Grace Notes

Yesterday morning I had a doctor's visit, and during the course of the visit the doctor asked if I had made any new year's resolutions.  I told him no. This morning I was listening to the local Christian radio station and they were talking about new year's resolutions, and one of the things they brought out was -- what were your accomplishments this past year?  Don't just look at what you want to do, but at how far you have come!  Well, I can happily say that I am studying my Bible more and developing a closer, more meaningful relationship with Christ.  I am become more tender to things of God.  And I have started writing again.  So what do I want to accomplish this coming year?  Well, I want to get my priorities straight -- God first, family, friends, etc.  I also know that I need to make a more conscious effort to watch what I say.  Too often I speak before I think, then regret those words.  I need to remember the words of the psalmist, "Let the words of my mou

Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers Copyright 1979, 1995, 2010 Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index is a listing of words and definitions found throughout the Bible.  The first few pages of the books shows a listing of word studies which can be found throughout.  The word studies give depth to the meaning of the word and how it is used and where it can be found in the Bible.  Following is an alphabetical listing of words you might want to reference.  Each word you want to look up gives in some cases a short definition, then if necessary breaks down into categories by definition where you can find each word in the Bible.  Each reference is in order of appearance in the Bible. This book is an excellent research tool for your personal Bible study. You might even find yourself thumbing through and actually reading it! In order to comply with new Federal Trade Commission regulations, please note that this book was provided compliments of

IF THAT ISN'T LOVE He left the splendor of heaven, Knowing His destiny Was the lonely hill of Golgotha, There to lay down His life for me. ~ by Dottie Rambo The song " If That Isn't Love " by Dottie Rambo comes to mind when I think about what Jesus left when He came to earth that Christmas so long ago.  "He left the splendor of heaven!"  How beautiful heaven must be!  And yet He gave that up, already knowing that He was going to die a horrible death on the cross, so that I can one day be in heaven with Him.  As the song says, He came  "to lay down His life for me." In order to understand what Jesus gave up, I believe you have to understand Who Jesus is.  According to the Bible, Jesus is the Word, and He was in the very beginning with God.  Everything was made by Jesus. Nothing was made without Him.  He is also life, and the light of man (John 1:1-5).   If you go back to the very first book of the Bible, the very first chapter, you find that God c

  This is Chief   My dad has several miniature horses.  Most of them stand waist high at their shoulders.  The leader of his herd is a stud (until just recently) named Chief -- he still thinks he's the "chief."  Daddy had Chief for sale in the Bulletin Board, and finally sold him to some people in Destin, Florida .    Sunday afternoon my dad calls out to my mom "Glenda, you are not going to believe what these people are coming in to get Chief!"  When she asked, he told her a MINI VAN!!  They pull up and the couple gets out, the woman dressed in a full length fur coat and fur boots.  They ask daddy to load Chief into the mini van, and could he please make the horse sit!  Daddy couldn't believe it (I wish I could have seen his face!).  Of course, Chief is having none of this!    Daddy asked the couple if they had access to a trailer.  Yes, they did.  The woman's mother lives in Prattville and has lots of horses and has a horse trailer .  When they call

Once again my thoughts are turned to Christmas.  Not the trappings of our modern Christmas, but that first Christmas so long ago. Mary was such a young girl to have made such a strong decision for God!  And what did it cost her?  Her family, neighbors, village, and even Joseph probably considered her a harlot.  At least to begin with.  She was ostracized, an outcast, if not physically, surely by people's words and actions.  Mary was not perfect, she was a sinner just like us, but she made a life changing decision to obey God. Joseph legally could have had Mary stoned for becoming pregnant out of wedlock.  Instead, he obeyed God and accepted her as his wife.  He took care of her and did not have relations with her until after Jesus was born.  Imagine how he must have felt to know that God had chosen him to raise God's own Son?  I am sure there was some fear and trepidation at the thought of that! Although Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, God arranged for them to travel to B

Jungle Warfare A Basic Field Manual for Christians in Sales by Christopher A. Cunningham Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers Copyright 2010 This book is a 22-day Bible study for people in the area of sales.  Although I am not in sales, I found this book applicable to my own daily life.  What makes this book unique is the use of Mr. Cunningham's grandfather's World War II basic field manual for jungle warfare.  I found this interesting and attractive, since my own grandfather served in World War II.  The book is separated into two sections, with the first section including the Bible study and the second section dedicated to questions and answers.  Each day of the Bible study begins with a section from the field manual, which is then followed by Bible passages and a lesson on how to apply both the field guide and the Bible study to your every day life.  The question and answer section brings up topics that concern salesmen such as "What if my customers don't l

Sunday evening my church, East Memorial Baptist Church in Prattville, Alabama, had it's Christmas musical.  The mood was set, the lights were off in the auditorium, and the spots were on the choir and orchestra. Music was offered up giving praise and glory to my God and His Son, Jesus.  I had been studying all afternoon Sunday in preparation for writing yesterday's blog, and was emotionally very tender.  So as I sat listening to the musical, I was not surprised that a song or two gripped me and moved me close to tears.  I told myself I really needed to get a handle on my emotions!  Someone might see my tears!  Suddenly a song came through the air, and it sounded like what you would imagine the choirs of heaven singing!  There was a soloist with choir backup, different parts -- words, melodies -- all hitting at the same time, making such beautiful music.  I certainly can't tell you what the name of the song was, or even what the words were, I can tell you that the tears came

Ever since I was a little kid, my parent's ceramic nativity set (above) has fascinated me!  There are shepherds, wise men, sheep, donkeys, camels, an angel, and of course Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus.  I was fortunate enough to inherit this set from my parents a few years ago.  Now I set it up each year and my sons and I can admire it and remember the true meaning of Christmas.  What makes this set so special is that it was lovingly crafted by my grandmother, Mrs. Dot Coon in 1973.  Turn each piece over and you will find her name and the year she worked on the piece.  Grandma Coon put a lot of love, preparation and time into each piece. If you know anything about ceramics, you know you must first take a raw piece of material and clean and prepare it for painting.  All the seams and rough places have to be removed. You have to apply a base coat. You then layer on the colors, and if you are good like my grandmother was, you also apply shading and highlights for extra depth and

Daddy, Christmas early '80s, Madras, Oregon December is here and thoughts are turning to Christmas!  For kids, it's thoughts of what Santa Claus might bring, have I been good enough to get on his list, and is there time to amend my ways?  For adults, there are thoughts of parties, gifts, budget, stress.  But what is the true meaning of Christmas?   My thoughts have constantly been turning to just this question.  As a Christian I want to, and should, focus on the real meaning of Christmas.  It should be my primary concern.  Sure gifts, parties, and all the trimmings should still be in my thoughts, but I need to look at them from a different perspective.  I should look at them as a result of why I celebrate Christmas.   True Christmas celebration is about the Babe in the manager.  But Who is that Baby, and why should He be worshipped?  Was He a man?  Was He God?  Or was He both?  And if He was God (which I believe to be true), then He STILL IS GOD!   I want to pe