Why Grace Over Grace Doesn’t Work

 My last post came from a deep dive into the lives of those who lived by, “Grace over grace.” What I found was most, if not all, lived by YOLO. That is absolutely unbiblical. 

We are called to live by faith and what the Lord gives us we are to use to help others. I grew up in a family that lived that and watched God do some really amazing thing’s because they stepped out in faith. It reminds me of when Jesus pointed out the widow who gave everything she had as her tithe. He noticed and I have no doubt greatly blessed her faith. 

God blesses faith but never overlooks sin. If I want God’s grace I need to repent of my sins. It really should be said, “Grace over sin.” He will forgive anyone of their sins as long as they repent and ask for forgiveness. That doesn’t mean we don’t pay the consequences of our sin. Most of the troubles in our lives are actually the outcome of our own sin. 

King David has always been my favorite person in the Bible. The Lord took a shepherd no one knew and made him king because He loved David’s faith. As a teen David took 5 stones to kill Goliath - and his brothers! David had no doubt the Lord was with him in his fight. 

Later, King David had his best friend killed because he got his wife pregnant. Pretty awful, right? The Lord let him know what he did was very wicked and David repented and asked for forgiveness. The Lord forgave him but there was a very hard consequence. The Lord told David he was going to take the son they had. David begged him to let him live but the Lord didn’t relent. Soon his son got very sick and died. God means what he says. 

Why am I sharing such a harsh story about the Lord with you? Because we all pay a consequence for things we’ve done. Yes, God gives us plenty of grace but there are plenty of times he lets us reap what we’ve sown. Not to harm us but to teach us. We are slow to hear and even slower to act on God’s word. 

Yes, God gives us more grace than we will ever deserve but He will also let us pay the piper from time to time. That doesn’t mean we are unforgiven, it just means the narrow path is the safer path. Walking WITH God is better than just trying to please Him. If you know Him you won’t want to sin and when you do you will turn and confess your sins right away. 

I hope I didn’t muddy the water, my goal was to explain why grace over grace is unbiblical. 

Sweet blessings, my friends! ✝️

Called to be Different

                            Photo by Elevated Faith

 When I stumbled across this pin on Pinterest I stopped in my tracks. Not more than 3 minutes earlier I had been bawling my eyes out over where I am headed next. These weren’t soft sobs, they were the ugly kinda cry. My hubby works from home so I was really praying he couldn’t hear me. 

I have been working through things that have hindered my walk with the Lord and my life. I was beginning to wonder if this was it. Am I ever going to fit in? Where am I going career wise? For those of you who stumbled across this post, I design things in knit and crochet. It used to pay pretty well but now bloggers are giving free patterns away faster than any one in publishing can keep up. There in lies the rub. Work is running out. 

So, being the closet crier that I am, I poured my heart out to the Lord through my sobs. I have done this so many time before I honestly wasn’t sure He would answer me just yet. If you can’t fit in, how do you find a job? If you really think about it, it’s impossible.   

Recently I have decided to take every promise the Lord makes literal. I may have to do something to get that promise given but if God said it, it was real and it could happen. 

After I dried my tears and thanked the Lord for listening I felt a prompt to go on Pinterest. It had been a while so I knew the prompt was from the Lord. This photo was the first photo that greeted me. You guessed it, I was in tears again. This time they were tears of hope. 

I’m still not sure where I am headed. I also know there is plenty of work that needs done on my heart. But the creator of the universe cared enough to share a photo with me to let me know this journey will be worth the tears. 

Sometimes the Lord has to knock down some walls in us to get us to see the treasure he has placed inside our souls. Called to be different appears to be my calling, I just need to grow into it. I am excited to see where the journey leads. 

Jeremiah 29:11 Makes it very clear that if you are a child of God he has a plan and a purpose for you. Have you found yours yet? If so, I’d love to hear about it! 

Beautiful blessings,

Brenda

Update: I wrote this last year when I had Covid. I have autoimmune issues that made it take twice as long to heal and now have neuropathy in my left foot. It’s healing and I am grateful for the time off.

The Lord has shown me where I’m headed next and I’m so excited!!! Sometimes we just need to slow down and give Him a chance to show us where we are going. As a Christian, the older we get the more we have to look forward too. I can’t wait to share where I am headed next!  

Sweet blessings,

Brenda

2021 Goals

 Normally, I am not a goal person. I keep a journal and everything is pretty free flowing so I can be as creative as can be. I learned very quickly that if I set a lot of goals I get overwhelmed. Tangible projects are fine but undefined goals are not. 

I’ve also learned to ask the Lord for my word for the year. Last year the word was healing. That word really proved true. I have spent most of this year healing. I’ve had several things go so wrong (like falling down the stairs) that keeping a schedule would have been impossible. So, I had to give up writing Annie’s Talking Crochet Update. If I can’t give my best I move on. The Lord knew that so he gave me the word healing so I would know to move on.  

I doubted when I felt it was time to quit writing the update but looking back I am so thankful that I listened to that tug on my heart. I needed this year to heal. I really loved writing and connecting with so many of you. I miss each and everyone of you. 

I now write for another company that helped pay for the medical issues and have more flexibility. I am finally healing and hoping for more opportunities. 

I’m not sure what my word or verse is for this year is yet. Right now it feels like the word is colorful. I’m really hoping that truly is my word and am excited to see what scripture goes with that word. 

Colorful opens so many doors! I love colorful! I pray 2021 is a fun journey that leads to lots of colors. (As long as they aren’t bruises!) 

On the learning side, I am taking a year long writing class that I am hoping will help me grow as a writer. I try to take one new class or workshop a year. If you aren’t learning you are dying. I’d love to hear what you are planning for 2021! Please leave a comment or shoot me an email! 

Best blessings, 

Brenda

What a Difference a Stitch Makes!

 Recently, I went on a yarn buying binge. Not a surprise for yarn junkies, I know. For years I have been using yarns that book or magazines have asked me to use so this buy was a bit of a gamble. 

I ordered online so I had no idea how they would feel. Sometimes the reviewer’s idea of soft is completely different than mine. Then throw in no animal fibers and finding soft yarn becomes an even bigger challenge. 

I hit the jackpot with every Hobby Lobby yarn I ordered! I am so please with the loft and texture and a few even have a halo! You usually only find that in animal fibers! 

I’d like to show you what I found when I started swatching with their Yarn Bee Caterina Regal Rose. 

This first swatch is worked in a half double crochet. 

It’s really pretty in its own right but something was missing. So I found another textured stitch I liked and the change was incredibly dramatic as you can see!

It’s very clear that stitch matters! It went from being just pretty to, “Wow! Let me touch that!” 

If we are going to take the time to make something, we need to swatch first. These examples prove exactly why. Had I stayed with the first swatch my design would be ordinary. With swatch two it’s fun to make and I know it will be fabulous to wear! Take the time to swatch with different stitches. You will be glad you did! 

Happy crocheting! 

#Grizzly399 and Cubs

I love having a blog where I can write about anything I want. This is my life and I am blessed.

These photos are my son, AJ Bourg’s. He sent them to my while visiting the Tetons. Grizzly 399 and her 4 cubs have become world famous. Giving birth to 4 cubs is amazing but having them all survive is a miracle! Her 4th cub likes to poke around and always seems to come in last. He knows how to slow down and enjoy everything around him. 

If you’ve been on Instagram much you’ve had the chance to follow their sightings (and mischief!) using the hashtag #Grizzly399. It’s been a fun summer activity. Soon they will hunker down for a long winter nap. 

I grew up in Wyoming and I admit I want to go back. I miss the slower pace. I would love to live up north. I don’t mind -15 as a normal temperature for a winter day. 

Where we live now used to be rural but the big city is moving in on us. This used to be my dream place to live. Over the last 20 years we’ve watched it change from a kind and safe place to live to a place that is just another suburb with bigger issues. I miss the kindness. I miss knowing all my neighbors. I miss having a church that isn’t just a sermonette all about me.

As I grow older, I appreciate the things that kept my family in Wyoming for generations. Will we move back? I sure hope so but I kinda doubt it. The Rockies here are just as beautiful here but the weather isn’t as brutal. 

These are just things I ponder on a cloudy Wednesday morning as I’m homesick for a simpler way of life. 

Beautiful blessing,

Brenda

A New Day!

 So, this week has been insane for all of us. I admit I hate elections but I am grateful we get to vote. I know that sentence is contradictory but I have a feeling you all understand too well. Since it has been so rough, like you, I prayed and crocheted! 

Aren’t these colors beautiful? I caught them on clearance too! I admit I have more yarn than I need but I can’t say no and my hubby really doesn’t care. I’m spoiled and it’s the perfect storm!

In other news, my book has turned into books. I love to write nonfiction - my fiction is going well too but my wheelhouse for now is nonfiction. Now it’s a race to see which one will become book three. 

Is anyone else writing for the month of November? It’s addictive once you get going. I spend much of my day writing about all kinds of things. It’s a beautiful creative release for me! I’d love to hear what you write and what you read. I am always looking forward good authors.

Happy Friday! 

Brenda 

A New Challenge!

 Now that I am finally getting back into the swing of things, I’ve decided to try my hand at a different kind of writing. Nonfiction has always been my wheelhouse. I really love writing about day-to-day stuff that we all go through. It’s been on my heart to really stretch myself as a writer so I am going to dip my toe into fiction for November’s writing challenge. 

Will I suck at it? Probably, but half the fun is in the challenge. Once you figure out the formula the rest falls into place. It’s really no different than selling my first designs. I made a bunch of samples, went to a conference and sold every sample. At the time I had no idea how incredible that was. I also won 2nd place in the design contest. I don’t write this to brag, I write it to encourage you to do that thing that the Lord has put on your heart. Like me, you might be blown away by what He does simply because you put yourself out there. 

Each one of us was given a gift - the Bible calls them talents (as in money) if we use them He will multiply the outcome but if we sit on them they are wasted and the Lord isn’t happy that we didn’t trust Him more. 

Why fiction? I love people. I love watching them, I love listening to them and I care about what is going on in their life. If you don’t love something you can’t write about it. My sister also recently told me I loved to tell stories as a little kid. I’d love to regain some of that childlike view of life. I remember writing stories for my English class in grade school and just loved doing it.

It’s been many years since those last assignments so I am trusting the Lord to give me the words to touch others hearts through my writing.We could all use a lot more love these days!

Today I challenge you to try something new. Pull that talent out of your pocket and use it. Then please come back here and share you story with me!

Sweet blessings, my friends!