2 Peter 3:18
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
An Important Appointment - Excerpt from Journey of Grace
Did you read about the appointment Grace arranged to share the Gospel with her coworker, Jan? Today I'm going to share with you another segment from chapter seven of Journey of Grace. I hope you enjoy "sitting in" on Grace and Jan's conversation! May it encourage you to step out in faith and share Christ with someone who does not yet know Him!
Grace decided to walk to the restaurant the next day as it
was only a few blocks from home. It was a little chilly, being,
the last week of November, but she appreciated the fresh air.
She arrived right at noon and found Jan sitting at a table,
waiting. After the two ordered their food, Grace pulled out her
little Bible which she carried in her purse.
“Thanks for meeting with me today, Jan. You may think
that this is just important to me, but actually, I want to talk to
you about the most important thing in your life. Let me start
out by sharing my testimony and then we’ll talk about where
you’re at, okay?”
“Okay.”
Grace shared her testimony as clearly as she could, making
sure that she explained how she actually got saved, and what
she was saved from. Jan seemed to listen intently.
“Now, Jan, can I ask you a question?” Grace paused
looking her in the eye.
“Sure.”
“If you were to stand before God today, and He were to
ask you, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ what would your
answer be?”
“Well, um, I guess, I’d tell Him that I was a pretty good
person in this life and never did any awful crimes or
anything…” her voice trailed off as she knew this would be a
pitiful answer. She could see on Grace’s face that it was not
the right answer either.
“The thing is, Jan, God cannot have any sin in His
presence. Plus, He must punish sin because He is a holy and
just God.”
“So you’re sayin’ that if a person did just one wrong thing,
and everything else he did was good, that God would send him
to hell?” Jan frowned.
At that moment the waitress came up with their food.
“I’ll answer that in a minute.” Grace wished their orders
hadn’t come yet because she did not want the conversation to
be interrupted. She bowed her head for a brief prayer before
lunch. Thank you for this food, Lord, and help me to answer
this question for Jan. Grace and Jan started enjoying their
meal.
“The straight answer to your question is, yes. God would
send him to hell.”
Jan did not like the answer.
“Look at it this way: Let’s say a teenaged girl is walking
down the street with some friends, and a drunk driver swerves
and hits her. The girl dies. Later, in court, the drunk driver is
being tried, and he stands up and pleads, 'Your Honor, I’ve
done so many good things in my life, and I’ve given to the
church, and done community service, and lots of other good
deeds. Can’t you excuse this one wrong?’ What if the judge
then says, ’Okay. He’s right. I’ve known this man all his life,
and he has done a lot of good. I’m going to let him go free,
even though he has done this horrible thing. Surely he has
done more good than bad.’ What do you think the parents of
that girl would say? Do you think anyone would consider the
judge’s ruling just?”
“No, definitely not!”
“Jan, we can’t expect God to let us go free either. Our sin
deserves a just penalty, and that’s why Jesus came to save us:
because He knew that ‘all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God.’”
At this point a light bulb went on in Jan’s mind. She
seemed to understand what Grace was saying. Grace shared
more verses with her about what Christ did on the cross.
“Thank you for spending your time today,” Jan said
soberly, “I need to go home and think about all this.”
“That’s fine, Jan. Just remember: this is the most important
decision you will ever make for yourself. I care where you
are going to spend eternity. I want to see you in heaven someday.”
Grace decided to walk to the restaurant the next day as it
was only a few blocks from home. It was a little chilly, being,
the last week of November, but she appreciated the fresh air.
She arrived right at noon and found Jan sitting at a table,
waiting. After the two ordered their food, Grace pulled out her
little Bible which she carried in her purse.
“Thanks for meeting with me today, Jan. You may think
that this is just important to me, but actually, I want to talk to
you about the most important thing in your life. Let me start
out by sharing my testimony and then we’ll talk about where
you’re at, okay?”
“Okay.”
Grace shared her testimony as clearly as she could, making
sure that she explained how she actually got saved, and what
she was saved from. Jan seemed to listen intently.
“Now, Jan, can I ask you a question?” Grace paused
looking her in the eye.
“Sure.”
“If you were to stand before God today, and He were to
ask you, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ what would your
answer be?”
“Well, um, I guess, I’d tell Him that I was a pretty good
person in this life and never did any awful crimes or
anything…” her voice trailed off as she knew this would be a
pitiful answer. She could see on Grace’s face that it was not
the right answer either.
“The thing is, Jan, God cannot have any sin in His
presence. Plus, He must punish sin because He is a holy and
just God.”
“So you’re sayin’ that if a person did just one wrong thing,
and everything else he did was good, that God would send him
to hell?” Jan frowned.
At that moment the waitress came up with their food.
“I’ll answer that in a minute.” Grace wished their orders
hadn’t come yet because she did not want the conversation to
be interrupted. She bowed her head for a brief prayer before
lunch. Thank you for this food, Lord, and help me to answer
this question for Jan. Grace and Jan started enjoying their
meal.
“The straight answer to your question is, yes. God would
send him to hell.”
Jan did not like the answer.
“Look at it this way: Let’s say a teenaged girl is walking
down the street with some friends, and a drunk driver swerves
and hits her. The girl dies. Later, in court, the drunk driver is
being tried, and he stands up and pleads, 'Your Honor, I’ve
done so many good things in my life, and I’ve given to the
church, and done community service, and lots of other good
deeds. Can’t you excuse this one wrong?’ What if the judge
then says, ’Okay. He’s right. I’ve known this man all his life,
and he has done a lot of good. I’m going to let him go free,
even though he has done this horrible thing. Surely he has
done more good than bad.’ What do you think the parents of
that girl would say? Do you think anyone would consider the
judge’s ruling just?”
“No, definitely not!”
“Jan, we can’t expect God to let us go free either. Our sin
deserves a just penalty, and that’s why Jesus came to save us:
because He knew that ‘all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God.’”
At this point a light bulb went on in Jan’s mind. She
seemed to understand what Grace was saying. Grace shared
more verses with her about what Christ did on the cross.
“Thank you for spending your time today,” Jan said
soberly, “I need to go home and think about all this.”
“That’s fine, Jan. Just remember: this is the most important
decision you will ever make for yourself. I care where you
are going to spend eternity. I want to see you in heaven someday.”
Making Sure Those Around You Hear the Gospel
Here is an excerpt from Chapter 7 of Journey of Grace.
I think many of us can relate to being in a situation where we want
to share the gospel with a friend or coworker, but can't quite figure
out how to bring it up. Grace was hoping it would just come up in
conversation with Jan. As months passed by without that “prime
moment” she decided she needed to be more intentional about it.
Sometimes being upfront is the best way to share the gospel because
it shows that you are serious about it and don't want the person to
miss it.
“Good morning, Jan,” Grace greeted as she punched in at
McDonald’s on Monday morning. “How’s life?”
“Oh, all right, I suppose,” Jan said in an unconvincing
tone.
“Jan, I have something I’ve been meaning to talk to you
about for a long time. I want to share with you how you can
have forgiveness and new life in Christ Jesus.”
“Grace, I can tell that you have something that most
people don’t have, and I truly wouldn’t mind hearing about it
another time, but I need to get to work right now.”
“Okay, maybe we could meet for lunch sometime to talk
about it more?”
“Sure, if you want to.”
“I’d love to! How about tomorrow? We both have off.”
“Okay. Would Olive Garden be all right?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll meet you there at about noon.”
“Sounds good!”
In my next post you can "sit in" on Grace and Jan's meeting the following day. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Announcing Upcoming Sequel!
Did you enjoy reading Journey of Grace? Could you relate to Grace in her struggles and her desire to grow in her walk with God?
I am excited to announce the upcoming sequel to Journey of Grace!
For those of you who have read Journey of Grace, you probably remember Grace's brother Mark. In my next book (Pressing Toward the Mark) you'll enjoy reading the heart gripping and thought provoking story about Mark's journey with the Lord.
And now...a little peak at the story line!
I am excited to announce the upcoming sequel to Journey of Grace!
For those of you who have read Journey of Grace, you probably remember Grace's brother Mark. In my next book (Pressing Toward the Mark) you'll enjoy reading the heart gripping and thought provoking story about Mark's journey with the Lord.
And now...a little peak at the story line!
Mark Evans is heartbroken after his relationship with the woman he
planned to marry is terminated. His dreams and pursuits for the future
suddenly seem unimportant and muddled. Leaving his hometown for the
unknown, he seeks a fresh start and time to think.
Putting the miles between him and home seems to make things better, but still that ugly truth remains hidden under layers of thoughts he doesn't want to think about. Why did she have to end their courtship? Why did his recent lack of boldness in sharing Christ have to be a deal breaker?
Though far from home, and the young lady he loves, Denver, Colorado brings him face to face with his failure. When a close friend unexpectedly dies, Mark is faced with the painful fact that he had never shared the gospel with him. He had failed again. Now he would never have another chance.
An extended stay at a family-run hotel, an adventurous, spunky friend who introduces him to rock climbing, a mysterious business man, a runaway daughter, a forged text message....
A whirlwind of events and people change Mark's perspective forever.
Mark finds that the most important mission in life is to bring souls to Christ...no matter where or who they are.
Stay tuned!!!
Putting the miles between him and home seems to make things better, but still that ugly truth remains hidden under layers of thoughts he doesn't want to think about. Why did she have to end their courtship? Why did his recent lack of boldness in sharing Christ have to be a deal breaker?
Though far from home, and the young lady he loves, Denver, Colorado brings him face to face with his failure. When a close friend unexpectedly dies, Mark is faced with the painful fact that he had never shared the gospel with him. He had failed again. Now he would never have another chance.
An extended stay at a family-run hotel, an adventurous, spunky friend who introduces him to rock climbing, a mysterious business man, a runaway daughter, a forged text message....
A whirlwind of events and people change Mark's perspective forever.
Mark finds that the most important mission in life is to bring souls to Christ...no matter where or who they are.
Stay tuned!!!
Monday, March 7, 2016
The "JOG" Shipment is Here!
So exciting to get the first big shipment of my book in the mail! Sold
copies are being sent off to their new homes, and Journey of Grace is
finally in the hands of readers! Yay! Thank you, Lord!
Saturday, January 16, 2016
My Book is Here!!!
Today the proof copies of Journey of Grace came in the mail!!! It's SO EXCITING to hold in my hands the first hard copies of my book! Stay tuned! Your copy of the book will be available very soon!
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
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