It's interesting when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a certain 'thing' pops up over and over again. Currently, grace is that 'thing'. Here's a few things I've read recently that I've really enjoyed.
Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right. All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn't, and doesn't, have a chance in competition with the aggresive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that's the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life - a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.
Romans 5:18-20 The Message
In The Four Loves, by C.S. Lewis, Lewis writes, "Grace substitutes a full, childlike and delighted acceptance of our need, a joy in total dependence. The good man is sorry for the sins which have increased his need. He is not entirely sorry for the fresh need they have produced."
Saturday, March 14
Saturday, February 28
I wish I was writing this on tuesday
This is a piece from a book that I think is the best book I've ever read. It's about a man's relationship with his dying professor. Here is one of their conversations. I wanted to post this because this dying man, Morrie, thinks so clearly! He knows truth and it flows freely from his mouth.
-One afternoon, I am complaining about the confusion of my age, what is expected of me versus what I want for myself.
"Have I told you about the tension of opposites?" he says.
The tension of opposites?
"Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even though you know you should never take anything for granted."
A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle."
Sounds like a wrestling match, I say.
"A wrestling match." He laughs. "Yes, you could describe life that way."
So which side wins? I ask.
"Which side wins?"
He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth.
"Love wins, Love always wins."-
tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
-One afternoon, I am complaining about the confusion of my age, what is expected of me versus what I want for myself.
"Have I told you about the tension of opposites?" he says.
The tension of opposites?
"Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even though you know you should never take anything for granted."
A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle."
Sounds like a wrestling match, I say.
"A wrestling match." He laughs. "Yes, you could describe life that way."
So which side wins? I ask.
"Which side wins?"
He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth.
"Love wins, Love always wins."-
tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Wednesday, January 21
biblical metaphors
I've found recently that I really love biblical metaphors. Such as Jesus being "the bread of life" and "the light of the world". Recently I've been really inspired/attracted/amazed by the latter. I have a quote by MLK Jr. a few posts down that I absolutely love and I want to talk a little about that again today. The very last part of it..."darkness cannot put out darkness, only light can do that". I shared about this at Adsideo the other day and I want write about it too.
Adsideo had a Hat.Sock.Glove.Give the other day and I noticed while walking around, all the people we helped were huddled up next to a building or doorway. This is usually where you will find the homeless population, but the thing of it was, it was a gorgeous sunny day! Now, it was still very cold and windy so that is why they were huddled up. But when you think about the end piece of that quote (darkness cannot put out darkness), and then you see these homeless friends, in a state of darkness, standing in literal darkness, and then you step into a spot of sun beaming through the buildings, and feel how warm, fresh, bright, comforting and peaceful this amazing light is, it makes sense that indeed, "Darkness cannot put out darkness, only light can do that".
Jesus is that light. Not the light from the sun, but the light that will heal us, that will fill us, that will guide us, and will never leave us. So, you could say, "Darkness cannot put out darkness, only Jesus can do that".
The cool thing is that since we're filled with the spirit, we too understand and posses that light. So when we see our friends huddled up in a state of darkness and in literal darkness, we can put it out.
Adsideo had a Hat.Sock.Glove.Give the other day and I noticed while walking around, all the people we helped were huddled up next to a building or doorway. This is usually where you will find the homeless population, but the thing of it was, it was a gorgeous sunny day! Now, it was still very cold and windy so that is why they were huddled up. But when you think about the end piece of that quote (darkness cannot put out darkness), and then you see these homeless friends, in a state of darkness, standing in literal darkness, and then you step into a spot of sun beaming through the buildings, and feel how warm, fresh, bright, comforting and peaceful this amazing light is, it makes sense that indeed, "Darkness cannot put out darkness, only light can do that".
Jesus is that light. Not the light from the sun, but the light that will heal us, that will fill us, that will guide us, and will never leave us. So, you could say, "Darkness cannot put out darkness, only Jesus can do that".
The cool thing is that since we're filled with the spirit, we too understand and posses that light. So when we see our friends huddled up in a state of darkness and in literal darkness, we can put it out.
Wednesday, January 14
some things I've been thinking about...
Today I thought of a quote, that I've never heard before so I'm going to claim it. It goes like this: "When we're young we need adults around to help us mature, and when we're old we need kids around to keep us young." - Wade H. Johnson
Something like that anyway, I need to work on the wording.
But here's another thought..."God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" - Genesis 1:27. So, when we die to ourselves and empty all of our baggage and junk and stuff, what's left over? God's image? I think so. God created us in His image for a reason, and it wasn't so we could cover it up with junk. Let's dump that junk and reveal the image of God. Sound good?
Something like that anyway, I need to work on the wording.
But here's another thought..."God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" - Genesis 1:27. So, when we die to ourselves and empty all of our baggage and junk and stuff, what's left over? God's image? I think so. God created us in His image for a reason, and it wasn't so we could cover it up with junk. Let's dump that junk and reveal the image of God. Sound good?
Saturday, November 8
I remember when...
I remember when I was a lot younger (maybe 9 or 10) a man that seemed to have it all together, at my old church, confessed something in front of everyone. What he confessed absolutely shocked me, and I felt embarrassed for him. He confessed that he had been just following routine, and hadn't really known Jesus.
I just remembered this last night, while listening to a few different Gentleman at the church I go to now, talk about their struggle to understand love, to have trust, and to leave behind their past. It was so beautiful to see their transparency, their confessions, their vulnerability, and their need to be loved.
When I thought about it, the difference in these two stories had to be because of one of two things. It was either my maturity or it was the group of believers. It's also possible it was a combination of the two.
However, I think of the pastor's youngest son, who is only 9 years old. Last night, he didn't feel shocked or embarrassed for these men that shared their lives. Why was it that I felt this way when I was young.
I think the answer is that when I was young, the body of believers I was around was very traditional. So traditional in fact that pain and sorrow was only shared if it was a medical problem. When this man shared that he had been living a lie, that he was a Christian poser, and that he had recognized the real Jesus, the people around me were shocked and embarrassed because to them, and me at the time, he must have been the only person in the whole church that wasn't living a good solid, read your bible every night, go to church on Sunday, shake 30 people's hands and tell them how great you're doing, Christian life.
I'm really glad I'm where I am now. I'm glad that the body of believers I'm in community with doesn't assume everyone's living the "ideal" Christian life, because nobody is. We all have our addictions of some sort, and it's all sin. We are sinners, we don't have to pretend we're not. We are supposed to join along side of one another and comfort one another and learn from one another. As a great man recently said, "It's not perfect, but it's good."
I just remembered this last night, while listening to a few different Gentleman at the church I go to now, talk about their struggle to understand love, to have trust, and to leave behind their past. It was so beautiful to see their transparency, their confessions, their vulnerability, and their need to be loved.
When I thought about it, the difference in these two stories had to be because of one of two things. It was either my maturity or it was the group of believers. It's also possible it was a combination of the two.
However, I think of the pastor's youngest son, who is only 9 years old. Last night, he didn't feel shocked or embarrassed for these men that shared their lives. Why was it that I felt this way when I was young.
I think the answer is that when I was young, the body of believers I was around was very traditional. So traditional in fact that pain and sorrow was only shared if it was a medical problem. When this man shared that he had been living a lie, that he was a Christian poser, and that he had recognized the real Jesus, the people around me were shocked and embarrassed because to them, and me at the time, he must have been the only person in the whole church that wasn't living a good solid, read your bible every night, go to church on Sunday, shake 30 people's hands and tell them how great you're doing, Christian life.
I'm really glad I'm where I am now. I'm glad that the body of believers I'm in community with doesn't assume everyone's living the "ideal" Christian life, because nobody is. We all have our addictions of some sort, and it's all sin. We are sinners, we don't have to pretend we're not. We are supposed to join along side of one another and comfort one another and learn from one another. As a great man recently said, "It's not perfect, but it's good."
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