I’ve started reading through my reading list for the year.  Gracenomics by Mike Foster is the first book I’ve read.  In addition to being on my 2011 reading list it is one of the books I wanted to read for my One Word.

This book blew me away.

I think I highlighted more in this book than I have any other book including Crazy Love – which also blew me away.

In it Mike looks at grace through a lens called gracenomics:  combining the definition of grace – the act of giving favor when it is not required – with term economics.

He says, “Gracenomics is the science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of grace.” (GRACENOMICS pg. 16)

He focuses on three areas.  Grace for You, Others, and the Workplace.  In each area he digs in deep.  Giving valid examples of how grace works.  From not investing in things that tear us down and lies we’re told to how grace works in the workplace in a way that it can actually increase revenue for the company.

Through out the book Mike challenges the reader.  At the end of sections he gives actions and insights and a place for you to write down your own thoughts and personal applications.

In my wrestle with grace this book was an incredible encouragement.  It caused me to think more, to seek God more on what grace looks like.

I loved this book so much I want to give you a copy.  I wish that I could give you all a copy because I feel it is that amazing but that just isn’t possible.  I do I have one copy to give away.  Leave a comment here for a chance to win.  One comment per person, and the give away will end Thursday at 6pm Mountain.  Winner will be announced Friday.

I’ve been think a lot about what grace looks like.

I’ve been wrestling with this for over a week.

Because honestly………-………I don’t think I really know what grace looks like.  I think I had an idea – pretty pink frosting & crystal sugar sprinkles, and God is showing me that grace isn’t necessarily pretty, that sometimes grace gets down and works with kneading fingers in the mud puddle and comes up slightly tarnished.

I can’t seem to pour out the words of my heart.  These wrestlings….they hide and rumble around like a thunderous Monsoon night.

I fight to make sense of them myself let alone share with you.

Some days it seems like grace looks like patience.  Letting go of heavy sighs and grumbling thoughts about the person or thing slowing me down.  The cashier taking their time at Walmart.  The old(er) man cutting across into the left turn lane after I’d already moved over.  In those moments the whispers of what grace looks like say patience.

Often He speaks that grace is forgiveness.  Letting go of hurts, of wrongs.  This is going to be a long process.  Pruning.  Purging.  Stripping.  This is the hardest part.  A necessary one.  It is one, that if I’m being honest part of me doesn’t want the change.  Part of me wants to remain content with unforgiveness, of not learning that part of grace.

I really have no idea what I’m going to look like at the end of the year.  My prayer is – of course – that I will look like grace.  That my actions will drip of grace like morning dew.

It is incomprehensible that there are more slaves in the world today, than at any other time in history.

Today slavery encompasses more than just servitude in a home or picking crops.  Today – young girls (and boys) are kidnapped for prostitution.  Women, men, children are forced to labor for at most pennies a day in fields and factories – so you and I can pay less for a candy bar or  t-shirt.  Children are kidnapped to become soldiers.

I’m not discounting the history of slavery that tore our world asunder.  The crimes committed are tragic and inexcusable.

So many men and women fought to abolish slavery.  What a giant step backward we’ve taken.  The work of men like William Wilberforce & President Lincoln and women like Harriet Tubman & Anne Knight seemingly all in vain.

Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

There is obviously a huge problem.  A problem that continues to be overlooked despite gaining more media attention.

You can help.  Spread the news.  Join the fight.

Learn more!  Below are organizations and people that are actively fighting to end human trafficking.

Invisible Children – Is fighting to raise awareness of the rebel war in N. Uganda where children are kidnapped & forced to be child soldiers.

Not For Sale – Is an organization fighting to re-abolish slavery world wide.

Scarlet Cord Ministries – Kamrie is a young lady raising awareness and fighting the sex slave industry.  Last June she organized a movement to pray over the length of the World Cup, in which thousands of girls were taken to South Africa for prostitution.

Streetlight Phoenix – Streetlight is a Phoenix, AZ local organization that helps rescue girls that are in the sex  slave industry.

Breanna’s House of Joy – Breanna’s House of Joy is an orphanage in Thailand that helps keep girls from the sex trade.

Free To Work – Free2Work promotes transparency by rating major brands based on their policies to address this human rights issue.

Free To Work iPhone App

Love146 – Love146 is fighting to end child sex slavery & exploitation across the globe

She Dances – She Dances provides healing, hope, and a future for girls who are victims of human trafficking in Honduras.

Children’s Hopechest – Fighting & raising awareness of child sex trafficking in Moldova & Russia.

A21 – Fighting human trafficking in Eastern Europe.

I sometimes try so hard to get people to like me.  To make sure they continue liking me.  I go out of my way.  I over do it.

It’s completely unhealthy.  Yet lies, skeletons in my closets, various pieces of baggage have written in my emotional DNA that it must be so.

Yesterday, Tracee had an insightful post.  She asked, “If you believed that God is for you, than what would your life look like?”  I immediately knew my answer.  It had come up in a conversation earlier in the day.  And it continued to play out in my mind the rest of the evening and late into the night.

“If I truly accepted, believed that God is for me, I wouldn’t believe the lies of those who necessarily aren’t.”

Honestly, I can admit that I’ve struggled with God being for me.  Because why would He want any part of a sinful, arrogant, prideful, judgmental person like me?

The lies I’ve been told, the hurts that run deep – they affect my relationship with God.

The truth is, though, that God IS FOR US!  He is 100% all for us!

In Romans Paul encourages.  He starts with, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” and he wraps it up with a pretty bow, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:18 & 31)  God knew.  He knew that we’d suffer.  He knew we’d fight emotional battles and physical and spiritual ones.  So He laid it all out for us:  “I AM FOR YOU!  If you can’t trust that anyone else is, I am. “

So I’m doing my best to rest in this.  In His words.  That He is for me.  That the lies are just that lies.  And hopefully (prayerfully) over time truth will hold firm in my heart and the lies from my past will fade away.  Affecting not only my relationship with God, but my relationship with my friends for the better.

[written 12.28.10]

I’ve joked on Twitter that God is already trying to work in me my One Word:  Grace.  But it really isn’t joking, because He is already moving and has been for the past few weeks.  Sending things my way.  Reminding me in situations to exercise grace rather than impatience or anger or frustration.  What an ideal time to start:  Christmas.

It’s like He really wants me to learn the art of grace and He doesn’t need to wait for the count down at midnight.

Today this post from Catalyst’s blog was waiting for me in my Google Reader.  He is speaking.  He longs for me to be like Him.  He is pouring out His grace on me so that I can learn to have grace.

What a beautiful cycle.

My memory verse for January:

Colossians 3:12-13 (New Living Translation)

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

In 2010 I didn’t choose a One Word.  Instead my life and emotions took hold and my emotions decided my Word should be fear.  Fear seemed to take up residence in so many areas of my life.  I felt at times as if i was being defined by fear.  It took hold of me in areas it never had.  So I decided I needed to be defined by a different word.  A word completely opposite of fear:  Trust.

For 2011 I decided that I wanted to choose a word ahead of time rather than let one decide to define me.  The more I prayed about it the more I felt I was called to learn to live in a state of grace.  I am extremely impatient with people.  I often refuse to give them the benefit of the doubt.  I so often fail to have grace on them, but choose to bestow my silent judgment.

I want to be defined by grace.

Here are some of the things I’m planning to do over the next 12 months that will hopefully help me become this definition:

Memorize Scripture.  I used to be “really” good at memorizing scriptures when I had to for school.  Now that I’m an adult.  Well….  So one of the things I want to do is to memorize verses that speak of having grace & grace being upon us.  I am planning one verse/passage a month.  So that is 12 passages by 12.31.11.  Here are the verses in no particular order:

• Luke 6:35 & 36
• Proverbs 22:11
• Romans 5:21
• 1 Corinthians 15:10
• 2 Corinthians 1:12
• 2 Corinthians 8:6 & 7
• Ephesians 1:5-7
• Exodus 34:6
• Hebrews 4:16
• Colossians 4:5 & 6
• Ephesians 4:31 & 32
• Colossians 3:12 & 13

At the beginning of each month I’ll share which passage I’m memorizing.

Read books.  [links are Amazon Affiliate] There are a lot of really smart people out there.  People that God reveals Himself to and gives them an understanding of spiritual things.  These really smart people write books.  I am planning to read the following books over the next year:

• Generous Justice – Timothy Keller
• Grace Abounding In A Believer’s Life - Charles Spurgeon
• Compassion – Henri Nouwen
• The Grace of God - Andy Stanley
• Gracenomics – Mike Foster

If there are any others you would recommend please let me know.

Tomorrow I’ll share my verse(s) for January.

You can also see the other One Word posts that Alece has linked up on her site.

A winner:

The winner of the Story canvas is: Bethany.

Congratulations.  Please email me your address to prudy[at]prudychick[dot]com and I’ll get it out to you.

Today a dear friend has a huge announcement on her blog.  Check out her video.

I am going to take a break from blogging this next week.  You can check out the Christmas Story posts and enter to win the canvas I am giving away.

On Monday, January 03rd I will have my first One Word (click the button below for more info) post of the year.  I’ve commented on Twitter that God is already trying to work it in my life.  Have a great week, I’ll see you on the 03rd or on Twitter.

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Shawn and I are heading up to visit my family today.  We pray that you would have a joyful, blessed day with your families and friends.

Merry Christmas!

Our lives are a multitude of stories.  Some are sad tales, some are filled with stomach wrenching laughter, and some are family legends that grow more epic each time they’re told.  Join me this week as we curl up in our favorite spot in our virtual living room.  The tree casting a twinkling glow.  Hot chocolate, eggnog, and cookies sit in our laps.  Our friends & family sit with us as we laugh, rejoice, & begin to share our tales of Christmas.

Since I was little (aka born) Christmas has always been a family affair.  Tucked away in the small house we grew up in or with Grandpa & Grandma & the my aunt, uncle, & cousins in California.  We were always with family.  Sometimes friends translated into family.  I didn’t have necessarily a wonderful childhood, but I remember pleasant Christmases.

We grew up knowing Santa wasn’t real.  Our gifts were always under the tree days before.  The only thing that wasn’t put out was our stockings.  Mom would fill those after we’d gone to bed on Christmas Eve and hang them on the mantle.  Every year we received a new one.  That was mom’s tradition.  And that would be the first thing we’d open once we were allowed to take them down.

Christmas Eve if we weren’t in California had it’s own special tradition.  We were each allowed to open one gift.  Mom & Dad selected.  Even as a teenager my brother and I looked forward to that one gift.

Today Christmas looks different, but it’s still a family affair.  We’re all grown up and each of our own families.  Time spent with in-laws and our own family.  I have six nephews and a niece due on the 26th.  We eat, we laugh, we Skype open gifts with my brother-in-law & sister-in-law in Northern California.  And I hope that in the quiet of our hearts and hope even more with the words we speak we remember why we’re gathering.

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I hope you enjoyed these stories as much as I did.  Today I’m giving you the opportunity to share your own story.  Click Mr. Linky below to share your Christmas tales.

And since we’re sharing stories I have a gift to share with you.  It is a little canvas I created using written word.  Portions from popular books, including Dracula, various Sherlock Holmes stories, Persuasion, and East of Eden.  Leave a comment on this post to be entered to win the canvas.  Contest ends:  12.31.10 at Midnight Mountain.  One entry per person.  Winner will be announced 01.03.11.