A Wonderful Opportunity

On January 31 and February 1, an event will take place in Rock Hill, SC that you should attend if you are anywhere in driving distance. It is the third in a series of art forums put on by the Friday Arts Project, a group of artists committed to pursuing truth, beauty, and goodness with their work. The event is titled "Dazzle Gradually: The Allure of Poetic Truth-Bearing," and will definitely be worth your while. Registration closes January 25, so you'd better hurry. I'd love to see you there.

World Vision Wednesday

In case you were wondering, here is a description of where the money goes when you give to World Vision.

Something Different

I am going to try and write some poetry from time to time. Enjoy. Or not.

The knees ache, the hips hurt
There's pain in the thumbs when I grasp
The hair is no longer wavy, it's waving
Goodbye
I'm a bit bigger and softer
Around the middle

They say I'm getting older
At times it feels that way
But I also feel younger
At times so alive!
I hear about the Restoration
I see it beginning

Learning to see the past
Adjusting to the present
Anticipating the future
Learning to trust
Accepting grace
Extending grace

Weekend Wanderings

Another week has gone into history. It was our first week back at school after Christmas break. It was hard getting up on Monday morning! The polar vortex has retreated back to where it belongs and the weather seems to be getting back to normal.

On to the real reason you're here. The links:

A new type of addiction.
Something is wrong here.
Pretty cool.
Waiting on God.
Significant others.

Lori Ventola resolves to be shameless.
Linda Brendle wishes you a messy new year.
Michelle Van Loon on community.
Zack Hunt on grace.
Damaris Zehner asks us to consider the dogs.

What kids say.
In what way?
50 countries where it is hardest to be a Christian.
The baptism of Jesus.
Some winter comic relief.

Scot McKnight on the best age for leaders.
Circuses, monkeys and the new year.
Could the Bible be written today?
When Niagara Falls freezes over.
Good question from Jared Wilson.

Have a blessed week!

Blast From the Past: The Truth Hurts?

This was first posted on September 24, 2009.

Last night I saw a church sign which read, "If the truth hurts, it must be working." Well, maybe. It is true that there are times when the truth does hurt in order to work, times when hard changes need to be made in our lives. We can all think of times when truth was spoken to us, causing us pain that, in turn, caused us to change.

Unfortunately, many times the truth is used as a club. Some have an idea that they know God's truth and that it is their responsibility to make sure everyone knows it. They claim to be "speaking the truth in love," saying that they are showing love simply by speaking the truth, no matter how harshly the message is proclaimed. Of course, sometimes the "truth" that they loudly speak is nothing more than their interpretation.

There is also truth that does not hurt. The message of God's grace and mercy is one example. The promise of resurrection is another. And while it is true that we all struggle with sin, it is also true that the Father loves us unconditionally, has given us the Holy Spirit to work in us, and is forming us into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

The reality is that truth transforms as the Spirit takes it and uses it in the life of the Christ-follower. It may hurt, but then again it may feel wonderful.

And Another Year Passes

Another year is upon us. It seems to happen on a regular basis, no matter what we try to do. Along with a new year, there comes something called New Year's Resolutions. This is when people determine that they are going to do certain things and accomplish certain goals in the next 365 days. That is why you see special deals on weight loss programs, fitness center memberships, and home fitness equipment. Other resolutions include career, financial, relational, or spiritual goals.

I have nothing against resolutions as such. It is good to have goals for the coming year. My problem is I tend to make resolutions and then not keep them. It seems that is a problem common to the human condition. It is very easy for us to see resolutions as devices to make us better people, much like the 5 steps to ________________ that you can hear in many churches on Sunday mornings. If we fail to keep these resolutions, we can become filled with guilt and frustration. If we are able to keep them, we can become self-righteous.

Pam Hogeweide has written a good article on what she wants for the coming year. It is titled, "Soaring into Everday Loveliness With One Word." Pam writes that, rather than making resolutions, she has chosen the word "soar" as what she wants to do in 2014. She also asks her readers to comment with what their one word would be. I chose "grace."

In the last couple of years, I have been learning what grace is. The idea that Abba loves me no matter what and sees me as his beloved son is liberating. As I learn, it is becoming more and more clear that absolutely nothing I can do will ever change the Father's love for me or my standing as his child. I'm not saying that nothing I do matters, because it does. I'm saying that my actions can not make me a better person inside, that they can not make me righteous. I am righteous because of God's grace through what Christ has done. It is finished, and there is nothing more for me to do.

I want to live every day in and from my Father's grace to me. I want to do everything out of love and gratitude, not out of a desire to earn God's favor or stay right with him. I want to walk looking at Jesus and his finished work, and not fearfully looking over my shoulder or around me, worried that I might screw up. Because I will screw up, sometimes royally. But, it's okay because it doesn't change who I am in Christ. It also doesn't change the settled fact that God is redeeming everything in my life for his kingdom and his glory. I want to live out of that reality.

I also want to live a life that extends that same grace to others, to those whom I love and to those who are difficult to love. I want to love my neighbor (who just happens to be everyone) as Jesus loves me. I want to love others without putting conditions on them. No reciprocity, no demanding, and certainly no "exacting a pound of flesh." I know I can only do that as I am able to rest in the grace of Abba. Otherwise it becomes just another one of those resolutions that I can't keep.

My word for 2014 is grace. I'd love to hear what word you would choose.

Weekend Wanderings

It's the weekend again! During this Christmas break, the weekends haven't seemed quite as important. School begins again on Monday, so they will once again be greatly anticipated. The whole country, with just a couple of exceptions, is in the grips of some very frosty weather. My heart goes out to those who are facing negative double digit temperatures and dangerous wind chills. It is getting down into the teens at night here in the sunny South, but that doesn't begin to compare with what others are facing. Pray for protection and provision for those folks.

On to the links:

You know you wanted this bit of information.
Make sure you keep your coffee straight.
What is the church's biggest problem?
Grace or hamster wheel?
A tree for each of the twelve days of Christmas.

A reject tree.
Eric Carpenter on love.
The new creation.
Encouragement from Jon Acuff.
Kryptonite.

Len has a recipe for clearing snow.
Pam has one word.
Keith Giles pledges allegiance.
Zack Hunt's struggle.
Melody on confidence.

Cold but beautiful.
Listening.

Have a blessed week! May your year ahead be full of grace.