Alice Gray - Small Acts of Grace: You Can Make a Difference in Everday, Ordinary Ways

PRAISE FOR SMALL ACTS OF GRACE

In a very warm and personal style, Alice Gray lets you look over her shoulder as she reveals some of her own acts of grace as well as those from other contributors. In her very readable style, you will enjoy and be encouraged by every chapter. As a reader, you will be encouraged to live out your own small acts of grace.

EMILIE BARNES, Speaker, and Author
Founder of More Hours in My Day

If you are looking for some sprinkles of sunshine to brighten your day, encourage your soul, and inspire you to touch others with the love of Jesus, then this is the book for you. Alice Gray has once again written a treasure of a book that youll want to read over and over again. It will change your life.

LYSA TERKEURST, Author, Speaker, and
President of Proverbs 31 Ministries

After spending an evening reading Small Acts of Grace Ive never felt so motivated to, as Alice so charmingly writes, scatter sunshine into the lives of others. I can hardly wait until morning to perform a few small acts of grace of my own. When you read this book youll know exactly what I mean!

SUSAN WALES, Best-selling Author
The Pleasure of Your Company and Social Graces.

SMALL ACTS OF
Grace

OTHER BOOKS BY ALICE GRAY

Treasures for Women Who Hope

The Worn Out Woman

The Walk Out Woman

A Keepsake Christmas

Keepsakes for a Mothers Heart

Stories for the Heart
(First, Second, and Third Collections)

Stories for a Womans Heart
(First and Second Collections)

Stories for a Mans Heart

Stories for the Familys Heart

Stories for a Faithful Heart

Stories of Heart and Home

Stories for a Teens Heart
(First, Second, and Third Collections)

Stories for the Extreme Teens Heart

Lists to Live By
(First, Second, Third, and Fourth Collections)

Lists to Live By: The Christian Collection

SMALL ACTS OF
Grace

YOU CAN
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
IN EVERYDAY,
ORDINARY WAYS

ALICE GRAY

Copyright 2006 by Alice Gray

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published by W Publishing Group, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Other scripture quotations used in this book are from the following translations:

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.

The Message, copyright 1993. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.

The Amplified Bible, copyright 1965, 1987 by Zondervan Publishing House.

The Amplified New Testament, copyright 1958, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation.

The New Century Version, copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gray, Alice, 1939
Small acts of grace : making a difference in everyday, ordinary ways / Alice Gray.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8499-0448-X
1. Christian womenPrayer-books and devotionsEnglish. 2. Christian women Religious life. I. Title.
BV4844.G745 2006
242'.643dc22
2006005680

Printed in the United States of America
06 07 08 09 10 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

For all the women who have
made a difference in my life.
And to my sister, Nola,
who introduced me to Jesus.

CONTENTS

T o eight women from across the country who took time to read and evaluate an early manuscriptCindy Beede, Doreen Button, Karen L. Ellison, Nancy Harris, Elizabeth D. Hightower, Karen Jamison, Erin Johannesen, and Melanie Scott... I deeply appreciate your valuable suggestions.

To my editor, Anne Christian Buchanan... You are incredible! It is a tremendous blessing to work with the best of the best.

To Debbie Wickwire at W Publishing... Thank you for your trustworthy guidance and for cheering me on.

To my husband, Al Gray... How could I manage without you? Every single day you find ways to love, care for, encourage, and protect me. And, even after all these years, when you hear our love song, you still ask me to dance.

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ... Although this book is but a small act of grace, my prayer is that it will bring You pleasure.

I have used many true stories in this book. Sometimes I changed the names and altered the circumstances to protect the privacy of the people involved.

PROLOGUE
Follow His Heart

He is the Truth to be told.
The Way to be walked.
The Light to be lit.

MOTHER TERESA

A lthough it was only April, the early morning sun felt warm on my face. Soft breezes stirred the cherry trees, and an occasional blossom floated down and landed in my hair like pink confetti. I was sitting on a park bench not far from our home in Oregon. It was a perfect spot for thinkingand I couldnt get one particular question out of my mind.

The day before, our pastor had closed the worship service by asking, When you get to heaven, what will Jesus say about you? It was as if someone had suddenly switched all the questions.

From the time I was a little girl in pigtails up through my adult years, the questions had always been about what I wanted to be, what my goals and ambitions were, and how I wanted people to remember me when I was gone. But on that Sunday morning nearly twelve years ago, my pastors question began to change the focus of all my answers.

It was no longer about what I wanted, but about what Jesus wanted to do through my life. About whether I would fulfill my own dreams, or whether I would fulfill the dreams He had for me.

As I thought about our pastors question, my mind raced ahead, wondering what it would be like when I stepped on heavens shore and saw my Savior for the first time. Could it ever be possible that He would open His arms and say, Welcome home, dear one; you are a woman who followed My heart.

Oh, that is my longingmy deepest desire. To walk in His footsteps and to follow His heart. To respond to His magnificent acts of grace in my life with my own small acts of grace that make a difference in the world around me.

I imagine the same is true for you.

I wish we were sitting side by side on that same park bench with cherry blossoms falling in our hair. We could talk about this together. I would love to hear about the ways you listen to Gods voice and how you are following the dreams He has given you. What have been the highest peaks and deepest valleys of your life? What did you learn about following the Lords heart during those times? And what have you learned about following Him in the ordinary moments of your everyday life?