet started to dance just a bit to the music. Not so much as to interfere but was I paying attention? What was I paying attention to?

I asked myself does anything I do make a difference? Thinking about our commemorations for this coming week I wondered why can’t I be like Augustine or Moses the Black? Was I doing anything that mattered, anyway? After all even faith is all gift, not a result of my own doing or choosing. If I cannot choose to believe, then what do I do that makes a difference? Can I even turn, turn, and again return to Jesus for guidance on how to give, give, give even as foolish ones give, to those who cannot repay, and especially to those who cannot pray? Was I really paying attention to the important stuff?

To what and where does God send you this day? Are you paying attention?