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Echos of Mercy

Posted on September 22, 2024September 22, 2024 by Pam

In Prague. In church today, one of the hymns sung was an oldie and a goodie, Blessed Assurance. The lyrics were written in 1873 by blind writer Fanny Crosby to the music written by Phoebe Knapp. I won’t recount all of the words but this phrase goes, ‘Echos of mercy, whispers of love’. How often have you struggled to put into words what you are hearing from God? We experience renewal and restoration when we confess our sins because He is faithful to forgive our sins. That sounds like echos of mercy and whispers of love to me. These thoughts permeated the message by Steve Henderson on Psalm 32 on the blessings of forgiveness. Nathan the prophet says to King David, after he has lusted, sinned, and committed murder, “You are the man”. These were big sins but there are no slight sins. There are also no secret sins, no white lies, coverups, and escape from discovery. God is everywhere – in the darkest places and in the light. The miracle of forgiveness restored David to relationship with God. How else could God have called this evil being, “A man after My own heart”? That is not a whisper of love but a SHOUT. Sin is a debt and you can read the first 11 of the 18 verses of this Psalm. The mercy to me that echos is that I don’t want to sin but I keep doing it. Any sin would have brought Jesus to the cross so let’s not compare accounts. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. Yet, Jesus said to another woman, “Go and sin no more”. How can that be? Did she never sin again? “He/She who is forgiven much loves much so I think God recommends we sin no more for our benefit and for the benefit of those who have to live with us and our ‘moments’ of sin. We are forgiven but be not deceived, on our final day (if we know it is our final day) we will not be looking for anything more than forgiveness. Forgiveness for the sins of commission and also the sins of omission. All of the ministry we thought we would get around to but the tv is easier. All of the people we wanted to share with but we were catching up and did not ask direct questions. All of the good stuff that might have made a difference in God’s Kingdom but we weren’t being brave in that moment. We don’t live as desperately as we might? We have echos of mercy. We are forgiven but can we love God enough to be a little braver tomorrow because the world is desperately looking to be forgiven? We know how it works. Tell a friend about the pearl of great price.

A beautiful cemetery in Prague. They are either in Heaven or hell.

"Thoughts from a genuinely evaluative mind."

Pam writes so that must make her a writer. Recently retired, she can now fill days with family, friends, missions, writing, creating, and showing up for whomever needs her. Pam loves the Lord and people. The Bible is God’s love letter to us (and who does not need more love) so she studies and writes some more.

Pam lives in the Pacific Northwest but was home-grown in Southern California. She attended San Jose Bible College and finished a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at UCLA. She became a teacher, then a Research and Development Chemist, then she built two successful real estate businesses in two states. Pam also pursued study at Fuller Theological Seminary and just completed six months serving in missions abroad.

Pam has two amazing children, married to two precious in-laws, and five sweet grandchildren. Pam is a gifted connector and communicator and the Northwest has the perfect climate for staying inside and writing – or baking! She has been writing since a wee one and is currently converting many years of blogging, by topic, into ten books. The first is a collection from 2011 titled, Beautiful Enough. The second is a yearly day-timer titled, Weekly Planner - Lessons in Life, Glory, and Grace. Number three is in progress with the working title, Christmas Today.

Ten facts about Pam in no particular order:

  1. On the team that developed an insulation for the Alaskan oil pipeline.
  2. Loves looking at homes, decorating, and has flipped five homes.
  3. Likes being tall.
  4. Films have helped define her vocabulary.
  5. Comes from Colorado tenement farmers with history traced to Wales.
  6. Was lost but now is found.
  7. Baking makes her happy – as does eating sweets with coffee, of course.
  8. She thinks mission work is the most important work in the world.
  9. The church started in Rome so she is learning Italian.
  10. Pam is a work in progress!

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime - until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” Isaiah 46:4

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