A Sign of Grace

Human presence is a creative and turbulent sacrament, a visible sign of invisible grace  ~ John O'Donohue, Anam Cara

As I end this write 31 days challenge, the one in which I failed greatly, the words above speak grace to me.  For though I did fail to write here every day in October, I did write, and I did make it a priority to be present in the lives of those I love this month.  Vacations, text message conversations, hours spent talking and laughing with my children.  Daily life, lived in our very messy, often chaotic, 'normal' way of being.  We are a sign of grace when we are fully present right where we are.

Grace and Peace to You.

Love,

Catherine Ann

The Grace of Giving (and a recipe)

Grace is given to us freely by a loving God.  We extend grace when we freely, joyfully give to others. Giving love, friendship, hospitality, and sharing our own gifts and talents with others are ways we can share grace in today's world.

Since it is October, which means all things pumpkin to me, I'm sharing a recipe for Pumpkin Pie Bars with you today.
I'm thinking I'll bake a batch of these and share them with friends and family along with a note of grace and encouragement.

How and where are you sharing grace today?


PUMPKIN PIE BARS


Preheat oven to 375.

Crumb Crust:

1 ½ cups rolled oats
1 ½ cups unbleached flour
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
dash of pumpkin pie spice
¾ cup butter, melted

Combine the above ingredients.
Pat ½ of the mixture into a greased 9×13 inch pan.
Bake 8 minutes.



Filling:

1 15 oz. can pumpkin
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Blend well. Pour into the crust.
Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over the top.
Bake 25 minutes .
Cool and then cut into bars.  Refrigerate.
Enjoy!


Grace and Peace.

Love,

Catherine Ann

Everyday Grace

Quiet house
Coffee in my cup
Journal
favorite pen
Bible

These seemingly ordinary things are some of the daily grace I find around me.
Not everyone can get up and go into a comfortable living space and sit in peace most every morning.
Some don't have a home at all, or if they do, it is anything but peaceful.
Coffee is a luxury to many in the world.
Journals and Bibles and pens ... there's an abundance of those around here, but to some ... those would be a source of unbelievable joy.

Let's not take the simple, everyday things for granted, for to many they aren't simple at all.


Grace and Peace to you.

Love,

Catherine Ann

Freedom of Grace

Fall: bright flame before winter’s deadness; harvest; orange, gold, amber; cool nights and the smell of fire. Our tree-lined streets are set ablaze, our kitchens filled with the smells of nostalgia: apples bubbling into sauce, roasting squash, cinnamon, nutmeg, cider, warmth itself. 
The leaves as they spark into wild color just before they die are the world’s oldest performance art, and everything we see is celebrating one last violently hued hurrah before the black and white and silence of winter. Fall is begging for us to dance and sing and write with just the same drama and blaze. ~Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way

Loving these words today.  And as fall begs us to dance and sing and write with abandon, Grace frees us to do so.  For in Him we are free indeed.


Grace and Peace.
Love,

Catherine Ann

Sabbath Grace

Today is the day for resting in Him.  For turning off the alarm, for having an extra cup of tea on the back porch, for simply sitting at His feet and resting.

  

There is much grace to be found in choosing to enjoy the Sabbath.  (It is a choice you know.)  

• The grace of not worrying about all the things on the to-do list that will still be there tomorrow or Monday.  
• The grace of silencing the shouts of the seemingly urgent and instead listening to the still small voice of the Holy One who urges us to be still and watch Him work.
• The grace of simply being rather than always doing.

I pray you find rest in Him this day.

Grace and Peace to you.

Love,

Catherine Ann

Simple Grace

Simple grace for today- 

The first real hint of autumn in the air.  

A cup of coffee in the early morning quiet.

Prayers whispered in the dark.

Knowing that He answers when I call on Him.

Look around today- evidences of His goodness and grace are surely right where you are just waiting for you to notice them.  

I'd love to hear what simple graces you discover.  

For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  John 1:16

Grace and Peace to you.

Love,

Catherine Ann

Pure Grace

So my mama called me Grace when I was growing up.
Not because my name is Grace.
No.  I am, and to my family will forever be- Catherine Ann.

My mama called me Grace because when it came to physical grace, you know like being able to walk across the room without tripping over my own two feet, or walking through a doorway without bouncing off of at least one side of the door frame, I had (and still have) none.  When I'd trip and fall up the stairs, crash into the table or whatever else was in my path, mama would laugh and say, "Well Grace!"  

Interestingly enough (or is it that God really does have a great sense of humor?), when I was in middle school one of our projects was learning the origin and meaning of our name.
  

Catherine Ann = Pure Grace

Perfect.
Because physical grace, or lack thereof aside-His Grace, and nothing else is what my life is sustained by.

You've heard the phrase 'There but for the grace of God go I" .
Yes.  Simply that.
God's merciful grace is what keeps me moving forward each day.  Sometimes I have to stop and pick myself up because I've tripped again, but unlike my lack of physical grace, His Grace is sufficient and never ending.  There are new mercies waiting for me every morning, and Grace is ever present and free for the asking.

Because I am abundantly aware of my own need of Grace, it is my desire to offer grace to those around me and to notice those little grace-filled moments  that we sometimes miss.  Grace abounds when you have eyes to see.

This morning's grace was being late for work because I was having a great  conversation with my teenagers about freedom in Christ.  It's moments like this, when one child you thought was sleeping through the Bible reading, sits up and engages in a conversation. When you say, "It's OK if I'm late to the office, this is so much more important."
Grace in the moment.
Grace because they really do get it.
Grace that in Him we are set free.
Free to live.  Free to love.  
Free to extend that grace to others.

Where do you see grace in your life today?

Love,

Catherine Ann

Fleeting Grace

orange hibiscus flower a kind soul brought me on Friday morning  

3 fragile blossoms in a a green juice glass
blazing beauty from her garden
A simple act, plucking a few flowers for me on her way to clean the church for Sunday services.
A joy for me, a flower lover, Beauty seeker
She is a new friend, one who inspires me with her vibrance and energy (Will I have that kind of get up and go at 70? ... I hope so!).  And she brought me glowing orange and red beauty just because.  I like that.

By Saturday the flowery gift of grace had faded and wilted.
Beauty is fleeting, just like the blossoms.
And moments of grace don't last forever.
But there are new ones happening all the time if we only seek them out.

fleeting grace:

 cat naps on a summer afternoon

 rain soaked petals- in July!

perfect summer reds

Glimpses of Grace

I'm counting gifts of grace again.  I decided to start counting again from #1 in 2012,
taking Ann's Joy Dare-to count 1,000 gifts of grace this year.
I scratch down a list of 5 gifts (or more) each morning as I write in my journal; some simple, some sweet, some that only I understand to be gift.
But when all is grace, all is also gift- no matter how mundane or messy.
Real life, real love- these are priceless gifts.

Here are a few random graces jotted down in my journal for the first days of February:

#161 glorious sunny winter's day

#162 boxes of books- dusty treasures for the library (a gift from a pastor friend, so many books!)

#171 green tea in my favorite cup

#172 soft breeze making music with the wind chimes

#175 first light

#177 middlest Love driving the lawn mower and feeling quite proud of herself

#180 a few hours of quiet solitude on a Sabbath evening


Simple, daily joys ... gifts from our Good God.  

What gifts are you finding these days?  

Be Gentle

No matter what happens, be gentle with yourself.  ~ Jeanne de Chantal

Now that really is great advice, isn't it? 
I read the quote a few days ago in Common Prayer, A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, and knew it was perfect for today's post. 

So often when we mess things up for what seems like the thousandth time, we are anything but gentle with ourselves.  And honestly, what does the worrying, grumbling, and chastising yourself for the latest mess do but make you, and probably everyone else around you, feel worse? 

Let's take this quote to heart and instead be gentle with ourselves ... His grace is sufficient for whatever the latest disaster might be! 

Please visit Jenny Matlock for more Alphabe-Thursday posts featuring the letter G!

Summer Beauty

Bright beauty abounds in bees and blossoms. 
Glimpses of grace captured at the community garden-

glowing sunflower
stripey orange and yellow zinnia
bright zinnias (reminders of Grandma's garden)
cosmos and salvia dancing on the breeze
sunny cosmos
birdhouse in the blossoms
busy buzzy bees gathering nectar
huge allium orb
beauty and utility- zinnias at the base of the soaker hoses

Another blessing of gardening in community- I get to enjoy everyone else's gardens, too! 

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies;
For the love which from our birth,
Over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

What Does Jesus Want for Christmas?

Have you ever asked that question? To yourself ... or to Jesus himself?

That is exactly what I am doing this season ... focusing on what Jesus wants for His birthday, instead of what I want or what my family and friends want.

Oh, yes, there will be some gifts for others as well. We have the Giving Tree for guests to choose a little something from, and I am attempting to create some small but special things for my girls (that's an interesting adventure in itself), and we will be baking some goodies to share with friends and family.

But, the focus is on giving to Jesus, since it is His birthday, after all.

I'm still in the planning stages here, and I've got plenty of time because it is only the 14th of December ... but, here are a couple of "gifts for God" that are on our list:

Blankets for those who attend church in the park - so they can focus on hearing the Good News rather than getting warm (a need mentioned by the pastor who meets his friends there each Sunday to worship, whether the weather be hot & sunny or cold & rainy)

Cookies & Cocoa - our family plans to share a few cookies and a cup of cocoa with our friends at the homeless shelter on either Christmas eve or Christmas day ... still have a few details to work out and a lot of cookies to bake, but that's the plan

A few small gifts to be given to whomever Jesus prompts us to share them with- little gift bags containing a bit of candy, a few dollars, and some really Good News

We will also be purchasing a gift or two from one of these catalogs:

Gospel for Asia

World Vision

Compassion

And ... well, I'll let you know what else Jesus asks for!

The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40



If you would like to see how others are celebrating Jesus' birthday in a whole new way this year, visit Christmas Change today.

The Gift of Joy

There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go. ~Frederick Wm. Faber

I want this gift! To find joy everywhere, and then to leave it behind where ever I go ... Yes, finding and spreading Joy; that's a good gift.

Since in His Presence is fullness of Joy ... and He is indeed everywhere, this really should be a simple thing to do ... if only I'll keep my eyes on the Joy Giver instead of my own little dust-being.


Joy is the flag you fly when the Prince of Peace
is in residence within your heart. ~Wilfred Peterson

I pray our flags of Joy fly high and spread the gift of Joy everywhere we go this season ... and for all our days.

'Tis the Season ...

Giving thanks for the sights, sounds, and scents of the season today ...





Christmas tree decorated with twinkling lights, cinnamon/apple hearts, and little bits of love




cinnamon-scented candle flickering on the table (a birthday gift from my beloved)


candy canes


ringing bells


Christmas music (favorite songs repeating ... over, and over, and ...)


red & green paper chains


handmade Peace dove brought home from church yesterday


Advent "calendar" hanging from kitchen beam ... little bags filled with a treat from an old-fashioned candy store and an ornament for the Jesse tree

Jesse tree ornaments from The Glorious Coming (buy the book, you will be blessed... I'll be anxiously awaiting the re-write as well)




I have a little tree waiting for these, but I am enjoying the "timeline view" of His Story for now. Perhaps that will be our Christmas day activity, transferring the ornaments from the line to the tree. I think we'll leave them out for a while, perhaps all year. I need to be ever mindful of the story ... ALL of HIS Story, lest I get caught up in my own little story and lose my proper perspective. This is a great visual reminder that the story is much bigger, much more glorious than I can even grasp. The Story of His Love for Us.

Thank You Father, for your endless gifts, big and small. Thank You most of all for the greatest gift of all ... Jesus.

May our gifts to Jesus and to others because of Jesus this season reflect our gratitude for the grace You have so lovingly bestowed upon us.

Giving thanks with the multitudes today. Won't you join us? Drop by Holy Experience and join the Gratitude Community.

Gifts of Grace

Giving thanks today for gifts of grace that are priceless...


Words...beautiful words in a tattered volume...gifted to my husband by a loving Mother, who was given this grace story by her own loving parents years ago.



Love-filled words from mother to son. Yes, wise Mother this is indeed the most wonderful gift he will ever receive from you; and we pray someday you will truly take the grace message of the Word of Life into your own heart.

Tattered treasures from a book sale. So many lovely books to choose from and I chose these time-worn volumes that promise many hours of enjoyment.



Ginger ready to harvest...it's been growing and multiplying under the soil while I paid no attention. Some things grow best without any "fussing over" from me. May the seeds of faith I plant in my children's life grow and multiply as quickly...




Jewel-like raindrops suspended in sunshine...oh the blessing of rain we received!

cloudy skies

puddles

raindrops

umbrellas sheltering giggling girls

cool breezees ushering in a new season

smoke from autumn fires

Father,

For these gifts I give thanks to You, the Giver of All Good Gifts. I thank you for the blessings big and small that you bestow on us so freely. Thank you most of all for the grace...my greatest need fulfilled!

Care to join us in counting our blessings? Stop by Holy Experience and join the Gratitude Community today.