Charisa Stories

Tag: grace

  • Don’t Know Much About Theology? Try a Karaoke Challenge!

    I used to get nervous around Biblical scholars. They would start talking about the text in the original languages and I realized the only Greek I understood was yogurt. To be honest, it seemed like some theologians were to joy in Christ what nutritionists were to enjoying cheesecake. They took something potentially full of delight and made you feel guilty about your lack of discipline.

    Yet something changed in my life. I saw the need for a solid theological basis for what I believe.

    All of this came to mind when Sam Cooke’s classic Wonderful World popped up on my playlist. You know the one where Sam builds a strong case for academic slacking actually being a strength.

    Don’t know much about history
    Don’t know much biology
    Don’t know much about a science book
    Don’t know much about the french I took

    But I do know that I love you
    And I know that if you love me too
    What a wonderful world this would be

    I modified some lyrics using that classic tune to describe our lack of theological depth. This classic rewrite appears in my book  When Bad Christians Happen to Good People.

    For the music director. A psalm of parody sung to Sam Cooke’s Wonderful World.
    All rise.

    Don’t know much about theology,
    Don’t know much Christology.
    Don’t know much about Leviticus,
    Don’t know why they had the Exodus.
    But I do know that God loves you,
    And I’m trying hard to be good too.
    What a wonderful faith this would be.

    Well, I don’t claim to be a good Christian,
    But I’m trying to be.
    For maybe by bein’ a good person, brother,
    I can gain eternity.

    (Everyone now…)

    Don’t know much about the Pharisees,
    Can’t explain the Trinity.
    Don’t know much ecclesiology
    Don’t know what a good tithe should be.
    But I think that God forgives my quirks,
    And I figure if I do good works,
    What a wonderful faith this would be.

    Humorous? I hope so. But the problem is not so funny. What do we believe? And why? I think one of the fundamental problems in many churches is that we do not effectively connect the theological dots of justification, imputed righteousness, identity in Christ, grace fueling sanctification, and other assorted church words. Remember the connect the dots books you had as a kid? When you connect the theological dots the picture revealed is Jesus.

    Now I find myself desiring to learn more and more about the Gospel of Jesus. I want to understand church history and doctrine. I want to understand grace and I want to live it. I have a long, long, long way to go but someday I hope that the scouting report on me will reflect this summary of Jesus. Jesus was beautifully described in John’s Gospel as being “full of grace and truth”. Notice that grace is listed first as the delivery element of truth. I am excited about continuing to refine my theological base but I want to always be mindful that truth preached without grace is not received nearly as well as the reverse approach.

    Connect the dots. The picture is beautiful. And I think the picture will begin to look something like this.

    “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

    Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3, NLT)

    Learning the depth of God’s Word is a healthy and valuable experience that makes it clear what a wonderful world this will be because of God’s amazing grace.

  • Is Performing the Best Path to Spiritual Growth?

    I learned growing up in a legalistic church that my eternal destiny was determined to a large extent by my performance. I had to be good. I had to do my part. The performance message was reinforced all around me in church and in life.

    If you eat your vegetables you can have dessert.
    If you are good you get toys at Christmas.
    If you get all A’s you will get a monetary reward.
    If you behave your parents will be proud of you.

    So I learned to perform to get rewards and affirmation. Performance addiction is easy in legalism because you always have someone willing (and extremely happy) to challenge how well you are doing and where you can improve. So I performed. I tried hard. Then harder. Like most performance addicts I got tired and sad and desperate. I was on the verge of accepting that this journey with Jesus is a lot of begrudging compliance. The supposed joy that I was promised was hard to find. Then something hit my heart and mind.

    Grace.

    I heard a message that I had probably heard before but my heart was prepared this time for the seed of freedom to flourish.

    Grace.

    I finally realized there is nothing I can personally do to improve my eternal odds. The work of Jesus on the Cross is finished. I am forgiven. The Biblical texts on forgiveness are past tense.

    Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32, NLT

    You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. Colossians 2:13

    I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. 1 John 2:12

    Jesus died for past, present and future sins. I used to agonize over unconfessed sin. What if I forgot something? What if I was unaware of some sin? What if I died with unresolved sin? I made it so hard when all along the eternally patient voice of Jesus was saying relax.
    “It is finished.”
    “My work on the Cross is complete and forever.”
    “You are forgiven once and for all.”

    I contribute nothing to that except my need for a Savior because of my sin.

    The uniqueness of grace for a follower of Christ is that God already knows everything about me (and you) and He loves us exactly the same on our best or worst day. Don’t rush past that truth for Christians.

    Read it again.

    God knows everything about you, and He loves you exactly the same on your best or worst day.

    I don’t have to fight a battle that has already been won. I can relax in the finished work of Christ.

    The answer to performance addiction can be found in two simple words.

    Jesus. Grace.

    Two more words come to mind every time I think of that gift.

    Praise God!

    When I realize all that I was given when I trusted Jesus as my Savior my entire attitude about serving Him changed. Remember that begrudging obligation I mentioned earlier? Now I serve Jesus out of profound gratitude. God will accomplish His plan on this earth whether I am willing or unwilling to serve Him. But what a joy it is to acknowledge the love and grace of God by willingly seeking to be a part of His plan. That approach to glorify God because of what Jesus did for you completely changes your motivation in the most wonderful way. I don’t have to work my way into His favor like I used to believe. I am already there because of Jesus.

    God loves me. I am His child forever. He sent His Son to save me. He gifted me with the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort me. I am actually righteous in the Father’s eyes because of Jesus. Are you telling me those truths don’t change your motivation to want to perform for Jesus? That recognition changed my world completely. Now I want to perform for Him out of love for the eternal hope I now possess.

  • Want to Represent Your Faith Effectively?

    Regular consumers of my humble ramblings (bless your hearts) know that I often find spiritual application from song lyrics both secular and sacred. Blame it on faulty brain wiring at the factory. This week I heard a snippet from Carly Simon’s haunting ballad “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” that triggered today’s musing. The song talks about the ideal of marriage. Her partner wants to marry and is convinced their union will make their relationship different. The lyrical response hit my heart.

    You say we can keep our love alive
    Babe – all I know is what I see –

    She had seen too many marriages start with fairy tale dreams and end in sorrow. That sad topic is another blog. What hit me on this day was how that principle of believing only what you see is how we, as followers of Jesus, can impact non-believers. We tell people we have good news. We tell people we have an eternal hope. We tell people they need this Jesus we talk about. But what hurts my heart is that too many people echo Carly Simon’s response.

    All I know is what I see

    I began my book When Bad Christians Happen to Good People with this quote from Brennan Manning.

    “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

    Ouch.

    If my friends, family, and workmates don’t see anything different in my life then why should they listen? Wait..don’t leave me yet! I am not talking about legalistic sin management and self-righteous “good” behavior. I am talking about unvarnished honesty about the radical grace of Jesus. What if I lived that kind of grace?

    What if I showed them grace that frees me to admit my shortcomings without shame and self-loathing? What if I demonstrated  grace that gives me the courage to be vulnerable and let them see who I really am? What if I let them know I am a total train wreck that needs that grace every moment of everyday? What if I lived out of grace that compels me to run to hurting souls instead of retreating to a safe distance to observe and hope it all works out okay?

    What if I quit agonizing about the uncertainty in the world and started sharing my belief that God is in control and He will always be with me? What if I genuinely showed gratitude for the small things as well as the big ones? What if I was consistently kind even when that action was inconvenient? What if I led instead of lamented about racial and other injustices? What if I acknowledged how much Jesus loves me by allowing that love to flow to others? What if I shared that this relationship with Jesus isn’t based on performance or merit but 100 percent on His unmerited Grace? What if I lived like God loves me on my worst day exactly the same as He loves me on my best day? What if I had this honest passage from Paul memorized and remembered it on the way out the door everyday?

    “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”
    ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Famous theologian D.L.Moody wrote that “Out of 100 men, one will read the Bible, the other 99 will read the Christian.”

    That thought would be completely overwhelming if I tried to do it on my own. But thank God I don’t have to attempt that unassisted. Jesus promised to be with me and is there anyone better to have your back?

    Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. (Ephesians 3:17, NLT)

    If I believe that I would guess this little light of mine would burn a few watts brighter. And maybe some skeptics would be willing to listen.

  • Stop Broad Brushing if You Really Care About Others

    One of the things that I struggle with the most in our current cultural climate is the broad brushing by all sides. What do I mean by that?

    If you disagree with someone’s faith or political opinion you automatically assign to them the worst values from the most extreme people proclaiming that message. Without knowing a single thing about the person’s story, their heart, or their background we are prone to throw down the gauntlet of judgment. 

    A lot of Christians have been unfairly targeted recently. Some deserve to be called to accountability. I have never had a problem with being honest about how I and many other followers of Jesus often fall short of representing the grace and love of Jesus. 

    That is just a fact. That doesn’t change who Jesus is.

    But one heartbreaking result is that the entire Christian faith is being dismissed and denigrated by a lot of people with social media influence. 

    With just a bit of internet searching I can find example after example of failed followers of Jesus. What is more challenging to find are stories about the millions who serve selflessly every day and without being noticed. Why do so many people sacrifice willingly to help those who give them very little or even nothing in return? 

    I know a standard answer is indoctrination as a child into this phony faith. That didn’t happen to me. I was not raised in the church as a child or brainwashed to believe. Another accusation is there is blind acceptance of faith without questioning. That is not my story either. I did a deep dive into my faith when I experienced doubts. I needed to see if I could stand firmly on what I believed. I can tell you there is intellectual depth in the Christian community that helped me sort through my questions with clarity and confidence. 

    I will be honest and tell you it is hard to read some of the comments that strangers have made about my faith. It is harder still to read and hear them from people I know. But that is the reality of the spiritual battle that all followers of Jesus face. 

    If it is true that there is an enemy who tries to destroy the claims of Christ then it makes total sense that the narrative he would push forward is entirely negative. The Enemy does not want the millions of stories of people making a difference capturing the limelight. That would illuminate the darkness of this fallen world with the hope of Jesus.

    So what should be our response to these attacks? Jesus made our response pretty clear.

    43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even unbelievers do that.” (Matthew 5:43-47, NLT)

    When you have the opportunity to talk to someone who opposes your faith you should ask to hear their story. Why do they have such strong feelings against God? Did something or someone cause that reaction? 

    It is amazing how hearing someone’s story can often soften your heart toward them. You have a much better understanding of why they react the way they do. And listening (really listening) can open a door to dialogue about your own journey and story. You will be acting as a true child of God.

    Occasionally I hear some kind things directed toward me. I am grateful for that but here is my honest response to those words. I might have some basic personality traits that were positive but I can say with 100% conviction that most of the things you like about me were cultivated, refined, and grown through the love of Jesus and the gentle teaching power of the Holy Spirit. 

    Own your failures. We all fall short. I am careful not to communicate that my desire is for an unbeliever to stop living in a particular way or to quit a sin I abhor. My message is to really get to know Jesus. In the movie the Jesus Revolution a church welcomed in young men and women who were doing drugs and living a life that many in the congregation deemed decadent. If the message had been clean up your life and then you can be part of our community the revival would have stopped cold. Instead the message was come to know Jesus and let Him show you how to change how you live. That happened millions of times during that remarkable revival. 

    It can still happen today. But I fear that God can not use me if I am busy broad brushing everyone I disagree with. I want to share His story without judging theirs. I am throwing away the broad brush. Will you join me?

  • How Can A Loving Grandparent Make an Eternal Impact?

    Years ago Joni and I were part of a small church group that met regularly and during one session we asked everyone this question.

    What person had the biggest impact on you spiritually growing up?

    Three-quarters of our group shared the same answer.

    A grandparent.

    I was one of those who gave that response. My life was impacted then and to this day by my dear Granny Davis. She had taken on the name Davis from her second husband Raymond.

    Talitha Alice Burchett remarried a few years after enduring the unthinkable tragedy of losing her first husband to typhoid fever when my dad was only six-months-old. A widow with a newborn living in dirt poor Appalachia would have reason to be bitter. But not this remarkable woman.

    So many words come to mind as I remember Granny Davis. The first word is always gratitude. Anytime I visited she was grateful for one minute of my time or for many hours. She was grateful for everything and everyone.

    Another word is joy. Granny Davis had a ready and sometimes mischievous smile that cheered me constantly through the trials of growing up. She was my champion and she never once showed disappointment in me.

    She had almost no formal education yet she was one of the wisest women I have ever known.  Perhaps that is because she spent so much time absorbing God’s Word through consistent reading of the Bible. I remember her lamenting that she wished she was smarter so she could understand the words better. But few people I have met have allowed God’s Word to penetrate their heart and actions more than my Granny Davis. I bought her a copy of The Living Bible and she read through it with notes and marks from Genesis to Revelation. On August 26, 1977 she wrote this at the end of the book of Revelation.

    “Just finished reading this through. Thank you David. It’s meant a lot to me.”

    She was my first messenger of grace, although I did not realize that until later in life. She modeled unconditional love through some very difficult seasons with my parent’s marriage. No matter how I responded during that time I never once felt guilty or unloved in her presence. That was grace in real life.

    To this day, I think of her grace filled responses whenever I feel ungrateful for some real or perceived slight. When I got my driver’s license, my visits to Granny Davis’s house became more and more unannounced. I would run there when I was sad or afraid. She was my refuge. In her presence, I experienced unconditional love, more than in any other place in my early life.

    Granny Davis earned extra money by taking on sewing projects. Joni and I often tell the story of how desperately poor we were when we were newlyweds and our firstborn son Matt came along. There were many times when we scavenged for coins to scrape together money for milk. Whenever we were most in need, a letter would arrive postmarked “Chillicothe, Ohio.” In her distinctive scribble, Granny Davis would write a note of encouragement to us, accompanied by money from her sewing projects. Whether it was five dollars or twenty, it always seemed to be just what we needed to get by for that moment.

    That was no accident. This was a woman who was dialed into the Holy Spirit, and she demonstrated that God knows our needs and He moves before we have any idea. It gave Joni and me a very early and unforgettable example of how God provides. We have never forgotten that lesson. When we face uncertainty, we know that He provides, in part because of a five-foot-two dynamo of faith who showed us what faith and grace look like in our daily journey.

    Isn’t it interesting how a simple person of faith, kindness, joy, and grace can have such an influence? She knows I loved her but she had no idea how much her walk with Jesus affected me. Part of that is because I didn’t recognize it myself until later in life and I can’t wait to tell her in heaven some day.

    Proverbs 17:6 says that “Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged”.

    Amen.

    What a wonderful gift from God to have the opportunity to love, care, and share your life with these precious little ones. We can have a unique connection and voice to our grandkids. I share the hope of John who wrote these words.

    I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children (and grandchildren) are following the truth. (3 John 3:4, NLT)

    I hope I am having an impact in my beloved grandkids lives. I won’t know the whole story on this earth but I will do my best to show them the love and grace of Jesus.

    Billy Graham summed up my goal perfectly.

    “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”

  • Want a Healthy Community? Focus on the Last Five Letters of the Word.

    One of the 7 Core Values of my church is Community. I was blessed to speak on that value this week at Waterbrook Bible Fellowship. Here is the statement about Community from our church website.

    Genuine biblical community means living in caring relationships that are guided by biblical truth and grounded in spiritual accountability. We value real community, and yes, we know how messy and hard it is. But, we also know that real and lasting life-change—spiritual transformation—primarily occurs in the unity and diversity of authentic relationships.

    Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus about living in community in the power of the Spirit. Note that he wrote these caring words while in jail for the “crime” of serving the Lord. His heart for his people overshadowed his difficult circumstance.

    Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. (Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT)

    We have been called by God to be humble, gentle, patient, and forgiving of each other’s faults because of love. Then Paul reminds us that the Lord is our source of unity.

    Community is a basic human need. Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman and CEO, saw that need. When he joined Starbucks, he wanted to create a place for human connection, conversation, and one that fostered a sense of ­community – a third place between work and home. That was the genesis of one of the most successful business models in history.

    One of the places that used to be the third place between work and home was the church. For many, it still is a community that matters, but sadly for some, church is a place that has lost its appeal. Why did that happen?

    The church shares some of the blame for not aggressively proclaiming the amazing nature of grace. We allowed the proclamation of what we are against to be the face of the church instead of the Gospel message that gives us hope. We talked about the repulsiveness of sin instead of the forgiveness of sin that leads to peace and joy.

    We have somehow proffered the narrative that church requires individuals to undergo a begrudging moral cleanup to be worthy of inclusion in our club. The attractiveness of the church should be that you don’t have to shape up and you don’t have to clean up. We just want you to show up and learn about the redemptive power of the Gospel.

    All of us want a place where we are accepted. We are designed for community, and the church needs to realize that it must be a place of teaching and honest reproach but, perhaps more importantly, a place of refuge, grace, and safety. A walk-in clinic for messy seekers and messy Christians. The truth is that all of us are messy. If many people honestly relayed the condition of their souls, as soon as they walked in the door, they would be triaged with a code blue of love, concern, and prayer.

    The writer of Hebrews encourages us to lean fully into God’s love, and from that base we can love others.

    24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT)

    The concept of thinking of ways to motivate others to acts of love and good works is wonderful. But just thinking about it isn’t enough. We have to come together in community for it to work effectively. And nothing should level the playing field like embracing the teachings of Jesus. He cares not a whit about color, status, resume, income, or appearance. Jesus looks only on the heart. Would Jesus hear the ugly words of a hurting person or the desperate tone of their need? Would He condemn the sin or embrace the sinner and whisper gently in their ear that there is a better way? Of course, there are consequences to sin, made ever more clear when we turn on the news every day. But the truth is that all of us are sinners. We need to share the hope and joy of living in Christ.

    Building a loving and grace filled community is also based on this important truth.

    Loving everyone who enters our doors does not mean we accept all their behavior.

    May I repeat that?

    Loving everyone who enters our doors does not mean we accept all their behavior.

    The Jesus Revolution began when people involved in all kinds of wrong behavior were accepted, loved, and taught the Gospel. From that came the biggest revival of my lifetime.

    Paul wrote about the need for unity.

    I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. (1 Corinthians 1:10, NLT)

    We need to be unified in Christ. You can’t spell Community without unity. I am grateful that Scripture recognizes our need for one another on this journey. Share your journey with your brothers and sisters in Christian community. I know that some have tried and been wounded. Some have tried and been ignored. I have been there too. I encourage you (make that plead with you) to not give up. Pray for those connections. We are created to live in community and it isn’t easy. Worthwhile endeavors rarely are.

    You can hear the entire message on Community by clicking here.

  • Negative People Offer a Problem for Every Solution

    Albert Einstein is generally credited for the thought in today’s title. If so it may be his best theory! I have reached and exceeded my saturation point on negative discourse.

    Our leaders on both sides, the media, and social media platforms spend a ridiculous percentage of their energy on what is wrong with this world instead of ways to address those problems. Their solutions are often soul-sucking condemnation, judgement, and summary dismissal of people who simply ask questions. Perhaps the most distressing thing is that many in the church have fallen into the same dark space. Christian social media responses to cultural and doctrinal issues may be slightly less profane but not much, if any, less negative.

    Brothers and sisters, we are supposed to be light! But please don’t take my word for it. Your argument is with Jesus. 

    “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will 
    praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16, NLT)

    What I see too often is this very sad paraphrase of His words demonstrated through social media platforms. 

    “Let my sharp words shame or demean you so that everyone will see how clever I am and praise me.” 

    Paul addressed why we should be eager to be light in the world in Ephesians 5:8. 

    “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!“

    My heart breaks when I see how many followers of Christ seem to have forgotten they were once full of darkness. It is only because of God’s grace that you have light. 

    For the spiritual hall monitors I am willing to have thoughtful discussions about tough issues. But I am done with negativity and it is not because I am naive about the condition of the world. I am done with negativity precisely because of the condition of the world. This hurting, fearful populace needs hope, light, and grace. They need thoughtful listeners with a message of love. They need the positive message of the Good News. That is my goal for the rest of my days. I feel quite comfortable that the negative side will be well represented by countless others. 

    Everyday I need to make choices.

    I can be judgmental or I can be joyful.
    I can be pessimistic or I can be prayerful.
    I can be condemning or I can be caring.
    I can be fearful or I can be faithful.
    I can be grace-filled or I can be graceless.

    We make those choices and I know they are not easy. Making the choice to eat better is hard. Making the choice to work out is even harder for me. Those are decisions with good but temporal benefits. But making the choice to be a positive, loving light in this world has eternal impact. Warren Wiersbe is one of my favorite writers. His book Be Joyful: Philippians): Even When Things Go Wrong, You Can Have Joy is a great study to reorient your negativity.

    “When you have the single mind, you look on your circumstances as God-given opportunities for the furtherance of the gospel, and you rejoice at what God is going to do instead of complaining about what God did not do.”― Warren W. Wiersbe

    That response ain’t natural my friends. That is a mindset based on who God is. It is a choice grounded on the grace He has lavishly given to each one of His children. I’m done with negativity. I don’t know if I have two weeks or two decades left on this planet but I don’t want to spend my time wallowing in pessimism. I remember joking with my television production crew a few years ago that I was in the 4th quarter of life. One of my dear, encouraging friends said this with a smile on his face. “What if you’re in overtime?” That could well be but no matter how much time is on the life clock I want to be a positive light. I want to remember and live out the truth of John 13:35.

    “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

    The choice to love and be light is infinitely more important than winning online arguments, getting social media likes, and racking up followers. I want to be a loving light for the Good News of the Gospel. Nothing is more important.