Disciples of Grace Today

  How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How Long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed against him"; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. But, I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me. - Psalm 13   During the Olympic Games we watched one of the world's greatest Gymnast, Simone Biles, sit out most of the competition. Simone was suffering from a condition that Gymnasts call The Twisties. It's comparable to when a pilot suffers from Spatial Disorientation (SD). Spatial Disorientation is when a pilot can't properly determine the airspeed, altitude or  aircraft attitude in relation to the earth. In some cases pilots c...

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of The Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are you Lord?" Then the Lord said, "Iam Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." So he, trembling and astonished said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" - Acts 9:1-6 (NKJV) Yes, it's true I AM NO APOSTLE PAUL! Far from it. There are times when I struggle to remember John 3:16! Nevertheless, when it comes to conversion stories in scripture Paul's resonates the most with me. Knowing that we have all sinned and therefore fall short...

  all photo credits Storm Knight "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" - Proverbs 13:12 We don't like to think of God saying no. It seems more comforting to say He didn't answer but such a statement makes Him out to be a liar and He is not. You and I have never prayed a prayer that God has not heard and answered. Our problem is we don't like the answer. More often than not God answers us in a way that's very different than what our imaginations can conjure up and depending on how it plays out to us we think of that as a good thing or a not so good thing.  Ever since I was a child I'd been in love with the news. I knew that's what I wanted to do when I grew up. I was so entrenched with it, that for punishment my mom would make me watch cartoons or go outside and play with other children. I ordered my entire life toward becoming a Producer in Television and Radio but, it never really took off like I thought it w...

Sknight Luna 2019 Who is this, who looks down like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as an army with banners? - Song of Solomon 6:10 Oh, how I LOVE this passage of scripture. It has been a constant reminder to me of how God sees me. The Song of Solomon is the passionate pursuit of each other by two lovers. It's a husband and wife and in a New Testament context it is Christ and His Church, because that's what marriage is an ultimate picture of (Ephesians 5:22-33). Chapter 6 in the ESV (English Standard Version) Translation has as its sub title "Lovers in the Garden of Love." The whole of the Song of Solomon is a conversation between the groom, the bride and their guests or others. It's a fascinating read and the original language will leave you blushing.  However, this morning I found myself pondering this passage in a different light. It's early in the year and while I made no resolutions and set no particular goals in my life I did t...

12  Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’  13  Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”  14  And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  15  And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.  16  For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” – Exodus 33:12-16 This is a portion of Moses’ prayer of intercession after Aaron, the priest, gives in to the wil...

  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. - Hebrews 12:28-29 The Book of Hebrews has always been a favorite of mine. It's a wonderful balance of Old Testament hope and New Testament fulfillment which produces an endurance that is sometimes lacking in our world of extremes. The writer of Hebrews doesn't gloss over the sufferings his readers are facing but he encourages them with the whole truth of God's faithfulness in times of good and times of challenge.  Once again many work places are on lockdown, more out of an abundance of caution than anything else, but this time it's during a holiday season and that makes things a little more difficult. We're asked not to gather in large numbers with our families and Thanksgiving is all about family, football and food. Black Friday is a time when families go shopping to purchase gifts of love an...

  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God - Matthew 5:9 Expressions such as “Like father like son” and “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” are common and we know what’s being communicated when people use them whether in a flattering context or a resentful one. Jesus is still shifting our gaze upward. He is laying bare the heart of the Law of God and intentionally making us feel the weight of our unworthiness and inability all the while calling us to Himself to receive the relief our souls desperately need. He began this tiny shift in verse 7 where He commands us to be merciful considering the mercy we have received and then in verse 8 where He commands us to live out of a pure heart renewed by The Spirit. Here He is calling us to be present day peace makers, but what is that exactly? To answer that question, we must look to our example, Christ Jesus – The Son of God. What is the peace that Christ came to bring? Well, certainly there is the coming da...

  Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God - Matthew 5:8 This one statement packs such a punch! Everything that was lost in Genesis 3 Jesus makes a reality for those who will come to Him. From the dawn of creation, we see man walking with God and enjoying fellowship with Him and then the unthinkable happens, man sides with evil and commits treason against the High King of Heaven. God casts man out of His presence and sin separates man from his Creator, but God who is rich in mercy makes a promise in Genesis 3:15. He promises that a Seed is coming and that Seed will crush the head of the Serpent, thus begins God’s unfolding plan of redemption, settled before the foundations of creation were laid. First God chooses a man Abraham, through whose line the Seed would come, from that man comes a people, Israel, who would represent Him among the nations and then there is a deliverer, Moses, who would lead His people out of the bondage of slavery and then there would be the king...

A man's heart plans his way, but The Lord directs his steps - Proverbs 16:9 It's Good Friday, three days away from what will be my 50th Birthday.   I don't know too many single women who celebrate their 50th birthday but, I've always loved mine and at every age I would have something planned out, especially for those milestone birthdays. At 16, I traveled with friends to NYC to see Bon Jovi play at Madison Square Garden. At 21, I was serving my country and even though I was away from home I'm thankful for those who served alongside me to help make that day special. Planning for this particular celebration, 50, had been in the works for over a year. I wanted to be surrounded by The Gospel, so I planned on going to two conferences: Together for The Gospel (T4G) and Secret Church (SC20). Everything had been purchased and all was well until a global pandemic ruined everything! Or did it? To be clear I AM NOT SAYING GOD SENT THE PANDEMIC. What I am saying is tha...

Photo by  Daria Shevtsova  from  Pexels Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  - Psalm 37:3-5 If you're like me then you're a rare bird indeed because I'm actually enjoying my time in quarantine. I'm enjoying getting up early and not having to rush out to catch a bus to get to work to sit under florescent lighting and deal with the attitudes of people. Yet, there are things that I do miss. I miss physically gathering with my Church Family and there are even people on my job that I miss seeing. I'm also not so foolish as to think that just because I'm doing okay that others are too and it's with that in mind that I want to take a few moments to encourage those who may be having a hard time. This Psalm gives us a clear path to true delight and the fir...

photo by Anna Shvets pexels.com 14  What  does it  profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  15  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,  16  and  one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what  does it  profit?  17  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. - James 2:14-17 What's more valuable right now than a roll of soft 2-ply quilted toilet paper??? If you've been to the grocery store as of late you might say a bottle of bleach, some Lysol wipes or other cleaning supply and to that list still others would add food. We seem to be in a time of scarcity of the things we took for granted. Things like toilet paper. The one thing that this pandemic has shown us is just how selfish we can be. Us four-no more-Katie bar the door has become...