Straight From The Hart

  I've been thinking a lot about grace lately. Seems like when we need it the most is when we think about it. I've been grumpy and petulant this week. Most of it due to pain and/or the medicine I take for the pain. But I thank you all for your patience in putting up with me (and your grace) So many of you hurt, also, and much more than I do, and God chastises me when I complain too much. Here is a lengthy devotion/short sermon I wrote some years ago about grace. *********************************** I turned on PBS to watch Gospel music tonight. Featured group was The Martins, definitely one of my very favorites. Their close family harmony is absolutely angelic. The theme turned out to be grace and I did a lot of thinking as I Iistened to them sing. I can’t believe I missed so much of the message of grace in my early spiritual life. Maybe it was there in the sermons and I just missed it. The Church of God is what is known as a holiness church, where you are not suppose

     ·  Shared with Your friends Today's LDR column: Straight From The Hart Joan Rowden Hart About 55 to 60 years ago, at this time of the year, I was really in my element. It was time for school to start and I was always so excited. It had nothing to do with new clothes. I remember the first time I became aware that some kids bought new clothes for the beginning of school. I was in the Joe Knight drugstore with some of my friends where we were having a coke after registering for school at the junior high. Some other girls came in and were showing off all their new clothes and shoes. I remember thinking that was rather shallow since it had nothing to do with my perception of the first day of school. So it wasn’t about clothes. It was about school supplies, especially notebooks and paper. I enjoy Marie Brown’s “Stoutland Tidbits” column which appears in the Wednesday paper along with mine each week. I don’t know her, but sometimes I think we must have been twins separated at