When Grace Calls Out

The voice of grace calls to all of us because that is the voice of our God who loves us more than we could ever imagine.

And what does the voice of grace say?

“Come disillusioned old man.”

“Come, middle-aged woman who is stuck in your job and wants to get out.”

“Come you pot-bellied one.”

“Come young person who once had a passion and zest for life, yet it now has burned down to embers.”

“Come, you who are insecure, inadequate, and mistake-prone.”

Regardless of your own perception of yourself, never let that perception cloud who you really are.  You are one who is chosen, loved, called by name, and welcomed by the Master.  He wants you by His side so much that He stretched out his arms to embrace you and then died on a Roman cross.

The greatest invitation offered to all of mankind is this:

“Come to me ALL who are weary and worn down.  I will give you rest.  Take up my yoke, for I have some good words for you, I am kind and compassionate, and I will give you rest for your soul.”

~(Matthew 11:28-30)

Our God offers a cup of grace for every trial, every situation, every mindset, every dialect, and every human condition that exists on this earth.

May you hear His call of grace today for whatever situation you may be facing.

Listen for His call … and receive.

For a moment of inspiration, 

watch this short version of 

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Thanks be to God! 

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

What God Knows about You

I am watching a string of cars as they sit in line to board the Kingston Ferry.  I see a blue Honda, a white SUV, a grey Subaru, a black Ford Ranger, and the list goes on.  And the occupants in each car are all different as well.  I don’t know any of their names, but there is one who does.  I call him GOD. 

And just as He knows each car, driver and passenger, He knows you and your situation. 

Are you …

At the mall? 

At a ballgame? 

In church? 

Washing dishes? 

Are you …

Angry with someone?

Fighting a health battle?

Looking for a job?

Are you …

Lost in the wilderness?

In love?

Getting a divorce?

God is with you.  He is watching over you as He is watching my driver friends outside my window.

You see, God is in the minutia (the small trifling matters) of our lives.  And He is in the big moments of life also. 

So whether you go to church, think about church, call on God, curse God, pray or don’t, sleep under a bridge or sleep in church, God knows where you are. 

And God knows a whole lot about you.  He knows your greatest need.  He wants to help you, but He won’t come into territory where He is not invited. 

You have to do the inviting.  You can simply say “help”, or pour your heart out to God in whatever flow of words you are accustomed. 

He interprets every language

He loves every form of dress

He adores every skin color

And He can be your God too. 

In The Bible, we find these words.

²⁸ “Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest.

^{Matthew 11:28}

And in Psalm 139 we read this:

139 Lord, you have tested me,
so you know all about me.
² You know when I sit down and when I get up.

You know my thoughts from far away.

³ You know where I go and where I lie down.
You know everything I do.

⁴ Lord, you know what I want to say,
even before the words leave my mouth.
⁵ You are all around me—in front of me and behind me.
I feel your hand on my shoulder.

⁶ I am amazed at what you know;
it is too much for me to understand.
⁷ Your Spirit is everywhere I go.
I cannot escape your presence.

⁸ If I go up to heaven, you will be there.
If I go down to the place of death, you will be there.
⁹ If I go east where the sun rises
or go to live in the west beyond the sea,
¹⁰ even there you will take my hand and lead me.
Your strong right hand will protect me.

¹¹ Suppose I wanted to hide from you and said,
“Surely the darkness will hide me.
The day will change to night and cover me.”
¹² Even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are the same.

¹³ You formed the way I think and feel. You put me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because you made me in such a wonderful way.
I know how amazing that was!

May you receive this strong Word from the God who loves you as you are, not as you should be.

Thanks be to God.

P Michael Biggs

Internet Church

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The Welcome of all Welcomes

I wish I would have written the following copy, for it perfectly sums up what I feel this blog site - Internet Church - is all about.  It takes about three minutes to read it, and is a worthy share.

It is taken from a photograph on a church in Essex, England.  The church name is St Clements Church, Leigh-on-the-sea. 

It is my kind of church.  Perhaps you feel that way too.

At the bottom of this post is a photo copy of the actual plaque.

And now, the greeting …

~~~~~

 “We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, gay, confused, filthy rich, comfortable, or dirt poor.

We extend a special welcome to those who are crying new-borns, skinny as a rake or could afford to lose a few pounds.

You’re welcome if you are Old Leigh, New Leigh, Not Leigh, or just passing by.

We welcome you if you can sing like Pavarotti or can’t carry a note in a bucket.

You’re welcome here if you’re ‘just browsing,’ just woke up or just got out of prison. We don’t care if you’re more Christian than the Archbishop of Canterbury, or haven’t been in church since little Jack’s christening.

We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome keep-fit mums, football dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters.

We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you’re having problems or you’re down in the dumps or if you don’t like ‘organized religion.’ We’ve been there too!

If you blew all your money on the horses, you’re welcome here. We offer a welcome to those who think the earth is flat, ‘work too hard,’ don’t work, can’t spell, or because grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.

We welcome those who are inked, pierced or both. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid or got lost on the London Road and wound up here by mistake. We welcome tourists, seekers and doubters, bleeding hearts… and you!

~~~~~

May God’s grace be present in your life today and always.  It certainly is for me.

Thanks be to God.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The God Who Loves Sinners

I want to introduce you to the God who loves sinners.  Now, before you tune me out and run off, stay tuned.  You might find something refreshing in here.

I have a question for you? 

Are you getting ready to go buy your drugs for the night or are you coming off a three-day binge of intense drug use?

Have you just bought your first bottle in a brown paper sack or have you been on a drunken stupor for four nights?

Are you leaving home right this minute to go meet up with your secret lover, or have you just returned home from an extended rendezvous?

One more.

Are you headed to church so you can complain about the music or the content of the sermon, or have you just returned from church and are fuming over the latest rumor you just heard or laughing over the rumor you just perpetuated?

I am reminded of a story in the Bible that goes something like this.

A near naked woman has been dragged from the bed and arms of her lover.  She is rushed into the synagogue where Jesus is teaching a lesson. 

The mob interrupts and throws this woman to the ground right in front of Christ.  They begin blurting out all her many sins and wrong doings. 

Meanwhile, Jesus is bent down, writing in the dust on the Temple floor.  When they finish their tirade, He stands up, looks from the woman to the angry mob, and softly speaks.

“You who are without sin may cast the first stone.”

He bends back down and continues writing.  We begin to hear stones drop to the temple floor and the shuffling of feet as people leave the building.

Jesus finally looked up and saw only the woman standing before him.  She stands, covering herself as best as she can, and is trembling and softly sobbing.

Jesus looks at her and speaks, “Where are your accusers?”

“They all left” she is finally able to mutter.

“Then neither do I condemn you.  Go and sin no more.”

That was the end of the sermon.  He didn’t even take an offering.

I listed a few despicable scenes that some humans face every day and week of their lives.  They are on the verge of going toward sin or have just returned from a binge of self-indulgence, and following them is this long train of guilt, shame, and the burden of yet one more failure.

And God simply stands there with open arms.  His words can bring healing, if the receiver will receive. 

His words?

“I love you.  I love you as you are, not as you should be.”

Note how Brennan Manning phrases it.

In Jeremiah 31:3 we find this:  “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with tender love and kindness I draw you to myself.”

Romans 5:8 gives us this:

‘God shows His love for us even while we were sinners.”

And I Peter 5:7 encourages us to do this:

“Lay all your anxieties, angst, worries, sins, low self-esteem and failures at the foot of God, because He cares specifically for you.”

Our God, the God of the Holy Bible, is the only God that mankind worships who loves the sinner. 

Oh, how He loves you and me!

Thanks be to God.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Whatever You Face-Read This

I have some encouraging words for you.  Hope we can spend a few minutes together right now.

What are you facing?

Got heartbreak?

Got problems?

Got some issues that are about to drown you?

Hold on my friend. Here is a word of hope.

God himself knows your predicament.  He sees your dilemma and He is standing nearby. 

Do you remember the words the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, the mother of Jesus?  He said, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

“NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE.”

That is a terrific word of hope. 

This reminds me of a chorus we used to sing in the church of my youth.  Here are the lyrics.

That gives me hope.

That encourages me.

Let me tell you a true story.

In 1998 I was facing a financial catastrophe.  If ever I needed a miracle, this was the time and place for one.

On a Friday in October my boss called me into his office for our weekly update report.

I began to tell him of my activities and results for the week and he stopped me in mid-sentence.  Jimmy leaned back in his chair, and said …

“I don’t know quite how to do this.  I’ve never had anything like this happen before.”

I did not know what to expect.  I was fearful I might be fired.

And then Jimmy continued.  He said, “You have some friends who know you are going through a rough time and they wanted to give this to you and hope it helps.”

He then reached into his shirt pocket and handed me an envelope.  I felt of it and could tell it had some cash in it, but how much? 

I opened it and found $3,000 inside.

I was speechless. 

   I was moved. 

         I cried. 

This song says it all.  My God moved a mountain that day, and He parted the deep waters of trouble I faced and in my lap landed a miracle.

And He can do the same for you.  Oh, your miracle will probably look different from mine, but He stands ready to do for you what you can’t do for yourself.  He will be with you in the middle of your most anxious moments of life.

In Philippians 4:19 we find these words:

“My God will meet all your needs

according to His riches in glory

through Jesus Christ.”

My prayer for you is that your faith will reach up to Him right now. 

Please watch; 

Dave Boyer - Got Any Rivers

I will be praying for you.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The Kiss of God

You and I are offered a wonderfully delightful kiss from God.  This kiss is a huge part of the secret of our being.  The kiss that God offers is this … that we know we are loved and forgiven. 

To know that we are loved and forgiven satisfies something deep within my soul.  The human heart longs for love.  We seek a connection and to be validated in so many ways.  And if we can’t achieve this on our own, then we manufacture some kind of pseudo-love, which is finding love in all the wrong places. 

God is offering to each of us this love that fills and satisfies the human

condition. 

There is also the forgiveness factor.  We seek pardon for the misery in which we find ourselves and for the choices we have made that led us to our states of disgrace.  And we question whether we are worthy of forgiveness. 

“But you don’t know what I’m really like.”

 “You don’t know all the terrible things I’ve done.”

  “I’ve harbored horrible thoughts.”

   “I’ve committed dastardly deeds.”

Can I truly be forgiven?

Can I truly be loved?

And the answer is “YES”.

God invites you into His embrace.  He wants to whisper to you just how much He loves you.  And He offers you pardon for past deeds, past choices, and past falterings. 

A quick reflection:  I’ve been a Christian for most of my life.  There are still times when I metaphorically desire to crawl up into the arms of God and once again feel His love and forgiveness on my life.  It is something we never tire of. 

On occasion, we visit with Carolyn’s son and family on Sunday nights for Sunday Sabbath.  We feast, play a game, and have a shared thought.  We always include a time around the circle when we pass a cup of water and a towel.  As the cup is handed to me, the person offering it says, “Michael, you are loved and you are forgiven.”  What a marvelously healing moment that is.  And I then pass the cup and towel on to the next person with those powerful words.

You are loved and you are forgiven.

And that is what God is offering you and me.  He wants to grace our lives with His kiss of love and forgiveness. 

And now, absorb a few words from THE WORD of God.

Isaiah 43:1 “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.  I call you by name and you are mine.”

Romans 5:8 “God shows His love for us even while we still live in sin.”

Psalm 86:15 “You, my God, are a God full of mercy and grace; you are slow to anger and you abound in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Have you taken your place beside God for a little soul nourishment?  God himself offers you this kiss of love and forgiveness.

Accept yours now!

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

A Sign of Love

What if … we are to be nothing more than a simple sign – a sign among thousands of others?  And the sign says this – Love Is Possible. 

Everybody loves love.  Everybody wants to be loved.  Yet we wonder if love will ever find our world, much less our own heart and little life that we live out on this planet.

Racial strife is heard in many quarters of our world.

Wars and rumors of wars abound.

Nations war against nations.

Brothers raise their arms against brothers.

Sisters tear each other apart.

We’ve lost a healthy image of what love is all about.  And where do we find a great model of what love looks like? 

Perhaps you and I can become tiny signs showing that love is possible.  Perhaps we can begin a revolution of lovers dispelling the current mindset that there can only be racial warfare.

Perhaps we can model that this world is not condemned to a struggle between oppressors and the oppressed.

I’m speaking to those of us who profess the label “Christian”.  I’m calling all of us to lay aside our denominational interpretations and get to the bigger issue of demonstrating a lifestyle of love.

In Matthew 22:36-40, we are reminded of this:

Jesus is asked to name the greatest commandment. His reply?  Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.  This is first.  And then, love your neighbor as you love yourself.  All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Mother Theresa said this:

“We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world, not just to go for diplomas and degrees, this work and that work.  We have been created in order to love and to be loved.”

Jean Vanier puts this into perfect prose.

“We have to remind ourselves constantly that we are not saviors. We are simply a tiny sign, among thousands of others, that love is possible, that the world is not condemned to a struggle between oppressors and oppressed, that class and racial warfare is not inevitable.”

How can you and I possibly be a sign of love?

~Give a genuine smile to everyone you meet.

~Find more ways to praise than to complain.

~Look for the good in every person and every situation.

~If offended, be quick to forgive, slow to retaliate.

~Offer a helping hand.

~Be quick to love.

~Be the first to speak a kind word of hello.

Small signs of love for sure, however, small gestures build one upon another and the message gets out. 

Sooner than soon, perhaps we will marvel at what a true UNITED STATES OF AMERICA we really are.

And then, when it spreads to other lands and across the waters of the world, my goodness – we will experience a revolution of LOVE!

Now wouldn’t that be something?

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time