Betty Whitaker Jackson

I was reading my passages for yesterday in the Book of Common Prayer, and this verse jumped, leaped, out at me. Hebrews 4:16 says: “ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need ” I, of course, knew that we could approach Christ with our needs, for He is the High Priest and brings our prayers to the Father, but I’ve been concentrating…..

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This might be a good day to stay inside. It’s cold outside. For those of us privileged to be retired or working from home, we   need to thank God we can stay inside. Baby, it’s cold outside!

Let’s think about sending cards and letters to people we’re thinking about. Let’s read a book of scripture, maybe James, which tells us about brotherly love. How about reading a book or more than one chapter of a devotional.

My favorite today is…..

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II Corinthians 1:3-4 says: 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  In our quest for peace and grace in 2022, we need to realize that there will not always be peace and grace, for sometimes we are in need of comfort during difficult circumstances……

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Psalm 34 says: “I will bless the Lord at all times/ His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord;/ Let the humble hear and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me/ and let us exalt his name together!”

No matter what today’s circumstances: health, politics, finances, relationships , discouragement, or the other negatives this world can put before us, when we think eternally, they are mere seconds compared to the generations…..

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One of the ways I can celebrate peace and grace and keep it as a theme for the troubled times of 2022 is that saints before me have passed on this legacy of truth. Isaac Watts, the distinguished hymnwriter, based this famous hymn on the words of Psalm 90. I have the assurance that his words live on because God is sovereign, the designer of the universe, the purveyor of order, and the very essence of peace, grace, mercy, and…..

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In my attempts to sow peace and grace (Just Do It in ’22), I’m looking at people, history, entertainment, and scripture for examples. Today’s reading from the Book of Common Worship includes Psalm 15.

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?     Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right     and speaks truth in his heart; 3 who does not slander with his tongue     and does no evil to his neighbor,     nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 in…..

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In my thinking about opportunities to offer peace and grace to others, today I’d like to tell my readers about a new study I’m untertaking: Lysa Terkeurst and Joel Muddamalle’s study called “Seeking Jesus in the Old Testament: He’s Never Absent, We’re Never Alone.”  It’s available at Proverbs31.com if you’d like to order your copy. Just in the first week, where there are “Portraits of Adam and Eve, Moses, Joshua, David, and Esther, I have learned, or been reminded of…..

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Yesterday, I was suggesting it would be a blessing to attend church, even if it was inconvenient, even if it was raining (yes) or worse, and even when we could just as easily stay in jammies and livestream the service.

I was on guest services yesterday at our church. We set up our welcome table inside (it was windy and rainy) and set up an umbrella garden so people didn’t take dripping umbrellas  inside, making floors slippery.

The service was…..

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Those of you who regularly read my blogs know that my theme “Just Do It in Twenty-Two” refers to sowing grace and peace to others in a world which is chaotic, where politics is divisive, where prices are soaring and fear of pandemic consequences dominate our conversations. I offer an alternative, especially on the Sabbath. The church, wherever you choose to affiliate, has answers to the dominant questions and trials facing us. When we gather, we find the warmth of…..

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When you’re tired, or fighting a cold (or worse) or having a selfish moment, it’s harder to sow peace and grace to others. Those are the times when we need to say to ourselves, “Double down and look for the good anywhere you can find it.” I’m thinking about a woman I saw recently on TV following the devastating fire which destroyed her neighborhood in Colorado. She had lost everything the week after Christmas. If I were in that position,…..

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