This is a story about a man named John Newton. He was born in London in 1725. His father was the commander of a merchant ship that sailed in the Mediterranean. Little was written about his mother, except that she taught John what he knew about God. She died when John was young. At the age of eleven, John began sailing on long voyages with his father.
Read MoreWhat does it mean to be adopted into God’s family? I believe it means enjoying an unconditional love that’s forever. As a Christian, sometimes, I can still take on the mindset of someone who thinks I’m accepted into God’s family as long as I don’t mess up. I can forget that adoption into God’s family is permanent- and solely by His grace, not my works. I’m still learning, but as I’ve grown to more fully accept God’s grace. I've become better at trusting in his unconditional love, and I have a much greater peace than ever before.
Read MoreGod's love is amazing. Today, let's just soak in the goodness of that love. I pray the following words of truth will encourage and strengthen you. Here are twenty of my favorite quotes, from some of Christianity's great thinkers, on the love of God.
Read MoreThe mortgage was due on 1st. It was the 3rd- and there sat the envelope on the front table, waiting to go in the mail. My heart sank. As a rule-following kind of girl, it really bothers me when I mess up like this. I expected a late payment would be incurred and that there would be a ding on my credit rating. I was upset with myself for forgetting to get the check in the mail before I left on vacation.
Read MoreI remember well the wondrous anticipation I experienced every Christmas Eve throughout my childhood. I couldn’t wait to get up the next morning and run out to the tree to see what was under it. In those years, it would still be dark outside when my brother, sister, and I would wake our parents on Christmas mornings.
Read MoreWe had been trying to teach our four-year-old the importance of telling the truth.
Jokingly, Derek told Trent that his nose would grow long, like Pinocchio's, if he told lies.
If only we had known then, what problems this would cause. Poor Trent. He really believed Derek- and no matter what else we said, he was still scared of his nose growing long. He also started checking out everyone else's noses. It wasn’t a healthy fear.
Read MoreI could hear my seven-year-old happily singing from the bathroom as I loaded the dishwasher. It was almost time to leave for school. His big sister pointed out that he’d been in there a long time, and that he was probably getting into stuff. It was the same suspicion I had. His bathroom shenanigans were usually no more harmful than the occasional overzealous application of his Daddy’s cologne- and sometimes, he used way too much toilet paper, causing the toilet to overflow. I’m an expert with the toilet plunger. I have a lot of practice.
Read MoreShowing grace to others is about showing kindness even when they don’t deserve it. God has shown such grace to us. We, in turn, are asked to show grace to each other. Here are nine ways to extend grace to others.
Read MoreGrace. Unmerited favor from God, all because of Jesus Christ. It's a word I love to think about. I've combined some of my favorite quotes on the topic of grace with some photos I took last week. Enjoy!
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