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  • ENOUGH! What Can I Do?

    ENOUGH! What Can I Do?

    I am saddened, sickened, and heartbroken as I keep hearing stories like the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. I have reached the point where I believe that feeling outrage and dismay is no longer enough for followers of Jesus. I want to do something. Today I yield my space to two black brothers in Christ. Montagne McDonald is the teaching pastor at the historic King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Duke Barnett is a respected leader and educator in Garland. I asked these two good and thoughtful men an important question. What can I do as a white brother in Christ to make a difference in our culture? Duke and Montagne, the forum is yours.

    Duke Barnett:

    For me, I wrestle with this topic because so many of my White brothers and sisters recognize the rampant inequalities, racism, and disrespect for people of color. They also recognize God’s love for people of color. However, there are many Whites (and Blacks) who call themselves Christian but are merely wolves in sheep’s clothing. So, that’s a challenge for me.

    Here is my humble opinion with some life-lived experiences sprinkled in.

    1) White people must recognize they have a members of their race/culture who despise people of color and are simply racists. Some of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing as well. They must stop making excuses for them and really just call it like it is. It’s like the old phrase, I must fix my own house before trying to fix someone else’s house.

    2) People of color must come to the realization that we are not innocent either. We often contribute to the oppression of each other. Even some of us in higher tax brackets who may not experience racism at high level, contribute to our oppression by doing things that promotes our own interests and not those of the greater good. After we make it, we sometimes tell our people to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps like I did”. That’s hard for our people when the majority has dealt with systematic racism all of our lives and we can’t buy boots. We people of color have to do better as well with taking care of our own house, race/culture No one else will do it for us.

    We have to speak truth to power and call it like it is. Not just to the other races/cultures, but mainly to our own.

    Montagne McDonald:

    Thank you for having a heart for your brothers and sisters that go beyond lip-service and church-speak. Many of our white brothers and sisters have said they hate racism and love people of color yet remain silent in times like these. It is sometimes hard to know if you have an ally when you cannot find them when they are needed. Silence says more than people think. However, beyond that it is important that our Christian brothers and sisters make an effort to also understand the theological issue of racism and injustice as well. I have heard many times from my white brothers and sisters in ministry that social justice is not of God and is in fact an enemy to Christianity. I believe there is either a misunderstanding of what social justice is, or an unwillingness to accept that there is a need for social justice. When the society we live in has police procedures and laws that make it easier for those who do not see black people as human to perpetrate violence against them, that is an injustice. When we have a judicial system that encourages stacking the deck against the poor as they await sometimes years for a “fair trial” sitting in a prison that is publicly traded, that is an injustice. Our voices should speak against it. Our votes should speak against it. You asked, “What can I do as a white brother or sister in Christ to make a difference in our culture?” You are on the right track. Using your platform to expose the weak spots of our society. Yet, beyond exposure we must seek to actively fight against the systems that continue to victimize the poor and people of color. And we must hold our brothers, sisters, judges, teachers, politicians, and pastors to a higher standard. Our country has the most morally sound ideals the world has ever seen. It is time we hold one another accountable to achieve those lofty standards: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

    Duke Barnett:

    Prayer is an amazing connection between us and God. It’s our “intentional communication” with God! As grandma always told me…prayer changes things. But you know, many of the slaves prayed faithfully…they also took actions. Actions that were rooted in those prayers. The poor and the people of color want and need more than prayer from of White brothers and sisters. We need positive and influential action. #OneLove

    Thank you Duke and Montagne. I know I am a small fish in this social media ocean but I agree with Edward Everett Hale on this issue.

    “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

    I want to be a voice for those without a voice. I want to call sin by it’s name and I want to offer something better. That something better is the color blind love of Jesus.

    When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:6-8, NLT)

    He died for us.

    All of us.

    It is time for all of us to unite in that truth and stop being silent about hate and prejudice towards our brothers and sisters.

  • Can We Quit Pointing Fingers?

    Can We Quit Pointing Fingers?

    I recently tuned my satellite radio to see what was going in Washington (D)ysfunctional (C)hildren). Within a minute I regretted my decision. Both sides were attacking and demeaning the other’s motives, integrity, and decency. My mood turned sour. Then I flipped to another channel and the first song I heard was a duet from Mandisa and TobyMac.

    These lyrics immediately grabbed my heart.

    Are you left?
    Are you right?
    Pointing fingers, taking sides
    When are we gonna realize?

    We all bleed the same
    We’re more beautiful when we come together
    We all bleed the same
    So tell me why, tell me why
    We’re divided.

    Why indeed? One thing I am sure of is that hateful rhetoric never, ever, ever changes a heart. Followers of Christ have a message of hope and light that is desperately needed. But we get caught up in the politics of our world and too often snuff out that light. I have been guilty more than I care to think about.

    I fear our culture will get darker in the days and months ahead. Followers of Christ have to make a decision. We can decide to complain that Christians are no longer respected and valued in the culture. Or we can decide to show the kind of kindness, forgiveness, grace, and love that early Christians demonstrated to change a hostile culture. Christianity really functions best as the underdog. We can ask God to give us the strength and grace to be a light in the darkness.

    What does that mean? During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods’ appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. “What’s the rumpus about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”

    Perhaps the fact that grace and forgiveness are rare commodities in this society is a big reason we see such anger and hopelessness.

    Our natural reaction to those who denigrate our faith is to strike back. Jesus knew this would happen and He had some very radical instructions.

    “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28,  NET)

    I wonder what God could do if we followed those words?  And if we remembered that we all created in the image of God but our different experiences and stories divide us. They don’t have to.

    If we’re gonna fight
    Let’s fight for each other
    If we’re gonna shout
    Let love be the cry
    We all bleed the same
    So tell me why, tell me why
    We’re divided

    Henri Nouwen is exactly right with this statement. “If anyone should ask you what are the most radical words in the gospel, you need not hesitate to reply: “Love your enemies.” It’s these words that reveal to us most clearly the kind of love proclaimed by Jesus.”

    It is time to quit pointing fingers. If we are going to fight let’s fight for each other. I want to represent the kind of love proclaimed by Jesus. We all bleed the same.

  • Lean On Me

    Lean On Me

    Life happens, John Lennon famously said, when you are making other plans. Boy has life been happening to us in recent weeks!


    Waterbrook Bible Fellowship chose the Monday musing topic today. Sunday’s streaming service ended with the song “Lean On Me”. The lyrics might not be found in a dusty old hymnal but the words sung by Bill Withers are spot on for this season.

    Sometimes in our lives
    We all have pain
    We all have sorrow

    Lean on me, when you’re not strong
    And I’ll be your friend
    I’ll help you carry on

    I write a lot about grace in community. Some say too much. To be honest, I have had moments when I wondered if living in community with messy people is worth it. I have come to understand why legalism is so much easier than grace. Legalism allows me to assess the situation and then apply a verse, assign a task and move away in self-righteous expectation. If that person rejects that Biblical admonition or task then legalism allows me to withdraw because they are disobedient. Grace does not give me that option. Grace demands that I move toward the struggle of my brother or sister and not away in judgment. No wonder grace is a tough sell.

    That is the glorious dichotomy of grace. Grace wears me out and lifts me up. Grace frustrates and exhilarates.  My old nature screams that people who make bad decisions over and over get what they “deserve”. They don’t “deserve” to be pursued and loved and restored. They made their bed now let them lay in it. But there is a small quiet voice in my heart that tells me that they have value. That they are loved by their Creator. And that voice asks who am I to decide who “deserves” anything?

    A quote by Pastor Paul Donnan says it far better than I ever could.

    Grace doesn’t treat us better than we deserve. It treats us without the slightest reference to what we deserve. Grace ceases to be grace if God withdraws it upon any human failure. If Grace is in any way tied to something you do, then it is no longer a gift but a wage, and that’s not grace.

    And, to be selfish, the lyrics of Bill Withers tells me why it is in my own best interest to give grace willingly.

    I’ll help you carry on
    For it won’t be long
    Till I’m gonna need
    Somebody to lean on

    Yep. It is just a matter of time until I will be begging for grace for some stupid action or word. Paul knew that was true and reminded the Galatian Church.

    Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. (Galatians 6, The Message)

    Why are we so willing to receive grace and not extend it? Maybe the next lyric has a clue.

    Please swallow your pride
    If I have things you need to borrow
    For no one can fill those of your needs
    That you won’t let show

    Pride. Pride causes us to cover our needs because that would show weakness. Pride tells us to wear a mask of false joy so that others won’t know our shame and sin and need. Our Father in Heaven designed this journey to be lived in community. God knows that we need Him and we need one another. So drop the mask of false joy for the approved mask of virus prevention and sing along in muffled harmony.

    We all need somebody to lean on
    I just might have a problem
    That you’ll understand

    We all need somebody to lean on

    Yes it is hard to walk with the wounded. Yes it is frustrating to watch messy people make the same mistakes over and over. Yes it is tiring to give grace to the needy. But my heart’s desire remains the same. These words in Hebrews wrap it up nicely.

    And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. (Hebrews 13:16)

    Do the right thing. Help those in need. Pleasing God.

    We all need one another and especially now. Love God this week by being kind to some of His children.

    Want to be more connected to God and one another. Click here.

  • How to Choose Hope and Light over Doom and Darkness

    I remember reading Chicken Little when I was a child. The story tells that a young chick walking along was unexpectedly struck on the head by an acorn. With no further investigation Chicken Little came to the kind of well reasoned conclusion that floods our social media today.

    The sky is falling!

    Today Chicken Little would be an excellent politician or cable news anchor. Every time I violate my own personal mental health policy and turn on the news I am plunged into despair.

    The sky is falling! Look! There is an expert displaying a colorful chart to prove it! Hear me out. I know is important to communicate information for our actions and safety. But the tone and sheer volume of fear mongering is depressing.

    When I fall totally into the abyss and survey social media I see overwhelming fear, anger, gloom, and apocalyptic doom. Again, I understand the need to be informed. But I am beginning to think that fear is the most consistency ingredient for too many sources.

    As a follower of Jesus how do I process this tsunami of doom? I need to remind myself of some fundamental truths that I hold true. I find myself doing this over and over because the noise from the culture can drown out the quiet voice of the Spirit of God. Here is a small dose of my faith vaccine for fear.

    These events are NOT a surprise to God. Violence, hatred, bigotry, and division are a product of a fallen world that will someday be redeemed. Jesus made it very clear that following Him is not a get out of grief card.

    “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NLT)

    Yes, there will be troubles but He has overcome the world. What does that mean?

    It means even in my deepest fear and darkest hour I know that I am loved, adopted, redeemed, and I have the promise of eternity with God. I have hope to sustain me. I am not anxious to leave this world but I am also not afraid. I believe I have an eternal inheritance given as a free gift of grace awaiting me.

    I do my best to obey the laws the authorities lay out for me. I try to be a good neighbor and a responsible citizen. After doing all of those important things I stand on this conclusion drawn by David when he was afraid for his future. His lament sounds like he could have written it today (after watching cable news).

    My heart is breaking
        as I remember how it used to be:
    I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
        leading a great procession to the house of God,
    singing for joy and giving thanks
        amid the sound of a great celebration!

    David was isolated. His days of joyful gatherings were just a memory as he hunkered down alone in fear. But he remembered the key to his joy and thankfulness. He remembered where he placed his hope.

    Why am I discouraged?
        Why is my heart so sad?
    I will put my hope in God!
        I will praise him again—
        my Savior and my God!

    In Psalm 73 the author laments how the wicked seem to prosper and he wonders if his efforts are in vain. Then he recognizes the problem is not the world but the bitterness in his own heart. He acknowledges that he may face troubles but his source of strength is eternal.

    My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
        but God remains the strength of my heart;
        he is mine forever. (Psalm 73:26, NLT)

    The next time the news or a social media influencer is causing your heart to be downcast remember the words of Paul to the church at Corinth.

    “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
    (2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NLT)

    Today I choose to focus my gaze on the source of hope and light.

    Jesus.

    Fear causes you to take your eye off of the source of your strength. Keep your eyes on Jesus and the words of a classic old church hymn will begin to ring true in your heart.

    O soul are you weary and troubled?
    No light in the darkness you see?
    There’s light for a look at the Savior
    And life more abundant and free

    Turn you eyes upon Jesus
    Look full in His wonderful face.
    And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
    In the light of His glory and grace.

    I pray that you will choose to focus on the hope and light of Jesus to get you through the cacophony of doom and gloom that surrounds us.

  • Lessons from an Ancient Lockdown

    Lessons from an Ancient Lockdown

    Most of us have been “sheltered in place” for a month or longer. I think that 99.9 percent of us are ready to resume normal activities. Maybe that will happen soon but I do not want to miss any lessons that I can take forward after this uninvited isolation ends.

    I am going stir crazy after 30 days of limited socialization. I fight off frustration over a litany of truly minor inconveniences. And then I pick up my Bible and I read these extremely annoying words from Paul written from prison!

    I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. (Philippians 4:12-14, The Message)

    I could wrap this article up with that one thought. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who me makes me who I am.

    Wow.

    Backup a bit in his letter and we find that Paul is almost giddy that the prison thing has been an unexpected positive.

    I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the followers of Jesus here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah. (Philippians 1:12-14, The Message)

    This is actually a little discouraging when I realize I am fighting despondency over toilet paper shortages. How can one learn to be content in prison? Why did Paul not remind God of the work he had accomplished? The churches he had planted. The men and women he had discipled faithfully. How could a loving God place him in such a circumstance near the end of his life? What is fair about this? The answer?

    Nothing.

    My lesson plan is to study how Paul prepared his heart to write his amazing message about contentment when circumstances dictated anything but that response. This letter is even more perfect for this season in our lives because Paul was forcibly separated from those believers he longed to visit and hug. The Romans sheltered him in place and Paul used his time to glorify God. Here are just a few of the steps Paul suggests to get us to the place where you and I can be content in whatever comes our way.

    1. Contentment starts with having the attitude of Jesus who gave up His divine privilege to serve.

    Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. (Philippians 2:3-4, NLT)

    2. Contentment starts with rejoicing in Christ.

    Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. (Philippians 3:1, NLT)

    Paul didn’t say to rejoice when things are hunky-dory. He writes that no matter what happens we should rejoice.

    3. Contentment starts with pressing toward the goal in faith.

    I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:12-14, NLT)

    4. Contentment starts with believing the promise that Jesus is with you.

    Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7, The Message)

    It truly is wonderful if you can displace worry with Jesus. Not easy to be sure but so amazing when you turn your eyes on Him in times of sadness and stress.

    5. Contentment starts with your thoughts and attitude.

    And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9, NLT)

    I often overlook that the passage above is the lead-in to Paul’s incredible declaration of contentment. Here is how the Message relays it.

    I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

    These are challenging times. Many are suffering. But most of us are in a better place than Paul when he wrote this amazing letter of encouragement. The message to the church at Philippi is a pretty good place for me to learn a powerful lockdown lesson. I can be content in Christ no matter my circumstance.

  • Easter Song

    Easter Song

    I think of Keith Green every Easter week because he recorded one of my favorite songs about the power of the resurrection.

    What I loved most about Keith Green was his passion for Christ. Like many who came to faith during the Jesus movement Green was sold out to the Gospel.

    Every Easter week I listen to his recording of the Easter Song.

    Hear the bells ringing
    They’re singing that you can be born again
    Hear the bells ringing
    They’re singing Christ is risen from the dead

    The angel up on the tombstone
    Said He has risen, just as He said
    Quickly now, go tell his disciples
    That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

    Joy to the world, He has risen, hallelujah
    He’s risen, hallelujah
    He’s risen, hallelujah

    He is risen indeed. Keith Green experienced the resurrection power of Christ when he died in 1982. I sometimes wonder how his music might have changed as he matured in his faith. His journey just before his death offers a clue.

    After striving for years to measure up to God’s holiness, at times even questioning his own salvation, Keith came into a deeper understanding of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross — both to forgive his sins, and to clothe him in His righteousness. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest.

    It wasn’t that Keith became less concerned with purity and holiness. But now he was more motivated by love and less by fear in His pursuit of Jesus. He learned so much more about God’s grace and the importance of pausing simply to behold His glory and enjoy His presence.

    Right there with you brother. Keith Green left an amazing legacy in just twenty-nine years and I believe the Easter Song is one of his most powerful recordings.

    Hear the bells ringing
    They’re singing that you can be healed right now
    Hear the bells ringing, they’re singing
    Christ, He will reveal it now

    The angel up on the tombstone
    Said He has risen, just as He said
    Quickly now, go tell his disciples
    That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

    Clarence Hall noted that “you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.” That was the message the angel gave to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they came to the tomb.

    Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. (Matthew 28, NLT)

    As Keith Green powerfully sang many years ago…

    The angel up on the tombstone
    Said He has risen, just as He said
    Quickly now, go tell his disciples
    That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

    Indeed!

  • The Worst Day of Peter’s Life

    The Worst Day of Peter’s Life

    There is much written about Good Friday. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is incomprehensible to my puny human intellect. There is much written about Easter Sunday. Christians around the world rejoice and proclaim that “He is risen!”. But there is not nearly as much written about one of the saddest and most confusing days in history. The Saturday between the Friday horror of Jesus on the Cross and the Sunday mystery of the resurrection. Some churches do observe Holy Saturday but it was never a tradition in my faith upbringing.

    I have been thinking about what that day must have been like for those who dropped everything to follow Jesus. How crushing those events had to be. I imagine the fear they felt that they would also be killed. And for what? On Saturday they feared they had given their careers and their very souls for a false hope.

    I think in particular of Peter. I identify so much with him. Like him I throw down bold statements of loyalty to the Lord and then let Him down. Like him I draw attention to my own accomplishments instead of recognizing where my accomplishments come from. Like Peter I am a generally sincere but desperately needy follower of Jesus.

    You know the story about Peter before the arrest and mock trial of Jesus. Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him three times before the rooster crows at dawn. For many years I breezed by the setup to that prediction.

    “Simon (Peter), Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22, NLT)

    Jesus had already prayerfully pleaded for Peter to be used in a powerful and redemptive way before the failure, shame and repentance that Jesus knew was about to happen. Our sin does not take Jesus by surprise. Why does His grace and forgiveness surprise us?

    Like me, Peter did not hear the tender words of encouragement from the Lord. Nope. He blustered.

    “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”

    After the arrest of Jesus a suddenly less bold Peter followed the crowd. He denied to a servant girl that he knew Jesus. He denied his alliance to another bystander. The crushing sorrow and shame of what happened next is hard to fathom.

    About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.”

    But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

    At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

    I imagined what the expression might have been on the face of Jesus when He turned and looked. I suspect it was a look of sadness, compassion and longing to comfort His friend. But what Peter probably saw was only disappointment and failure. Peter’s tears likely flowed until they could no longer flow. I suspect it was hard to even breathe. His heart literally ached within his chest. His mind could not imagine any future hope. I wonder if he thought about running away or even ending it all. I wonder if he could think at all.

    That Saturday was one of the worst days in history and Peter may have felt the pain of that awful day more intensely than anyone. He did not know what would happen the next day. Peter did not yet understand what Jesus had been telling him.

    When Luke recounts that Jesus appeared to the Disciples the only one mentioned by name is Peter. What gives me hope this Easter season is the tender story of Jesus affirming and reinstating Peter to be a leader who would “feed His sheep”. That is the grace that changes a heart.

    I can betray Jesus. Ignore Him. Live selfishly. At some point I once again recognize my desperate need for Jesus to rescue me. For the one millionth time I turn to Him. And what happens? He lifts my shame bowed head and looks deeply into my eyes. He tells me how much He loves me. That is grace. That is real. That is love. Maybe I won’t have a day quite as bad as Peter on that horrible dark Saturday but his story of redemption encourages me this Easter season.

    Saturday was terrible. But Sunday was coming with the wonderful news that He is risen! He is risen for me! Jesus is pleading for me that my faith will not fail. What a joyous hope for all of us this Easter.

    Join me on a journey to become more connected to God and one another.