I am a beloved son!

I was born on July 6, 1961 to the surprised, but happy parents.  James and LeMoyne Bean.

Knowing these facts, imagine me praying this prayer.

God I want to be the son of James and LeMoyne Bean.

or on another day, maybe after I had let them down.

Oh God forgive me, I don't feel like the son of James and LeMoyne Bean anymore,
I think they are disappointed in me, make me the son of James and LeMoyne Bean again.

or when I move away from home

God I haven't seen my parents face and I haven't heard their voice lately, I don't
feel like I am the son of James and LeMoyne Bean anymore, make me more like their son again.

The Bible has a strong emphasis on being thankful.  There is a good reason for that.
The position and identity that we have when we become a new creation is "beloved child of God".

THAT NEVER CHANGES,  IT DOES NOT MATTER IF I FAIL.  IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW I FEEL.  IT IS A PURE AND SIMPLE FACT.  A GIFT FROM GOD AND THE CALL ON MY LIFE IS VERY SIMPLE.  LIVE THANKFUL FOR THE GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SHOWN.

Rest=Noah=the dwelling place of grace

"Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord."  Genesis 6:8


  Noah means 'rest' so substitute, "Rest" in this verse for Noah.


"Rest found grace in the eyes of the Lord."
Rest is the home where grace dwells!
When we are
 at rest in Him,
 grace can freely move in us.  

Fresh wind

The emphasis on "Christ in you, the hope of glory."  is not new to me, God started me out in 1983 with the truth of "Christ in you."  It is not new, but it is fresh, in this season.  God's love, His delight, in us, the fact that somehow He uses (redeems) even sin, and forces it to draw us closer to Him, amazes me.  At one point in a teaching Dalton Thomas says, something like, "He even used our sin, to set us free of sin."  When men banded together to see Jesus crucified, they were sinning, sin which they and we are held accountable for, but somehow, God grabs a hold of that evil act, and says, this 'sin' is what I will use to set the world free from 'sin.'
In another teaching Dalton shares the strangeness of God punishing Saul, for what appears to be a minor infraction, and forgiving David for what appears to be a horrible, unforgivable, well-planned, multitude of sins.  It all goes back to the heart.  Saul's heart was one of rebellion against God, David's heart was one of tenderness toward God.  The sin does not intimidate God, He is always and ever looking at the heart.

Grace is dangerous, teaching grace is dangerous.  It 'appears' to soft and lenient.

It is a challenge to teach grace while acknowledging the God who will "one day" judge it all.

Art Katz, often echoed, Paul's cry, "Who is sufficient for these things?"

God help us, take full control, open our eyes.