Lordship and Grace
Does grace abolish lordship?
Or lordship cancel grace?
Does any call to duty
Leave mercy no more place?

Does freedom in the gospel
Mean we have no restraints?
That deeds are unimportant
For God’s elected saints?

Can’t Jesus be my Savior,
Yet ask me to obey?
And can’t He be my Sovereign,
And still full grace display?

Does God not have the power
To make the gospel free,
Yet energize His people
To practice sanctity?

Can He not use His Spirit,
By whom we’re born again,
To renovate our lifestyle,
And make us righteous men?

The One who sealed and pardoned,
Can He not make us new?
Cannot free grace and lordship
Be both completely true?

The One who raised up Jesus,
Can He not make us whole?
Can He not make us willing
To yield to His control?

I know that full redemption
Won’t come until we rise,
When in one blissful moment,
We’re fit to reach the skies.

But if we trust God’s goodness,
Won’t that affect our ways?
And make us better people
For our remaining days?

Won’t we be always aiming
To be more like the Lord,
And though we fail and falter,
Press on for His reward?

Won’t grace provide the training,
Itself an act of love,
To teach us to live godly
And set our sights above?

Does grace not teach submission?
Don’t works require grace?
We need both truth and mercy—
In Christ the two embrace!

Nita Brainard, May 30, 2024

Calling on all prayer warriors to pray for Ella and those affected by this terrible accident 🙏🏻

At 2:05 Ella was being brought home from a friends house. They were t boned by a septic tank right before crossing the railroad tracks to get on 2264. Ella was thrown out of her seat and found in the floor board unresponsive. By the time my wife got there she was semi conscious. They immediately sent us to Cooks Children’s Hospital via ambulance. Her CT scanned showed swelling in her brain and bleeding. As well as a fracture on her skull. They quickly intubated her and sent her to surgery. She is currently undergoing a craniotomy to relieve the pressure and clot the bleed. I am calling all my warriors to rally and Please pray for the surgeons steady hand, the nurses watching over her and Gods healing power.

At 2:05 Ella was being brought home from a friends house. They were t boned by a septic tank right before crossing the railroad tracks to get on 2264. Ella was thrown out of her seat and found in the floor board unresponsive. By the time my wife got there she was semi conscious. They immediately sent us to Cooks Children’s Hospital via ambulance. Her CT scanned showed swelling in her brain and bleeding. As well as a fracture on her skull. They quickly intubated her and sent her to surgery. She is currently undergoing a craniotomy to relieve the pressure and clot the bleed. I am calling all my warriors to rally and Please pray for the surgeons steady hand, the nurses watching over her and Gods healing power.

Knowing that we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, let us bless the Lord at all times. "O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears...O taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the Lord, you saints of God for to those who fear Him there is no want."

Carli • Saved By Grace

Ella came out of surgery last night around 7PM or so. Rashell and I have sat next to her in ICU all night and now morning.

The surgery went well as they did a craniotomy on her right side which is what showed up on the CT…..however, the neurologist said something told him he needed to do the left side as well. As he went in there he found her left side was worse than the right and quickly drained it.

I think the Doc said she had four fractures and had to put titanium pins in there to hold it in place for it to heal.

Still, she is stable, resting, and recovering.

God is good.

She had another CT at midnight to see how things look. We are just waiting at this point. I’m at home with my other children who are also processing all of this. I’ll head back there today as Rashell and I stay by her side to be there for her.

Please keep praying the swelling continues to go down. She was awake last night when my wife was with her and wanted to know everything. She had questions and wrote them on a white board… we will celebrate every small miracle that is given. Prayers are working. She told her everyone loves her and is praying and tears ran down her face. We cannot thank you all enough. Please keep them coming. We serve a mighty God.

Pete and Rashell.

I sat down to do a short video this morning thanking all who have prayed and are still praying for Ella, but there are too many to thank and I don't have the mental or emotional bandwidth just yet to get through it without becoming a blubbering mess. So at the moment, this will have to suffice. I just want to say thank you, sincerely, from my wife and I, and our family for the outpouring from all over the world. If you have the time and ability, I would simply request in addition to the prayer,and if you can, a get well card to Ella (she's 11). I want to overwhelm her with love when she comes home (whenever that is). Just make it to Ella Garcia, PO Box 967, Decatur, Texas 76234.

How important it is to be orderly and steadfast in our faith, such that nothing can shake our trust in the Lord, Who provides us with the sufficient grace and strength to face all eventualities. May we be faithful soldiers and servants ~ standing fast on the Word of God and unshaken by a world that is out of control.. due to their enmity with our good and gracious heavenly Father. How blessed we are to know Christ as Lord.

Carli • Saved By Grace

Tensions are ratcheting up in various parts of the world. Israel is under pressure from her allies to stop her war against Hamas, a murderous enemy who has vowed to never stop fighting until every Jew on the planet is dead. The US and other western nations have given Ukraine the green light to use long range missiles against Russia. Ukraine hit Belgogrod. Russia is indignant. Eventually Ukraine and the West will push Russia to her breaking point, and she will up the ante significantly, likely engaging in an all out barrage upon Ukrainian infrastructure and cities coupled with a massive ground invasion. Perhaps even following through on her threats to use tactical nukes. China has aggressively threatened Taiwan with eventual takeover, and held invasion practice on her doorstep. North Korea and South Korea are ratcheting up the rhetoric. These tensions can't increase indefinitely without something breaking.

Live in 20 mins

https://www.youtube.com/live/Q2NatgUPJ4o?si=4uC0GGtoU32LoylZ

Praise God!

In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us die to self and live unto the Lord so that we may know His ways, learn the lessons He would teach us, and follow the path that He would have us take.

Carli • Saved by Grace

I'm pressing on the upward way,
New heights I'm gaining every day,
Still praying as I'm onward bound,
Lord plant my feet on higher ground.

Let us ponder on these comforting words of the Lord when we are tempted to envy the life of another or allow seeds of discontent to be sown in our hearts. Let us ponder on these words, rejoice in the Lord always, and be content in Him, for He has promised, "I will never leave you nor will I forsake you."

Carli • Saved By Grace

Let us earnestly contend for the gospel in our time, but let it be done in gentleness and respect. In essential doctrine, let there be unity. In inessential doctrine, let there be liberty. In all doctrine, let there be love.

Carli • Saved by Grace

Before we can be used effectively by God, we should welcome His inner scrutiny into our inner being and willingly submit to His searching our hearts, our hidden thoughts, and our secret motives so that we may be fit vessels to shine forth His Light to others.

Carli • Saved by Grace