Continue reading »]]> I am honored by the response to last week’s post where I shared a little bit more about me personally and the details of some of my struggles that I face each day in my body.

That was hard for me to do.

Although this may seem silly to admit, I find it strange to talk about myself and I find it almost painful to admit my imperfections.  (Hard to type that confession out.)

I am learning, however, that God wants me to be completely transparent; I need to learn how to share from my heart with both discretion but honesty.  To open up my heart to show how He is working in my life and transforming me from the inside out.

To share of my weaknesses, yes, but to remember to point you to the One who is the Source of my Strength.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring – but my Hope is in the LORD.

______________

This week, it was the best of times and also the worst of times.  (My apologies to Dickens.)  In revealing that I struggled with fear and sharing how food has grown into something that had a hold on my life here on the Blog earlier this week, it seems like the enemy knew right where to focus his attacks on me this week.

You guessed it:  by causing fear and making me feeling enslaved to my cravings for my “no-no” foods.

I spent three days on the front lines of the battle – going from one extreme to the other.  One minute I was calm and praying and then the next I was literally feeding the fear in my heart by bingeing on no-nos.

Bingeing.  That’s not a word I have used to describe my eating habits before.  It represented someone out of control, driven by the forces at work to bring destruction to their body, soul, and spirit.

I never lost control.  I had myself under control, thank you very much.

_________________

One day this week – ok, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday – I started to tune in to what I was doing to myself.  It was if God allowed me to observe myself. Listen to myself.  To gain clarity and see myself fretting, pacing, and then bingeing.  It happened over and over and over.

It happened at my mom’s house (a place where I face stress and temptation) and then at my house.  I was eating when I was tired, bored, stressed, happy, and when the food was assaulting my senses.

If I wanted it, I ate it.  It was if I had no self-control.  I got to the point that I was literally getting sick from letting myself express myself when it came to food.  And, I didn’t care to hide my indiscretions from my kids, my mom, and my husband.   (They know what I can’t eat due to allergies.  And they remind me, when needed.)

___________________

Each bite I took, each gluten-filled, cheese-laden, soy-frosted concoction of awful food that I desired so much, mocked me.

Each bite reminded me of my weaknesses.

Of my shortcomings.

Of how I was letting my family down.

How I was poisoning myself.

How I was disobeying God.

_____________________________

On Wednesday, I ended up really ill.  Off the charts ill.  I was sweating, vomiting, had a headache, and couldn’t-move-from-my-bed sick. I was dizzy and had spots before my eyes and pre-migraine auras keeping me from getting up and doing anything.   For lunch that day, prior to getting ill, I had eaten a sample of everything that was from a category of foods “forbidden” to me.

They not only made me sick physically, but I was knocked flat on my back, humbled at the way that God had protected me from a terrible, dangerous allergic reaction because of my foolishness.

I was heartbroken when I was forced to be face-to-face with my sin.

It was sin that made me rebel against the guidelines I know to follow to feel my best.

I ignored them.

It was a sin to act like I don’t have temptations and that I always resist them.

My sin has been hidden behind the flimsy façade of my perfectionism.

_______________________

In facing this reality this week, I have been able to see how God brought me to the realization that I am responsible to do better because I know better…

and that He has equipped me to rely on His strength to make it each day, living in surrender to His best for me in choosing the better way of eating and living that my body needs.

The last few days – - – I have faced temptation again – - – and I have been reminded of my need for the LORD to choose the better path

the less-traveled path,

but the path He has chosen for me.

The Path where He is walking and leading me; His footsteps showing the way.

And I have been able to choose the better path. One choice at a time.  Through Him alone.

____________________

I know what to do now.

I just have to decide to be faithful and rely on Him and Him alone.

I need to embrace self-discipline and accountability.

I need to feed on His Word more and more.

There are going to be days when I stumble – - but I can get up by keeping my eyes on Him, not on me.

I am getting up again this weekend.  I plan to be successful: keep good foods at hand, track my foods, and be honest when I am struggling.

Pray.

Rejoice.

Praise.

Study.

Surrender.

Progress, not Perfection.

Rest for my Soul in the Yoke of Learning with my Savior.

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

- – -  Matthew 11:28-30

Don’t miss a single post! Take a moment to sign up for the free updates through your E-Reader or in your email.  And be sure to join the Unwrapping His Grace Facebook Community where you will find daily updates, Scripture, encouragement and opportunities to share prayer requests or follow us on Twitter.

To God be the GLORY!

Gina Marie 

P.S.  Would you be interested in a Study, hosted by Unwrapping His Grace, where we discover God’s ways for us in this area?  If so, please leave a comment.  Thank  you!

His Promise

Continue reading »]]>

Josh filling our Operation Christmas Child Shoebox

Our family loves Operation Christmas Child.  We shop for things for our shoeboxes all year round.  Back to school sales are an awesome time to find school supplies to send to the precious children who desperately need them. We also put fun things in but make sure to fill them with as many school supplies as possible.  By doing that simple thing, we are able to help a child go to school and have what they need to help change their lives.

Recently I found out more about the amazing 12 week discipleship program that is included with each shoebox.  It is called The Greatest Journey. What an incredible opportunity this is!!!

Josh and Michael are totally excited about it since we watched the videos sharing the story of the ways The Greatest Journey is changing the lives of the children who receive their shoe boxes and their families and friends. These children are given so much more than a Christmas gift. When I watched this video of the incredible ways the Gospel if changing the lives of these precious children and their communities for the first time, I had tears rolling down my face. Josh and Michael were even more determined to help after seeing this. Please take a few moments to have a glimpse into the beautiful ministry we can each become a part of for only SIX DOLLARS…

More than 800,000 children in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are waiting to participate in The Greatest Journey.

·        Samaritan’s Purse has trained more than 84,000 local teachers on how to effectively present The Greatest Journey curriculum.

·        The Greatest Journey materials have been translated into more than 70 of the world’s most common languages.

·        Donors can be involved in our efforts through prayer, action, and giving.

You can sponsor a community, equip a church, or supply a classroom with life-changing discipleship materials for children. Donations can be made here. 

Most of us can spare just $6.00…what would be one meal at a fast food restaurant for us provides everything one child needs to participate in twelve weeks of incredible discipleship mentoring and classes that will change their lives and their communities…one child at a time. Seriously? Can’t we all afford to help just one?

Samaritan’s Purse has launched a five-day campaign that could help a special class of more than 800,000 children in Africa, Asia, and Latin America receive a higher education that will start them on the path to eternal life. “Grads for God” is a unique opportunity for you to provide textbooks, Bibles, teacher’s guides, and certificates needed to equip the next generation for The Greatest Journey—all for just $6 per child.

It breaks my heart to think about how many Bibles we have around our house…and these beautiful children are in total awe when they receive their very first New Testament Bible in their own language on their Greatest Journey graduation day.

So when we think about how we can serve our world.  My little Michael is so right when he says…”You know Mom, little guys really can do big things too.”

This is our chance to help our children see beyond their summer plans to see how they can impact children on the other side of the world who hunger not just for food…but for the greatest nourishment they could every receive and that, sweet ladies, is Jesus Christ.

I would love to hear how your family is going to get involved this summer in helping spread the Gospel right from your kitchen table, living room couch, where ever you may be…just clicking the link to donate $6.00 or whatever the Lord leads you to donate…we can do this ladies! We can reach out with a spiritual drink and quench a thirst that can change their lives for all eternity.

If you haven’t guessed yet, I am passionate about this. I’ve shared that my family is on fire for sharing the Gospel even more since we almost lost our lives in the accident last summer.  My kids may have lost their Daddy here on earth but his legacy and passion for reaching out and doing whatever we can to share the incredible gift of Jesus Christ’s gift of Salvation and discipling the people in our lives here and around the world has grown to bonfire level.

Not one of us knows the day or the hour we will be called home. I personally can’t imagine going home to heaven to meet my Savior knowing I willing passed up opportunities to tell as many people as I could about His saving grace. This isn’t to try and guilt you into anything. This is me.  This is our story…but it doesn’t have to be. It is all about finding ways to live the gospel command of going out and making disciples of all men.

That’s what I want to leave my children with as they grow up. I want them to love God with all of the their hearts and let that love overflow into doing whatever God lead them to do to share His saving grace with as many people as they can. I know I am so glad someone shared it with me.  And I am so blessed to have the chance to touch the lives of each of you through my story…and encourage you to take the steps you can to reach out and touch others too.

God bless each of you. You are in my prayers. We appreciate your prayers for us. Will you join me in praying for The Greatest Journey and the incredible mission they are living out every day all over the world.

Don’t miss a single post! Take a moment to sign up for the free updates through your E-Reader or in your email.  And be sure to join the Unwrapping His Grace Facebook Community where you will find daily updates, Scripture, encouragement and opportunities to share prayer requests or follow us on Twitter.

Leaning on His Grace,

Mary Joy

Continue reading »]]> Our Michael has come a long way since coming home from the rehab hospital in August 2012. He has used his walker to get around. After having emergency surgery on July 16, 2012, the morning after our accident to put rods in his broken femur and temporary pins in his broken tibia in his left leg and being in the rehabilitation hospital for five weeks, he was actually doing quite well. We thought his injuries were the least severe of the three of us who survived.

He worked so hard in physical therapy two-three times a week with our amazing physical therapist from two weeks after we arrived home in August…

Until he was discharged or as we called it “graduated” from PT before Josh and me! He finished his sessions at the end of October 2012.

Nothing could stop him…

Or at least so we thought…

It was at our last visit to Children’s Hospital for their last surgical follow-up appointment when we found out that Michael’s leg isn’t healing the way it needs to heal. Over the winter months, Michael grew three inches in just two months and because of that growth spurt they were able to see that his injured leg is growing in what is called a knock knee position.  Although his leg is the same length as the right one and faces straight out, his leg angles in a “V” shape pointing toward his right knee.

We were referred to another hospital for a secondary surgery with the same surgeon that took care of him last summer. His insurance won’t cover at Children’s anymore but the new hospital is just as wonderful!

In May I took Michael there for his Pre-Op visit and they were amazing with us. I was so impressed.  It was a bit emotional for me because it was the first time I had the chance to meet the surgeon who did such a great job with both of our boys last summer while I was in the trauma unit at another hospital across town. I had the chance to thank him for all they did for them. He was gracious and very kind.

He explained to me that Michael will need to have surgery to help his leg heal right. The surgeon will put a small plate of sorts just below his knee cap on the growth plate on the inner side of his leg. This will tell the growth plate on that side to grow at the same pace as the other side of his leg. The surgeon’s staff will keep an eye on his leg and when it starts growing to the point it is angled out they will do another surgery (probably in the next two years or so) and remove a screw in it that will allow it to start moving back in toward the other leg again. This process of putting the screw back in and removing it will continue as needed to make sure his legs will be even and straight by the time he stops growing.

While they are operating on him they will also remove the rods in his femur bone since it has completely healed up.

This surgery is next week in St. Louis. We will stay with my mom the night before to be ready to arrive at the hospital very early the morning of the surgery.

I am so proud of Michael. He isn’t afraid of the surgery. He had such a good experience at Children’s Hospital that he doesn’t see anything to be afraid of…especially after the tour we had at the new hospital (I am not sharing the name of it until after the surgery to protect his privacy while we are there). I am soooo grateful to the wonderful medical teams who work with children in these hospitals!!

I will stay with Michael the whole time he is in the hospital except when he is in surgery. We are hoping he will go home the same day, but they are waiting to make that decision basing it on his pain levels afterward. Keeping him as comfortable as possible is a top priority for them…and I am so glad!

My Dad and Step-mom will be meeting me at the hospital to stay with me while he is in surgery and help in anyway while he is there. Josh is going along with us so that he can be my helper with Michael on the trip home. He will be spending time with my mom while I am at the hospital with Michael. He really wants to be there for him and it will be great to have his help on the way home getting him in and out of the car for bathroom breaks on the trip home and keeping him distracted and entertained on the road trip home. Josh is also looking forward to having some special time with Grandma Lorraine while we are there and Grandma Lorraine has fun plans in store for their time together.

It would mean a lot to me if you could keep our little guy in your prayers next week. His surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, June 19th. I’ll share a blog post the following weekend to let you all know how it goes…and send updates to our Unwrapping His Grace Facebook page as soon as I am able.

Until next week, I am focused on my pre-op instructions of trying to manage to keep him from getting any scrapes, bug bites, or open wounds or sores of any kind. The hospital watches things like this closely to avoid staff infections…not an easy task with a five-year old bundle of energy in June in Missouri!

Your prayers have lifted us up through so much and we know God is faithful and will get us through this too. Please pray for him as he goes through surgery and that he heals quickly afterward. He wants to go to his first VBS so badly and it starts the Sunday following surgery. I know he won’t be back to 100% by then, but he would love to be able to participate in at least parts of it. Thank you so much!

Don’t miss a single post! Take a moment to sign up for the free updates through your E-Reader or in your email.  And be sure to join the Unwrapping His Grace Facebook Community where you will find daily updates, Scripture, encouragement and opportunities to share prayer requests or follow us on Twitter.

Leaning on His Grace,

Mary Joy

Continue reading »]]> Well we didn’t make it to the family reunion in St. Louis over the weekend.  As the weekend drew nearer my stress level sky rocketed with everything that is on my plate now and our calender for the rest of June. I shared my feelings on Facebook and my dear sweet mom called me and told me that she was worried about me. She told me that with all the work we are trying to get done at our house organizing and rearranging rooms all before Michael’s surgery on June 19th, my anxiety levels already being high about attending the reunion now, and the thunderstorm forecast for the area of the reunion for Sunday, she wanted me to consider another option.

She felt the Lord leading her to offer to come to my house and help me begin the process of wading through the sorting/organizing projects at our house! Wow! What an amazing gift! And my Dad and Stepmom were very understanding and are happy with the Plan B I came up with for getting together later this summer…I’ll share more about this in another post. God is so good!

Sometimes the Lord opens doors and other options for us that we hadn’t considered before…He takes care of our needs in ways we need more than we know.

So this past weekend we started working on some of our summer goals and worked on helping the boys begin learning to better take care of their things, learn to organize and we began the process of sorting their books, toys, and clothes into bins to keep, set up the first bookshelf in the dining room and put all of their picture books in it, and began our pile of things to give to our Missions fundraising yard sale that will be in July! We are now officially 1/3 of the way through this big home project. I am exhausted and hurting in places I hadn’t before. LOL But it was worth it!

The boys are back in the bedroom they lived in before the accident last summer…and it is CLEAN!

We have a deadline looming of next Monday to finish organizing and getting the rooms switched up. I can’t remember whether I shared with all of you that Michael goes in for a follow-up surgery on his leg, next week.  I will share more about it in my Wednesday post. My bedroom is upstairs and theirs is on our main level. I want to have everything cleaned up and set up so that my office/guest room will be ready when he comes home from the hospital next week. It is important to me to be close to him through the night for the first couple of weeks after surgery.  With my office ready and the new daybed in place, I will be able to work and sleep in the room right next to their bedroom and be able to hear him if he needs me in the night.

My mom’s help this past weekend was such a gift! Having her here helped keep the weekend more fun and we got a lot done and made memories at the same time. And while she was here they learned to bless and serve her as well! Slowly as the weekend progressed, I even saw them begin to anticipate how they could help grandma out…she has some challenges with her legs and feet and they learned to be at her side when we went out to lunch, open doors, clear walkways in our house so she wouldn’t fall, and just give her lots and lots of hugs!

And Grandma had a ball playing games with them, snuggling and reading lots of stories with them.

She was a tremendous encouragement and help to me too.  She is a retired elementary teacher and had some great ideas for how to better organize my homeschooling office supplies!

Then at church on Sunday morning, Michael was thrilled to be asked to help lead our church in the theme song to our upcoming VBS week! He sang and danced his little heart out! I truly believe that they are never too young to serve in our church communities too! His joy made everyone’s morning and it gave him a special way to enjoy doing something he loves!

Next Sunday morning, Josh will be in a skit with another young lady in our church to help get kids excited about signing up for VBS! He is practicing his lines already and just got them yesterday. It warms my heart to see them get involved in this way.  Josh volunteered to do this and this is addresses one of his biggest fears…speaking or singing in front of the church! I am working with him everyday to help him feel as comfortable as possible before it is time to do it. The focus of our VBS is Facing Fears, so it is perfect for our family this summer.

Last week I promised to share some of the boys bucket list of things they want to do this summer as well as an update on “Little Guys can do Big Things too!”

Here are some of the activities that we are working on fitting in…

Cooking lessons with mom

Stargazing with the new telescope a neighbor gave us to help us in our homeschooling

Campouts in our backyard

Swimming in our little pool

Popcorn and movie nights

Surprise trips to town for an ice cream

Josh going to church camp for the first time

Trips to visit Grandma Lorraine in St. Louis and check out the sights

A trip to the rehab hospital they were in last summer to visit the staff and cheer up and play with some of the patients there

Go bowling

Visit every public playground/park in the surrounding areas

Go fishing

Read lots of books

Go to the Summer Reading program activities

have a party with friends at the end of the summer

Swim in the river

A road trip to visit Grandpa and Grandma Charlotte (my dad and stepmom who live 3 1/2 hours from us)

Meet more cousins (some of my cousins’ kids)

Do lots of science experiments

Collect rocks

Paint lots of pictures

Have a lemonade stand to raise money for missions

Have a yard sale to raise money for missions

Visit a nursing home

Visit their Pershing Grandparents, uncle, aunts, and cousins

Play lots of board games

Ride bikes

Have a treasure hunt

Plant tomatoes

Fly kites

Learn to play softball

Ride go-carts

Go to a cave

Go to VBS

Blow bubbles

Make birdhouses

Write letters to pen pals

Have a Skype visit with Gina Marie’s kids

And that just gets us started! LOL

As you can see we have a busy time ahead. I would love to hear some of the things on your family’s bucket list for the summer!  Will you take a moment to share some of them with me in a comment below? We could all use more great ideas!

Don’t miss a single post! Take a moment to sign up for the free updates through your E-Reader or in your email.  And be sure to join the Unwrapping His Grace Facebook Community where you will find daily updates, Scripture, encouragement and opportunities to share prayer requests or follow us on Twitter.

Leaning on the Lord,

Mary Joy

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Continue reading »]]> I have been dealing with health problems for a long time.  Asthma and bad allergies were part of my life as a child.  I was still in college when I learned that I was developing arthritis and had developed chronic fatigue syndrome.  People would mention to me in passing that I seemed to be the person who always got sick and picked up every little bug, cold, or virus.

Funny thing is:  I never let my body’s limitations slow me down or influence my decisions.

Call it denial or Italian stubbornness – I was a very self-driven Type-A perfectionist (with myself).  If I set a goal, I was bound and determined to achieve it – - – and set a record for how well it was done.

I was a leader.  I had lots of responsibilities.  I loved being needed and crossing items off of my to-do list.  My calendar was always packed – and it made me feel good about myself.

During that time – more than 15 years - I pushed through every warning sign my body gave me.  Rest was considered a “4-letter word” in my life.

Even when I was pregnant with my three kids, I was either in college with a full-time load of classes (with Miss K@), working as a preschool teacher/nanny (with the baby we lost to miscarriage and the Singing Peach), or the most determined mom on bed-rest working hard, helping to build her husband’s business (with the Boy Scientist).

Body limitations meant weakness, surrendering to pain, and a waste of the time God had given me to learn, serve, and achieve.

(Do you see the pattern here?  I sure do…)

As most of you know, I deal with life-altering health struggles and limitations now.  As a 37 year old wife, homeschooling mom, and homemaker, I am learning how to embrace this new season through the eyes of my Lord, as I know that He has determined the steps I am taking now, in this new normal.  What is my new normal?

I have fibromyalgia.

I have narcolepsy with cataplexy.

I deal with vertigo – food allergies – chronic pain – and struggles that tempt me to fear the future.

I never go anywhere alone now.  I face the possibility of falling without warning.

I can’t drive anymore – I don’t want to take chances with falling asleep and causing a car accident.

I am forced to make plans lightly and usually have to sat “NO” more than I can say yes…. and, yes, that has been very hard for me to learn to do.

~~~~~

After the initial shock of learning that these new words and medical diagnoses were part of my life, I was faced with new choices:  How was I going to face these challenges every day for the rest of my life?  How was I going to think about them?  Talk about them?  Grow through them?

I will admit that learning I had fibromyalgia was easier than narcolepsy.  I had been in pain for a long time.  Learning why was almost a relief.  I wasn’t “happy and thankful” yet for fibromyalgia, but I knew that God had a plan for me to minister and learn through this experience.

He blessed me with a vision and a new calling for reaching out and blessing other people in pain - I was going to learn how to be F.I.T. with Fibromyalgia and through my new limitations seek to be an encouragement to others to join with me!

We could be victorious together!

Me imitating the strong and hard-working “Rosie the Riveter”

Each day, I could choose to focus on becoming more F.I.T. – - -

F: Faith-filled

I – Inspired

T: Transformed

Having God impress this upon my heart helped me keep myself focused and doing the best I could to stay active and eat according to the best plan for my special circumstances up until that point (allergies, pain management, and weight loss).  I was soon dealing with more down days than up days through.  Then I was diagnosed with narcolepsy and I had moments of cataplexy come over me. It has been a scary journey at times.

I thought I was doing my best to stay strong, but  I was losing strength, gaining weight, and giving up the fight in moments of temptation when it came to foods during exhausted moments and times of stress.

Somewhere in the last 5 months, I gave up trying to “be good” and stay on plan. I was tired – afraid – stressed – and at the end of myself in every way.

If food was there, I ate it.  If I wanted sugar, I had some.  If my body was tired and I was hungry, I fed the exhaustion instead of thinking of other ways to calm my fearful heart and comfort my battered emotions.

I never asked God to help me – to be my strength, to give me wisdom, to be welcomed into the moment when I was faced with the decision to rely on myself or on His power to turn and leave the temptation behind.

I wasn’t listening to His loving voice to let Him carry me and provide for my needs.

~~~~~

God has been slowly and lovingly trying to wake me up the last couple of weeks.  I am not feeling well – and my pain has gone up.  My clothes are tight – - – and every day I feel myself giving up more and more of my health for the momentary moments of “freedom” of eating with no boundaries.

I am battle-weary.

Since I officially got “sick” in February of 2012, I have gained more than 40 pounds.  That means that I have gained back half of the weight that I had worked so hard to lose since 2006.  It took six years to lose 80 pounds and only 12+ months to gain back 40. 

I feel like whining right now. I want to pound my fists on the table in front of me and cry it’s not fair.  How am I going to afford to eat right for my health when I can’t work anymore?  Sometimes the only food in the house is the food that isn’t something I can eat due to my allergies.

What am I supposed to do then?  What is He expecting of me in those moments of panic, fear, and the deep hunger that I can’t see a way to fill? 

Trust.

Surrender.

Peace.

Prayer – and relying on faith tin His promises to see the answer come.

~~~~~

I can’t fix these struggles or limitations anymore; I am being forced to rely on God.

I am learning to do this.

He can’t work a miracle for me if I am trying to fix it myself.

He is faithful.

I have taken some time to reflect on this, and I have a feeling that this is what this season of my life is teaching me from every angle:  not in my own strength, ability, performance, or efforts can anything be done by me or in my body.  It is only through HIM that I live, and move, and have my being.  (Acts 17:28)

~~~~~

After much prayer and soul-searching, God has impressed upon my heart to come out of hiding and admit to my sisters in the LORD that I am struggling in surrendering to Him in the area of food and discipline.  I used to “look like” I had it all together in this area before I got sick; since getting sick I have lost the strength and ability to be mindful anymore on my own.

I can’t continue on this path.

I know better….

and He that has called me is faithful and will help complete the work that he is has started in me.  (2 Thessalonians 1:11 -  Philippians 1:6)

Is He calling you too?  If so, please leave a comment and let me know that you are being called to faithful surrendering of this part of your life along with me.  I will be honored to pray for you – - – and support you in your faithfulness to listen to His voice.

Over the following weeks I plan to study the Word and the Truth of the matter and will share my personal journey with you.

May we all walk in freedom over all though His Work and Power!

2 Timothy 3:17

Amplified Bible (AMP)

16 Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action),

17 So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Don’t miss a single post! Take a moment to sign up for the free updates through your E-Reader or in your email.  And be sure to join the Unwrapping His Grace Facebook Community where you will find daily updates, Scripture, encouragement and opportunities to share prayer requests or follow us on Twitter.

To God be the GLORY!

Gina Marie 

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Whenever I see daisies poking their happy little blooms out of a mass of tall grass and weeds, it makes me smile. When I saw my brother-in-law, David’s, photo the other day it spoke to me.

It reminded me to stop focusing on all of the busyness, unfinished things on my need to do yesterday list, the chaos of visual clutter as we sort through things in our house, the noise that seems to come with raising to super energetic young boys, the pressures of managing our home and family on my own and missing my late husband, Will, like crazy during bill paying times, dealing with the anxiety that tries to choke out anything good that is happening…stop focusing on anything but the daisies.

For me the daisies are the bright spots in my day…the evidence of God’s grace. The cuddly, little boy bright blue eyes smiling into mine moments as I sit surrounded by visual chaos of unfinished projects that seem to drag on for days and weeks.

I struggle with an anxiety disorder and when I am tired, visually overstimulated and overwhelmed, and overstimulated by noise and voices, I can feel claustrophobic. I feel like I am being boxed in and can’t breathe and need to escape. Sometimes it is possible for me to stop what I am doing and take a few moments up in my bedroom alone…my sanctuary where I am able to breathe deeply once again, refocus on God, cry out to Him and feel His calming spirit wash over me. He helps me to stop and remember the daisies that surround me. And together we count the evidence that He is with me..the daisies in my life. Sometimes I need God to help me know which weeds will make it easier for me to see more daisies and as He helps me to identify them, He helps me let go and surrender them to Him.

As soon as I do the calming peace grows stronger in my soul and in my mind and the weariness and claustrophobia begins to drain away.

There is one big issue in my life, that most people who know me do not know about and of those who do, many do not understand. It is something that causes me a great deal of anxiety and claustrophobia moments and been the source of many painful misunderstandings…it is being in the middle of large groups of people. It doesn’t matter if I have know these people my whole life, the overwhelming weeds of fear and anxiety close in on me. I do so much better in very small groups…and even better with just a few people. But I am learning to lean on God..put all of my weight on Him as I begin facing some of these fears.

I know God is faithful. With all that I have been through in this past year, I have NO doubt that He is. I know that with Him carrying me He will never drop me, I should be able to completely let go of the terror I feel inside at the idea of facing a large group of people..my relatives…who love and care about me. I have spent this last week talking with God and having Him help me to focus on the daisies that will be at the family reunion we are attending this Sunday afternoon.  I know God will be there.

I have reviewed in my mind the techniques of thinking through and preparing my mind and heart for being in a large group of people at a family reunion…Will had been working with me on how to deal with this particular anxiety.

It has been many years since I have been able to handle going to a large family reunion. Will and I were planning to go to one of the reunions for my side of our family this past Fall…and then the accident changed everything.

I was ready to go with his promise that he wouldn’t leave my side.

I was ready to go knowing that he didn’t think I was crazy or love me any less because of my irrational anxiety about this. He never put me down or criticized me for my overwhelming fear of going…he told me when I was ready…when I wanted to go…he would be there with me every step of the way. Well now that won’t happen. And it has taken me all year to come to a place where I am able to feel the fears, not try to run from them but instead run to God with them again.

Will used to pray with me about this. He covered me with so many prayers on this issue.

Now that he is gone from this earth, he is no longer able to hold tightly to my hand and whisper words of encouragement and prayers for strength as we go. As the day of the reunion picnic draws closer, my anxiety grows again. My mind seeks out reasons to avoid going…but God is helping me to desperately seek out the daisies…the daisies of His grace.

This passage from Isaiah comforts me…

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Josh and Michael at a Rocks and Minerals workshop at our public library’s summer reading program on Monday (yesterday)

What does summer look like as we homeschool year round?

Sometimes it looks like the above picture when we participated in a workshop at our favorite public library’s summer reading program which is focused on “Digging into Reading” this summer. This was a workshop for kids led by geologists in our area. The boys were fascinated because they love rocks and attending the first workshop for the summer has sparked requests from them to check out area caves this summer too!

Summertime looks somewhat similar at our house to most families.  Learning doesn’t mean sitting at a table working through worksheets…although sometimes it does.  Josh has a personal goal of completing his Singapore Math workbook that we didn’t quite finish this school year, but he prefers to work on it sitting in a comfy chair on the porch during the summer months.

For us summer learning is about experiencing…life learning.  The boys have named our summer learning session “Little Guys can do Big Things too!” And it works perfectly with what we have planned!

While pictures of Josh and Michael attending a workshop with 30+ other excited children may not seem like they are doing something big…they are.

One of the big things they are both working on…all three of us actually…are facing their fears.

Josh is getting up the courage to ask questions and answer questions in front of a large group of people.  He is also learning social skills through reading, talking with me, and roleplaying using social and conversation skills with other children which is something he has struggled with for years in building friendships…something that started years before we started homeschooling. Instead of sending him in with no help, I am nearby to help him when he gets flustered or feels at a loss.

Sometimes it looks like this…

Josh enjoying a book

Sometimes it looks like this…

Josh and I playing our first game of “Homeschoolopoly” as a reward after he finished his work goals for this morning. A game that is fun and educational.

Josh and Michael are both struggling to learn that it is important to get our work done first and once we carry out our goals for the day, we can enjoy the other fun things we have planned.

Sometimes it looks like this…

Time to play in the water

Josh has also struggled with having his face under water for years and this year is finally beginning to get more comfortable with it through feeling safe practicing in our own back yard, in the river near our house and we will finish with the big challenge at the end of the summer when we go to the water park/water slide/public pool party with the Library Summer Reading Program’s end of summer celebration.

Sometimes it looks like this…

Learning and relaxing at the lake.

Michael playing in the rocks and digging for treasure.

Michael is learning to self entertain, which is something that tends to be hard for him to do…he is coming along a little better each day through opportunities to practice this skill.

In addition…Josh is really excited about participating in the A.C.T.S. Summer of Service program and contest through Adventures in Odyssey and it works right into our family’s plans for serving this summer!

Each week we are focusing on loving God by serving others. I am leading them in a Bible Study about service and hospitality through each week this summer and they are finding ways…small and big…to show God’s love by being unselfish and blessing others.

Josh and Michael cleaning up litter in our little town earlier this spring…they intend to do this again over the summer.

Some of the service ideas they have include serving the people in our own community. In order to do that they wanted to learn some new skills.

So learning more about using our gifts of hospitality fits in perfectly!  Instead of just wanting to have people over and do things for people we will hone the skills that are important to help people feel comfortable in our home…this includes friends, neighbors, extended family, and our own family.

Both boys want to learn to cook this summer…or at least start learning to cook. So I ordered Rachel Ray’s Thirty minute meals for kids. It breaks down cooking into age appropriate recipes and lessons which is perfect for us! They will start by cooking for us and then they will prepare meals, snacks and desserts for people in our neighborhood and community who are sick or homebound.

They will learn to serve in our family through cooking…Michael will be my cooking assistant and prepare one dish once a week. Josh will take on meals for a day once a week.  The part they aren’t thrilled about but is very important is learning to clean up the kitchen during and after they cook. This comes in under taking care of the home and tools the Lord’s give us to use.

And yes, sometimes it looks like this…as we sort through books, toys, magazines and clothes trying to organize and switch rooms around and prepare for our big missions yard sale.

They are in the midst of planning a number of service projects for this summer but by far our biggest one so far started out as a small yard sale and lemonade stand to try to raise a little money to help the international and North American Missions that our church takes a collection for at Christmas and Easter. After Josh shared his idea with his Sunday afternoon Bible Club class, “Kids for Christ”, it has grown into something our family is leading our children’s ministry in doing…and the beautiful thing is that even the adult choir asked me how they can help and many of them are planning to donate items to sell, baked goods and are so encouraging as Josh’s excitement sparks a fire of desire to help raise money for missions! He has a goal of raising $300 for the International Missions Fund and $300 for the North American Missions Fund.

I told him that since this is his pet project, he needs to learn to help go through our things and find things to donate to the yard sale and while we are doing that we are taking on another project that will help the boys learn to bless our family and help them with skills that will last them a life time.

We are making some changes in our house to create space so we can be more hospitable when we have overnight guests and organize our home and arrange our rooms in a way that serves our needs better. In the process they are learning to take better care of the home God gave us by helping me sort through their toys, books, magazines, and clothing and move their bedroom into the room they were in before the accident.  They will help me move all of their toys, books, games, magazines into shelves and bins in our dining room which is becoming more a part of our family room area.

While we are doing that they will help me move all of my office/homeschool teaching supplies into my new office/guest room. I am teaching them about the importance of carving out a space that is as comfortable and private as we can make it for overnight guests or family. Right now we don’t have that space and the Lord has put it on my heart that is important that we do. This will also give me a space to work on home management paperwork (that Will used to do), homeschooling record keeping and planning, work on my own Bible study, work on our blog ministry, write, create art, and store the many, many learning/creating supplies we have accumulated over the past three years.

One of the challenges my boys have is learning to respect boundaries. Having my things in a more defined area will help them better understand what is theirs to use without asking and what they need to ask permission to use and help them to respect things and space that are off limits without permission…know what I mean mamas?

They will also have opportunities to meet some relatives from my side of our family whom they haven’t had a chance to meet yet beginning with us attending a family reunion picnic for my Dad’s side of our family this coming Sunday. While we are in St. Louis we will stay with my mom, who lives there, and enjoy making some special memories together with her too.

And before we know it we will be facing our first Father’s Day with Daddy in heaven. I am working on some plans for making it a special weekend for us by visiting Grandpa Pershing on that Saturday. And I’ve been involved in planning the special Father’s Day Worship Service for our church. I am creating something special using skills that Annie, my very talented daughter, taught me! And our family is making a meaning donation of something special in Daddy’s memory to our church at that service. And we will make sure to take special time to remember Daddy and share memories. Preparing for this holiday has been emotional for me…and the boys are beginning to talk more about it too.

Later that week, June 19th, Michael will be heading into surgery for a follow-up surgery on his injured leg. While we were talking about that day, earlier this evening, Josh came up with some ideas for things we could do to brighten up the time other children are there for big surgeries and treatments away from their families!

We will wrap up June with participating in our church’s VBS program which focuses on Facing Fears. How perfect is that?

As you can see, there is a lot to “Little Guys can do Big Things Too!” And learning in the summer time doesn’t need to look like anything you do during the rest of the year…although we do enjoy many of these activities throughout the year as well.

Throughout this month I will share more with you as we progress through our plans for the summer. Next Monday I will share how things went with our trip to St. Louis over the weekend and share a bucket list of things the boys want to do this summer that I am finding ways to sprinkle throughout these two months.

Do you have special plans for this summer? I would love to hear about them! Just take a moment and share one or a few things you are doing with your family this summer in the comments below. Your comments mean more to me than you know! And I will respond to each one! I’d love to hear your ideas!!!

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Leaning on the Lord,

Mary Joy

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Continue reading »]]> We just wrapped up our 2012-13 “official” homeschooling year yesterday.

We enjoyed our last day of the “school year” traditions…

We starting the day at our favorite breakfast restaurant where the boys enjoyed their favorite waffles topped with whipped cream smiling faces while I enjoyed my favorite omelet. (*Josh enjoying his waffles.)

After breakfast, we headed to the children’s building of our favorite public library where one of our favorite children’s librarians agreed to photograph us as I presented the boys with award certificates for reaching their learning goals and skill goals. (*The large photo in the collage above in front of the mural at the library after our little ceremony.)

We continued our special day at my favorite antique/flea market where the boys were enthralled with the vintage and antique toys they discovered along the way. (*The second picture down in the collage  stack.)  Josh even discovered some farm and home items Josh identified from his American history studies this year.

Michael reminded me that we used to take pictures of them in the fun character photo opp stop in front of the Antique Shops…LOL I thought the one of him in jail worked well…

And before ending the day with pizza and a movie at home, they headed out to enjoy our third annual water play time…even though it was only 78 degrees out! And they had a blast.

But we aren’t “finished” homeschooling for the year!

Learning happens every day. It took me until this year to really “get” that homeschooling in our family can be just as unique as our family. After all, living is learning and living in a family is a natural way to disciple which is what God really calls us to do as parents…

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:7 NIV

Every day the Lord is helping me understand that homeschooling for us is learning and discipling through living as a family. It is through God’s leading and impressing His wisdom on my mind and heart that we are finally experiencing what learning as a family can look like for us.

You see, when we have a day “off” from our formal curricula the boys find other ways to learn.  Something clicked in them this Spring and they don’t wait for me to lead them to a lesson…they seek them out for themselves too!

This afternoon, Josh got out a science experiment book and started working on them on his own. Michael was watching the process in awe…they both ran to tell me all about it afterward with the light of discovery in their eyes. Then they figured out that Netflix has added “The Magic Schoolbus” to their summer line up and watched the digestive system in action and how the food chain works in the ocean. This was our day of rest…LOL.

One of the biggest goals Will and I had, and I continue to foster, is to instill the love of learning and the initiative to investigate and discover in our boys through homeschooling…and this Spring it happened!

So earlier this week when I told them we had finished the state required hours for this year, there were groans. They didn’t want to stop “schooling” they told me. There was too much to learn! LOL  They reminded me that we are a year round homeschooling family so why do we have to stop for the summer?

They were thrilled when I reminded them we weren’t! I helped them to see how they are learning new things every day with me and on their own. I had them list things they had learned on their own this year to help them begin to see how life learning is happening in our house, our car, in town…in our family every day. I had the blessing of watching the light bulb go on in their eyes!

But I also talked with them about preparing and planning so we can make sure we get to do the things that interest them and that they need to work on this summer. I told them about what I had planned for the summer and had them brainstorm to make sure I included some of the things they wanted to do too.

So how does homeschooling year round or “life learning” look for our family…practically speaking?

It means that three weeks a month we work on “formal curricula” four days a week starting the second week of August. The first week of each month, when I need to take care of home management tasks and as many doctor’s appointments as I can arrange that way. The boys love diving into their own learning projects around our house and we always take a small field trip that week too.

Around the holidays we take a little more time to focus on intentional discipleship using evening family Bible Study, music, service and evangelism/outreach activities, art projects focused on Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. We are also able to relax our schedule more in December and the week before Easter to do that.

In addition, we relax and have wonderful conversations at home, during meals, in the car or wherever they think of questions.  These conversations stem from questions they have about God, faith, science, geography, history, current events, weather, the alphabet and letter sounds (Michael), from wonderful books Josh enjoys reading aloud to us while we are in the car, or something I discover on the internet. And I encourage Josh to research to find the answers I don’t know or to find out more and bring it back to us so we can all learn more together…he learned to do this by watching me search for answers that I didn’t know to some of the questions they’ve asked me.

I am learning through experience that we tend to end our formal academic curricula at the end of May and let the rest continue through daily life experiences.

But Josh and Michael were both ready to start right into the Fall curricula when our Heart of Dakota box with their books for next year arrived on Thursday.

I had to remind them about the special projects we have planned for the summer to get them from diving right in. LOL Yes, my dining room table is a mess in the background– we have been busy bees this week and didn’t get it cleared before pictures!

This weekend was supposed to be a couple of days of rest before diving into our summer plans but the boys jumped right in today on their own with science. I told Josh he could choose what he wanted to do today and that is what he wanted to do…science experiments.

In addition to taking time to focus on special family learning projects around our faith holidays, “life learning” (homeschooling year round) allows us to focus on special topics or projects during the hot summer months (June/July) when boredom would normally settle in and they might forget key skills without regular opportunities to practice.

We will start our 2013-14 “schooling year” the second week of August.

This approach to homeschooling works for our family. We have no problem meeting the state requirements to track “subject hours” which total 1000 hours for the official school year– 600 min. “core subjects” including Reading, Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies. We are allowed to use up to 400 hours for “other subjects of our choice” but these are just the minimums. I’ve finally realized that I need to stop making myself crazy trying to remember to track every single learning experience my guys have. Now I only track and journal/record the formal curricula hours and that takes us beyond the minimums by itself. We aren’t required to turn in our hour records, lesson plans/journal or portfolio but just have them on hand and it gives me a great way to keep track of our learning. Once they hit high school I’ll be creating transcripts so that we have easy documentation of their high school education for potential colleges or employers. However this isn’t a requirement in our state.

I hope this helps you better understand what homeschooling year round or “life learning” looks like for our family…remember every family is unique so it looks a little different for every family!

Be sure to join me on Monday to find out about the special summer (June/July) plan or curricula I’ve put together for our family called “Little Guys can do Big Things Too”.

Don’t miss a single post! Take a moment to sign up for the free updates through your E-Reader or in your email.  And be sure to join the Unwrapping His Grace Facebook Community where you will find daily updates, Scripture, encouragement and opportunities to share prayer requests or follow us on Twitter.

Leaning on the Lord,

Mary Joy

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As I listen to the steady sound of the rain tapping against the window panes with the faint echo of thunder as tonight’s thunderstorm moves into the distance…I  can’t help but think about the life changing storms we have lived through during this past homeschooling year.

Last summer, Will, the boys and I eagerly anticipated this schooling year. We had found the curriculum that worked well with our family’s approach to learning and life. We had survived our first full year as a homeschooling family and we were enjoying the last few weeks of summer and ready to start fresh the first week of August.

Then that tragic day happened…we were hit from behind and we never saw the huge life storm we are dealing with coming. This has been a year of mourning, healing, recovering, grieving, growing, learning, stretching, bonding, and learning to completely trust God in the eye of the storm.

While I realize that more than ten months have passed since my husband was killed and the boys and I were seriously injured, there are many days when it seems like it was just last week.  At the same time, I realize that so much has happened since that tragic day. God has never left us and I have grown so, so much while He has faithfully taken care of us and led us in the eye of the storm and in the softly falling rain moments of our lives this past year.

Before the boys were discharged from the rehab hospital last summer, the hospital education coordinator met with me to discuss how the boys would be educated this year. Josh had told her that he was homeschooled and she wanted to talk more with me about it. I confirmed what he told her and shared our curriculum that was already in place and my definite plans to continue homeschooling even though we were recovering and Will had gone home to heaven.

She was pleased with our curriculum choices and impressed that all of the plans were in place. She told me that the boys wouldn’t physically or emotionally be strong enough for attending school outside of the home this year because of what they went through in the accident and if I hadn’t had everything ready to homeschool them when we got back home, she was there to recommend that we participate in the K12 program available for schooling at home in Missouri.

In my heart I knew that homeschooling this past year would be our most important year of homeschooling.  I wanted the boys to be comfortable physically and be able to take the time they needed to rest and heal, physically and emotionally. The biggest challenge was that I too was healing physically and emotionally healing and grieving too.

How would I manage it…so many people asked me.

I knew that home and homeschooling with me were the two constants that wouldn’t change in their lives…and in my life too.  I knew that being home together, learning together, growing together, grieving and healing together was extremely important.

It hasn’t been an easy year…but as a dear friend of mine reminded me last night, nothing of significance ever is.

There have been times when I doubted myself and my abilities. There have been times when I panicked because so much of our time was filled with going to physical therapy appointments, having aides in our home (the first few months we were home), doctor’s appointments, counselor appointments, road trips back to St. Louis for follow-up appointments at Children’s Hospital for the boys, etc., etc.

With all of the upheaval in our schedule and our lives…all of the raw emotions and loss…how would I survive this homeschooling year let alone manage to teach them anything?

It wasn’t until we neared the holidays that the incredible reality began to dawn on me and the understanding slowly continued to fill me as the rest of the “schooling year” flew by…God hadn’t changed and He was still in control of our homeschooling if I would let go of my fears enough to let Him lead us.

So I slowly began to let go…and as I did a remarkable thing began to happen.

Every time I turned around the boys were sharing something with me that they had learned as they read a book or educational magazine and they were excited about what they were learning and Josh began researching to find out answers to questions he never would have had time to explore before.

Then Josh and I began to relax more as we worked on his studies together and more learning began to happen as I stopped trying to do it like I thought it “should be done” and started focusing on how it worked best for us.

In the midst of it all we faced huge hurdles as we learned to be a family without Daddy here to lead us…as the boys learned to look to me as their only parent and trust me to be able to handle leading them. They saw me struggling, grieving, crying, hurting…but they also saw me pouring my heart out to God and encouraging them to do the same. They saw me leaning on God’s strength to get through the pain and continue living and not give up.

And they learned to begin to trust that just because I was seriously injured and grieving that God was leading me and they didn’t need to worry. They learned so many more lessons this year than if we hadn’t homeschooled.

This year, more than ever, we didn’t just homeschool…we learned to walk through the worst trials a person can undergo…but we did it with God in our midst and we did it together as a family…our relationship with God deepened and our relationships with each other did as well.

We didn’t have to have a character building course this year…life was our character building course.

We discovered how learning in the midst of living is the most effective kind of learning there is.

We reached their learning and academic goals a little differently than I originally thought we would but because I relaxed and allowed the learning and living and healing to flow…God has brought Josh and Michael and even me along a journey that is not limited by a school calendar or schedule but has been enhanced by getting excited about learning outside of our structured “lesson times” just as much or more than during them.

This year Josh and Michael began to ask more questions about things they wanted to know and do what it took to find out the answers. I am so proud of both of them…of all of us really.

They learned to never give up as they overcame hurdles in their physical therapy and learning to walk again…and then to run again.

And even though our “official schooling year” ends tomorrow…the learning with never stop.

In his free time Josh creates science experiments now and draws his younger brother into the excitement of discovery. Michael loves to practice his letter sounds by playing games in the car between appointments and going on family letter sound scavenger hunts around town with my camera instead of sitting with a worksheet and repeating and circling pictures. We spend hours reading together and talking, really talking and listening to each other’s thoughts, feelings, ideas and dreams.

We aren’t just talking about conflict resolution, I am using the very difficult challenges we are facing as a family as opportunities to learn to express their feelings without losing their tempers…and I am working on that in my own life too.

With as weak as I have felt this past year, I am in awe at how all of this happened so naturally once I allowed it instead of trying to “do it the way I was supposed to sitting at the dining room table” or so I had myself convinced.

I must say that the thing I have loved the most about this past “schooling year” has been the growth in faith in our boys. Hearing the boys talking about what God is doing in our lives and His role in everything we have been studying blows my mind sometimes. When did that happen? How did that happen?

It happened because we were leaning on God to get us through it all. I clung to God in my heart break and pain. And the boys were here with me every day to see that. They saw me never give up and when I felt like giving up they saw me crying out to God. They saw me in awe at what He is doing in our lives and how He carries us through every day. I talked with them about how grateful I am that God is faithful and pointed out time after time of how He was acting in our lives until they began to do the same thing.

They are learning that God can bring us joy in the midst of grieving as I learn to relax and be silly again and laugh more easily as they days go by.

They are learning to talk about their fears and talk about the accident and what happened in the hospitals as a normal part of life. They are learning that it is good and OK to cry when you need to or ask for a hug when you just really need one. They are learning to share their memories of Daddy and life before the accident and not worry about what anyone thinks of them.

They are learning to listen to each other’s memories and to respect them.

They are learning to feel more comfortable praying when they need to talk with God and that He is always with them even when Daddy can’t be here or Mommy wasn’t able to be with them while they were in the hospital or in surgery because I was in another hospital facing my own injuries.

They have learned to look forward to going to heaven and talk about what it must be like to be with our Savior and have a new body and a new life with no more pain or sorrow and trust that Daddy is doing so much better now because he is there in his new body in heaven waiting for us to join him when the Lord calls us home.

I have tears streaming down my face as I realize that no matter how many book lessons I could have tried to use to “teach” them to have faith, it is in living it with them and helping them to hold onto God and see how He is real in our lives that strengthened and grew their faith. And it was Will’s and my living example of turning to God and knowing He is always with us and loves us that they were able to hang onto that while we were separated in the hospital last summer.

Josh and Michael have both said to me and so many others, God has to be real because there is no other way we would have survived the accident and come through everything we have come through without Him.

I am in awe as they remind me that God is in control when I begin to worry about something.

Advent at our house 2012.

All of the academic things they have learned this year have been important. But the most important lesson they have learned is that one that I could never teach them from books.  They have learned that God is in control and that they can trust Him to take care of them no matter how hard life gets.  They have learned and continue to learn every day that God is faithful. These are lessons they will, and I will continue to learn and grow in every day as we continue living and learning as a family.

And I have never felt so thankful for how God is faithful in good times but also in times of trial and pain. His love never fails.

They, we, have all learned so much this past year…every lesson from every storm has grown us and taught us something…through it all we have learned that weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning…

Don’t miss a single post! Take a moment to sign up for the free updates through your E-Reader or in your email.  And be sure to join the Unwrapping His Grace Facebook Community where you will find daily updates, Scripture, encouragement and opportunities to share prayer requests or follow us on Twitter.

Leaning on the Lord,

Mary Joy

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²⁶ For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Galatians 3:26-29 NLT

Dancing in His Grace,

Mary Joy

Don’t miss a single post! Take a moment to sign up for the free updates through your E-Reader or in your email.  And be sure to join the Unwrapping His Grace Facebook Community where you will find daily updates, Scripture, encouragement and opportunities to share prayer requests or follow us on Twitter.