A Really Good Story

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Donna Harris

A Really Good Story

40 Gifts of Lent | Gift 6

Reflections on Mark 1 – 5

He did not say anything to them without using a story. Mark 4:34

We want to raise a generation who find their identity in the story of God. Tell them a story they will never forget, a life changing truth that is bigger and better than themselves. Teach them, instruct them…cause them to ponder and question, to want more of a really good story.

Thank you God for making us characters in and carriers of your great story of grace. You are the author, the narrator of this really good story, the hero that rescues us from ourselves.

Look for God in these coming days, to write stories of redemption that will reveal his glory and showcase his grace—leaving you reveling in his goodness and rejoicing in him.

We’ll grow in our lives what we plant with our love” ~Bob Goff

About 40 Gifts of Lent 2014

I love the anticipation of celebrating birthdays with my children and grandchildren and can’t wait to gather again with my family and friends around a brightly lit tree at Christmas. My focus for any event or special occasion is mostly on the gift I will buy and then tape it up with all of the wrapping and trimmings to make it a beautiful presentation to give away. I do enjoy watching them rip into the paper and toss the pretty bow without a care to get to the inside of that package.

It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts!

I am anticipating the arrival of Easter and celebrating the most amazingly good gift I’ve ever received. I want to focus my heart on the fulfilled expectation of Christ’s first coming and the glorious expectation of His second coming. I want to focus on the freedom I have in Christ to overcome strongholds, yet also to gain strength, hope, and peace as I lean into the trials…To continue reading, please go here: 40 Gifts of Lent

Watch Wait…Be Ready

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Donna Harris

Watch, Wait…Be Ready

40 Gifts of Lent | Gift 5

Reflections on Matthew 25 – end

Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Matthew 25:13

And the story shines on with light fighting the darkness, gaining victory over strongholds, giving strength through the trials. The king, the giver of life and bearer of true light is betrothed, he has gone on a journey, and he is going to return to be married.

We are his bride and a bride prepares to meet her bridegroom.

The bridegroom is coming!
Watch for his return
Wait…
Be ready!

We are called to watch for him, to do our work to prepare for him. Do not lose hope in waiting. Do not fall asleep when there is work to be done.

The gift of readiness is to be alive and alert…to use all of the means God has given you to know him and love him and trust him.

“So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may stay away from temptation. Your spirit wants to do what is right, but your body is weak.” Matthew 26:40-41 (ESV and Easy-to-Read version)

Reflections on Matthew 25 – 28

About 40 Gifts of Lent

It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts!

Lent is usually about giving something up to remember the sufferings and ultimate price that Christ endured on our behalf. But I’m not doing that this year. While I’ll never forget the price Jesus paid to rescue me, I don’t want to give something up in order to remember…to receive inner peace or a personal triumph of going without.

I want to anticipate and receive unexpected gifts during Lent. I want to rip open beautiful presents everyday to discover a different gift inside. When I discovered the link to #theLentChallenge to read the entire New Testament during Lent 2014, I immediately knew, by making this commitment, I would receive (at least) 40 gifts! My heart is bursting at its seams in anticipation for the gifts God will show me.

You are welcome to join me in opening a new gift everyday. It’s not too late to start.

More Grace,
Donna

Worry Dethrones God |Sunday Respite | 40 Gifts of Lent 2014

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Donna Harris

The gift of being treasured by the one who sacrificed his life.
The gift of not worrying as the anxious thoughts fly away.
The gift of more grace and praying his kingdom come.

All worry dethrones God
All worrying says that we need to be King
because God is incompetent
When the King really rules your world,
you really don’t need to worry ~Ann VosKamp

Reflecting on Matthew 6:1-31
40 Gifts of Lent 2014

About 40 Gifts of Lent

Being Neighborly

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Donna Harris

Being Neighborly

40 Gifts of Lent | Gift 4

Reflections on Matthew 19 – 24

“[Jesus] said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” Matthew 22: 37 – 39

Love of God and love of neighbor are connected. I often forget that connection, especially if my neighbor’s dog barks at the moon all night long and then I must dodge the dog’s “land-mines” walking through my front yard to get the morning paper. There are no lovely feelings or happy thoughts about being neighborly.

Love of God and love of neighbor are connected when nothing but a wall of sheetrock and a thin layer of insulation separates you from the sounds of crying and screaming children over the beat of “thud-thud-thud…thud thud” from a subwoofer. I admit, I would deliberately avoid being neighborly towards them.

In both scenarios, my heart, soul and mind was bent, twisted and misaligned with anger and resentment towards my neighbors. I was also becoming a miserable neighbor for them to live next to. It continued to grow worse until my attitude began to change towards them.

My attitude began to change when I began to focus on God’s love for all of us. And I began to understand that in no way could I be neighborly without loving God first.

And when I gave God first place in my heart, soul and mind, his love enabled me to love my neighbor. Friendships developed and good things began to happen. I stopped to chat a few times every week with the lady who owned the dog and eventually I noticed my yard wasn’t a mine-field any more and the dog was brought inside at night. We became better friends, taking long walks together, with her dog on a leash…talking and doing life together.

We invited the family next door to come over for supper and to bring their kids too. We shared life with them to the point that we became best of friends. And I’m not sure what happened to that subwoofer because I never heard the thuds again. We had our first child while living next door to this family. I will never forget how they were the beautiful example of being neighborly to us.

To love your neighbor as yourself is a gift…this is the meaning of being neighborly.

About 40 Gifts of Lent

Our Comfort in a Desolate Place

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Donna Harris

Our Comfort in a Desolate Place

40 Gifts of Lent | Gift 3

Reflections on Matthew 13 – 18

Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away…” But Jesus said, “They need not go away…” Matthew 14: 15-16

It would not be long before the disciples and the followers of Jesus would experience a very tragic and frightening desolate place that they have never experienced before. They don’t understand what is to come. They only know what they see and feel right then, at that time and place. They become agitated, restless, and worried…even with Jesus standing beside them.

Often we feel that there is no hope in the worst of times, that there is no one that will listen or understands the pangs of fear and anxiety that hurls when the evening approaches. Do not fear when the darkness shuts out the light and you are alone with your thoughts, do not turn away from Jesus to search for comfort elsewhere. He is with you.

If you want to believe but can’t, stop looking inside; go to Jesus and say, “Help me believe.” You will be comforted. You will be satisfied to overflowing.

Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Matthew 14:19 – 20.

“The provision Christ makes for those who are his is not bare and scanty, but rich and plentiful; an overflowing fullness.” (Matthew Henry)

We should not be surprised when God goes above and beyond all that we would ask or dream.

Why I write about 40 Gifts of Lent

It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts! I am anticipating the arrival of Easter and celebrating the most amazingly good gift I’ve ever received. I want to focus my heart on the fulfilled expectation of Christ’s first coming and the glorious expectation of His second coming. I want to focus on the freedom I have in Christ to overcome strongholds, yet also to gain strength, hope, and peace as I lean into the trials…continue reading here.

Take heart, sons and daughters

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Donna Harris

Take heart, sons and daughters

40 Gifts of Lent | Gift 2

Reflections on Matthew 8 -12

You are not a second-class citizen. If you know Christ, He is even now cleansing you and thereby enabling you to approach Him with gladness. Expect your faith to be strengthened. Expect to be touched by Christ. Expect a miraculous healing of your heart.

Take heart, sons and daughters…Jesus is the gift. Come to him, you who are weighted down with grief and suffering and you will find rest for your souls. He is gentle and lowly and he understands everything about you.

Ask him to touch your life. He will stretch out his hand to you.

And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…Matthew 8:3

“I will come and heal him.” Matthew 8:7

He touched her hand…Matthew 8:15

“If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” Matthew 9: 21 – 22

…he went in and took her by the hand… Matthew 9: 25

Then he touched their eyes… Matthew 9:29

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11: 28 – 30 (The Message)

About 40 Gifts of Lent

It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts!

Life and Light

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Donna Harris

Life and Light

40 Gifts of Lent | Gift 1

Reflections on Matthew 1 – 7

You are the light that shines for the world to see. Matthew 5:14

The gift of God’s son as the light of the world gives life
A darkness has been flooded with light and is no more
His infinite love for us has shattered this darkness
And the flicker of light grows bigger
The gift of life and light to the world cannot be hidden

If your life, by its order, by the way in which you handle pressure, by the way in which you take criticism, by the way in which you treat the people who work under you, if you are like Jesus Christ, the beauty of that is going to show up the reality of the environment. A good light shows you real color, right?

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you pull out a pair of socks, and you can’t tell if they’re blue or black, and you look in one light and you still can’t tell, and you have to come to a good light in order to tell whether it’s blue or black? A real good light shows you the real colors. If you are a Christian walking like Jesus Christ, then the beauty of your life shows everybody around you what is good and what is bad.~Tim Keller, Salt and Light

About 40 Gifts of Lent

It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts!

You are welcome to join me in opening a new gift everyday. It’s not too late to start.

More Grace,
Donna

Slow Down to Notice…on a Road Trip

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Donna Harris

I have a hobby of taking photos from a moving automobile. Like the one above of a barn and homestead with a for sale sign in front view. I can only imagine how many memories and stories that have been noticed in that home or the life that fed that old barn’s history…stories and words wrapped up and knotted deep into a legacy.

So I take a photo from a moving automobile because I slow down to notice this image of a story that is posted for sale. It’s there, off the road where it’s waiting to be noticed, captured and remembered.

Recently, my husband and I packed the car for a long road trip to home. It was pleasant to be the passenger with my main man and talk about our kids, our grandkids, life, work, politics…we talk about our parents that are living and the ones that have passed to a better place. Memories are shared on road trips. Road trips give us time to slow down and notice, even while the pedal is to the metal.

We slow down on this road trip to notice each other through the stories we share. It’s a verbal embrace. There is a connection when we laugh at each other’s corny jokes or disagree with the other’s opinion about a politician’s decision.

When we slow down and notice someone by listening to spoken words, there will be community, friendship, and a feeling of being safe.

Road trips are good for this. He is not looking at me while I talk, yet he notices me. He is listening to my words…my voice, my story. And when he shares a story, I may glance over at him, but mostly I’m looking out the window with my head leaning back and resting against the headrest…slowing down my thoughts to hear him and notice him.

It’s ironic that we own a house with a for sale sign in the front yard. Of course I know that bricks and mortar or beams of wood cannot contain life and stories but it’s the people with the stories that walk through an opened back door to have a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.

Slow down and notice them.

We may be selling a house but we are not selling the stories that happened in that house.

We’re on a road trip. We are slowing down to notice a lot more than just the two of us sitting in this car. We slow down to notice and talk about the goodness of God demonstrated everyday in our lives and the peace we have through Christ while enduring trials and a life transition.

When we slow down to notice…to remember the stories of God’s forever faithfulness to us, we are filled with awe and flooded with peace.

Stories are like a road trip. The years fly by at high-speed and there are twists and turns and potholes that slow us down. An unexpected and sometimes unavoidable crash stops us cold. We run out of gas. We have a flat tire. We need help with the repairs. We are forced to slow down and notice the grace and love from God, no matter what the circumstance.

So yeah, I want to slow down and notice my husband and family. I want to notice their stories and words, to embrace them and travel with them on a road trip wherever it may lead. I want to slow down and notice the beauty of God’s grace and his majesty…to hear his words. To be embraced and know that I am noticed by God.

Donna Harris‑More Grace

A Life Filled with More Grace is a Story Worth Sharing

A Really Good Story