My Place of Grace

There is a special kind of birth that I have had the privilege to witness. It's not the birth of a baby, or an animal or anything like that. The birth I am talking about is the birth of a book. I have had the honor of watching as the idea was conceived , and the growth of the content was written and the labor of the final printing in book form came out. It is a long, tedious , painstakingbut worthwhile process and when it is finally finished it feels as though you have given birth to a beautiful baby. A book of this nature is not just a bunch of words slapped together on pages, pasted between two covers. This type of book has been carefully prayed about before, during and afterwards. The words have been lovingly written with God as the mentor. They were crafted and honed to say just the right thing. This book is a living expression of God's love written through the hands of it's author. It's a masterpiece of God's handiwork. I am in total awe of what can happen w...

I'm drawing a blank today. I can't think of anything to write. Some days the words flow from my mind to my fingertips like butter on a steaming hot piece of corn on the cob; and other days they seem to hide in the recesses of my mind, reminding me of a game of hide and seek. I know they are there but I have to search and search until I find them. Ah Ha! I think I've hit on something! Isn't this sometimes how it is with our relationship with God? There are times when we can talk easily with Him; pouring out our hopes and dreams, our joys and sorrows, our praise and adoration, and can share, listen and receive quite easily. Then comes the flip side. We're stuck, the words don't flow. We withdraw, hide, and avoid by filling our time with activity. I find that in those stuck times is when there's something wrong. I've missed the mark, I've sinned, and I'm filled with so much shame and guilt that they literally wrap themselves around my relationship w...