Essential Grace Blog

I have to be honest, being hurt by others sucks. Everyone can attest to this surely. When someone does something that you feel is so utterly wrong, it can be the worst feeling in the world. It matters less how you actually react to the hurt, it’s the being hurt that makes the difference. Imagine being struck by a heavy sharp stone that someone felt was appropriate to fling at you. It will do some damage, break some skin and/or leave a bruise. Usually the first reaction is one of shock, a numb dumbfounded shock at the injustice of it all. But after that initial reaction wears of, one may get angry or fearful or may engage in any number of defensive measures. One thing remains a fact though, a stone was flung at you and you got hurt. Nothing can change that. Also, nothing can change the fact that the broken skin or bruise you got as a result is actually quite painful. As stoic, unrelenting people who have no desire to reveal our true emotions; we deny there ever was ...

         There are some passages that we come across in the Word that jump out at us and seem to be so self-explanatory. Then there are others that leaves us scratching our heads wondering just what to make of the text, and often we tend to avoid such passages in favour of the free flowing text that speaks to us.         One such passage that leaves me stumped is 1 John chapter 2 verse 12 to 14. The letters from John are a particular favourite of mine mostly because of his writing style. I find him to be straight forward and precise in his instruction. this passage says;               " I write to you, little children because your sins are forgiven                 I write to you fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning                  I write to you, young men because you have overcome the wick...

There was an article I read in a women's magazine some years ago. It was about the growing trend of glamourising stress. Apparently, people get into competition on their outrageously busy schedules, their tight deadlines, their endless to-do lists and the ever raising blood pressure. I don't quite know if this has something to do with wanting to be important, or trying to paint a picture of productive energy. The point is, stress can never be glamorous. Neither can the lack of balance and pacing in one's life. The Bible speaks about suffering in terms of it being a global experience. It is not exclusive nor can it be patented. For example, when you think of suffering in the typically African perspective, it is easy to imagine that famine, floods, wars, and corruption are localized to this sad part of the world. But this is simply not true, famine, floods, wars, and corruption are well represented all over the world. Perhaps it is much easier to project so me forms of suf...

How do you determine your commitment to your God? How do you elaborate on ‘giving your best’ to Him? I came across an article this week on a man named Johnny. Johnny lives a full life, is deeply involved with his local church, works a full time job and has many meaningful relationships. He is also legally blind. Reading about this man got me thinking about the many different ways through which we serve or minister in our lives on a daily basis. There are many people (myself included) who perceive ‘ministry’ or Christian service to mean something extra-ordinary. I have believed for many years that I am not actively serving God because I have not been on a missions trip in years, or taken part in door to door evangelism, or handed out pamphlets. There are many things which the church attempts to qualify as service or ministry. There are singers, ushers, cleaners, preachers, cooks, childminders, and so on who serve diligently and are considered to be in ‘service’ because of thei...

A revelation is a beautiful thing. It is when you hear the voice of God, feel His touch, or sense His hand guiding you into a particular direction. Revelations can come in many different forms and can be on a diverse range of topics. You may get a revelation on something like cutting back on the amount of sugar you take, on the way you speak to others, or it can be something major such as letting go of a relationship that is not for you. Sometimes these revelations can be re-occurring. Particularly when you have forgotten what the message was about. I received this type of message last night after turning out the light to sleep. That and first thing in the morning is usually when I get such messages. It is a topic I have written about before and it remains a mystery to me why it keeps slipping from my mind. Why is it that we so easily decide on God's behalf? Have you ever done something and thought 'mom would flip if she saw me right now,' or 'if so and so where...