Just Me...

This past week at church a group of men sang a fabulous rendition of Amazing Grace in a style I would describe as a southern quartet with instruments...It was truly amazing to see God's heart cry out to us through their song... (I guess it kind of reminded me of O Brother, Where Art Thou? even though I have never really seen the movie, just the style I guess.) This week, we focus on verse 3 of the original. Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,. And grace will lead me home. Our pastor read from Psalm 31 tonight and reminded me that from the beginning of time, we have been faced with challenges, but that God has been there EVERY time....we are here, we are breathing and we each have our own unique ability to share this Good News with someone. The last line in the Message Paraphrase says: Be brave. Be strong. Don't give up. Expect God to get here soon. Do we remember to live with this expectation that the grace of Go...

The Second Verse ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears reliev’d; How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first believ’d! This verse brings back memories of the time I accepted Christ as my risen Lord and Savior. "The Hour I First Believed"... Sure I thought that I knew that there was God and there was Jesus, but I didn't know that I needed to decide to believe...to take the gift of grace already laid out for me. It was July (almost 3 years ago now) and we had been attending The PROMiSE for about a month when I was captivated by the songs and message of the day and knew in my heart that not only was The PROMiSE the church for me, but that God himself had been calling me here and that it was high time that I let him know I was listening. What a precious moment...and the effects were immediate. Sure, accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior has its earthly costs, but none of that matters under the protection of grace...if only I could remember tha...