A walk in the park is literally what I did recently – I went for a walk in the park. But I confess to you here that it wasn’t just any park and it wasn’t just any walk. For me and for those with me, it was a walk of faith, it was a walk for a very special and a very specific purpose. It was a walk in a very special and extraordinarily symbolic park.

We must have been an unexpected and inexplicable sight to anyone who was witness to our presence in the park that morning. As I have described us before, (post C.C. power walk redefined #78) I will again – nothing has changed. We look a lot like America and exactly like Revelation 7:9-10 which says,

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ ”

On this particular morning, we were singing but we weren’t exactly wearing white robes. What were we wearing? – white t-shirts with a cross and the word peace written on the cross. We had come together in peace, we had come together with a purpose, we had come together to pray. We had come together to pray for peace.

We were gathered together at the Landmark for Peace, which is a memorial in Martin Luther King Jr. Park in our city. This truly was the most appropriate place for us to come together, as this landmark has a history and a story so relevant for today.

It was here in this park on April 4th, 1968 that Robert Kennedy was to give a campaign speech. But instead, Kennedy ended up announcing the assassination of Dr. King to the assembled crowd and making pleas to them for peace and racial reconciliation. So on that day of national shock and sadness, while other cities burned, Indianapolis remained peaceful.

Twenty-seven years later, on September 30, 1995 the sculpture/memorial that is the Landmark for Peace was dedicated in this park in memory of Kennedy’s speech here on the day of Dr. King’s death. This is particularly poignant as Kennedy himself would be assassinated just two months after Dr. King.

The memorial features the half figures of King and Kennedy reaching out to each other, arms and hands extended, from walls opposite each other, separated by a walkway. Their hands, reaching out, each to the other, reaching out in brotherhood, in unity – these two slain civil rights leaders, one black, one white, fighting together to demand that America live up to her promise of “liberty and justice for all.”

These men loved America. Instead of fighting each other, they were fighting together to make the United States a better place. They did not want to see America torn down. They wanted to see her continue to grow more fully into her promise, into the vision those who have fought and died over the years hold in their hearts of all she has already been for so many and all she will yet be for future generations.

So on this day, with our cities again on fire, it seemed this Landmark for Peace memorial was the perfect place for us to come to pray for peace. Indeed, just how significant and special this site and what it symbolizes are, was made clear just a few years ago. On April 4th, 2018, fifty years after King’s assassination and Kennedy’s speech, President Trump signed into law the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site Act. This act designated the Landmark for Peace Memorial as the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site.

This designation by President Trump, affirms to us that the story told by this memorial is not only meaningful to the people of our state but it is an important and necessary story to preserve for all Americans who want to understand the story and the history of our nation.

And so it happened on this day, that my walk in the park, our walk in the park, began and ended at this historic memorial, this Landmark for Peace. We were there on this quiet, overcast early morning in obedience to these words from 1 Timothy 2:1-4 & 8,

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. . . . I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.”

These are our marching orders and they are clear. For months we have been surrounded by anger and disputing everywhere we look. This has led to violence and destruction, pain and suffering surrounding and engulfing us as a country.

As Americans, we have always been there for each other. Whether tornadoes or hurricanes or blizzards or floods or fires, states have always sent power crews to restore downed lines, teams have shown up with food, water, clothes and other supplies from far away states. Individuals and churches have mobilized to provide shelter and assistance in times of trouble. Individual acts of kindness too numerous to take note of in the national discourse, have abounded and prevailed.

How short our collective memory is! How we long for peace in our day and in our daily lives! Psalm 34:14 tells us to,

“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

We are told to actively pursue peace. And so we came to pray for peace – God’s peace – peace in our own lives, peace in our families, peace in our neighborhoods, peace in our schools, peace in our city, peace in our state, peace in our country and peace in this world.

We are given instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5:15, “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” That’s pretty clear.

Then I am told, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your (my) hearts, since as members of one body you (I) were (was) called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)

I am called to peace! I had better be more intentional about pursuing it then. Hebrews 12:14 tells me to, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

Jesus reassures me with these words from John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Romans 12 has much good advice about pursuing peace including, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. . . . Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud . . . Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, . . . Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

And so on that peaceful morning, in the park with the peace landmark, we walked through the park, praying peace for the people of our city and peace for the people of our nation. We will not stand silent while our country burns, watching our freedoms go up in flames. We will stand in the gap as God calls us to do, in prayer as intercessors, crying out for peace to the very Prince of Peace Himself.

“And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

A walk in the park and a prayer for peace. This is my prayer for you, dear readers.

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

“The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” (Psalm 29:11)

sincerely, Grace Day

I couldn’t believe my eyes! There it was, right in front of me on the shelf. I was reaching for the yogurt with the cherry fruit, my second choice substitute since the mango yogurt had mysteriously disappeared some time ago. And without warning, I might add. But today my mango yogurt had magically reappeared! A miracle amid the mundane just for me.

Funny how such a small thing could make my day. But it did. I thought back to when this mystery of the missing mango yogurt first began and realized it was mid March. That was the same time everything shut down, including my school, due to the COVID crisis. There followed empty shelves where toilet paper, hand sanitizer, paper towels and Clorox wipes had been, but I made no connection between the disappearance of my mango yogurt and the appearance of COVID-19 on the world scene.

What possible connection could there be? But then the toilet paper scarcity took me by surprise as well. What was the connection to COVID with that one? So at first, I just assumed my mango yogurt was temporarily out of stock and would return soon. I mean, this happens with all kinds of products. On any given day I go to the store and they are out of my favorite brand or flavor of whatever. But the next time I go, it is again in stock.

For awhile, each time I went to the store, I looked with eager expectation for my mango yogurt. After all, it had always reappeared in the past. But not this time. Months went by. Six of them, to be exact. But who’s counting? I wasn’t anymore. I confess – I had stopped looking for my mango yogurt at some point. I can’t even say when that point was. All I know, is that I no longer looked for it. I no longer held out any hope that mango yogurt was coming back to a store shelf near me.

But today it did! How easily I gave up hope. How quickly I found substitutes and told myself I liked them just as well. This got me to thinking about other things for which I no longer hope, things I no longer expect to magically reappear like my mango yogurt. One would be Clorox wipes. Why aren’t they back yet? If we can make ventilators, why can’t we make wipes?

Something else I quickly substituted, was zoom for the face to face. I told myself I liked it just as well but I could only lie to myself for so long. When the real thing was possible once again, even in a limited form, I was reminded how far superior it is to its stand in and would be replacement.

How many things, like my mango yogurt, have I quit expecting to return? What other things have I given up hope of finding once again? What is lost that I no longer expect to recover? What is gone that I no longer expect to experience ever again?

Churches and schools are not fully open and functioning. Both fulfill their purposes more truly and more fully in person. That’s how they were designed to carry out their callings – in person. Birthdays and baby showers, weddings and wakes, parades and plays, movies and musicals, concerts and sports contests of every kind – all were designed to be experienced in community. Not in isolation.

Have I stopped expecting the return of these things? Have I no longer any hope? Former president Ronald Reagan said something sobering and sad and alarming all at the same time. It was this,

“Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.”

Have I given up hope? Just like I was no longer looking for my yogurt, am I no longer looking for those freedoms lost to COVID-19? Am I no longer expecting those freedoms to be returned to me, to you, to each one of us? Are our freedoms to be reinstated? Will they reappear in the fabric of our daily lives? Or do we have to demand our freedom all over again, just as those in 1776 demanded their freedoms, their unalienable rights, rights guaranteed to them by their Creator, rights no longer to be withheld by any government? Am I content to remain silent while every freedom falls away from me, from us? “All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to remain silent.”

Where are the voices that would speak up before it is too late? Free speech is one of those freedoms being taken while we are busy pursuing other things. Now speech is taken down from Facebook and YouTube, while college campuses censor and silence any voices of dissent as well.

Still Galatians 6:9 tells me, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

And Psalm 31:24 instructs, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”

The unexpected return of my mango yogurt today reminded me that other lost things could yet be returning as well. I don’t have to give up hope. All is not lost. Anything is possible.

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’ ” (Mark 10:27)

sincerely, Grace Day

Today is a memorable day and as such a special day, a day set apart from other more ordinary days. I confess – September 11th has been a particularly special day for me for the past thirty years. Now before you start calling into question my mathematical skills, let me assure you I do realize it has been only nineteen years since the terrorist attack that toppled the trade towers in New York City.

I remember that day well. That day was and is the Pearl Harbor of our generation and we are forever changed and defined by the events of September 11, 2001, both individually and corporately as a nation. However, my life was forever changed on this same day thirty years ago when I brought a new life into this world. My youngest daughter was born on this day thirty years ago.

So I remember where I was on this day thirty years ago. I was in the hospital! That day holds for me, the sacred memory of a new life making her grand entrance into the world after nine months of anticipation, preparation and prayer. It was the day of a miracle, the priceless gift of a child, a reason to rejoice with great gladness. I remember the overwhelming sense of relief I felt, because my daughter had arrived safely and in good health. It was a day of joy and of great gratitude to God.

That must be why we celebrate birthdays. We want to remember the miracle and the gift that each person’s life is. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate that? (plus there’s the cake and ice cream)

So eleven years after my first memorable 9-11, nineteen years ago today, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. Nine/eleven was already a day to remember for me, but now a day of celebration of new life would also become a day of mourning the loss of life.

This was my daughter’s golden birthday, she was turning eleven on the eleventh. With my children at school, I was home baking a birthday cake and wrapping presents, which would be eaten and opened after dinner. I think it was a chocolate cake that I would later frost with pink icing. One of her gifts was roller skates. They were white with purple wheels and purple laces. I wonder if she remembers them?

My mom called to tell me to turn on the TV and the world was changed before my eyes. We live in the middle of the country (fly over country people on the coasts call it) but we suffered the heartbreak and the loss as one people, as one nation. Prayer was politically correct and police officers, firefighters, and first responders were our heroes. Their courage and self-sacrifice were an inspiration to everyone of us.

Today it is nineteen years later. My daughter lives in another state, in another time zone. Because of COVID, it might as well be another continent. We have not seen each other in far too long. I am not baking a cake today, her gift has been wrapped and mailed already. Nothing as exciting as roller skates though. Although it is something dear to my heart.

Today, we as a nation are remembering and honoring those we lost on nine/eleven. I am multi-tasking – mourning and celebrating simultaneously. I am remembering the courage and the sacrifice of so many individuals and the collective cohesiveness of all of us as Americans, coming together to face the evil that had caused us such harm.

Also today, I am remembering birthdays past, starting with the one in the hospital – the day you were born, my dear, precious daughter. Life and death, inextricably linked. How many nine/eleven birthdays must there be anyway? But it is yours that I celebrate, my daughter. Nine/eleven will always be a day to remember with joy and with gratitude for me. The day God gave me the gift of you! (your birthday and I get a present, go figure?)

Maybe I’ll eat some ice cream in your honor? I hope you will have cake, if for no other reason than so you will have a place to put the thirty candles for you to blow out. Your Papa always had peach pie for his birthday, but getting candles to stand up on pie was always a little tricky for Grami.

So, on this day to remember, I am remembering you, my daughter.

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)

“Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn Your commands.” (Psalm 119:73)

“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me (you); Your love, O Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of Your hands.” (Psalm 138:8)

sincerely, Grace Day

I was fed today – more spiritually than physically – but then it was my spirit more than my body that needed nourishment today. The menu for this meal is a simple one, one which hasn’t changed over time. Actually, this meal is over two-thousand years old and I have partaken of it many times in the past. I am always grateful to have a seat at the table.

So today, on my favorite day, Sunday, I find myself sitting in my favorite seat, my seat at the table. Surrounded by sinners and saints alike, all of us singing our hearts out to God, I settle into the service as sunlight pours through the stained glass – stained glass that has stood for more than a century, watching over and witnessing the worship of generation after generation.

The meal we shared today started with Jesus and His disciples. It was called the Last Supper because it was the last meal Jesus shared with them before His crucifixion. That Last Supper became the first of many meals shared down through the ages, now called communion or the Lord’s Supper.

That night in the upper room, it was bread and wine that were shared. Today it is often crackers and juice, but the purpose of the shared food remains the same. It is for us to remember something vitally important.

” . . . You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

I was bought at a price? I was bought at a price! And what a price it was that was paid!

“because You (Jesus) were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9)

Jesus paid my price, my debt to God, with His own body and blood given on the cross to make atonement for my sin, so I could have a place in God’s kingdom, a seat at His table, a relationship with Him as one who has been redeemed, released from debt and reconciled to God.

Why blood? Hebrews 9:22 tells me why and Leviticus 17:11 explains further the necessity of the blood sacrifice.

“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”

And so I drank the juice today, remembering these words from Matthew 26:27-28,

“Then He (Jesus) took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’ ”

And I ate the cracker today while listening to these familiar words from Luke 22:19,

“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ ”

That’s why I am called to His table – to remember. I need to remember the price that was paid for me. I need to remember Whose I am. Because when I know Whose I am then I know who I am. (there’s that identity thing again, post #88 identity)

My Savior, who died on that cross, doesn’t want me to forget the price that He paid to redeem my soul for eternity. He doesn’t want me to forget who I am in Him. Now I readily confess – I am prone to forgetfulness. But my Heavenly Father wants to remind me that I am His image bearer because I am created in His image.

Sometimes we need a meal to help us remember. The Lord’s Supper is that meal. It is a meal of reflection and remembrance. It is a meal of repentance and restoration. It is a meal of renewal and reaffirmation of my calling in Christ, lest I forget at what price I was purchased. Lest I forget that my sin debt has been paid in full.

The world may put a price on me and on you, dear reader, but it won’t be a true reflection of our worth. It will be based on possessions, appearance, achievements, fame, talent etc. – a whole host of ever changing circumstances. But my worth, your worth, in Christ never changes because He never changes.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

And we are of infinite value to Him. Consider what Jesus says in Matthew 10:29-31,

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

The same One who holds every star in place holds onto me! I will not be misplaced! or forgotten. or abandoned.

“He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26)

I will not go missing either. Sharing in this meal today, reminds me once again, just what great lengths God went to, just how great a price He paid to redeem my soul. This knowledge is more than I can grasp just as Paul says in Ephesians 3:18-19,

“may (you) have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Today I was filled to the measure once again as I remembered and reflected on His body and His blood, broken and poured out for me and for you on that cross so long ago. Jesus paid the highest price, the ultimate price for me and for you.

” . . . He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)

“he was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

today I ate at His table, this meal of remembrance. may I never forget Whose I am and at what a price I was purchased . . .

sincerely, Grace Day

Why is it I feel like my spiritual walk too often resembles my physical walk?  By this I refer to the fact that I plod along day after day, it is not pretty, it is not graceful, it is not exciting, just one foot in front of the other, one step at a time, so slow, so weighted down with  . . .

with what?  with the cares of the world?   with the hurts and the heartaches life inflicts?  with the losses and the loneliness they inevitably bring?  with the worries and the wounds others inflict?  with sorrow over events surrounding me that I cannot control?  with the burdens I choose to carry by refusing to lay them down? not willing to leave them behind? not willing to hand them over? or unwilling to share them with others?

I confess – in my heart I am a runner, running great distances, overcoming great obstacles, ascending tall mountains, feeling the freedom of the wind and the joy of my speed  . . . but my body does not know this.  My body walks, glued to the ground, when all the while, my spirit wants to soar.  I am ready for that promise in Isaiah 40:29 & 31 which says,

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.   those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

I want to soar with the eagles.  The view is different from up there.  I just know it.

“declares the Lord.  ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’ ”  (Isaiah 55:9)

But that view is not mine at the moment, so I don’t get to soar by sight, mine is to walk by faith and not by sight – even though it feels more like plodding and I don’t see progress.  But then my view is so limited.

And in my view, I am a plodder.  So I checked on the definition of the word “plod” and found that the definition of plod, as it turns out, is “to walk heavily/slowly under the weight of a burden.”  So this burden thing is not my imagination – it is real.  How many of us feel like we are carrying extra weight as we are walking by faith as we run this race we call our lives?

That must be why Hebrews 12:1 tells me to, ” . . . throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us (me) run with perseverance the race marked out for us (me).”

Maybe that’s why 1 Peter 5:7 tells me to “Cast all your (my) anxiety (cares) on God because He cares for you (me).”

I don’t have to carry this extra weight, these heavy burdens.  It is my choice.  Jesus made an offer in Matthew 11:28-30 to anyone and to everyone who  was willing. To any and to all of us plodders, trudging wearily through life, Jesus issued this wonderful invitation saying,

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

King David knew this secret, that we don’t have to bear our burdens alone.  He said in Psalm 68:19,

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”

King David knew that we could throw off everything that hinders us in our race, he knew we have been invited to cast all our cares on God, he knew that it is God who will never leave us nor forsake us, but instead, it is God who will walk with us and in so doing will daily bear our burdens.

This is wonderful news for a plodder like me, who longs to be a runner with wings, who wishes to be a soarer with the eagles.  David understood.  He said something else very revealing in Psalm 18:33 when he praised God saying,

“You make my feet run as fast as those of a deer, and You help me stand on the mountains.”  (Contemporary English Version)

Another translation says, ” . . .  He causes me to stand on the heights.”  Just what a plodder like me longs for!  A view from the heights!  The feeling of freedom running as swiftly as a deer would bring.

But I must run my race, literally walk/plod my race, without that view.  Why? Because I don’t run this race for myself but for my Heavenly Father.  And He desires that I do as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:7,

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”  (I’m noticing it says walk not run.)

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”  (Hebrews 11:6)

“Abram believed (had faith in) the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”   (Genesis 15:6)

So I guess it’s faith that’s important, not sight?  It is by faith that I walk on each day.  It is by faith I do what Paul talks about in Philippians 3:12-14 when he says,

” . . . I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

I am told to press on, I wonder if that includes or involves plodding?  persistently, painstakingly, purposefully, persevering – plodding toward the goal.  Plodding is not pretty, it is not graceful.  Maybe if I would remember each day, to throw off what hinders, cast off my cares and take up Jesus’s yoke, my plodding walk of faith would look a little lighter.

In any case, I do have the assurance that one day my faith walk will be a joyous run without weariness and then a soaring on wings like the eagles.  In the meantime I am told,

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  (Galatians 6:9)

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”  (James 1:12)

it is for me to persevere, to plod on in faith, knowing it is God who bears my burdens, it is my Heavenly Father who is preparing me through all this plodding, to one day go on the high places He has in store for me –

until then, I will persevere, I will plod on  . . .  in faith, by faith, with faith

sincerely,        Grace Day

I readily confess to you, dear readers, I am not the person I once was.  This realization is not the result of identity theft nor of an identity crisis.  It is the result of transformation over time which has taken place at the hands of the Master Potter.

The question was put to me, “Who are you?”  So many ways to answer that question – how do I define myself?  by my job title? by my relationships? by my achievements? by my possessions?  Who am I?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

What can I say?  Who am I?  I am an orphan, now adopted.  I am the fatherless, now a daughter of the King of Creation, my Heavenly Father.  I am the rejected, now chosen and set apart.  I am a beggar, now made rich – I am the lame no longer limping.  I am a captive, now set free.

I am a wayward wanderer, now welcomed home at last.  I am an outcast, now accepted.  I am the nameless, now known by name.  I am the weak, now made strong. I am the weary, now renewed.  I am a leper, now fully cleansed.  I am a criminal, now fully pardoned.  I am a debtor whose debt has been paid in full.  I am a sinner, now fully forgiven – a sinner transformed into a saint through the pain of the Potter’s wheel.  I am the wearer of filthy rags, now clothed in the white robe of my Redeemer’s righteousness.

I am an empty vessel, now full.  I am the sick, now made well.  I am the blind, now given sight.  I am the unseen, now seen – the voiceless now heard – the misunderstood, now fully comprehended.  I am the lost, now found.  I am a desert dweller, mercifully maintained by the miracle of manna new every morning.  I am the thirsty, allowed to drink from the Living Water.  I am a heart transplant recipient, the stony-hearted given a new heart of flesh in a life saving operation.

I am the directionless, now given purpose – the hopeless, now filled with hope.  I am the despairing, now joyfully overflowing.  I am the mourning, now dancing -the weeping, now singing.  I am a fool, given wisdom – a rebel granted grace.  I am the proud, now learning humility – the deceitful now learning to speak only truth. I am a coward learning courage.  I am the selfish, learning generosity.  I am the careless, learning how to care for others.

I am a stumbling block turned into a stepping stone.  I am a would be master turned into a willing servant.  I am a renegade turned into a faithful follower.  I am the discouraged, learning how to persevere.  I am one who does evil learning to do good.  I am one who hates, learning to love.

I am a rule follower and a lawbreaker – now a relationship pursuer and a lover of the laws of God.

I am a doubter learning to trust, I am a sojourner headed home to heaven.  I am one who walks by sight, now learning to walk with eyes of faith.  I am the repentant, the rescued, the redeemed, the reconciled, the restored, the renewed child of my Heavenly Father.  I am counted, I am called.  I am known, I am named.  I am called by name, just like every star He holds in its place.

I am the clay on the Master Potter’s wheel.  I am a work in progress.

I am the least of these.  and yet  

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us (me) all things?”  (Romans 8:32)

I am the least of these.  and yet 

“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever (me) believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

I am the least of these.  and yet  . . .   God says to me,

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”  (Jeremiah 31:3)

I am the least of these.  and yet   . . .

and yet there is a story told in Matthew and in Luke about a man who owns one hundred sheep and one of them goes missing. This man pursues his sheep, finds it and brings it safely home to be with the rest of the flock.  (I guess 99% isn’t good enough for him?)  Then we read,

“In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”  (Matthew 18:14)   and we read,

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”  (Luke 15:7)  (I guess God isn’t satisfied with 99% either)

I am the least of these.  and yet  

“He (the Lord) is patient with you, (me) not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  (2 Peter 3:9)

Who am I?  I am the clay on the Potter’s wheel, being fashioned day by day into a vessel for His use.  I am the jar of clay with the priceless treasure of His Holy Spirit living inside of me.

I am the least of these,  and yet   . . .   God says,

“Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.”  (Isaiah 43:4)

and that’s just what God did, He sent Jesus to die on the cross in exchange for me –

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  (John 15:13)

and that’s just what Jesus did – my identity is secure in Christ.

sincerely,      Grace Day

I confess – this post is a continuation of a previous post, “C.C. True Confessions – Overcomers #84”.  But we are a country full of overcomers.  There are always more stories of courage and perseverance to share .  So I thought I would write about a few more.

Not surprisingly, this story of underdogs overcoming obstacles and odds to win a gold medal is documented in a movie, the movie “October Sky.”  This gold medal was not won at an Olympics but at the 1960 National Science Fair in Indianapolis, Indiana.  These students, Homer Hickam, Billy Rose, Quentin Wilson, Jimmy Carroll, Roy Cooke and Sherman Siers became known as “the rocket boys” in their hometown of Coalwood, West Virginia.  These boys, from this poor mining community, persevered, making and launching thirty-five rockets in their quest to qualify for the National Science Fair.  That gold medal opened doors of opportunity for each of them to attend college rather than work in the mines after high school.

This past week another American overcomer shared her story with us.   Alice Marie Johnson was serving a life sentence in prison when she was released in 2018 after twenty-two years of incarceration.  Her personal story is an inspiration to anyone who hears it.  While in prison she became a playwright, a mentor, a certified hospice volunteer, an ordained minister, worked with disabled women and received the Special Olympics’ event coordinator of the year award.

In her own words, Alice stated that her body was imprisoned but not her mind. She never gave up hope but continued to fight for her freedom.  Through her courage and perseverance, it seems to me, Alice accomplished more behind bars than many of us accomplish even though we have our freedom.  Alice is an overcomer in the truest sense of the word.  Even while still in prison, she had already overcome so many obstacles, becoming an ordained minister and finding meaning and purpose in her life serving God by serving others.

Whether in prison or out, Alice’s life was already that of a victorious overcomer. Her circumstances did not dictate her decision to overcome her obstacles and to make her life count for God.  This is conviction.  This is courage.  Alice spoke of her unshakable faith which saw her through her darkest days.  Now she has received a full pardon from the President, giving her a clean slate.

Actually, Alice already had a clean slate.  That’s what each of us receives from God, a full pardon, the moment we accept the sacrifice of Jesus death on that cross in our place.  Jesus has paid our price and we are fully pardoned.  We are free. I’m guessing Alice knew that kind of freedom, the freedom that doesn’t depend on our earthly circumstances, long before her release from prison.

Alice is an overcomer.  We are all overcomers in Christ Jesus.  The words in Romans 8:35-37 make that truth abundantly clear,

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  . . .   No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

more than conquerors – that’s you and that’s me, in Christ.  We are met to live as overcomers, pardoned, freed, fearless, courageous – followers of Christ, children of God, our Heavenly Father.  Thank you, Alice Marie Johnson, for letting your light shine in this dark time, inspiring us all.

“Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  (Deuteronomy 6:6 & 8)

sincerely,          Grace Day

 

 

I wonder if she is weeping today?  I confess – I am.  Surely Katharine Bates, who wrote “America the Beautiful”, must be mourning what is happening in her “alabaster cities gleaming” – the cities she memorialized in her 1895 song lyrics.  I know I am – grieving that is.

Why am I weeping over places I have never been and will never visit?  I am crying for people I have never met and likely never will.  Why am I so inexplicably sad?  It is not my city burned down, my business gone, my job gone because the store where I worked is no longer there.  It is not my once beautiful park now unrecognizable, my magnificent/miracle mile now marred, my church defaced, my city streets once full of families out to enjoy a summer evening now full of angry, armed, assailants daring anyone to defy them.

So why am I so deeply despondent over this rising tide of violence?  After all, it hasn’t come to my family, to my house, to my door – well, not yet.  Maybe it’s because I can’t escape the truth of these words from the song “No Man is an Island” – “Each man’s joy is joy to me, Each man’s grief is my own.  . . .   I will defend, Each man as my brother, Each man as my friend.   . . .   We all look to the One above, For our strength to renew.”

I can’t escape the truth of these words.  Harm to my fellow Americans is harm to me, it is harm to us all.  What we have witnessed across our country and in our streets at the hands of BLM is deception, deception designed to distract us, to divide us and to destroy our cities, our freedoms and our lives.  Any message has long been lost in the mayhem their violence creates.

This is particularly ironic at this moment in history, as the fifty-seventh anniversary of The March on Washington was yesterday.  It was there Dr. King gave his famous “I have a dream” speech, words still resonating and relevant today.  I also find these words from Dr. King’s 1964 Nobel Prize lecture to be words as relevant today as they were then.  Dr. King stated regarding violence,

“Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral.  . . . violence never brings permanent peace.  It solves no social problem: Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love.  It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible.  It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.”   In contrast Dr. King said of nonviolence,

“It seeks to secure moral ends through moral means.  Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon.  Indeed, it is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.”

That explains so much of Dr. King’s legacy.  They didn’t burn the buses, they boycotted them.  The economic impact dealt the blow and achieved their goal. They didn’t destroy the lunch counters they wished to sit at, they sat until laws changed to right that wrong.  The goal was achieved with the stores still standing.

I am reminded of these words in 1 Peter 2:12, which exemplify Dr. King’s approach to bringing about change and securing justice, which instruct us to –

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

Win a victory by doing what is right, not what is wrong.  It takes courage and compassion to stand up for the oppressed, to speak out for what is right.  It requires no courage to shout profanity, to throw a brick, to spray paint a monument, to loot a store, to burn a building, to vandalize other people’s property, to violently attack people – no courage is needed for any of these actions.  That would explain why most of this activity takes place after dark, perpetrated by masked and hooded individuals, secure in their anonymity as part of a nameless, faceless mob.

Darkness is the cover of cowards.  Striking parallels to the actions of the KKK make the actions of BLM all the more ironic.  I thought they were against oppression and for justice.  But their tactics are oppressive and there is nothing just about their actions, including destroying other people’s property or livelihoods, which include black owned businesses and neighborhoods.   There is nothing just about looting/stealing from the vandalized stores and calling it “reparations.”  Crime is crime no matter what name you give to it.

This is clearly injustice masquerading as justice.  Isaiah had something to say about that in Isaiah 5:20 & 23, when he cried out,

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.    Woe to those  . . . who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.”

Woe indeed!  In this moment when the deeds of darkness, the deeds of lawlessness, of oppression and of injustice seem to surround us all – I hang onto the promise in Psalm 30:5 which says,

“weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.”(John 1:5)

We can each do as Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16,  ” . . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

After all, Jesus told us, “You are the light of the world.”  (Matthew 5:14)

This dark world needs some light right about now, so we must be that city on a hill  providing God’s light in this dark time.

sincerely,          Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I confess – I too often avoid or put off going to my knees in prayer, though I feel the need so urgently, though I feel the pull so persistent within me to come away, though I feel the cares of the world and my own becoming too heavy to continue to carry – I also carry within me the memory of moments past spent there in that sacred space, suspended in the safety of His presence – and I know when I enter in, I will be loathe to leave –

while time passes unheeded as I cast my cares and place my petitions before my Heavenly Father – I resist rising again to take up my cross, preferring on bended knee to remain, the needs so great, the petitions so urgent, the circumstances so dire – this place of intercession binding me to God’s very heart for those He loves – how can I rise when there is so much and there are so many needing prayer?

I dare not enter in this sacred place of prayer unless I am prepared to pour out all I hold so tightly within me, leaving me empty and able to share in suffering not my own, added to the pain already in my possession – it is a brokenness I resist, as I fight so valiantly to hold myself together  . . .

I know in prayer I will be broken before I am so gently and miraculously put back together again so that I can rise from my bended knees and go forth, only to return again and again – still I am slow to kneel – reluctant to be broken yet one more time again – missing what He waits to give to those who enter in, in obedience   . . .

Lord, help me to obey Your commands to pray, starting with Philippians 4:6-7,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”  (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  (Ephesians 6:18)

Clearly, my Heavenly Father invites me, even commands me to pray.  In Jeremiah 33:3 He says,

“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”   and in 1 Peter 5:7 He tells me to,

“Cast all your (my) anxiety on Him because He cares for you (me).”

I am told to “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”  (Romans 12:12)  Some translations say constant, some say persistent in prayer, reinforcing to me my need to be in constant communication with my Heavenly Father, which would be what 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells me to do, which is to –

“pray without ceasing;”

James 5:16 reminds me, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

There is an interesting story in Luke 18 about persevering in prayer.  “Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”   Jesus proceeded to tell His disciples about a widow who asked a judge for justice against her adversary.  The judge ignored the widow repeatedly, so she continued to petition him for justice.  Finally, the judge granted the widow’s petition because of her persistence.  Jesus summed it up this way to His disciples,

“And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?  Will He keep putting them off?  I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly.”

There is no shortage of things to pray about in these days of COVID and riots and isolation and uncertainty.  But God has promised in 2 Chronicles 7:14-15,

“if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”

Lord, help me to pray without ceasing  

sincerely,           Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

I confess – I always root for the underdog.  I can’t help it.  Whether in sports contests or in life, it is the underdog that I support, the underdog that I cheer on, the underdog that I applaud, the underdog that I celebrate.  It is the overcoming of obstacles, the defying of the odds, the quiet courage of persistence when all seems lost – that make the final victory so miraculous and so meaningful to those who achieve it, to those who witness their achievement and to those who continue to learn their story in future years and to be inspired by it.

A legacy of overcoming – that is a legacy worth leaving for future generations. That’s why I love the story of the Wiley College 1935 debate team, which was told in the movie “The Great Debaters.”  This debate team from the historically black college, Wiley, fought for the right to compete against white colleges and ended up defeating the current national champs, the University of Southern California. (although in the movie it is Harvard that they defeat)  Nonetheless, this team coached by Melvin B. Tolson, was clearly the unlikely underdog, yet they emerged victorious over the current reigning champion in 1935.

That’s why I love the story of the Texas Western Miners 1966 basketball team.  This story is told in the movie “Glory Road.”  The Miners were clearly the underdogs as they faced No. 1 Kentucky in the championship game for the NCAA title.  Texas Western made history by starting five black players against Rupp’s all white team and by winning the game to take the national title.  This was considered a stunning upset and it resulted in college basketball opportunities for minorities expanding exponentially almost overnight.

When underdogs succeed, they inspire us all to keep on pursuing our dreams, to not give up, to not lose heart.  Jackie Robinson did the same thing in baseball, inspiring others to follow in his footsteps.  Wilma Rudolph’s life story provides another example of overcoming obstacles in order to realize a dream.

As a child Wilma was stricken with double pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio. This left her with a partially paralyzed left leg and foot.  Because of this, she wore braces on her legs as a young girl.  Doctors told her she would never walk again. Wilma proved them wrong.  In Rome, Italy in the 1960 Olympics, Wilma became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at a single Olympics.  Clearly, Wilma had overcome adversity and the odds to triumph.  She was a sports icon, called “the fastest woman in the world.”  I love a good comeback story and this is definitely one to inspire!

Jaime Escalante is another underdog who had to overcome many obstacles in his lifetime.  The movie “Stand and Deliver” tells his story.  He was born in Bolivia but came to the U.S. in the sixties seeking a better life.  He taught math at Garfield High School in east Los Angeles where drugs and violence were dominant and the students there were considered unteachable. Escalante proved them wrong!  He began teaching calculus against the objections of the administration and in 1981 fifteen students took the Advanced Placement test in calculus and fourteen passed.  In 1982, eighteen students took and passed the AP calculus test and were accused of cheating.  When every student passed a retest, those rumors were put to rest.  In 1987 the number increased to one hundred twenty-seven students taking the AP test and eighty-five passing the test.

Escalante wasn’t the overcomer here as much as were his students.  They came from difficult home situations, poverty, surrounded by gangs and drugs, they were poorly prepared academically, lacking the prerequisite math skills needed to learn calculus – the obstacles appeared insurmountable.  But this teacher believed in his students year after year, believed that they were capable of mastering those math skills and by extension much more.  The work ethic and discipline those students learned while accomplishing their goal allowed them to succeed in life far beyond calculus.  They got scholarships to colleges, allowing them to pursue careers and dreams that would not have been possible otherwise.  (I guess they weren’t unteachable after all?)

There are so many stories of people overcoming great obstacles to reach their goals and realize their dreams.  Wilma Rudolph said, “The triumph cannot be had without the struggle.”  She should know.  She lived it.  So did Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan.  These three women worked at NASA during the 60’s in the male dominated fields of math, science and engineering.  They were trailblazers for all who would follow in their footsteps.  The movie “Hidden Figures” tells their story.

Another movie, “Gifted Hands,” tells the story of yet another overcomer, Dr. Ben Carson.  Dr. Carson grew up in inner city Detroit. His mother worked multiple jobs to support the family.  Because he was such a poor student, he was ridiculed by his classmates who called him “the dumbest kid in school.”  However, Dr. Carson would turn things around, earning all A’s by the time he graduated from high school. Overcoming obstacles and defying the odds, He attended Yale on a full scholarship and went on to become a world renowned neurosurgeon.  Dr. Carson is currently serving as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development after retiring from medicine in 2013.

These are just a few of the many stories of opportunity and of overcoming that take place in our country every day.  Were we to tell them all, there would be no end as people continue to overcome obstacles every day as they courageously pursue their dreams, grateful that they are free to do so in this country.

Why so many movie references, you ask?  I guess movies have been made about these real life people who have overcome many obstacles in order to succeed because we love to hear these stories.  We are encouraged, uplifted and inspired by each person’s story. We want to believe that with persistence and courage, we too can rise above whatever holds us back and succeed in realizing our dreams.

We all need a reason to hope.  Especially now when fear due to COVID and unrest due to riots dominate daily life, we need to believe all is not lost in these times that seem so dark.  It is now I hang onto the words in John 1:5,

“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.”

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  (Romans 12:21)  Those words show me the way out of this darkness.  1 Timothy 6:12 tells me to,

“Fight the good fight of the faith.”  Then 1 John 5:4-5 tells me,

“for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

Faith is the victory that will overcome.  John 16:33 reminds me our outcome is secure in a Sovereign God’s loving hands saying,

“In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

I will rest secure in that knowledge today – let us be a nation of overcomers, of faithful overcomers – letting God’s light shine into our darkness and extinguish it – let love triumph over hate, good over evil, truth over lies, freedom over oppression,

sincerely,       Grace Day