A.G.O.G.

 ♪God, I’m still Counting My Blessings♪

Tuesday, February 10, 2026 (5:01 a.m.)

Father God,

Thank You that I would wake up singing about counting blessings.

(6:36 a.m.)

♪Here I am AGAIN…

…Here You are again

Forgiving, redeeming my heart again

Standing me up on my feet again

You show me Your mercy will never run out…

I can breathe again

Knowing I’m loved, I feel free again

No matter how long I’ve been wandering

When I think I’ve gone too far

Here You are again♪

The more of the lyrics I read, the bigger the smile on my face grows. Father, thank You that You love us so much that You are truly with us wherever we go.

Forgiving us. Redeeming us. Showing us Your mercy that never runs out. Bless You for all the ways You show Yourself to us.

(7:01 a.m.)

I’ve been thinking a lot about Your grace since the other day while working on the side yard. It was there I realized I needed to “get a grip” and first uttered the words, “I need another grip of grace.” 

Thank You for the depth of thought this simple phrase has taken me. Each time my mind starts wandering, plotting, replaying perceived slights or offenses, I’ve remembered to call out to You. “Father, I need another grip of grace.”

Who [besides You!] knew that my fondness of acronyms would play out so powerfully in my favor. A.G.O.G. Another Grip of Grace. Simply stated. Easy to remember. Profound in its meaning.

Grip being something to hold on to or a small traveling bag. Each meaning taking on its own twist. I can think of You gripping me. Me holding on to You. Or even packing Your grace in a grip [carryall] to take with me.

(7:36 a.m.)

Truly Father, there is an excitement growing inside me that is eager to tell [agog] of Your greatness. Your goodness. Your glory. And Your grace (Psalm 145:5-8).

I love You. I need You. I trust and want You. Do all You must in using me to serve You as know is best. Thank You Father. Praise You Lord. Amen.

(362 words ~ 7:42 a.m.)

love and let love

 Monday, February 9, 2026 (6:16 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy, Father God,

Thank You again!

There was sleep. And wakefulness. Rest. And YOU!

Thoughts of You. Words about You. Songs singing of You [♪Firm Foundation♪, ♪In Jesus’ Name♪]. Your power. Your Truth. Your love.

Mm, yes. Absolutely Your love.

I confess to losing sight of Your love. I know about it. I believe it. I trust it. Yet I don’t live it. I get disconnected from it. And attempt replicating it through my own strength, power and will. 

Thank You that Your way is better. Mm, yes. ♪Your Way’s Better♪

Father, I want to live Your way. Loving. Forgiving. Not angry and afraid.

Do all You must in empowering and enabling me to: “Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you”  (Ephesians 4:31-32).

Dearest Dad, I truly want to love and let love. Do everything You must in ridding me of all fear and anger. Train me in Your very fine art of faith and forgiveness.

Continue Your work in transforming me into one who “is clothed in strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future” (Proverbs 31:25). Use me exactly as You know is best.

I love, need, trust and want You Lord. Thank You for all You do. Praise You for who You are. Hallelujah! Amen.

(243 words ~ 7:01 a.m.)

singing praise and Truth

 Sunday, February 8, 2026 (6:38 a.m.)

Good morning Blessed God,

I like waking up singing praise and Truth. Thank You that those were the first two songs of the morning.

♪…I’ll PRAISE ‘cause You’re faithful

Praise ‘cause You’re true

Praise ‘ cause there’s nobody greater than You…♪

Mm. Yes, Father.

♪Let everything

That has breath

Praise the Lord♪

(Psalm 150:6)

Yes!

And if that wan’t enough, The Truth came almost immediately next.

♪…The Truth is I am my Father’s child

I make Him proud and I make Him smile

I was made in the image of a perfect King

He looks at me and wouldn’t change a thing…♪

And even as I begin to wonder if You really wouldn’t change a thing, I sing the next line.

♪The Truth is I am truly loved

By a God who’s good when I’m not good enough

I don’t belong to the lies, I belong to You

And that’s the truth♪

Thank You for the privilege of having Your Truth to keep me safe from satan’s power (John 17:16b). I am asking (Matthew 7:7a) You in Jesus’ own words to ‘make me pure and holy through teaching me Your words of Truth’ (John 17:17).

♪Christ is my Firm Foundation 

The Rock on which I stand

When everything around me is shaking

I’ve never been more glad

That I put my faith in Jesus

‘Cause He’s never let me down

He’s faithful through generations

So why would he fail now

He won’t♪

And just when I thought I was done, “But wait! There’s more!”

♪I’ve still got joy in chaos

I’ve got peace that makes no sense

So I won’t be going under

I’m not held by my own strength♪

THAT’s a Truth well worth remembering! I am not held by my own strength. Thank You Father. Keep holding, guiding and directing me. I want to serve You well. Worshiping and adoring, glorifying and enjoying You all of my days.

You ARE my Firm Foundation. The Rock on which I stand. I want very much to continue singing Your praise and Your Truth.

I love, need, trust and want You Lord. Do all You must that I will BE the daughter You created me to be. Thank You. Praise You. All the day long. Amen.

(383 words ~ 7:27 a.m.)

genuinely joyful

 Saturday, February 7, 2026 (5:52 a.m.)

Good morning Lord,

You’ve blessed me again. There was joy yesterday. A returning, renewed, sense of being genuinely joyful. Thank You Father.

Several days of working out in the yard finally yielded me the “Aha!” I’ve been missing for such a long time. That delight that once came so easily. It happened when I told You I was missing my grace.

Hearing it said out loud, I realized it’s not my grace I’ve missed. It's YOURS! Your grace which is sufficient for me. And Your power that is made strong in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

In that moment I saw how far away I had gotten from my dependency on You. I’ve been so focused on wanting to stop the woes of the world from affecting me that I was sinking with despair.

Dwelling on mistakes made by myself and others only takes me deeper. Thank You Father for reminding me that what I need is “another grip of grace” [AGOG]. When I do, I truly become excited and eager to tell others of Your goodness, Your glory, Your greatness, Your grace (Psalm 145:5-8)

I had fallen hard back into the trap of believing it is up to me to make goodness happen. That’s YOUR job! Not mine. Thank You for reminding me Father.

As my brain started to shift again to the faults that ever surround us, I started repeating [and even singing out] “another grip of grace, another grip of grace…” Your grace IS sufficient for me! Your strength and power are made perfect in my weakness.

Father, I want to resemble the apostle Paul in declaring, “So I am happy [genuinely joyful!] to be proud about my weakness. Then I know that Christ's power will be with me” (2 Corinthians 12:9b).

Yes! Your grace and Christ’s power. Not manufactures by me!

Continue singing and speaking to me I pray. I am ever in need of another grip of grace!

Use me exactly as You alone know is best. I love, need, trust and want You, Blessed God. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(353 words ~ 7:36 a.m.)

God only knows...

 Friday, February 6, 2026 (4:58 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You.

The word curious was used to describe me yesterday. I admit I liked hearing it.

(5:24 a.m.)

Thank You again.

While reading about being curious with You a song started singing in my mind. Thank You for its quick identification.

♪…God Only Knows what you’ve been through

God only knows what they say about you

God only knows how it’s killing you

But there’s a kind of love that God only knows

…God only knows the real you♪

Thank You Father. You not only know the real me, You love me. In spite of myself.

(6:13 a.m.)

Lord, I’m curious about what You have planned for us today. And I’m asking (Matthew 7:7a) You to keep me connected to You every moment of the entire day. Reminding me that You know it all.

I love, need, trust and want You. Use me as You know is best. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(169 words ~ 6:31 a.m.)

tricking my brain

 ♪Holy, Holy Holy Lord God Almighty

Early in the morning our voices rise to Thee

Holy, holy, holy merciful and mighty

God in three Persons

Blessed Trinity♪

Thursday, February 5, 2026 (4:27 a.m.)

So I’m singing and saying the words I think will trick my brain to joyfulness.

Worldwide English (New Testament) tells us, “Do not be like the people of this world, but have a new mind. Then you prove for yourselves what God wants you to do. That will be good. It will please God. And it will be all right” (Romans 12:2).

Yes please. I want to please You Lord.

♪Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine

He’s been my fourth man in the fire, time after time…

♪Perfect submission, all is at rest

I know the Author of tomorrow has ordered my steps…

♪I Trust in God, my Savior

The One who will never fail…♪

Here is where I confess to wanting to feel joyful again. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, “Always be joyful.” Being and feeling are two very different concepts.

Thank You that we have Your Word to teach and to guide us. I want to BE joyful Father. Maybe that in itself will trick my brain into feeling it more regularly..

I love, need, trust and want You Father. Use me exactly as You know is best.

Do all You must that I will truly “Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

No easy tasks. Yet Jesus, Himself said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26). And before Him, the angel Gabriel told Jesus' soon to be mother Mary, “For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

I trust You Lord. And here I resemble the father of the possessed boy Jesus helped (Mark 9:14-27). “I do believe, but help me not to doubt!” (V. 24).

Yes Father. Help me not to doubt! Thank You. Praise You. Joyfully. Amen.

(341 words ~ 5:45 a.m.)