April Series Announcement!

Hi!

If you have been a reader for a while, you know that for the last few Aprils I have written a daily series called Interrupted by Grace.  April is coming up and so is the series!  I know, I know, I'm excited, too!!

Our Sunday lunch reminds me of God interrupting me by grace;
He totally turned my attitude around in worship that morning!

Here's the history on how the series began, from a post I wrote three years ago tomorrow.

A few weeks after Katherine was born, I was texting with a friend who inquired about how I was doing.  [Thanks, Chrissie Koerber!]  I mentioned to her that I was amazed at how often I'd been interrupted by grace in the transition.  So many moments that could have led to despair - the extra days in the hospital, the challenge of a three year old with a new baby,  the messiness of my house, and my old fashioned sinfulness - were eclipsed by Spirit-whispers of forgiveness, hope, and grace.  The breath of life blowing away the stink of death.

I have this sneaking suspicion that the Lord is often doing this in our lives; He loves His children and wants to draw near to them.  But I wonder how often we miss His whispers because we're not listening for them.

My goal this April is to post an anecdote each day of a moment in which life was interrupted by grace. 

Then from Day 1 of the series that year:

My friend, Sarah, inquired about what exactly I mean by interrupted by grace.  Good question!  The general idea is this. The Holy Spirit dwells within us and can speak into our hearts throughout our days, but often we are far too busy or distracted to remember this reality, let alone listen for His voice.  Shortly after Katherine was born, I noticed that sometimes I'd have surprising moments of peace or joy where I felt prompted to just stop for a moment to reflect on the delightful fullness of life, the depth of Christ's forgiveness of my sin, or some other blessed thought.

I called this being interrupted by grace - Spirit-breaths of fresh air in the staleness of life lived on autopilot.

I believe these grace interruptions can take many forms, so I don't want to stifle the Spirit's creativity for reaching you.  But here are some ways the Lord might interrupt you with grace, either in the midst of complete chaos/fear/pain, a fantastically perfect day, or somewhere in between:

• something a friend, family member, or co-worker says or does that leads you to reflect on God's love

• an edifying song that comes to mind "out of no where" that leads to repentance or simply encourages you

• feeling like you just need to stop for a moment and give thanks

• a call or letter at just the right time

• scripture coming to mind when you need it

Would you like to participate?

Now that you know what's coming up, would you like to join me?  Of course, one way is to read along.  But I would like you to go one step further by being on the look-out in your own life each day of April for ways that God is interrupting YOU by grace.  If you feel ambitious, you could post about it on your own blog or Facebook page or Twitter.  Tag #interruptedbygrace on the end for good measure!

Most importantly, I pray this series will draw each of us closer to God and inspire us to open our lips to give Him praise and give testimony to His love, goodness, might, and grace.

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13

Let's get interrupted!   Autopilot no more!!

Heather

PS  At the end of a series, I always do a give-away.  Keep your eyes peeled for that too.  I don't have a huge reader base, so your chances of winning are pretty good!