7 Degrees of Grace Hi! This is my collection of inspirational and spiritual writings. The aim of these pages is to motivate us on our journey of spiritual discovery and revelation. It is my hope that you come away feeling enlightened and inspired by it. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 1 1371

Articles from 7 Degrees of Grace

The God Who Feeds My Soul 2007-08-19 01:14:55 What bread is to hunger, Jesus claims to be for the soul. Travel to almost any country and sit in any restaurant and they’ll serve you bread. Bread is a staple. If the poor have nothing, they have bread. If the rich have everything, they still have bread. Bread is not regional food nor a national dish. No country claims to be the exclusive source of bread. It may be in the form of a tortilla in Mexico or a bagel in New York, but bread is available everywhere. So is Christ. He is not bound by boundaries. No country claims him. No regions own him. No nation monopolizes him. He is everywhere at the same time. Universally available. Bread is eaten daily. Some fruits are available only in season. Some drinks are made only at holidays. Not so with bread. And no so with Jesus. He should be brought to our table every day. We let him nourish our hearts, not just in certain months or on special events, but daily. Bread is served in many forms. It’s toasted, jellied, buttered, flattened, and ...

Our Cross 2007-08-17 01:14:29 The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer. “Lord, I can’t go on,” he said. “I have a too heavy cross to bear.” The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish.” The man was filled with relief. “Thank you, Lord,” he sighed, and he did as he was told. Upon entering the other door, he saw many crosses, some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. “I’d like that one, Lord,” he whispered. And the Lord replied, ” My son, that is the cross you just brought in.” When life’s problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more fortunate than you imagined. YOUR CROSS Whatever your cross, whatever your pain, there w ...

Ten Secrets 2007-08-14 01:14:22 The First Secret - The Power Of Thought Love begins with our thoughts. We become what we think about. Loving thoughts create loving experiences and loving relationships. Affirmations can change our beliefs and thoughts about others and ourselves. If we want to love someone, we need to consider their needs and desires. Thinking about your ideal partner will help you recognize her when you meet her. The Second Secret - The Power Of Respect You cannot love anyone or anything unless you first respect them. The first person you need to respect is yourself. To begin to gain self-respect asks yourself, “What do I respect about myself?” To gain respect for others, even those you may dislike, ask yourself “What do I respect about them?” The Third Secret - The Power Of Giving If you want to receive love, all you have to do is give it! The more love you give, the more you will receive. To love is to give of yourself freely and unconditionally. Practice random acts of kindn ...

Love Works Miracles 2007-08-12 01:14:58 He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road. Work, in this small Midwestern community, was almost as slow as his beat-up Pontiac. But he never quit looking. Ever since the Levi’s factory closed, he’d been unemployed, and with winter raging on, the chill had finally hit home. It was a lonely road. Not very many people had a reason to be on it, unless they were leaving. Most of his friends had already left. They had families to feed and dreams to fulfill. But he stayed on. After all, this was where he buried his mother and father. He was born here and knew the country. He could go down this road blind, and tell you what was on either side, and with his headlights not working, that came in handy. It was starting to get dark and light snow flurries were coming down. He’d better get a move on. You know, he almost didn’t see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road. But even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up i ...

Grandfather And The Wooden Bowl 2007-08-12 01:14:33 A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about Grandfather,” said the son.  “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.” So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather sat & ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner together. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the child glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple h ...

On Gossip & Slander 2007-08-10 01:14:04 In his remarkable work entitled “The Book of Jewish Values”, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin relates a 19th century Jewish folktale about a man who went about town slandering his rabbi.  One day, realizing that many of the things he had said were unfair, he went to the rabbi’s home and begged for forgiveness. The rabbi told the man that he would forgive him on one condition: that he go home, take a feather pillow from his house, cut it up and scatter the feathers to the wind. After he had done so, he should then return to the rabbi’s house. Though puzzled by the rabbi’s strange request, the man was happy to be let off with so easy a penance. He quickly cut up the pillow, scattered the feathers, and returned to the rabbi. “Am I now forgiven?” he asked. “Just one more thing,” the rabbi said. “Go now and gather up all the feathers.” “But that’s impossible. The wind has already scattered them.” “Precisely,&rd ... Amp

Corrie Ten Boom On Forgiveness 2007-08-07 01:14:06 Cornelia Johanna Arnalda ten Boom, generally known as Corrie ten Boom (15 April 1892 – 15 April 1983) has long been honored by evangelical Christians as an exemplary example of Christian faith in action. Arrested by the Nazis along with the rest of her family for hiding Jews in their Haarlem home during the Holocaust, she was imprisoned and eventually sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp along with her beloved sister, Betsie, who perished there just days before Corrie’s own release on 31 December 1944. Inspired by Betsie’s example of selfless love and forgiveness amid extreme cruelty and persecution, Corrie established a post-war home for other camp survivors trying to recover from the horrors they had escaped. She went on to travel widely as a missionary, preaching God’s forgiveness and the need for reconciliation. Corrie’s devout moral principles were tested when, by chance, she came face to face with one of her former tormentors in 1947. The following description of ...

Forgiveness: No Fishing Allowed! 2007-08-05 01:14:56 A pastor’s son and his mom had been to a shopping mall and the boy had badly misbehaved, whining for this and that, running off, etc. As they were driving home, the boy could sense his mother’s displeasure and said, “Mother, when we ask God to forgive us when we are bad, He does, doesn’t He?” She replied, “Yes, He does.” The boy continued, “And when He forgives us, He buries our sins in the deepest sea, doesn’t He? The mom replied, “Yes, that’s what the Bible says.” The boy was silent for awhile and then said, “I’ve asked God to forgive me, but I bet when we get home, you’re going to go fishing for those sins, aren’t you?” Too often, we do “go fishing” for other people’s sins. But one of the wonderful aspects of God’s forgiveness is that He promises to remember our sins no more (Isa. 43:25; Jer. 31:34). The past — with its iniquities, brokenness, and self-recr ...

Donuts For The Class 2007-08-03 01:14:03 There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the Western United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously. This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor’s class. One day, Dr. Christianson asked ...

Move The Rock 2007-08-01 01:14:09 A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s mind: “You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it.” Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure, these thoughts d ...

The Dumpster Kitty And The Hand Of God 2007-07-31 01:14:11 This is a true story that happened early this morning, but it really began this past Friday. Every Tuesday and Friday I fly our plane to a regional medical center, where we are assisting them with several projects. After I flew back on Friday, I had to drive to the office to drop off some papers and pick up some others I needed to work on over the weekend. I put my briefcase on the small conference table in my office and took out several folders and took out the papers and filing, picked up the new papers and put everything back into my briefcase, or at least I thought I had, for I don’t remember seeing anything left on the table. Well, when I got home and started to write up some of the minutes of the day’s events, one of my folders was missing. So, I debriefed myself as much as I could from memory, and Monday morning I called the office and asked one of our administrative assistance to review my notes with me, thus saving myself an extra trip to the office. After all, I&r ...

Size Of The Heart 2007-07-28 01:14:44 “She keeps repeating it over and over again. We’ve been back to this shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this,” the woman told the volunteer. “What is it she keeps asking for?” she asked. “Puppy size!” “Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that’s what she’s looking for.” “I know… we have seen most of them,” the mom said in frustration. Just then the young child came walking into the office. “Well, did you find one?” “No, not this time,” she said with sadness in her voice. “Can we come back on the weekend?” The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed. “You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there’s always a supply,” the volunteer said. The young child took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. “Don’t worry, I bet we’ll find one this weekend,&rdqu ...

A Faithful Dog 2007-07-27 01:14:52 A faithful dog will play with you And laugh with you - or cry - He’ll gladly starve to stay with you Nor ever reason why, And when you’re feeling out of sorts Somehow he’ll understand He’ll watch you with his shining eyes And try to lick your hand. His blind, implicit faith in you Is matched by his great love - The kind that all of us should have In the master, up above. When everything is said and done I guess this isn’t odd For when you spell “dog” backwards You get the name of God. By Kathryn Brashier Share This ...

A Dog Named Lucky 2007-07-24 01:14:01 Mary and her husband Jim had a dog, named Lucky. Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably someone would forget and something would come up missing. Mary or Jim would go to Lucky’s toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky’s favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box. It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease… she was just sure it was fatal. She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her… what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary’s dog through and through. ...

Where Do You Run? 2007-07-21 01:14:26 My friend tells the story of something that happened while his dad was deer hunting in the wilds of Oregon. Cradling his rifle in the crook of his arms, his dad was following an old logging road nearly overgrown by the encroaching forest. It was early evening, and he was just thinking about returning to camp when a noise exploded in the brush nearby. Before he even had a chance to lift his rifle, a small blur of brown and white came shooting up the road straight for him. My friend laughs as he tells the story. “It all happened so fast, Dad hardly had time to think. He looked down and there was a little brown cottontail - utterly spent - crowded up against his legs between his boots. The little thing was trembling all over, but it just sat there and didn’t budge. “Now this was really strange. Wild rabbits are frightened of people, and it’s not that often you’d ever actually see one - let alone have one come and sit at your feet. “While Dad was puzzli ...