The Cost of Grace

I hear a lot about “free grace.” I hear people say that grace is a gift freely given, we do nothing to

earn or deserve it. It costs us nothing. But is grace really free? I do not mean “are there strings attached” but is it without cost? Even a gift given to us cost something to someone, and usually the better the quality the higher the cost. What is the cost of grace?

No More Debt

Debt. That thing which keeps us under, keeps us from ever getting ahead, which is always hovering over, restricting life.

Forgiveness. That act which frees the giver, brings peace to a relationship and heart, which removes the burden of guilt. That act which is undeserved.

Debt is something no one likes. Forgiveness is something every one wants to receive, but few want to give. Is there a connection?

The Best Gift

With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day near, (or Christmas) the idea of finding the right gift is forefront. Some people are really hard to shop for (my father for instance). But for other’s it is not that you don’t know what they would like, but you want to find that perfect gift, the one that best shows your affection or appreciation for that special someone. The struggle is real. What kind of thought do you put into the gifts you give God?

Play Your Game

Though I enjoy watching the game, I wouldn’t say I’m a big hockey fan. But I do love the movie “Miracle,” about a coach who takes a bunch of college kids, forms them into an Olympic team, and wins the gold, defeating the 20 year winning streak of the Russian team. Several times in the movie, Coach Brooks tells the players to “play your game” or to “worry about your own game, there’s plenty there to keep you busy,” meaning that they should focus on what they were supposed to do and not worry about what the other team or their teammates were doing. That idea has stuck with me since the first time I watched it.

Win Without a Word

How do you influence someone who is “above” you in some way, whether the difference is age or position? Is it possible to make a difference in anyone that is not under our teaching or guidance? How do you bring about change in someone who is difficult to get along with? It’s not how you think.

True Motives

Every one has some driving force or principle. What motivates you? Every decision you make, every action good or bad, every interaction, what determines them? What do you look to for help deciding? When you decide whether to follow right or wrong, what makes the difference? Whom do you serve?

Wife After God review

I am all about improving my marriage. I read everything I can get my hands on (books, blog posts, articles) that could offer biblical advice. Frankly, I have gotten a little saturated, partly because it is not like a science equation where you put in A and B and automatically get C, real life doesn’t work that way. As a result I have become a little burned out and skeptical. So it was with reservations that I started reading Wife After God. It actually sat on my shelf for almost six months before I dug in, but once I started I couldn’t put it down!

Have You Partaken of His Flesh and Blood?

Every church practices it a little differently, but all evangelical Christian churches (and many others) offer communion at some point. Whether your church has the traditional cracker and ½ oz communion cup, or the less formal loaf to dip in a cup, I’m sure you have seen and even participated in communion, and have probably heard the traditional passages read aloud, either from the gospels when Jesus gave the Last Supper or from 1 Corinthians where Paul describes how to take communion. Each passage talks about Christ’s body and blood, but obviously you don’t eat real flesh and blood, so what does that mean? Do you really have to “partake of His flesh and blood”? 

Have You Been Passed Over?

All was still. Darkness covered the land far beyond any mere physical absence of light. There was a silence, a tension, a waiting. Everything was poised in apprehension. A battle between two great powers, wrestling for control, stood in checkmate. Who would win? What would happen next? Suddenly, just after midnight, there arose a cry, a great wailing. Sorrow and terror covered the land as those belonging to one power were stripped of their first born. In every family on that side there was loss. But those on the other side were passed over.

Are Your Eyes On Victory?

Where is your focus? In everyday life, what draws your attention, what keeps you going? When times are hard, where do you look for help, what gets you through it? Are your eyes on victory?

How can you focus on victory? First you have to define what victory is, or more importantly, where victory comes from. Victory, of course, is overcoming some obstacle, which can play out in many ways in life depending on the situation. But where does it come from?