When I was in high school what stood out to me about Christmas was the music.

I was raised in Lutheran church so every year the songs at Christmas were the times I truly felt the Holy Spirit. We’d sing Angels we have heard on High and Oh Little town of Bethlehem; I know we sang “do you hear what I hear?” and many others. I felt God’s presence at Christmas time in church. I would see the lights against the dark sky and think about God and his light shining in the darkness. Christmas ministered to my heart.

When I was a kid we always read the bible story about Jesus and his birth. I would think about Mary and Joseph and how hard they had it (every single

year). I appreciated the family devotional time which happened at Christmas in our home. It was very special to me. Mom made fudge and popcorn balls and the house was full of wonder and good smells all the time.

She made all kinds of things and there was the holiday dinner to look forward to. Presents sat under the tree. The air was full of excitement and wonder all the time all during The Christmas season.

When I got older and was in church With my own children, I remember one year we decided to celebrate Hanukah. This was because I had read that Christmas had “pagan roots” and I was troubled about it, so we celebrated Hanukah that year. The kids had fun but thought it was a little bit weird.

In the process however; I did learn about Hanukah and that was a lot of fun. Every year my kids were growing up God did some sort of miracle for me at Christmas time. One year it was angels on my tree. Another time a friend bought me a real tree. Another time yet; I had no money for a tree and someone in church handed me 20.00. And yes all those years my mom sent us packages. she was always faithful to send us her never ending love and gaily wrapped packages.

I didn’t teach my kids about Santa because I felt it was a lie so I didn’t want them not to trust me because they found out later Santa wasn’t true or real. that was just my decision; but they always knew I was praying about Christmas time. I remember the year I made “quilted decorated tins” with my friend and prayed to sell them to have Christmas money. another year it was selling ornaments and sachets I had made. God even had to provide the materials for the crafts I couldn’t come up with it on my own. Every year I said “It’s Christmas Lord, I know you care” and every year he did care. Finally there came that year at the end of 2012.

Tim had lost his job and I had no gifts for anyone. Determined to not lose the Christmas spirit I prayed and felt led to hang cups on the tree and I also wrapped coffee cups and put them under the tree.

I prayed over each gift that the person who received them would be blessed with their cups OVERFLOWING ….that they would be granted desires of the heart and their cups would overflow. I know for sure two families that received those cups were super blessed from what I can see. It’s all I had to give that year:

My prayer and a cup that was empty and praying each one who came to receive one would be blessed. that year a total stranger came to my door I had said “whoever comes” will get one of those coffee cup packages.

So I told him I had prayed over the cups and he looked at me like I was touched in the head but he took a gift and said thank you. that following year brought a series of miracles financially that took care of us and we did not lose our home as we thought we might. We didn’t go bankrupt as we knew could have happened. the enormous pile of stacked up bills we had no hope to paid are for the most part paid now.

Christmas for God and I is a very special time. I have no idea why -but at Christmas

I always expect miracles……

I really do……..and if a day is Holy to you it is holy (My bible says) so

“OH HOLY NIGHT” Oh holy Christmas…..

THANK you FATHER for this remarkable celebration of your love.

Hi there! Well I wanted to share today something the Lord imparted to me. I want you to look at the Beatitudes in Matthew again. You know the one: “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. “Blessed are the Merciful.”

Have you ever heard of someone who was not comforted while in mourning? I have! Why do you suppose that is?

Did God lie to us? (Certainly not!). If we refuse comfort when it’s offered we will not be comforted. If we refuse preaching on righteousness we will not receive it into our hearts (and minds.)

Nothing of God is automatic. We are not on auto pilot with our Salvation just because we Gave our hearts to God years ago.

The truth is we have to receive a gift in order to benefit from it. Take it out; Look at it; Cherish it; and discover all the gift has to offer. What all could we use it for? I say God’s gifts are multi-faceted and much more versatile for use in our daily life than we first expected.

Have you taken out the gift of his word lately and asked him just what it might apply to today (in your life?) and have you asked him how his word applies in your life personally? He wants to reveal (uncover) and show you all the many benefits of the words he spoke through his servants; and I dare say: even branch out more levels of Revelation to you as you grow to become his Mighty Tree (of righteousness!) amen

 

Laura grace, Author of Grace to Grow Grace to the Rescue and Grace to Grow Study guide.

I love Christmas: but I also know, a lot of unrealistic expectations do happen at this time of year.

For some it can be a very depressing holiday.

I really don’t want to mince words when I say there are many who have no family at Christmas time and there are children for whom “Santa” will never show up.

There are sad people, homeless people; Hungry people and people who have no Christmas presents to give.

If you have some great Christmas memories: blessed are you! Every year I Think about how Jesus was born in a manger IN a stable because there was no room for him at the Inn. 

Angels were proclaiming his birth; and wise men were listening and following a star to find him and give him gifts. He came to Earth on the biggest mission ever known to man- and hell was so upset they got on a king’s case to try and kill him by murdering hundreds of innocent children in the hope to get rid of him.

And yet, Jesus did not go away. He stayed and completed his mission so we could all be saved if we would only receive him and receive the gift he gave to us: Reconciliation with God and eternal life.

It really is a gift nobody can match as far as love, sacrifice, and the highest price possible in Heaven was paid to show you just how valuable your soul really is to God the Father. There is no way I would trade a paltry tree, gift or even millions of dollars for my experience of God loving me and saving my eternal soul. When I think of his gift of love and shed blood and sacrifice being trampled on like it’s a common thing all I want to do is weep.

Jesus says to me “do not weep child” just rejoice your name is written in the book of life. “Receive my love and receive my gift to you” all I ask is that you worship me and acknowledge me as your King.”

What better gift is there? Nothing! Father I thank you for sending your son Jesus to save me. There is no greater gift in heaven or on earth than what you have already given me. I praise you thank you and adore you. Let me life a life worthy of the sacrifice you have made for me. In Jesus’ name.

-Laura Grace

 

 

 

Father in the name of Jesus, be with me today as I write from my heart; where you truly do dwell within me. Amen.

I’m having my coffee time today with the Lord and thinking about Family. I know I’m not the only one who struggles with the unfulfilled expectations of others, especially in the realm of our beloved families.

My children? Well I love them unconditionally. I may become disappointed at times or even angry if I feel they are making grave mistakes: but my love for them? It never changes.

As we learn and grow in our relationship with the Lord; things can become pretty complicated (at times).

Here we are: born as individuals; having things inside us that seemed to just be there when we were born. Maybe it’s that love for poetry and your mom wanted you to be a baker. You could have cared less about baking so you felt like a big disappointment (and failure) to this woman you loved so very much.

Or maybe you wanted to be a mechanic and your mom was busy teaching you how to do girl things. I remember one day my daughter said she hated dresses: she was so pretty I wanted to dress her in dresses and show her off to the world; but at heart she was really quite the tomboy.

Mom and Dad statements can be a pretty powerful thing; and we (as people) have no real idea how much of an impact our words have sometimes. Tender hearts can be hidden in rough and seemingly brazen “outsides” while at other times; those who seem to be the most pliable are really hardened inside; and not really listening to a word we say.

Only God knows the heart of a person; and just because someone is nice does not mean they necessarily have a beautiful heart. In our hearts are all the pains we have ever experienced in life: and only God is capable of truly healing us and rooting it all out.

Therapy helps (at times) so does talking to a friend; but when the rubber hits the road I still say only God can heal a wounded heart. Then we have the fact that the person WITH The wounded heart has to “want” to be healed. Some do not wish for this; they would rather wear their pain like a badge or an identifier of who they really are.

Trust me when I say: when I wrote Grace to the Rescue I did not think “this is who I am” (victim) I thought this was the pit I crawled out of with the Help of Almighty God and I am going to tell everyone; everywhere, any time that I know for a fact when your beloved doesn’t love you and you feel like your world is going to pieces: God is there, will be there and will not forsake you.

I don’t believe in recipes, pat answers or clichés. Every story is different, every person is unique; and only God can really know the road to your personal healing and restoration.

In the mean time we have to deal with the people in our lives closest to us; right?

I want to challenge you in one area here. our relationships are only going to be as deep as we allow them to be. Shallow (surface) is what we will have unless all involved want to go deeper. the old saying “it takes two to tango” really is true after all.

The saddest thing of all is when a husband and wife cannot get close- because one wants to be shallow and the other really wants to know their spouse inside and out.

I’ve lived that one. We as people need to realize (I believe) that God gave us the relationships in our lives. We talk about how Jesus said “let the dead bury their dead, follow me” and what he was saying was: His agenda takes precedence over any other desire (yours, family and whatever else) and that he wants to be on the throne of your heart. He wasn’t saying to go around discarding family members like they are old shoes.

God gave me the family I have; and it took me a long time to realize this. I would look at pastors and pastor’s wives with their kids; (all serving God) and at one time in my life felt pretty robbed I did not have the ideal family unit. It scared me. We talk about the last days and begin to learn God’s holy word and to be quite frank: it can scare the poo out of us.

Read proverbs sometime: you will see what I mean. It says stuff like “bad company” corrupts good morals. Is my family member bad company? (You may wonder) or we talk about how it’s better to cut off our arm and enter heaven with one than to have both arms and be dragged into hell! God doesn’t mess around or mince words; and we as Christians know this (or at least we should!)

Sometimes it takes us a long time to get our bearings enough to where we can actually share with our family what our beliefs are. We are so busy getting grounded in what we know is ETERNALLY important we may fail to keep up with what family sees as important. I know I did. It’s not that I didn’t love my family; it just takes a lot of time to get to know God and his ways. It takes effort, dedication and can be very time consuming (like college?).

A family member who boasts their daughter is off to college looks forward to that one time a year or whenever they can see them “cheering them on.” oh if our families would just cheer us on instead of telling us how much we have disappointed them or let them down. Wouldn’t that be a grand thing?

See; everyone is different. If your heart is wounded and so is your sister’s or brother’s or mom or Dad then what should we do? Well we pray of course: and we ask for healing and love. What else can we do? It’s the Christian way. Looking for the good in someone is also the Christian way. While we dodge the fire filled darts of words that seem to come against us “telling us” what a big failure we are we must muster up the courage by the Grace of God to carry on, do our best: pray and Trust God with all the rest. Don’t you think?

and I want to remind you of a beatitude here.

“blessed are you” when someone speaks evil about you. Why? Because God is about to use you to prove them wrong. 🙂 with love and affection;

Laura Grace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let all the unknowns arise in the Name of Jesus, who are known by God but not by men. Let the unknowns arise I say! Let the Spirit of God arise. Let God arise let his enemies be scattered through the unknown soldiers.

 

Amen (check out this site it will surely bless you)

http://eaglevisionjournals.blogspot.com/p/my-mandate.html

I was driving today and praying and asked God for Holy Boldness. In Fact I used a different term but I won’t share it here. I want to talk about this man for a minute, the one pictured below. He was saved and called at 16, filled with the Holy Spirit and Baptized in the Holy Spirit. He served as a minister in a church for years. During that time he was praise and worship leader, some guys and him formed a band an ministered in Flint MI and other places.

Many got saved as a result of his street ministry. His Dad was an ordained minister he was a minister without the papers but he had Holy Ghost Credentials. His wife left him for his best friend, turned his kids against him, she mocked him and he quite literally went through hell.

He was homeless for awhile after the wife took everything including his beloved children. Diamond got re married but the years of hard work tree farming, roofing and all the very hard labor he did broke his body down. in his 50’s he could no longer do what he used to do. He became “unknown” after being very well known but he was never unknown to the devil. The devil feared him and when he prayed demons would flee.

He found himself on a fixed income and found himself trying to minister to people and while many would accept his prayers, few would receive his teachings which were given to him By God and he had no children to pass them on to, for he could no longer even find them or make contact with them because of the terrible onslaughts that were done to him by his ex wife.

One day he prayed “God just send one, just one person that will receive and be good soil.” and God sent me because I was praying “Father please send me a personal prophet, teacher, minister who will actually talk to me and be my friend.”

So it happened that Diamond and I became friends and while I never met him in person: The treasure of his heart that he shared with me is beyond worth and far better than silver and gold. See; I could not afford to go to college and I could not even afford the time to go. not everyone can.

Now his life reminds me of a modern day Apostle: beaten, broken, left for Dead yet somehow God raised him back up again. With the last years of his life he preached he prayed and he encouraged everyone daily including me, his beloved wife and the people in his neighborhood. He prayed for those unknown folk as if they were his congregation because in fact: They were his congregation. I sent him 20.00 one time he wept like I sent him a million.

He was so grateful for every little good thing that ever happened to him I personally felt ashamed for not being that way myself at times. His life radiated God’s glory every day I knew him for 8 solid years. Now; I know his labors of Love are not in vain. I know the revelations he shared with me as well as my own that emerged as a result of his prayers and others will not go untold or unspoken. His words will travel far and wide because I will tell the story.  His desire to reach multitudes will be answered because God will use me and the secrets God shared with him and then with me will be revealed. How do I know this?

Because God’s labors of love over him are not in vain. His Labors of love over me are not in vain. God doesn’t equip people and then “not” send them out to tell the story.

I prayed a whole lot of stuff today and guess what? God heard me! I Will carry the torch I will lift high the flame…..I will march through the darkness in the light of his name; Til the Glory of God is seen by the world: I will carry the torch of the Lord. So it is I know God will help me write “the rest” of my books. And I know they will go far and wide for the glory of his name. Amen.

-by Laura Grace

Dennis Diamond Kelley with LJ His Grandson He died of cancer in 2015

Hi there! Laura Grace here! This is my son Thomas. I am thankful for friends, family my daughter my grandchildren, daughter in laws, step son, dogs, husband…..Mom and many others (and God of course) but I have to share that we were talking about thanksgivings in the past (my husband and I) and what we are truly thankful for today is we are not FUSSING! We are eating link sausage and French toast and there are minimal dishes. We are more thankful because we simplified! It’s fine to have a day to say “be thankful” but what are we really thankful for? be honest! sleeping in?

I am featuring Thomas because he talks about “quality time.” he is super busy but he makes time for me; even if it’s a 20 minute lunch having a corn dog together. I APPRECIATE That so much! He doesn’t just give up on seeing me because there is not time to spend the whole day together.

Thank you Thomas!

Meals out and you don’t have to cook? Some are thankful to cook all day some are not! those who are not should not be forced to do it and be told to be cheerful while doing it!

I have jumped through that hoop a thousand times and let me tell you what. It was a blessing not to wake up and wonder what time I should get the turkey going! So be honest! what are you REALLY Thankful for? (each and every day) and let’s not lie to each other because I think that may be more of a sin that “not really” being all that thankful for all the work that holidays seem to involve sometimes. Hope my honesty doesn’t shake you up too much. with Love prayers and Rejoicing! Minister of the Lord:

 

Laura Grace