We are With You...

In Our Absence—We Are Present…
We are with you – we feel your pain – in this season of tension, transition, & transformation. We know that times are tough for most of us, and we are striving to find solutions to the challenges we are all facing and trying to overcome. The more we understand this season, it is becoming clearer & clearer as to our purpose in providing an Alternative Access Point regarding What it means to be Christian – What it means to be the Church – & what it means to be Broken for the hurting & lost.
As many of us are being bounced off the wall & being pulled through the “Eye of the Needle,” “Stuff” & “Things” are being Lost in the process. The pain is obvious; it hurts & even if it’s not fair, we must remember, God is with us, overseeing all that is taking place. As things get pulled away from us and as we get hurled to sidelines of Life, (being marginalized) we can call it an EXILE of sorts. We get pushed away from our “Normal” settings through much Pain & Sorrow. God asks us to wait, stop, pause, reflect, & ultimately open our ears & Listen.
In Exile we are forced to survive the pain of loss. Grieving is a must if we are going to be able to confess to the fact that we are hurt – broken – lost & that we are in need of help. When we come true to ourselves & embrace our pain, God engages us & calls out to us through our pain “I see you – I’ve seen it all happen – I know where you are – I know where you are headed.” Through the removal of the busyness of life, God has us in a place where he can Encourage us in deeper ways then we have known in the past to keep on going as He helps us clean up the messes we have created and the messes that got into us. The World continues to spin, ever faster, 24 hrs. a day, burning away at an alarming pace, while we do our very best clear our eyes from the many tears that flush through them, in hopes of getting back into our place of interaction with the world we are called to love to the levels that we known from the past. God brings clarity, in His timing, as He sees fit. IN THIS, we learn first hand what it means to yearn our guts out for the change we so desperately need. As we grope to see the Hope Arising in our circumstances, we learn to live our lives to the fullest, in the midst of the tension of not yet being where we desire to be. Ultimately, the aching trains our hearts to endure life’s journey, until we finally walk through Heaven’s Gates. This Hope is learned & educated down to the last scruple. When in Exile, platitudes, posturing, & pretending fall away, and we learn to amazing levels, “His Grace Is Enough.” We see clearly our brokenness and it becomes more evident, as we hear others talking about their achievements & tasks accomplished, and we are holding fast, clinging to Grace just to make it through another day. Yet, He comes and He calls us, in our brokenness to lift up our heads and to hear His call to move forward.
God is calling for us to move forward to Open up the Gateways of Change for all who need it. We believe God is calling out and the cry is for “Grace & Mercy” – “Grace & Mercy” “They need Grace & Mercy!” Lord we are humbled by your call and in hearing it, we will embrace it full heartedly, not knowing what the results will look like. Lord, we will leave the outcomes in your hands. The gifts we have been given, we offer them up as holy offerings to you, and they are yours for your glory. We make no apologies for using these gifts to the fullest and putting our guts into it, to make your Grace known. Our lives surrendered, extending Grace to all, no matter what comes our way.
Lord, you know who this is for. We desire to be faithful to do our part in bringing it to fruition as the Holy Spirit sets things in motion, we respond, “Yes & Amen.” The Spirit of Lord has convinced us and is strongly encouraging us to step out in faith and present Grace & Mercy International to this Generation. Sharing Grace in graspable & transferable terms is our desire. We are Humbled, we are Fearful, we are Compelled, we are Hopeful, & we are Inspired. Your presence, oh Lord, reaffirms us, that we will be ok and each day is a gift…All is a Gift !
We continue to pray…
Grace, Mercy, & Peace

You are Loved, Valued, & forever are in our Hearts.

GMI Intro

Our desired objective (call) is to provide an opportunity for engaging with the Gospel, while creating an atmosphere & understanding that change takes time. Making it very clear to everyone that the journey into Faith in Jesus as Lord & Savior, is an individual process of learning, trusting, and obeying the LORD. This process must be respected and encouraged (given room to breathe), as individuals contemplate with self application for His or Her next steps in the Faith. Everyone is intelligent, made in the image of God, and must be respected, especially when it comes to the capacity to make personal decisions as the Spirit of the Lord illuminates truth to the heart.

It is our hope to come alongside individuals and to encourage them in the faith, no matter where they may be in the process. This includes everyone, the not yet Christ followers and also those who are presently following Christ. Our continued conversation with everyone will be—“Are you presently living in the Grace of God?—If you are—lets continue encouraging each other on in the journey—or— if you are not sure that you are living in the Grace of God or are not sure what the Grace of God is—please let us do our very best to explain, direct, and encourage you into the Grace of God—this moment.” Living in the Grace of God (Being Christian) is not just a one time decision; it is a lifelong continuous journey of learning what it means to be a Christ Follower day by day—moment by moment—choice by choice. We will, by the Grace of God, continue to share the Good News that we can all embrace our world with encouragement and understanding, knowing that God is in our midst.

Understanding our culture in its context is crucial for being effective as Representatives for the Kingdom of Heaven. Being in touch with our Generation and knowing its pulse will bring about the greatest opportunities for engagement. This is a Generation that longs for trusting Relationships with the basic understanding of each others values & uniqueness as individuals. Wild times—indeed. Therefore, we see great potential for us to embrace others with genuine care and concern, demonstrating Christ like Love. The Golden Rule is imperative. People are quick to discern the real thing, if it is not there, they’re gone. People are intelligent and as they sense and detect authentic, selfless love, they will cling to it. Like never before, we as Christians need to be sure our motives are as pure as we know we can make them, so we can truly be representing the Kingdom of Heaven and not are own agendas. These are difficult times for everyone, as our world is trembling with change; the Spirit of Lord is calling us to embrace our culture, demonstrating the Grace & Mercy of God. We hear the cry, and we are willing to risk all we have to fulfill His call. We believe as God calls us into His mission, He will provide the resources to do so.

Gateway of Hope

GMI (Grace & Mercy Intl.) is our response to our Generation. Grace & Mercy Intl. will focus on transferring graspable, life changing principles by any means acceptable to God, with an understanding that self application will bring about optimal, positive change. Ultimately, this process will lead us to the Principle Maker (God), from whom we receive all things, enabling us to become all we were created to be. As we find redemption through faith in Christ, it enables us to become Grace filled agents of change. With empowerment from the Holy Spirit, we will embrace our world with hope, encouraging others to engage into a lifetime journey of learning, loving, and living for Jesus. There’s nothing new under the sun – no Elitism, no “Best way” – just Spiritual Renewal. Grace & Peace from the Garris'