The Pace of Grace Blog
An Unexpected Harvest
By Renée Gotcher
Today I’m sharing one of my devotions, “An Unexpected Harvest,” in a very special place: On the Proverbs 31 Ministries website, in the Encouragement for Today devotions series! What an honor to be among the excellent writers featured here—I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to share what God placed on my heart with all…
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What Does it Mean to Be Missional?
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: Missional “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’” –Mark 16:15 (ESV) I vividly remember the year I found myself sitting next to my homeschooling sister-in-law and my first-generation homeschooling mother-in-law at the Denver Missional Women’s Conference. Both happened to be in town at…
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Three Simple Ways to Experience Spiritual Refreshment
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: Spiritual Refreshment “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.” –Exodus 23:12 My husband and I have always loved hiking. Before we had children,…
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Does God Want Me to Be a Morning Person?
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: Spiritual Discipline “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” – Mark 1:35 (ESV) I did it again this morning. I set my alarm an hour earlier than I needed to so I wouldn’t have to rush…
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How to Rely on God’s Power When Affliction Persists
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: God’s Power “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) A few years ago, I started…
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The Fallacy of a High Friends Count
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: Friendship “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” —Proverbs 18:24 When did “friend” become a verb? Not “befriend,” which means “to act as a friend of,” but just “friend,” as in, “I friended so-and-so, and…” As you probably guessed, most…
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Why Does This Suddenly Feel Like Sin?
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” —Romans 6:22 (ESV) Our attentive server whisked over to our table with a small dish holding two brightly seasoned wedges of freshly baked focaccia bread.…
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When God’s Will Doesn’t Include Healing
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he…
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Why Should I Meditate on Scripture?
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: “My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word.” — Psalm 119:148 The sliver of moonlight penetrating a thin gap between the slightly short blackout curtains on my bedroom window grew more intense as drawn-out minutes of sleeplessness turned into hours. I lay wide awake—yet again—trying to…
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Trusting God With Our Best-Laid Plans
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” —Proverbs 19:21 ESV I was happy to see a familiar face behind the customer service counter as I hopped into line at our local Hobby Lobby. This sweet young lady had checked…
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Short Nature Walks Can Benefit Mental Health
By Renée Gotcher
Did you know research confirms that short nature walks benefit mental health? Recent studies also report that consistent walking—and specifically walking in nature—provides significant mental health benefits to those experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms. An article published in Medical News Today last summer reported that a short walk each day could reduce depression symptoms. Researchers…
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Can God Work Even This for Good?
By Renée Gotcher
I couldn’t tell you how many times I have prayed Paul’s words from the perspective-shifting promise found in Romans 8:28 while struggling to stay afloat in overwhelming storms. Believing that our sovereign God works all things (not just some) together (not separately) for His purposes provides the soul-steadying peace we need to sustain us until…
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