Category: Finding Grace Weekly Recap

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #254

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This was a great week, though pretty low key.

At the VA, it felt like a party atmosphere as Veterans were able to receive the COVID vaccine! They had to sit for about fifteen minutes outside my office afterward (to monitor for any negative reactions), and all the Veterans were so happy. They were chatting and laughing with each other as they shared various stories. One man was showing off his “Call to Arms” shirt, highlighting the fact he had to take his other shirt off to get the vaccine.

I met with my students on Friday, so that was fun. We had a good discussion about the new 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as well as the impact obesity can have on various illnesses. It is easy to take our health for granted sometimes!

Today, a dear friend came to visit. We caught up over several hours this afternoon, since March was the last time we have seen each other. We both laughed when we gave each other essentially the same gift (different colors, etc.)! A small journal! 

Tonight, I am meeting with some more friends. It’s been a few months since we have seen each other. So, I am looking forward to that, too!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Books and Movies I Like, Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Miscellaneous, Perseverance

Finding Grace #253

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This was a great week, starting with our family Zoom call on Sunday! Lydia had a blast asking everyone for nouns, verbs, and adjectives for her new Peanuts Mad Libs book she received in celebration of Dave’s Heavenly birthday a few weeks ago. (I always give her a gift to make it a positive day, not a sad day of focusing on our loss.) We were all cracking up!

Work at the VA was busy, but straightforward. I got to talk with several grateful Veterans and had some good conversations with my coworkers. I really enjoy working there!

This week, I diligently worked on my syllabus for the next semester at Concordia. I had fun coordinating some assignments with the other professors (collaboration between graduate and undergraduate students). I have a feeling this semester will fly by!

On Thursday,  I celebrated my 13th wedding anniversary. Even though Dave and I were only married 5+ years, it is still special to commemorate our fun cruise ship wedding. Thanks for all your continued support and encouragement!

On Friday, I met with my students over Zoom (due to current COVID protocols). We will meet in-person in a couple weeks, but we had a good discussion anyway. Thankfully, they are all on-top of things when it comes to technology. They make my job easy…well, easier! 😉

This week, my proof copy of my book came in the mail! I have a few smallish changes to make and then it will be available. It has been a labor of love and perseverance. I am excited to share it with you all!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Fruit, Gratitude, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #252

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This was another short work week, followed by another long weekend! I took off New Year’s Eve to spend time with Lydia. We had a fun, relaxing day together. We played games,  had a dance party, ate appetizers, and stayed up until midnight. It was fun!

This week, I am grateful for neighborly help. On Wednesday, my neighbor and a friend came to help me start my snow blower! It was recently fixed, but I still was having trouble. So, they showed me a “trick” to ensure it starts more regularly. I must’ve done it in the past, but never realized it!

The last few weeks have been busy, of course, with work, holidays, and more. But, I am grateful for a little rest sprinkled in, too. It was just what I needed!

Teaching Lydia gratitude is important to me. So, this week we worked on several thank you notes for all our Christmas gifts. She did most of them on her own and didn’t stall too much. I think all the practice is paying off!

Today, Lydia and I did a little housework and ran some errands. Then, we made some black bean and corn salsa (Lydia’s favorite) and some cherry-peach crisp with a topping of  pureed rehydrated figs, oatmeal, cinnamon, and pecans! It was so good, and we didn’t even miss the sugar and butter!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Miscellaneous, Worship

Finding Grace #251

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week was frontloaded with work and other activities, in order to prepare for Christmas later in the week. Monday through Wednesday were full at work, but I was able to talk with many interesting Veterans. I love what I do!

On Monday, we watched the great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. It was very cool!

Lydia made some little bracelets for our neighbors this week. We took them over and enjoyed catching up. With coronavirus, we haven’t gotten to hang out as much. It was great to see them all, and hopefully, we will get to hang out again soon!

On Wednesday, there was a blizzard! Lydia and I still went to daycare and work. By God’s grace, we made it everywhere safely. When we got home that night, my car nearly got stuck in the driveway. Even though we had very little true snow fall, much of it landed in my driveway. I had to clear out the drifts before I could drive in. I was able to use a couple of new shovels and then my snow removal company did the rest.

This week, I reviewed a few more final details for my book. I ordered a proof copy and will see if I need to make any other changes. Then, it will be good to go!

For Christmas Eve, I was off from work. Lydia and I went to our church’s holiday service around 4 p.m. Then, we drove to a nearby town to celebrate with another family. We also took another friend with us. We each brought a dish to share and had fun playing games!

Christmas was spent talking with family, opening gifts, relaxing, and making cookies. It was fun celebrating Jesus!

Today, we did a little more relaxing and catching up with family. Then, we decorated some cookies and watched some movies! It has been a great Christmas break so far!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Journey of Grace, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #250

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This was a busy, but good week. We had a fun family Zoom meeting on Sunday!

Then, on Monday, I took the day off from the VA because I was holding a final exam for Concordia. That went well, and I was able to grade most of the finals on the same day.

Then, I went to my yearly eye doctor appointment. It has been two years since my Lasik eye surgery, and my vision is very good! In fact, my left eye has no prescription at all, and my right eye is nearly perfect, too! I never thought I would hear those words!

Also on Monday, a lady I used to work with dropped off some books for Lydia and some Christmas treats. We were so thankful she thought of us!

This week, I finished up some of the last details on my book. There were a lot of small decisions to make throughout the week, but I am excited to see it all come together!

On Friday, I posted final grades and ended the semester strong. Next, I have to put together my syllabus for next semester. January is just around the corner!

Today, Lydia and I finished a puzzle about landmarks around the world (see pic). We also joined an online Zoom call to celebrate a couple’s 50th wedding anniversary. We enjoyed catching up with these friends!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #249

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This was a fun week, and I was reminded many times of God’s grace, presence and provision. On Sunday, we sang Happy Birthday to my sister over Zoom. We couldn’t all be together, but we did make a list of all the things we love about her!

Work went well all around, at the VA and Concordia. I realized an old coworker also is now at the VA, so I hope to run into her soon! I also held my last class of the semester, which happened to be over Zoom. I also finished grading some papers and made a final exam for next week!

This week, I nearly wrapped up final details on my forthcoming book! It is really an exciting feeling to be…. sooo close. It has turned out so well. I will keep you posted with the details, but I hope to make it official very soon! 😉

Today, Lydia and I went with a friend to look for an apartment. We enjoyed seeing various options, though I am thankful I am not the one moving! It made me appreciate my house all the more!

Today, we also stopped by our church for a drive thru Christmas gift of hot cocoa and ingredients to make sugar cookies. It will be fun to bake the cookies, hopefully tomorrow. I’m grateful for my church family!

Tonight, I am making a vegetable soup, helping Lydia with some math homework, and planning for the next semester of teaching! It’s been a wonderful week!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Being Gracious, Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Kindness, Life is Short, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #248

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week was a great week, filled with a good balance of work and rest.

Work was pretty normal, but I took part of the day off on Wednesday. I went home because I needed to sign for a package. I decided to take the time to grade papers, too. Exciting! The added benefit was that I didn’t have to rush. I enjoyed the peaceful afternoon and even ran some errands. It was perfect!

We had chilly, but beautiful, weather this week. The temperatures were in the 30s and 40s, but it was bright and sunny most days. Just how I like it!

Last March, I bought two airline tickets for us to visit family. We soon canceled them once we realized how severe COVID could get. It was for the best, and I thought we had a year to use the credits we received (instead of a refund). Now, the next few months will probably fly by and it’s still not a great idea to fly. So, I called the company to ask for an extension and was pleasantly surprised our credits will last another year! Whew! Also, I noticed the worker on the other end must have been working from home when I his little baby started crying. It was a nice human connection point that we are all in this together and trying to make the best out of a less than ideal situation.

Tonight, I am looking forward to hosting a Zoom call for my high school classmates. It’s been twenty years since I have seen many of them, and while I don’t know who will show up virtually, it will be fun to catch up!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #247

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week was went really well. It was busy early-on, but of course slowed down with Thanksgiving on Thursday. Then, we had a great time relaxing!

On Tuesday, we Zoomed into a gathering of about fifteen other families to wish a 3-year-old happy birthday. We don’t see these friends (originally met through Caterpillar) often, but we very much appreciated the invitation to see their little girl and join in celebrating her.

For Thanksgiving, we kept it low key. We had a visitor stay with us and we had fun celebrating. We ate some good food, watched some movies, and went to see the holiday lights around town. It is a strange year, but we still have so much to be thankful for!

Work at the VA went well, and I worked some additional hours again. It was a shorter week for me, though I was on-call today! I ended up going in, but it wasn’t too difficult.

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #246

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week was went really well. We had a good Zoom meeting with family on Sunday, and we also made some Asian-style dumplings with a friend. We made some extras and enjoyed them for leftovers later in the week!

Work at the VA went well, and I got to fill in and work some additional hours. I appreciated the opportunity and am glad to help my team! I also received high marks on my performance evaluation, which makes me really grateful for God’s grace!

On Friday, my college students and I enjoyed a Zoom class event with other health disciplines. Then, I spent the rest of the day (before picking up Lydia) crossing off several items on my to-do list! It felt good to catch up around the house, make several calls, and drop off items in the mail.

Today is Lydia’s birthday. I am so thankful for my girl! She has been looking forward to this day for months!! Besides opening gifts from me, she received a number of cards and gifts in the mail. I really appreciate everyone’s generosity toward her! Thank you!

Today, we went shopping (errands), saw a good friend, ate some yummy food, and talked with family on the phone and via Zoom. Tonight, we are watching the Netflix movie, “Jingle Jangle.” It’s been a good day celebrating!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Miscellaneous, Perseverance

Finding Grace #245

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week was went by quickly, yet it was full of God’s goodness. We had cooler weather this week, but that’s not unusual for November!

The VA was busy as usual, but I am thankful for the work we are doing. Lydia and I both were off for Veterans day on Wednesday, so we enjoyed a relaxing day at home. I met with my students virtually and graded papers, while she played games and cleaned her room.

COVID cases continue to rise all around us, so we continue to pray for those affected and play it safe. Of course, we are wearing masks, washing our hands, and social distancing. We have shopped online, minimized our social calendar, and met people online when possible. For instance, this week, Lydia’s teacher and I met virtually for a routine conference, and I am grateful Lydia is doing well.

Tonight, I am meeting a friend on Zoom to catch up. And, Lydia is having a friend sleepover for her birthday (which is next week). We see this little girl often, though of course, there are no guarantees. We are doing our best to live in this strange time!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!