Daily Dose of God’s Glorious Love

“ Give space to pregnant silence.”                 from Sensible Shoes.  

For people who are reading this for the first time I would like to help you understand why this blog exists. For the first years as a christian I enjoyed reading the journals of those who had lived out their faith. Two of my favorites are Hudson Taylor and “ God’s Smuggler ” by Brother Andrew. I tried again and again to write a journal but after a time it would become sporadic and finally end. After several years I started what I call Heart Talks where I would write out my thoughts and feelings in what to me is poetry as a way to have Heart Talks with God. Every year I would begin a new Heart Talks and over the years they became longer and longer. The Heart Talks are my attempt to be honest with myself and God and at times they are brutal. I try to not whine remembering to “ serve no whine before its time. ” About six years ago I started what would later be called Small Fiber neuropathy and went on disability. Having lost the opportunity and ability to preach I tho

4/27/2022 I was about to write today is a good day but thinking about hope and grace I realize every day is a good day. Hope and grace reveal the meaning of good as more than happy or pleasant but where even our troubles work for our good. This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me hope, beyond hope. Is grace available for the lost? The Bible says God gives rain to the just and the unjust. God offers grace to each of us because grace is undeserved and even at times unsought. Does this mean rain in the form of necessary water for life and the floods that come? From my Grace Journal to remind me of our need not for agreement but grace in our relationships. As I loaded the previous devotion I noticed there are over 1,700 Daily Dose’s of God’s glory. Whether we are a Christian or not God deserves our worship and for us to glorify Him and His name!

4/26/2022 Am I alive Am I dead Can I know Do I know A question a day keeps boredom away  

  4/25/2022 As I look at a picture of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC taken by Alec Hartman it seems as though Lincoln is looking down at you and while he seems at ease his left hand is a tight fist and his mouth is not smiling but is in a straight line. I wonder what President Lincoln is thinking? At the Abraham Lincoln Museum they have a show revealing each side of Lincoln’s face shows a very different view of who he is and what he is thinking. What does Lincoln think about what America has become? Is he disappointed? Maybe Lincoln is thinking something very different. Maybe he is upset at how we whine and moan living in a time so much more settled and safe? Could it be he is sad remembering how many sacrificed so much for their family, homes and nation while often today our comfort seems to be more important? I do not have an answer for anyone and this is what came to mind looking at the picture taken by an artist who was autistic and died at a young age. I wonder

4/24/2022 Evil does not exist Does it? What is evil? Is it the opposite of live? There are opposites All kind of opposites But none more than evil The opposite of evil good? The opposite of evil life? Does asking admit evil is? Asking what evil is says it is If no evil why do we ask? If no evil how could we know to ask? Is all bad rooted in evil? How much is ours because of the fall? Stupidly we received only evil We already had knowledge of good We traded the best to know evil Which perverts the good in us Which in the end perverts us Which in the end destroys us The weakness of evil is that it destroys It destroys it's host even as it destroys others Evil cannot grow because it is self destructive Evil destroys and it's seed is death itself Will the evil one win? No! The evil one is too weak to harm God The evil one can only hurt God by hurting those He loves The ultimate weakness of knowing it is defeated The very strength of evil is w

  4/23/2022 One of the themes of both my Hope and Grace journals is seeing the value and possibility of them in our lives even when it is very hard to see them nevertheless live them. Over the last few weeks I have experienced a very bad time physically, emotionally and spiritually and hope and grace have been difficult to see and even harder to live. My struggle with guilt, fear, shame and pornography have almost overwhelmed me. But angels surround even those who have no faith or have lost it as well as those for who faith is a hedge of protection. Look for these angels and cultivate their companionship for through them hope and grace can be transfused into your life. For me this is a group of men I meet with on Wednesday who have been messengers of hope and grace. There are two things I want to say to everyone who reads this: First, find a group who help you hope in hope and show you grace and how to live it out. Second, nourish and cultivate this group of messengers b

4/22/2022 Through hope the passage of life can be seen in anticipation of what is to come rather than despair over the mistakes of the past. This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me hope, beyond hope. Grace relations leaves a person with less regrets and a whole lot fewer enemies!!! From my Grace Journal to remind me of our need not for agreement but grace in our relationships.  

4/21/2022 Daddy's Lap Today I come tired and sad So much seems slipping away Daddy can I sit in Your lap awhile And maybe the pain will flee? You reach and pull me up I snuggle in Your lap You gently touch my brow And so much falls away You smile with Your embrace I long to see Your face You heal with Your loving touch My heart breaks and heals I do not know when I came But I do not want to leave "My child return to the fray I will hold you through today." I slide into this broken world Healed to serve once more But when I weary once again I will seek Your lap once more. I LOVE YOU DADDY!!! (I so miss those times.) T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals.  

4/20/2022 From a small room For six years we prayed Joining heart and soul God has answered each And has changed the world People are alive even now Some have been saved The weary given strength And hope has been received The glory of God on display Shining from a small room Across the world lives touched Some whom we never knew Heaven invaded darkest earth And evil forced to flee As God's power flowed out God's desire came to be T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals.  

4/19/2022 Prayer is my breathing You in my Heart and then You breathing out. Prayer is a friend enjoying time with a Friend. Prayer is God finishing your sentence and beginning the next one. Prayer is unloading my guilt, fear and sin onto He who already bore it. Prayer is "bringing the pains of earth to heaven’s door." Prayer is at its best when you run out of words. Prayer is when You hug me and I can make You smile. Prayer let's God peel the scales of self from my eyes to see others and their pain. Prayer opens me to see the glory of God rather than the power of evil. Prayer let's me touch people around the world with the power of God. Prayer makes me homesick for heaven, a place I long to be. Prayer is telling God before anyone else. Prayer is releasing Gods' holy power into a fallen and broken world. Prayer is the source of power, grace, love, faith and hope in Jesus Christ. Prayer is humbly admitting I can't and that I need God. Prayer i

4/18/2022 Mondays are considered by many to be a bad day. A day to return to work and an end to time off. But hope says we have something to return to and a purpose to our lives. The weekend is enjoyable because it is a rest from our purpose in life. This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me hope, beyond hope. Grace reminds us Monday is a bad time for some and grace is needed more and can be seen more. As you need grace extend grace to others knowing grace is a blessing which grows by being shared. From my Grace Journal to remind me of our need not for agreement but grace in our relationships.  

4/17/2022 Easter Sunday!!! This day is so important Christians changed the day of sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. All of Creation is redeemed! Will I accept that redemption? Can I abuse that redemption to the point of losing it? Such an amazing event raises hope, grace, love, faith, joy and many questions. So many questions.  

4/16/2022 Waiting. Today is a day of waiting. Good Friday has been and is there hope of resurrection? Not just for Jesus, but for us? T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals.  

4/15/2022 My mind continues to be fuddled, there is at times a terrible buzzing sound and there are moments of tremendous weakness. I struggle with my addiction to pornography and weariness is a weight I cannot overcome. Where is hope. Looking over the previous entries you make think I live in constant hope but they are not messages from me but to me. Can I believe in hope? Can I hope in hope? Can I…. T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals. I remember. Today is Good Friday.  

4/14/2022 Recently someone showed me hope and grace can be the foundation of a strength greater than he could have imagined. This person was able to stand and do the right thing for others at the possible great cost to himself. It taught me strength is not a muscle in itself but comes from the strong muscles like hope, grace, love and peace. This is the source of strength. T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals.  

4/13/2022 Is God hope or does God create hope? This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me hope, beyond hope. Is God grace or does God create grace? From my Grace Journal to remind me of our need not for agreement but grace in our relationships. I wonder.  

4/12/2022 There is a constant buzzing in my head for almost a day and it is finally going away. At first I thought it was something outside but when I stick my fingers in my ears the sound either stays the same or increases. I am very weak and have had to stop and lean against something to keep from falling. Hope seems so far away but I must believe it surrounds me waiting for me to see! T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals.  

4/11/2022 Over the last week hope has been hard to come by. I think of those suffering because of Putin’s grab for power, China’s attempt to flex their power even as it grows weaker daily, the battle against life as many babies are offered to the evil one through abortion, the fracturing of the denominations and so many who are starved – enslaved and murdered. But their hope helps me have hope. God help all those who need hope to see You have hope surrounding them all the time! This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me hope, beyond hope. There is a place beyond grace but that is not God’s choice or even creation. Some will argue God must have created the place beyond grace but I do not believe that is true. To dwell beyond grace is to either not accept grace or to throw it away after having received it. BUT EITHER OF THESE PLACES ARE OUR CHOICE NOT GOD’S!!! From my Grace Journal to remind me of our need not for agreement but grace in our relationships.  

4/10/2022 Who we are must die for us to have hope or to be able to be hope. This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me hope, beyond hope. Grace is not something we offer but must be who we have become through grace!!! From my Grace Journal to remind me of our need not for agreement but grace in our relationships.  

4/9/2022 Power is like the shimmering reflection of light seen on wine or the coloring as light flows through glass enclosed alcohol We are drawn to this reflected and diffused light we call power and believe as we drink the power of light will flow through us At first the beverage gladdens our heart and frees us for more as the problems of our past, present and future become diluted We are tempted to drink more so power will grow stronger in us as at first we see what held us back slip away and we are free Set free by the first drinks we are emboldened to drink deeper knowing we will be more free and able to have and use power We sense and know of our brilliance and majesty from the cup, the cup which used to reflect and diffuse the light of our power We see things clearer than anyone else even as the light dims the reflection and diffusion slowly dissipates in our dissipation The amount we drink of power must grow so we stay the same but we must look

4/8/2022 While reading a book from the cozy mystery series this quote really hit me. “ I wish I could tell you that we have some big lead about your sister’s whereabouts. What I can tell you is this—losing faith will do no good. Hope is the most powerful thing we have. You have to keep believing that one day we’ll find her.” Potts, Meredith. Daley Buzz 32-Book Cozy Mystery Set (p. 258). Kindle Edition. In whatever we face or go through hope is not helpful but essential! This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me hope, beyond hope. Grace is not to be abused. We should never assume we can sin because grace will take away our guilt. While reading in the book of Hebrews I realized I have abused grace and sin has become my master once again. I beg you to not abuse grace! From my Grace Journal to remind me of our need not for agreement but grace in our relationships.  

4/7/2022 How do you define hope? What difference does having hope mean? What difference does not having hope mean? Take time to write down your answers. This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me hope, beyond hope. What is grace? Should the question be Who is grace? What part does grace play in my life, family, community or world? Take time to write down your answers. From my Grace Journal to remind me of our need not for agreement but grace in our relationships.  

4/6/2022 Around me are wild fires in Weir’s Valley which were whipped by winds of up to 80 miles per hour destroying huge areas of woodland and some homes. Fire crews from around the area converged to fight these fires and put their lives on the line for those they do not even know. While in the Navy I was tasked with others from my ship to help fight an horrific fire. There were many fire tornadoes drawing wind in so fast you were pulled toward them. The fires raced so fast the trees exploded sending huge pieces of wood on us. At times you were not so much fighting the fire as trying to save your own life. While not even a Christian I experienced the power and wonder of hope and grace. T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals.  

4/5/2022 The Putin invasion of Ukraine continues on as a small nation continues to hold back the massive force raining death and destruction on them. There is no doubt Putin thought it all would be over and by now he would be smugly consolidating his victory and looking at other nations with hunger and desire. Many nations have sent weapons, ammunition, food, healthcare supplies and best of all their prayers to support those fighting for their families, homes and nation. Putin calls the Jewish President of Ukraine a nazi revealing not just how unnecessary this invasion is but also how out of touch with reality he is. Anger and fear demands we hate and revile Putin but hope and grace demands we love and pray for him. If we do not act with hope and grace there will be more Ukraine’s invaded by more Putin’s and we will die in the fire of fear and hatred!!! T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals.