"not found in the original manuscripts"

i was in my early 30's the first time i realized that some portions of the bible - certain words, phrases, whole passages even! - were in dispute, or "not found in the original manuscripts." for some reason i had never paid attention to "the fine print" at the bottom of the page - but on the day i did, whew! - reading, "not found in the original manuscripts" sent me into a tailspin. never before had i even considered the possibility that things were not as concrete and clear cut as i believed them to be with regard to the bible and what was written therein...and that realization rocked my world like an earthquake...but only for a moment...a moment of reality is about all a person like me can stand before i go into shock...and denial. i think that was when i started really acting like a mad woman - shoving questions under the bed and into closets, nailing down furniture to the floor so it couldn't be moved, bending my logic into pretzels like a side-show contortionist. i'm sure i had probably done that all that stuff before, subliminally...but now it was quite deliberate...and consequently, exhausting. because if it was true that things were not as i had believed, then all bets were off. how could i ever be certain of anything again?

-grannymac

Grace offends

Yesterday a man yelling, "Allah! Allah!" set himself ablaze in protest outside the White House. He survived because security guards were quick to extinguish the flames. At the Boar's Head Tavern, Russ asks why they "rush to the aid" of "someone like this".

On Saturday, our Cathedral held a memorial service for a local man taken hostage and murdered by Iraqi terrorists a few weeks ago. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary were both guests at the service. My friend remarked how out-of-proportion it was that a man who went to Iraq willingly to make money, despite being warned of the dangers, was being given his own memorial service attended by Tony Blair, while hundreds of brave soldiers had died fighting for their country without receiving anything like the same special attention.

I cannot help but think that if Jesus were around today, these are the parables he would tell. After all, he told the story of a wasteful son being celebrated by a foolish father at the expense of a hard-working elder brother. He told the tale of a steward apparently rewarded for all the wrong reasons and a crook being forgiven on the spot while a righteous man went away unjustified. He liked to turn things on their heads like that. Hell, he liked to offend. And grace offends.

(Originally posted at the Grace Pages)

-Dave

Today's Observations

The other day, I was reading a "devotion" book... It spoke of this god who doesn't help you until you're in real agony and have given in to despair because he wants everyone to know that it's him when he helps someone...

I thought... what a self serving god... only interested in his own glory. No wonder those who believe in this god are most interested in their own position, getting credit, gaining power, etc. They're just emulating their god.

That Jesus guy spoke of doing your good deeds in secret, not for the world to see; not to gain commendations from others. Toward the end of that speech, he said to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect... I figured the stuff he preached on must first be God's character... If that's the case, God would do his good deeds without fanfare with the motive of an unselfish love and desire to benefit others... People who followed a God like that might have better attitudes toward one another...

You would know that you could trust that God and go to him for comfort when this life craps on you. And, you would be a recipient of real love... and I think a love like that would impact you immensely.

Just some observations...

-The Freenglad Chick

The futility of arguing about grace

Arguments about grace often end up self-defeating, partly because if we have to argue about it, we've lost the point already. As Paul Tillich says, "And nothing is demanded of this experience [of grace], no religious or moral or intellectual presupposition, nothing but acceptance."

But also, one of the most frequent objections that arises is that grace is just an excuse to sin. Problem is, the minute the criticism is raised, the instinctive reaction is to start defending yourself. Out comes the long list of evidences to prove to the critic that you aren't using grace as a cover-up for licentiousness; and then do you see what has happened? You've let yourself be roped back into the whole religious game of proving your spiritual credentials; you've fallen back into the trap of self-justification.

When you discover grace, it's still tempting to jump back into the match and try and reestablish your right to be considered a "good Christian", but when the result is missing the whole point of grace, is it really worth the cost? Let the self-righteous be.

-Dave

The True Meaning of "Nothing".........

.......is "something."

That doesn't make any sense? I agree.

But religion teaches that "nothing" means "something." And Christians who believe that "nothing" means "something" are plunged into the misery of legalism.

Look at this scripture:
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

Don't you hear your heart cry "Yes!" to that scripture? Nothing can ever separate you from God's love. You are in Christ, included in the eternal security of the Father's love. Forever. And there's not a damn thing anyone can do to change that reality.

EXCEPT.......enter religion and the folks who tell you that "nothing" means "something."

Especially the preachers who stand in pulpits, read this scripture to their church members, and say: "Nothing can separate you from God's love EXCEPT your own sin......your own apathy.......your own poor performance.....your own lack of tithing.....your own unbelief. YOU! YOU separate yourself from God's love when you don't keep the rules."

Oh. So "nothing", saith legalistic religion, really means "something." I'm secure in God's love if I perform correctly. But if I fail, I separate myself from God's love and IT'S ALL MY FAULT!

So I must work and strive and obey to keep God's love........because "nothing" really means "something"?

Of course you see religion's lie. You see how religion manipulates you by fear, the fear that any misstep can cost you God's love. Fearful people keep the rules. And without good little ruleskeepers, religion would simply.......die. Hmmmmm.:)

"Nothing"means that even you are not powerful enough to separate yourself from the love of God. What good news!

Nothing really does mean NOTHING. Live in your freedom in Christ. And when someone tries to tell you that "nothing" really means "something"........

Smile and run for your life.:)

Love,
Mickey

was he saved?

the other day, a friend stopped by to visit. we used to be members of the same church several years ago, but hadn't seen each other in quite some time, so we were getting caught up on what had been going on in our lives, and i told her about my dad passing away earlier this year. the first words out of her mouth were, "was he saved?" i was taken aback. i knew what she was asking, and i knew the kind of answer she was looking for....and once upon a time it would have been easy for me to give it to her. but that day, i found myself thinking (though not saying aloud), "what the hell kind of question is that to ask?"

-grannymac

In Him We Live.......

A revelation of God's grace, for me.......that we are one with Christ, and that abiding in Him results in fruit in our lives.

Producing fruit does NOT cause abiding. No matter how vigorously religion tries to convince you that it is so.

Jesus depended on the Father as His source of life. He did not live independently of God.......He lived in unity of Spirit with God. In effect, Jesus said of His Father, "In Him I live, and move, and have my being."

Yet we've been conned by religion into believing that, unlike Jesus, we can live independently to the extent that WE decide the rules, WE strive to obey the rules we've invented, WE are our own source.

God didn't call us to imitate Jesus, or to ask stupid questions like "What would Jesus do?" before we decide on our actions. We are called to abide in Jesus.......and His life is the source of our own lives. We are one spirit with Him.

There's a rest, a ceasing from striving, as we simply believe what is already true about us......that we are loved and accepted by God, part of His family, free from condemnation, and free to be led by the Spirit of God. Not by rules in a book........ not by religion .......not by tradition ...... not by other people's opinions of right and wrong..... not by rules for what Christians "should" do.......

But simply living in union with Christ.

Maybe that's why religion hates the message of God's grace: because God Himself put an end to human striving that we might depend on Him alone. It makes religion rather useless, doesn't it?

-Mickey

Just God is Just Good

Religion promotes relating to God through the keeping of rules and performing of rituals. It’s based on the premise of not being good enough to please God, therefore you must do…. (fill in the blank). This kind of relating leads to all sorts of strange doctrines and behaviours as we seek to be pleasing to an unplease-able God, resulting in an inability to love self and others.

Relationship with God has a completely different basis… His love. In relationship with Him, there is an openness to be who you are, sharing your inmost self with Him, faults and all. He’s not a God who is petty, judging your performance in being able to live “perfectly”. He sees you as His beloved child and only desires to be in relationship with you. This kind of relating leads to inner peace, resulting in an ability to love self and others. Nothing else is needed.

Just God is just good.

-The Freenglad Chick

Some Trees Need a Hug!

The glory of God's creation revealed in fall foliage......mountainsides alive with reds and yellows and oranges and greens......God thinking, "Let me give this gift of beauty, just because."

From a distance, all the colors blend and complement each other. Up close, you can see individual trees expressing their unique beauty.

Sometimes my imagination comes up with strange scenarios. I pictured the trees arguing over whose leaves were the prettiest, or the brightest........or who had the most leaves.

I saw trees beating one another with their branches and shouting, "You aren't changing color fast enough! You should be further along than you are now. Stop making the rest of us look bad."

I saw trees gathering in little groups gossiping about a lone green tree: "Look at that, he broke the rules about changing colors. Wait till God sees this. Guess we all know who the next lightning bolt will strike, eh folks?"

I saw trees, discouraged as they compared themselves to the more glorious trees, simply drop all their leaves at once and give up.

I saw arrogant trees, convinced that their good tree behavior had earned their lovely colors.

(Honestly, with all this tree strife going on, I couldn't see the forest for the trees.)

Imagination flight over, I saw the glory of God's creation revealed in fall foliage......trees expressing the life of their Creator in varying stages and degrees. Yet simply content to reflect.........HIM.

No......it's not possible that trees might have a deeper revelation of grace than God's people do.

Is it?

-Mickey

In God's hands

It's funny how you can be hit with an almost evangelical sense of assurance at the most unexpected times.

I remember how one time when I was in theological college, I was on my way to church in the back seat of a friend's car, when suddenly I had this overwhelming feeling of having my life held in God's hands. My reaction was one of joyous laughter; it was Karl Barth who reportedly said, "Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God."

I was sitting a few moments ago flicking through the channels, and I decided, as I occasionally do, to see what was on Christian TV. Generally there's a steady diet of prosperity preachers and American televangelists, but once in a while there'll be someone worth listening to for a few minutes.Tonight when I switched on, three folk were sitting around in a church in London talking about the book of Genesis. One of them -- I have a feeling she was Billy Graham's daughter -- was talking about how good it was to know you're created individually by God, and how we find our true selves in pursuing the things we were created for rather than money and material things and all the things the "world" chases after. On the one hand, I recognized the crassness with which such sentiments are often expressed; yet on the other hand, I was struck by a sense of assurance of being created by God, of having my life in the palm of his hand, and of knowing that all the material crap I sometimes long to have and enjoy doesn't compare to the contentment and joy of abandoning everything to serve God and others, to live for what really satisfies.

It was another of those unusual moments of assurance. I half wanted to cry, and I half wanted to laugh, because it was joyous to think that when all else is done, I'm held in the palm of God's hand.

-Dave

Full-Time Life

I used to love the power verses of the gospels. Charismatics do, you know. Listen to a charismatic and in a few minutes we'll convince you that Jesus performed miracles from morning till night..... that He lived so deeply "in the Spirit" (we say in hushed, awestruck voices) that God's power oozed out of His every pore. Constantly.

We charismatics love power. We revere those who seem to demonstrate God's power.....healings, miracles, prophecies.......and we get pretty good at never allowing ourselves to wonder if God is really the source of the alleged power displays.

Somehow along the power-seeking journey, many Christians learn to separate life into two categories: the sacred and the secular. Or the clergy and the laity. Or the anointed and the wannabes. Or the holy and all the rest of us.

So we look longingly at those who have reached the pinnacle of "full-time ministry", and think that someday, maybe, God will anoint us so that OUR lives count for Him. See how religion can mess up people's minds?

Jesus played with children and washed feet and worried that people were hungry and walked and slept and cried. He radiated God's life, and that life made everything He did holy. Sacred. Anointed, if we must use the charismatic word.

Jesus didn't divide His life into the sacred and the secular. God's life permeated every action He took, every word He spoke, every breath He breathed.

And Jesus never mentioned "full-time ministry" as a goal to be attained. He spoke of abundant life, His life in ours, that would touch every aspect of our being.

Is going to work holy? Yes. Changing diapers sacred? Yes. Watching TV anointed? Yes. Are you getting it?

Refuse to tolerate the lie of "sacred vs. secular." Refuse to accept anything that implies that you are divided from the life of Christ. Refuse to see yourself as "less than".......you are complete in Christ!

-Mickey

The Greatest of These Is Love

We are so aware of our physical bodies and our current entrapment in them. We struggle to reshape them, extend the duration of our existence in them, but we know that those are, at the most, futile efforts to put off what is ultimately inevitable in this world. Yet, in the midst of this physical existence some of us have become more aware of another reality that awaits us once we depart, or "shuffle off this mortal coil" as the author wrote. What is it that has alerted us to the possibility that there is more to existence than just this life, just this earth?

We have become cognizant of things which do no have their source from us. These things that testify to us, Paul tells us, are faith, hope, and love. And the one that resonates so deeply within us speaking of another place is the testimony of love. Just like a man cannot go back and be a child again, we can not go back to our place of ignorance, of not knowing we have another home. And love is the worst culprit of them all!

Why Are You So Afraid?

“You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:26)

It seems we are predisposed to fear because, in this world, we really are helpless. We can’t command things in our lives to work the way we want them to. And if we could, it would probably just cause more destruction. It seems this world is constantly running toward destruction… like in The Langoliers.

We try hard to protect ourselves – from pain, from need, from threat, from loneliness, from life in this world. We are so afraid… and, often, we’re grasping at straws in attempts to deal with that fear.

God’s love… it comforts us and makes us feel safe for a little while… In relationship with a loving God, we catch a small glimpse of the things we yearn for. We have snatches of time when we feel safe, comforted, and hopeful. Relationship with God is about finding comfort in a hard world. Feeling protected… Feeling like everything is not running out of control. We have hope – that there’s more to this life than what we see… a greater purpose… a reason… or at least a happy ending… Rest for our souls… Restoration… We have the peace of being a child again.

-The Freenglad Chick

Marketing Jesus

Ever notice how religion often uses the same technique to market Jesus as a salesman might employ to sell you a used car?

"Jesus loves you just as you are. His grace will save you if you only believe. Salvation is a free gift."

Ah yes....but as soon as you sign on the dotted line to buy that extraordinary low-mileage, barely-driven car........or raise your hand in response to an altar call.......you begin to learn the rest of the story. The fine print of the contract. Shoved in front of your nose by the car salesman or by other Christians.

"Did I mention that the tires, engine, and gas tank for this car are additional charges? And the interest rate for your ten years of monthly payments is 45%?"

Sounds as ridiculous as the fine print in the "Christian" contract: "Yes, your salvation is free BUT you need to follow these rules if you want to be a GOOD Christian. Jesus loves you IF you stop sinning and get your act together. AND you need to prove your love for Jesus by obeying the commandments in the Bible."

Most of us wouldn't fall for the fine print in the car salesman's contract; we'd recognize that someone was lying to us. I wonder why it's so easy to fall for the legalism that distorts the gospel of grace? And why we allow the traditions of men to add pages of fine print to the glorious gospel of God's grace to us in Christ?

The Christian life isn't a contract between God and us. It's a gift of His grace, and there's no fine print to trick us.

In fact, if we could look at our own hearts, I think we'd see written in big bold letters, "I am Jesus Christ, and I am your life."

I think He took every fine-print contract that religion ever produced and nailed them all to the cross.

It doesn't get much better than that, does it?

Love and grace to you,
Mickey

The Voice That Lies

A friend posted this the other day:

"What is the point? Where is God in this life? It all seems so deeply hopeless...... I put my hope in the wrong places, but I can't figure out the "right" place......My heart is hard. I don't feel love, tenderness, compassion....well, maybe for someone in a movie or a book; someone who isn't real and will never reach out to plunge a dagger in my heart. I don't want to stay here inside of me. I don't want to feel the things I feel. God, do you have any clue what the hell you are doing?"

In the past I would have bombarded my friend with Bible verses. "Here's some scriptures, cheer up, see ya!" A quick fix solution. Take it or leave it. Do these scriptures or suffer.

When I saw God's grace in Christ, I realized that religion's "quick fix" solutions only increase suffering.

Now I think I just want to ask my hurting friend, "Who told you that your heart is hard? Who told you these lies about yourself?"

I don't believe the "who" is a person or a demon spirit.

The lying "who" is that tormenting inner voice, created by years of religious programming. The voice that calls you names and tears you down and tells you that God is displeased with you.....and that you must try harder, do better, pray more, repent of something.....

The lying accuser in your mind. You defeat it by recognizing it and refusing to agree with the lies.

In truth, my friend has already placed her hope in the "right" Person, and He has already placed His life in her. He really does know what the hell He is doing! :)And the next time I'm listening to the lying accuser in my own mind, I bet Jesus will send someone along to ask me, "Who told you those lies about yourself?"

-Mickey

Who's In Charge Here?

"He must increase, but I must decrease."---John the Baptist

I've heard more than my share of religious sermons based on this text. Sermons that convey the message, "You dirty no-good sinner, you better decrease and get your unworthy self out of the way so Jesus can replace you with Himself."

If you're ever trapped in a church when that sermon is being preached, do yourself a favor and take a nap until it's over.

I see something different in those words. I see Jesus looking at a weary Christian who is struggling to keep all the rules, and I see a little grin begin on His face as He says, "I think I'll increase in this precious life."

And Jesus begins to expand His life into the heart and mind of the Christian who has been beaten down by religion. But at first it's a shock and a distress to the object of His workings........

Because as Jesus increases His scope of life, He crowds out the Christian's cherished rules and sacred cow beliefs and "I've always done it this way" thinking. Life shoves against dead religion.........and stirs up the dust in places the Christian never knew existed.

"I've lost my faith!", we cry! "I USED to believe (fill in the blank) and now I can't believe that anymore! What's happening to me? I can't feel God. I don't want to DO all the religious things I used to perform religiously. Woe is me, I am undone!"

Oh no, YOU aren't undone. In fact, you are coming alive, maybe for the first time in your Christian life. Alive with His life. No longer pretending that keeping rules can impart life to you. No longer satisfied with anything less than Jesus Himself.

His life is increasing........and your legalistic beliefs are decreasing. His light is overcoming the darkness that has bound you for years. His glory is breaking forth in you.

The real you, complete in Christ, is beginning to arise and shine. Sure, it's scary......but can I give you a word of hope?

Don't get stuck in the "decrease" aspect, grieving lost religious beliefs. No, experience instead the joy and freedom of increase. His life, Christ in you, one with you.

Now just live........ love........ rejoice........... soar.......... and don't be afraid of falling. OK?

Love in Christ,
Mickey

The Relational Nature of Grace

The miraculous, relational nature of grace is what is responsible for transporting you from the world you see with these eyes, to the world you can only see through the eyes of God.

I'm told by several people that I live somewhere else. Sometimes, I dunno if that was meant as an observation, a compliment, or otherwise. Of course, I live right here. Right here where my body is, where every night I lay my head down and every day I get up to go about my daily routines. But if you know me, that's not where I LIVE. It's not where my heart is, it's not where my mind is. So, I guess in a lot of ways they're right. Call it "head in the clouds", "living in a fantasy world", "out of this world", whatever you will; for some reason, I can no longer see myself existing apart from the context of my relationship with God. Out of it comes this amazing transformation of everything around me. What had appeared to be dead and dying before is suddenly filled with evidence of life and growth.

Contradictions for sure, but then, that's the miraculous part of it.

What is Grace?

(This was originally published at the Grace Pages.)

It surprises me how often, when I write about grace, people respond with the question, What is grace, anyway? It's a word that is a major part of my day-to-day spiritual vocabulary, and yet, I expect in common with other Christians, it's a word I've never thought much to actually define.

Grace isn't just another word for forgiveness or acceptance, even though it encompasses for me both those things. It isn't as if all grace is good for is getting us forgiven, and then something else takes over from there. Grace is the source of action, too. It's what empowers us to do good, to follow Jesus, to walk in the Spirit. We don't use up God's grace right at the beginning and then live under our own steam from then on.

I suppose I'm just pussy-footing around here, describing the effects of grace, but still not defining what it actually is. So let me plump for a definition that's been circling round in my head for the last five minutes: Grace is God's unreserved self-giving. It's God freely giving himself to us, the Almighty sharing with us all that he is.

"Unreserved" is the part most people struggle with, especially when we read about judgment and condemnation and that sort of thing. Traditionally, the thought of judgment has been considered the opposite of grace, the proof that God's grace is limited, conditional, unavailable to some. So, let me add two thoughts that might sometime come in useful in grappling with these matters: Firstly, judgment as an expression of God's unreserved self-giving, part and parcel of his love and grace rather than antithetical to it (perhaps what the writer to the Hebrews calls the discipline of sons); secondly, maybe judgment is a matter not of God withholding himself, but of us moving out of the way, placing ourselves outside the flow of grace.

Grace: God's unreserved self-giving.

-Dave

Celebrating God's Love and Grace!

HEHEHE.

-Mickey

I Should Do WHAT?

Earlier today I wrote to Bill and asked, "How do I do smilies here?"

He sent me these instructions: "You can post the images using html (no space between the "<" and "img")."

Notice I don't have smilies in my entries yet? I don't have a clue how to do what he said to do.

Eventually, about four emails from now, my mind will grasp his instructions. Until then, I'll be aggravated every time I fail to make a smiley appear !

But I'm laughing because last year, I spent several months asking Bill "How do I do GRACE?"

Oh, I didn't come right out and ask him to give me THE formula for grace, but all my questions were geared towards, "Tell me how to DO this. I need to get this grace stuff, I WANT to get this grace stuff. Bill, give me instructions!"

No matter how cleverly I phrased my questions, in hopes of prying the grace formula out of him, Bill's answers tended to be along the lines of "Just believe" and "It's a miracle."

Talk about aggravation! I'm struggling to figure this out with my mind and he's telling me it's impossible to do. Since at that point I barely believed in miracles anyway, I resigned myself to the probability that I was never going to "get this grace stuff." Bummer.

Then this .........uh........really miraculous thing happened. I got it! In my heart. My heart caught what my mind could not touch.......Christ in me. One spirit. Union with Him. His life through my life. Just believe and live out of that union with Christ.

No rules, no struggle, no striving. God simply opened my eyes to the reality that was already present in Christ and in me. And it is glorious!

Bill wisely refused to pretend he had the grace formula. But I sure do hope he has a better smiley formula than the one he just sent me!


-Mickey

images of grace

i was thinking just now...well, actually i seem to be thinking all the time...what i mean is, i was thinking about something in particular just now...and it was this, "images of grace." iow, when i hear the word "grace" what images spring to mind? just this moment i thought of grace as a safety net like the kind you see under the flying trapeze at the circus - that "catch you when you fall" sort of net that allows for high flying. and then i thought of grace as needing no net at all.

-grannymac

a window into my soul

this past march i was introduced to something called a vision board. my friend carol and i went to beverly's house to be coached through the process of creating one. picture us, three grown women sitting crossed legged on beverly's living room floor, pouring over magazines, ripping out pages containing anything - anything! - that caught our eye, appealed to us, spoke to us in some way. it could be a picture, a word, a face, a symbol, a phrase, anything. we worked in comfortable silence through a box of magazines that beverly dumped out in our midst. i put my left brain to sleep and grabbed magazines at random...whatever was within easy reach. when all the magazines had been rifled through, we moved on to the next phase of our project...sorting through the pile of images and words lying in heaps by our sides, cutting out specific things, paring them down to precisely what we wanted to use on our boards. then came time to bring out the white poster board and begin assembling - collage style - all our clippings. still working in silence, we began the lay out. once we were satisfied we began to glue things in place. when we were done, the silence lifted and we revealed our masterpieces to each other - explaining our choices - revealing scraps of ourselves - questioning - answering - listening - evaluating - sharing - offering observations - possible interpretations. it was an eye opening, inspiring, watershed day for me. i wish i could show you my vision board here. i keep it up on my bedroom window and look at it several times a day - sort of a window into my soul...a roadmap of where i found myself that march day. since then i've made another board, which i also keep in view...it hangs on the window directly above my computer screen. i wish you could see this one, too...this window into my soul...if you could, you would ask me, "tell me about why you chose this." or "what does this mean to you?" and i would tell you about "this side of heaven"...and sand castles and lanterns...seashells and baby booties...a roll of toilet paper and "amy's cottage"...and beach chairs...about the woman in white standing on a seaside rock, back arched, arms stretched wide, face lifted to the sky...and above her, one word: FREEDOM!

-grannymac

Thanks for sharing my gracious moment of joy

When I got my job yesterday, after five or six months of applications, interviews and the ensuing disappointments, I was elated, frantically emailing around, texting friends and phoning family to let them know. And it was great to get so many enthusiastic responses back. I even got a phone call from Mississippi, and she sounded more excited than I did.

It's great to have friends with whom to share those "gracious moments of joy".

-Dave

Want to Dance?

​On my first flight to California, I packed eight pair of shoes for a three-day trip. Just in case I needed them, which of course I didn't.

I might have enjoyed the trip more if my arm hadn't been sore from hauling that heavy suitcase.

On my next trip, I only took five pair of shoes. Still too many, still too heavy.

When God started me on a journey out of legalism, I tried to pack as many religious doctrines as possible. Just in case I needed them. I kept them tucked into every corner of my mind, my precious rules, ready to accessorize my life on any occasion.

No reason not to keep carrying the load of legalism, maybe add a bit of grace. Almost everybody I knew lived like that. We called it Christianity.

Barefoot is better. It's easier to dance.


-Mickey

a gracious moment of joy

a good friend got a long awaited, much desired job today...and i am thrilled for him. that feeling of happiness and elation i experienced upon hearing the news of another's good fortune is, to me, evidence of and illustrative of the grace of god. our ability, as well as our longing, to enter into the highs and lows of someone else...to share in their joys as well as their sorrows (and to invite them to share in ours) is, to my way of thinking, a direct result (an "out-working" so to speak) of our inclusion in the triune life of god...which is another way of saying god exists in gracious community...a community of tremendous passion, creativity and "other"-centeredness...the gracious community in which we all live and move and have our being.

-grannymac

Grace

Hello All:

Had a thought the other day about the definition of grace. And it has to do with the distinction between Creator and created. It was commonly said that grace is "unmerited favor". God gives us something; namely salvation, forgiveness, eternity in heaven, etc.; that we don't deserve. However, in keeping with the distinction between God and humanity, creator and created as mentioned above, and in keeping with the idea of adoption; that God's eternal purpose has always been to include us in the Father, Son and Spirit's self giving and abounding life of love, passion, excitement and joy; I have had a new thought about grace.

That is grace is, in the simplest terms, God being Creator (His by nature, having life in Himself, self-existent) shares with us that which is not ours by nature, (in that we were created ex nihlo from nothing). Along with that comes the entire idea of God sharing His joy, acceptance, desire, overflowing love, etc. with us.

-ragman

"You Are Mine"

(I originally posted this on "Walking the Dogma" forum. )

I've been reading the books by C. Baxter Kruger that Grannymac and Ragman recommended........and the timing in my life for those books has been just perfect.

More than ever, I'm seeing the reality of God's plan to adopt us into his family, to share his life and love with us, and to bring everything under the authority of Christ. So often we tend to see man's fall as the center of the universe, with God somehow caught off guard and scrambling for a solution...and coming up with Jesus.

But the reality is that God chose us for ADOPTION long before he created this world..........and his plan has not been thwarted in the least. How strange that we've gotten the idea that our actions could defeat God's purposes!

Jesus was ALWAYS part of the Father's plan to share his own life with us. And we have been drawn into God's circle of life and love in Christ, and that is a reality far greater than the "sin problem" that Christians tend to obsess over.

The sin problem is solved, over, finished.....and the Father says, "You are Mine." Period.

We can simply believe and experience that love and life, secure in God's circle of "family." Or we can continue to make an issue of the sin that is NO LONGER AN ISSUE with God, and allow ourselves to be shredded internally with lies.....and establish a separation from God that exists only in our minds, never in his.

Read Ephesians 1, and then go over to Romans 8, (try the New Living Translation) with an eye for God's plan for adoption, his heart to share his love and life with us.........I'm so grateful to Kruger for pointing this out!

In my heart, the Spirit just took it and ran with it.

testing one...two...three

hi, i'm granny mac...heretic and technophobe. this is my first attempt at contributing. how am i doing guys and gals?

-grannymac

This is reprinted from the Grace Pages. It's relevant to the theme of grace, and I thought it might set the ball rolling a bit here.

I wonder whether what we have traditionally called the parable of the Prodigal Son isn't really a parable about a foolish father?

God always seems to be doing foolish things like forgiving sinners and welcoming good-for-nothings into the kingdom while the truly deserving are left only to stomp off and pout because their efforts haven't been recognized. Perhaps most foolishly he let himself be humiliated upon a cross, forgiving his executioners even while he hung there, and inviting a common criminal into Paradise as one of his final, dying acts.

If we were there with that foolish father after he'd let his son get away with robbery and making an unholy show of the entire family, I wonder what we'd say? We'd probably be warning him not to let himself be taken for a ride again. We'd probably be rolling our eyes at what just happened, and cautioning him against welcoming the ungrateful bastard back. I wonder what we'd do when we saw that idiot running out to fetch his son the moment he glimpsed him? Frankly, I think we'd just write him off as one hell of an idiot to put himself back in the same situation as if he hadn't learned his lesson the first time.

It was even worse back in ancient times. Upholding the honour of the family was everything, and the minute the father allowed himself to be walked all over by his sons, he'd made an utter clown of himself, bringing shame upon his family. As if it weren't fiasco enough that he'd lost face in front of the entire community when his son absconded with the family fortune, he risked everything again by running out to greet his son when he ran out of funds and returned home. What a hundred-percent bona fide sucker. What a fool.

It's rather strange that against all our religious instincts, God doesn't mind making an idiot of himself. That's actually quite good news, because the chances of making it in the kingdom with a God who doesn't mind looking a total clown aren't altogether bad. I consider myself pretty fortunate I serve a foolish God.

-Dave

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Heretics "R" Us is meant to be a conglomeration of different views towards the grace of God. Like the description says, everyone is somebody else's heretic, so the views may not always agree and are likely to be very different. All attempting to point to the grace of God that is ours in Jesus.