Ordinary Grace Blog
The Latest Posts
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We Laugh and God Acts
“The LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh?’ Is anything too wonderful for the LORD?’’ –Genesis 18:13a, 14a Eleven years ago, I had the privilege of officiating at the wedding of a couple named Linda and Lee. Both were active in the local community and the bride a long-time member of the congregation. As…
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Bad Jokes and Bold Promises
“Peter said, ‘Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.’” –Matthew 26:33 As a child, I loved to hear stories about things my mother did as a little girl. By all accounts, she kept my grandparents on their toes. For example, at a young age she once walked by herself to…
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In Praise of Interruptions
“Moved with pity, Jesus stretch out his hand and touched him…Immediately, the leprosy left him.” Mark 1:41a,42a In every life there are moments that we don’t expect. We have our plan for the day or for a lifetime and set out only to discover bumpy stretches when events unfold in a way we had not anticipated. The verse from Mark’s gospel we just read tells…
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Year 2 Discoveries
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” –Matthew 18:20 This post marks my final one for 2025. I began the Ordinary Grace blog in January of last year. In June of this year, I added a podcast version called “Ordinary Grace: Finding God in the Everyday.” As…
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The Story Behind the Gift
“from you shall come forth for me, one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.” Micah 5:2 One of my favorite things about Christmas is when loved ones start opening presents I have purchased. Part of the fun comes in seeing the look on their face; especially…
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A Sung Blessing
“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” –Luke 1:48 “In those days,” the gospel writer Luke wrote, “Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.”…
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In Plain Sight
“For in plain sight they see the return of the LORD to Zion.” Isaiah 52:8b How could we have missed it? That question is often raised after something goes wrong or we are surprised by events. When the clues were self-evident, but we or others didn’t pick-up on them at the time. It’s part of…
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The Best Kind of Waiting
“While you are waiting… regard the patience of our Lord as salvation” 2 Peter 3:14a, 15a We are in a season of waiting. Advent is a four-week period of time when we long for God to break into creation again. Unlike persons who lived before the time of Christ and awaited the Messiah’s appearance, Christians…
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“And here you are!”
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.” –1 Thessalonians 5:16-18a Seven months ago, I worshiped in the North Carolina congregation where I had served as pastor for nearly eleven years. I made passing mention of that experience in a blog post on April 27. There was another moment from that morning, though,…
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A Glimpse of Church
“Standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind.” –Philippians 1:28 A few years ago, I worshiped at a Presbyterian Church 15 miles from our home. During my working years, when I was in town and had a Sunday off I didn’t typically sleep in, but instead would…