Stones of Grace

By Virginia Bates Kidd

Intrigued by the piles of stones, rocks, and boulders that cover the landscape of the Holy Land, author Virginia Bates Kidd begins a deeper quest for a pattern within these emblems. As she journeys through the Scriptures, Kidd discovers how God transformed these simple facets of nature into timeless messages of love and grace, building onto a wide gamut of human emotions to reach the deepest recesses of our hearts.
Kidd sprinkles pebbles of her own imagination onto familiar stories: the clink of stone upon stone resounds with startling life while Abraham builds his altar with Stones of Sorrow. The stones beneath the feet of the adulterous woman roll with a life of their own as she walks away from the temple. The trajectory of The First Stone is infused with the jealousy that drove Cains hand to murder. Pride and ambition pile up the bricks of the Tower of Babel, and Stones of Courage shows the earth shaking under a giants armor-clad weight, while David prevails with large faith and small stones.
Throughout her exploration, Kidd winds down each story with a heartfelt devotion. She hopes these biblical stories will stir your imagination and warm your heart. Says Kidd: Seek your own concordance and go to work. Gods Word is a precious jewel, and He wants to enrich your life withit.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781512703559

Virginia Bates Kidd

 Virginia Bates Kidd and James, her pastor husband of over fifty years, are in full-time ministry. Kidd received her Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry late in life. Her goal in attending college was to learn how to write simply, while inspiring others into a deeper study and understanding of the Bible. Kidd has four children and six grandchildren.   

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Copyright © 2015 Virginia Bates Kidd.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-0354-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-0355-9 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/16/2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THE FIRST STONE

ONE STONE TOO MANY

STONES OF SORROW

WORDS WRITTEN ON STONE

THE ROCK OF PROTECTION

THE ROCK AT MERIBAH

THE TRUE ROCK

STONES OF REMEMBRANCE

STONE OF COURAGE

STONES OF FIRE

THE RESTORED ALTAR

ENGRAVED IN THE ROCK

THE ROCK OF REFUGE

A ROCK TO STUMBLE OVER

THE EVERLASTING ROCK

HEARTS OF STONE

A MUTE STONE

THE DEATH STONES

A CHURCH ON A ROCK

STICKS AND STONES

THE STONES WILL CRY

A STONE’S THROW

STEPPING STONES TO CALVARY

STONE OF JOY

THE COWARDS’ STONES

LIVING STONES

THE GOLDEN ALTAR

BIBLIOGRAPHY

NOTES

DEDICATION

To my husband, James

INTRODUCTION

The idea for these Bible study devotionals came to me after my husband, a pastor, visited Israel. He told me that the most ordinary thing he saw in the Holy Land was rocks. Piles of stones, rocks, and boulders covered the landscape. I knew that the words, stones and rocks, were often mentioned in the Scriptures. At this point, I began a journey through the Scriptures to find references to stones, and rocks.

Throughout the history recorded in the Bible, God chose something that was found everywhere to teach people about His love and His grace. The rocks of God’s creation were used as weapons, and they were used as altars. By following the words (stones, rocks, altars) through the Bible, I saw a pattern of thought that I found interesting. Each story taught God’s grace. God showered His grace on David when he used one smooth stone to defeat Goliath. I titled this story, The Stone of Courage. One of my favorite stories is the tower of Babel. The leaders of Babel did not seek God’s will for their lives. I titled that story, One Stone Too Many. In these Scriptures, I discovered that God taught me many lessons.

Storytelling and some creative license helped me in writing the stories. Down through the years, many biblical passages were told over and over to God’s people by storytellers who truly had hidden His word in their hearts. To those ancient peoples, the stories were real, true, and God-breathed. I wanted the readers to see the stones Abraham used to build the altar for Isaac’s sacrifice and to feel the stones beneath their feet as they walked from the Temple with the adulterous woman. In this study, I saw a loving God who showed His children that His grace was sufficient. From stones that killed, to rocks that showed the strength of God, the objects told their own stories. God’s grace was free.

It is my prayer that you, dear reader, will continue to search God’s word in a way that is meaningful to you. Find your own special word or phrase, take up a concordance, your favorite translation of the Bible, and go to work. God’s Word is a precious jewel, and He wants to enrich your life with it.

His Servant,

Virginia

For by grace you have been saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8 NAS

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16 NAS

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THE FIRST STONE

(Genesis 4)

The two brothers walked in the open field. Seeds planted earlier appeared as tiny dots of green pushing their way through the brown mounds of dirt. The young men stepped carefully over the rows of plants. In the distance, wheat, planted months earlier, moved from side to side in an occasional breeze. Past the wheat fields, a row of trees stood watch over the fields. The older brother, Cain, stopped in the newly planted field and looked at his younger brother, Abel. Jealousy and hate filled Cain’s heart. Unaware of Cain’s hatred, Abel looked at the fields with admiration. Cain farmed the land well. The two men continued their walk across the field.

The brothers laughed at some remark made between them. Abel placed his hand