God's not dead!

Jesus is Grace, Grace is Jesus, and Jesus is alive. This is good news!

His death was the final payment for the sin of the world - past, present and future. This means the entire world is forgiven and sin no longer requires atonement. "It is finished" and He did it for us - everyone! "God so loved the WORLD ..." The good news is that includes you and me! We are forgiven and sin is no longer an issue. He fulfilled the law and we are free indeed. We don't have to do a single thing - it is finished! These aren't my words; Jesus said it.

Better news is Jesus is no longer dead. Indeed, as the title of a popular song and movie states, "God is not dead!" We don't have to bring him back to life, back into our government, or even our schools. On the contrary, He has always been and will always be. He put everything into place and with reason - his will not ours. This is amazing news! Why - because He loves us. He is our heavenly daddy and made us just like him. He wouldn't make anyone like him and not like them. That's too many 'likes' so let's just say, he loves us all.

If you can believe that, you're in. That's right, you're saved. You're already forgiven and now you will be with him in paradise forever. If it is no true, then I am the biggest fool of all. I'm okay with that.

War on Poverty

We need to change the way we do "church" or get out of the church and start being Jesus to the world. Both would be ideal.

More than 2.2 million people are incarcerated in the U.S., a number that has quadrupled since the 1980s. If current incarceration trends continue, one in every three black males born in America today can expect to go to prison at some point in their life, compared with one in six Latino males, and one in 17 white males, according to a recent report by the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based justice reform group.

Of the countless drug related convictions each year, almost half are for low-level offenders. Almost all low-level offenders come from poverty and almost all of them end up in prison accounting for much of the incarcerated since 1980. While I don't condone their offense, I understand why they do what they do. Instead of trying to help these people, we stigmatize them. If they are not hardened before incarceration, they will certainly have plenty of opportunity while in prison. In a very real sense, the "war on drugs" has become a war on the poor.

Consider your own life for a moment. How many of us would choose an easier way to make more money if we were shown how to do it? How many of us already take a non-drug related easy way out? The poor have a choice. They can make an "honest living" by flipping burgers or make a whole lot more money by selling something else. Perhaps we are not so different.

As we remember the death and resurrection of our lord and savior Jesus Christ, let us remember those in need. Let's follow up our songs of praise this weekend with outstretched arms to men and women in need. How do we find them? They are the poor, the marginalized, the outcast, the addicts, and they will likely not be sitting next to you at church this Sunday.

Why aren't they in church? That's an excellent question!

Evolution of Love

I am a scientist by training. I majored in biology in undergraduate and physiology in graduate school. As such, I have studied evolution and appreciate it's basic definition - change over time. The driving force of evolution is natural selection as environmental change acts on variability within a population of individuals rather than the individual. For example, data suggests that giraffe's necks are longer today, not because a single animal's neck stretched, but rather because those with short necks died out due to their inability to reach food. In short, the short necked giraffes died off and the long necked giraffes lived to pass on their genes.

I am a narcissist by birth. I majored in myself for much of my life. To be perfectly honest, I still feel and act as if the world revolves around my needs and desires. Self focus can have positive outcomes even for others. That is, if the focus is honest and results in change. Given my bent to focus on myself, I will temporarily divert from the proper definition of evolution and talk about my personal changes in regards to love. Let's dive in and stretch our necks for a moment.

I was raised in a conservative family. I guess you could say that both sides of my family were, and are, religious in the sense that they practice what they have learned about Christianity. It was no surprise that I, too, would become a Christian - which I am. I learned of one God, his son Jesus Christ, and the holy spirit, which was always a bit vague to me. But that's not the point. I learned God is righteous and we can be forgiven by asking his son Jesus into our heart, which is still a bit confusing. Again - not the point. I guess you could say, my exposure to religion was more works oriented as compared with grace. While I believed Jesus had saved me from my sin, I always seemed to think something was wrong when I would keep on sinning. As a result, failure was a common feeling and I learned to pretend that I was good and denied my sin, or at least the dirty little secrets. I held high standards for myself and even higher for those around me. Each time I screwed up, I buried the guilt and let it turn into shame. That, in a nut shell, was my perspective of Christianity as a youth.

Fast forward. A good friend in college expressed his concern for my future children. This through me for a loop as I was a straight A student, involved in lots of productive activities and generally respected by my peers and superiors. Why would my good friend be concerned for my future children? I let him get just close enough to know I had expectations that could not possibly be met by anyone - including himself. He is a pretty smart man and I wish we were still friends. But, we are not and that is another story.

Fast forward. While playing some ball with my son and his buddy, I noticed my son backing away from his friend. When I encouraged him to be aggressive, he would not. It just wasn't in him to do so. At that point when my son was all of 5 or 6 years old, I set out to change him. If acting like a man, or at least what I thought a man should be like, then I would change him. So, I coached, he played. I pushed my expectations, he failed to meet them. While we had different ideas of what a man should be, we were one in our frustration. Rather than loving my son, I though I could change him into an idea of what was lovable. I began to bargain with God as I feared my son may be gay. I told God in no unclear words what MY expectations were for MY son. Needless-to-say, I am not proud of my parenting.

Fast forward. As my son entered sexual maturity, he indeed was gay. Still not ready to accept this (neither was he by the way), I set out to fix him once again. I blamed myself for having "made" him that way. So, naturally, I thought I could fix it if he would just try hard enough. We went through thousands of dollars and years of "reparative" therapy with mixed results. The first therapist exasperated the shame and failed to change his sexuality. The second therapist was awesome however. He informed us early on his goal was to help my son love himself and thus repair any damage done to his psyche. Sadly, I went along with this not because I thought their was a chance to change his sexuality. Needless-to-say, this therapist helped my son learn to love and accept himself regardless of his sexuality. If only I had learned the same lesson. Perhaps I should have been the one in therapy, which I have been and, again - not the point.

Fast forward. My fairy tale world came to a screeching halt as my own real problems finally caught up with me. All the while I tried to change my son, I denied the pain in my life that had nothing to do with him. While I tried to "fix" what I did not meet my expectations in my son, I failed to be honest about falling short - way short - of my own expectation. I was indeed a hypocrite. Like all hypocrites, I had a perfect excuse for everything I did wrong and didn't do right. Remember natural selection - an environmental force causing change? My environmental force was being called out by others with no place to hide.

Having to take an honest inventory of my own life - the good, bad and ugly, helped me to love myself. Not because the good outweighed the bad, but because I could accept my own personal failures and imperfections as a part of my life. I began to accept that I couldn't meet my own expectations no matter how hard I tried. I am learning to love myself for who I am - nothing more and nothing less. Loving others comes easier for me now. I am by far perfect and I am getting better. As I have sad many times before, I no longer see my son through the filter of sexuality. I see him as my son, the man that God created him to be. Being created in God's image far exceeds any expectations I could ever have.

In summary, my love, or at least my definition and practice of love, has changed dramatically over time. Change did not come easy for me and likely doesn't come easy for anyone. Don't get me wrong, I still have expectations, but my love is not conditional on myself or anyone else meeting those expectations. God's plan was always better than mine.

A mountain out of a molehill?

A little over a week ago, World Vision reversed its decision to accept employees in same-sex marriages. It is no surprise this decision came after massive protest on the part of the largely right-winged evangelical church. I agree with many in that World Vision did what needed to be done for the sake of those who stood to loose their support, namely children. However, as the conservative church breathes a sigh of relief for having dodged a bullet, those already alienated from this same part of the church, namely the LGBTQ community, are left to feel even more unwelcome.

The message is clear - many whom call themselves Christians would use children as hostages to get their way. And what way is that? To not allow members of the LGBTQ community to help take care of orphans. This is shameful and full of hate. For this reason, I will continue to speak about this travesty.

Many of my fellow Christians would rather I leave this alone as many people and groups weighed in before the decision was made. These people might even say I am making a mountain out of a molehill as far more children will benefit from the continued support of World Vision due to their reversal decision. How many persons are really affected anyhow by the decision to exclude members of the LGBTQ community? If they make up between 1 and 10% of the population depending on the data you look at, then World Vision is not excluding that many people. Some Christians would rather we just leave this topic alone and focus on other, more important, issues within the church such as poverty and evangelism. That is worth consideration.

Consider the fact that very few verses deal with same-sex intimacy. Of the 30 thousand plus verses in the Bible, only 8 or 9 can be said to have anything to do with homosexuality. And yet the conservative church screamed out in "defense of the Gospel" in response to World Vision's decision to include the LGBTQ Community in their work. Who's making a mountain out of a molehill?

Okay, let's deal with poverty. Scripture is very clear about feeding and clothing those in need. This is a real problem and we can all agree on helping the poor - right? Think again. Many of the same people that oppose including the LGBTQ community oppose change that would benefit the poor including raising the minimum wage, extending unemployment benefits and providing health insurance for all.

In my opinion, this is not about making a mountain out of a molehill. Rather, the emotions and conflict come when we step outside of our comfort zone. People may say "everyone is welcome" when it comes to attending church, but there's still a special place for the LGBTQ community. Many churches are uncomfortable with them teaching Sunday School, serving on the elder board, singing in the choir, and they certainly wouldn't approve of two members of the same sex showing affection in a church service let alone recognize or perform their marriage. We may sing songs with tears in our eyes about taking care of the orphans on Sunday morning, but scream about unfair taxation when legislation is proposed to help them. We may be all for sponsoring a child through an organization such as World Vision, but only if they don't challenge our comfort zone. In short, we are willing to be "Christ-like" when it fits within our cultural understanding of right and wrong even though scripture tells us to trust in the Lord with all of our heart and not to lean on our own understanding.

I realize my words won't mean much to those that don't share my opinion. I would not have listened either some years ago. I get it. Sometimes, change requires a personal connection to those that are hurt.

Confessional Celebration

"Confession is not listing your sins to get forgiveness, it’s coming to God in the midst of your sin and agreeing with Him that He’s already forgiven you and doesn’t not hold your sin against you." Phil Drysdale Ministries

The Greek for confession means to "agree with" or to "say the same thing as". In light of this, confession should be a time of celebration. We are agreeing with God's decision to erase our sin. We are free indeed as he is faithful and just to forgive (1 John 1:9). As we confess, we agree with what he has already done.

James 5:16 calls us to confess our sins to each other so we can find healing. This implies that something is broken or damaged and in need of repair. Fear of rejection might hold me back from being honest about my damaged human nature. When people don't reject me, but rather listen and understand, I find healing. I begin to "agree with" the Truth - I am worth of receiving and giving love. I begin to "say the same thing" God has already said about me, "You are my child and I created you in my image!"

Silence is not enough

Our daughter heard these words yesterday, "black girls are stupid". I am infuriated that these words would be spoken by anyone. It breaks my heart that my daughter had to hear them. Nobody should have to deal with this.

Last night she said (in tears), "I have had to deal with this every year since I have been here. Will it ever go away?" Well, here is America, here is your home town, and here includes us - You and me both!

It is not enough to simply disagree with hateful words. It is not enough to agree with others that support love and acceptance. I am almost certain that whoever said these hateful words, heard them from someone else. Please be proactive in spreading love and acceptance.

How far have we come as a society and how far do we need to go? The answer is simple - All the way!

You are chosen!

Do you remember kick ball in PE class? Were you the captain that got to pick your team, were you among the first to be picked, or were you the last one that was assigned a team by default?

Did you get asked to prom? Better yet, has someone asked for your hand in marriage? Did you get that job for which you applied against several other qualified candidates? If you have, then you know what it is like to be chosen.

To be chosen is one of The Seven Desires of Every Heart according to Dr Mark Laaser of Faithful and True Ministries. Let's face it, we all desire to be chosen by someone. It doesn't matter how tough of an image we have on the outside, we need to know that we are special just as we are. Do you know what this feels like? Perhaps you still long for someone to pick you out of the crowd and say, "I want you to be my special person." Perhaps you act in such a way that you think is worthy of being chosen.

As a husband and father, I know what it is like to have the "power" to choose. I have chosen and I have betrayed. I am an imperfect man in an imperfect world. I have a great wife and wonderful children. In fact, I believe I have the best family in the world. Just take a look at the picture and you'll have to agree. Guess what? They love me and choose me - sometimes even voluntarily LOL! I hope you feel the same way about your family. Even so, I still long to be chosen every day. Why? Because this world is not perfect.

I am grateful for a perfect heavenly father that loves me just the way I am. I know this to be true because he made me this way. The water he give me to drink satisfies my longings. He fills the gaps.

Do you long to be chosen? Maybe no one has chosen you and you long for that special someone in your life. Maybe society says you are not worth of being chosen? On the other hand, you may be surrounded by great family and friends and still don't feel chosen. It happens all the time. Either way, your heavenly father loves you and has already chosen you. How do I know? He made you exactly the way you are. That's right! Take a look in the mirror and admire God's perfect creation. You are created in his image and don't ever forget that.

Mizzou Rah!

Michael Sam has made history - not only as a First Team All-American NCAA I football player, but also by publicly proclaiming his sexual orientation. Michael stated in an ESPN interview, "I came to tell the world I'm an openly proud gay man."

Many will play this off as no big deal and unnecessary. Others will chalk this up as yet another attempt by the gay community to push their agenda. Many will say, "Why can't we all just enjoy the game without worrying about whether someone is gay or straight?" This would be possible IF our society did not discriminate and ridicule those that are gay as well as those that support them. Many will say, "But I do love them!" If this is the case, then why don't we feel the love? There would be no need for Michael to make this statement if the love was evident. Many people will remain silent and avoid conflict and confrontation. I must admit, this is certainly my natural inclination. I will not remain silent as it is my responsibility to stand up for my loved ones. I believe Michael's stand will go far to fight stereotyping and discrimination against homosexuals and those that love and support them.

Let me tell you a story. Last Fall, I sat behind a couple of students at a high school music concert. It was a great concert as is always the case at our local high school. During one of the numbers, the singers paired up to sing various parts of the song. The first few pairings, much to be expected, were boy-girl. One pairing, however, was of two men - one of which is known to be gay. At this time, the young men in front of me made some snide remarks and chuckled to each concerning the young men on stage. One of the young men on stage was my son. While he is not gay, he has experienced discrimination and ridicule because of his support of those who are.

Let me tell you another story. My older son played basketball in middle school. He didn't want to play, but I strongly "encouraged" him as he was tall and I thought it would be good for him. At this time, my son was struggling with his identity and desperately trying NOT to be gay. It is important to know that I too was struggling with his sexual orientation. Both of us would have given anything for him not to be gay. Even so, my son was not accepted by most of his peers. Unfortunately, some of his team mates were not as accommodating as Michael Sam's appear to be. As a parent in the stands, I witnessed more than one occasion of my son being ridiculed by his team mates. Perhaps if he was an All-American, things would have been different.

Thank you Michael Sam for not remaining silent following the old military adage of "don't ask don't tell". I am very glad your team, the press, and the NFL accept you as an All-American and, more importantly, the man that God created you to be. In an ideal world, all men would be accepted as they are created - equal, and no man would be ridiculed based on any standard - be it be race, sexual orientation or the ability to play a sport. An ideal world would listen to those that can't carry a ball or a tune; however, we place more value the words of the talented. This is not an ideal world and it never will be. There will always be those that don't understand. There will always be those that discriminate and even hate. Through your courage, these numbers will decrease. 

Fortunately, more and more young men - gay and straight- are speaking out against hate and discrimination. I am so proud of my two sons as well as others that do not remain silent but confidently speak up in support of all. While Michael Sam may be the first All-American Football players to speak up, many others have and will be encouraged to do the same.

We need more men like Michael Sam to stand up and be proud - proud to be a man, and proud to accept all men as equal.

By the way, I am a proud Mizzou graduate and wish my fellow Tiger the best of luck. You have renewed my love of sport and man!

A-ha!

Have you had an "aha" moment lately? Not just a "that makes sense" moment but a revelation that seems to encompass everything else. That would be great wouldn't it? Just imagine for moment that an idea could put your soul at rest. Consider the possibility that a simple concept could not only eliminate internal conflict but also alleviate tension among persons of different opinions. If there was such a concept, even a truth, would you be interested? Would you be willing to accept it? If so, continue reading.

Here it is. I am a sinner and a saint - simultaneously. That's it! It's simple and you've likely heard it before. The problem is we have rationalized this phrase to death. Its significance, however, is monumental. Let me explain in very practical terms. I'll use a low-level illustration to avoid personal embarrassment. You can fill in the blanks with your own struggle. I get angry when someone doesn't do something they told me they would do, and, in my anger, I believe I sin. I can rationalize my anger but I know when I have crossed the line. I don't just get my feathers ruffled a bit. This is a major trigger for me. Okay, so I've established that I am a sinner. What about a saint? Not only a saint, but a saint at the exact same moment I am a sinner. That's where "I" is taken out of the equation and Christ takes place - not only in who he is but also in what I experience. I believe his sacrifice - death on a cross - erased all of my sin - past, future and present. Therefore, even while I am angry, I am a saint.

All that stuff above is nothing but useless head knowledge unless I can experience it. Guess what? I do! Not always mind you, but when I put it to practice, I can experience peace. Peace that surpasses all head knowledge. Here's how it works. I talk to myself. If you think I'm crazy - that's alright. I'll get over it. The conversation goes something like this. "Okay John, you've been here before and you'll be here again. You've tried to stop being so angry before and it just didn't work out so well - you failed and you will fail again. Remember, you are really angry right now AND you are a saint. Even in the middle of your present state of sin, you are in fellowship with the God of the universe through the blood of Christ." Then, I simply allow the peace of God pour over my mind and soul. I find rest.

I believe Jesus died so I can be free - free to sin and be a saint at the same time! The very reason Jesus became man and died on a cross was to pay the price for my sin. It wasn't my idea, it was his dad's idea and he agreed with the crazy notion. All I have to do is accept it. I don't even have to agree with it. If God willed it, it happened.

Some may think this way of thinking is dangerous because it provides a license to sin. I understand this way of thinking. It's scary. We want to maintain order. The truth is I don't need a license to sin. I am a sinner. Sin is my nature, AND God made me a saint. I'll even go one further and say that I am a saint even if I sin deliberately. That might raise some eyebrows. However, I don't claim to understand God's love. I'm not God and certainly never will be. None-the-less, I believe God's love is perfect and unconditional - I DON'T HAVE TO EARN IT AND I CAN'T LOOSE IT! Neither can you BTW.

Here's the kicker! Are you ready for this? It just might blow your mind and provide that aha moment. It did for me. When I experience God's love and acceptance in the middle of my sin; e.g., anger, the anger goes away. Even if the anger didn't go away, however, I am confident God still loves me.

So there it is - my aha moment. I am a sinner and a saint - simultaneously. And, I believe the same it true for you. All you have to do is accept what is already truth. God sent his son to save the world - to save us! His love is timeless and it is exactly what we all need.

"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Let's be honest, it is NOT easy to follow Christ

Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”

I am a follower of Christ and I do a poor job of following these commandments. As I seek God's will for my life, however, I find these commandments to be quite helpful. The answer is easy. It's the follow through that will cost my life.

Equality for LGBTH community

Headline News! Equality and Fairness in the LGBTH community!

In Romans 3:19, Paul said the purpose of the law is to keep people from having excuses. Excuses for what? For my own sin. Paul goes on to say the entire world is guilty before God and NO ONE can ever, that's right NEVER, be made right with God by doing what the law commands. It's a practical matter really - we can't do it. 

v 24 ... Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares we are RIGHTeous. He did this through Christ. All we have to do is believe something that has already happened. That's it! This sacrifice shows that God was begin FAIR when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past. That's right - God included those before Christ in his plan of salvation through Christ as well. All they had to do was believe. He still declares sinners to be right in his sight when we believe.

I serve a FAIR and just God. He declares us all EQUAL in his eyes. To ALL who believe, we are made RIGHT with God.

So, who am I? I am a sinner by trade - it's my nature. What has God done for me? He made me RIGHT through the sacrifice of Christ. Simply by answering those questions, I am saved. How? My answer demonstrates my belief - my faith. I am grateful for the faith God has given me to answer this question. I couldn't even do that of my own good.

Therefore, I can add nothing nor can I take anything away from my RIGHTeousness through Jesus Christ. Abraham was made right through his faith even before the law. I am made right after Christ even with the law. As Paul said, I have no excuse.

Neither can I add or take away from another's RIGHTeusness by applying the law to their life. So, rather than focus on the law as it applies to another's life, let's focus on their RIGHTeousness through Christ. That's right, God is FAIR and we are all EQUAL in his eyes. To all who believe, L,G,B,T, or H, you are RIGHTeous! If you wonder what LGBTH stands for, well, I had to include heterosexuals. No one gets left behind.

Do all confessions hinge on these?

Check out this Prayer of Confession from the Episcopal Church Book of Common Prayer.

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against thee
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved thee with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in thy will,
and walk in thy ways,
to the glory of thy Name. Amen.

I isolated the sentence in the middle for emphasis. The greatest commandments according to Jesus are to love God and our neighbor. As all other laws and commandments hinge on these, I can wrap up my confession with a single sentence. It makes sense this would be the most important confession of which all others hinge upon.

Why do men fight a battle that is already won?

"When Christians declare that they would rather withhold aid from people who need it than serve alongside gays and lesbians helping to provide that aid, something is wrong." Rachel Evans - blogger

Thousands of Christians would rather be "right" in their interpretation of scripture than feed the children. If we're going to refuse equal rights to gays based on "scriptural integrity" than we need to at least be consistent and alienate all types of "unrepentant" sinners. Furthermore, we had better do our research on all entities we currently support and make sure their interpretation of scripture lines up with our own.

There is an alternative. Accept the grace God has so freely given to all man. Accept the fact that we are no different - we are all sinners in need of a savior. When Christ died, he declared it was finished. So, why continue to fight a finished battle?

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/31/how-evangelicals-won-a-culture-war-and-lost-a-generation/

More common that we would like to think

Men and women are released from prison every day. What do you want them to be like when they get out? 

Research has shown that juveniles incarcerated with adults are five times more likely to report being victims of sexual assault than youth in juvenile facilities. Furthermore, the suicide rate of juveniles in adult jails is 7.7 times higher than that of juvenile detention centers. I can't imagine the damaging effect rape has on a person.

An yet, Texas Governor Rick Perry refuses to comply with federal rules that would separate youth from adults in prisons. To make matters worse, 17 year olds are considered adults in Texas prisons. Scary thought!

I guess they deserve it right? I mean, if you commit the crime, then you should do the time. Besides, we already spend too much money on housing inmates and separating inmates would only exasperate the problem. Well, that's Gov. Perry's vantage point.

Consider for a moment if your son or daughter was sent to prison. Not likely? Think again. While the US has only 5% of the world's population, we house 25% of the world's prisoners - the highest in the world. At least we beat China in that statistic. Depending on the study, about 1 in 100 Americans are incarcerated. They're not terrorists and evil KGB agents, they are american citizens.

After their time in county jail, they are shipped around until they finally settle into a camp where they carry out their sentence. That's a lot of potential for something very bad to happen. If they were not a statistic on the street, they just might become one inside. Some prisons have entire dorms for rapists. Not those imprisoned for rape, but rather those that rape in prison.

In Kansas, we have learned that hard time is not the answer. In fact, since the DOC has switched from "lock up up and throw away the key" to more of a rehabilitative approach, our recidivism rate has dropped drastically. We have progressed from being among the highest recidivism rate close to 70% to a program that is looked at by other states as a model. Men and women are released from prison every day. What do you want them to be like when they get out?

These are men and women who broke the law AND they are our neighbor in need of our love.

Please pray for the imprisoned and support legislation that helps ensure they are treated as humans. Consider volunteering as a mentor for an inmate. Contact me if you are interested.

One of my mortal heros

"My life is a witness to vulgar grace- a grace that amazes as it offends. A grace that pays the eager beaver who works all day long the same wages as the grinning drunk who shows up at ten til five. A grace that hikes up the robe and runs breakneck towards the prodigal reeking of sin and wraps him up and decides to throw a party no ifs, ands or buts. A grace that raises bloodshot eyes to a dying thief’s request- “Please, remember me”- and assures him, “You bet!” A grace that is the pleasure of the Father, fleshed out in the carpenter Messiah, Jesus Christ, who left His Father’s side not for heaven’s sake but for our sakes, yours and mine. This vulgar grace is indiscriminate compassion. It works without asking anything of us. It’s not cheap. It’s free, and as such will always be a banana peel for the orthodox foot and a fairy tale for the grown up sensibility. Grace is sufficient even though we huff and puff with all our might to try to find something or someone it cannot cover. Grace is enough. He is enough. Jesus is enough." - Brennan Manning