Mosaic of Grace

“And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authourities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him.”      Colossians 2:13-15                                            There once was a man who collected hammers. The hammers he collected came in many shapes and sizes. Some were light and others quite heavy. It’s not the he particularly liked them but for every wrong he ever did the man would acquire another hammer. The greater the wrong, the heavier the hammer. You may think it odd but listen to the rest of the story and you will see that this man is a lot like you and me.                                                                                                                                                  From time to time he would take out a hammer and strike himself with it. He would hit upon a foot, a knee or about his head. The poor man believed that with each blow he was pleasing the One he wanted to please most-his Father. Yes, he had repented once and the faithful Father forgave. But the memories still remained: every angry word he ever spoke, every wicked thought he ever had and every dark deed he had done. Painful bruises and bumps covered his body from head to toe; left by every heavy blow. Then this man found another use for his hammers-building walls. Behind these walls he dwelt in misery and shame. He wouldn’t go out nor would he let anyone in; not even the Father who loved him so.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Finally, the pain was too much and the isolation was unbearable. In his anguish the man cried out to his Father. “Help me God, I pray!” The silence was broken when the Father spoke, “Why do you doubt, you of little faith?” The voice was loving yet firm as He continued, “When you repented, I forgave ALL your sins. Why do you hold on?”   The list of past transgressions were once again recalled by the man just as he had recited them many times before. But for every sin the Father answered, “Forgiven.” Tears filled his eyes, the hammer he was holding slipped from his hand and the man cried, “Father  forgive my unbelief. Now I understand!”                                                                     Again the Father forgave. And this is what He said, “Stop living in the past and start living in My promise.” Then the Father showed the man what used to be a wall-now it was a door! There was more to see as the Father showed him how to use a hammer to tear down walls and make bridges. The man was so overjoyed, he began to sing:       “Where once there was a wall, now there is a door! What was once an end, God has made a way!”                                                                                                                                 Those who know the man today will tell you how he wields the hammer for good. And as he constructs he tells all about the price that was paid and sings of God’s amazing grace.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      So you see, he is a lot like you and me. But where do you find yourself in this story?                                                                                                                                                             “Happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How happy is the man the Lord does not charge with sin, and in whose spirit is no deceit!”    Psalm 32:1-2

The star in the eastern sky shone bright.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Angels sang through the night.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Shepherds who witnessed the sight                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Took off to find the baby Jesus.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Wise men saw the star                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     And they traveled from afar                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          In search of the Christ child.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          He still reaches out to the simple and weak,                                                                                                                                                                                                                             People like you and me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 And wise men still seek Him.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       What will you do with the message of Christ?                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Will you seek Him with all your heart?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Or will you,like Herod;reject Heavenly treasure                                                                                                                                                                                                                        For wicked pleasure?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The light of Jesus still shines bright                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           And angels still sing with delight                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      At the joy that was given that first Christmas night.

The Message                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Sent from Heaven above,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 A message of God’s great love.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Laid in a manger,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Born into a world filled with danger.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Joseph and Mary’s joy,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   In the form of a little boy.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Soon the boy would become a man,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              With a purpose in God’s great plan.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              By some You were considered a fool,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           In their blindness they could not see your Sovereign Rule.                                                                                                                                                                                                     Those who loved You                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Knew You to be true.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    But even they could not understand your way.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Then the day came they nailed You to a cross,                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Heavy hearts mourned the loss.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Laid behind a stone,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          It seemed all hope was gone.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Then the stone was rolled away!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                And the angels did say,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 “Jesus is not here. He is Risen!”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Hallelujah! He is alive!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Hope is revived.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Ascended to Heaven above,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The message of God’s Redeeming Love!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     By Sherri Winfrey

Since i got ahead of myself in my first post let me back up some and tell a little about myself. My name is Sherri and as of December 31st i will celebrate 10 years of marital bliss with my best friend,Jeremy. We have four chidren: Rachel,Brogan,Reece and Sawyer. One girl and three boys! Since Rachel and i are outnumbered we stick together. Not that we mind being the only females in a house full of testosterone…er, i mean males…we really do enjoy it-but sometimes we just have to look at each other and ask, “What is up with these boys?”. One thing i like about being surrounded by boys(and i think Rachel would agree)is that it brings out  our inner tomboy and the adventurer in each of us. And boy do we have the neatest place to express that spirit! You see, we live on 2 acres with a creek and a river close by. We are surrounded by hills and valleys,cows and goats and horses too. This has been our home now for the past 3&1/2 years. We moved here from the city and we love it. With all the room we have we plan to raise goats someday and Jeremy wants to try his hand at beekeeping. Our attempts at gardening didn’t fare so well but we will try again in a different spot next year. Now the farmhouse we live in is over a hundred years old. It has its flaws but also has great potential-much like the family that lives in it. When we bought the place, Jeremy and i had some romanticized notions of what we wanted to do with it. It hasn’t turned out quite like we planned but we are learning a little thing called patience in the process. There is also an appreciation that comes with the effort and hard work we put into it. Well, that’s me in a nutshell and yes, i can be pretty nutty. And as i blog you will come to know more and more about me. Hope you keep coming back…i love company!

In our sorrow we look at our lives and see brokeness. Broken promises,broken hearts and broken dreams. We try to pick up the pieces on our own only to find it hurts too much. As we mourn what could have been and what should have been we are convinced nothing good can come from these fragments. The old familiar voice of condemnation screams with hateful vengence, “You are ugly and worthless! You will NEVER be good enough!”. But above the angry shouts there is a whisper, “Beloved, give me the pieces and let me show you just how beautiful you are.” Could it be true? Will you allow yourself to hope,to trust? There is such tenderness in that quiet voice and at the same time such great authority. You hear it again and it is like sweet music to your longing soul. Now the gentle voice says, ”I created you in my image and gave my only Son to die for you.” Suddenly you realize the desperate voice of the accuser is growing smaller and smaller while the voice of the Master becomes clearer and clearer.  Falling to your knees,you cry out,”I do believe!” Your hands tremble as you lift the shattered pieces to Him. Finally there is peace as you feel the burden lifted. Then the Father says,”Look,my child.” And before your very eyes are the pieces you once despised-God has used them to make a mosaic and you are His Masterpiece!