Father’s Day is a time to honor our Dad’s. As we honor our earthly Father,’s can you think of a better day to honor our Heavenly Father?
God is portrayed throughout the Bible as The Father. We see him in The Old Testament, as the Father of the Nation of Israel. As seen in several OT passages for example in Deuteronomy 32:6, “Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?”.
According to the HELPS-word Studies, Abbá – “Father,” also used as the term of tender endearment by a beloved child – i.e. in an affectionate, dependent relationship with their father; “daddy,” “papa.”
Father’s Day is a time to honor our Dad’s. As we honor our earthly Father,’s can you think of a better day to honor our Heavenly Father?
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Jesus refers to God as Abba father in the following New Testament passages.
And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” – Mark 14:36
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” – Romans 8:15-16
“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”” – Galatians 4:6
The concept of the Fatherhood of God is used over 165 times in the New Testament and 15 times in the Old Testament. We also see the use of the term Father in the earliest church councils. The Apostles Creedbegins, ”I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”Jesus even used the term Father when He modeled for us how to pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name.”
God the Creator of the Universe is Father to the Jewish nation of Israel, He is the Father to Jesus our Savior and He is Father to us all. We are all His precious children and He loves us with an everlasting love.
This Father’s Day as we honor our earthly Father’s let us remember that we are all God’s children and that He is our loving Heavenly Father. One way that we can honor our Heavenly Father for Father’s day is to love his children with the same love we have for Him.
To all of the Dad’s out there, have a happy Father’s Day!
I just got back from visiting Franklin, Tennessee which is an idyllic Norman Rockwell kind of historic downtown outside of Nashville and couldn’t wait to tell you all about it! Franklin is the home of the flagship Philanthropy Clothing store and the brand new Philanthropy Home store.
Philanthropy Home
From the moment you walk into one of the Philanthropy stores, you can instantly sense that there is something different about their stores. You may find similar merchandise in other stores, but what sets Philanthropy apart is the heart of its founder Christina Martin. She is a kingdom-minded woman whose passion is to honor and serve the Lord well through her business which happens to be clothing and home goods stores. However, you will often hear her say, “It is not about the clothes!”. In fact, I have heard her say on more than one occasion that it is not about the clothes. She is a mission-minded woman with a heart that loves Jesus and loves people!
Philanthropy began as a way to try to help infuse life into a dying downtown and give back to the community but has become so much more! Philanthropy is a family oriented business with Christ being the head of the family. While Philanthropy is a retail business the heart of philanthropy is a ministry, and the countenance of Christina and her employees all radiated Jesus.
I love the way Christina incorporates old world design with contemporary elements and a comfortable farmhouse flair. With worship music playing throughout the stores an atmosphere is set that is a feast for your senses with much attention given to every detail.
Prayer is foundational to Philanthropy and everything they do, they have incorporated prayer walls and prayer chapels complete with stain glassed windows where shoppers are encouraged to leave a prayer request and pray for the needs of others.
While I was there I sat down and interviewed Christina for my podcast, and I can not wait to share it with you! The By His Grace podcast will be launching later this summer so stay tuned for details.
If you are ever in the Nashville area, be sure to check out Historic Downtown Franklin and visit both the Philanthropy Home store and flagship clothing store. While you are there stop by the chapel and leave a prayer request and take time to pray for others.
Thanks for visiting By His Grace today if you need prayer please leave a comment below and I would love to pray for you!
Recently there has been a slew of books that have come to market and several blog post series about being brave, fearless, and courageous. I believe we are living in a time where God is speaking to His daughters and calling them to live boldly in their faith by looking beyond their circumstances for such a time as this. Understanding who we are in Christ and boldly trusting God to live courageously for HIM!
From the moment I picked up Courageous Women of the Bible: Leaving Behind Fear and Insecurity For a Life of Confidence and Freedom by Latan Roland Murphy, I knew this was an extraordinary book and couldn’t wait to dive in.
I began highlighting and underlining words that ooze with wisdom from the first few pages in the introduction. Words that caused me to pause. Words I needed to hear at this very moment my journey with the Lord. Words I know my sisters need to hear.
Latan sets the stage by laying down these principles in the introduction.
Courage advances us into opportunities we would otherwise shrink back from and avoid.
Courage comes as we point our feet toward the path leading to obedient living
When we cannot do it all perfectly, we can do all that we do courageously
As we draw wisdom from past mistakes, we can make courageous future choices
Godly courage is mobilized by an obedient spirit- knowing the power of God is greater than the circumstances we face
Courageous behavior comes as we realize we are living for a higher cause, greater good, and better story that is being written across our beautifully imperfect lives
“Courage by God’s standards is the ability to act, regardless of human fear or frailty, and enables us to do supernatural things because we are not acting alone – God is with us. And sometimes, godly courage is manifested in the ability to not act outwardly, but to wait, pray and be still in God’s presence. To linger, listen, seek His best way to live. Real godly courage is laced with an attitude of obedient gratitude, knowing that He is able to lead, guide, and direct our lives.”
Latan then examines the lives of eleven courageous women of the Bible and challenges the reader to think about her own life and how these brave women of the Bible can help her to grow in her faith. Come sit at the feet of each of these women and soak in the goodness.
Deborah
The Woman with an Issue of Blood
The Widow with Two Coins
Jael
Abigail
Bathsheba
The Samaritan Woman
Mary Mother of Jesus
The Shulammite Woman
Jochebed
The Shunammite Woman
Through the study of these eleven women, Latan provides thought-provoking study questions along with interactive journal questions to take you deeper into your faith.
From the back cover. “Whether you’re facing struggles with singleness, the mounting challenges of marriage and motherhood, health issues, a financial crisis – God has equipped you to walk in freedom and confidence as you abide in Him, strengthened by His power and provision.”
LaTan Roland Murphy is an award-winning author and speaker and has been featured in WHOA women’s magazine and numerous other publications. She is the author of Becoming a Woman of Interior Elegance and co-author of God’s Provision in Tough Times. She is also the founder of The Colors of His Love Women’s Conference. She and her husband, Joe, have three adult children and two delightful grandchildren. They live in Raleigh, North Carolina. She would love for you to stop by and visit her on her website at latanmurphy.com.
A special thank you to LaTan Roland Murphy, Bethany House Publishers, and The Blog About network for providing me with a copy of Courageous Women of the Bible: Leaving Behind Fear and Insecurity For a Life of Confidence and Freedom to review and one to give away.
To be entered to win share this post and leave a comment below stating which of these eleven women in Courageous Women of the Bible you most likely relate to and why! The giveaway will run until June 15th, 2018, and the winner will be randomly selected from the entries and will be announced on this post.
What an honor to be in the company of a group of men and women 100% committed to life, even in the most horrific circumstances. The stories told by these brave men and women were heart-breaking and difficult to listen to, but at the same time were filled with so much grace, and hope.
Last week I attended the Save The 1 Speaker Training Retreat in the Atlanta area.
Save the 1 is based on The Parable of the Lost Sheep
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” -Matthew 18:10-14 ESV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6HO0oP6fdU
While at the training we spent the morning in our beautiful hosts home giving impromptu speeches in an answer to “hard case” questions concerning pro-life issues. In the afternoon we each shared our personal story of choosing life. There were several of us including myself, Kirk, and Suzanne who were all given poor prenatal diagnosis with doctors telling us to abort our children but we all choose to stand for life.
Delicious roasted whole chicken or turkey on plate with cutlery and sauce , harvest grilled vegetables on dark rustic background, top view, banner, frame. Thanksgiving Day food
Our host Suzanne finally became pregnant after years of infertility and refused to abort after three doctors insisted that she terminate her pregnancy, one doctor even said the only test that he would perform for them would be an autopsy. She fought for her daughter’s life, and her daughter is now twenty years old and together they share their incredible story of choosing life, and are active in the Georgia Right to Life.
Others were rape victims who suffered terrible abuse, but when they found out that they were pregnant choose to carry those babies to term and raise them as their own.
Jennifer who was married with three children was raped and brutally beaten while away on business and was left half-naked in the snow to die. When she tells her husband that she is pregnant, they see this as a blessing and a gift after suffering a horrific tragedy. See her powerful testimony in the video below.
Darlene, now the Vice-President of Save the 1 shares her story of being molested as a child and spending years in sex trafficking was finally able to escape the horrific darkness when she became pregnant, that baby saved her life. Kelly was sexually abused by her own father at 6 years old and later becomes involved in an abusive relationship is badly beaten raped and left for dead, but later finds out she is pregnant and chooses life. Paula and her beautiful baby who was conceived in rape also attend shared their story of hope and life.
Women preparing a gift box while christmas
Ralph was adopted into an amazing family after being conceived in rape and was also grief-stricken by abortion when his girlfriend chooses to have an abortion. The founder of Save the 1, Rebecca Keisling that I met at Houston Coalition for Life shares a similar story of being adopted after her mother conceived her after being raped but was unable to abort her because abortion was illegal in her home state.
That evening we all shared our stories at Crosspointe Community Church in Roswell, Georgia. A special thank you to our amazing photographer Christine Calvin for capturing the evening for us. As the evening concluded we had a small reception and all stayed after talking to the attendees, and as we were starting to wrap things up a beautiful brave young woman came up to me and thanked me for sharing my story.
I could see she was trembling and on the verge of tears as said, “I wish I would have done, what you did.” You see she was given a poor prenatal diagnosis when she was pregnant and she listened to her doctor’s advice and terminated her pregnancy. She regretted her decision and felt unworthy to be a mother. We moved to a quiet corner to talk and I prayed with her. We spoke about forgiveness and that when we confess our sins to Jesus when God looks at us He doesn’t see our sin but He sees us white as snow because He sees Jesus.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”25_vb” via=”yes” ]Sometimes we ask for forgiveness, but we have a hard time forgiving ourselves.[/ctt]
If we want to walk in freedom then once we confess our sin, we have to accept that we have been forgiven. Through God’s grace, we can then extend forgiveness to ourselves and walk in freedom.
Here are a few scriptures to keep in mind if you struggle with forgiving yourself:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9
If the son has set you free, you will be free indeed. – John 8:36
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1
As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. – Psalm 103:12-13 ESV
I would be honored if you would share this post to help me spread the word about the amazing men and women of Save the 1 and their stories. Freedom comes when light shines into dark places. If you are interested in booking any of these speakers for an event please visit Save The 1.
Just want to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day weekend! Thank you to all of the women, wives, and moms who follow By His Grace and join me here each week. It is an honor to serve you in this space.
Today I want to remind you that God sees you right where you are, and He thinks you are pretty special. His love for you is great and His plans for you good!
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. – Psalm 139:13-16 ESV
Happy Mother’s Day! Be blessed and know you are loved!
This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Houston Coalition for Life dinner and wanted to share a few highlights with you! First of all, a special thank you goes to Teresa Strack, Director of Montgomery County Right to Life for inviting me to attend the dinner as her guest after attending the Montgomery County Celebration of Life. Dinner.
Houston Coalition for Life’s mission is to end abortion in Houston… peacefully and prayerfully. The vision of Houston Coalition for life is to love, respect, and protect every human life from conception until natural death.
They have a mobile crisis pregnancy center (CPC), known as the “Big Blue Bus.” It is a refurbished motor coach parked daily outside Planned Parenthood’s largest abortion facility in the United States in Houston, TX. Where they offer expectant mothers free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and Christian counseling.
Their program saves lives.
Of the expectant mothers, more than 92% chose life and continued their pregnancies to full term! They now have a second CPC, called “Baby Blue,” that is on the road on a part-time basis in since November of 2014.
In addition to this fantastic work, other programs include: stand and pray, sidewalk counseling, 40 churches
stand and pray
sidewalk counseling
40 churches for 40 days
Blue Blossom Pregnancy Center
[ctt template=”2″ link=”Y14Uf” via=”yes” ]Life is important to God, and as Christians, we have the opportunity to partner with the Lord to end the atrocity of abortion in our country.[/ctt]
For more information on how you can get involved in saving lives, please visit Houston Coalition.
We became involved in the pro-life movement just before I became pregnant with my son Liam. It is one thing to say you are pro-life, but it is something altogether different to take a stand for life when everyone from your doctor to genetic counselor tells you to abort your child.
While at the dinner I had the pleasure to meet our keynote speaker for the evening Rebecca Kiessling of Save the 1. Rebecca is an attorney, wife, mother of five, and an international pro-life and adoption speaker. Her powerful testimony of being conceived in rape and nearly being aborted at two back-alley abortion facilities to then becoming adopted, and becoming a champion a life is incredible!
I am excited to partner with Rebecca and others at Save the 1 to share my testimony of choosing life when it is considered a “hard case,” and look forward to attending the pro-life speaker training and retreat in May in Georgia.
Also, for my friends in the greater Atlanta area, I will be sharing part of my testimony at a free community event along with others from Save the 1 at the Crosspointe Community Church in Roswell, GA May 11, 2018, from 7-9 PM, and I would love to see you there.
One of the things that I love about blogging is that I have met so many wonderful Christian sisters across the world that I never would have met otherwise. In the past two years, there are many that I have met in person, and others I only have virtual friendships with but hope that someday our paths will cross.
I became virtually acquainted with Crystal Twadell through her Fresh Market Friday Linkup, where she invites other Christian authors to share their work on her site. I believe we are kindred spirits, which is why I was thrilled when she asked me to contribute to her Made for Brave series.
Being Brave when Life is Hard
Sometimes life is hard. Pain comes. Grief, betrayal, suffering, and sickness are all a part of living in today’s world. Sometimes putting on a brave face and moving forward is the last thing that we want to do…..
Please join me today on Crystal’s blog where I share a story about being brave when life is hard.
Today I would like to highlight some of the projects of Montgomery County Right To Life. To encourage families to have pro-life conversations each year they sponsor four contests open to students from second grade up to age 25. The contests are not academic exercises but rather conversation starters to share the message of Life! There is an essay contest, poster, oratory, and video contest.
This year the Video Contest was near and dear to my heart because my son Ian shared the story of his little brother and tied for 2nd place!
Our family will be attending the Montgomery County Right to Life Dinner and Dr. Alveda King will be the keynote speaker for this year’s Dinner for Life celebration. Her father, A.D. King, was involved in the civil rights movement both independently and alongside his brother, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Alveda’s family suffered the bombing of their home in Birmingham on the Saturday before Mother’s Day 1963. A.D. was in a room directly below his brother’s at the Lorraine Motel when the gun blast went off that killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sadly, April 4 is the 50th anniversary of his assassination. Alveda experienced her own father’s death just 15 months later.
Dr. King is at the forefront of the issue of our time – the respect for Life. She currently serves as Director of Civil Rights for the Unborn, the African-American Outreach for Priests for Life. She is also a voice for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, sharing her testimony of two abortions along with God’s forgiveness and healing. Dr. King recently launched a project to produce a full-length feature film, Roe v Wade: The Untold Story. Come be inspired by this dynamic leader!
We would love for you to join us at the dinner!
Saturday, April 21, from 6-8 pm
WoodsEdge Community Church 25333 Gosling Spring, TX 77389
Please visit www.mcrtlife.com for complete information and online purchasing.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! This weekend I participated in my first 5K and had a great time in support of Shield Bearer Counseling centers.
Shield Bearer has been on the front lines championing healthy relationships, strong marriages, healthy families and strong communities. Shield Bearer promotes individual growth and development, preserves and enriches marriages and strengthens and unites families.
They believe that strong communities are built by healthy families. Shield Bearer focuses on restoring broken relationships and building on the strengths of existing relationships.Their trauma specialists work with survivors of human trafficking. veterans, crime victims and their families and disaster survivors (such as Hurricane Harvey survivors.
Today, I would love for y’all to check out my post on my writing sister’s Kelley Ivey Johnson’s blog in her series on What Being Brave Looks Like!
While you are there be sure to check out, her newly released book on Being Brave: A 40- Day Journey to the Life God Dreams for You!
Every day I am getting one step closer to my own book becoming a reality. This week I am crafting a book proposal that I will be sharing with some publishing industry experts this Spring and later this summer. Later in the week, I will be attending the Well Summit – Launch Well Publishing Event in Dallas, Texas, and can’t wait to tell y’all about it when I return next week!
Later in the week, I will be attending the Well Summit – Launch Well Publishing Event in Dallas, Texas, and can’t wait to tell you all about it when I return next week!
Also, I am collaborating with some amazing writing sisters on a new project, and can’t wait to share it with you very soon! Until then…
Coming soon! I have another book review and give away on Lies Moms Believe: And How The Gospel Refutes Them by Rebekah Hargraves, along with the Companion Bible Study! I just got these in the mail and can’t wait to dig into them and let you know what I think.
One last thing, would y’all mind doing me a favor? If you like what I am doing here on the By His Grace Blog would you mind sharing it with your friends or posting about it on Social Media to help me spread the word? That would mean the world to me!
Save the 1 is based on 
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