“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). As far as human beings are concerned, this may be the most significant sentence in all of the […]| GGWO Church Baltimore
Since salvation belongs to God, it is he who grants us new life and true faith. As a consequence of the fall, all of Adam's children (Rom 5:12–21) are, as Paul says, "dead in sins and trespasses" (Eph 2:1). The good news can be expressed in two words: "But God . . ." Continue reading →| The Heidelblog
I recently received a letter from a couple in our congregation who have been laboring for the sake of the gospel in the Congo for the better part of their lives. As I read, one line in particular stood out to me. . . . Continue reading →| The Heidelblog
The Reformed confession is a catholic confession—that is, it is rooted in the Scriptures as interpreted by the church and confessed in the ancient, ecumenical creeds, but it is also a Reformation confession. Where the medieval church taught justification and salvation by . . . Continue reading →| The Heidelblog
By picking up our cross and following Jesus and by cooperating with God's grace, we can achieve our salvation.| Catholic Stand
Thought for the Week “Love your enemies?” Outrageous! No one had ever dared propose such a thing before. It’s called grace, unmerited favor toward those who don’t deserve it (which is everyone, by the way). And it’s at the very … Continue reading → The post The Revolution to End All Revolutions first appeared on Mitch Teemley.| Mitch Teemley
Double rainbow in Ennistymon I must have been five or six when I first saw a picture of Ireland and knew I would go there one day. I'm...| Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg
“Ask, and it will be given to you . . . For everyone who asks receives.” (Mt. 7:7–8). I’d built my entire prayer life around this verse, constantly petitioning God for more. More strength when I felt weak. More patience when I felt irritated. More faith when I doubted. Always more. But I’d been reading ... Read more| Catholic Exchange
Memorial sculpture commemorating the Martyrs of Memphis This week, on September 9, we observed a significant date on our personal calendar by celebrating the birthday of one of our sons. September …| Toward Beauty
By Melinda LeBlanc We all know that medicine has side effects. Sometimes the side effects seem worse than what we take the medicine for! But still, we take our medicine diligently, confident that at some point we will get relief from our ailments. It was one day when I was taking my morning buffet of pills that I […] Click through to read the full article Spiritual Side Effects, which appeared first on Ignatian Spirituality. IgnatianSpirituality.com ® is a service of Loyola Press, a Jesuit...| Ignatian Spirituality
By dotMagis Editor Lord, grant me the grace to live in the present and recognize what is possible to look to the future and trust you to be silent, and hear your voice in the stillness to do what you ask without arguing to humbly adapt to radical change to serve, and to graciously accept being served to […] Click through to read the full article Prayer of an Aging Disciple, which appeared first on Ignatian Spirituality. IgnatianSpirituality.com ® is a service of Loyola Press, a Jesuit mini...| Ignatian Spirituality
Sister missionaries weren’t supposed to jump rope, right?| LDS Living
Orbital data reveals that rocks transforming deep inside the Earth may be responsible for changes to our planet’s gravitational field.| The Debrief
Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-27) None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all … Continue reading The Cost of Discipleship| Mitchell Lewis
Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. (Proverbs 2…| Mitchell Lewis
Let’s be honest — most of us don’t live in clear moral categories. We want to believe we do. We want our stories, our theology, our art to give us light and dark, good and evil, hero and villain. But real life doesn’t often play by those rules. It plays by murkier ones. The ones where we’re not sure if we’re doing the right thing — or just the best we can with what we’ve got.| Cinema Faith
The burden of consciousness — intelligence, certainty, sorrow, and relief.| BEEW
In an unsigned editorial, Christianity Today came out in favor of what it calls “tough grace.”1 The presenting issue or symptom is Christianity Today’s concern that Christian institutions are failing to be both “tough” and “gracious” simultaneously. The argument is that the . . . Continue reading →| The Heidelblog
Having worked in a variety of church-related contexts for over four decades, I have become familiar with the importance of having a clear vision of one’s mission. In my experience, people are motivated by inspiring mission statements, and especially when they are enacted with cheerful efficacy. As advocates of Appreciative Inquiry maintain, a focus on […]| Toward Beauty
Stones found on a northern Lake Michigan beach Labor Day is around the corner and some of us may receive and enjoy a day off from work. What we call retirement, a stage in life I am presently enjoy…| Toward Beauty
What does Jesus mean by calling his disciples to love their enemies? This command remains true, even with a divisive presidential election coming in a few months. Christians need to remember Jesus' call to love their enemies.| Living Theologically
Thus it comes about that the doctrine of monergistic regeneration—or as it was phrased by the older theologians, of “irresistible grace” or “effectual calling”—is the hinge of the Calvinistic soteriology, and lies much more deeply embedded in the system than the doctrine . . . Continue reading →| The Heidelblog
Unfortunately, when most people think of Reformed theology, they think of the doctrine of predestination. The reasons for this have more to do with the critics of Reformed theology than with what the Reformed themselves confess. Indeed, one of the great weaknesses of the modern Reformed renaissance is that it…| The Heidelblog
All of us have heard of grace, but do you know how it's powerful truth applies to your life? Let's look at exacly what is God's grace.| Rethink
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? ... And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Such were some of you. On one hand, what swe| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh" (Jonah 1:1-2). God spoke plainly to Jonah and instructed him to visit the capital city of Israel's enemies with a message of repentance and, ultimately, grace. Yet Jonah refused. Why did Jonah -- and why do we| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
One reason why the Methodist movement outlived the first generation of Methodists is because John Wesley was a practical theologian and a spiritual guide to the people called Methodist. In most of …| John Meunier
Are you saved? It’s a question associated with overly enthusiastic or exceptionally earnest evangelists, knocking on doors and chatting you up in coffee shops. But it’s also a question …| Like An Anchor
When our friend Mary died less than a week ago, her husband Andy shared that her mantra for the summer was "no time to hurry." I cannot stop thinking of this or about Mary, a human of great grace, good humor, shining presence, and easy conversation. Time can feel incomprehensible, especially when it comes to death. Here was Mary, chatting amiably with me earlier this summer at one of the downtown protests. There was Mary walking down the steps from her porch, newspaper in hand and wide smile on| CMG
In this recording from a 1992 retreat, Ram Dass talks about dealing with change, using the stuff of your daily ... More...| Ram Dass
Are you living in sexual sin and darkness? Find motivation and hope for lasting change.| Crossway
A viral Coldplay clip captured a moment of shame—but it points to a greater truth: one day, all will be exposed. But, Jesus takes away our shame.| Greg Stier
Grace came home to us from an orphanage when she was ten months old, and is now nineteen. She agreed to have this discussion about adoption and has read what I am posting. I’m so grateful for her vulnerability in sharing these things publicly! As I look back on how Grace processed adoption, I think […] The post Navigating the Emotions of Adoption: Conversations with Grace first appeared on Amy Medina.| Amy Medina
The old quip goes, “When all is said and done, far more is said than done.” It’s true. sometimes it works that way in faith as well. We claim huge things… we are set to change the world. But back at the ranch things are a little different. Sometimes faith is more about our aspirations […]| Brian Harris
He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). At the heart of the gospel -- at the heart of what happened on the cross to Jesus Christ -- is substitution. It is Jesus tak| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Occasionally, children face insults and unfair attacks from others. These can range from physical bullying … Continue Reading The post Turning Insults into Holiness appeared first on Catholicism Explained.| Catholicism Explained
Making sure people understand what the word gospel means is something to take seriously. I have two boys at home, and I regularly ask them to define the gospel. First, I ask them what the word gospel means. They’ll respond, “good news.” Then, I’ll follow that up with, “good news about what?” At that point,…| Theology Along the Way
“As the hart pants after the water brooks, so pants my soul after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and […]| GGWO Church Baltimore
Forgive us our sins (Luke 11:4). (We are continuing in our brief series of meditations on the Lord's Prayer.) Jesus teaches us to pray daily (see previous post) for the forgiveness of our sins, assuming (as we ought to) that we have strayed from the mark each day. Sins are sins -- they are not mere| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
At the tail-end of a bad bout of the flu I realized what life wants to be -- or wants me to be -- now: not just present with people I love, but present without being rushed. Especially when diagnoses go south, death takes over the narrative, and what once held everything together is nowhere in sight.Having cleared my calendar because of Sir Influenza, while keeping my commitment to finish planning my dear friend Kat's celebration of life and staying in touch with a close friend in the hospital,| CMG
| Rajiv Kapur
"According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it" (1 Corinthians 3:10). Paul emphasizes over and over again that his labors were "according to the grace of God." In other| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
“When I begin a day—or a task—feeling inadequate, I need to pause and hear You saying: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My Power is made perfect in weakness.’ The present tense of the verb is highlights the continual availability of Your wondrous grace.”– Jesus Listens, August 12th My wife and I used to […]| Jesus Calling
Read an update to a previous article and explore the life of artist and antique collector, Louise G. (Schantz) Hagenbuch.| Hagenbuch Family
My wife and I know a couple who often tell their children that people matter more than things. I remember the first time I heard them say it. Almost intuitively, I knew it was right and good. Over …| Daniel Seabaugh
“You’ve shown me that even my mistakes and sins can be recycled into something good—through Your transforming grace.” – Jesus Listens,April 12th --- Some experiences … The post Grace Upon Grace appeared first on Jesus Calling.| Jesus Calling
“I can invite You into those broken places and collaborate with You in putting the fragments back together in new ways.“ – Jesus Listens, … The post A Broken Hallelujah Is Still a Hallelujah appeared first on Jesus Calling.| Jesus Calling
“The truth is, I love you so much that I died for you. There is nothing you can do that I won’t forgive.” – Jesus … The post Hope, Grace, and Love: Teaching Kids the True Meaning of Easter appeared first on Jesus Calling.| Jesus Calling
If you feel debilitated by a past of sexual sin or by the ongoing presence of temptation, hear these words of comfort and encouragement.| Crossway
Grace Revisited I’ve been thinking about grace again. I wrote a post last year about what grace is and how we should give ourselves grace instead of being so self-critical that we get trapped in a rut of doubt, unable to find our way out of problems and into solutions. I wrote: “Grace is one of those […] The post Mindful Moment #53 – Grace² appeared first on MeetMindful | A Fuller Life Together.| MeetMindful | A Fuller Life Together
As a tense world watches with apprehension while wars and turmoil escalate, Christians have a prime opportunity to bring an infusion of the good news of grace. Here is an opportunity to refocus your family, your team, your church, and community on the purpose of church and the outcome of true Christian grace. The outspoken […] The post Reinvigorate Your Congregation’s Passion for God’s Grace appeared first on Church Growth Magazine.| Church Growth Magazine
In John 10:16 Jesus says, "I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." When you hear these words, what is your gut reaction? Are you offended that Jesus is just as concerned about homeless people a| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Today’s post is the second in a three-part series. In these posts, we’re looking at the introductions of Paul’s epistles and examining how Paul talks about himself, how Paul talks…| Like An Anchor
In this Age of Distraction, may the Lord pour out His Grace on us to (1) stay in the most excellent and highest way (of His Love, I Cor.12:31); (2) to hear, read, receive the Word of God richly and hide it in our hearts; and (3) to be occupied with the weightier matters of life which concern Him most: Righteousness, Justice, Mercy, and Faithfulness to God and to man (Matt.23:23; Prov.16:6). The post The Weight of Matters appeared first on GGWO Church Baltimore.| GGWO Church Baltimore
Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9). In the midst of the Flood narrative, in which we are told that God saw all the world as corrupt and decided to destroy every breathing creature, we read in contrast that Noah was righteous, blameless, and walk| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
High tech companies always have roadmaps. Whether or not they show them to the public, they are always showing them to key investors if they are in their| The Next Platform
Luke 6:45 gives strong motivation to store God's Word in our hearts, letting the Holy Spirit teach us, so that great will be the possibility of (1) our having a word in season for others - delivered at an opportune moment; of (2) our blessing the Lord with the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts; and of (3) being blessed ourselves! The post A Word … in A Moment appeared first on GGWO Church Baltimore.| GGWO Church Baltimore
I've been thinking lately about how we can be refuges of acceptance, calm,and love for each other. After all, it's been and it is a helluva time (and time out of time). Personally, I've lost two very close friends this winter, and politically, the speed and depth of loss, chaos, and uncertainty is painful, disorienting, and terrifying.When I think of someone who truly embodies the best we can be for each other, I think of my friend Jack Winerock. No wonder then that to celebrate his 80th birthda| CMG
In Philippians 1:29-30 Paul states: “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle y…| The Slasher Pastor
When we realize the inestimable value of our sins being imputed to the Lord in exchange for His Righteousness being imputed to us, we will not hesitate to avail ourselves of His abundant Grace in order to walk from faith to faith in His promises, thus receiving imparted Righteousness and revealing the One Who IS our Righteousness! The post “Seeking HIS Righteousness” appeared first on GGWO Church Baltimore.| GGWO Church Baltimore
“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” Rom 6:15 To be under grace, and not under the law, is a glorious gospel blessing. Jesus, through hi…| Aliens and Pilgrims
Ronda reading at the 2014 Power of Words conference. Photo by Stephen Locke. When Ronda's son Scott called me Monday with the news of her...| Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg
It was refreshing to see subversion of the whitewashing of a Biblical epic film. I just wish the overall tone was more nuanced.| Cinema Faith
Life can be A LOT. The whirlwind of daily expectations from others or ourselves can be overwhelming at times. As I’ve grown older, I’ve been better able to appreciate how complex managing a growing family truly is and give myself the grace to not be perfect. We are all faced with situations that smack us… Read More The post The Grace to Grow appeared first on Learn From Autistics.| Learn From Autistics
It is important to know that every sin leads to Hell — even a sin as seemingly “small” as eating one bite of a forbidden fruit. There is no sin which, in the eyes of God, is "forgivable" in the sense of being too small or petty for God to care about. Because God is completely light (good), he has ze| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
The rolling emptiness of a Sunday afternoon, The deafening silence of a vacant room, The brutal roar of a mind gone mad, After years of loneliness leave a soul unclad. Reaching a loved one in search of a friend, An unforeseen blow reveals this is the end. A vacuous pang sucking life from my eyes, But after all else this should have been no surprise. Disjointed and pondering, unsteady and shamed, Bloodcurdling abuse tearing a The post Sunday appeared first on Conciliar Post.| Conciliar Post
I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me (1 C| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I learned a lesson about grace when I experienced its flipside a number of years ago, after I was laid off from a corporate communications job in health care. Seeking employment, I dutifully worked my network, including a breakfast meeting with a woman I had recently worked with. She had just started a new job| The Phoenix Spirit
This is part two of a three-part series. Part OnePart Three Motion for Sanctions: Jane Doe IV Jane Doe IV was next on the stand, and she walked up with just as much confidence as Emily, and with a determined expression on her face. Jane Doe IV has since outed herself to some friends and […] The post Their Day in Court: Part Two first appeared on Recovering Grace.| Recovering Grace
What follows is part one of a three-part personal account of the hearing and some of the events leading up to it, written by a member of the Recovering Grace leadership team who was there. (Part Two) (Part Three) Hearing Day The morning of the hearing started for the plaintiffs at the Fairfield Inn and […] The post Their Day in Court: Part One first appeared on Recovering Grace.| Recovering Grace
When we think about morality, we often tell ourselves to avoid the big sins and be nice. Although these goals are good, especially for the novice Christian, the| Catholicism Explained
Shame, regret, and failure tells one story. But the truest story is grace. The post The Truest Story is Grace appeared first on winncollier.com.| winncollier.com
Inside: How to Show Grace Every Day: 9 Tips and Practical Ways How can we show grace to each other and ourselves every day!? And, what is grace anyway? Besides the fact that grace is something I have to give myself and my family every single day, whether: Related: Showing Grace: A Genuine Devotional When The post How to Show Grace Every Day: 9 Practical Ways appeared first on Unfading Beauty and Strength.| Unfading Beauty and Strength
God never turns away in disgust at the failure of his children, but turns toward them with forgiving, transforming and delivering grace. – Paul David Tripp| SermonQuotes
