Leaving A Trail of Beauty

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  First, I'm going to walk a ways down memory lane and then head on to the thanks tank. Bear with me as I get a little nostalgic on you: Have you ever just had an a-ha moment blast you out of nowhere? I had one of those recently.  When I was growing up, we had a nightlight in our bathroom. Just a little plastic box with a light in it that had a Scripture verse on it. My mom probably got it at our local Berean Christian Bookstore.  I truly never thought much about the nightlight or what it said. It was just always there. It lit my way to the potty if I got up in the middle of the night.  It shed a warm glow at the end of the hall way if I needed to find my way without waking anybody up.  That is, if I came in late once I had a curfew ( and oh, did I come in late more than once! So I got to be an expert at all the squeaky spots in

I wake up most mornings with a song in my head. This morning it was this one . I struggle with starting out on the positive side of things. I have to intentionally make a choice. As I turn to Philippians I find Paul makes a repetitive command throughout. As a matter of fact, Paul used "joy" or some form of it 16 times in this letter. Choosing to rejoice is an act of the will. I can wallow in my circumstances, my shortcomings, the things I can't control right now . . . or I can choose to rejoice. Today I rejoice in: God's provision for me. I am not going hungry, and I have a roof over my head. The vibrant, colorful creation all around me. He is the consummate artist, and His color palette astonishes and delights me every day. I paint, because He inspires it. The assurance that He knows what's next for me. The God winks in each day. He surprises me, and when I am attuned to what's going on around me I find I am always on His mind. His W

"For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." John 1:16 (ESV) From His fullness. God gives out of His abundance. We receive grace upon grace. Unmerited favor. I don't deserve it and neither do you. I can't do anything for it. I can't be enough, do enough, give enough, or offer Him anything, because He doesn't need anything. God is not losing anything to give to me out of His abundance. He has no lack. As He gives, there is no less of Him to offer. He is pleased to give to me, His beloved. My job? To receive. To accept the "grace upon grace" He so freely offers from the very fullness of what He always is. My Jesus is always the same. Scripture affirms this: "Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 That sounds easy in theory. He offers freely. Freely I receive it. In other areas of my life a free thing is as uncomplicated as finding cash lying on the sidewalk. Would I ever just pass by