His Grace Magazine

Grace His

July 2019

It's Our 1st Anniversary!

Serving from Coast to Coast

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Table of Contents It's Our 1st Anniversary!

His Grace, July 2019

"...My God, in Him I will trust."

Psalm 91:2

Poetry Page.........................................................................Page 3 Publisher's Corner...............................................................Pages 4, 5 CD in Review......................................................................Page 6 Prayer Page.........................................................................Page 7 Athletes for Christ...............................................................Page 8 Walking with Jesus.............................................................Page 10, 11 Racing with Christ..............................................................Page 12 Recipe Page.........................................................................Page 13 In Concert............................................................................Page 14 Featured Artist.....................................................................Page 15 Bible Study.........................................................................Page 16, 17 Movie in Review.................................................................Page 18 Book in Review...................................................................Page 19

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Poetry Page...

His Grace, July 2019

It's Our 1st Anniversary!

Brotherly Kindness

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One of the greatest gifts is a connection with kindness.

We all want to matter, so let’s live in a state of mindfulness.

Too often, we react when someone is unpleasant; but meet them where they are, if only for a fleeting moment.

It is very healing to feel the world with your heart; for all human emotions we’ve related with from the start.

Once we love ourselves, we can begin to love each other.

Empathize when one gets caught up in self-pity, greed or anger.

The more our hearts open, the more we know it's true; that we all have a longing for warmth; we've all been in that place too.

A smile is oh, so powerful; it changes how we feel.

Not only is it uplifting; it has the potential to heal.

The most remarkable thing is watching a bruised heart mend from the benefits that kindness brings to the one on the receiving end.

Read: (2 Peter 1: 5-8)

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Publisher's Corner...

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His Grace, July 2019

Fruits of the Spirit:

Publisher: Rob Wood

Longsuffering (Patience) P

atience I think, is one of the fruits of the Spirit that we all struggle with from time to time; I know I do. As a matter of fact, I'm struggling with that now. I live a fair distance from my fiancée; we are planning to get married soon. The difficult part of that is, both Donna and I are waiting on God's perfect timing. We both would love to marry now, but He has been saying, ‘Not yet, but soon.’

That is the difficult part for us. We both know that God knows better than we do, but the impatience starts to show.

It starts to creep through the cracks of faith, but we are staying strong in our faith. So for now, we pray for patience and trust in Him. Let’s take a closer look at patience and kindness this month as we continue to go through the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love,

joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." This fruit can be such a difficult one for us believers. Patience is such an important part of our relationship with God, but it's also coupled with so much uncertainty that rises in our lives. So when this happens, how are we going to react? How are we going to show patience?

When we go through periods of grief, hurt, depression and many other trials, whatever may be going wrong in our lives, we must stop, be still, listen to God speak to our hearts and then patiently wait on Him to act. By doing this, we will draw closer to God through our prayers and worship. Being patient means we are going to wait on and trust in God for His perfect timing. It also draws us closer to God in ways sometimes we don't realize. We learn to focus on Him and spend much needed time with Him. As we begin to fully trust in God, as we begin to develop stronger patience through Him, we will find that our relationship with God will grow and become stronger as well. Romans 5: 1-4 says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but

we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."

You may be in a certain situation where you’re not sure what to do… do I go left, or right? Do I stay or do I leave?

Do I say yes, or no? Whatever it is you’re going through, you have to make a decision. I suggest you trust God with all your heart. Tell Him everything that is going on in your life, then patiently wait on Him to work things out for you. Colossians 3:12 says, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering."

It all comes down to a choice, are we going to be patient or impatient? Are we going to just react and do things on our own because we think God is working too slowly, or are we going trust God and wait and see what He has in store for us? It's better to wait and see, as God knows exactly what we need. He has a plan for us and if we wait to see what He brings us, it will be so much better than jumping forward on our own and messing everything up. I know Donna and I will wait and see what God has in store for us. Joshua 24:15 says, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Then watch the blessings start to head your way.

His Grace, July 2019

It's Our 1st Anniversary!

Publisher's Corner...

Kindness

Kindness is a term that has become lost in today's world.

People are becoming more self reliant; they would rather do things on their own or by themselves, and if someone does something nice for them, they start to wonder why they did that and what they want in return?

I remember when people would do kind things, like hold the door open for you, pick up a cup of coffee without asking and not wanting money in return, cleaning someone's driveway of snow, cleaning snow off a car for someone, or cutting grass. You can show kindness to someone by forgiving them for whatever they have done to you. There are so many ways we can show kindness.

It's the little things that really stand out to people that make their day. Ephesians 4:32 says, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."

When someone does something nice for you because they want to and not because they have to, you see the joy and happiness that comes forward, the joy and happiness that is in their hearts. But when someone is doing a job for you and they really don't want to do it, or it's just because they have to do it,

Fruits of the Spirit

it also shows. They complain a lot, they don't treat people right around them and there is no joy in them. 1 Peter 4:9 says, "Be hospitable to one another without grumbling."

We should always show kindness to everyone, all the time. Think about this, everyone needs love, whether they think they do or not. We were all shown amazing love and kindness through Jesus, through His teachings, death and resurrection, and through forgiveness of our sins. Jesus showed us all the perfect kindness and love. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus loves us so much that He died on the cross for us. God calls us all to love everyone and to show them kindness; it goes a long way.

Kindness goes further than we think. When we show a friend, family member or even a stranger kindness, you’re also showing them love. When we do this for people, especially strangers, you may be doing more than you know. Hebrews 13:2 says, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels." How amazing is that scripture, to actually think we may have shown kindness to an angel of God. Kindness is an action of love

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that we show to both those we know and don't know. Once we start showing kindness by helping, it becomes contagious and we will want to continue with kindness. It warms the heart with joy and puts smiles on people's faces. I would like to encourage everyone to show people kindness every day. You can share your lunch, pay for someone's coffee when you’re in line, or take something off the shelf for someone at the grocery store who can't reach it.

It doesn't cost us anything, but doing kind things could change a life or even plant a seed that God can grow, and that's what makes it all worthwhile.

WOOD

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CD in Review...

His Grace, July 2019

Zach Williams Chain Breaker...

ach Williams is a man with a large, deep southern voice who has a sense of classic American song-writing with a southern touch. He has a testimony that he will share with anyone who wants to listen. Zach is a pleasing new voice in the Christian music industry. With a passionate shout, his voice carries on through each song that he sings.

Zach is a veteran southern rocker who has been on the rock scene for a long time. He had a band called Zach Williams and the Reformation. They had a big following in Europe over the past ten years and they also had two southern rock albums. Zach had experienced an awakening of his soul a few years ago.

After living the life of a rock and roll musician and all that the life had to offer him, he walked away from that life and became a worship minister at a church in his home town of Arkansas.

Zach's background is significant to mention because every song on "Chain Breaker" serves as a heartfelt witness to God's saving grace that worked in a life handed to him. Zach's personal heartfelt creation and work that went into this album really makes it stand out from other albums that may have some of the same subject material as "Chain Breaker".

The current hit on the radio stations and the title song "Chain

Breaker" kicks off the album with a southern rock feel that combines the Christian song to a timely single about addiction and overcoming the burden of sin.

Songs like "Chain Breaker" are bound to become an anthem for people who are fighting their own personal battles with addiction.

All the songs on the album, "Chain Breaker", are a direct reflection of God's redemption, grace and love that helped Zach heal from his past.

Zach's second song on the album, “Old Church Choir”, has an arousing gospel sound with a pop feel and a joyful nature to it. Zach shows he can take a pop forum to his songs and saturate it with his energy that will raise the song up in quality.

"To The Table" is a passionate heartfelt song on the album with Zach's voice and an acoustic and slide guitar with harmony vocals all blended together nicely. "My Liberty" has an amazing opening

bass sound that gives a wonderful heartbeat to the song of praise.

The closing song on the album is "So Good To Me," which ends the album in great style with a passionate violin sound; a wonderful song of thanks.

This album, "Chain Breaker", is a very good one. I love the southern rock sound that comes from this album; it goes deep into your soul and really gets you moving. Because of the soul and uplifting sound of Zach's music, this album offers so much hope and it really delivers to his fans. "Chain Breaker" is a very strong sounding, southern rock ‘n roll album performed by Zach who has seen it all in the music industry and he wants us to know that hope is possible; we just need to bring it all to Jesus and He will take care of the rest.

Chain Breaker...

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

"Chain Breaker" "Old Church Choir" "Survivor" "To The Table" "My Liberty" "Song Of Deliverance" "Fear Is A Liar" "Everything Changed" "Revival" "So Good To Me"

Prayer Page...

His Grace, July 2019

It's Our 1st Anniversary!

A Prayer for Patience

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Dear Father,

Patience isn’t easy and it isn’t ours to create in ourselves.

Thank You for doing what we do not have the ability to do.

Help us to trust You with our daily skirmishes and waging wars.

Remind us to sit with You and soak in the powerful wisdom in Your Word.

We go through nothing that You cannot pull us through.

May the Holy Spirit move through us and usher in a renewed faith and trust.

May we ever be reminded of Christ’s sacrifice for us, and His love for us that drove Him there.

That same love promises never to leave us, and to provide the endurance we need through our many trials.

Praise You, Father!

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

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Athletes for Christ...

His Grace, July 2019

Jesse Barfield On of the Toronto Blue Jays Legends...

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ithout a doubt, one of the greatest Toronto Blue Jays of all time was Jesse Barfield.

Jesse played for the Blue Jays from 1981 to 1989, where he was of the key team leaders of the 1985 American League East Division winning Jays…the Blue Jays first great team.

Jesse's best season came in 1986, when he led all the major leagues in home runs with 40. He was named to the All Star teams, he won a Gold Glove, had over 100 RBIs, and Jesse finished in the top 10 American League MVP voting. Not only did Jesse win a second Gold Glove in 1987, but he was also in the top 10 in MVP voting in 1985. Blue Jay fans also remember that Jesse had a rocket of an arm throwing from his outfield position. If you’re a baseball fan like me, you will like the next statistics…Jesse collected

162 assists from the outfield in his career with an incredible 22 assists in the 1985 season. Most outfielders don't even have half the assists in their entire careers as Jesse had in one season.

During the 1989 season, much to the anger of the Blue Jay fans, Jesse was traded to the New York

Yankees, where he played until the 1992 season. Jesse finished his baseball career in Japan, where he played one season. In Jesse's post baseball career, he was the batting coach for the Seattle Mariners, also the first base coach for the Houston Astros.

Jesse's son, Josh, played major league baseball for the Cleveland Indians and the San Diego Padres.

His younger son, Jeremy, was also a major league draft choice.

Jesse's truest and biggest legacy comes from his deep faith in Jesus Christ. Jesse, together with his wife Marla, was a big influence in many of the Blue Jays’ lives as they brought them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior. Jesse had the privilege of bringing such Jays as Tony Fernandez, Ron Shepherd and Mark Eichhorn to the Lord. Marla also played a huge part in leading many of the Blue Jays’ wives to Jesus.

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Grace

His Grace, July 2019

His

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Walking With Jesus...

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His Grace, July 2019

The Angel of the Lord The Pre-existence of Jesus Christ...

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e are continuing our journey on the Walking with Jesus series. After covering Hagar and Abraham last month, we will now look at Jacob's visions, Moses and the burning bush and encounters with the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament.

When Jacob was travelling, he decided to stop and rest for the evening. While he slept, he had a dream of a ladder going up to heaven. Genesis 28:12-13 says, ‘Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants."

During Jacob's dream, God spoke to him. He told Jacob that the land he was lying down on would all be given to his descendants. Those descendants would be so abundant that they would be as far as the eye could see; they would also be a blessing to the rest of the world. When Jacob awoke that very morning, he decided to put up a pillar of remembrance and then he called the place Bethel, which means "The house of God." Genesis 35:14-15 says, "So Jacob set

up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it, And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel."

Many years later, Jacob married two daughters of an untrustworthy man named Laban. After Jacob suffered in the hands of Laban, Jacob found out he was being cheated

by Laban with the livestock. In another vision that Jacob had, the Angel of God appeared to help Jacob fix the problem. In the middle of the discussion, the Angel said in Genesis 31:13: "I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family."

After Moses killed an Egyptian for abusing Jewish slaves, Moses had to flee and he then began a new life as a shepherd and husband. One day, while taking care of his father-in-law's sheep, Moses had a visit from the Angel of the Lord.

The Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a fire blazing bush, which was not being consumed by the flames.

Exodus 3:3-6 says, ‘Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush

does not burn." So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.’ It is the Angel of the Lord that appears in the burning bush to Moses, and during this time, God reveals His name. Exodus 3:1314 says, "Then Moses said to God, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

Next month, we will look at some more encounters of the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. He shows Himself as our protector, as a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. We will also see where the Angel of the Lord appears to and confronts Balaam in the middle of the road.

His Grace, July 2019

It's Our 1st Anniversary!

Walking With Jesus...

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The book of Matthew Christ is King...

uring the past couple of months, we looked at the book of John and how he focused on Jesus’ deity. Now we are going to look at and study the book of Matthew. We will see that Matthew focuses on Christ as King.

The Bible has a lot of stories that explain the proper ways for us to follow the teachings of Jesus. Of the four Gospels, only two were written by those of Christ's original twelve disciples.

One of them is the book of Matthew.

This book is believed to have been written by Matthew himself, a disciple, apostle and evangelist of the early Christian church.

Matthew is also recognized as one of the saints in the Catholic Church; he was one of the founders of Christianity.

Matthew is an interesting person in the Bible because he was not a well-liked or beloved man. Matthew was a Publican (also known as a tax collector) who collected taxes for the Romans and therefore would have been hated by the people.

Tax collectors in the Bible were Jewish. They were seen as traitors, turncoats to their own country and their people. Instead of helping the Jewish people fight the Roman occupiers, the Publicans were helping the Romans collect money, and were lining their own pockets at the

expense of their fellow Jewish people. Matthew 9:9 says, ‘As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him.’ For a short time after healing a paralytic man, Jesus stayed in the place of Capernaum which was by the Sea of Galilee. Large crowds came to Him to listen to His teachings. As Jesus was teaching and walking around, He saw Matthew (also known as Levi the son of Alphaeus) sitting at the tax office. Jesus then extended a warm and loving invitation to Matthew to follow Him. Mark 2:14 says, ‘As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.

And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him. Matthew responded to Jesus’ words and immediately, he followed Him. Matthew leaves all of his responsibilities as a tax collector forever and follows Jesus and becomes His disciple.

A little while later, Matthew holds a very large feast at his house. A lot of Matthew's former tax collectors and friends were present. There were also certain people there who had a reputation for wrong doings. As the selfrighteous Pharisees sat there and observed Jesus at the feast sitting with the sinners, they were not happy that Jesus was actually

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communing and eating with all those sinners. Matthew 9:10-13 says, ‘Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."’ Hosea 6:6 also says: "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."

Matthew had invited all the tax collectors and sinners to his house so that when Jesus was there, they could listen and receive healing and repent of their sins so they could have Christ in their lives. Mark 2:15 says, "Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him." Next month, we will take another look at Matthew before moving on to the Book of Mark, as he sees Jesus as being the Servant.

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Racing with Christ...

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His Grace, July 2019

Jeff Gordon Relying on, and trusting God...

eff Gordon welcomed God into his life a few years ago, and the only thing that Jeff regrets is that he didn't do it earlier in his life. Embracing God and having a strong faith has made an amazing difference in Jeff's life and in his overall health and happiness.

God has played a huge role in Jeff's life and he prays regularly every day. He knows that whether he is going through good or bad times because rough patches pop up here and there, that God is always there for him. Racing is a very rough and dangerous sport to be involved in. When Jeff was driving a racecar, he always relied on God to keep him safe, protect him and to help him overcome troubles and hardships.

Jeff believes that life is more than going to the track and winning or

losing a race. He believes that God is always there to remind him of what is important in his life and to set priorities. He has been fortunate and very successful in his racing

career. He now has a new career with Fox Sports, broadcasting the races. Jeff’s personal life has also been blessed. He shares his life with his wife, Ingrid; they were married on November 7, 2006, and they have two children, Ella Sofia and Leo Benjamin.

Jeff Gordon had a very successful career in racing. He won the Daytona 500 three times; he is a four- time Sprint Cup Champion: 1995, ‘97, ‘98 and 2001. Jeff won a total of ninety-eight NASCAR races.

Jeff believes that we all have different experiences in our journey and walk with God through prayer and worship. But if we hold on to God and His power, he believes we will live our lives with a renewed joy and peace and with a heightened sense of strength and fulfillment.

Recipe...

His Grace, July 2019

It's Our 1st Anniversary!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

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• ½ c Crunchy Peanut Butter • 2 c semi-sweet Chocolate Chips • 1 c Maple Syrup • 1 ¼ c Oatmeal • 1 c Trail Mix • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract • Melt Syrup and Chocolate Chips over low heat in a non-stick sauce pan • Remove from heat, add Peanut Butter and Vanilla Extract and stir until melted • Add Oatmeal and Trail Mix; blend well • Pour evenly into a wax paper lined 9” x 13” pan • Let set in fridge for 30 minutes; cut in squares

Romans 14:3 NKJV “The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.”

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In Concert with...

His Grace, July 2019

Building 429 Fear No More Tour 2019...

rammy nominated, Dove Award winning, Building 429, has created an exclusive partnership with the largest producer of live Christian events…

Premier Productions…for a 20city "Fear No More Tour." This tour, which is sponsored by World Vision and features special guest, Britt Nicole, is named after Building 429’s current hit single,

"Fear No More.”

Building 429 has a history of songs that has deeply influenced the world. “The Fear No More” album and tour is the beginning of how God will continue to use Building 429 for impressive kingdom impact.

There are two Canadian stops on the “Fear No More Tour”: Aug. 11: Keswick, New Brunswick @ All Together Worship Sep. 2: Langley, British Columbia @ The Summerset Festival

Building 429 and their "Fear No More Tour" will be performing at 25 festivals, fairs and other venues across the United States and Canada. The summer tour follows the band’s "Live the Journey Tour" that gave Building 429 many soldout concerts. Their tour dates can be found online on their website.

Building 429 will be playing their RIAA Gold selling, "Where

I Belong" and their No. 1 songs, "We Won't Be Shaken", "Listen to the Sound" and "Glory Defined".

Building 429 will also be performing "Fear No More" while on their tour. "Fear No More", originally launched by Billboard, is quickly becoming one of the biggest independent singles ever to air on Christian radio. The song has climbed into the top 20 this week and continues to climb.

His Grace, July 2019

It's Our 1st Anniversary!

Featured Artist...

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Jordan Feliz A folk rock and soul style of Music...

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ordan Alexander Feliz is an American Christian musician; Jordan plays a folk rock style of Christian pop music.

Jordan Feliz was born on March 15, 1989 in Clovis, California, the son of Richard Edward Feliz and Jennie Elaine Feliz (Wren). Jordan graduated from Buchanan High School in 2007. He used to work as a car valet.

Jordan's music career started back in 2006 with a band called Current Affair, where they reached out to Jordan on his MySpace page during a search of a lead singer. But heavy metal was never Jordan's passion; it was just a fun experience with his friends

to grow musically. It wasn’t until 2015 though, that his solo music career began.

Jordan has released three studio albums. His debut project, “Beloved”, which was released in October 2015, brings the rich

influence of 70's sensibilities into a modern pop.

"The River” was released in April 2016 with Centricity Music Label. The song itself, “The River”, which is featured on both albums, is an invitation to anyone who hears it, whether they're stuck in pride and legalism or wallowing in the mess they've made of their lives; it's an invitation to take whatever you have and to run to Jesus. It's an invitation to go down in amazing grace and to rise up being made new.

His third album, "Future”, was released in 2018. This album’s maiden single, "Witness," became his fourth Christian Airplay top 10.

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Bible Study...

John 14:6

His Grace, July 2019

Jesus is the Only Way to Heaven...

ohn 14:6 really speaks for itself. Jesus is all of this …

He is the way, the truth, and the life for us all, so let's take a closer, deeper look at this scripture: ‘And Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." THE WAY: In this world, there is only one name that will reach God. His name is Jesus. The one thing that Jesus didn't say is, “I can show you the way." Jesus said, “I am the way". So it depends - Do we want to reach God in heaven? If the answer is yes, then we need to have a loving, personal relationship with Jesus.

Jesus, being the only way, is taught in 1 Timothy 2:5: "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus."

We can never truly understand what it will take to actually reach God until we figure out what keeps us from reaching Him. The one word that keeps us from reaching God is sin. Sin is what keeps us apart from God. Sin creates a very dark valley between God and ourselves; Jesus becomes the bridge that we can cross. He brings God and us together. Without Jesus, this is not possible; we will never be able to come to God for any reason, at

any time. Jesus died on the cross for us; He became our Mediator, the bridge to bring us all closer to God. It doesn't matter if you’re a good person, someone who always gives to charities, a wealthy person or a revered member of the church. If you don't have Jesus in your life, if you don't have a personal relationship with Him, you cannot enter heaven.

If you want to go to heaven, you

must repent of all your sins and surrender to Him, believe with all your heart that Jesus died on the cross for you, and rose again on the third day. Then, and only then, can you begin your walk, your relationship with Jesus, because He truly is the only way.

THE TRUTH: Jesus is the truth who gives us knowledge and opens our understanding of who God really is. It's a truth that amazes the wisdom of man and a truth that will silence the theory of the proud. Not only does Jesus

teach us the truth, but He is the truth and He is the essence of truth; for the truth can only be found in Jesus because He is the incarnation of all truth.

Truth is more than just facts; the truth cannot be changed, but we are changed by the truth. It sets all of us apart from the lies that are hidden in the nature of sin.

As Jesus is the living word, He is the truth. Luke 21:33 says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."

The gospel of John uses more than half of the New Testament uses of the word ‘truth’. God has written His truth on our hearts and on our conscience, so that it's always there in us.

As Christians and followers of Jesus, we are to always walk in the truth. 3 John 3 says, "For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth." We should always love the truth and believe in the truth. We are also to always speak the truth to one another in gentleness and in love, not in anger. Ephesians 4:32 says, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."

His Grace, July 2019

Bible Study...

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It's Our 1st Anniversary!

John 14:6...Continued

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Jesus is the Only Way to Heaven...

he truth is far more than just a moral guide for us.

Jesus did not say, ‘He could show us the truth’, or that, ‘He could teach us the truth’; Jesus said, "HE IS THE TRUTH"; the truth incarnate…Jesus is the root of all truth.

THE LIFE: Jesus is the life.

With a loud voice, He told Lazarus to come forward, by faith. John 11:43-44 says, 'Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

Every single person is born spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins meaning that, after we are born, we need to give our lives to Jesus and we need Jesus to help us talk with our Holy Father in heaven. He is our mediator and He will bring us closer to God. He is also the source of our spiritual lives. Jesus is eternal life for all of us who trust in the resurrection, because Jesus is the resurrection.

John 11:25-26 says, "…I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

It is through faith in Jesus that our old self is now dead and that we are made into a new creation in Christ. The spirit of the Lord lives within us…in our bodies, in our souls and spirits. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Eternal life is in Jesus alone.

Every Christian will say from their hearts that they never truly

knew what life was until they gave their lives to Jesus, until they truly felt Jesus in them. Jesus gives us His life to live. John 10:10 says, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

Do you need and want the abundant life that overflows with life from Jesus? John 6:37 says, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means

cast out." It is only through Jesus that we can be drawn nearer to our Father in heaven. There is absolutely no other way to Him. After all, Jesus is the true God of Life. 1 John 5:20 says, "And we know that the son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life."

Jesus is the only way to our Father in heaven. He has come to take us to God. Everything is all ready for us; all we need to do is just follow and worship Him. He has prepared the way for us.

Jesus will take us by His loving hand and lead the way; He will give us strength to accompany us every day.

Let us all think about this wonderful truth and let's seek to grab hold of what this all means for us who have been saved

by His grace through our faith in Him. Let the truth from this scripture really sink deep into our souls, so that no matter what circumstances we may face in the future, we will be filled with joy, we will go forth and share the good news that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life with whoever God puts in our path on this journey that we call life.

It's Our 1st Anniversary!

Movie in Review...

Page 18

Z

His Grace, July 2019

Run The Race “The Love of a Brother”

ach Truett, played by Tanner Stine, and his younger brother Dave, played by Evan Hofer, have had a hard life and the odds have been stacked up against them both. Their mom passed away from cancer two years previously, and their dad, played by Kristoffer Polaha, turned to alcohol to drown his grief in the loss of his wife. He then abandoned his two boys and walked away.

Zach and Dave get by in life working in a grocery store owned by their godmother Nancy, played

by Frances Fisher. Their dream is to leave town by Zach getting a football scholarship due to Zach's amazing football skills as

a star running back, and to take his brother Dave with him. But unfortunately, as Zach is on his way, he gets into a fight with a player from another team and has his ACL ligament torn, ending his season and scholarship dreams.

Just as it seems over for Zach, his brother Dave doesn't lose faith, even though Zach has. Dave also played football as a quarterback, but he suffered a severe head injury. Now he suffers from grand mal seizures that just add to an unending stack of problems for them.

After one of Dave's checkups, his brother Zach meets a nurse intern named Ginger, played by Kelsey Reinhardt. Meanwhile, Dave plans to win a track scholarship and take Zach with him to college for a better future; hope is now starting to blossom for them. Through everything Zach has gone through, will he learn to put his faith and trust in God again? Can he turn all of his hardships into victories with Jesus?

Run The Race is gaining the spotlight, especially since this is the executive producing debut

of Christian Tim Tebow and his brother, Robby and have done a really good job on their first Christian movie. Run the Race is the perfect underdog story.

Hopefully this movie will cross over to a non-Christian audience in the same way other Christian movies have.

The acting is excellent throughout the movie, as is the great sense of strength that director and co-writer, Chris Dowling, adds. This is a movie that feels genuine to its surroundings and all of the emotional and spiritual struggles that Zach and Dave were facing. The movie brings Jesus to the forefront in a perfect way, rather than the directors forcing it in. So the question is…Will Zach find Jesus again?

Run The Race is a great movie; it's about family, forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption that all comes together in a small sports town.

Starring: Tanner Stine, Evan Hofer, Kristoffer Polaha, Mykelti Williamson, Frances Fisher, Mario Van Peebles, Kelsey Reinhardt.

Director: Chris Dowling.

Producers: Ken Carpenter, Jake McEntire, Darren Moorman.

Executive Producers: Trey Brunson, Erik Dellenback, Joe Kosakowski, Bill Reeves, Robby Tebow, Tim Tebow, Erik Weir.

Run The Race: is available on Blue ray and DVD now.

It's Our 1st Anniversary!

Book in Review...

His Grace, July 2019

Breakthrough

Page 19

The Miraculous True Story of a Mother's Faith

By: Joyce Smith

J

oyce Smith, the author of the book, Breakthrough, was born in Wichita, Kansas. She has four sons and is now retired and lives in St. Charles, Missouri, with her husband, Brian.

Breakthrough is a recount of a seemingly impossible, but true story of the power of prayer. The book has inspired a major motion picture movie.

Through all the years and struggles, when sometimes life can seem more about the hurt and losses than about the hope and mercy, God was directing the Smith family for something remarkable in the death and resurrection of their son, John.

It was around 11:30 in the morning and John Smith and his friends were outside having fun.

It was a holiday and they had just won a basketball game the previous day. The day before that, the weather was much colder, but the day of the drowning, the temperature had risen to around 60 degrees and the ice on Lake Sainte Louise (which is near St. Louis, Missouri) had begun to melt.

Joyce Smith's fourteen year old son, John, was out walking on an icy Missouri lake, on this winter morning when the ice cracked and he fell through and plunged deep into the icy cold water. The lake was about 10 feet deep where

John and his two friends had fallen through the ice. After a long 15 to 20 minute search for John, a diver found him at the bottom of the dark murky lake. The diver recalled his spirit was prompted and he felt it pushing him to move to a different direction that led him towards the area where John was. He remembers using a ten foot pole with a hook to poke around the bottom of the lake; that is where he found John. They rushed him off to the hospital by helicopter. Joyce and her family had seemingly lost everything as they rushed to the hospital, beating the helicopter there.

John was on a hospital bed lying lifeless for over sixty minutes.

The doctors had approached Joyce and told her that she could

go and say her goodbyes to her son. The doctor was getting ready to call his time of death. But Joyce was not ready to give up on her son as he lay there. She walked up to the end of the bed, touched his feet, which were uncovered.

They were very grey and cold to touch. Joyce, then all of a sudden, put all of her faith, power and strength into prayer and cried out to God. Joyce said to the Holy Spirit, "Please come and give me back my son." John was without a pulse for over an hour.

In an extraordinary moment, John's heart immediately started to beat again. The next few coming days, John would baffle all the doctors and experts, every single case in history and all of the scientific predictions. An astounding sixteen days after John had fallen through the ice and plunged into the icy cold lake, and being clinically pronounced dead for over one hour, John walked out of the hospital, under his own strength‌absolutely healed.

Breakthrough is all about a heartfelt truth: that prayer truly does work, because God really does listen to our prayers. God uses this story to remind all of us that He is and always will be with us. When we combine this with our unshakable faith, nothing is impossible‌ with God all things are possible.

(Matthew 19:26)

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It's Our 1st Anniversary!

His Grace, July 2019

G GOD O D IS

PLEASE SHARE GOD'S LOVE