Grace: the free and unmerited favor of God, manifested in salvation and blessings. Through this man we all receive gifts of grace beyond our imagination. You see, Moses gave us rules to live by, but Jesus the Anointed offered us gifts of grace and truth. John 1:16-17 The Voice “In the New Testament, grace means God’s love in action toward people who…
Author: Pam R
Simple Pleasures …
… Are Life’s Treasures Sunrise or sunset Watching clouds float by Stargazing at night A cloudless sky A bright full moon Fireworks Flowering trees and shrubs Vibrant autumn foliage A newly-fallen blanket of snow Warm, fresh-baked cookies A peanut butter and jelly sandwich Good chocolate A cold drink on a hot summer day A hot…
Patriot Day
We Remember Adapted from a post on September 11, 2019 by Pam R September 11, our nation’s day of affliction, has become a day of remembrance. Yet I worry that as time passes we forget the horror, the sorrow of that day, and completely lose the incredible unity we felt as those events unfolded. We who were alive…
Judging
“Judge not, lest you be judged.” Jesus’s words are often understood as, “Don’t judge anyone for anything at anytime.” Those same words are often hurled as a weapon to mean, “Don’t you dare judge me!” The Greek word for “judge” used here means “to condemn”. Jesus very plainly says that when we condemn others for…
Sinning
As she took a sip of her appletini, my friend, a committed Christian, said, “I’m sinning.” I looked at her in surprise. She nodded, took another sip and repeated it. “I’m sinning.” No self-justification, no excuses. Just bald fact. My first thought was, What sin? Alcohol? Not everyone considers alcohol a sin, but if she…
Luck of the Draw
After Barry retired, we team-taught Adult Sunday School and took classes. In one such class, we were randomly given 3 ordinary playing cards. A poster listed each card’s meaning. I turned over a card and found I had a full-ride scholarship! The next card was a second full-ride scholarship! I started to feel pretty cocky….
Labor Day
Labor was God’s idea. It’s part of His “very good.” The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to work the soil and take care of the garden. Genesis 2:15 Easy-to-Read Version The material creation was made by God to be developed, cultivated, and cared for in an endless number of ways through human…
Math Problems
I never knew, when I was in school, that math could be funny!
Peace
[Jesus said,]“I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!” John 14:27 The Passion Translation And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me…
The Block
I had an dream: a garden at the base of the swimming pool. Unfortunately, that area was lawn. If I wanted a garden, the grass has to go. It was the early days of Barry’s illness (ALS). He suggested we pay our lawn service to dig my new garden. But it would be at least…