It Is By Grace We Have Been Saved

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. — Ephesians 2:8-9 

Last night we had a fun evening with some of Kirk's high school buddies.

And our friends from Arkansas.

We sat outside in Little Italy and caught up with people we hadn't seen for a couple of years or more.

And it was a beautiful San Diego evening.

Kirk got lots of compliments on his shirt.

It is by grace we have been saved through faith.

Not from ourselves but fromt he gift of God.

Do Not Boast

 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. — Proverbs 27:1

Today we host Kirk's teacher friends for dinner.

Our fridge is stocked with good food.

And Kirk has prepped the house so it sparkles and shines.

We're looking forward to a fun evening with these couples.

They taught together for many years.

Some of them are now retired.

Others are still working.

God has blessed us with good friends and fun times together.

Boast in the Lord

Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. — 2 Corinthians 10:17-18

If we boast about anything, God asks us to boast in the Lord.

Instead of patting ourselves on the back, we need to praise God.

He is our Creator.

And the creator of our beautiful world.

He deserves our praises and boasts.

After all, He is God and we are not.

Thank goodness!

Love Is Patient

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. — 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 

Marina Village San Diego

Love is patient and kind.

We watched the Super Bowl yesterday as a family.

And we celebrated our time together.

Abby brought us beautiful tulips.

Here we are at the wedding the day before.

The wind was really chilly.

But we had a great time even so.

We met lots of fun people.

And caught up with others we hadn't seen in years.

Love does not dishonor others. 

It keeps no record of wrongs.

You Will Shine Like Stars in the Sky

Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. — Philippians 2:15-16

When we don't grumble or argue, we shine like stars in the sky.

God calls us to hold firmly to His Word, the word of life.

And when we do that, we will be able to boast on the last day.

The day of Christ is coming soon.

We do not want to run or labor in vain.

Rather, we want to follow Christ and honor Him in everything we do.

Saved By Grace

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. — Ephesians 2:8-9 

We have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus.

Nothing we could do ourselves.

It is the gift of God, not from ourselves.

Not by works or anything we can do.

We have nothing to boast in except God and His Son Jesus.

Happy Halloween!

Do Not Boast

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. — Proverbs 27:1 

It's easy to make future plans.

And to boast about how wonderful they sound.

But God reminds us never to boast.

We don't know what lies ahead or what the new day will bring.

But we know God prepares a plan for us.

He has a purpose for each life.

And His plan is great.

My purpose is to praise and glorify Him.

Boast in the Lord

But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. — 2 Corinthians 10:15-18 

God calls us to boast only in Him.

Not to commend ourselves.

But rather to boast in God's goodness and His life-giving power for us.

Last week Kirk discovered that his high-school friend Mike is now diagnosed with liver cancer.

He is struggling about whether to simply avoid the chemo and treatment regimen.

We are praying for God's wisdom to flood him and his care team.

Here he is in in the dark blue shirt in August.

He's lost 100 pounds since then.

We're covering him in prayer.

That they may make whatever decisions will be best for Mike and the ability to enjoy life in the years before him.

Shine Like Stars

Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. — Philippians 2:16

Paul tells the Philippians that through Christ they will shine like stars.

God can shine through us, too.

Shine among them like stars in the sky.

We hold firmly to God's Word, the Word of Life.

On the Day of Christ, we will be able to boast in the Lord.

What an exciting day that will be.

God Chose the Lowly

God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. — I Corinthians 1:28-29

God chose us as His children.

I am a child of God.

He chose me even though I am lowly and needy.

I cannot boast before Him.

I can only give Him all of the glory and praise for everything He has done for me.

Yesterday Rodney and Melody had their baby Millie.

God knew her before she was ever born.

He knit her together in her mom's womb.

And we are praising Him for the miracle of birth.

We Boast in God

We also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. — Romans 5:11

I am reconciled to God through Jesus.

Because Jesus died in my place and took my sins on himself, I have received reconciliation.

Not because of anything I did on my own.

Only in God can I boast.

He has shown me mercy and love. 

Sunday Abby came home from Forest Home Camp, driving a minivan of middle school girls.

She was hoping they would sleep, but of course they were too excited to sleep.

One did fall asleep during the car ride, but the rest were chatting all the way home.

They had a wonderful speaker, awesome music, and lots of fun.

We are praising God for working in their lives.

Christ's Power Made Perfect in Weakness

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." — 2 Corinthians 12:9

Friday we started a new Bible study on 2 Corinthians in my women's study group.

It's amazing how God gives us those verses we need to hear at just the right time.

Today was a great reminder that even though we don't care to be "weak" or "needy," it gives others an opportunity to support us when we let them know we are vulnerable.

A friend is fixing dinner for us this weekend so if I'm tired next week, we'll have something on hand.

Another friend has continued to send me a card or two each week, letting me know she is praying for me.

My brother sends me regular texts letting me know how valuable I am to him and to the Lord.

God has surrounded me with Christ's love and power so that I will realize that His grace is more than enough for me.

Boast in the Lord

Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. — II Corinthians 10:17

Today our neighbor informed us that she will be honored this week with a lifetime achievement award for her work in mental health ministries.

We are so proud of Susan!

She will be traveling to San Antonio to share her story with 1500 professionals at the 4th Annual Pathways to Hope Conference.

She is nervous about speaking to such a large crowd. Usually her audience is closer to 500.

But she will do a great job.

Her ministry of Mental Health Ministries has a mission to educate clergy and lay persons for the purpose of decreasing the stigma associated with mental illnesses in our faith communities. 

Creating Caring Congregations, the DVD Susan has created, has been awarded in the 24th Annual Telly Awards for its high standard of excellence in the Religious program category.

The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators and corporate video departments in the world.

Congratulations, Susan!