AMAZING GRACE... AND TRUTH FOR BRIGHT LIGHTS...

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

At the university where I teach, this semester I teach three late afternoon classes. By this time, in the fall, it is usually dark when I walk out of the building. I've never really been one who likes the darkness, so I carry my pepper spray in my hand - just in case.

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Last night the parking lot was illuminated! The intramural field next to it was lit up and full of people and activity. The lights surrounding the field permeated the darkness of the parking lot. It made the short walk to my car much more managable.

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It wouldn't have taken much for the light to be gone - just the flip of a switch. It's happened before inside of our building. Some connection between us and the power source blows or becomes disconnected and we're left in the dark. I find it especially hard to function (when this happens) because my office has no outside windows.

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We live in a dark world. Our homes need to be the bright lights permeating the darkness of our neighborhoods. Our husbands and children need encouragement to be bright lights at work / school. How does that switch get flipped on and stay on? Can it begin with you? Have you considered how you are living your life as a bright light?!?

1. KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENT! Get plugged in and stay plugged in! Set aside a time at least one time each day to read your Bible and talk to your Heavenly Father about it. My "mother-in-love" had 13 children. My husband's fondest memory of her was when he had to get up at 5:30 a.m. to begin his chores. She was already at the kitchen table reading her Bible.

2. FLIP ON THE SWITCH! Connect with Jesus in multiple ways:

• Connect with Jesus as your CREATOR: The truth is that He lovingly formed and fashioned you! You are His masterpiece!


• Connect with Jesus as THE WORD: "The WORD became flesh and made His dwelling among us." Ponder how the Creator of the universe could come to this planet as a helpless baby and grow up to live as a holy / sinless man. (In a WORD, He lived His life on earth as the "exact representation of God" - Jesus!)


• Connect with Jesus as THE ONE AND ONLY: "We have seen His glory, the glory of THE ONE AND ONLY." Glory illuminates! Glory shines brightly!


• Connect with Jesus as GRACE AND TRUTH: "who came from the Father, full of GRACE AND TRUTH". What a balance! Last Thursday, I wrote about how these are like two prongs on an electrical plug that help us stay connected for transformation!
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3. KEEP TALKING! KEEP IN CONTACT! Pray without ceasing! Let the Holy Spirit lead you as you stay plugged in to TRANSFORMING POWER!

2 Corinthians 4:

"For God, who said,

"Let light shine out of darkness,"

made His light shine in our hearts

to give us the light of the knowledge

of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay

to show that this all-surpassing power

is from God and not from us.

We are hard pressed on every side,

but not crushed;

perplexed,

but not in despair;

persecuted,

but not abandoned;

struck down,

but not destroyed.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus,

so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body..."

AMAZING GRACE.... FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME...

Many people claim that the Bible is confusing... that it contradicts itself. I differ with that! Yet, I do agree that for someone who hasn't been around good Biblical teaching, it can be confusing. Today, let's consider Jesus, full of GRACE and TRUTH, and His role as the central theme of the Bible story:

Here are a few basics:

1. The Bible is really a library of 66 books.


2. At the beginning of the very first book, Genesis, it tells about the creation of the universe - more than just planet earth.


3. In the first chapter of Genesis, God says, "Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness..." That is the beginning of our understanding of our God, as 3 in One... often referred to as THE TRINITY: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.


4. God, the Trinity, is good... He is pure and HOLY... always doing the right thing. Sin is the opposite of that. God cannot stand sin!


5. When God made man and woman, He gave them choice: good vs. evil... light vs. darkness... life vs. death... It didn't take them long to make some terrible choices. They chose to not trust God... they chose to disobey God's ways... Sin had come into the world!


6. Because of God's HOLINESS, He could not tolerate sin. Yet, because of His deep LOVE for His creation, He was patient. He wanted them to change their ways! So, throughout time... throughout 65 of the 66 books of the Bible (and more), the story has played out over and over again: mankind sins against their HOLY God... yet, out of His great LOVE for them He is patient, kind, and longsuffering...


7. The first few lines of the 43rd book of the Bible, the book of John, were our memory verses for the month of August. Our memory verses this month are back in that chapter. Both sets of verses remind us that Jesus was around at the beginning of time as our creator! The Bible is the word that tells us about Jesus, THE WORD.


8. Our August verses, from John 1:1-5 & 14 say, "In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. . . The WORD became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of GRACE AND TRUTH."


9. The TRUTH is that our HOLY God desires to have a HOLY people.
10. The TRUTH is that out of His great and merciful LOVE for us, He has extended GRACE to His people throughout time.
11. The TRUTH is that this GRACE was extended to us by His coming to earth as God, the Son: THE WORD.
12. The TRUTH is that on earth He lived a HOLY life (sinless)... full of GRACE and TRUTH.
13. The TRUTH is that in dying for us, He extended His LOVE and GRACE to us with outstretched arms.
14. The TRUTH is that He sacrificed Himself for our sins and now lives to extend His GRACE to you and me...

Join me as we continue to work on memorizing our scripture for this month. It includes part of our August scripture. Enjoy the practice:

John 1:14-18 "The WORD became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the ONE AND ONLY, who came from the Father, full of GRACE and TRUTH. 15 John testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.'"

John 1:14-18 "The _______ became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His _______, the glory of the ONE AND ONLY, who came from the Father, full of ________ and TRUTH. _______ testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was ________ me.'"

John 1:14-18 "The WORD became _______ and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the _______ of the ONE AND ONLY, who came from the _______, full of GRACE and ________. John testifies concerning Him. He _____out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes ______ me has surpassed me because He was ________ me.'"
John 1:14-18 "The WORD became flesh and made His _________among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the ______ AND ONLY, who came from the Father, ______ of GRACE and TRUTH. John testifies ________ Him. He cries out, saying, "This was ____ of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has _______me because He was before me.'"

John 1:14-18 "The ______ became _________ and made His ________ among ____. We have seen _____ _______, the glory of the _____ _____ ________, who came from the ________, ______ ___ ________ ____ _______. John ________ _________ Him. He cries out, saying, "______ ____ ______ of whom I said, 'He who comes ______ ____ has __________ me because He was ________ ____.'"

John 1:14-18 "The WORD became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the ONE AND ONLY, who came from the Father, full of GRACE and TRUTH. John testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.'"

AMAZING GRACE... LIFE!!!!

Grateful today for the birth of our third grandchild last week:

Kaleah Faith!!

Grateful for her parents!

Grateful for her one and a half year old big sister!

Grateful for answered prayers for Chip Bloecher as recorded in the video above!

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AMAZING GRACE...THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN...

MEDITATION MONDAY

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I recently found this graphic of the cross standing in a "G". I assumed it stood for the cross of Christ standing firm because He is God. I read a little further and found that the illustrator meant for the "G" to stand for GRACE. He also wanted the symbol of the cross to represent the letter "t". In fact, the author of this visual meant for it to stand for "Truth in Grace".

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That, of course, connects me to our memory verse:

GRACE and TRUTH!

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At some point, when we come in contact with truth, we see it for what it is. Truth has boundaries! Truth can be black and white! Truth helps! Truth hurts! Truth has blessings and consequences. Grace gives truth balance. Grace can season truth and make it palatable. Scripture says that Jesus is FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH! In my journey to be like Jesus, I desire to be a woman FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH!

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When I became a part of God's family, I came into His Kingdom. Matthew calls it the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact, the only place the term "Kingdom of Heaven" is used is in the book of Matthew. Yesterday, Steve challenged our congregation to look at the Kingdom of Heaven as the "realm and reign" of Christ in our lives. The realm of the Kingdom of Heaven has already begun! We're living in it! Therefore, to be Kingdom People, we must let Christ reign in our lives. Kingdom People are people FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH!
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Today, let's allow the Kingdom of Heaven (KOH) verses from Matthew prompt us to step up to Kingdom Living:

• Matt 3:2 J. Baptist preached-repent, the KOH is near!
• Matt 4:17 Jesus preached – repent, th KOH is near!
• Matt 4:23 Jesus preached the KOH's good news!
• Matt 5:3 The KOH belongs to the Poor in Spirit
• Matt 5:10 The KOH belongs to those persecuted for righteousness
• Matt 5:19 Some in the KOH are least.
• Matt 5:19 Some in KOH are great.
• Matt 5:20 Some will not enter the KOH.
• Matt 6:10 The KOH is the Fathers and it’s coming.
• Matt 6:33 Seek the KOH first.
• Matt 7:21 Not all who say “LORD” will enter the KOH.
• Matt 8:11 Abraham, Isaac, Jacob at KOH's feast.
• Matt 8:12 Subjects of KOH thrown out.
• Matt 9:35 Jesus preached the KOH's good news!
• Matt 10:7 Apostles to preach KOH is near.
• Matt 11:11 We are greater in the KOH than J. Baptist
• Matt 11:12 The KOH is forcefully advancing.
• Matt 12:25 Will be ruined if the KOH is divided.
• Matt 12:28 The KOH has come, if H.S. drives demons out
• Matt 13:11 The KOH's secrets given to disciples.
• Matt 13:19 The KOH's message can be misunderstood.
• Matt 13:24 The KOH is like a man sowing good seed.
• Matt 13:31 The KOH is like a mustard seed.
• Matt 13:33 The KOH is like yeast.
• Matt 13:38 The KOH's sons are the good seed.
• Matt 13:41 Angels will weed out the KOH's sin.
• Matt 13:43 Righteous will shine like sun in KOH
• Matt 13:44 The KOH is like a treasure hidden in a field.
• Matt 13:45 The KOH is like a merchant looking for pearls.
• Matt 13:47 The KOH is like a net.
• Matt 13:52 The KOH is like the owner of a house.
• Matt 16:19 Peter given keys to the KOH.
• Matt 16:28 Some won’t die before J.C. comes in KOH.
• Matt 18:1-3 Unless like little ones, never enter KOH.
• Matt 18:4 Humbled like child, are greatest in KOH.
• Matt 18:23 KOH like a king who wants to settle…
• Matt 19:12 Some are eunuchs because of KOH.
• Matt 19:14 KOH belongs to childlike people.
• Matt 19:23 Rich men have a hard time entering KOH.
• Matt 19:24 Easier for camel than rich to enter KOH.
• Matt 20:1 KOH is like a landowner hiring workers.
• Matt 20:21 KOH belongs to Jesus.
• Matt 21:31 Tax collectors/prostitutes entering KOH.
• Matt 21:43 KOH given to those who produce it’s fruit.
• Matt 22:2 KOH like a king preparing wedding banquet.
• Matt 23:13 Teachers of law Pharisees shut KOH.
• Matt 24:14 KOH preached in all world-then end comes.
• Matt 25:1 KOH like ten virgins who meet bridegroom.
• Matt 25:34 KOH prepared for you since creation.
• Matt 26:29 Jesus drank in KOH with apostles.
  
  
  

AMAZING GRACE...

SUNDAY IN THE SON

10-10-10

"Amazing Grace

(My Chains Are Gone)

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"Amazing GRACE

How sweet the soun

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see

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'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that GRACE appear

The hour I first believed

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My chains are gone

I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy rains

Unending love, Amazing GRACE

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The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

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The earth shall soon dissolve like snow

The sun forbear to shine

But God, Who called me here below

Will be forever mine

Will be forever mine

You are forever mine

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IF I STAND... IT'S BECAUSE OF THE GIVER OF ALL GOOD THINGS...

KETCHUP AND MUSTARD SATURDAY

Catch Up and Must Do

When people think of me, they might think of the lady who writes this on a lot of her correspondence: GIGATTAATTGIG. They might think of me as the author of a blog or FB group with that same title. What some people don't know, is that I am deeply aware of how hard life is AND that what I do say often is: "Life is hard, but God is good!"

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I have family members who suffer from excruciating health problems (both physical and mental) and I often ask God, "Why?" They need a Deliverer! We all need a deliverer from this life of sin and death! Last week, our theme song was "My Deliverer". I'm listening to it right now as I write this. It's lyrics include, "...my Deliverer is standing by..." Over the last few weeks, I've watched "delivery" come to fruition in several ways:

• On Thursday, our daughter - in - love delivered our second grandaughter while our son assisted in the "delivery"!
• Chip Bloecher has been delivered from the brink of death to LIFE over the past few weeks. This week he has gone from lying down to sitting up to walking. This morning, he plans to walk right out of that hospital and home!

As Chip's friend Marshall said last night on the FB Group page, PRAY FOR CHIP BLOECHER, "God... and only God... friends, this just DOESN'T happen... except for God..."

• Rich Edwards lost both of his hands in an accident several years ago. Recently, he as been delivered from a life with no hands to a life with what seems will be two working / functional hands! Rich had the world's third successful hand transplant in August. He went through another surgery on Monday to make sure that the success is going to happen. Here is the news report published on Tuesday... it includes a video clip:
  Doctors: Hand-Transplant Recipient Recovery 'Miraculous' - News Story - WLKY Louisville
  

• The steeple for our new building was delivered recently. A week ago it was lifted to it's place of prominence.
  Yesterday, after I took these pictures of the building, I headed through town to our church family's temporary offices. I saw the hustle and bustle of this busy little community... the buildings... the people...
  

I pray, that in this little corner of the world, I will stand in such a way as to reflect the goodness of my God who is the GIVER and DELIVERER of all good things.... I pray that even though LIFE IS HARD, I will stand in a manner that reflects that no matter the circumstances, GIGATTAATTGIG...
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I can think of no better way to end this week than to join Chip Bloecher as he reads to his daughter John 1.

http://www.youtube.com/user/prayforchip

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IF I STAND...IT'S ONE BLESSING AFTER ANOTHER...

I stepped out our front door yesterday morning in anticipation of all the day had to offer. Our oldest, Jordan, was on the phone with his daddy saying that he and Jacqueline were at the hospital and it looked like their second child would be born soon.
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I looked all around me and saw - Life! The sun was rising over the Atlantic Ocean and over the trees across the road. Our third grandchild was about to make her entrance and I wanted to capture for her what the morning of her birth looked like at Pops and Gigi's house in South Jersey.








Of course, our front window remains the same! How appropriate it was for Thursday10-7-10!





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I thought about my Jesus and our scripture for this month:

• The WORD became flesh and made His dwelling among us
• from the Father
• full of GRACE and TRUTH
• one BLESSING after another
• GRACE and TRUTH came through JESUS CHRIST.

Yesterday afternoon, Kaleah Faith, came from the Father and made her dwelling among us. It is my prayer that she will come to know her Savior who is full of Grace and Truth. Oh, it won't be hard! Why? ...because she has a mommy and daddy and grandparents and extended family and friends who reflect the glory of the GRACE AND TRUTH THAT COME THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!




And last night, this Grandma Gigi got to talk to this wonderful family via SKYPE! Thank You, LORD, for a healthy baby girl and her daddy and mommy who stand in YOU!

Standing in YOU, Jesus, brings one blessing after another!!! As I lay my head on the pillow last night, I looked at the clock... interesting... I often look at the clock, LORD, and it shows 1:11. Those 3 ones remind me of YOU! Last night, I looked at the clock and there were four ones to remind me of the BLESSING you have given so many with this family of four. Thank YOU, Jesus!