The Women of Grace Writers - Mountains of Grace: Lifting as We Climb

MOUNTAINS
OF
GRACE

LIFTING AS WE CLIMB

THE WOMEN OF GRACE WRITERS
AND CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

Copyright 2016 The Women of Grace Writers .

Cover Design by William A. Hill

Cochise College Graphics Design Student

Sierra Vista, Arizona

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version Release 2.0. Copyright 1996-2012 by the ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION and NIV are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

All Scripture quotations in this publications are from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 (866) 928-1240

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4660-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4662-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4661-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016910104

WestBow Press rev. date: 07/27/2016

CONTENTS

Be still and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
(Psalm 46:10 KJV)

Let us then approach Gods throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help us in our time of need.
(Hebrews 4:16 NIV)

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness
(2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV)

He waters the mountains from His upper rooms;
the earth is satisfied and abounds with the fruit of His works.
(Psalm 104:13 AMP)

Biographies
Women of Grace Writers

DEDICATION

PORTRAIT OF G RACE

Paula Maldo nado

This book is dedicated to Paula Maldonado wife, mother, grandmother, friend, former Boy Scout leader, counselor and radio disc jockey. Despite numerous surgeries, illnesses, chronic pain, and family tragedies, Paula has remained an inspiration to many with her witty humor, upbeat attitude, loving kindness and gentleness, and especially her steadfast faith and trust in our heavenly Father. In the face of many of lifes challenges she is truly a portrait of grace.

In honor of our mentor and facilitator, author Anita Chadwick Beno , we asked her to share words of wisdom to enhance our writings in this book. Her following submission on Humble Beginnings is truly just that - humbling, yet it attests to the power of God through ordinary people who commit their lives and means to His will.

Thats who we want t o be!

In writing this little piece for your book, my intent was to keep it short and keep the focus where it belongs. The book is not about me. The original group was never about me. I was just the vehicle that guided the group along its journey toward self-discovery. Im honored that you thought of me again.

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNI NGS

LIFTING AS WE C LIMB

It was a lovely afternoon and my intentions were to go to a meeting of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in Sierra Vista, Arizona, and meet other ladies and discuss genealogy. Little did I know what God had in store for me!

As I sat in the living room of a very lovely home, my eyes were drawn to a quiet corner of the room. There, sitting by herself, was a beacon of lightSomething compelled me to want to get to know her. Finding her was easy. It was like being in a very dark forest and having my flashlight zoom in on her! Wow, I thought. I really want to talk to her! I walked over and introduced myself. And so it began

She and I became acquainted and she told me that her dream was to start a writing club someday. I said, Oh, thats really interesting. I love writing too. Im a retired high school English teacher. I taught creative writing! REALLY? she quipped with a cute little gleam and flicker in her eye. HUMM. That was the very modest beginning of what was soon to become the Women of Grace Writers. At first our writing exercises were very basic, but I knew that I was witnessing the commencement of something very special. Sometimes the most humble beginnings lead to the most inspiring and amazing results.

Over 2,000 years ago, something very astonishing began - something that changed the world forever. Christ was born in the most humble way possible. Naked and alone, he needed love and support. Were no different. We all had that same humble beginning. Like Christ, we were naked and alone, and we looked to others for love and support. We had that need to be lifted up, guided, and nurtured. Its when we receive that guidance and Christian love, that we can soar like the great birds of the sky and be strong and confident in what we cherish and in what we believe. And we can share that strength with others and help them on their journey just like the apostles did, for thats what the word apostle really means.

As we grow and traverse through life, we sometimes tend to think that we are independent, but in reality we are not. We never lose that need to be loved, guided, and lifted up as we climb upward in our spiritual maturity. We CAN be like Andrew, the first apostle, and offer support and encouragement to others while we speak, write, share, and live our own truth. With that love and support of others and our own strength of character, we can make that journey and find our home with our Heavenly Father.