Song of Praise & Big Announcement:

I am ready for a change. God has been leading me to take the blog in a slightly different direction. I am really excited about this new direction. 

I recently noticed that while we all still need grace and the reminder of God’s love I have been writing more from my own personal Bible Study and struggles. So I am going to be making a change. 

A name change that is.

Grace 4 Me & U is becoming The Berean Journal.

Why The Berean Journal?

This comes from Paul encountering the Berean’s who took what Paul was teaching and verified it in the scripture. (Acts 17:11) This is something that we should be doing because the Bible also reminds us that people will come seeking to pull us away from God. (Matthew 24:4-11) So I am going to stick with this Bible Study process.

So welcome to The Berean Journal. Our mission statement will be:

Mission Statement:

The Berean Journal is here to showcase truths found in God’s word about God’s love, grace and forgiveness…

Vision Statement:

… by matching everyday experiences with the lessons in the Bible.

I really hope you will join me, and that you will gain a passion for reading and studying God’s word. 

I am excited about this change. Don't worry it won't all be happening at once, it will probably take a few months. Some transitions will be taking place. 

Those transitions will be:

•  my visuals will now be using the new name. 
• more social media accounts to connect on
• A new blog URL - address - I am looking to move my blog from blogspot.com.

Since the goal it to focus on the truth found in God's word, our song for today is a prayer for God to open our hearts to Him. So join me in this song and this prayer. 

Is it time to Burn that bridge?

I once had a pastor tell me not to burn my bridges. The strange thing is that in a relationship with people, he didn't always follow that advice. I haven't seen or heard from him much since I left that church.

It was an odd situation, where my church didn't have evening services but this church did. When my church started evening services again, I felt called back to my home church. At that point, he couldn't understand why and in his own way burned a bridge that linked me to him and his church.

Fast forward 10 years and I'm still at my home church. Our lovely grace-filled pastor gave a sermon that caught my attention. It starts with God using Elijah to defeat the Baal prophets and bring his people back to him. Elijah won that battle but immediately came under attack. He feared for his life, so he ran.

God revealed himself to Elijah as that tiny soft voice, and I know that is the voice I need to listen to. See I have been going back and forth on this normal desire for community in a specific way. Yet God seems to have failed me in this area and so I run to what I believe to be safe.

The only difference is I am still standing there listening for God to be the earthquake or wind.  But God has chosen to speak to me in a still small voice, and I can't hear him. Why can't I hear him? It is because I'm still looking for the earthquake and the wind.

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. - 1 Kings 19:11-13

God told Elijah to go anoint Elisha to take his place as the prophet of Israel. Elijah found Elisha plowing the fields, and he went and laid his cloak on Elisha's shoulders. Elisha knew what this meant, and  ran after Elijah. He ran to get permission to say his goodbyes, and this request was granted.

Elisha went back to his plow, killed his oxen and burned his plow to cook the meat. He gave this as food to for the people.

Elisha burned his bridges so to say. He didn't just burn the bridge. He made sure he couldn't cross that bridge anymore by slaughtering and cooking his oxen. Wow, that is some great faith. I'm am not sure if I am Elijah in this story or if I am Elisha. I want to have the faith of Elisha but fear takes over. 

God has called me to live fearlessly, and for me, burning that bridge doesn't seem to be what I wish it was. I have been living the safe life. So for me, God says to stay where I am, don't burn the bridge until he guides me to.

You may be in a different spot, maybe it is time for you to burn that bridge. Well if that is the case, and God has been calling you to burn a bridge, then here is a song that speaks to me.

On Friday I will be making a special announcement for the future of Grace 4 Me & U on my subscriber list. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. Believe me when I say, this is unexpected, but so exciting. 

Grace 4 U - Plan for December

I hope you are ready for the holiday’s.  Between guest posting; youth group; church celebrations;  extra services and spending time with family and friends. I am going to take the month of December off from posting. This will give me a chance to prepare for the new year and see where God is leading me. 

I am working through a Scripture writing in my journal for the month of December. I really hope you will join me over at facebook.


Did you see my guest posts?

My first ever guest post was my 100th post, and you can find it Melanie Redd's Ministry of Hope. This post is all about making much of Jesus in holiday decorating.

My next guest post is all about multisensory worship and can be found over at Arabah Joy's blog. This is all about using your senses in worshiping God.



I am looking forward to the new year and starting fresh. So I would love for you to tell me what you need or want to see. I'm
open to your ideas, because while I write about the lessons I am learning, my ultimate goal is to encourage you to continue to grow in Christ.

So until next time. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.    

Assurance: Guided Scripture Journal Day #2

Today has been one of those days. I had a dentist appointment this morning, then went to work, church, and then ran to grab dinner. Didn't make it home until really late. :-(

I told my sister that I wish I had written this post last night, but then I wouldn't be reminded that no matter where I am or how busy, God still loves me. The same is true of you. Set some time aside for him.

We are only on day two and I already need to re-read a past post.

Yesterday we started by writing 3 scriptures. Tonight we move to writing 3 more. Are you ready?

Let's get started:

1. So grab your journal.
2. Now flip to page 1: Let's pick up where we left off yesterday.
3. Just write the scriptures, it doesn't need to be perfect. Just do your best. Nothing fancy. I used a crayon to separate between each scripture, but you are welcome to draw a line or just leave white space.

The Scripture for today is.

• John15:8
• Acts 10:43
• Romans 8:1

Please forgive me for not posting this sooner. Join me tomorrow as we work through more verses.  Don't want to wait for me to tell you the next verses? You can also find them here.

How to start a Scripture Journal

As a person with ADD, I’ve noticed that … What was I saying? Oh yeah, I need to be intentional in all that I do. If I don’t intentionally plan how I’m going to spend my time then time gets wasted, watching tv, or playing video games. Being intentional is important in your spiritual life too. Join me in a guided scripture journal like I mentioned in Bible Study Breakthrough: Testing the SOAP Method.

As I begin this I don't want to overwhelm you so today we are going to do some prep work on our journal. So grab a notebook.

I have a scripture journal I use. It is a grid style composition notebook. I use this to prep for youth group and for when I'm studying for blog posts.

Today, I am starting a new journal. One specific for guided Scripture Journaling and guided Bible Study. It is a sketch book I bought at Hobby Lobby.

1. So go grab you the journal you are going to use. It doesn't have to be brand new you can start in the middle of a notebook you have been using for Bible Study. It doesn't have to be a composition notebook, or even a sketchbook. It can be loose leaf paper in a binder. Got it? Good.

2. Okay, now you want to create an index. I recommend flipping your journal sideways and drawing a line to split the page in half. Now you want to right index on top. If you are using a sketch book and need to add lines you can, but you don't have to. You want to do this to the front and back of that page.

3. You are almost done! Now you are going to go and number the bottom of your pages. This will help you when your filling in your Index. I started by numbering to 35, you can go as far as you want.

You are done for today.

Tomorrow we will start our guided journaling of scripture. Fear Not!

What type of journal will you be using?

In the Valley of Hopelessness: God's strength is there!

Standing in the valley, as I look around all I see is death and destruction. Surrounding me are bones. Not just any bones, these are dry bones. If I touch then they will fade away like dust. Dusty, dry bones, I've been there. I've been in situations that seem completely hopeless.


This reminds me of what Satan has been doing in my life. He is stealing my joy. He is killing my hope, and in doing so he is attempting to destroy the relationship I have with Jesus. Jesus told us this would happen.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. - John 10:10

You are Not alone! 

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been there. Joy disappearing more each day.  My hope on life support and they are threatening to pull the plug. My desire for a relationship with the one who is watching it happen, going down the toilet.

Well if we look at the story of Ezekiel and the dry bones we find some hope for the hopeless.
God asked Ezekiel if those dry bones could live again. I'm going to ask you the same thing. Is there any chance your joy can live again? What about your hope?

Ezekiel had some smart words here in response to this question.

3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” - Ezekiel 37:3-6

Only God knew if the bones could live again. So God told Ezekiel to prophesy that the bones would become whole, having flesh on them again. The rest of John 10:10 promises that Jesus came to give us life. I'm not talking about a hopeless life. No, he came to give us a full, hope filled life. 

This may take some faith, but God knows your future and he doesn't want you living dusty and dry. He wants to give you hope. Water filled hope!


How does God breath power into your Valley?


How do you regain your joy, your hope and your relationship with Jesus? I'm going to venture and say that you need to work this backwards.

Let's start with your relationship. You need to find your love for God, you do this by praying and spending time in the Word.  You need to trust him and his great love for you.


Next you need to pray for God to help you see His plans to prosper you. Ask him to open doors that no one can close, and close doors that are leading you away from him.

Now that you are back to building your relationship, pray that God will give you joy. That he will take whatever it is that is stealing your joy away. Ask him for strength and courage to stop following that path anymore.

Do you need to Restart your Bible Study today?

Last week I gave you a challenge, start a personal quiet time. How did you do?

I didn't do so well. I spent a few days actually studying but that was it. If you are like me, I want to encourage you.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23

God's love is great and he doesn't allow our failures to consume us. His compassion never fails and he allows us to start fresh every morning.
So take a deep breath and realize that God loves you. You messing up and not following through on your challenge to spend time with him, is in the past. Strive to move forward with a new zeal.

If you seek to know God and spend time with Him, He will give you the desire of your heart, by being there for you to find.

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. - Deuteronomy 4:29

10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.[b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” - Jeremiah 29:10-14

So I must ask, how has your Bible Study been?  If you are don't want to answer that because it hasn't been good do not fret. Today is a new day, and God still loves you. So why not seek him with all your heart and soul. He will reveal himself to you.


Let's put together an action plan!


Why not sign up for Bible.com? You can download the Bible to your phone, tablet, or computer. They have some great plans and devotions. You can even listen through them if your connected to the internet.

In September I would like to do a short guided Bible Study. Follow me on my Facebook page to weigh in on it, or respond in the comments below.



Topics I'm looking at through Bible.com

Assurance - 4 days
Why Does God Love Me? - 5 days
When Your days are Hard? - 6 days

Cast your vote below or on facebook.

Bloggers Enlarge your Territory, while holding on to your values

Affiliate Links in this Post:  See bottom of post for more information

 

I started my blog by writing under a different name, Anna Grace. I did this because I wasn't ready to let the world hear my voice. I used my blog more as a personal journal. It was helped me grow, but didn't really hold me accountable. The only person who read it was my sister.

My sister was always encouraging me and talking about how she would love to share some of my posts. So finally I took the leap and introduced myself, Ona C. It was an exciting and scary moment. After that moment, I started wanting people to learn the lessons I'm learning without having to go through what I was going through. I wanted to share my lessons.

I found out about the Christian Bloggers Bootcamp (CBB), I didn't know if I wanted to take it or not. Then I remembered that I had been given a small picture frame with a Bible verse / prayer in it.

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request - 1 Chronicles 4:10

 I realized I should take the leap. I signed up for the Christian Blogger Bootcamp and became so excited. I learned so much, and it really pushed me to know the "why" I was writing. It also helped me to really focus on sharing my lessons with others through social media.

Christian Bloggers Bootcamp

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. - Matthew 5:15

Are you a blogger? Do you want to put your lamp on its stand so others can see? What about asking God to enlarge your territory? I highly recommend the Christian Bloggers Bootcamp by Arabah Joy. 

Christian Bloggers Bootcamp

This 6 week course is amazing, each week you gain lessons that build upon themselves. You work at your own pace, which is nice.  

Some bloggers will put aside their voice and sometimes their integrity to build a following. I didn't want to do that! The Christian Bloggers Bootcamp wants you to focus on your voice, your why, and use that to move forward.

If you think you would be interested in signing up for the Christian Bloggers Bootcamp I highly recommend it. If you use **Affiliate PROMO code ONC10 you can get 10% off. If you sign up between July 21 and July 31 you can receive a few bonuses.

▪ The Blog Planner from My Joy Filled Life

▪

▪ The "Blog at Home Mom" eBook by Christin Slade

▪

▪ One month free access to the Author Audience Academy with Shelley Hitz

Don't sign up with someone who will ask you to push your views aside, not care about the voice and story God has given you. Sign up with someone who asks you to pray through your convictions, making decisions based on those convictions. 

Be encouraged, God have given you a special story and a voice to tell it.  

Do you have a question about how Blogger Bootcamp has helped me? Feel free to ask in the comments below and I will answer.  

**This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you use the PROMO code , I’ll receive a portion of the signup cost.

Illustrations of Grace



Cleanse 2 by Thanwan Singh

This past Sunday we had a church takeover. Sunday evening service was run by our youth group, and boy was it amazing.  The topic that was chosen was Grace. Most of the talks, or devotions were based on God's forgiveness. Which is absolutely amazing, I mean for a perfect God to forgive a sinner such as I, and allow that sinner a personal relationship with him, that is amazing.

Between special music and the youth devotions they did a really cool illustration of the process of sanctification. According to The free dictionary . com, sanctify is defined as:

1. To set apart for sacred use; consecrate
2. To make holy; purify

Want to see an example of their illustration? See the youtube video below that they based their illustration on. As they did the illustration the read script from 1 John 1.

 

In 1 John 1 we read

 ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  ⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^[a] sin.

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

  ⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

If you notice every other verse deals with similar topics. verses 6,8 and 10 all cover sin and our relationship with Jesus who is truth.  verses 7 and 9 cover that Jesus is perfect and that his sacrifice purifies us from sin, and verse 5 reminds us that there is no evil, sin, or darkness in God. God is good all the time.


God offers us sanctifying grace, through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross!

I know that I am not perfect, but I strive to live a life pleasing to God. In my attempt I try to live my life away from temptation, I have proven over and over again that taking an inch, leads me a great distance from God. Sometimes I fall and have to start fresh, but only by focusing on Jesus can I even begin to live in light. We did an experiment with our youth after pouring "Jesus" into the "you" jar, if you add sin, it doesn't appear.

That isn't because we don't sin, but by living set apart we can allow Jesus to change or transform (purify) us. This is an on going process.

When you read 1 John 1:5-10 what pops out to you? How do you live set apart in your daily life?
How do you refocus on Jesus?

New Beginnings

Yesterday I decided to start new.  It is very scary and exhilarating all at the same time This new beginning means two things. 1. I plan to start posting again. (My goal is to make my posts more regular 2 times a month). I'm hoping to pick a specific day to post and work from that. We shall see how this works.  2. I will no longer be posting as Anna Grace. I will be posting under my real name. Ona C. I think that means you need an introduction. So here it goes.

Hello, my name is Ona, and I am unique and crazy person stuck in a stressed out brain.  I have a loving family, and a twin sister.  My twin and I started working in the church when we turned 18. Wow, I can't even believe that. I started out as a Sunday School Teacher and assisted my sister as the youth leader.  We have been doing this so long, I have been appointed as the co-youth leader.  Our youth kids love the group and the feeling of belonging so much we have yet to be successful at getting rid of them. We started a young adult group, and then I finally broke.

I had been stressed and neglecting to deal with myself and put effort into my relationship with God. I broke, I decided it was time for a break. Yeah right. I go to a small church, and while I have given up some of my duties, I have never fully walked away. My year is soon to be up and I still don't know fully what I plan to do.

My break really didn't do much to help me put effort into my relationship with God, so I started a scripture journal and a Lent reading plan through you version.  So fair it has been going good. Praise God! I hope that you will join me as I continue my journey toward understanding Grace and how much God loves me, one lesson at a time.