Anyone who knows me knows that I love everything about coffee, from roasting to drinking. I have roasted my own coffee beans for about 20 years. Even so, a very simple but profound truth came to mind while roasting this past Saturday. When I finish roasting, I take the round cage full of beans and…
Tag: Grace
Hope in the Hurt
Saddened to read of the fear this recent act of hate in Atlanta has created in the Asian-American community and the added struggle the pandemic has caused over the last year. Cellist Soo Bae reminds us that in all circumstances, God is on the Throne and is worthy of all blessing and honor and glory.
An Open Letter to My Dad on His 88th Birthday
Dear Dad, If I’m completely honest, this time last year I didn’t think you would be here to see this day. All my life, I assumed that you would live to be in your late 90s, strong and healthy as an ox, just like Grandma and Grandpa. All my dreams and assumptions about that came…
Whiplash From Life’s Hairpin Turns
As I write this, my Dad lay in ICU at Baptist Hospital in Jackson with a very slim chance of recovery, medically speaking. On Wednesday he was set to go home today (Friday) but took a terrible turn sometime during that night. In an instant, everything changed. That’s the way life is, isn’t it? Instantaneous…
Meditation for Today: Grace
I have found that the idea of grace is a wonderful concept to think about but a whole ‘nother thing to live! In my own life, I find that I don’t like to give myself grace. Let me rephrase that: I want to give myself grace—I just usually don’t. I am often my own…
Light
“The Son of grace shines the light of his grace into the darkest recesses of our hearts, not as an act of vengeance or punishment, but as a move of forgiving, transforming, and delivering grace. He dispels our self-inflicted darkness because he knows that we cannot grieve what we do not see, we cannot confess…
Hidden in Plain Sight
At The Gathering on Sunday, I talked about how easy it is for us to become complacent in our journey with Jesus. Complacency can sneak up on us as we become so familiar with grace and become so comfortable in our salvation that the whole thing can become somewhat blasé (That’s French for, “meh”). That…
The Mind-blowing Nature of Grace
One of the most challenging aspects of the Gospel is the amazing grace of God that declares Believers as perfect in Christ. It is hard to grasp because we know we’re still sinners. How can we be both sinners and sinless at the same time and, if true, how can we live in that reality?…
No Room For Compromise
I had the opportunity to hang out yesterday with a couple of young adults whom I have great affection for and was able to hear from them what some of the general attitudes are regarding right and wrong and was is considered acceptable among their age-group. I wasn’t the least bit shocked, but still deeply…
When Despair Creeps In
If I am being completely honest and transparent with you, I’m struggling. I’m wrestling with the mental affects of chronic pain. Now, chronic pain can be labeled in different ways and is usually reserved for pain that has no real end in sight. Hopefully, that is not the definition for me. I have been dealing…
Have You Met My Friend? His Name is Todd.
Todd is a dear friend of mine with some of the most amazing talent I’ve ever personally experienced. A singer-songwriter with a gift for identifying the most important things in life and putting them to music, Todd can have you laughing one second and crying the next.
Who’s to Blame?
Ever wonder who’s to blame for all the junk in your life? When you sin, did the Devil make you do it? When you stumble, is it because your parents didn’t teach you well enough? Are you overweight because McDonald’s serves those dog-gone fries? We’re great at assigning blame. That’s nothing new, of course. Remember…
The Amazing God of Manasseh
To read the account of Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:1-17, 20) is absolutely amazing in regards to the mercy of God. Manasseh did everything he could to provoke God. Reading about his faithlessness and sin toward God is like watching a fatal train crash. I found myself actually getting angry at him myself as it was…
Quick Test of a Thankful Heart
“A thankful heart is constantly extending grace because it has received grace.” ~ Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
You may not know the children’s book that bears that title, but it really doesn’t matter – it says it all. I awoke this morning with high expectations for the day in spite of some important and possibly difficult meetings today. I spent time in the Word and praying and climbed out of bed ready…
The God of Manasseh
2 Chronicles 33:1-17 2 Chronicles 33:20 To read the account of King Manasseh of Judah is absolutely amazing in regards to the mercy of God. Manasseh literally did everything he could to provoke God to fury. Reading about his faithlessness and sin toward God is like watching a fatal train crash in slow motion. I found myself actually getting…
Grace Really Is Amazing
I had a conversation the other day with a very dear friend of mine who has recently begun a steep, uphill battle with cancer. Though the prognosis is not great, his outlook is. I was amazed as I listened to him describe the ordeal that lies in front of him and to hear him tell me of the grace of God that was instantly manifested in his life.
