Then I thought, wait a minute.  God makes it pretty easy as well.  All i have to do is ask.  I ask for forgiveness and BAM, forgiven.  But asking for forgiveness means that i have to admit that i have done something that needs forgiving.  There’s always a catch, always some way that Satan provides for us to get out of our own responsibility.  Satan appeals to a human quality that is shameful, awful and easily one of the most common qualities of a human being.  It is almost as if we are wired to make every frantic attempt to run from our guilt/responsibility.  That thought brought me to somewhere unexpected.  Satan isn’t a jerk because he makes it easy to run from Sin, he is a jerk because he makes us think it is easy to run from our sin.  Lies upon lies upon half truth’s are bound to be found out.  Not addressing our sin just leads to more Sin, and therefore more trouble.  We make such an effort to get out of our Sin that we often put forth a utterly absurd amount of effort, much more than if we had just admitted our wrongs and asked for forgiveness.  Satan’s jerkiocity(yeah, i made that up) comes from somewhere different that i had originally though, somewhere perhaps even more jerkish.  It comes from a place of deception, and extreme intelligence.  It comes from a place where we have no hope of battling it other than with the help of something greater than him, and there is only one place to find that.

Buried deep within our own guilt…..there is hope in a tiny little question.

Peace and Love,

Grant

Church is never going to be what God intended until WE can get past seeing it as a chore, a requirement, a concert, a social gathering or a visit to the principal’s office.  How can we do this?  Well, here are 5 rules that Kyle Idleman  from the City on a Hill community of believers suggests to follow when looking for a church.

1. No One stands Alone

2.No perfect People Allowed

3.No Part-Time Worship

4.No Masks Allowed

5.No Irrelevant Teaching

Do these seem familiar?  Can you see these in your church?  Can you see these in yourself?  These rules are not for you to use against a person or a church, but instead they are meant to help you fix somethings in your church experience or your church home.

What do you think guys?

Peace and Love,

Grant

We talk constantly about God, and his Son, yet we very rarely bring up the last and perhaps the most evident to us as Humans, form of God in our lives.  The Holy Spirit acts as many things in our Relationship with God.  It is our counselor, moral compass and the great communicator when we pray.  Yet, for some reason, we can’t seem to understand how this guy works?  I cannot claim to understand more than you, but i can say that i have felt the Spirit on more than one occasion. 

Have you felt the Spirit working in your life?   When?  How?

Holy Spirit, we meet you in countless ways and find you in many forms: breath, wind, fire, water, dove.  Often you comfort us, often you inspire us, sometimes you surprise us, always you bless us.  Holy Spirit, enfold us, so that we are an echo of God’s love, a reflection of Christ’s light, and a pathway for your peace.  Amen.

-Chalice Worship

Here is the mind blowing part though……it’s okay.  That day on the cross our impurities became pure.  God’s sacrifice for us was meant to let us know that we are here for a reason, yes, but that our shortcomings (which are too many to mention) as humans are not what God sees when he looks at us.  Our impurities are not part of his picture of us.  We are called to live like Christ.  It will be a lifelong struggle to truly understand what that means, but as long as we are trying, and searching and realizing when we have fallen, and asking God to forgive us for being so…so…human, we will be pure in God’s eyes.

We are pure when Christ becomes our life, not when we achieve his purity.           

What does Christ mean to your life?

Love and Peace,

Grant

How do you best identitfy with God?

What do you see when you see him?

Does your idea of a Father help or hinder your perception of God?  Why?

Do you find it easier to see God as an authority figure or and loving advocate?

Chew on these guys.  If you would like to comment i would love you to.  Hope these questions produce more great questions for you to think about.

Peace and Love,

Grant

What in your world is polluting your heart?

How did you react when he apologized to other on behalf of Christians?

Have you ever experienced a person doing one thing and saying something different?  Have you ever been that person?

How did the final scene with the prostitute and the “church” lady make you feel?  Have you ever been on either side of that interaction?

Please comment, and hopefully we can get some answers together.

Peace and Love,

Grant

“Back to school! Back to school, to prove to Dad that I’m not a fool! I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don’t get in a fight! Ohhhh, back to school! Back to school! Back to school! Well, here goes nothing!”

I hope you can use these words of Wisdom to aid you in your return to the classroom.

But seriously, a real poet who just happened to be inspired by God wrote this,

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

As you go through this year there will be anxiety, there will be heartache.  But remember that there will also be an awesome opportunity to be Christ, and to Love on people who may not deserve it.  Remember how important to God you are, and remember that He is there with you, and willing to listen.  I hope you guys have/had an awesome first day back, and i know that it will continue to be a great year!

Peace and Love,

Grant

Another opportunity we were given was very unique. We were divided into three different groups of about 4 or 5 each to have an Urban Experience. Basically, one group would go out into Fort Worth every afternoon and do different things that showed us how people lived in the area. The group that experienced the activity would come back and make a presentation to the rest of the group. Each group experienced something different. The first group went out into urban Fort Worth and met and talked to people living in the area. The second group created a budget for a single mother with 3 children. The third group used that budget to “grocery shop” for food for a month.  It was an amazing opportunity to experience what these people go through every single day.

We all took away different lessons from working at Fortress. Some of us gained an appreciation for how hard it is for families to live with a limited budget. Some of us discovered what it really means to live out your faith by serving. And some of us realized how little we need to truly be happy. Whatever we learned, I am confident that it will shape our lives and make us the people God intended for us to be. Fortress changed us. Fortress changed us because God wanted it to change us.  That’s the reason we were there. Sure, we impacted people and made a difference. But the people at Fortress – the kids, the staff, and the interns – they impacted us too! The relationships we developed meant so much. We loved the kids and we received love in return–a simple exchange of the passion and dedication that God gave us when He created us.  I will never forget the people I met at the Fortress ministry. They taught me so much. They taught me how to love, how to serve, and how to be a Christian example. I will never forget the awesome impact that was made on my life and I will never forget the relationships I established there.

-Emily Griekspoor

It seems that everyone could use to be reminded, I know I always need God to remind me.  There are those out there in far away places, geographically and spiritually that God wants us to remember, and remind others of the Love they need.

The parable of the lost sheep always seems to be used to help us remember how important we are to God.  Instead think of it as a way to see how we are supposed to love.  To seek all that God seeks.  To remember those who God remembers.  To Love all that God Loves.  To live as Jesus did.

Peace and Love,

Grant