'16 Going on '17

Happy New Year, my friends, and hello, 2017.

So, 2016. Not a bad year, eh?

Despite the fact that Rizzoli, our beloved Weimaraner, tried to kill herself a couple times and almost died more than once, we’ve decided the year was a good one.

At the end of 2015, I felt like in 2016 we would see prayers answered and dreams accomplished, and God would pour out his blessing on us and our family.

He certainly did.  

We both turned 30 in 2016 and marked off two items from our bucket lists—a Celine Dion concert and a Browns’ football game in Cleveland. (See my 30th tribute to Howell.)

My best friend got married in March, and we took a couple’s trip to New York in July.

My WIP won first place in a contest this summer, and on Christmas Eve I found out I was accepted to present at a conference in March that I’ve been trying to get accepted to for several years.

I was promoted at work this fall, and the rest of the semester feels a bit like a blur, to be honest, as I spent the next few months learning the ropes. (I’m still learning! :) )

And we ended our year with a wonderful early Christmas present—the early arrival of my new nephew, Case.

My favorite thing about a new year is the pause it always gives me to sit and reflect.

For the last several years, God has given me a word for the year—and sometimes, through my dear friend Brandi. I’ve blogged about some of them before. 2012 my word was Favor. In 2013, Brave. 2014, Grace. 2015, Hope. 2016, Redeem.

I already know my word for 2017—Peace.

God continues to give me the verse, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” That verse has been on my heart for a while—and apparently I still need it. :) 

I’m not big on resolutions. Probably I should work out. Probably I could lose another ten pounds.

But one thing I’ve got to resolve is to let God’s peace rule in my heart.

I can’t get overwhelmed with stress or the lists or the circumstances. I don’t have permission to do so.

As women, I’ve said before how much we influence the tone in our house. When our husbands come home, are we frantic or at peace? Are we distracted or honoring?

For me, the busier I felt this fall, the more frantic and distracted I became at home.

I’m thankful for my hubs who pursues my heart, regardless of my state of mind. But just because he does it so well doesn’t mean he should have to encounter a frantic wife every day.

I want to be a blessing to him. I want to be present—at home, at work, at lunch with friends.

I want to prioritize what matters—and for me, that’s always been people. God taught me that as I waded through grad school: the papers, the assignments, the stress, it’ll all pass away; but relationships are what matter in His kingdom.

I want to set the stress aside and not worry about what I cannot control.

So, 2017—bring on the peace!

How about you? 

Book Review: Told You Twice

Told You Twice by Kristen Heitzmann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Told You Twice more than matches the wit and charm of book one in the stellar series that tackles real-world issues while demonstrating the enormity of God's grace and love. If you loved the first book, prepare to fall deeper in love with familiar characters, and expand your arms to embrace another romantic duo equally as enthralling. Heitzmann's novel showcases God's redeeming power for every kind of lost soul. She deftly handles the realism of secular motivations and balances it with subtle but powerful truths of Christian hope and freedom.

As with all her works, Heitzmann creates characters we fall in love with, despite their flaws, weaving each perspective through unexpected twists in her captivating narrative. From character and plot development to dialogue and description, I can't offer enough praise. Heitzmann excels in all four areas when so many contemporary novels sacrifice something for the another. She is truly a master of the writing craft, and this second book in the series is another of her must-reads.

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

_________________________________________________________________

I feel so honored to be entrusted with the task of reviewing this book. If you know me, you know I've been an avid Heitzmann fan for almost 20 years. I've read all of her books as soon as they are released, and then I twiddle my thumbs and check her website incessantly until the next release date.

I've already posted my review (above) on Goodreads and Amazon, but I want to add a few more comments here. 

When I say that Heitzmann is a master of the writing craft, I'm not exaggerating. I'm enthralled by her word play--sometimes fun, sometimes profound. Here are a few of my favorites:

________

"... There's hardly a ripple of uncertainty in anything he does, while I get tangled in all the possibilities." 

"I thought you were matched up on every point."

Exi swiveled the cafe stool. "We're not the same, but complementary. He fills my gaps." 

________

"As the world knows, we started our family prematurely." 

"But look how happy you are. You said in that interview, God makes our mistakes shine."

"I don't recommend making them purpose." 

________

Bo was not the devil Devin thought him, but he could raise hell and make it look like heaven. 

________

Eileen snickered. "All right. Make your play. You already ruffled feathers."

"Some feathers need ruffling. Even favored sons."

"Green isn't your color. And I'm not limited to one pet." 

________

"... We've lost the sense of sex as sacred."

________

His heart flared, but he pressed thoughts of her down where he kept things that hurt. Separation kept her safe. Her safety kept him sane. 

________

If you haven't read Told You So, I recommend reading it first. Then grab your copy of Told You Twice. 

Both books tackle real-world struggles and the beauty of God's grace. 

Happy reading, and stay tuned for Part Two: An Interview with Heitzmann!

A Lesson from Two Tenacious Women

This week I have been drawn to two different places in the New Testament—one, a parable, and the other, a testimony of Jesus healing a woman.

The story of the woman with the issue of blood has always intrigued me—even as a child. When I was six, I was diagnosed with von Willebrand’s disease, and I spent much of first and second grade in the nurse's office for one or two hours with uncontrollable nosebleeds. It sure felt like an ‘issue of blood’!

The story resonates with me still—as a woman diagnosed with various infertility diseases and negative reports.

I know how it feels to “spend all my money on a physician” and “not be healed by anyone” (Luke 8:43).

And so I’m inspired by this woman who knows what she has to do—and she reaches out to touch Jesus.

She acts in accordance with her faith to receive her healing.

She doesn’t know if it will work, but she does it anyway: “If only I may touch the hem of his garment” (Matthew 9:21).

Source: YouVersion Bible App

Not only is she healed, but Jesus says her faith has made her well.

It seems like a crazy leap from here to the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18—but both women are tenacious.

Persistent. Relentless. Determined.

When I was 16, a woman prophesied over me that I have a spirit of tenacity. I had to look up the word at the time, but today I hold onto that when my soul needs encouraging.

The persistent widow is tenacious. She, too, acts in accordance with what she believes.

As I was re-reading the parable this week, I was struck by Jesus’ last statement: “I tell you [God] will give justice to them speedily, but when the Son of Man returns will he find faith?” (v. 8).

What a question to end with!

When I don't see the outcome, will my faith remain? Will my belief persist? 

Bill Johnson once gave an illustration about faith that will forever stay with me. He said that when we go to a pizza place and ask for a large pepperoni, we get our receipt—that ticket with our number that proves we’ll get the pizza.

While we wait, we don’t actually have the pizza.

But we have the confidence that it’s been purchased, and we have the ticket, the words—that’s our faith, our assurance that the pizza will come.

Dear friends, what are you believing God for? What are His promises for you?

If you don’t see them delivered today, don’t lose heart.

Hold on to your ticket—your faith and assurance—that He will always deliver on His word.

You may need to act. Or you may need to wait and persistently ask.

Both require boldness and courage and faith.

The Lord’s heart is always good toward us—to heal, to restore, to defend, to redeem. 

He is rich in mercy.

Your answer may be immediate (Luke 8:44), or it may require night-and-day persistent prayer, but take heart because His word is truth, and He always keeps His word. 

Click to Tweet: When we don't see the outcome, will our belief persist? @Grace2Write shares a lesson from two persistent women. 

Redeem: Part 2

Do you ever struggle to hear God’s voice?

This last week, I really needed to hear from the Lord. I needed an answer from Him—and yet, I felt so uncertain.

The more I tried to hear Him, the more anxious I felt. Am I hearing you? Is this you? Is this me? What is the problem?

Later, when I was still and my heart was ready, I did hear from Him. I got my answer, and I got His peace.

But in that moment of anxiety, I needed to be redeemed.

I told you last week that God’s word for me this year is REDEEM. We already talked about the ultimate redeeming act—the exchange made at the cross to give us righteousness and grace.

But redeem is more than the one time finished work.

One definition notes that redeem means to compensate for fault or poor past performance.

Yep—Jesus does that all the time for me.

Some synonyms for this definition include save, vindicate, absolve, atone, deliver.

The other definitions I love deal with an exchange:
- “Gain or regain possession in exchange of payment.”
- “Exchange (coupon, voucher, etc.) for merchandise, a discount, or money”
- “Pay the money to clear a debt”

Some synonyms here would be exchange, cash in, clear, honor, discharge, reclaim, retrieve, recover, regain.

And my all-time favorite definition—“To fulfill or carry out a pledge or promise.”

He always redeems His word. He “makes good” on His promise.

It’s easy—and encouraging—to think of these definitions as each relates to salvation or justification.

But every day, we are being sanctified too.

Every day I still need His redeeming help.

Maybe I need to ‘reclaim’ who I am in Christ.

Maybe I need to ‘regain,’ ‘retrieve,’ or ‘recover’ my thoughts to be the thoughts God thinks toward me.

Maybe I need to be ‘discharged’ or ‘cleared’ for my mistakes or shortcomings that day—the offense I took, the angry response I had, the pride, the insecurity, etc.

“Forgiveness restores the standard of holiness.” That’s my favorite Kris Vallotton quote right now.

Even if I mess up, he still redeems, and I am restored to a place of honor.

And, of course, my favorite:

Maybe I need to be reminded that He redeems His promises.

When I feel anxious like I did last week, He redeems my anxiety for His peace. What a better exchange.

What do you need to exchange—to be cleared of or discharged from?

What do you need to retrieve, reclaim, or regain?

What can He redeem for you today? (Click to Tweet)

Redeem: Part 1

The word God gave me for 2016 is REDEEM. A dear friend of mine (yep—the same friend) gave me a necklace with this word on it, so I can wear it every day as a reminder.

As I’ve mediated on this word, I feel like the Lord continues to show me a new facet of meaning.

Redeem is literally an exchange—and usually money is involved.

We redeem something in exchange for something else. If I have a coupon for 30% off at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I will redeem my coupon for the discount on my total purchase.

I receive the purchase. I’ve redeemed the coupon.

As believers, we are redeemed. We know that He is our Redeemer.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. My church did a sermon series a while ago called The Exchange—and it’s the exchanges that took place at the cross.

This morning, as I was reading through Romans 5, what we received in that exchange really stood out:

Because of the cross, we have

• Peace with God
• Grace
• Hope of the glory of God
• God’s love in our heart
• The Holy Spirit

We are now

• Saved from God’s wrath
• Reconciled
• Saved (Greek word: sozo – literally, to save, to heal, to deliver) 
• Righteous

Through Jesus, we receive grace and righteousness. Receive. It’s a gift.

Our only job to receive this gift is to believe—believe in Jesus, in the finished work of the cross.

So often, we present the gospel like this: You’re a terrible sinner, you’re worthless, you’re nothing without Jesus—you need to confess your sins, right now! (Or go to Hell.)

I’m not denying the truth of those statements. We are sinners. We do fall short of God’s glory apart from Jesus, etc.

But Scripture says to confess that Jesus is Lord.

What we confess is our belief in Jesus—in what He accomplished for us on the cross. What we repent from is the law of sin and death, from works righteousness.

We don’t focus enough on the exchange, on what was redeemed—that our new nature is righteous, literally, made right. It is as it should be between God and me.

Never again will I be separated. By faith, I believe this.

If we make salvation only about confessing sin and needing a savior, we miss the power of the cross. Because the next day, we are still powerless to sin.

When we make salvation an exchange—an unmerited exchange, a free gift received by faith alone—now it’s more than forgiven sins. It’s a new nature. I am a new person: righteous and full of grace.

Salvation is easy. Getting saved is actually easy. Our part is very light: Believe. That’s all His word says—confess and believe that Jesus is Lord, and you will be saved.

What is hard about following Jesus? Well...

• Walking through life. (“In this world, you will face troubles…”)
• Believing all that He says He is and all that He says you are in Him. (Sometimes that's hard.)
• Submitting my will to His. (Yeah, that’s also hard.)

Being a disciple—a follower of Jesus—is the challenging part. Receiving His promise is not.

When we present the gospel, we should be clear on these two points:

• We don’t work to be saved.
• We don’t work after salvation.

But we do choose to believe. We do choose to submit. We choose to be a follower.

Next week, I want to look more closely at this word, REDEEM, for our everyday life: it’s in His nature to redeem; what can He redeem for us in this season?

But this week, let’s be grateful as we remember the greatest redemption story—how he redeemed us from our sin and in exchange made us righteous and free. (Click to Tweet.)