Month May 2020

God’s Amazing Grace

restoredpeople Leave a comment

God’s Grace…

We have all heard it taught over and over. We have sung Amazing Grace so many times we probably don’t even think about the words anymore. And yet, His Grace is exactly what we are supposed to be thankful for!

Grace… is it sufficient for you? Is it a sweet sound to you? Amazing Grace – how sweet the sound!

So many verses about GRACE in the Word of God. Here are two of many…

Isaiah 54:8 I was angry for a moment and hid my face from you; but with everlasting grace I will have compassion on you,”says Adonai your Redeemer.

Titus 2:11 For God’s grace, which brings deliverance, has appeared to all people.

God’s Grace is woven throughout the entire Word of God. God, even when He was angry, when repentance occurred – He extended grace. It truly has appeared to all people.

The song Amazing Grace has been on my mind this weekend. Our family friend, Steph Carse, did this beautiful rendition and I believe it will bless you.

Do your best to truly soak in the words and let them bless you. Don’t just “sing it” or “listen just to listen.” The words are truly powerful.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now am found

Was blind but now I see

Was Grace that taught my heart to fear

And Grace, my fears relieved

How precious did that Grace appear

The hour I first believed

Through many dangers, toils and snares

We have already come

T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far

And Grace will lead us home

The Lord has promised good to me,

His Word my hope secures;

He will my Shield and Portion be,

As long as life endures.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.

—John Newton pub. 1779

Shabbat Shalom,

Rose Horton

https://youtu.be/cbKr19d2S6o

Photo by ferdinand feng on Unsplash

Jesus Loves All His Children

restoredpeople 4 Comments

I awoke at the wee hours singing a very old Sunday School hymn…
“Jesus Loves the Little Children”

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red, brown, yellow
Black and white
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children
Of the world.

Jesus died for all the children
All the children of the world
Red, brown, yellow
Black and white
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus died for all the children
Of the world.

Jesus rose for all the children
All the children of the world
Red, brown, yellow
Black and white
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus rose for all the children
Of the world.

Every color, every race, all are covered by His grace’….
——
I don’t see skin color in the horrific news events around the world — that’s what the lame-stream media wants us to see.

Because that keeps their narrative alive of fear, control, hate and racial divisions.

I see some humans doing very inhumane things against each other.

I see a world of angry greedy people void of compassion and unwilling to help their neighbors.

I see a total disregard for one another’s welfare and life.

I see power overreaches and poorly trained people.

I see entitlement mentalities run rampant and so many opinions being forced down throats as truths.

I don’t see white against black or red or brown or yellow or vice versa.

I see ALL God’s children that desperately need Him.

Many stories don’t make the major news … and they are just as sad and horrific and have been caught on video.

The Asian store owner begging for his life but shot and robbed anyway after giving over all the money to two Hispanic males.

The white mom dragged as she was being robbed still clenching to her purse … what did that purse hold more valuable than her life? and why did the young black man not let go either as he sped away dragging her body until it was battered and broken.

The Indian girl kidnapped and tortured by her own family.

The black little girl killed and raped by her moms boyfriend, also black.

The white girl killed by the white Uber driver. Or another one killed by the Indian Uber driver.

The killing fields out in New Mexico with tons of Hispanic women buried in shallow graves.

The Houston killing fields of young white women buried.

The World is full of senseless and horrific tragedies.

The media wants to pick and choose the ones that their narrative causes the most division and hate amongst us.

Yes – Racism is real and rampant today as it has always been.

It is not just against the African American communities, or White communities, or Asian or Indian or Hispanic communities.

It is alive and doing well in all communities and most definitely it needs to stop!

Sadly, Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and every platform and person it seems has jumped on board to voice their opinions and stir more division and hate.

Just glance around your news feed and see all the arguing going on.
It’s been happening for weeks.

I don’t see color – I don’t see race –
I see many people in desperate need of Jesus.

May the Lord help us all to not see color as a dividing factor but to see a world of people of all colors that God created in His image and to believe as God does that we are ALL precious in His sight.

Let’s start talking about how we heal, individually and as a community, a country and a nation, instead of just how we feel about such senseless tragedies and travesties.

That’s my goal! Lord help me.

— XXOO Michelle Cosby Bollom

Pause In His Presence Part 7

restoredpeople 2 Comments

“When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I…” – Psalm 61:2

Go Up Higher!

I have always loved this verse in Psalm 61.  How often does my heart feel overwhelmed in this crazy, beautiful world?  Do I always go straight to that high place, or do I often wallow in my feelings and struggle to see clearly?  It’s been a long, hard journey, but I think I’ve finally learned to climb up into the lap of the Father when I feel that tormenting sense of anxiety that overwhelms me.

In reading this verse this week, I was reminded of a dream that I had a few years back while I was in a season of feeling incredibly overwhelmed.  In the dream there was a great warrior who had won many victories.  He finished one battle and then rested for a time, and yet when it was time for him to move along again, he found himself up against quite a large, dark forest.

The forest was thick and the foliage allowed for very little light to seep through, and even the look of it caused the warrior a bit of angst and weariness.  The warrior had no idea how he would ever get through that thick, overwhelmingly dense forest – but he knew that it was something that he had to do.

Soon in the dream, the warrior took a step back, only to find that to his back was a very high rock, nearly as high as a mountain.  The warrior thought that at least if he climbed the rock, he could find a safer place to rest until he gained the courage to enter and go through the dark paths that lay ahead.  So, he began to climb, higher and higher, and what happened next was amazing.

The warrior climbed to the top of the rock, and found himself seated in a spot that allowed him to see from a much higher perspective.  From the high rock, he could see that the sun was actually rising, and the colors were glorious and warmed his heart.  He could see that the forest was much smaller than he had observed from the ground, and that there was actually a path that ran right through the middle of all the tress and it was more well-lit than he previously thought.  He could see that there was nothing sinister in the forest, and that a river with refreshing water was just past the tree line toward the back.  

Up high, in the glow of the morning sun, the warrior was able to gather strength and courage to continue his journey and eventually make his way confidently through the forest path.

Wow…what a picture!  I think of this dream often, especially when I read Psalm 61:2.  The Bible calls us “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37), so when we find ourselves face-to-face with a perspective that seems to overwhelm us and make us feel the opposite of who we truly are, we can turn to our Lord and our Rock and climb up high into His lap!

We can stop, pause in His Presence, and know that His perspective is actually much different than ours.

Up high, we can regain our confidence, regain our peace, and move forward with great courage because we know that the Lord has lit up paths in the darkness for us.

Therefore, when my heart is overwhelmed, I will climb up high and rest – in confidence – with my loving Father who is in charge of the whole landscape.

— Mandy Woodhouse

Brave

restoredpeople Leave a comment

My eyes are drawn to 

her as she moves 

through the crowd 

There is something 

heavenly about her

I see Papa’s heart 

all over her face

As she moves from 

person to person 

She hold them close

and shares a few words

She tells us about her

painful journey

Yet nothing of her past 

clings to her

She gives us hope

She strengthens our faith

She makes us believe 

that there is purpose in 

each of our journeys

She gives us a glimpse 

of Papa’s heart for us

I can see and hear that 

she has been places not 

many have visited 

In Papa’s holy presence

Where atmosphere 

changers are born

The weighty sound she releases 

let’s the tears flow

Father’s presence invades 

the atmosphere 

Holy Spirit does for many 

what He did for her

His sweet anointing breaks 

many yokes

What if she did not follow 

Papa wholeheartedly? 

What if she made pain 

her memorial?

Got stuck amongst 

tombs?

Made caves her homes?

Never!….

She made the

decision to be brave

To stare fear in the face

and visit unknown territories

Father stripped her of 

her old ways and pain to 

have His way

A restored daughter arose 

amongst waste and 

desolate places

She is ready to take Papas 

heart to the world!

—Ebigale Wilson

Brave

The Journey

RestoredMinistries.org