A weekly devotional that invites readers to pay attention to and give thanks for the everyday ways God is at work in this world and their life.
About John Willingham
How It Started
In my 36-year career as a Presbyterian pastor, I was blessed to reflect upon and preach about the most dramatic events in the Bible. God calling Abram and Sarai to leave their homeland or speaking to Moses from a burning bush, Jesus walking on water or feeding 5000 people with a few pieces of fish and bread–I have pondered those scenes and countless more in my sermons. Such extraordinary moments are what people often think about first when it comes to Scripture as those events still evoke hope and wonder, encouragement and strength.
While my faith has been shaped by the same accounts, my journey hasn’t included events like that. Perhaps you’ve had dramatic encounters with God or Jesus over the years, but I have not. Yet what I have seen more often than I can count are moments when I believe God was working through the ordinary events of life; occasions that gave me a glimpse into the Divine’s will and activity, strengthening my life and witness. This blog is about such times.
About the BLOG
Ordinary Grace
I’m calling it ordinary because I believe such moments are just that to God; everyday ways our Creator works in the world whether or not we recognize their origin. I’m calling it grace not only to recall the occasions when we experience or offer forgiveness, but also those times God allows us to learn or be reminded of important truths through the other encounters that mark our days. Whether it brought a word of correction or insight, laughter or a sense of “what just happened?”, such moments can be a time of grace as well; just what we needed in the moment.
All of the accounts in this blog tell of events that I experienced first-hand or heard directly from the one who did. I have tried not to embellish or reduce the experience, but recall it as accurately as I can. I have included a verse from Scripture, a question or two, and then a prayer in the hopes that these stories can lead to your personal reflection. So that my postings start a conversation, I would love to hear of what these stories evoke in you and your own accounts of seemingly-ordinary times that have divine fingerprints on them as well.
Whether you choose to share such accounts or simply allow these accounts to become part of your own spiritual practices, my hope is that these stories will cause you to pay closer attention to the events of your days as they are occurring or as you look back. If you do, I’m confident you, too, will begin to uncover and give thanks for your occasions of ordinary grace.
SUBSCRIBE TO
Ordinary Grace
We’ll send you a weekly email of the everyday ways God is at work in this world.