Welcome to Smiles of Grace. I think each life is laced with grace, mine was. Smiling at the time to come did not come naturally to me. The truth? Life has pushed me around quite a bit. My heart was scarred young, wounded deep, but oh what a sacred grace that called me to the Gift Giver. Jesus. I wouldn’t have known Him so were it not for the fires. You too?
PAST
When you’re young life should be filled with blowing dandelions like it’s your job, running up and down streets full on lemonade & wind in your face bike riding. My childhood was like that. Dad used to flip me upside down in our small basement and I would walk the ceilings. I loved bath time & the familiar chorus that ensued after I was all fresh and clean. There are always marks of grace in the darkest places. My family did not know Jesus in those early years. It was dark, but the true Light was already shining. And at 9 He shone in my heart. In the years to come that broken family would mend, just as others do who place their faith in our Savior. If you want to hear my story, just stay for a bit here with me at Smiles of Grace and day after day, by grace, I will humbly share.
PRESENT
My handsome husband, whose family has a rich heritage in the faith that is in Christ Jesus, pours love for the Lord. I am thankful that I get to follow him. Our hands are gloriously full with three of the most beautiful kids you can fathom. Their hearts overflow with song & there’s belly laughter here a plenty. They are young; they are sinners, but those hearts are turning toward God, life laced with grace. From the coos to the tantrums to the questions, there’s nothing else we would rather do together than love em’ and raise em’ to glorify Christ! (I am gladly from the South… I hope to delight you with many of our colloquialisms; “em'” is one of them).
Here at Smiles of Grace we are enthralled with His pure perfect Word, it will inundate our time together. I also love beautiful things, the splendor of God’s creation, the simplicity of a well-kept home, and taking joy in the mundane, “practicing the presence of God” as it were. I want to share these things with you. The thing is we love Jesus around here & who knows, maybe if you hang around long enough, you’ll grow to love Him more too.
I BELIEVE IN…
The Triune God of the Holy Scriptures, the infallible, unfailing, enthralling, pure, and perfect Word of God.
In God the Father, Creator & Sustainer of all
In Jesus Christ His only Begotten, the Son, our Lord.
“I believe in the Holy Spirit, One Holy church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins. I believe in the resurrection. I believe in a life that never ends.”
I believe that we don’t just search the Scriptures because we think that in them we have life, no.
In my life I search the Scriptures to come to Jesus, because Jesus is life, the Resurrection and the Life. Do you hear Him still saying, “Did I not tell you that if you BELIEVE, you will SEE the glory of God?” To believe means that we will see. His Words are true in every context.
Perhaps it is possible to experience this glory everyday? Dry bones, dry hearts coming to life again. Resurrection, that is what He is. Coming day after day to call us up out of grave clothes. Maybe that’s why we need each other, to make sure we don’t get wrapped up in a lie again? You can’t take grave clothes off by yourself, “the communion of saints, the “spurring on” command of Scripture.
Maybe this life of repentance is a continual shedding of what is no longer true about us? Sinners (slaves to sin) die. We are no longer slaves. No longer dead. Saints live, because of Christ.
He is calling us to life, in full measure, yes, because alive is really what we are if we are His.
Would you to seek Him with me? For we will find Him if we search with a whole heart, because that is His promise….
To live (really, truly) is Christ.
And as to the
FUTURE
We smile.