grace changes everything

I meet a lot of rule followers. And I want to hug them and reassure them they're amazing and endlessly loved by God, no matter what they do. Because that's what we all need. And because I know what a weary, guilt-ridden place rule following leads. Especially when you’ve been taught keeping the rules and obeying are what God expects.

Besides, I was a card-carrying member of the rule-follower club for a lot of years. So on a whim this week, I made a list of religious rules I’ve encountered – from places I’ve been or people who've shared their experiences with me…

My dad had this white coffee mug. I remember staring at it during breakfast when I was young.

On the front of the glossy white ceramic was a cartoon drawing of a plump elephant, lying on his tummy. On the elephant’s back, on his head, on his trunk, and around him stood colorful turkeys, who somehow managed to look clueless and pleased with themselves at the same time.

Underneath this silly scene was the advice,

What does it mean to flourish in the Christian life?

Is it a season where things go exactly right? Or a moment you feel completely happy, healthy, and whole?

You and I both know things rarely go “exactly right.” And healing and growth are a journey – not a fixed point in time.

So, how do we flourish?

Most people are desensitized to the unofficial American greeting. "Who are you and what do you do?" is just a social nicety we expect.

We're even programmed to answer with short, clear phrases:

"I'm Jodi, home health care nurse."
"Katherine, divorced mom of one."
"It's Emily, blogger and church volunteer."

These post-comma words give us a feeling of security. They let us categorize an identity quickly and easily: "This is me in a nutshell."

But our short answers are never the whole story, are they?

When I was five, my parents surprised me with piano lessons. Let's just say Mom and Dad were waaaay more excited than I was. Every week I trudged next door to Mrs. Tabor's house, struggled through a lesson, then dragged my feet back home to practice for next week.

Oh, how I hated piano!

If my little five-year-old brain had known enough words, it would've cried, "Loathe! Despise! Abhor!" all the way to lessons and back.

It wasn't poor Mrs. Tabor's fault. She was a kind, patient soul who made us cookies each time we had a recital.

It was me.

Happy New Year!

As we contemplate God’s grace at the start of another year, it’s important to know what we're looking at. Christians have long known the word "grace" and used it freely. But ask us to explain it and many of us pause and "hmmmm" and find it hard to define.

Thankfully, Scripture has much to say on the subject. Here are 10 truths of grace to encourage and teach our hearts what this beautiful concept actually means and does in our lives!

Not far from my house is a path with a little stream flowing right beside it. Trees grow all along this short path, and in early fall it’s a glorious scene of vibrant colors reflecting on the water.

I love this path. It’s not too peopley, which makes it peaceful. And while it’s smack in the middle of suburbia, the trees block the houses fairly well, and the stream makes enough bubbly noises that you feel you’ve snuck away to a secluded spot.

How free are you right now?

Are you free to be joyful? Free to be quirky and like what you like? Free to enjoy close relationship with God? Free to take a break from serving? Free to skip church, if you need to? Free to believe something new? Free to make a mistake? Free to pursue the dream God laid on your heart? Free to see Jesus differently than you once did? Free to be loved?

a freedom story

The story is told of a merchant who lived long ago in a far away place. This man sank a post into the ground, tied a bunch of quail to it, and spent hours training the birds to march in a circle around that post. One day another man saw the poor birds and immediately