It starts with ME!

It has to start with me!
I am speaking about making a difference in our nation and speaking out against abuse, violence and the rape of women and children. What we are seeing in our country is devastating and leaves everyone feeling outraged. But, like many people we are asking:

"What can I do?"
"What difference can I make?"
"I want to add my voice, but I am only one person?"

If you are feeling like this, then let me encourage you to add your voice. Don't be concerned that your voice may not be heard - it will be!
A waterfall is made up of millions of drops of water.
A beach is made up of billions of grains of sand.
Each tree boasts thousands of leaves covering it's branches.

We all can make a difference in this world no matter how small it may seem to be.

HOWEVER, it must start with me.

I should lobby government to act, but not at the exclusion of looking at my life.
I must wear 'Thursdays in Black' buttons and pray against this evil, but not just for one day a week.
I definitely must stand up for people who are down-trodden and abused, but not just when it suits me.

And so, it started this week with me! I checked my own attitudes and heart.
And then we sat down with our 3 sons and spoke to them about this situation.
We told them how important it is to treat women with dignity and respect.
We encouraged them to stand for those with no voice.
We urged them not to use derogatory or lewd language in speaking with any woman.
We will tell them again and again, that a women's body is to be respected.
We will continue to tell them what Jesus expects from us.
Our 3 young men must learn how to change the nation and to live differently. 

It started with us.
Any change and revival starts close to home. It has started in our household. The hope is that if everyone does this, then change will be seen in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

In his song, Send Revival, Start With Me, Matt Redman bases his lyrics on 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Isaiah 6:5-8. The words speak for themselves.

We're looking to your promise of old
That if we pray and humble ourselves
You will come and heal our land
You will come, You will come

We're looking to the promise You made
That if we turn and look to Your face
You will come and heal our land
You will come, You will come
To us

Send revival, start with me
For I am one of unclean lips
And my eyes have seen the King
Your glory I have glimpsed
Send revival, start with me

Living in Grace
D3LM3

P.S. - Pray for our nation like you have never prayed before.

Prayer during difficulty

"Help us bear difficulty, pain, disappointment, and sorrows, knowing that in Your perfect working and design, You can use such bitter experiences to shape our character and make us more like our Lord." - Ignatius of Antioch

2 Chronicles 32:8 - "With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles."

May God walk alongside you during the strains of life and may His Spirit carry you when you can't walk yourself. 

Living in Grace
D3LM3

2 Chronicles - a great promise

The book of 2 Chronicles is not one we often turn to when we are looking for the Promises of God, yet it contains one of the most well known passages in the Bible. These words are as appropiate in today's world as they were when they were written. The contain a wonderful promise, as well as a poignent reminder for us to follow God's ways.

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. ¹⁵ My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. ¹⁶ For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart. - 2 Chronicles 7:14-16

I am not sure if you have noticed that last line before? Read it again - it is wonderful!


I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart. 

God says that we are dear to his heart! That is something to cherish today. Believe it and be blessed by it!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

The voice of the crowd...

Sometimes people are quite cruel in the way they speak to us or about us. Often it is because they want to make themselves look better or try and prove that they are superior to others. The voice of the crowd can make us lose confidence in our abilities or in our God-given purpose.  Take this scripture passage as an example - Sennacherib's men tried their hardest to strike doubt and fear into the minds of the Israelites, calling out all kinds of lies and threats. They made the fateful error of ridiculing Yahweh and claiming that God was just like all the other 'fake' gods.

2 Chronicles 32:16-18 -^"Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ The king also wrote letters ridiculing the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: ‘Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.’ ¹⁸ Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. ¹⁹ They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world – the work of human hands."

Remember that the first voice worth listening too is the voice of Christ. Jesus seeks to speak TRUTH, HOPE and LOVE into our souls.

The crowds may shout louder, but they often don't have our best interests at heart.

"The longest sword;

The strongest lungs,

The most voices,

Are false measures of TRUTH." - Benjamin Whichcote

Living in Grace

D3LM3