When I drive to work, I jam to songs on my phone. I have my playlist on shuffle and there is no telling what song is going to pop up. From Bethel Music to Andrae Couch’s album from the 80’s. From Ed Sheeran to Marvin Gaye. It’s an eclectic mix of songs. Often, I find, God will speak to me through the songs that play in my playlist. Friday, God...
How Will You Respond?
I’m thinking this morning about Judas and Jesus. Why did Jesus allow Judas to be in charge of the money if he were a thief? When it was discovered he was stealing, why not remove him from his duties? These questions are not meant to question Jesus’ competence but to understand His grace and mercy. Jesus knew Judas was thinking about betraying him, yet Jesus washed Judas’ feet signifying Judas...
100 Proofed Grace
Sunday, I missed church. Instead of church, I spent the morning in a friend’s garage trying to get my files off a hard drive. But since I’m a walking church, our conversation landed on the topic of grace. Is the church teaching grace in such a way that we are simply giving people a license to sin? What is the role of discipleship in this new grace movement. My friend...
Kissed by Mercy
Do you have any “grace suckers” in your life? You know that person who has that way of exhausting your grace. You may love them but you can only take them in small increments? Yesterday, it seemed all hell was breaking loose. I try to write two hours a day after work. But yesterday was filled with interruptions. Business that needed tending. Correcting mistakes I made. And yes, it required...
Amazing Grace
What must I do to be saved? Be baptized? Change my behavior? Join a certain political group? Join a church? This week, someone said I was not born again because I disagreed with their interpretation of the scripture. Many people questioned my salvation because of the way I voted in the last election. This saddens me. It saddens me because it negates the power and beauty of grace. When we...
Need a Ride?
How can a loving God, condemn me to hell? I hear this question quite often. My answer, “He doesn’t!” Picture this: you are drowning in a lake, and a boat comes to rescue you. The captain of the boat extends his hand and offers you safety. But you survey the people currently in the boat. You see them backbiting and quarreling amongst themselves and you think, I don’t want to...
Grace to Love Others
I’m all about grace. I love to teach on God’s unconditional, unfailing love for us. I love to show people we are righteous because God has imputed righteousness to us not because of our behavior, but because of His goodness and Jesus’ obedience. I love to set people free from the bondage of striving to please God but to rest in His favor. So this morning’s post may seem out...
The Challenge – Week 1 Day 2
Paul had lead these people to Salvation. He had prayed for, taught, warred in the Spirit for these people. He was their Spiritual Father. But now prompted by the Holy Spirit, he was headed to Jerusalem. He knew difficulties awaited him and he may not ever return to them. Before he left, he had one last exhortation for his Spiritual children: “Now I commit you to God and to the...
The Power of Grace
Under the law, priest could only declare a person clean or unclean. He had no power to heal. Further, under the law touching someone or something that was unclean made you unclean as well. But alleluia we are now under grace! As priests, each of us are now part of a holy priesthood, our job is not to declare the cleanness or un-cleanness of a person. Our job is to...