Shaped by Grace

Grace is more than the little prayers we say over our meals. Grace is God's gift of life and the natural provision given by God to sustain life. Grace is the God-given freedom to choose to live a life of faith or doubt, to learn, to love, to change, and to be a part the kingdom of His Son.

Grace is an integral part of all of our life struggles and situations. There is grace in all of our experiences. How to have it is not always evident in the crucible of the experience. Most of the time, it does not become evident until we have had time to reflect on the aftermath of the experience. Even in the worst of situations, God is at work to bring us to our designed purpose. That also is grace.

I am captivated by biblical persons like Joseph, Job, and Paul, who, in the aftermath of some dark days, came to see that God is always at work even when they did not see Him working. Joseph learned that what his brothers meant for his harm, God meant for good--namely, to save lives. Job learned that God's purposes are bigger than his personal experience. Paul tells us that all things, both bad and good, work together for good for those who love the Lord and who are called according to His purpose.

These men's stories and the stories of other great men and women, some of whom are still with us as well as others who have gone on to glory, inspired me to tell my own grace story. As I look back over the pages of my life, I can see that it was grace that brought me safe thus far, and I know grace will lead me home.

It is my prayer that as you read my stories in the pages of this book, you too would see God at work in your victories and defeats, in your pain and pleasure, in your challenges, as well as in confidences and connections. Your life like mine is shaped by grace.

In these pages, you will discover that grace is more than you think or have been taught. You will discover that grace is manifold. It is multifaceted, multidimensional, and multiplex. Grace is both spectacular and simple. It is both ordinary and extraordinary. Grace, like Christ, is both divine and human.