February 2026 Newsletter

Quotes of the month

May God give me grace to live the life He gives me and the grace to do His will every day of my life.

(Contributed by Joan Cleary, tai chi student)

 Just as the visible sun shines on physical eyes, so Christ illuminates every mind and heart.

The Teachings of Silvanus

Today may God open your eyes so you can see the land of promise ahead of you. May He fill you with faith to possess the best of what He has for you. May He strengthen you with purpose so you will faithfully steward today with a faith-filled heart. And may He divinely interrupt you anytime He wants to so that you may be a constant and continual blessing to everyone you meet.

Christian memes website

My dear friend, when grief pushes you to the dust, worship there.

Charles Spurgeon

Amidst a thousand snares I stand, upheld and guarded by your hand. That hand unseen shall hold me still and lead me to your holy hill.

Isaac Watts

Though I created you without your help, I will not save you without it - Jesus

by Frank Paul

Jesus said the title of this article to Catherine of Siena around 1362, when she was in quiet prayer and meditation; some have labeled her a mystic. Catherine was born in 1347 in Siena, Italy, and from an early age wanted to devote herself to God, rather than being married off to whomever at 14 or 15, which was the custom at that time. Instead she joined the “Mantellates,” a group of pious, mostly widowed, women who devoted themselves to the Dominican spirituality. Many times during her prayer and meditative sessions she would hear Jesus speaking to her, so much so that she had a couple local secretaries, who were literate, because Catherine was not, join her and she would dictate to them what she heard Jesus say. This fascinating compilation of Jesus’ words was first compiled in 1370, then translated into English a few years later. It is an excellent read. It has been titled under two names: The Dialogue with the Saviour, and The Dialogue of the Seraphic Virgin; either way, it’s easily accessible on many platforms.

But the point of this article is the one saying of Jesus that really hit home with me, “Though I created you without your help, I will not save you without it.” If you think about it, that is profound. Yes, we have Jesus’ mercy; yes, we have Jesus’ grace (see next article), but we need to do our part. Salvation is not a gimmie or a freebie. Our lives need to reflect and be an example of Jesus; and that takes effort on our part. Being conscious of what comes out of our mouth is the first character attribute that I think about. Our words can hurt; be careful with them. Our generosity toward others; active generosity, donating to organizations every month that help others: Salvation Army, Greater Cleveland Food Bank, American Bible Society, Navigators, Boys Town, Prison Fellowship, Touching Lives, and there are a ton of others. Find some, donate. And if you do go downtown wherever you live, as I do, and you actually see a homeless person, stop, say hello, stop in a nearby store and buy them a sandwich. Do something. Active Christianity, that is what we need more of.

And how is your heart? Jesus wants your heart. Is it bitter, resentful, spiteful; that is not the Jesus way. Get rid of that feeling. Reread Ezekiel 36:26 a dozen times if you have to; clean yourself up from the inside out, not only will you feel better, you’ll be more presentable to Jesus when the times comes. Ezekiel 36:26 (KJV) - "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

And yes, you need to present yourself to God and Jesus when the time comes and be judged. I believe many Christians think because we have God’s grace, we’re a shoo-in, we’re first in line to get into heaven; I think not. Jesus said I will not save you without your help. So do your part, whatever your part may be to fit whatever stage in life you’re in now. As Charles Spurgeon would say, “Most people think more about their dogs and cats than about their souls.”

Don’t be one of those people. This lifespan is short, eternity is long; give some attention to where you’re going, not where you are today, for as it is stated in 1 Timothy 6:7 (KVJ), “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

And if you get stuck, you’re not certain what to do or where to go next in being more Christ-like, give God a call and ask for some help. We literally have His phone number; use it. Jeremiah 33:3 (CSB), “Call to Me, and I will answer you and tell you great and wonderous things you do not know.”

Grace – What is it exactly?

by Frank Paul

Have you ever bought a gift for someone that you really know well? You can just feel they are going to like it. You have known them for a long time, you are familiar with their likes and dislikes, and you cannot wait to see their reaction when they open it. That is how I see grace. It is an absolutely wonderful gift from God, to us, whom He knows so well; actually knew us before we were ever born.

But what is different with God’s gift of grace to you from that gift you bought your friend is that God gives His wonderful gift to everyone, whether they deserve it or not. On the other hand, you are probably not in the habit of buying gifts for people you do not really know or who are unkind to you; that is the major difference with God’s gift of grace.

Grace is mentioned 170 times in the Bible (KJV). One example is Paul’s Ephesian 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”  This is also a good example how grace is God’s favor toward the unworthy, His unearned and freely given gift, which helps provide us a means for salvation.

This next sentence may seem as if a child is writing it, but this is truly how I feel: It is just so nice of Him to do that for us. Of course, you know “nice” is not a strong enough word, but I could just feel that as I was writing.

Back to the adult: One might think of grace as a concept, a concept that transcends beyond just the word itself, but it spills over into the entire Bible. There are examples of God’s favor being given to Noah, Abraham, Moses, continuing into the New Testament, through the revelation of grace through Jesus Christ, God’s greatest gift to us.

Grace’s first appearance in Scripture is all the way back in Genesis 6:8, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” At this point in the Biblical timeline, God has pretty much had it with men fouling up everything He created and decides to do away with the entirety of it all, but for Noah and his family. Noah’s gift of grace is undeniable.

One of my favorite appearances of grace or gracious is found in Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”

To modernize it a bit. My assumption would be that most of us have heard the hymn Amazing Grace by John Newton (although you might not have known the composer; I didn’t). “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.”  Newton’s personal experience of God’s grace, despite his not so nice past, is just another example of how profoundly the impact of grace can be to someone, so much so that he wrote a hymn about it. I can relate to how something can impact you so much that you feel compelled to write about it. (See My Miracle, Part 1, on our website: TheSowerofSeeds.com)

Some of more famous theologians like Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin wrote extensively about how glorious the gift of grace is. Augustine’s later works, 390-ish A.D., including “The Spirit and the Letter,” and “The City of God,” emphasize how grace is necessary for salvation, conveying to us we are incapable of achieving righteousness on our own. Martin Luther wrote an entire doctrine about it, “Sola Gratia,” which means grace alone, and used grace as one of his central tenets of the Reformation.

During my research for this article I thought what the heck, why not look up grace in the dictionary; and yes, I still use a dictionary, the kind you can actually turn the pages. You will be surprised how many other words you come across on your way to the word you are looking for. A lost art, I know, but still extremely valuable. Merriam Webster: Grace - God-given help or kindness; a state of acceptance by God; a God-given virtue; the graces of self-denial, humility, and love.

Hopefully by now you can see how grace extends beyond being just a simple word. It is a living, breathing, continual gift from God. Absolutely beautiful.

So next time you hear the word grace, don’t just let it go in one ear and out the other. Consider how wonderful a gift it is from our Lord, shadowing us in His love, helping us along the way back to Him, and deep down in your thoughts thank Him for it; you and I do not deserve it. It is truly an expression of how much God loves us.

May the grace of the Lord be with you, today and always. Amen.

(Soli Deo gloria, Glory to God alone)

Martin Luther’s evening prayer

My Heavenly Father, I thank You, through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, that You have protected me, by Your grace. Forgive, I pray, all my sins and the evil I have done. Protect me, by Your grace, tonight. I put myself in your care, body and soul and all that I have. Let Your holy angels be with me, so that the evil enemy will not gain power over me.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

            Help!!

The IT person who initially set up the Sower of Seeds website did a great job, but then he disappeared. The website needs some major work, and I do not know how to do it. The website is on the Wix platform. The actual website needs updating, needs navigational tools moved around, needs to be bumped up so it’s seen on Google, because it’s not. I need to know how to post videos. I’m not looking for a freebie; business is business, I’ll pay the freight. If you, or anyone you know, is familiar with how to navigate around the Wix platform, please let me know or have them contact me at the email below. Thanks much.

www.thesowerofseeds.com

frankpaul@thesowerofseeds.com

copyright@TheSeedSower2026

The Sower of Seeds

P.O. Box 815

North Olmsted, Ohio 44070

(Disclaimer:  What you are reading is all me, with the exception of some articles I include by other Christian authors, but I always give them credit and their own byline.

 I enjoy writing and creating. So I use no AI writing assist programs, nor will I ever going forward. Thank you.)