Truthful Grace
Renew your heart with these inspiring articles on heaven by author and teacher, Melissa McLaughlin~ Truthful Grace. There is hope! Our Savior has come!
By Melissa McLaughlin Grateful as the falling leaves Releasing their tiny grip In joyful abandon Tumbling free Following the wind’s touch Lighting darkened alleys With splashes of orange, red, yellow, and brown Piling high in gutters and ditches Filling the world with remembrance… What once was living, though now dead, is still moving Announcing God’s … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin One year gone. A new year awaits. Breathless with dazzling days high hopes and glimmers of grandeur. Never mind bent bodies and weary bones slower steps and wisdom from wasted days gone by. Though evil from without and within wages war on hearts leaning to the LORD Yet our eyes blaze bright … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Why Did God Save Us? Why did God save us? That’s easy. The answer rolls right off our tongues- because God loves us, of course! God sent Jesus because He desired to rescue us from hell and bring us to heaven. (John 3:16) Yes, it’s true, God loves us. Yet, scripture teaches … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin The gift of Christ The gift of Christ I take the stain of your sin… I cleanse you with the light of my mercy. I take the sting of death… I infuse you with the joy of life eternal. I defeat hell, Satan, evil… I award you with my glorious victory. I … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin The Gift of a Child How their innocent eyes twinkled with glee! I remember with such fondness, the days when my children were preschoolers and brought me gifts for Christmas. They rummaged through the toy box and selected a treasured gift to give. With little fingers, they wrapped the items in Kleenex … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Comforting Hymns Some of the old hymns comfort my heart like a warm blanket on a cold night. In these times of heightened division, violence and fear, humming an old tune like “It is Well with My Soul” can reframe my vision and be a healing balm to my aching heart. The … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin The Feast of Tabernacles is the last of three fall feasts appointed and initiated by God in the Old Testament. The Feast (or Festival) of Tabernacles is also referred to as: The Feast of Booths / Ingathering / Shelters or in Hebrew “Sukkot”. The word Sukkot is the plural form of “sukkah” … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin The Trumpet Sounds There is no music sweeter to a parent’s ears than that of their own child. All three of my children play musical instruments and it is a great blessing from God. From the first tap on the drum, to the ringing chords on the piano, to the rhythmic strum … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin One of the great pleasures of summertime is enjoying fruits and vegetables fresh from the garden. The deep red tomatoes, crunchy sweet cucumbers, lush green squash and overflowing beans. The list goes on and on and on. All year we wait for one bite of this sumptuous and long-awaited delicacy. As I … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Home Sweet Home Surprisingly, one of the sweet joys of a summer get-away is coming home. After all the fun, the visits to see family, the sights and sounds of new places, there is something simple and beautiful about arriving back home. Seeing the familiar. Returning to your own comforts. Sleeping in … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin A Gift of Faithfulness As part of my Mother’s Day gift this spring, my husband and children helped me plant a small deck garden using tubs, buckets and flower pots. Like any faithful gardener, they helped me place and cover the seeds in rich soil, then provided proper moisture and sunlight for … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin A recent household repair necessitated the dreaded nightmare- cleaning the basement. Uggghhh! A massive chore that is avoided in our home at all costs! Nonetheless, the basement storage boxes were lugged upstairs and the tedious task of sorting, cleaning and decision-making began. My mind scaled a mountain of odds and ends. What … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin It was a small and simple surprise, but my heart leaped for joy at the sight! My husband had snapped a twig off our old apple tree and placed it in a vase on the kitchen table. Though half of the tree was now dead, a few branches still pulsed with life, … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin When my kids were young, some of our beloved family pets were hamsters. Our first hamster was affectionately named Hammy. Hammy was a soft, brown and white, handful of cuddly love. At night, Hammy scampered through the trails and tunnels of his plastic hamster cage, like an energetic child unleashed at Chuck … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Breath of God Lift me in the winds of heaven ‘Til arias of angels Float through my frame Refresh my gasping soul With the oxygen of Life Your Spirit Your Breath Your Word As I wait For that Great Day When I see You At last Coming on the Clouds To bear … Read more
How can I experience the peace of God? When I look around I see violence, evil and hatred. How can I find God’s peace? Here are 7 ways to experience the peace of God which passes all understanding.
Have you ever wondered about the time between time. Two extraordinary moments in God’s story. Two pauses when God is silent. The first is the 400 years between Malachi and the birth of Christ. The second is from the end of Revelation until Christ’s return. And so…here we are. Right here, right now. In the time between time. What does this mean? How should we live?
By Melissa McLaughlin The End Have you ever wondered if the world is coming to an end? Ever wonder about Jesus coming back? Ever wonder about the end of your own life? What happens after we die? We can all be certain of one thing… within the next 100 years we will all die. Whether … Read more