My dad has put me in my place more times than anyone else on planet earth. And so it should be. But I’ll never forget the time he asked me the following question: “Son, do you agree or disagree with your own opinions?” I was fresh out of Bible college and knew pretty much everything. At 26 I had conquered Greek and was preparing to conquer the Christian and non-Christian world. I don’t remember exactly what I was rambling on about that afternoon, but apparently I was giving off enough of a religious vibe of my own that my dad finally had enough of it. So he asked me this question. I was shocked into cold, stone silence, as if a jolt of electricity had pulsed through my brainiac-brain and shut it down. Only the question remained. ‘Do I agree or disagree with my own opinions?’ I thought about it. Let’s see, I had plenty of logic in College. Surely this question can’t be that difficult. But it was!

 My dad didn’t stare on at me, waiting for an answer. No, he just went back to the newspaper and let me sit there and suffer. That just made it worse. He was not moved by my agony. ‘Hmmm,’….that means he was especially not moved by my opinionated rambling, which led to his inquiry. That’s rough.

Ok…, ‘Do I agree or disagree with my own opinions?’  Wow. I couldn’t answer. Eventually I realized what the real question was, as I had flashbacks to the stories of wise, old Solomon, whose questions weren’t questions at all, but challenges to think differently all together. And I thought of Jesus the Christ, whom I call my Lord, whose teachings attack the very core of a person’s being and make them consider life, and love, and the future. All of that was wrapped up in this one question put to me, and I suddenly knew what the real question was:

“Do I agree or disagree…
                                         with my own…
                                                                 pride?”

There I was, having one of those life-changing moments in a quiet living room in Memphis. And my dad just read on about the Cowboys. I finally just muttered back, “That’s good, dad. That’s good.” And he probably smiled as I left the room.

Ever since that day I’ve tried to not be so arrogant as to think I had all the answers, or that I could read the Bible and just suddenly know exactly what it says, or means. But it’s rough. Maybe you’re like me. Behind every door of our minds there lies … our opinions. We read a passage and the flesh kicks in, and we begin to apply it… to others. One moment we’re sitting on the ground in front of Jesus, listening to his teachings about love, just trying hard to have ears to hear it. The next minute we’re up standing next to him, glaring at the remaining crowd, with that “yeah” sort of attitude. Meanwhile, I’m so very small. Me trying to explain exactly what “the Bible” means to another human being must be similar to one ant preaching to another about all the different kinds of stars, or ocean animals; or how light works.

Opinions are like poison; especially Bible opinions. We now have nearly 30,000 denominations to show for them. The problem is we do all agree with our opinions… way too much. And we must make God pretty… something. I don’t know. I’m not sure what he thinks of my arrogance at times. I’m just darn sure I’m thankful for his mercy. ‘Cause I sure need it.

After that day I decided to try and stick to the easy ones. You might ask me about end-time eschatology, or grace-allotted dispensationalism. You could quiz me on ecclesiology and the church; or corner me about hermeneutics. But don’t be surprised if that same blank stare comes over my eyes that came over me that day my dad shocked me with his question. I DO have opinions about all these topics. Believe me, I do. But I’m trying not to agree with them quite so much, and so I might just get real quiet, and perhaps open up John in my mind:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and
made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one
and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 Wow.
           I need to just think about that for a minute…
                                                                                  and go from there.

~~~~~~
“Mary, you have always lived by sight and not by faith, you have always made your plans by what you could see, hear, feel, touch with your senses but I am calling you to walk in a different way- I am calling you to walk by faith, trusting only in me.  “

~~~~~~~~~~~

Greetings David and April…and to the Jax House Church,
�
I have been here now just over a week and life has been very different… It started out with leaving Tina V’s parents house on Saturday morning (drove up to their place in Southern IL on Friday).  Early in the morning we decided to delayed our trip due to the deep fog.  But even at 9am it hadn’t changed a bit so we said our goodbyes and made our way north.  After an hour of driving in this thick cloud I started to become anxious …that’s when I began praying hard for the fog to lift.  I remember thinking/praying… Oh please God, If I could only see the road better, or what was up ahead, or another car passing…  Then came his answer, as  if He were sitting in the car with me,
“Mary, you have always lived by sight and not by faith, you have always made your plans by what you could see, hear, feel, touch with your senses but I am calling you to walk in a different way- I am calling you to walk by faith, trusting only in me.  Now and in all your days to come you must Look for Me, Listen to My Voice and take hold of my hand.  You are my child and I am your Father… now there is no other way to walk…there is no other way to live.”
Eventually, I was in tears and then it was really difficult to see!!  I was just about to pull over when the sun peaked through the sky and the deep fog began to lift.  I ended up praying and singing most of that day until we hit our destination at around 5pm.
�
I would like to report that the first week here was wonderful, esp. after having received such a blessing from God, but how easy we forget!  It didn’t take but 24 hours for me to sense the change, not only is it colder and darker here in the physical realm, but the same can be said for the spiritual realm… (more on that thought later)
My friends kept saying that Sandy (the woman whom we are staying with) lives in the country.   So I was expecting the country, maybe a few acres of land, chickens and some open fields, etc.  No, in reality you can stand on the back porch and throw a small stone (under handed) in any direction and hit a house, a car or a person!  There is no country going on here–so Auna and I just tell everyone that we are living in the country “Chicago Style!”  In reality it is a city surrounded by country but has recently been dubbed a far western suburb of Chicago.  Go figure…
Back to the cold and darker side of life…its hard to explain but I have definitely travelled way off the Bible belt and actually I consider Jackson the belt buckle of the belt!  There is alot more light way down yonder where you all is and I do believe that God wants His truth to burn even brighter.  Be mindful that there is something very specific that He is longing to do with you all.  There are good things we have learned/gained from the village and other groups/churches we have been a part of in the past… but Oh how He wants to do SO MUCH MORE!  What we learned there was a precious building block to our faith but not the corner stone.  We have only one (Abba) Father, and there is only One cornerstone- Jesus Christ His son.  This is where we must stand and proclaim our faith.  This is where we must take hold of Our Fathers hand and walk into the unknown.
�
I pray that you will not be afraid to shine bright and lead the way for others.
I say all this as I was greatly blessed last night by a small band of believers that met at a college campus one town away from here in Dekalb and I thought of you all while I was there.  There could not have been more than 45-50 folks in this group but when they gathered –hey worshipped and praised Him for 2 hours straight!  During the worship time different people got up (as the Spirit lead) to pray, sing or sing a prayer.  Others danced and praised Him–and there was such freedom and love as I have never witnessed before.  At one point I remember thinking how we had the freedom to speak at the (RCV) gatherings about our “experiences of God” or how others had blessed us but these brothers and sisters were IN HIM not speaking about God and their experiences–but rather crying out to Him in His spirit.  I did not fully understand what I witnessed until I opened up my devotional book this morning…
�
“It is because of our trusting in experience that we see the steadfast impatience of the Holy Spirit against unbelief.  All of our fears are sinful and we create our own fears by refusing to to nourish ourselves in our faith.  How can anyone who is identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear!  Our lives should be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief….We must break out of our own little world of experience into abandoned devotion to Him.”
�
Amen!
I love you all and look forward to hearing from you..
Mary

 Had a great talk with some friends the other night about communication skills in marriage. It reminded me of this training I recieved in my Families Studies degree. This is a great tool and loads of fun to learn. The primary tools included to mats whic the couples stand on during training. One is the Talking Wheel and one is the Listening Wheel. The person on the Listening Wheel must bight his/her toungue and not interupt so it makes for some very funny, but very very usefull excersizes in communication.  This might be worth me getting recertified and then get the word out locally that we could do some workshops for couples.  http://www.couplecommunication.com/  Thinking and praying…

I think marriage is one of God’s best ideas ever. Well, it’s more than an idea, really. Marriage flows right out of who God is, His very essence, as a relational, creative being. That sounds deep, I know. But this post isn’t. My goal with this post is simply this, to connect the “How to’s” of marriage to the real source of marital happiness, friendship. I suggest that no marriage can really be satisfying and spiritual apart from understanding why God thought it up in the first place. Ever wonder why God created them male and female? I sure have. Even more, I find the teachings in the New Testament regarding marriage to be incredible, like this one: Husbands, you should love your wives as Christ loves the Church! Wow. How much does Christ love the Church? So that’s how much I must love April?! That’s incredible. But more than incredible…that’s a whole LOT of pressure.

Thinking about marriage too much can actually cause us to spin out. I’ve read numerous books and attended multiple seminars, as well as took entire classes in college on the topic, and it doesn’t take long to start getting overwhelmed with “good” information. Much of the time we think of marriage in the deep ways — Marriage is about change, it’s about a covenant — ’til death do us part; It’s about union, commitment, and raising children. This is all true. But I think the very first thing marriage is, before everything else in the world gets in the way and fills up our brains, is … friendship.

Just think about it: God sent Christ so we can be friends with the Father. God establishes the church so we can have friends who are as close as brothers and sisters. And God sent me April because, quite simply, HE didn’t want me to be alone. God wanted me to have a friend. He wanted Adam to have a friend and he wants me to have a friend. That’s a pretty simple way to view marriage. The more April and I have kept that in mind the happier we have been. Of course her friendship leads me closer to the Father’s heart and closer to those friends in my church. We are meant to feed one another with Spiritual food and build each other up and all that, sure. But all these things happen quite naturally in the context of a good friendship, where each person is intent on following God, and intent on being the very best friend he or she can be. But what does it take to be a “best” friend to someone? Or what does it take to be a best friend to your husband or wife? Ahhh,… now there’s the question.

Think of the best friend you’ve every had, or think of the best friends in your life right now. Perhaps it is your spouse or perhaps it isn’t. Whether you’re married or not the question, ‘How do we obtain deep and abiding friendships’ is one of the most important questions we will ever ask. What are the main ingredients to a happy friendship-based marriage. Well, for April and I, (and I don’t want to superimpose these on everyone for I believe every marriage is quite different) these are the top three things:

1. Communication: Good communication habits/skills are an absolute must in every marriage. Shoot the issue and not each other. We call it shooting the brick (issue), which would build up a wall if not dealt with. I just think this takes work, no matter who you are. Because of our fallen state we do not communicate very well. So it takes some practice and some time to get better. But I believe everyone can learn good habits/skills (and I do think it’s a skill) with some effort and commitment. I’ve made boo-coos of mistakes in this area, and been exhorted by my brothers many times over. So I’m communicating this about communication with all humility and brokenness.
2. TIME! Time, time, time. Time together making good memories. All work and no play will lead to… well, misery. Friendship is memories. It’s a long string of good times and bad, through thick and thin, to the depths and back again. Best friends spend time in every way, and in every moment possible. And friends laugh!! We just have to date our wives, men. We must! Dating is time that we and our spouses need. We need to laugh a little. If the laughter starts to go away for long, long periods in your marriage you better view that as a tornado siren going off. There is real danger coming. No matter how busy life is we always make time for our friends. Or… we don’t have many friends. This same thing is true in marriage.
3. Forgiveness. Friends know how to talk to one another and how to forgive; how to not judge and how to forgive; how to listen and how to forgive; how to fight fair and how to forgive. And we’re not talking about lip-service here, you know, that — “I forgive you” but deep down you are not clear at all and even though you think you really forgave her or him you’re in unreality about it and then you find out in a fight on a different subject all together when suddenly the hatchet rises from the grave and hits your “best” friend right upside the head. We must search ourselves. Do we really forgive? Do we forgive not just the actions but the very essence of who he or she is — those bad habits, character “qualities,” and…all that other stuff? Do we forgive? Really? It just won’t work without it.

So that’s the top three for us (which, of course, each need their own post or two). These three apply to any and every friendship. But I am really not meaning to over-simplify here. I’m quivering at the very thought of clicking “Publish Post”, because I know this topic is a doozy!  But I didn’t think up marriage. God did. And I think marriage is one of God’s best ideas ever. But, to me, it’s a no-brainer if we understand that God is Love, that He desires us, that he is completely, 100% relational. It’s His idea because it’s who God is. It’s more than an idea because marriage flows right out of Him, out of His very essence, as a relational, creative being.

In the end, whether you’re married or not, God invented friendship. Friendships must have good communication, time, and forgiveness. Fortunately, as in all things, “WE” do not need to try to do these things on our own, or at all for that matter. We must only surrender more to God. God’s indwelling Spirit will give us wisdom and produce fruit. And the family of God, our church, should provide a place to learn to become deeper and deeper friends both inside and outside of marriage. With God doing these good things in us we can say with all confidence, The Lord be praised! For He has given us good things. 

The magic of marriage
is
found
in friendship.

Although we couldn’t completely understand, we knew there were some real gems in there, some golden nuggets of truth about our life together and our relationship. It was pretty general advice on the one hand; but then, it was also a very specific observation, coming from their own experience. So we resolved ourselves to simply trust. And over the next few weeks we began to see exactly what they were talking about it. Our marriage was indeed getting new tools.

I really love the tools analogy because I’ve used it a good deal in talking with couples. Everyone, I believe, is basically born with a tool box ready to receive the much needed tools for marriage and parenting. It is the job of our own parents to fill this tool box with these necessary tools. The end result of how many good tools we have depends on our own parents and/or guardians. For example, my own parents gave me the great tools of affection, commitment, and time. But my dad confessed to me once that he was prone to loosing his patience with me and mom at times. It was a great moment of deep friendship for us. But I had to look at that and decide to go after the tool of patience, which I knew was lacking in my tool box.

How many good tools we have comes from whomever had the greatest parental impact on our own lives. Some people grow up with a tool box full of good tools making marriage and parenting not as big of a struggle. While others, unfortunately, have very poor childhoods and can enter adult life with a tool box virtually empty. The good news is, the tools for marriage and parenting can be acquired at any time in later life, with the willingness to go after them and the readiness to use them. I’ve known some couples who had terrific marriages although the marriage of their own parents didn’t last. They were terrific because they acquired the tools. The same principle applies with good parenting. In each of the success stories there is a common thread: the admission that they needed help, followed by the relentless pursuit of that help from other couples.

New Tools. So there we were, sitting with our good friends, getting some help, and we’re told we are getting new tools. That immediately made us very excited. Suddenly we forgot what we were even fighting about. And it also encouraged us that God is never done with us; that He indeed wants to help us grow and get better at communicating; better at loving and caring for one another. Now that April and I have made the 10 year mark it’s exciting and amazing to see those new tools in our tool box.

As I looked at our friends, our much older and wiser friends (wink), I realized that 10 years is really still only a start. The “new tools” we are getting are most certainly from God. We both feel our relationship changing and going deeper; and we cannot really explain exactly how. But we know it to be true. Our friends confirmed this and so we just simply trust; we trust God to take us to the new depth and we trust the wisdom of married couples who have a long history of walking with the Lord together. And we trust God to give us new tools whenever we need them. May God grant you and your spouse new tools and a deeper and more fulfilling relationship, in order that our great and awesome God might be glorified and praised by our lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We shuffled back to the bedroom and sat on his bunk. “So, what’s on your mind?” I asked. Remember, Nathan just turned eight in February. “Well, daddy, I feel like sometimes, when I’m trying to talk to you about something which I think is important, you don’t fully listen to me.” He dropped his eyes. I sat stunned. I paused and thought a moment. Then I opened up wide to see what would follow. “Please, Nathan, tell me where and how. I certainly want to listen to you.”  Nathan, raised his head back up and made eye contact with me. “Well, like just now. I was trying to tell you that I was saying sorry to Zack and he was not accepting it. Instead, he was just mad and running off. But it was an accident. And I wanted you to help with that.”  “Oh, I see,” I softly replied. “Well, I guess I do need to try and stop what I’m doing and listen better, when you guys are coming to me. I know I can get really focused on what I’m doing.”  “Yes, you sure can,” he said, as he nodded. “And I guess I do that quite often because I tend to stay so busy.” “You sure do, daddy.” We sat quiet for a moment. Then I added, “Ok, I want to change and do much better from now on. So let me know the instant I do that to you or anyone else so that I can work on changing it. Ok?” He smiled, “Ok, daddy, you got it.” We both smiled.
We hugged each other and I thanked him for being patient with me but also for taking care of me. I assured him that God was using him to help me and that I was very proud of him for becoming such a wonderful young man. As we were leaving the room I grabbed his shoulder and said, “Nathan, thanks again for taking a minute to talk to me.”  To which he replied, “You’re welcome. That was pretty much my first time.” I just laughed as I picked him up and hugged him tightly.
I hope it is his first time. He’s amazing. But his learning to approach me with his feelings and thoughts  is not just an accident. He is learning that from this life we live, from the day to day workings within the Body of Christ, where sharing homes, and sharing lives requires us to really learn to talk to each other. Our children are the future, they say. Well, that future is only as good as our present. What we put into our kids today will determine what comes out of them tomorrow. Today I praise God for the great things being put into my children.
“

I like this passage, even though it’s difficult.


 ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

We’ve all read it a hundred times. It’s from Deut 6. And it’s a gem of a scripture. It’s tough because there is this picture here, a picture of lots and lots of time. Sure there is the Greatest Commandment in all the Bible. But what’s next? How are these commandments to “be on your hearts”? Well, time. “When you sit at home;” “walk along”, “lie down” and “get up.” That is… all the time.

So does this mean we are to quote this awesome truth about loving God all day long, or make the kids do so? I don’t think so. It can’t be. What good would that do? My kids know this verse because we’ve memorized it. But that only took a few days. What do we do the rest of the… time? Well, for one thing, we play legos. Like we did tonight.

The last few days have been pretty stressful, as far as the “go, go, go” goes. There were the trips to the storm shelters in the middle of the night. A trip to Memphis for a bday party. And trips to my office to get caught up on work (cause the really busy season is now upon us). As a result of this hyper-speedy life lately, our kids have been grumpy, and arguing with one another, and … grumpy. I really needed to do something other than, “STOP FIGHTING WITH EACH OTHER AND GET ALONG!!  …   NOW!!!” Yeah,…. that works, especially as we’re loading up to rush off to the next… thing. No, what my boys needed was, quite simply put, ME. They needed me. So tonight, instead of heading out the door to another meeting* I felt deep in my spirit that I needed to play legos. It couldn’t and shouldn’t wait any longer. So we did.

I always love the look on their faces when I plop down on their floor and pour out the pieces. Eyes wide, followed by, “Daddy, are you going to play with us!?!??”  “Yes indeed… let’s go.” One hour later and we’ve constructed a futuristic, hovering launch pad with a robot car and recon bird inside; and a carrier craft and several check-point stations on top. As the small engineering marvel begins to take it’s final shape, the boys seem to instinctively now when it’s “time to play.” Suddenly, as if we skipped the credits George Lucas style, the imaginations light up and the adventure begins. I enjoy the building time a great deal, because we often, spontaneously, get to talk about life in their small size world, and what it means to love God with all our heart as well as love each other. But when the curtain raises on the unfolding story at hand I’m always amazed at their teamwork. And I’m even more amazed by their state of heart. For they have “spent time with Daddy.” And that’s the real wonder of it all.

I think the same thing is true of our relationship with God in regards to time. Again, I don’t have much experience here. But I know that whenever I’ve felt something off in my spirit –you know, felt a little grumpy and stressed, it was because I needed time with my own daddy, my Abba Father. Without fail, a little time with him rights the world around me and brings Christ into focus. I’m amazed at the new state of heart. God hard-wired this need for time right into every single relationship. And we have to see that.

Our kids need us to spend time with them. They cannot tell us, “I think I need time with you.” We have to sense it, feel something is off, and go to them. In a perfect world we’d spend enough time with our children that they would not often feel the lack or distance. But, well, here we are, in a non-perfect world. This is the world where we fight to make time for our children, our spouses, and our friends. If we don’t,… well, we’ll loose them.

I’ve read a pretty good sized stack of parenting books over time and “time” is definitely a theme in most. All the specialists note it’s importance. Many say you need “quantity” in order to get “quality.” That’s probably true. You can’t just plop down and expect deep spiritual conversation every time. And if you try to force it they will likely feel you coming…with an agenda. Up go their guards against fake and force-fed parenting. Instead, I think we have to come down and play on their level. No matter the age or the interest or the hobby, we can find time with them when we do the things they like. And as we humble ourselves to the floor in search of that one, white, flat, long piece, they’ll look up at us and see their daddy, and feel safe, and comfortable, and loved. That’s the place where we are able to “talk about these things” as we “lie down” and “get up.” And “play legos.”

Good parenting = time. It equals time when ever and where ever and however you can secure it. Secure, and protect it, and keep it top priority. Time goes so quickly. Time is fleeting. Time is of the essence. Right!! And if we ask of our children, “Are you in my heart?” but we have not spent the time with them, to make a place for them, then it makes no difference. Time is the main ingredient. Good parenting = time. And we have to fight for that time in every decision and in every time of our lives. Even more, just as my boys knew instinctively when it was time to begin, we should follow our own instincts as the Spirit of God prompts us to spend time with our families.

There is more to write about this topic, but I’m out of time. Later. Now I need to publish this and go finish tucking the boys in…. and try not to step on that one loose lego piece with my bare feet!

I had this absolutely incredible conversation with my brother, Robert last night. We were just sitting in his room getting caught up with one another when God led us into a deep reflection on Christ and the forgiveness of sin, of Jesus and the Blood of the Lamb, of God and His own Son on a cross. Our hearts swelled with love and joy as we went back and forth, speaking the truth of the story of God to one another. For two hours I felt the Spirit at work reminding of us of all that our loving Father has done, from the deliverance of the Hebrew people to the Passover Lamb, to the blood on the Alter, to the blood on the cross. White as snow, we are. No longer any condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, because of His atonement for our sins.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get sweeter, it went even deeper, as we were led to tears, thinking about the words Jesus said a few hours before hanging on the cross. Jesus was there in the garden, preparing Himself to die for you and me. While contemplating death, He called God, “Abba, Father.”  Abba, a term of great affection, most akin to our word, “Daddy.” This is what Christ Jesus said at the very point He was faced with the pending reality and ultimate completion of God’s perfect will, the will for Jesus to die for the sins of mankind and for His blood to become the once for all perfect sacrifice for our sins. No where else does Jesus use the term “Abba.” Prior to this moment of anguish in Gathsemane Christ is more formal, using “God” and “Father” to name Him. No where else does He call Him “daddy.” Only here, at this moment, when He is prostrate on the ground, humbled by the event before Him, the culmination of God’s entire plan from the beginning. Here is where He looks up through tears and declares, with great love and trust, “You are my Abba Father, and I trust you. I will do your will here, even though I wish there were another way for this cup to pass from me.” Daddy. Abba.

We thought…. and paused to picture it….And then we cried.

What’s more, we thought, as we wiped our wet cheeks, now God says we too get to call God “Abba.” (Gal. 4:6)

Daddy.

Lover of my soul.

Oh…oh! Deep breath. Breathing in God. OH my! Oh my, How He loves us.

And we worshiped Him.

GRACE WORKS: THAT’S THE STORY

He and I just sat there and wept together at the thought, speechless. What unconditional love. What mercy. What grace! That’s it… what GRACE!!

This morning I woke up with such a glowing and thankful heart, so full of joy and life and love. It’s like the light was brighter in our house. I could see my wife more clearly, my kids, my friends, my job. All the works of the day that lay before me seemed, well, not like works at all. They were little tid-bits of delightful duties. Was I different today? Did I make some conscience effort to “work hard” for God today? No. So where did this new view of life and this burning motivation to work for God’s will today come from? OH, it came from my belief!!! Well, more specifically, it come from my complete immersion and acceptance of that belief, from the telling of the story until it led us to worship.

That story — the Gospel of Life story — the one where God creates an unfathomably huge universe and scores of beautiful creatures and plants and life, then creates a man and women and makes a paradise for them, but gives them a choice so that love will be genuine; but they choose to sin and then they’re separated from God. The story where people fill the land and fill it with sin; But God doesn’t give up on mankind even though we all deserve death, but instead saves a family from a world-wide flood in order to start fresh. That story — which continues later with God delivering a people from bondage, where He sends numerous prophesies of the coming King of Glory, whom will actually be God on the Earth, in human skin; but that King turns out to be a martyr for me, but His death is not the end because God raises Him to Life on the third day, and that death and resurrection provides atonement for my sins and for your sins, forever — a once for all-time, ultimate, sacrifice of unconditional love.  Whew…. but that’s not all….

That story — the Gospel of Life story — where God then sends His Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, making us adopted children of God, removing condemnation from us completely, and even making us complete in Christ. That story — where the Father gives us direct access to Himself through His Spirit (Eph. 2:18), where we are hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3), where we are not given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7); that story — the one where we are establishment, annotated, and sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22), where we become a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15:5) and where we are chosen and appointed to bear much fruit (John 15:16). That story, where we can approach God with freedom and confidence because of the finished work of Christ (Eph. 3:12) and get to become God’s co-workers (1 Cor. 6:1) and even get to be seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6). That story.

That story — the Gospel of Life story — IS a story of the Blood of the Lamb shed for us. It IS a story of forgiveness of sins, where we should hang on the cross but Christ takes our place, where we deserve death but Jesus dies in our stead. It IS a story of GRACE!! That story. But that’s not all…

It is also a story of God gathering together people who will believe this story with all of their hearts. But this gathered people can only do so by faith provided by His Spirit. And this gathered people only does so in order to do God’s will just as Christ did in the garden and in the grave. It is also a story of brothers and sisters in Christ, and of children, who sit in each others rooms and in each others lives and share this story — deeply and completely — and they break bread to remember His body broken for us, and they drink wine to remember His blood flowed for us. And they remember. And they tell the story. They tell it until the tears of joy flow down.

And they worship… together.
Because of what they believe… together.

It is also a story of the church, a gathered people who believe in God’s grace and receive it so fully that it changes everything.

And it is also a story of God’s will — now — and of our works — now — a story where we work not because we think for a minute it will gain us anything, but we work because we simply must, because of what God DID for us. We are compelled. We work mostly because of what we believe about God, Christ, blood, forgiveness of sin, new life and new identity, and of how that redefines everything; of how a brand new word enters into our lives with such force that we leap to our feet in praise and steady ourselves with a posture to go. That word is … Grace. Not cheap grace. But deep grace. Not lazy grace. But amazing grace. The grace that hits you in the soul and renews your mind, making you think about Christ  … all …  day … long.

That grace. That is the grace that truly works.

Grace is the story. Grace works. Grace motivates. Grace moves us. And when we move, we move without guilt or pressure or condemnation, or out of some twisted gospel of self-righteous, self-salvation. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t even motivate ourselves to do good works. We are only pathetic, helpless, lumps of dirt without God… and His story and His grace and His Spirit and each other. We need God’s atonement for salvation and we need God’s Spirit to set us on the path of good works. We have nothing to offer but surrender. And a good surrender is one with both hands high up in the air, assuming a posture that looks a whole lot like …. praise.

Is there a problem with what we might call nominal Christianity (Christians in name only)? Sure there is. It’s a work of the enemy of God to keep us from working for God and Wilkerson says it well right here. But what is the best answer to this problem of passivity? Is it boot straps or Bible studies? Is it motivational speeches or church organization? No. It’s always been the same answer to the same problem, in every era of mankind. The answer is Grace, and understanding The Story. It’s not that we believe a little and that belief makes us lazy. It’s that we don’t believe enough, to the point that our beliefs motivate us. We must tell the story until grace does its work, and we work for God. Then and only then will our work be done in and through His perfect grace.

Why did God create us? Grace
Why did God deliver us? Grace
Why did God redeem us? Grace
Why did God atone for our sins? Grace
Why does God give His Spirit? Grace
Why does God secure us as His own? Grace

What is our response to all of this grace? Works.
If our response is not work then we don’t understand grace. Simple.

Grace Works: That’s the Story!

Sometimes we just get ourselves too busy. Sometimes we just get the cart before the horse. We have to remember to just sit in each others rooms, get caught up with one another, and allow God to lead us into a deep reflection on Christ and the forgiveness of sin, of Jesus and the Blood of the Lamb, of God and His own Son on a cross.

Our hearts will always swell with love and joy when we tell His story.

And our lips will praise Him and call Him daddy.

~~~~~~~