The Response to Grace

Gratitude is the only appropriate response to Grace. ~ Bruxy Cavey.

I woke up Sunday morning unexpectedly feeling sick... 
My family ended up leaving for church without me. I slept a few more hours and woke up with a pounding headache and a stomach still unsettled. The day was determined to go downhill for me and I was egging it on with my "poor me" attitude.

I sat in bed with my iPad mini in hand and decided to spend the rest of the morning on Facebook and on Twitter. These were the first tweets I saw, tweets from those listening to our church's teaching pastor's message:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. "Gratitude is the right response to Grace." - @bruxy
— Belinda Burnett (@im_brburnett) April 28, 2013

"gratitude is the only appropriate response to grace." super awesome message at @themeetinghouse this morning from @bruxy. :)
— alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) April 28, 2013

Then some more tweets reminded me that it was the day of the Ann Voskamp and Shaun Groves Compassion Canada event right here at home, an event I tried to rearrange my schedule for so that I could volunteer at, but sadly wasn't able to. Ironically, I ended up not being well and in bed! Here's a tweet from Compassion Canada's CEO Barry Slauenwhite on what Ann was teaching about:

"I am blessed. I can bless. This is happiness. It's the rain of grace " -Ann Voskamp.
— Barry Slauenwhite (@bslauen) April 28, 2013

Then, one more tweet...

Generosity flows best when we act not out of obligation or compulsion but out of gratitude for God's amazing grace and generosity.
— Eugene Cho (@EugeneCho) April 28, 2013

All the above tweets in a span of maybe a couple of minutes, right there on my Twitter feed! Do you think God was trying to tell me something? Hint, hint, hint! :)

Needless to say, these tweets jolted me out of my "poor me" attitude and I quickly decided to head over to our church's YouTube channel and join in on the morning's teaching!

Here's the entire morning's teaching:

If you're short on time, here's one of the highlights... really a must-watch:

Soon, I was tweeting up a storm too!
And having a change of attitude... from being grumpy to being grateful! All of a sudden, I noticed that I was feeling 100% better than when I first woke up earlier in the morning! In fact, I was up and about by the time my family got back home from church... and felt well enough to attend my nephew's 5th birthday dinner that night!

"Gratitude is the only appropriate response to grace." Great word, @bruxy! My fave author @annvoskamp writes the same in #1000gifts. Love!
— Aimee Esparaz (@Mama2GreatKids) April 28, 2013

"Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly." Live well & do right. You are already accepted!~ @bruxy #TMHWhoAmI @themeetinghouse // Love this!
— Aimee Esparaz (@Mama2GreatKids) April 28, 2013

"We’re here to be grateful, joyful, relational with God and others." ~ @bruxy #TMHWhoAmI @themeetinghouse // God calls us to live this way!
— Aimee Esparaz (@Mama2GreatKids) April 28, 2013

I'm forgiven, embraced & accepted. I want to live life well with pure joy & pure gratitude. ~ @bruxy #TMHWhoAmI @themeetinghouse // Yes! :)
— Aimee Esparaz (@Mama2GreatKids) April 28, 2013

As I continue to count grace-gifts, with unending thanks... to The One who only gives good gifts... these are the things I am thankful for this week... #2909 - #2919:

:: Spring cleaning my garden... good for my soul!

:: Another year of helping six children in need get basic education. I am so proud of my childhood classmates who started this foundation.

:: Band has started back up at school for my boy. I am loving the progress he is making with his trombone!

:: Our trusty 16-year-old Subaru Legacy... the time has come to replace it. 

:: Car shopping.

:: My girl's excellent interim report card! 

:: A fruitful meeting to chat about our family's and our church's ongoing support of UrbanPromise's Camp Freedom.

:: New members for my boy's school Robotics Team. I love the enthusiasm of these new kids!

:: A Whole Foods Market grocery store opening up closer to home.

:: Watching my kids play basketball.

:: These new epinephrine injectors for my boy... love how small they are now!

Hello brand-new week!

Prayer without ceasing is only possible in a life of continual thanks. ~ Ann Voskamp.

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. ~ Micah 6:6-8.

Choosing to live a surrendered life... because Christ's love compels me... and giving thanks for everything that my good God so freely bestows, so lavishly gives and so extravagantly showers!

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Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.

Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!