I was struck with the realization today (for the thousandth time) that I will never be good enough. We all try to do the right things but you and I will always fall short and we will never be satisfied. We do good things that we think we should do or things we think will look good to others but none of that will save us from our sin nor will it bring us closer to God.

In Rev. Fredricks’s sermon, he says that there is nothing that we can do to qualify us to be on God’s Team. We cannot save ourselves, only He can. And only He can give us the strength to live according to His will day by day. We cannot be good wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends or neighbors without Jesus working in and through us.

He showed a couple videos during the service that were really funny but also showed a great picture of Jesus Christ standing in our place. In the Good-o-meter video we see that because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us we do not even need to stand on the scale. Our goodness is weighed by His qualifications and not our own. Isn’t that freeing? Our chains are gone! Thank you God for your grace!

don’t forget you can listen to the sermon online!

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If you missed this past week here’s a recap of articles:
Monday - Sermon Reflection by Hana Ryman
Tuesdsay - Reflection on Brave Hearts by Mary Beauvais
Wednesday - Sublime Strawberry Spinach Salad, and VBS Story
Thursday - Meet Laura Buhl
Friday - How are you saving money on gas?

Please let us know what you enjoy and as always, we are always open to suggestions.

ESSO gas station
Originally uploaded by -L-.

a) You’ve decided to stay home for the rest of the summer and let people visit you

b) You’re carpooling when you can

c) You fill up with gas and then take off!

d) You’ve decided to walk everywhere

e) You’ve taken up hitch hiking, the little ones see it as an adventure

f) save money on gas? what for?

Laura is a new mom and new contributor to cravinggrace.org! Keep an eye out for her posts.

How long have you been at UPC?
When I met my then-future husband, Christian Buhl, in 1999, he introduced me to UPC. Aside from four years when we lived in California, I’ve been going to UPC ever since.

Where are you originally from?
I was born in New Jersey, but grew up in Central Florida from the age of six. I consider myself a Floridian!

What are some of your hobbies and/or interests?
I enjoy sewing, cooking, reading, playing video games and watching TV. I also enjoy harp music, and play the folk harp some myself, but I must admit that since the birth of my daughter Eowyn (now 16 months old), I haven’t played as much as I used to.

What’s your favorite dessert?
Berry desserts and creamy desserts are always a hit with me. Chocolate is an added plus, though not necessary. The best dessert I’ve had was a chocolate berry soufflé at a restaurant in Thornton Park—unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the restaurant!

Favorite TV show?
Our DVR always has a stockpile of Law & Order (original flavor) reruns, courtesy of TNT. It’s great because each episode is self-contained, so there’s no worrying about missing back story. The revolving cast of characters keeps it interesting, too.

What are you involved with at UPC?
I enjoy helping out in the nursery, and am the third-week nursery captain. You’ll find me there playing with the little babes once a month. I also enjoy being a part of my LIFE group.

How have you seen God work in your life recently?
I’ve been feeling very blessed to be home full-time with Eowyn. Growing up, motherhood wasn’t something I felt drawn to, so I was wary of going down that path. Now, I can’t imagine life without Eowyn, and feel that God is once again showing me the goodness of His ways, though it may differ from my own ideas and plans for myself.

How can we be praying for you?
Pray that God will enable me to trust Him fully with all aspects of my life, especially my little girl.

This past week we had a HUGE turn our for VBS! We had over 200 children come to UPC to learn about Joshua. The week before I really began praying for God to work in the lives of the children in my class. I prayed through my class list daily trusting God to do something in them.

A boy named Trey was an answer to my prayers. When I called to introduce myself, his Grandparents informed me that he had never been to church before and he didn’t have a Bible. I assured them we would get him a Bible and that he would have a great time!

He came Monday morning with his Grandparents and they all looked pretty distraught that morning. His Grandfather told me that Trey’s Dad had had a heart attack the night before and that he was currently in the ICU. Trey did really well considering and he and I took time that day to pray for his Dad. Later that day we got him his own Bible.

We continued to pray for his Dad and by the end of the week he was out of the hospital and was even well enough to come to the program Friday night! He came up to me and thanked me for helping Trey and said he had such a great time that he wanted to come to church on Sunday. Oh my goodness!! I was floored when he asked what time our service started

On Sunday morning, two rows up from me, there he stood with his family. Grandpa, Dad and even an Uncle! He went up in the front of the church to sing the songs we learned throughout the week and he was smiling at his family. It was so sweet to see that my eyes filled with tears. Because of this 7 year old boy his whole family had now heard about Jesus Christ. His Grandfather goes to church at UPC and said that he hadn’t been able to get his son to come before.

I continue to pray for them, for their spiritual AND physical health. Will you join me this week in praying for Trey and I am sure many others who were drawn to Jesus? That the seeds planted would grow? Let us not forget what God started at VBS last week.