“Lisa’s fine grasp of Scripture and love for the Lord make her a trustworthy teacher, yet we learn from her own hard-earned lessons as well. She speaks and writes from a place of understanding, as she clings to God’s hand, giving us the privilege of stumbling into grace with her.” —LIZ CURTIS HIGGS, best-selling author of Bad Girls of the Bible “So, today I’ve been thinking about...things that bind us. The thought flitted around my mind and then landed for a while, likely because I was wearing a pair of too-tight jeans.” Women of Faith® speaker and author Lisa Harper relates from experience — life can be uncertain, sometimes even scary. But with a witty twinkle in her eye and a Bible in her hand, she describes what it’s like to find real security in the arms of a Savior who doesn’t just notice us but who moves heaven and earth on our behalf. Part diary, part devotional, Stumbling Into Grace weaves hilarious and poignant stories from Lisa’s own life with intimate and transformational encounters from the life of Christ. Prayers, reflection questions, and journal prompts help women dig deep into biblical truths to better understand how our Redeemer’s compassion, affection, and constancy make every single moment of life not only more enjoyable but well worth living! Rarely are the terms “hilarious storyteller” and “theologian” used in the same sentence - much less to describe the same person - but Lisa Harper is definitely not stereotypical. She possesses an earned doctorate from Houston Theological Seminary, an honorary doctorate from Denver Seminary, and is a frequent belly laugher! She teaches God’s Word around the world and has published extensively, however, she describes her greatest accomplishment as being Missy’s mom through the miracle of adoption. stumbling into grace Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually Clumsy Woman By LISA HARPER Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2011 Lisa Harper All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-8499-4648-6 Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................................................................xvINTRODUCTION: WE HAD HIM AT "HELLO"..................................................................xvii1. EWE SCARED? Jesus and Scary Things...............................................................32. THE VERY REAL PROBLEM WITH PANTYHOSE Jesus and Binding Things....................................153. TAKE A LOAD OFF Jesus and Fattening Things.......................................................274. NO FANGS ALLOWED Jesus and Dangerous Things......................................................395. CAT APPRECIATION DAY Jesus and Little, Sweet Things..............................................516. JOHNNY COME LATELY Jesus and the Gift of Forgiveness.............................................637. GETTING OUR SQUEEZE ON Jesus and the Gift of Touch...............................................758. THE BRIDE WHO TRIPPED DOWN THE AISLE Jesus and the Gift of Good Humor............................879. WHO'S GOT YOUR BACK? Jesus and the Gift of Community.............................................9910. BUSYNESS ISN'T A SPIRITUAL GIFT Jesus and the Gift of Rest......................................11111. EMPATHIZING WITH ENEMIES How Jesus Helps Us Become Less Critical................................12512. LIAR, LIAR! PANTS ON FIRE! How Jesus Helps Us Become More Honest................................13713. PUTTING DOWN THE PEN How Jesus Helps Us Become More Content.....................................14914. CARRYING HOME A GIANT How Jesus Helps Us Become More Dependent..................................15915. THE GALVANIZING EFFECT OF GRATITUDE How Jesus Helps Us Become More Grateful.....................173CONCLUSION: THE SANCTITY OF SCARS....................................................................187NOTES................................................................................................191 Chapter One EWE SCARED? Why is God doing this? Though it is blasphemous to think it, our whole being cries out that this is unfair of him, that our grief and pain are disproportionate to our sin, that we have been abandoned. —D. A. Carson So, today I've been thinking about scary things. It all started with a phone call from my doctor. Actually, I should probably back up a bit further in my story and explain that I was raised in a family where you pretty much had to slice an artery before going to the doctor. No missing school because of the sniffles for us, though coughing up blood might qualify for skipping homeroom. Much as parents lecture their unappreciative offspring with tales of hiking through snowdrifts and milking seventeen cows before eating breakfasts of gruel, I'm tempted to lecture some of my seemingly wimpy friends about the dangers of hypochondria, which is why I was really flustered by my response to this recent phone call from my dermatologist. I wasn't initially alarmed when her number appeared on