Grace Additives Blog

Advent Devotional: Christmas Day

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.  I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy.  Yes, your joy will overflow.”  John 15:11 ESV When we think of all the things Jesus said, everything from…

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Fearful Today

How do you quieten fear? What is making you fearful at the moment? These are questions that I have been asking quietly in my mind as I walk through grocery stores without toilet paper. What makes one buy more than two large packages of toilet paper in a crisis that is going to affect us…

Photo of two women sitting looking out at a lake - The beauty of a friendship is that you can just be with one another in the most wonderful places

You’ve Got a Friend

I value a person’s time and energy when it comes to friendship. In today’s world it is easy to become too busy with life to entertain a friendship. Before you know it, you have not spoken to a friend in months. How do you continue cultivating a friendship? Making time for a face to face…

Photo of a shooting range target - Sometimes I feel as if I have a target on my back

Target Teaching

Teaching to hit a target is ideal at a firing range. But what about in a classroom? Or in a Sunday School class? I have to say there have been times that I have started a blog with a person I want to target. Usually I want to get a point across to them that…

Photo of cabin in the woods - Lies destroy trust, without trust relationships suffer

Liar, Liar

“Liar, Liar, Pants on fire” was a chant I learned when I was growing up. When my daughter was growing up, we rented a movie called “Liar, Liar”. One of the funniest movies I have seen. What is it about lying that just seems to be a rite of passage growing up? We all lie,…

Photo of people holding each others hands in prayer - This is what community looks like in prayer

Community

What is community? I have asked myself this a lot lately. The definition of community is 1) a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common; 2) a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. This can be difficult to…

Photo of a stuffed purple hippopotamus holding a piece of paper - Stuffed animals offer comfort when comfort is hard to find

Innocence Lost

Last night the news covered the loss of a 3-year-old little girl. I am sickened by the murder of this young child. We live in a broken world. Finding comfort during this time will be difficult. We want to blame someone; we want justice and we want to repay evil. Before you allow your mind…

Photo of river under a bridge - Sounds of Silence

Silence

I looked forward to being an empty nester. Those moments when the house was loud was usually when I thought it will be great to be an empty nester. I counted down the years, months, days. And then it happened. It happened a while ago, but it finally happened. Silence. Glorious I can hear myself…

Photo of forest road - Just as the sun shines to light our way, God's word provides an internal light for our path

God First?

Do you put God first? We hear this asked all the time in church. Okay, maybe not all the time, but enough times that you should know the answer. But knowing the answer and actually practicing the answer are two different stories. So, what keeps you from setting God first? What is the first thing…

Photo of exercise equipment - Unforgiveness is like having a weight around your neck, it weighs us done. God can take that weight from you

Forgiveness—Again

I know, I have written about forgiveness before. And I will probably write about it again. You see, forgiveness is not about a “one and done” type mentality. It is about an “everyday” kind of mentality. Actually, make that an every-second-of-everyday. Let’s face it people are messy. They intentionally hurt others and sometimes they unintentionally…