Grace in the Midst

     January.  Wow, my last post was in January.  I knew it had been a while, but 5 months?  I think that is the longest I have gone without writing! It feels good to be back.  Where did I go?  Well, at first I was embarrassed.  I felt like I needed to announce that we are expecting our 5th little one - which I never officially did (but I guess I'm doing now?).  As much as I wish I was one of those confident people who doesn't care what people think.  I'm not.  I struggle with it - A LOT.   I was personally excited the first couple of weeks, but afraid to admit it.  Then, when the pregnancy hormones kicked in full force, the word excited was no where in my vocabulary.  Scared, yes.  Doubting myself, you bet. I found myself constantly analyzing the comments I get at the grocery store (your crazy, I'm glad its you and not me, you DO know what causes that, right?, How can you ...

Praying through the Lord's prayer daily is one of the most life changing habits I have ever made.  On the days that I skip it, which have been quite a few lately, I can't believe how different I feel.  Its as if I am lost. I've missed it so much. I shared the process with a couple of friends and they keep reminding me how much of a difference it is making in their daily walk - so, I'm re-joining them :) I do it in a number of ways - sometimes in letter form (like below), sometimes in list form (listing proof of His existence, attributes of his name, reasons I long for His kingdom...and so on), and sometimes simply praying through it in the shower (my prayer closet) ;) Would you consider joining us in this daily habit? Our Father - Dear Abba (daddy), Who art in heaven Sometimes it is hard for me to remember that you really are there.  Though your creation makes it obvious in so many ways - and the blessings you pour out upon my life are unbelievable - often ...

A s many Christians do, I often feel like I am trying to balance on a seesaw between legalism and cheap grace.  In other words, at times I am tempted to focus solely on the "rules" of Christianity and other times I am tempted to completely forget about "rules" and find myself with a "who cares, He loves me no matter what" kind of attitude.  Focusing on either end brings little glory to God.  Yet, there is a place for both within the gospel of Christ.   There is another "seesaw" I wrestle with daily - training my children to behave vs demonstrating God's grace with my words and actions.  At times I find myself discouraged because though I have read many books & articles on both sides of the spectrum (either totally focused on behavior or totally focused on grace), it is rare that I stumble upon one with a healthy balance - although, there are a few.  The "grace based" philosophys make me feel like I shouldn't work on my chi...