Grace Perspectives ..... Lyle in Uganda

Now it's time to hear from Lyle:

What am I learning about God or from God in this season of my life?

As I think on this two things immediately come to my mind that apply both to what I am learning about God and from God. They would be His sovereignty and his faithfulness. As I look back at my life I can see how much of it I lived as if I had sovereign control over it and only involved God when I needed Him. The reality is that He IS sovereign and I need Him continually. 

What does grace mean to you and how has it shown up in my life over the yers or in my life as a married couple?

Grace means so much more to me now than it used to. I used to think of grace only as "God's unmerited favor," which it is, but I see now that it is so much more dimensional. Just one example might help explain. If I am living in sin, I used to see grace only as God forgiving my sin and life moves forward as if nothing had happened. Now I understand that God exposing that sin is grace. If I continue in my sin it will bring destruction. His grace in exposing my sin saves me from that destruction and brings me to repentance and right relationship with Him. 

Pray for Uganda:

I read Ingrid's response on this and I would very much agree. I would add that as a society that claims to be predominately Christian, that the Truth of the gospel is lived out in its fullness and not diluted in syncretism. I pray this same thing for the U.S. as well.

photo credit

Grace Perspectives ..... Ingrid in Uganda

Ingrid and Lyle Lathrop are serving the Karamajong people in northeastern Uganda.  They work with Africa Inland Mission (AIM) .  After intensive training in Uganda last year, they returned to the US to raise support and soak up time with family.  At the end of last month, Ingrid and Lyle returned to Uganda - this time to live there for the next two years.  I've grown up with their daughters, and went on a mission trip to Nicaragua with them when I was a teenager.  I love Ingrid and Lyle's genuine love for all people, and their joy in saying yes to serving the Karamajong.

Here are Ingrid's thoughts:

1. What does grace mean to me and how has it shown up in my life over the years or in my life as a married couple.
        I have come to understand grace as a powerful force that God has placed over my life through the Holy Spirit, in my years of following Christ. It is not only the gift of redemption that transformed me into a new person, not refurbished, but new:), it is the power that allows me to resist temptation and evil, and the power of Christ within to love with His love no matter the person or circumstance.  In my marriage this has proven to be a force to allow me to see sin clearly, both in myself and when my spouse might sin against me, and still understand that God's grace to us is sufficient to see honestly without negating what has happened and forgive or repent. 1 John 3:9 and 5:18 both speak to God's children not "practicing" sin.  I have come to understand that it is the power of grace that makes this a reality in Christ followers lives.

2. What am I learning about God or from God in this season of my life.
        I continue to learn more about Who He is, His character, His absolute ability to be trusted, His vast multifaceted creative variety in culture  and people. From Him I have and am learning that His ways are consistent as is His nature, so I can trust Him speaking in me to line up with what I have already known about Him. His power to move in my circumstances as I yield and surrender to what He leads me to do continues to amaze me and fill me more and more with the absolute certainty that He is worth all my life in every way forever.

3. How to pray for Uganda and the Karamajong people.
        In seeking The Lord on this; both absolutely need reconciliation between clans and tribes as well as interpersonal. For the Karamajong-the children (street children) that are being resettled in Karamoja back with family of some sort, that they would remember what they learned here at the home they were rescued by, Dwelling Places, about God, Jesus and who they are in Christ.  That the families would receive them back and that the Holy Spirit would move in these families. Pray that they will receive the truth that God loves them and sees them as most valuable to Him.

If you would like to learn more about the Karamajong and the Lathrop's work in Uganda, please read more here:  Lathrop's Path .  

photo credit: homes

photo credit: karamajong

Grace Perspectives ..... INTRO

Ephesians 2:8-10

The Message (MSG)

     Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.


      God's grace is so wonderful to me, and yet so very mysterious.  I want to let go, and fall back into my Savior's waiting arms.  To cease striving, to extend the favor I've received to others.  I'm trying to understand grace more deeply, while at the same time, not over-thinking it.  There's a time for mental wrestling and there's a time to just say, "Dang, I am a chronic messed up girl and God loves me enough to have His Son die.  That's amazing."

     I have dear friends in many corners of the world.  I thought it would be great to use this little blog to think more about grace, and to let more people know how to pray for the people my friends are serving.  I asked everyone the same three questions:

1.  What does grace mean to you and how has it shown up in your life as a married couple or single person?

2.  What are you learning about God or from God in this season of life?

3.  How can people pray for the community you serve?

     I hope you are blessed by these perspectives and are encouraged to pray 
for God's people all over the world.

Photo Credit:  My brother's dog, Henry, photographed by Dana Pleasant