Grace Covers Me - Speaking gospel truths
61 FOLLOWERS
A blog that explores the love and grace of Christ and how that love and grace inform our daily lives, written by Christine Hoover, author of "Messy Beautiful Friendship" and "From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel" Wife of a church planting pastor and mom to 3 boys.
Grace Covers Me - Speaking gospel truths
4y ago
Friends, thank you for your eagerness to follow me away from my blog and to my newsletter. I have unfortunately caused some confusion. Let me clarify: if you receive my blog posts (like this one) by email, you are also already subscribed to my newsletter. So you don't need to do anything further. If you receive my blog posts in some sort of RSS feed, such as through Bloglovin or Feedly, you need to to my newsletter, as you will no longer hear from me otherwise. If you have any questions, let me know. I'm happy to help. Thank you ..read more
Grace Covers Me - Speaking gospel truths
5y ago
In our family, summer means more trips to the local library and bigger stacks on our bedside tables. In the past, I've forced reading on two of my boys, but finally--finally--this year, they've each happily settled into genres they love, they're constantly asking me if the books they've requested at the library are ready, and if the house has grown quiet, I eventually find them tucked away somewhere, reading. One of my boys is currently reading The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, and I couldn't be happier. The Hiding Place has been instrumental in my life, so I've loved talking with my son a ..read more
Grace Covers Me - Speaking gospel truths
5y ago
I tell people all the time: I wrote a book on friendship because it was a book I needed for most of my 20’s and 30’s. Through those desperate years, I hadn’t known how to think about friendship in a healthy, biblical way. I just knew I felt lonely and frustrated and insecure around other women—feelings that gathered like an avalanche and buried me in my own confused isolation. So I finally took a good long look at friendship. I searched Scripture. I talked with other women and observed those who seemed to do it well. I learned that I had an idealistic (read: unrealistic) idea of what friendsh ..read more
Grace Covers Me - Speaking gospel truths
5y ago
Before I get to my blog post for today...A few weeks ago, a friend asked if I was going to continue with my podcast after the season on friendship, and I was very confused by the question, because I did continue: I'm currently in the middle of a season on serving by faith. Then it dawned on me that she'd probably been listening to By Faith directly on my website rather than a podcast platform, she'd missed the announcement that I'd no longer be sharing the podcast episodes on my blog, and if she'd missed it, many others likely missed it as well. If that's you, I apologize! I'd loved to have yo ..read more
Grace Covers Me - Speaking gospel truths
5y ago
The Lord is gracious to give me perspective regarding my everyday life when I actually step out of that everyday life for a day or two. Blurry thoughts become clear. Mountains are seen as only molehills. Priorities fall into laser-sharp view. Renewal, so desperately sought, comes instead like a whispered surprise. I remember how to smile and dance and sing silly songs again. I went away with childhood friends last week, and being the gracious God he is, the Lord renewed. The path to renewal, however, began with recognition. What I've labeled happening to me over the last few weeks as wearines ..read more
Grace Covers Me - Speaking gospel truths
5y ago
I am a "purpose" person and always have been. I remember as a teenager reading about spiritual gifts and the design of the Body recorded in 1 Corinthians 12 and feeling a sense of joy washing over me. If this is true, I thought, this means each person is designed by God for a purpose and, when found in Christ, gifted with supernatural abilities in order to fulfill that purpose! How incredible to consider! I still find it terribly exciting that every single one of us is vital to the work of God in this world and in his Church. Even more wondrous to me, the Holy Spirit initiates the specific wo ..read more
Grace Covers Me - Speaking gospel truths
5y ago
I was recently reminded of this post I wrote for Desiring God about this time last year. I'm not sure I ever shared it with you, dear reader. I share it with you today, as we wait for Spring to become fully realized, in hopes of encouraging you in whatever lingering winter you're in. I hadn’t opened the old shoe box in a decade, but lifting the frayed lid, I laughed in delight at the faces of dear friends and family staring back at me. For hours afterward, I sat on my closet floor, poring over stacks of these pictures that held constant vigil for happy college years, newlywed days, long ago mi ..read more