I have no righteousness within me.
I do not deserve mercy and grace. How can this be?
I stand in humble adoration of the One who gave me life.
I kneel in repentance and plead as He washes me of all the strife.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…
Romans 3:23
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Sometimes, it’s just hard to deal with certain humans.
If we’re being honest, you know it’s true.
Yet, just as it’s important to walk away from toxicity and dangerous relationships, it’s also important to be able to discern those who might be in a bad mood and those who are truly damaging.
And this distinction can truly make or break a leader.
Come to the wrong conclusion, and you can damage a relationship, a ministry, a group of people, and even a home.
Assume a friend is a foe, and you lose a covenant and companion for life.
Suppose a foe is a friend, and you may walk away wounded and scarred, or worse, you can find yourself enclosed in a cage of emotion.
Presume inaccurately on either side, and you can wound the most innocent among you.
Judge incorrectly, and the grace needed to make amends can sometimes be insurmountable.
So, step carefully and evaluate slowly.
Learn to recognize warning signs and decipher welcome flags.
Acknowledge personal hangups and triggers and work harder to overcome.
Create an atmosphere of curiosity and courage and allow for input from the older, wiser sages near you.
Open your heart wide and your ears and eyes even wider.
And above all, if you believe in the One who created you, pray and ask Him to guide, not only in the final decision but to the people who can help lead you in that direction.
A friend can be hidden from immediate view because the search is always an adventure.
A foe can be veiled from initial sight because the desire for communion is always a heart’s home.
Friend or foe, learning the difference is essential.
Open rebuke is better
Than love carefully concealed.Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.Proverbs 27:5-6
Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.Proverbs 27:9
I heard of your passing today and wondered how you’d been.
It’s been so long since I heard your voice, my memory is wearing thin.
You’d left here with a destination, hoping to ease the pain.
But where you went the agony followed, and it never stopped the rain.
I wished you well and bid farewell, for my hands could never hold.
The life you led was a restless one, so many avenues, twisted and untold.
I read in your obit all the war stories and heroism I’d never known.
The star, the medal, the accolades, even the rescue made my heart within me groan.
For this man, I wished I had met while living and breathing and very much alive.
Rather, it was the one who set off to sea on holidays and birthdays who never arrived.
My broken heart is now mended; the scar you can barely see.
Yet, somewhere deep beyond the tears, a hope of what could’ve been still remains to be.
6/4/25 MG
Be the one who carries the buckets of water toward the flames.
Be the one who carries the light to pave the path.
Be the one who carries the torch to brighten the tunnel.
Be the one who carries the blanket to shield the frozen.
Be the one who carries the keys to unlock the prison doors.
Be the one who carries the swords to join in the battle.
You can be a life changer or a death claimer.
It is your choice.
But first ask yourself which you’d want if the flames were on you.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
John 15:12-13
Well, I’ve been taking a bit of a hiatus from writing. I just peeked back at my past notes, and it’s been since December that I posted here. For my friends and followers, my apologies if you wondered where I’d gone or what I was up to. And to those who might not have noticed, that’s ok, too. I’ve just been over here living life in my little corner of the world.
I hope to get back to posting at least weekly, if not more, but I’m maybe not going to make a grand announcement this time of how much. It seems I don’t do a great job when I make the big ol’ declaration and keep up with it for a bit of time, and then, life happens, and I get distracted, or I simply don’t feel like I have anything “brilliant” or worthwhile to share. So I think this time, I’ll just begin small and see where it takes us…
LETTING GO
Sometimes, you’ve got to let go in order to hold onto the things that really matter.
Sometimes, you’ve got to release the pain to embrace the joy.
Sometimes, you’ve got to drop the anger like a hot rock to pick up the love that’s been there waiting for you.
It’s only when you walk away from what you’ve always known that you can finally see what is most important and valuable.
So, remove the chains that have bound you.
Be liberated from your shackles that confine you.
Set your souls free and let your spirit fly!
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1
You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
Galatians 5:7
Day 20
Share the Load
Sometimes, we carry too heavy of a load. Sometimes, we carry too heavy of a load alone.
And it’s not Biblical.
Now, I know. We don’t need to be wimpy Christians. I know we need to rely on Christ for all we need. I know we need to be faith filled and encouraging and strong.
Yet, He told us to share the load, too. He told us to be the Body of Christ, each one having a part to play. He also told us when one mourns, we all mourn. When one rejoiced, we all rejoice.
So, don’t carry your load alone.
Share it with someone. Ask for prayer. Ask for help. Ask for a hand to be lended. And let them lift your load.
Don’t steal their blessing when they want to pay. Don’t shut them out when they want to pray. Don’t turn your back when they come to offer comfort and love.
You’ll be surprised as your load is lifted how much more of theirs you’re able to help carry.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ…But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary…And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
1 Corinthians 12:12, 20-22, 26
Day 19
Hope is in the season, if you’re willing to see it.
Hope is in the greetings, if you’re willing to hear it.
Hope is in the warmth of home, and fellowship, and love, if you’re willing to receive it.
Yet, I’m often asked, “What If….?”
What if the season is hard because of grief, pain, and trauma?
What if the greetings are anger filled, hate consumed, and altogether damaging?
What if the home is broken, dysfunctional, and chaotic?
The “what ifs” of life make it difficult to have cheap, cliche , easy to deliver answers.
The “what ifs” confuse, complicate, and bring doubt when it just doesn’t fit.
I can’t answer all the what ifs, but I can answer the Who.
I know Who can bring peace that surpasses all understanding and strength to scale the mountain.
I know Who can shut the mouths of lions and bring comfort to the child.
I know Who can speak to the winds to calm and set a fire within the soul to save.
He is the only One who can bring grace to sustain.
He is the only One who can wisdom to abstain.
He is the only One who can bring sight to the blind.
Just try Him today. Say His Name.
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.Psalm 147:3-6
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.Isaiah 26:3
Day 18
This little ornament has always struck me when I read it each year.
“With nails, the carpenter fashioned our salvation.”
Think about it. The Creator of the universe. The Beginning of all things. The King of all we see and beyond, He chose to leave all His glory to come to earth as a babe and be raised here as a carpenter’s son.
He chose to become humble, a lowly workman’s son who fashioned wooden creations with hammers and nails by his own hands.
He grew into a man, obedient to His Heavenly Father, even unto death, to save a world that hated Him. He chose to be nailed to a rugged cross, accepting a cruel and violent death to shed His blood, being atonement for all who would believe.
And then, breathing His last, He died. But not without promise. In three days, He arose; later ascending, promising to come again for all those who are His own.
He is real. The promises He gives are true. And it is all unconditional, free to him who believes.
Will you believe in Him this season?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 3:16-17
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.
1 John 3:16
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:15-16
Wholeness out of Brokenness
Scripture Musings
There was a girl who got through the day with routines, laughter. and some memes...chores, laughs, smiles, and some cats...food, naps, plus coffee too...then yoga for the win... a warm bath, some books, and You Tube📺-hdtj💜
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Fascinating and engaging book reviews and encouragement you'll want to read.
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living to encourage by grace
My journey didn’t stop with mere time travel or writing; it led me to become one of the most sought-after empaths, a soulful psychic who reads the hidden depths of the human spirit. I’ve been blessed—or perhaps burdened—with an ability that allows me to feel the emotions of people from every corner of time.
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Dedicated to movie nerdom, nostalgia, and soul invigoration. In the late 90s, I worked at Blockbuster Video where they let me take home two free movies a day. I caught up on the classics and reviewed theatrical releases for Denver 'burbs newspapers and magazines. Today, while raising two young, beautiful daughters with my amazing wife, I look forward to anything rated R and not Bluey. Comments and dialogue encouraged!
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