Grace on Parade

Spreading the fragrance of God's grace everywhere

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Civil Unrest: Why Standing Together is Crucial to our Survival

Civil Unrest: Why Standing Together is Crucial to our Survival

I have a simple solution to our country’s civil unrest.

The United States Presidential debate of September 29, 2020 will go down in history as a mess. The traditional question most people ask after a debate is, “Who won?” In this case, we more often heard, “Who lost?” Trump, Biden, the moderator, Chris Wallace? Or the American people? I heard it all.

As sorry as an affair as that debate was, it so typified the overall rancor and unrest that’s happening in our country and throughout the world. The culture war has moved from polite society’s difference of opinion to twisted accusations, intimidation, and threats of violence if you don’t agree with my view. Political parties, races, and even churches draw lines of contention rather than erasing them.

We may reluctantly agree on the big stuff but quibble on how to accomplish the greater goal. Tempers can flare over the smallest of issues: Did Trump talk to the media when he walked from the White House to the helicopter that would take him to Walter Reed Medical Center? How many clerks in Dollar General were wearing masks today? If church leadership doesn’t respond to COVID guidelines the way I think they ought to, I’m just not coming to church. Facts dissolve into accusations and questions of character with the review of a few past sins and bad choices thrown in for good measure.

I’m so tired of it, aren’t you? And it doesn’t need to be this way.

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Run To The Darkness: How to Shine the Light of Jesus in a Messy World

Tun to the Darkness and Shine Your LIght

Why is there so much hate, violence, and downright evil in our world?

Violence walks our streets. Bibles are burned at supposedly peaceful protests. Families are disintegrating. Moral choices, unthinkable even a generation ago, are now commonplace in our society.

Nearly 3 million children in the United States can be labeled as “children of trauma,” children who are abused, neglected, and trampled upon first by their own family, then by society, and, finally, by their own poor choices made in a desperate effort to emotionally survive or escape.

Some would suggest we are in the twilight of civilization and the light is fading fast. Some wag their fingers at the darkness and at those who cause it. Others wring their hands at the mess others, no, we have made of our culture and say our problems are systemic and we are all guilty.

How would God like Christ-followers to approach the darkness?

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Gratitude Drought: How To Drive Everyone Else Crazy with Your Gratitude

Drought or Driving Rain, Good is still Good

Being grateful for weather conditions, even a drought, is guaranteed to get someone’s attention.

No doubt, the drought of 2012 was severe. A Wikipedia article
said that below acceptable rainfall totals covered 80% of the United States and was caused as much by the previous mild winter and lack of snow as by the long, hot, dry summer that followed. Midwest farmers knew from experience—it was going to be a bad harvest.

It’s a challenge to be grateful about anything when your livelihood is at stake.

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Zucchini Santa Fe: What To Do With Another Zucchini

Oh no! Did you just find another zucchini lurking in your garden?

Another zucchini?

Every year, a table in our church Fellowship Hall has a varied display of garden produce, including zucchini, lots of zucchini. This prolific plant is, like Preacher Creature acerbically says, “the gift that keeps on giving.” He doesn’t like zucchini.

I take that back. He will tolerate zucchini, depending on how I fix it. And so I’m always on the lookout for new recipes. After all, I can only make so much zucchini bread. Have you ever noticed that zucchini bread really doesn’t take that much zucchini?

Try this new recipe

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"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him."
- 2 Corinthians 2:14