Luck or Grace?

Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields

and, Until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I don’t know about you, but with gas prices rising so quickly it seems like it is getting to be quite a challenge to stretch my budget from paycheck to paycheck. I know everyone is feeling the crunch, but sometimes that doesn’t offer much consolation.  Just about the time you think you have it figured out, life happens...

... the battery in your car dies and payday isn’t for another week
... it’s been a very stressful day, you really need to talk to someone and your husband is out of town for a few days
... you forgot that it’s your child’s turn to take snack to her dance class on Wednesday night, and you are already trying to stretch your groceries until Friday

BUT, just when your peace and security are beginning to dwindle and you think you are losing the battle, the repairman tells you he will hold your check until payday, your neighbor stops over to check on you and brings your family a casserole for dinner, an unexpected check appears in the mail. Blessing upon blessing.... is it LUCK or GRACE?

LUCK:  fortune, chance, fate, destiny, coincidence
GRACE: mercy, favor, blessing (unconditional, undeserving, unexpected)

Matthew 6:33 tells us that “He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the kingdom of God your primary concern.” God’s provisions are not just for our big things or the major crisis’ in our lives.  You can rest assured that He doesn’t leave the small things to luck (or chance), he hears the smallest details of our prayers and even our unspoken concerns. In Romans 8:28, Christians are given the promise that “...in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God is sovereign over everything, so we can trust that nothing is merely a matter of chance. God suffers with us through our painful times and takes joy in the wonderful events in our life. And because God knows our every need, sometimes he even uses other's to reveal His grace through their kindess, generosity, and servant's heart... aka the way they "sparkle."  On the other hand, luck, unlike faith in God, is not personal. 

Today my "pot of gold" is only a coffee mug filled with pennies, but for that I am grateful!  I'm not going to wish you a "lucky" St. Patrick's Day, but a "grace-y" day!  Catch you again Friday... God's Peace, Donna Weaver

LEPRECHAUN DUST (fun treat for kids)

Jell-O Brand instant pistachio pudding • Milk • Ziploc baggies • Spoons

Put 1 tablespoon of leprechaun dust (pudding mix) into a

sealed baggie  for each child.  Add 1/4 cup of cold milk and let
them shake until the instant pudding turns green. Yummy!

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

If you’re from my generation you just might remember a popular tune song by the Byrds called "Turn! Turn! Turn!" The song was adapted entirely from the Book of Ecclesiastes (with the exception of the last line of the song) and put to music in 1959 by Pete Seeger. It became an international hit in late 1965, when it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The Seekers also recorded the song for their 1966 album, Georgy Girl (one of my fav’s). And nearly three decades after the Byrds released the song as a single, the recording was featured in the 1994 movie, Forrest Gump.  I think it’s safe to say that the song definitely holds the record as the “#1 song with the oldest lyrics.” Just think how many people sang the words of scripture without even knowing it. My first thought was “Oh, how God must have rejoiced,” but when I thought more about it I realized how sad it must have made Him - to know that the words were spoken (sung) but not necessarily understood.

There are many verses in the Bible that tell us about the importance of reading and understanding God’s word. Here are just a few...

☮ “The word of God is full of living power.” - Hebrews 4:12

☮ “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” - Psalm 119:105

☮ “This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours.” - Colossians 1:6

☮ “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” - Psalm 119:11

☮ “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” - Ephesians 6:17

☮ “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1

Thinking back on Ecclesiastes 3, we are told that “there is a time for everything.” As we go through the different seasons and journeys in our life, God knows the plans for each second of our day and His Word can direct our path. Why not use this Lenten season to grow deeper in His Word?

Listen to the Bryds sing the beautiful words of scripture found in Ecclesiastes 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4&feature=related

It’s Friday, Let’s Sparkle... action required...  Speaking of “a time for everything,” Daylight Savings Time begins this weekend. So on Sunday, March 13, 2011, set your clocks forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. (Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that do not currently participate in the twice-yearly time change.) And while you’re at it, why not call a neighbor or friend and remind them to change their clocks too. It might just be the “perfect time” to invite a friend to church. Wouldn’t it be great if instead of having people missing from the pews because they forgot to change their clocks, the churches could be packed with people who not only arrived on time but brought some visitors with them! “There’s a time to invite and a time to sleep in”... which one will you choose?

This week I will be praying that the God who created all time and seasons will help you desire to “sparkle” in ways that will share the Good News!

God’s Peace, Donna Weaver

“The Future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of

sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”

- C.S. Lewis