The Gift of Grace

Grace is God’s gift that one cannot buy,

It is God’s benevolent sacrifice for our human life.

It cannot be earned or worked for in any way,

It must simply be accepted as God’s holy stay.

Life is full of hardships and pain,

But grace is what allows us to overcome the tumultuous rains.

So embrace the gift that one cannot buy,

And take it to heart as the way to live our lives.

From the cross Christ looked down and forgave us our sins

Through divine grace we are redeemed from life’s splintered bends.

Accept the gift that Christ so lovingly shared,

And allow your life to take on a new direction forgiven of sin.

Human Doubt: Does God Really Know Me by Name?

Have we ever had doubts that God genuinely cares about our lives? How can such a grand Creator of great constellations and grand universes care about such a small, tiny and single entity – me! After all in the big picture of God’s creation I am but an individual mille-spec. Compared to God’s massive creation we are not even larger than the smallest piece of micro-dust! Or are we?

The reality is God values each and every one of us for who we are as individuals, and as members of the larger Body of Christ. God is omnipotent, omnipresent and knows each of us by name. Wow! That is hard to fathom, but it is the truth. We must believe this fact through faith.  Throughout the Bible God interacts with humanity by intervening in our lives. God called Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and so many men and women in Scripture by their names. Our God is an intimate God who loves and cares about his mille-specs of dust – us. We simply have to believe.

According to James of Jerusalem, faith is a necessary virtue that God desires us to embrace. Without faith James says, “we lack wisdom…But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” (James 1:5-8).

God wants to be a part of our lives. Therefore it is vital that we hold on to faith at all costs! We have all experienced the turbulence of doubt. At some point in our lives, if not several, we have experienced being tossed about like waves by the wind. We have known what it means to drift to and fro with no real direction in our lives. Faith takes perseverance and often a determination that many of us find difficult. Yet it is faith in God’s intimate love, omnipotent and omnipresent light that is our divine anchor; a secure line that holds us in place despite the tempest of doubt.

At Jesus’ birth he was called Emmanuel, meaning “God with us.” That is why daily prayer and the reading of Scripture are so important for our spiritual lives. Through them we are constantly reminded that God does know each of us not only by name but by spirit as well. Christ knows our hearts. He knows our souls. He knows our minds. Through prayer and Scripture we are connected to the living God of truth and love. Our connection with Christ with the Father through the love of the Holy Spirit serves to remind us that the Living Word of God is what feeds our faith and makes God divinely personal to our lives. In prayer Christ lives within us, caring abidingly for each of us.

The Gnarled Old Oak

Mangled and twisted

Bent by the wind

Old and gnarled

Its branches bend.

How many years has the old oak witnessed,

A weave of living coils

Its trunk is weathered and blistered.

Through ages past sunbeams lay hot upon its ancient bark.

Colonist might have stepped over the twig

Yet today it mounts in great array.

Set in the marsh where the weather is hot,

It stands strong despite its God given plot.

Nature is beautiful in all her ways,

She adopts and constantly lives through change.

God created her to bring beauty to earth,

And God loves her twigs that constantly give birth

The Holy Spirit and Faith the Size off a Mustard Seed

A life lived trusting and listening to the Holy Spirit is often unsettling as well as uncomfortable. Why? Well the Holy Spirit calls us out of our comfort zones and into a deep trusting, and prayerful relationship with God. When we stand on Holy Ground, like Moses we often think of every reason why we should not trust in the Lord’s calling to obedience and genuine discernment in our lives.

Yet the Holy Spirit creates and causes events to take place in life that we as human beings could never do on our own. The Holy Spirit provides for our needs when we prayerfully seek her voice and guidance. Miracles happen everyday through the love and grace of the Holy Spirit. 

One might ask, well how do I hear the voice of the Spirit? How do I discern if she is really calling me to action or if I am simply projecting my own wants, desires or fears into a given situation? We find direction form the Holy Spirit through the daily reading of Scripture and prayer. God’s Living Word is valid and speaks to us through revelation right here and now. Scripture is not some mere history book of the past deeds of God and his people. Scripture is alive and relevant to our lives in the present. God is active in and through our lives as we read the Bible, and ceaselessly pray. This is how we encounter God and discover the direction the Holy Spirit is leading us. All it takes is “the faith of a mustard seed” to get started.

Can we trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Are we able to listen to that “still small voice” that booms in our hearts like thunder? I hope so.  It is sad when we allow fear and trepidation to blot out the light of the Spirit.

In the Letter to the Hebrew’s the author says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). Paul goes on to tell us in his letter to the Philippians, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  Through the love of Christ and the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit our lives have the potential to supersede all of our self-imposed limitations. All it takes is faith “the size of a mustard seed.”

A Voice From the Iona Community

We believe in a bright and amazing God,
who has been to the depths of despair on our behalf;
who has risen in splendor and majesty;
who decorates the universe with sparkling water, clear white light, twinkling stars and sharp colours, over and over again.

We beleive that Jesus is the light of the world;
that God believes in us, and trusts us,
even though we make the same mistakes over and over again.

We commit ourselves to Jesus,
to one another as brothers and sisters,
and to the Maker's business in the world.

God said: Let there be light.
Amen

A Wasted Life. Wait a minute! Not so fast!

I recently read a book by an author who rightly said that all we do we are to do for the glory of God. I agreed with the gentleman regarding that aspect. What we do in life is important and inviting God to be a part of our daily tasks no matter how mundane is vital to a God centered life. But that is about where I stopped agreeing with this man. He went on to condemn people for such things as enjoying early retirement and searching for seashells on the beach. He said and I quote, “When we stand before our creator is all we are going to have to show for our lives ‘is look God at the pretty sea shells I collected.’”

I understand his point that we stand a chance of wasting our lives if we are not living every aspect to the glory of God. I agree with him in those regards. Where I disagree however is that we can glorify God in the simple acts of enjoying searching for seashells. After all they are God’s creation and formed in God’s beauty. To find enjoyment in that beauty is to find joy in God.

For this gentleman a wasted life is a life that is not constantly spent being “busy” evangelizing the Gospel message. (And when I say “Busy” I do mean “Busy”). Now while I am definitely supportive of evangelism, I believe it can be done in many diverse ways, not just physical and temporal outreach (which is important!). Yet evangelism can take many forms. Why limit such an important ministry?

Evangelism is living life as a wholesome example in Christ. It is saying, “Wow! Look at the beauty of God’s creation!” It is saying, “Thank you Lord for giving me the time to enjoy this beautiful life you have so graciously blessed me.” Evangelism is sharing that message of God’s glory and grace with others through not just words, but by actions such as “joy.” God wants us to live a joy filled life that is reconciled to him.

I believe that if I collected seashells and had the time to enjoy doing so that when I stand before my creator one day I can say, “Thank you Lord for the simple pleasures you gave me in life. I shared that beauty with others in hopes that they might find joy in your simplicity as well.”

We often confuse evangelism with “works righteousness.” In my opinion “works righteousness” is a wasted life. Who are we really trying to glorify? God? O ourselves? When we say, “Look at all the good things I have done God! I didn’t waist a single minute relaxing or taking in the beauty of your creation. I worked in the vineyard and didn’t waist my life.” I believe this type of life causes us to miss out on the goodness of living a creative life.

Verbal evangelism is fine if someone truly believes God is calling them to live that kind of life (and God does call some people to that ministry). But to lump everyone into that single pot is simply wrong. We are diverse people with diverse gifts. The point is to use those gifts and the joy they bring to glorify God. Don’t force a square peg in a round hole! I believe God wants us to live a balanced and wholesome life that finds joy in his creation and re-creation as well. I believe God takes pleasure in the fact that we can look at a seashell and see his marvelous beauty. To me that is not a wasted life. It is a life that glorifies God!

Ode to Iona

On the open coast of the isle of Iona stands an ancient monument to the Lord.

Tall are her towers and steep are her turrets, with walls of antiquity stone.

Many days she has seen and much destruction endured.

Her thoughts are a mystery, yet through the ages she has stood.

Despite the raids of Norsemen cruel, harsh weather and tides of rough ocean water,

Her heart remains strong and beats like thunder upon the green grass of the isles holy ground.

She stands in love and ancient prayer,

The monastery on Iona, like a monolith to the Son of Man.

Prayers rise there to heaven like incense pure,

as the waves of tall grass blow to and fro.

The tides come in and out like the grace of God that never fails.

Yet stranded not are monks of the mighty hill.

Chants meet heavens door from age to age,

In praise and glory God is lifted in blessed praise.