Own the Road. It Was Paved for You.

We may not think of Jesus’ tomb as a tomb of honor, but it was. It was prepared with honor, it was sacrificed with honor, and Jesus was buried in it with honor. But it was not honor that led Him there. The death of Jesus was a death of mockery, deceit, divisiveness, lies, misunderstanding, and, especially, hatred, retaliation, and pain. But this was all part of God’s gracious plan to restore us into His fellowship. Amazing grace led Jesus to the cross. It’s a story known across the globe and through the ages. We can be saved because of God’s amazing grace. Grace ushered Jesus to the cross and to His earthly grave. By grace we are saved through faith, by grace we enjoy a personal relationship with Christ, and by grace we serve a resurrected Lord. How could someone spread His arms so open with love, and leave them extended to take the blows of torture, of humiliation, of rejection …even rejection from His Father? How can someone’s love be so perfect?

  Two arms, two legs, ten fingers, ten toes. Perfect! All is good in the maternity ward. Or so it seemed… When will the crying end? Why do the ‘terrible twos’ last more than a year? Why won’t they listen to me? How did they become friends with ________? Teenagers! Sometimes they grow up, but too many of them just get older. (Sigh) We’re not really cute, little bundles of joy underneath those chubby cheeks. That’s what the Apostle Paul would tell us: As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of pe

Disney has done it again. Perfect casting and memorable songs brought to life in the newest of live-action reboots, Aladdin . I wasn’t much into the animated version, but with real people on-screen, I felt the emotion. During the magic carpet ride, the central theme of the movie hit me. It’s a tale of identity – truly discovering who you are and becoming that person. [There are no movie spoilers in this post and this is not a movie review, but I do give Aladdin a thumbs up.] Each of the main characters struggled in their unique ways to live out their truest of identities. I think it’s the same for us. We sometimes feel out of place or we feel the urge to go against the flow. The person we are deep inside points us to a place that is often different enough from the norm that becoming that person is an uphill climb. But I’m writing to say be brave. Be that person. I’m not saying to be that doctor, or be that philanthropist. I’m not talking abou