Life by Grace Alone

A month and a half have gone by since I turned seventy. Recently I came across a letter I wrote to my grandmother when she had celebrated her 90th birthday. It was clear how my words applied in some measure to myself. I was 25 when I wrote these words to my grandmother in honor of her birthday. Little did I know how much encouragement I would receive from my own words 45 years later. Recently I saw a movie in which a man told a woman that she wasn't just 40 years old but that she was also 40 carats. By this he meant that just as a diamond becomes more valuable with each carat,Grandmom each year you become more precious to me. More importantly since you are a Christian, each year God takes the joys and sorrows of your life and uses them to make you more and more like His son, Jesus Christ. Even when you are unaware of it He is working to make you into a more obedient child of His. Just as we can't deserve to be saved by Jesus from our sins neither can we merit any of the wo...

I have a selection of cards with Bible verses. Each day I pick 2 or more to read and meditate on those truths as I go on a walk. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9  is a passage that keeps popping up. " B ut we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed." At first I was entranced by the promise that the worst thing would not happen. I would not be crushed, driven to despair, forsaken or destroyed. That sounded great but then I thought about the rest. I did not want to be afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted or struck down. This list did not make me any happier than the other list. Both lists did not fit in with my desire for a smooth life with only short bouts of suffering. Over the years I have experienced the uncertainty and discomfort of many surgeries as well as the illnesses a...

Yesterday our ninth grandchild was baptized. For part of the service I held Sarah Marie as she slept. I longed to see her open eyes as I imagined her future. My husband Steve stepped to the front of the sanctuary as it was time for him to give a charge to the dad, our son Josh and the mom, our daughter-in-law Karin. He held Sarah as he baptized her" in the name of the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit." What had happened over the years to lead to this day? Steve had baptized all four of our children, Karin and now all nine of our grandchildren. I recently read an account I wrote when my son this now mature dad of six was growing into the man I see before me. Josh came to us one day with a request. He was no older than twelve. " I want to have a serious talk with you soon." Both of us pulled him towards us and onto a nearby chair. "What's it about?" we asked. Josh continued to stare into space as he struggled to put his concerns into words. ...

Next month I will be marking my 70th birthday. Even though I have been a senior citizen for a while, some how the number 70 makes it clear that I have arrived at the last part of life. Only God knows how long this  phase will last. What am I going to do with the resources and opportunities that are available to me? How much time lies before me? Perhaps looking back will give me good ideas for moving forward. My grandmother died at the age of 93 and my mother died at the age of 95. Although both of them thought more slowly as they aged they were both clear thinkers. In spite of their severe hearing problems they both put a high value on being with other people.Into her nineties Mother would meet friends out for lunch. I remember many times she would visit home bound friends often sharing with them some food she had prepared. Although she enjoyed being alone interaction with people was an important part of life whether it was just to enjoy  the company of others or to encourag...

Marriage can seem like an impossible task. We spend most of our lives looking out after ourselves, the number one on the list. Sure we have many moments when we are concerned about the needs of a friend or relative. When we have been other focused, it doesn't take us long to get back to focusing on what we think is most important. We ask ourselves questions like how can I treat myself. When I was single it was easier to deny how very self centered I was. Starting with the honeymoon or shortly after I was confronted with the fact that life is not all about me. I could no longer ignore the fact that marriage is the union of two self centered sinners. How can such a union last? How do two people with different goals, different family backgrounds and different aspirations become a successful marriage. As strange as it may seem some of the best marriage advice comes from a work written in the 1640s. The first question of the Westminster Catechism is What is the chief end of man? Th...

Recently I came across this story that happened many years ago. My 36 year old daughter was only nine when these things occurred. My family and I lived 1500 miles from the place I had called home. My mother did the best she could to keep a degree of normalcy in the house where I had lived my high school years. My dad was fading as Alzheimers continued to progress. My father although not book smart had a wealth of practical knowledge of everything from the inner workings of any car to the best way to build a house. Now it was doubtful how much longer he would be able to look at us and remember that we were family as well as remember our names. I made arrangements to see my father hoping he was more himself than not. My youngest daughter came with me. Jessica loved her Pop-pop and she was the one who could make him smile. After our arrival and life was proceeding as usual, my father did seem more like himself than not. Yes , his attention span was shorter and he left more sentenc...

Years ago I was asked to work with some other women on a workshop about offspring that reject the faith of their parents. Recently I came across a list of advice that I had written for parents of grown .children. This was the basis for what I have written here. All of us have had the experience of feeling the disapproving glares of others as your darling child or children ignore the attempts of mom or dad to tame their disobedient behavior. As they grow into maturity the scenario changes but your reaction remains similar. "It is my fault. If only I  had prayed more or read the right books ----" You look forward to the day when if they are acting in ways that don't reflect your values they are doing it under their roof and not yours. If God has not seemed to answer your prayers distance makes the situation more bearable. Additional years do not make dealing with grown children any easier. Your level of concern may be higher now that they are older. Strong admonitions...

The other day I came across something I wrote after we adopted our second child. Both of them are now 40 but the memories are still clear as they adjusted to each other so long ago. One year has passed since we adopted our first child,  8 month old Laura, and now Chris at 23 months had become our son. Often as the children played outside I would watch them from the kitchen window. On this day I watched as Laura plopped herself on the push toy shaped like a horse.  Rejecting the chance to ride on two other riding toys, Chris tried to dismount his new sister by crying loudly and pulling her arm. Suddenly without a fight she relinquished the horse push toy, Smiling broadly, he swaggered over to the toy and mounted. Immediately Laura picked up a volleyball from the pavement and began to play. Again Chris wailed, his arms stretched longingly towards Laura's ball. She as willingly as she gave up the horse toy handed over the ball.  He clutched his latest toy while still ...

As I look forward to this year's trip to the beach I am reminded how living 30 miles from the ocean formed in me a desire to regularly soak in the beauty of the shore, I remember  another year when the last day of our beach vacation had come The sun was partially hidden behind some clouds but there was enough revealed to glisten on a wide swath of ocean water. The natural soundtrack of the pounding waves completed the close to perfect scene that lay before us. How could such awesome beauty exist when so many reports tell of the ocean being a repository of pollution as well as inadequate resources? Was this soothing scene before us a facade hiding the waste and destruction beneath? Perhaps there is another way to understand it. Yes, man has abused the resources God has given us. One thing we should not forget.  Our God is a creator who is constant and glorious in His creation. He graciously will not allow our sinfulness to cover His glory. Romans 1:20 states "For since th...

As the cold of winter clings to the first days of Spring, my thoughts go to the beach. Growing up 30 miles from the ocean, it always was a regular part of each summer One summer I reflected on what that amazing body of  water has meant to me. T he sun is partially hidden behind some clouds but it still manages to glisten a wide swath of ocean. The continual crash of the surf forms a natural background of percussion music. How could such awesome beauty exist in the ocean when all the reports tell of pollution and depletion of resources? Is this soothing scene before me a facade hiding the waste and destruction beneath?  Perhaps there is another perspective.Yes we have  abused the resources God has given us and yet because God is creator, constant and glorious in His creation, he graciously will not allow our sinfullness to cover His glory. Romans 1:20 For His invisible attributes namely His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since...

47  years ago at the age of 22 I was a college student at University of Md. I was deeply and wonderfully in love for the first and only time in my life. As Christmas approached, I easily burst into song as I went from class to class and when  I was with a group singing carols, I had extra energy to push out those notes. For the first time that I can remember people would tell me what a nice singing voice I had. What happened? My voice has always been too unpredictable and usually dependent on the singing skills of the person singing next to me. For this season of my life, my voice took its proper place as it reflected my joy at God's new gift to me. For the past few years my husband has been attending various churches often with me by his side as he preaches or talks on outreach. One thing seems clear. Far too often people just aren't singing. If they are singing they have their noses in their hymnals and they look more like they have a bad case of indigestion or they are re...

Over the years I have at times rejoiced at the insights God has given me about the life of a believer and the marvelous character of our heavenly Father. Occasionally I pick up a piece of writing I did a long time ago and I am amazed at the amount of spiritual maturity that seems to be present. More recently I am apt to doubt where I am coming from spiritually as my time with God forms more of a hit or miss pattern{heavy on the miss} This fall and winter have been stressful. The end of September I had knee replacement surgery. Shortly before that we decided to invite our daughter, her husband and three children to move into our house while we moved into their small garage apartment. We all still have the same address but the square footage changed dramatically. Although the move made logical sense it took awhile for my emotions to adjust. I had underestimated my claustrophobic tendencies. These last three years or more I hurt if I stood or walked anywhere. Now that my second knee w...

When my husband was in seminary, he had a professor who said that many Americans were neophiliacs. We all have seen many perhaps even ourselves taken by all that is new and pretty instead of the old tried and true. A large number of us would have to admit that we are lovers of the new validating the professor's category. Recently my husband took his faded worn out jeans to have a knee repaired.The cost of the repair would have gone a long way towards buying a new pair. I said nothing as he reminded me that these were his favorite. Since I would have purchased a replacement pair long ago, I quietly shook my head in wonder as he told me his plan. This morning he told me of another possession that is wearing out. His Bible needs to be rebound. This is the second Bible that has needed this attention.. Most of us rarely wear out anything, certainly not jeans and 2 Bibles. I'm sure if I could accurately examine my husband's past wardrobe I'd find many things that stood ...