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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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Foreword by R983145983139983144983137983154983140 J F983151983155983156983141983154
G 983148 983137 983150 983140 983145 983151 983150 C 983137 983154 983150 983141 983161with M 983137 983154 983146 983141 983137 983150 B 983154 983151 983151 983147 983155
T H E
W A Y
O F
G R A C EF I N D I N G G O D O N T H E
P A T H O F S U R R E N D E R
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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T H E
W A Y
O FG R A C E
F I N D I N G G O D O N T H E
P A T H O F S U R R E N D E R
G983148 983137983150983140 983145983151983150 C983137983154 983150983141983161
with M983137 983154983146983141983137 983150 B983154983151983151983147983155Foreword by R983145983139983144983137983154983140 J F983151983155983156983141983154
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094
World Wide Web wwwivpresscom
Email emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Glandion Carney and Marjean Brooks
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission
from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a
movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of
nursing in the United States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of
Evangelical Students For information about local and regional activities write Public Relations
Dept InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSA 983094983092983088983088 Schroeder Rd PO Box 983095983096983097983093 Madison WI
983093983091983095983088983095-983095983096983097983093 or visit the IVCF website at wwwintervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of theBible copyright 983089983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA Used by permission All rights reservedWhile any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information in this book may
have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Images copyEbru SidarTrevillion Images
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983093983097983092-983090 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983095983088983095-983088 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learnmore visit greenpressinitiativeorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
P 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
Foreword by Richard J Foster 983089983089
983089 Facing Reality 983089983093he Grace of Acceptance
983090 Experiencing the Presence 9830901048633he Grace of Submission
983091 Giving Up 9830911048633
he Grace of Relinquishment 983092 Stuck in an Airport 983093983088
he Grace of Compassion
983093 God Is Not Mad at You 983094983091he Grace of rust
983094 Wounded Healers 983095983095he Grace of Community
983095 A Cup of Cool Water 1048633983091he Grace of Comfort
983096 Life in the Slow Lane 983089983088983095
he Grace of Simplicity
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1048633 Possibilities 983089983090983089
he Grace of Hope
983089983088 Streams of Grace 983089983091983093 he Grace of Living a New Way
Acknowledgments 983089983092983095
Notes 9830899830921048633About the Authors 983089983093983091
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I am Glandion
I am a contemplative
I embrace the life and role of the Holy Spirit
I love a good wine
I love fellowship and friendships
I am a deep caring person
I am a worrier and a burden bearer I take time to notice
I am soft-spoken yet strong in spirit
I love jazz as well as the Gregorian chant
I am consciously aware of my sinful nature
I am a great listener
I am a priest a husband and father of four adult children I am a grandpa affectionately called ldquoPapardquo
I long to remain in the presence of God
I like to celebrate
I donrsquot have to act in a cultural manner to define my African
American identity
I am a crosscultural man I think about my death about once a week
I think about my life and want to do the things that matter
I love to laugh yet I cry easily
I love poetry especially S Eliot and Garrison Keillor
I love coffee
I question myself all the time
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I have never sensed the condemnation of God
I donrsquot think about former accomplishments as much as my failures I believe in justice
I have stood in lines in Ethiopia with the hungry and the poor
I have traveled to eastern Africa during the time of genocide
war and famine
I minister in one of the wealthiest communities in the United States
I have learned that the rich in resources can also be poor in spirit I embrace the Scriptures and see them as a guidepost for life
I have struggled to accept the diagnosis of a disease and tried to
cover it up
I love the Father Son and Holy Spirit
I love the Eucharist
I embrace another personrsquos heart whatever their religious practice I believe evil will be overcome
I love to see the sunset
I take time to look in the eyes of others to get a glimpse of their heart
I like to raid the cookie jar in the middle of the night
I love theological discussions
I am loved
I am loving
I am Glandion
I have Parkinsonrsquos
I am learning to walk in grace
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983089
F983137983139983145983150983143 R983141983137983148983145983156983161
The Grace of Acceptance
IT HAPPENED SO FASTmdashmy body wouldnrsquot cooperate with
my mind Never had I struggled with such simple things Iseemed to be all thumbs as I put on my clerical collar It wouldnrsquot go on straight no matter what I did My jacket gotstuck halfway on it felt like a straightjacket binding my armsand preventing me from moving correctly What was going on
Why was I suddenly so clumsy
It was 1048626104862410486241048632 and I was leading a pastorsrsquo conference in KigaliRwanda walking men from many countries through steps ofmeditation reflection and communion with God During mytrip to Africa I had become increasingly tired more so than Ihad ever been in the past Te work was grueling and the hours
were long but I had done this before and it had never bothered
me It felt like my thoughts were being stolen from my mind I
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would begin a sentence and then midway I would not know
where the thought was goingMy good friend William Wilson had gone along to minister
with me A former rappist monk he was now an Anglicanpriest like me William noticed how sluggish and stiff my move-ments were becoming At his encouragement I decided to go tothe doctor for a physical when we got home It seemed logical
that I had picked up a virus or other illness while travelingMy physician did his usual examination but then asked me
to do simple movements like walk a few steps and bend at the waist He inspected my arms knees and legs and tested my re-flexes He shined a light in my eyes and then said simply ldquoYouhave Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquo
Stunned I questioned him ldquoHow do you know How can you say lsquoYou have Parkinsonrsquosrsquo when yoursquove done no test orbloodwork to determine this diagnosisrdquo
He looked me straight in the eyes and responded ldquoYou arenot smiling like you used to and your face looks frozen in afrown Your movements are difficult Your joints are in pain All
this points to Parkinsonrsquos You can get a second opinion from aneurologist but he will tell you the same thingrdquo
Words escaped me I felt nothing I was empty Numb Tere was no brilliant logic to apply Tere were no prayers to
pray Tere was no believing or trusting in God for the future ofmy life in general or my ministry All was blank as if erased I
walked out of his office in a fog When I got to my car I wept
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
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Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
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grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
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Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
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Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
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Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
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are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
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T H E
W A Y
O FG R A C E
F I N D I N G G O D O N T H E
P A T H O F S U R R E N D E R
G983148 983137983150983140 983145983151983150 C983137983154 983150983141983161
with M983137 983154983146983141983137 983150 B983154983151983151983147983155Foreword by R983145983139983144983137983154983140 J F983151983155983156983141983154
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094
World Wide Web wwwivpresscom
Email emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Glandion Carney and Marjean Brooks
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission
from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a
movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of
nursing in the United States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of
Evangelical Students For information about local and regional activities write Public Relations
Dept InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSA 983094983092983088983088 Schroeder Rd PO Box 983095983096983097983093 Madison WI
983093983091983095983088983095-983095983096983097983093 or visit the IVCF website at wwwintervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of theBible copyright 983089983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA Used by permission All rights reservedWhile any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information in this book may
have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Images copyEbru SidarTrevillion Images
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983093983097983092-983090 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983095983088983095-983088 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learnmore visit greenpressinitiativeorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
P 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
Foreword by Richard J Foster 983089983089
983089 Facing Reality 983089983093he Grace of Acceptance
983090 Experiencing the Presence 9830901048633he Grace of Submission
983091 Giving Up 9830911048633
he Grace of Relinquishment 983092 Stuck in an Airport 983093983088
he Grace of Compassion
983093 God Is Not Mad at You 983094983091he Grace of rust
983094 Wounded Healers 983095983095he Grace of Community
983095 A Cup of Cool Water 1048633983091he Grace of Comfort
983096 Life in the Slow Lane 983089983088983095
he Grace of Simplicity
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1048633 Possibilities 983089983090983089
he Grace of Hope
983089983088 Streams of Grace 983089983091983093 he Grace of Living a New Way
Acknowledgments 983089983092983095
Notes 9830899830921048633About the Authors 983089983093983091
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I am Glandion
I am a contemplative
I embrace the life and role of the Holy Spirit
I love a good wine
I love fellowship and friendships
I am a deep caring person
I am a worrier and a burden bearer I take time to notice
I am soft-spoken yet strong in spirit
I love jazz as well as the Gregorian chant
I am consciously aware of my sinful nature
I am a great listener
I am a priest a husband and father of four adult children I am a grandpa affectionately called ldquoPapardquo
I long to remain in the presence of God
I like to celebrate
I donrsquot have to act in a cultural manner to define my African
American identity
I am a crosscultural man I think about my death about once a week
I think about my life and want to do the things that matter
I love to laugh yet I cry easily
I love poetry especially S Eliot and Garrison Keillor
I love coffee
I question myself all the time
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I have never sensed the condemnation of God
I donrsquot think about former accomplishments as much as my failures I believe in justice
I have stood in lines in Ethiopia with the hungry and the poor
I have traveled to eastern Africa during the time of genocide
war and famine
I minister in one of the wealthiest communities in the United States
I have learned that the rich in resources can also be poor in spirit I embrace the Scriptures and see them as a guidepost for life
I have struggled to accept the diagnosis of a disease and tried to
cover it up
I love the Father Son and Holy Spirit
I love the Eucharist
I embrace another personrsquos heart whatever their religious practice I believe evil will be overcome
I love to see the sunset
I take time to look in the eyes of others to get a glimpse of their heart
I like to raid the cookie jar in the middle of the night
I love theological discussions
I am loved
I am loving
I am Glandion
I have Parkinsonrsquos
I am learning to walk in grace
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983089
F983137983139983145983150983143 R983141983137983148983145983156983161
The Grace of Acceptance
IT HAPPENED SO FASTmdashmy body wouldnrsquot cooperate with
my mind Never had I struggled with such simple things Iseemed to be all thumbs as I put on my clerical collar It wouldnrsquot go on straight no matter what I did My jacket gotstuck halfway on it felt like a straightjacket binding my armsand preventing me from moving correctly What was going on
Why was I suddenly so clumsy
It was 1048626104862410486241048632 and I was leading a pastorsrsquo conference in KigaliRwanda walking men from many countries through steps ofmeditation reflection and communion with God During mytrip to Africa I had become increasingly tired more so than Ihad ever been in the past Te work was grueling and the hours
were long but I had done this before and it had never bothered
me It felt like my thoughts were being stolen from my mind I
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would begin a sentence and then midway I would not know
where the thought was goingMy good friend William Wilson had gone along to minister
with me A former rappist monk he was now an Anglicanpriest like me William noticed how sluggish and stiff my move-ments were becoming At his encouragement I decided to go tothe doctor for a physical when we got home It seemed logical
that I had picked up a virus or other illness while travelingMy physician did his usual examination but then asked me
to do simple movements like walk a few steps and bend at the waist He inspected my arms knees and legs and tested my re-flexes He shined a light in my eyes and then said simply ldquoYouhave Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquo
Stunned I questioned him ldquoHow do you know How can you say lsquoYou have Parkinsonrsquosrsquo when yoursquove done no test orbloodwork to determine this diagnosisrdquo
He looked me straight in the eyes and responded ldquoYou arenot smiling like you used to and your face looks frozen in afrown Your movements are difficult Your joints are in pain All
this points to Parkinsonrsquos You can get a second opinion from aneurologist but he will tell you the same thingrdquo
Words escaped me I felt nothing I was empty Numb Tere was no brilliant logic to apply Tere were no prayers to
pray Tere was no believing or trusting in God for the future ofmy life in general or my ministry All was blank as if erased I
walked out of his office in a fog When I got to my car I wept
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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983090983088 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
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Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
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grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
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Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
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Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
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Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
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are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
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T H E
W A Y
O FG R A C E
F I N D I N G G O D O N T H E
P A T H O F S U R R E N D E R
G983148 983137983150983140 983145983151983150 C983137983154 983150983141983161
with M983137 983154983146983141983137 983150 B983154983151983151983147983155Foreword by R983145983139983144983137983154983140 J F983151983155983156983141983154
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094
World Wide Web wwwivpresscom
Email emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Glandion Carney and Marjean Brooks
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission
from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a
movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of
nursing in the United States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of
Evangelical Students For information about local and regional activities write Public Relations
Dept InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSA 983094983092983088983088 Schroeder Rd PO Box 983095983096983097983093 Madison WI
983093983091983095983088983095-983095983096983097983093 or visit the IVCF website at wwwintervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of theBible copyright 983089983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA Used by permission All rights reservedWhile any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information in this book may
have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Images copyEbru SidarTrevillion Images
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983093983097983092-983090 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983095983088983095-983088 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learnmore visit greenpressinitiativeorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
P 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
Foreword by Richard J Foster 983089983089
983089 Facing Reality 983089983093he Grace of Acceptance
983090 Experiencing the Presence 9830901048633he Grace of Submission
983091 Giving Up 9830911048633
he Grace of Relinquishment 983092 Stuck in an Airport 983093983088
he Grace of Compassion
983093 God Is Not Mad at You 983094983091he Grace of rust
983094 Wounded Healers 983095983095he Grace of Community
983095 A Cup of Cool Water 1048633983091he Grace of Comfort
983096 Life in the Slow Lane 983089983088983095
he Grace of Simplicity
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1048633 Possibilities 983089983090983089
he Grace of Hope
983089983088 Streams of Grace 983089983091983093 he Grace of Living a New Way
Acknowledgments 983089983092983095
Notes 9830899830921048633About the Authors 983089983093983091
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I am Glandion
I am a contemplative
I embrace the life and role of the Holy Spirit
I love a good wine
I love fellowship and friendships
I am a deep caring person
I am a worrier and a burden bearer I take time to notice
I am soft-spoken yet strong in spirit
I love jazz as well as the Gregorian chant
I am consciously aware of my sinful nature
I am a great listener
I am a priest a husband and father of four adult children I am a grandpa affectionately called ldquoPapardquo
I long to remain in the presence of God
I like to celebrate
I donrsquot have to act in a cultural manner to define my African
American identity
I am a crosscultural man I think about my death about once a week
I think about my life and want to do the things that matter
I love to laugh yet I cry easily
I love poetry especially S Eliot and Garrison Keillor
I love coffee
I question myself all the time
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I have never sensed the condemnation of God
I donrsquot think about former accomplishments as much as my failures I believe in justice
I have stood in lines in Ethiopia with the hungry and the poor
I have traveled to eastern Africa during the time of genocide
war and famine
I minister in one of the wealthiest communities in the United States
I have learned that the rich in resources can also be poor in spirit I embrace the Scriptures and see them as a guidepost for life
I have struggled to accept the diagnosis of a disease and tried to
cover it up
I love the Father Son and Holy Spirit
I love the Eucharist
I embrace another personrsquos heart whatever their religious practice I believe evil will be overcome
I love to see the sunset
I take time to look in the eyes of others to get a glimpse of their heart
I like to raid the cookie jar in the middle of the night
I love theological discussions
I am loved
I am loving
I am Glandion
I have Parkinsonrsquos
I am learning to walk in grace
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983089
F983137983139983145983150983143 R983141983137983148983145983156983161
The Grace of Acceptance
IT HAPPENED SO FASTmdashmy body wouldnrsquot cooperate with
my mind Never had I struggled with such simple things Iseemed to be all thumbs as I put on my clerical collar It wouldnrsquot go on straight no matter what I did My jacket gotstuck halfway on it felt like a straightjacket binding my armsand preventing me from moving correctly What was going on
Why was I suddenly so clumsy
It was 1048626104862410486241048632 and I was leading a pastorsrsquo conference in KigaliRwanda walking men from many countries through steps ofmeditation reflection and communion with God During mytrip to Africa I had become increasingly tired more so than Ihad ever been in the past Te work was grueling and the hours
were long but I had done this before and it had never bothered
me It felt like my thoughts were being stolen from my mind I
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would begin a sentence and then midway I would not know
where the thought was goingMy good friend William Wilson had gone along to minister
with me A former rappist monk he was now an Anglicanpriest like me William noticed how sluggish and stiff my move-ments were becoming At his encouragement I decided to go tothe doctor for a physical when we got home It seemed logical
that I had picked up a virus or other illness while travelingMy physician did his usual examination but then asked me
to do simple movements like walk a few steps and bend at the waist He inspected my arms knees and legs and tested my re-flexes He shined a light in my eyes and then said simply ldquoYouhave Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquo
Stunned I questioned him ldquoHow do you know How can you say lsquoYou have Parkinsonrsquosrsquo when yoursquove done no test orbloodwork to determine this diagnosisrdquo
He looked me straight in the eyes and responded ldquoYou arenot smiling like you used to and your face looks frozen in afrown Your movements are difficult Your joints are in pain All
this points to Parkinsonrsquos You can get a second opinion from aneurologist but he will tell you the same thingrdquo
Words escaped me I felt nothing I was empty Numb Tere was no brilliant logic to apply Tere were no prayers to
pray Tere was no believing or trusting in God for the future ofmy life in general or my ministry All was blank as if erased I
walked out of his office in a fog When I got to my car I wept
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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983090983088 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
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Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
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grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
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Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
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Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
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Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
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are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094
World Wide Web wwwivpresscom
Email emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Glandion Carney and Marjean Brooks
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission
from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a
movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of
nursing in the United States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of
Evangelical Students For information about local and regional activities write Public Relations
Dept InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSA 983094983092983088983088 Schroeder Rd PO Box 983095983096983097983093 Madison WI
983093983091983095983088983095-983095983096983097983093 or visit the IVCF website at wwwintervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of theBible copyright 983089983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA Used by permission All rights reservedWhile any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information in this book may
have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Images copyEbru SidarTrevillion Images
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983093983097983092-983090 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983095983088983095-983088 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learnmore visit greenpressinitiativeorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
P 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
Foreword by Richard J Foster 983089983089
983089 Facing Reality 983089983093he Grace of Acceptance
983090 Experiencing the Presence 9830901048633he Grace of Submission
983091 Giving Up 9830911048633
he Grace of Relinquishment 983092 Stuck in an Airport 983093983088
he Grace of Compassion
983093 God Is Not Mad at You 983094983091he Grace of rust
983094 Wounded Healers 983095983095he Grace of Community
983095 A Cup of Cool Water 1048633983091he Grace of Comfort
983096 Life in the Slow Lane 983089983088983095
he Grace of Simplicity
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1048633 Possibilities 983089983090983089
he Grace of Hope
983089983088 Streams of Grace 983089983091983093 he Grace of Living a New Way
Acknowledgments 983089983092983095
Notes 9830899830921048633About the Authors 983089983093983091
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I am Glandion
I am a contemplative
I embrace the life and role of the Holy Spirit
I love a good wine
I love fellowship and friendships
I am a deep caring person
I am a worrier and a burden bearer I take time to notice
I am soft-spoken yet strong in spirit
I love jazz as well as the Gregorian chant
I am consciously aware of my sinful nature
I am a great listener
I am a priest a husband and father of four adult children I am a grandpa affectionately called ldquoPapardquo
I long to remain in the presence of God
I like to celebrate
I donrsquot have to act in a cultural manner to define my African
American identity
I am a crosscultural man I think about my death about once a week
I think about my life and want to do the things that matter
I love to laugh yet I cry easily
I love poetry especially S Eliot and Garrison Keillor
I love coffee
I question myself all the time
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I have never sensed the condemnation of God
I donrsquot think about former accomplishments as much as my failures I believe in justice
I have stood in lines in Ethiopia with the hungry and the poor
I have traveled to eastern Africa during the time of genocide
war and famine
I minister in one of the wealthiest communities in the United States
I have learned that the rich in resources can also be poor in spirit I embrace the Scriptures and see them as a guidepost for life
I have struggled to accept the diagnosis of a disease and tried to
cover it up
I love the Father Son and Holy Spirit
I love the Eucharist
I embrace another personrsquos heart whatever their religious practice I believe evil will be overcome
I love to see the sunset
I take time to look in the eyes of others to get a glimpse of their heart
I like to raid the cookie jar in the middle of the night
I love theological discussions
I am loved
I am loving
I am Glandion
I have Parkinsonrsquos
I am learning to walk in grace
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983089
F983137983139983145983150983143 R983141983137983148983145983156983161
The Grace of Acceptance
IT HAPPENED SO FASTmdashmy body wouldnrsquot cooperate with
my mind Never had I struggled with such simple things Iseemed to be all thumbs as I put on my clerical collar It wouldnrsquot go on straight no matter what I did My jacket gotstuck halfway on it felt like a straightjacket binding my armsand preventing me from moving correctly What was going on
Why was I suddenly so clumsy
It was 1048626104862410486241048632 and I was leading a pastorsrsquo conference in KigaliRwanda walking men from many countries through steps ofmeditation reflection and communion with God During mytrip to Africa I had become increasingly tired more so than Ihad ever been in the past Te work was grueling and the hours
were long but I had done this before and it had never bothered
me It felt like my thoughts were being stolen from my mind I
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would begin a sentence and then midway I would not know
where the thought was goingMy good friend William Wilson had gone along to minister
with me A former rappist monk he was now an Anglicanpriest like me William noticed how sluggish and stiff my move-ments were becoming At his encouragement I decided to go tothe doctor for a physical when we got home It seemed logical
that I had picked up a virus or other illness while travelingMy physician did his usual examination but then asked me
to do simple movements like walk a few steps and bend at the waist He inspected my arms knees and legs and tested my re-flexes He shined a light in my eyes and then said simply ldquoYouhave Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquo
Stunned I questioned him ldquoHow do you know How can you say lsquoYou have Parkinsonrsquosrsquo when yoursquove done no test orbloodwork to determine this diagnosisrdquo
He looked me straight in the eyes and responded ldquoYou arenot smiling like you used to and your face looks frozen in afrown Your movements are difficult Your joints are in pain All
this points to Parkinsonrsquos You can get a second opinion from aneurologist but he will tell you the same thingrdquo
Words escaped me I felt nothing I was empty Numb Tere was no brilliant logic to apply Tere were no prayers to
pray Tere was no believing or trusting in God for the future ofmy life in general or my ministry All was blank as if erased I
walked out of his office in a fog When I got to my car I wept
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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983090983088 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
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Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
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grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
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Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
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Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
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Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
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are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
Foreword by Richard J Foster 983089983089
983089 Facing Reality 983089983093he Grace of Acceptance
983090 Experiencing the Presence 9830901048633he Grace of Submission
983091 Giving Up 9830911048633
he Grace of Relinquishment 983092 Stuck in an Airport 983093983088
he Grace of Compassion
983093 God Is Not Mad at You 983094983091he Grace of rust
983094 Wounded Healers 983095983095he Grace of Community
983095 A Cup of Cool Water 1048633983091he Grace of Comfort
983096 Life in the Slow Lane 983089983088983095
he Grace of Simplicity
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1048633 Possibilities 983089983090983089
he Grace of Hope
983089983088 Streams of Grace 983089983091983093 he Grace of Living a New Way
Acknowledgments 983089983092983095
Notes 9830899830921048633About the Authors 983089983093983091
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I am Glandion
I am a contemplative
I embrace the life and role of the Holy Spirit
I love a good wine
I love fellowship and friendships
I am a deep caring person
I am a worrier and a burden bearer I take time to notice
I am soft-spoken yet strong in spirit
I love jazz as well as the Gregorian chant
I am consciously aware of my sinful nature
I am a great listener
I am a priest a husband and father of four adult children I am a grandpa affectionately called ldquoPapardquo
I long to remain in the presence of God
I like to celebrate
I donrsquot have to act in a cultural manner to define my African
American identity
I am a crosscultural man I think about my death about once a week
I think about my life and want to do the things that matter
I love to laugh yet I cry easily
I love poetry especially S Eliot and Garrison Keillor
I love coffee
I question myself all the time
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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I have never sensed the condemnation of God
I donrsquot think about former accomplishments as much as my failures I believe in justice
I have stood in lines in Ethiopia with the hungry and the poor
I have traveled to eastern Africa during the time of genocide
war and famine
I minister in one of the wealthiest communities in the United States
I have learned that the rich in resources can also be poor in spirit I embrace the Scriptures and see them as a guidepost for life
I have struggled to accept the diagnosis of a disease and tried to
cover it up
I love the Father Son and Holy Spirit
I love the Eucharist
I embrace another personrsquos heart whatever their religious practice I believe evil will be overcome
I love to see the sunset
I take time to look in the eyes of others to get a glimpse of their heart
I like to raid the cookie jar in the middle of the night
I love theological discussions
I am loved
I am loving
I am Glandion
I have Parkinsonrsquos
I am learning to walk in grace
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983089
F983137983139983145983150983143 R983141983137983148983145983156983161
The Grace of Acceptance
IT HAPPENED SO FASTmdashmy body wouldnrsquot cooperate with
my mind Never had I struggled with such simple things Iseemed to be all thumbs as I put on my clerical collar It wouldnrsquot go on straight no matter what I did My jacket gotstuck halfway on it felt like a straightjacket binding my armsand preventing me from moving correctly What was going on
Why was I suddenly so clumsy
It was 1048626104862410486241048632 and I was leading a pastorsrsquo conference in KigaliRwanda walking men from many countries through steps ofmeditation reflection and communion with God During mytrip to Africa I had become increasingly tired more so than Ihad ever been in the past Te work was grueling and the hours
were long but I had done this before and it had never bothered
me It felt like my thoughts were being stolen from my mind I
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would begin a sentence and then midway I would not know
where the thought was goingMy good friend William Wilson had gone along to minister
with me A former rappist monk he was now an Anglicanpriest like me William noticed how sluggish and stiff my move-ments were becoming At his encouragement I decided to go tothe doctor for a physical when we got home It seemed logical
that I had picked up a virus or other illness while travelingMy physician did his usual examination but then asked me
to do simple movements like walk a few steps and bend at the waist He inspected my arms knees and legs and tested my re-flexes He shined a light in my eyes and then said simply ldquoYouhave Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquo
Stunned I questioned him ldquoHow do you know How can you say lsquoYou have Parkinsonrsquosrsquo when yoursquove done no test orbloodwork to determine this diagnosisrdquo
He looked me straight in the eyes and responded ldquoYou arenot smiling like you used to and your face looks frozen in afrown Your movements are difficult Your joints are in pain All
this points to Parkinsonrsquos You can get a second opinion from aneurologist but he will tell you the same thingrdquo
Words escaped me I felt nothing I was empty Numb Tere was no brilliant logic to apply Tere were no prayers to
pray Tere was no believing or trusting in God for the future ofmy life in general or my ministry All was blank as if erased I
walked out of his office in a fog When I got to my car I wept
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
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Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
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grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
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Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
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Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
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Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
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983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
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1048633 Possibilities 983089983090983089
he Grace of Hope
983089983088 Streams of Grace 983089983091983093 he Grace of Living a New Way
Acknowledgments 983089983092983095
Notes 9830899830921048633About the Authors 983089983093983091
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I am Glandion
I am a contemplative
I embrace the life and role of the Holy Spirit
I love a good wine
I love fellowship and friendships
I am a deep caring person
I am a worrier and a burden bearer I take time to notice
I am soft-spoken yet strong in spirit
I love jazz as well as the Gregorian chant
I am consciously aware of my sinful nature
I am a great listener
I am a priest a husband and father of four adult children I am a grandpa affectionately called ldquoPapardquo
I long to remain in the presence of God
I like to celebrate
I donrsquot have to act in a cultural manner to define my African
American identity
I am a crosscultural man I think about my death about once a week
I think about my life and want to do the things that matter
I love to laugh yet I cry easily
I love poetry especially S Eliot and Garrison Keillor
I love coffee
I question myself all the time
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I have never sensed the condemnation of God
I donrsquot think about former accomplishments as much as my failures I believe in justice
I have stood in lines in Ethiopia with the hungry and the poor
I have traveled to eastern Africa during the time of genocide
war and famine
I minister in one of the wealthiest communities in the United States
I have learned that the rich in resources can also be poor in spirit I embrace the Scriptures and see them as a guidepost for life
I have struggled to accept the diagnosis of a disease and tried to
cover it up
I love the Father Son and Holy Spirit
I love the Eucharist
I embrace another personrsquos heart whatever their religious practice I believe evil will be overcome
I love to see the sunset
I take time to look in the eyes of others to get a glimpse of their heart
I like to raid the cookie jar in the middle of the night
I love theological discussions
I am loved
I am loving
I am Glandion
I have Parkinsonrsquos
I am learning to walk in grace
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983089
F983137983139983145983150983143 R983141983137983148983145983156983161
The Grace of Acceptance
IT HAPPENED SO FASTmdashmy body wouldnrsquot cooperate with
my mind Never had I struggled with such simple things Iseemed to be all thumbs as I put on my clerical collar It wouldnrsquot go on straight no matter what I did My jacket gotstuck halfway on it felt like a straightjacket binding my armsand preventing me from moving correctly What was going on
Why was I suddenly so clumsy
It was 1048626104862410486241048632 and I was leading a pastorsrsquo conference in KigaliRwanda walking men from many countries through steps ofmeditation reflection and communion with God During mytrip to Africa I had become increasingly tired more so than Ihad ever been in the past Te work was grueling and the hours
were long but I had done this before and it had never bothered
me It felt like my thoughts were being stolen from my mind I
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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983089983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154983137983139983141
would begin a sentence and then midway I would not know
where the thought was goingMy good friend William Wilson had gone along to minister
with me A former rappist monk he was now an Anglicanpriest like me William noticed how sluggish and stiff my move-ments were becoming At his encouragement I decided to go tothe doctor for a physical when we got home It seemed logical
that I had picked up a virus or other illness while travelingMy physician did his usual examination but then asked me
to do simple movements like walk a few steps and bend at the waist He inspected my arms knees and legs and tested my re-flexes He shined a light in my eyes and then said simply ldquoYouhave Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquo
Stunned I questioned him ldquoHow do you know How can you say lsquoYou have Parkinsonrsquosrsquo when yoursquove done no test orbloodwork to determine this diagnosisrdquo
He looked me straight in the eyes and responded ldquoYou arenot smiling like you used to and your face looks frozen in afrown Your movements are difficult Your joints are in pain All
this points to Parkinsonrsquos You can get a second opinion from aneurologist but he will tell you the same thingrdquo
Words escaped me I felt nothing I was empty Numb Tere was no brilliant logic to apply Tere were no prayers to
pray Tere was no believing or trusting in God for the future ofmy life in general or my ministry All was blank as if erased I
walked out of his office in a fog When I got to my car I wept
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
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Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
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grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
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Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
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Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
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Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
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are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
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I am Glandion
I am a contemplative
I embrace the life and role of the Holy Spirit
I love a good wine
I love fellowship and friendships
I am a deep caring person
I am a worrier and a burden bearer I take time to notice
I am soft-spoken yet strong in spirit
I love jazz as well as the Gregorian chant
I am consciously aware of my sinful nature
I am a great listener
I am a priest a husband and father of four adult children I am a grandpa affectionately called ldquoPapardquo
I long to remain in the presence of God
I like to celebrate
I donrsquot have to act in a cultural manner to define my African
American identity
I am a crosscultural man I think about my death about once a week
I think about my life and want to do the things that matter
I love to laugh yet I cry easily
I love poetry especially S Eliot and Garrison Keillor
I love coffee
I question myself all the time
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I have never sensed the condemnation of God
I donrsquot think about former accomplishments as much as my failures I believe in justice
I have stood in lines in Ethiopia with the hungry and the poor
I have traveled to eastern Africa during the time of genocide
war and famine
I minister in one of the wealthiest communities in the United States
I have learned that the rich in resources can also be poor in spirit I embrace the Scriptures and see them as a guidepost for life
I have struggled to accept the diagnosis of a disease and tried to
cover it up
I love the Father Son and Holy Spirit
I love the Eucharist
I embrace another personrsquos heart whatever their religious practice I believe evil will be overcome
I love to see the sunset
I take time to look in the eyes of others to get a glimpse of their heart
I like to raid the cookie jar in the middle of the night
I love theological discussions
I am loved
I am loving
I am Glandion
I have Parkinsonrsquos
I am learning to walk in grace
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983089
F983137983139983145983150983143 R983141983137983148983145983156983161
The Grace of Acceptance
IT HAPPENED SO FASTmdashmy body wouldnrsquot cooperate with
my mind Never had I struggled with such simple things Iseemed to be all thumbs as I put on my clerical collar It wouldnrsquot go on straight no matter what I did My jacket gotstuck halfway on it felt like a straightjacket binding my armsand preventing me from moving correctly What was going on
Why was I suddenly so clumsy
It was 1048626104862410486241048632 and I was leading a pastorsrsquo conference in KigaliRwanda walking men from many countries through steps ofmeditation reflection and communion with God During mytrip to Africa I had become increasingly tired more so than Ihad ever been in the past Te work was grueling and the hours
were long but I had done this before and it had never bothered
me It felt like my thoughts were being stolen from my mind I
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would begin a sentence and then midway I would not know
where the thought was goingMy good friend William Wilson had gone along to minister
with me A former rappist monk he was now an Anglicanpriest like me William noticed how sluggish and stiff my move-ments were becoming At his encouragement I decided to go tothe doctor for a physical when we got home It seemed logical
that I had picked up a virus or other illness while travelingMy physician did his usual examination but then asked me
to do simple movements like walk a few steps and bend at the waist He inspected my arms knees and legs and tested my re-flexes He shined a light in my eyes and then said simply ldquoYouhave Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquo
Stunned I questioned him ldquoHow do you know How can you say lsquoYou have Parkinsonrsquosrsquo when yoursquove done no test orbloodwork to determine this diagnosisrdquo
He looked me straight in the eyes and responded ldquoYou arenot smiling like you used to and your face looks frozen in afrown Your movements are difficult Your joints are in pain All
this points to Parkinsonrsquos You can get a second opinion from aneurologist but he will tell you the same thingrdquo
Words escaped me I felt nothing I was empty Numb Tere was no brilliant logic to apply Tere were no prayers to
pray Tere was no believing or trusting in God for the future ofmy life in general or my ministry All was blank as if erased I
walked out of his office in a fog When I got to my car I wept
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
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Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
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grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
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Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
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Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
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Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
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are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
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I have never sensed the condemnation of God
I donrsquot think about former accomplishments as much as my failures I believe in justice
I have stood in lines in Ethiopia with the hungry and the poor
I have traveled to eastern Africa during the time of genocide
war and famine
I minister in one of the wealthiest communities in the United States
I have learned that the rich in resources can also be poor in spirit I embrace the Scriptures and see them as a guidepost for life
I have struggled to accept the diagnosis of a disease and tried to
cover it up
I love the Father Son and Holy Spirit
I love the Eucharist
I embrace another personrsquos heart whatever their religious practice I believe evil will be overcome
I love to see the sunset
I take time to look in the eyes of others to get a glimpse of their heart
I like to raid the cookie jar in the middle of the night
I love theological discussions
I am loved
I am loving
I am Glandion
I have Parkinsonrsquos
I am learning to walk in grace
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983089
F983137983139983145983150983143 R983141983137983148983145983156983161
The Grace of Acceptance
IT HAPPENED SO FASTmdashmy body wouldnrsquot cooperate with
my mind Never had I struggled with such simple things Iseemed to be all thumbs as I put on my clerical collar It wouldnrsquot go on straight no matter what I did My jacket gotstuck halfway on it felt like a straightjacket binding my armsand preventing me from moving correctly What was going on
Why was I suddenly so clumsy
It was 1048626104862410486241048632 and I was leading a pastorsrsquo conference in KigaliRwanda walking men from many countries through steps ofmeditation reflection and communion with God During mytrip to Africa I had become increasingly tired more so than Ihad ever been in the past Te work was grueling and the hours
were long but I had done this before and it had never bothered
me It felt like my thoughts were being stolen from my mind I
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would begin a sentence and then midway I would not know
where the thought was goingMy good friend William Wilson had gone along to minister
with me A former rappist monk he was now an Anglicanpriest like me William noticed how sluggish and stiff my move-ments were becoming At his encouragement I decided to go tothe doctor for a physical when we got home It seemed logical
that I had picked up a virus or other illness while travelingMy physician did his usual examination but then asked me
to do simple movements like walk a few steps and bend at the waist He inspected my arms knees and legs and tested my re-flexes He shined a light in my eyes and then said simply ldquoYouhave Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquo
Stunned I questioned him ldquoHow do you know How can you say lsquoYou have Parkinsonrsquosrsquo when yoursquove done no test orbloodwork to determine this diagnosisrdquo
He looked me straight in the eyes and responded ldquoYou arenot smiling like you used to and your face looks frozen in afrown Your movements are difficult Your joints are in pain All
this points to Parkinsonrsquos You can get a second opinion from aneurologist but he will tell you the same thingrdquo
Words escaped me I felt nothing I was empty Numb Tere was no brilliant logic to apply Tere were no prayers to
pray Tere was no believing or trusting in God for the future ofmy life in general or my ministry All was blank as if erased I
walked out of his office in a fog When I got to my car I wept
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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983090983090 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
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Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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983090983092 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154983137983139983141
grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
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Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
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Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
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F983137983139983145983150983143 R983141983137983148983145983156983161
The Grace of Acceptance
IT HAPPENED SO FASTmdashmy body wouldnrsquot cooperate with
my mind Never had I struggled with such simple things Iseemed to be all thumbs as I put on my clerical collar It wouldnrsquot go on straight no matter what I did My jacket gotstuck halfway on it felt like a straightjacket binding my armsand preventing me from moving correctly What was going on
Why was I suddenly so clumsy
It was 1048626104862410486241048632 and I was leading a pastorsrsquo conference in KigaliRwanda walking men from many countries through steps ofmeditation reflection and communion with God During mytrip to Africa I had become increasingly tired more so than Ihad ever been in the past Te work was grueling and the hours
were long but I had done this before and it had never bothered
me It felt like my thoughts were being stolen from my mind I
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would begin a sentence and then midway I would not know
where the thought was goingMy good friend William Wilson had gone along to minister
with me A former rappist monk he was now an Anglicanpriest like me William noticed how sluggish and stiff my move-ments were becoming At his encouragement I decided to go tothe doctor for a physical when we got home It seemed logical
that I had picked up a virus or other illness while travelingMy physician did his usual examination but then asked me
to do simple movements like walk a few steps and bend at the waist He inspected my arms knees and legs and tested my re-flexes He shined a light in my eyes and then said simply ldquoYouhave Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquo
Stunned I questioned him ldquoHow do you know How can you say lsquoYou have Parkinsonrsquosrsquo when yoursquove done no test orbloodwork to determine this diagnosisrdquo
He looked me straight in the eyes and responded ldquoYou arenot smiling like you used to and your face looks frozen in afrown Your movements are difficult Your joints are in pain All
this points to Parkinsonrsquos You can get a second opinion from aneurologist but he will tell you the same thingrdquo
Words escaped me I felt nothing I was empty Numb Tere was no brilliant logic to apply Tere were no prayers to
pray Tere was no believing or trusting in God for the future ofmy life in general or my ministry All was blank as if erased I
walked out of his office in a fog When I got to my car I wept
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
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Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
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grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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would begin a sentence and then midway I would not know
where the thought was goingMy good friend William Wilson had gone along to minister
with me A former rappist monk he was now an Anglicanpriest like me William noticed how sluggish and stiff my move-ments were becoming At his encouragement I decided to go tothe doctor for a physical when we got home It seemed logical
that I had picked up a virus or other illness while travelingMy physician did his usual examination but then asked me
to do simple movements like walk a few steps and bend at the waist He inspected my arms knees and legs and tested my re-flexes He shined a light in my eyes and then said simply ldquoYouhave Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquo
Stunned I questioned him ldquoHow do you know How can you say lsquoYou have Parkinsonrsquosrsquo when yoursquove done no test orbloodwork to determine this diagnosisrdquo
He looked me straight in the eyes and responded ldquoYou arenot smiling like you used to and your face looks frozen in afrown Your movements are difficult Your joints are in pain All
this points to Parkinsonrsquos You can get a second opinion from aneurologist but he will tell you the same thingrdquo
Words escaped me I felt nothing I was empty Numb Tere was no brilliant logic to apply Tere were no prayers to
pray Tere was no believing or trusting in God for the future ofmy life in general or my ministry All was blank as if erased I
walked out of his office in a fog When I got to my car I wept
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
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Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
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grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
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Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
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Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
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Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
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are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
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Facing Reality 983089983095
like a baby leaning on the steering wheel for support I called
my wife and told her ldquoTe doctor says I have ParkinsonrsquosrdquoMarion dropped what she was doing at work and came home
to sit with me in silence Tatrsquos when feeling nothing moved todarkness and hopelessness Like Job and his friend in Scripture
we sat in the ash heap of despairAt that point I couldnrsquot see any applications of grace No
Bible verses immediately came to mind to soothe my dark andforeboding spirit Te words ldquoyou have Parkinsonrsquos diseaserdquoplayed over and over in my mind like a record stuck on a trackI felt sabotaged ears of hurt grief and fear fell unceasingly Icouldnrsquot stop them if I tried
Many saints through the centuries have referred to tears as a gift
Te ldquogift of tearsrdquo written about by the desert elders andseveral centuries later by St Ignatius of Loyola are notabout finding meaning in our pain and suffering Tey donot give answers but instead call us to a deep attentivenessto the longings of our heart Tey continue to flow until wedrop our masks and self-deception and return to the sourceof our lives and longing Tey are a sign that we havecrossed a threshold into a profound sense of humility1
I couldnrsquot come up with any longing in my heart except forthis new diagnosis to be recalled It was easier to deceivemyself with the drug of denial than to begin the hard work of
acceptance
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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983089983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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983090983088 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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983090983090 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1722
Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1822
983090983092 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154983137983139983141
grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1922
Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2022
983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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983089983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Te physician recommended I seek physical therapy He re-minded me this disease would take its toll over time to slow theprocess I needed to change my lifestyle Get more rest Exercisemore Start medication Eat well It was all so overwhelming
When I got up the courage I made an appointment with thephysical therapist I walked into the rehab hospital not knowing
what to expect I was blown away Hunchbacked patientsshaking violently were straining to remain balanced while they
walked Most were suffering with the visible effects of Lou Geh-rigrsquos disease multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonrsquos So many diseasesand disabilities were representedmdashyou name it and they had itI saw myself in them and I was scared
When the therapist called my name I jerked to attentionInstead of following him into the therapy session I ran out ofthe waiting room in tears I left and did not go back for a year Ihave never confessed this to anyone before now
Tis was not supposed to be my journey How could I face itI had no direction or sense of destination I didnrsquot even have
a compass Te nothingness I had felt earlier turned into a darkshadow of gray with shades of anger I was on a journey with noend in sight not one I wanted anyway Severe difficulties hadsuddenly been thrust on me and they hovered over my head likedarkening clouds in a storm Questions tormented me Will Idie Where is God in the midst of this Where is my courage
I went to see a neurologist who was also a member of our
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1422
983090983088 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
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8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
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983090983090 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1722
Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1822
983090983092 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154983137983139983141
grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1922
Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2022
983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1322
Facing Reality 9830891048633
church After he confirmed the diagnosis he explained that Par-
kinsonrsquos is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and dif-ficulty with walking movement and coordination and it con-tinues to get worse Seeing the immediate tears in my eyes hecame to my side took me by the hand and said ldquoJust prayGlandion God will show you the wayrdquo
Even after two doctors confirmed the diagnosis it took me
twelve months to accept it During that year I concealed mydifficulties Even though my wife studied to learn more aboutthe disease I refused to do so I hid out like a fugitive I deniedeverything I foolishly thought that if I didnrsquot acknowledge thesymptoms they would just go away
One Sunday morning I was shaving in preparation for church
when I heard these words in my heart ldquoGlandion you donrsquottrust me You say you do but you donrsquot You masquerade andcover up your weaknesses You hide because you will not accept
what I have allowedrdquoIt was Jesus speaking to my heart at the deepest level It
wasnrsquot a harsh rebuke it was a gentle voice asking me to admit
my weakness and come to the truth Tat morning I stood before my congregation as associate
pastor and spoke these words ldquoAs your priest today I need tomake a confession I have Parkinsonrsquos disease I have been cov-ering up my weakness and I need to share it openly Irsquom tryingto accept it as a grace I hope you will pray for merdquo
Many came up afterward to speak to me ldquoMy weakness is
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1422
983090983088 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1522
Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1622
983090983090 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1722
Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1822
983090983092 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154983137983139983141
grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1922
Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2022
983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1422
983090983088 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
drug addictionrdquo ldquoMy weakness is pornographyrdquo ldquoMy weakness
is controlling othersrdquo ldquoMy weakness is alcoholismrdquo We wepttogether held by a powerful cord of acceptance and confession
Te spiritual director in me wanted to sit down with each ofthem over a cup of coffee to validate their experiences of in-tegrity honesty and true confession You see my conviction isthat we donrsquot walk alone on the path of faith We explore it
together learning about grace trials and new beginnings Wemay have different paths on the journey but we all end at thesame destinationmdashthe discovery of Godrsquos faithfulness in
whatever we faceBut how could I express this truth to them when I had not
experienced it myself I admitted my weakness and began to
accept it Now I had to act on it It was the first step to healingand freedom Tere would be many others
A year after I initially visited that rehab hospital I returnedfor physical therapy Tis time I knew what to expect and I wasready to do the work Now what I noticed in the other tor-mented bodies was not their dysfunction but their eyes Teir
eyes conveyed hope courage and a will to overcome Te graceof acceptance allowed me to see them in a different light In-stead of running away from these fellow sufferers I was moti-
vated to join them And I was moved to offer up deep prayer forthem as a sign of accepting our common experience
Another turning point in this journey of acceptance was
the night my wife and I ate dinner at the home of my co-
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1522
Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1622
983090983090 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1722
Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1822
983090983092 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154983137983139983141
grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1922
Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2022
983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1522
Facing Reality 983090983089
author Marjean Brooks and her husband Ricky After dinner
they shared a video with us saying it reminded them ofMarion and me In the video a man was sleeping on thecouch His wife talked excitedly about a new home im-provement tool as she walked up to the camera drawing us inShe guaranteed results and encouraged all viewers to watchher demonstrate Marion was getting interested She needed
some things done around the house and had been trying tomotivate me to do them
As the woman on the video spoke she rolled up a catalog inher hands When she finished her spiel she walked over to herreclining husband whacked his backside with the catalog and
yelled ldquoGet yorsquo butt uprdquo
Marion and I laughed hard at that unexpected ending In factthat line has been a standing joke with us ever since AfterwardI felt as if I had been prompted ldquoOkay Glandion when are you going to lsquoget yorsquo butt uprsquo and work on your liferdquo
Like the main character Much Afraid in the classic allegoryHindsrsquo Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I glimpsed the
journey with all its peaks valleys and shadows Just as MuchAfraid took the hands of her companions Sorrow and SufferingI took the first step of acceptance Without realizing it I hadbeen blocking grace by refusing to be humbled Now I made thechoice to embrace a different way to live and a fresh power tolove through Godrsquos empowering grace I had no idea what lay
ahead But I was ready
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1622
983090983090 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1722
Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1822
983090983092 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154983137983139983141
grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1922
Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2022
983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1622
983090983090 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
In the course of Much Afraidrsquos journey to the High Places shefaced tremendous difficulties After each mountain was scaledor each terror was over she would put a small stone in the poucharound her waist Tey became trophies of grace remembrancesof all that the Shepherd had brought her through In the endthey were turned into beautiful jewels placed in a crown for her
to wearI havenrsquot picked up stones along my journey Instead God has
shown me many different aspects of grace that have spurred meon my way I have carried them until I am used to their weightin my backpack Tey once seemed heavy but now they are
weightless Tey are so much a part of me that I could not live
without them Godrsquos grace has been manifested to me in beau-tiful yet challenging ways He gives this kind of grace to all ofusmdashif we learn to recognize accept and embrace it to live vic-toriously in this world
eresa of Aacutevila a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic philos-opher and Catholic saint described the journey through dif-
ferent graces in her book Te Interior Castle
Let us imagine that there are many rooms in this castleof which some are above some below others at the sidein the centre in the very midst of them all is the principalchamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret
intercourse Tink over this comparison very carefully
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1722
Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1822
983090983092 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154983137983139983141
grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1922
Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2022
983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1722
Facing Reality 983090983091
God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds
of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul No onecan know all about them much less a person so ignorantas I am Te knowledge that such things are possible willconsole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you any ofthese favours2
As I began to look differently at my circumstances I wantedGod to show me all the rooms in my castle I especially wantedto see the principal chamber where he and I could hold the mostsecret intercourse And I was anxious to be enlightened aboutthe grace he would bestow
JESUS F ULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
On this journey into grace I was led to see Jesus as one whoboth gave and modeled grace in his earthly life It started withhis acceptance to come to this world Philippians 10486261048630-1048632 speaksof his willingness to be humbled and to empty himself of therights of heaven in order to take his assignment on earth Chris
iegreen has explained this truth by writing ldquoJesus went fromheavenly riches to earthly rags from exaltation to humiliationfrom authority to obedience from ultimate significance to ul-timate rejection from comfort to hardship from safety to dangerfrom glory to sacrifice and from life to death And he calls us togo into the world in exactly the same way rdquo3
Jesusrsquo acceptance and obedience brought about the saving
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1822
983090983092 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154983137983139983141
grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1922
Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2022
983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1822
983090983092 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154983137983139983141
grace of God Grace is simply Godrsquos unmerited favor In other
words he gives us what we donrsquot deserve (grace) and doesnrsquot giveus what we do deserve (judgment) because of Jesusrsquo death on thecross But itrsquos more intimate than that Grace is Godrsquos blessingoverflowing into our lives o experience Godrsquos grace is to opengift upon gift of comfort companionship and empowerment Inhis grace God saves us strengthens us and sanctifies us He
freely offers us the gift of grace but we must accept it We celebrate grace and thank God for the liberating power
that comes to us through it But it doesnrsquot stop theremdashthere areother aspects of grace God longs to show us Te foreword tothe participantrsquos guide of Max Lucadorsquos book Grace reads ldquoWeknow grace as a noun but Max tells us to think of grace as a verb
It is an action Itrsquos not enough to read about grace we mustexperience itrdquo4
When he came to earth Jesus was ldquofull of grace and truthrdquo(John 104862510486251048628) And if we as believers have accepted him into ourlives then ldquofrom his fullness we have all received grace upongracerdquo (John 104862510486251048630) If Jesus is full of grace and truth and he is
in us then we too can experience lives full of grace and truth What a privilege
Te ldquoway of gracerdquo is the phrase I have used to describe the journey Whether we embark on this road is up to us It can bethe chosen path or a rejected course God offers it freely andopenly He will not force it on us
God issues an invitation to venture to a new land It is much
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1922
Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2022
983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 1922
Facing Reality 983090983093
like the children of Israel journeying to the Promised Land
Tere are dangers and giants in this foreign country but thereare also mysteries to be revealed and provisions along the waythat only God can give Te invitation is to cross over into theland of grace Te question is Will we go
THE GRACE OF A CCEPTANCE
Tis book is simply a recounting of the grace God has workedin my life Each chapter will highlight a different dimensionof grace much like the facets of a diamond My prayer is thatas you read you will find a new way to see the grace that isbeing offered in your own life whatever your place of difficultymay be
We start with the grace of acceptance (chapter one) for it wasthe first step of many in letting go of the control I thought I hadFor me it became a three-step process of acceptance submissionand relinquishment (continued in chapters two and three) Tegrace of acceptance is not a new concept but one that must beexperienced before moving on Godrsquos coming alongside to
extend grace not just once but every day humbles me as hepours out grace upon grace Acceptance is simply this I receiveGodrsquos invitation or offer and willingly embrace what he gives Icome to terms with the fact that I donrsquot have all the answers Iaccept his gift of grace even when it comes alongside illness
weakness or death I move from a place of depression self-pity
and denial into the grace of acceptance
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2022
983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2022
983090983094 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
Tis is what I might have become had I not experienced this
gracebull an alcoholic abusing a substance in order to find peace
bull a bad husband seeking mental and emotional health fromothers while neglecting my wife
bull a disbelieving priest all the while acting out the role of a life
lived in faithAcceptance changed everything
bull Instead of thinking about death I began to embrace life
bull Instead of ignoring people who were handicapped I prayedfor them
bull
When I needed help I asked for it even from strangersbull Instead of hiding I tried to live openly and honestly about
my condition
bull Even though I still had tears I welcomed laughter
bull Instead of being afraid to open up to others I relished deephonest relationships
It was revolutionaryGrace enlarges the capacity of our heart It allows us to be
guided into truth It gives us courage to accept and a reason tocelebrate and opens our eyes to glimpse wonders from God Tefoundation for experiencing this unique call is the knowledge
that we are saved by grace live by grace and are filled with grace
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2122
Facing Reality 983090983095
if we are in relationship with God through Jesus
I talked with Christian philosopher and friend Dallas Willardabout my struggle to understand grace He leaned his tall frametoward me gazed at me with his deep blue eyes and said ldquoGrace
you know doesnrsquot have to do with forgiveness of sins aloneGrace is for all of liferdquo
Another friend Richard Foster told me ldquoWhat happens
after grace Is there anything after grace Te answer is no thereis just gracerdquo Te greatest thing I want to experience and passon to others is the reality and totality of Godrsquos grace How toapply it to any situation and be nurtured and empowered by itIt is greater than we could ever imagine
R EFLECTION
What about you What is the circumstance or difficulty that ishard for you to embrace It may look completely different frommine but no one gets through life without a cross to bear athorn to embrace or a difficulty to overcome
I heard a unique story while traveling in Africa with a
Bedouin tribe It goes back hundreds of years wo Bedouin men were traveling in the desert and came across a man who had diedat an oasis One man asked ldquoHow could he have diedmdashhersquosright at the oasis Tere is shade to cover his body and plenty of
water to drinkrdquo Te other man replied ldquoHe died out of fear What he thought was a mirage was in fact realityrdquo
Let us not miss the waters of grace or faint beside them Tey
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions
8112019 The Way of Grace by Glandion Carney With Marjean Brooks - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-way-of-grace-by-glandion-carney-with-marjean-brooks-excerpt 2222
983090983096 983144983141 W983137983161 983151983142 G983154 983137983139983141
are not a mirage but true waters of refreshment and life As the
prophet Jeremiah wroteBlessed are those who trust in the L983151983154983140
whose trust is the L983151983154983140 Tey shall be like a tree planted by water
sending out its roots by a streamIt shall not fear when the heat comes
and its leaves shall stay greenin the year of drought it is not anxious
and it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 104862510486311048631-1048632)
A PPLICATION
ake five minutes to sit quietly and reflect o begin meditate
on John 104862510486251048628 10486251048630 ldquoAnd the Word became flesh and lived amongus and we have seen his glory the glory as of a fatherrsquos only sonfull of grace and truthrdquo ldquoFrom his fullness we have all receivedgrace upon gracerdquo
Meditate on the phrases ldquoJesus full of grace and truthrdquo andldquograce upon gracerdquo Say them over and over in your mind Tink of
them throughout the day when life becomes demanding Let the words become waters of refreshment overflowing into your life
Pray a simple prayer Jesus I thank you for your grace May you impart your gifts to me
Help me to recognize them and to apply your grace in every situation
Grant me the grace of acceptance for what Irsquom struggling with today
Amen
Copyrighted Material www ivpress compermissions