Often we have a very much easier time forgiving and loving others than we do forgiving and loving ourselves. One of the most crucial insights of the gospel is that the man under law does not want mercy extended even to himself; he wants the chance to remain to prove his worth. We reserve the […]
The teacher in me wants to review everything, and it is the season for looking back and looking forward. I am always looking for spiritual insights and breakthroughs in understanding grace and living in the light of God’s love for us, so this is how I look at the past year. Here are my favorite […]
I’ve got a few random thoughts on stuff I’ve read and seen, so I thought I’d put them all together. Preaching on Christmas day at a homeless shelter. My pastor Lee Connors works at the Bellingham homeless shelter, and he invited us to minister there on Christmas night. What do you say to 100 homeless […]
May the risk and the daring the scandal and the holiness the surprise and the destiny the power and the weakness the poverty and the richness the humility and the honor of Jesus’ miraculous birth be birthed miraculously in you in your hopes and fears failures and success friendships and solitude work and rest now […]
I woke up dreaming about this, so I’m going to write it up. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as […]
It’s Christmas, and my thoughts always turn to the cosmic. Why? 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. […]
When we try to add some kind of personal moral effort back into our life as a Christian, it is like asking Joseph Stalin to come back to life to reform Russia. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness […]
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:10 What does it mean to consider yourself dead to sin? It means, to reckon it as true, to think of yourself that way. But what is death to sin? First, let’s consider that we are under grace, […]
http://www.youtube.com/embed/ra2zF7n-28w This movie is meant to be a tale of the stark reality of the haves and the have-nots. However, I found it to be a fantastic parable for law and grace. There are going to be some spoilers here, but the movie has been out a while and you should have had some opportunity […]
Grace is the magic bullet, the one solution for every problem. As Martin Luther wrote in his famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, one little word shall fell him. That little word is mercy, and the one that little word defeats is Satan. Satan accuses, mercy forgives. Let’s suppose you are of the […]