Something about fall is so wonderful. The cool, quiet nights. The sunrise that’s late enough to enjoy. It’s a season to sip a warm drink on the couch or head outside to enjoy the sunshine. Best of both worlds.
1. Mandy writes one of my favorite blogs, Messy Canvas. It’s a space where she deals with the messiness of life and faith. I appreciate the way she articulates her struggles, with her post from earlier this week being no exception. I can’t wait till her book gets picked up and published.
“I am choosing to believe in a God that meets me where I’m at when I can’t quite get to Him. A God that comes for me. That makes a way. That when He sees a willing but confused heart, He brings the narrow path to me. He assures me my feet are already on it. He showers love and grace with cold, plummeting drops, and they sink into the cracks of my dreads, touching my scalp and soaking my insides.”
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2. Capital punishment has been at the forefront of the news this week with the execution of Troy Davis on Wednesday night. I certainly understand why people want the death penalty as a legal form of punishment for crimes, but I’ve never been able to accept the taking of life as a way to vindicate the life (or lives) lost. In fact, I would say capital punishment devalues the life (or lives) lost. With all that said, Eugene Cho always has a helpful perspective when it comes to news of this kind:
“We know Christ was brutally executed but who would Jesus execute? Some will criticize the oversimplification of the above question and my thought process but perhaps, we are overcomplexifying the fundamental truth that “life is sacred.” And by life…I mean, that all life, is sacred. Even the life of a Troy Davis. It is my hope that “Christians” who believe in the sanctity of life would lead the way to finally put to the death the death penalty.”
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3. One thing I’ve processing lately is how we tend to worship life change in church. We want change, but sometimes I fear we desire to see change more than we desire to pursue the God who changes us. Mike Wilkerson has a book releasing focusing on this and he wrote a teaser post for the book that I was greatly challenged by:
“Wanting redemption more than wanting God is a delusion. Because God loves us beyond our comprehension, we can’t fathom the scope of redemption that is available in Christ. Like missing the forest for the trees, our vision is blurred when we fixate on change and miss Jesus. We can’t bring redemption to ourselves or muster up change. We need a miracle.”
Grace and Peace friends.
