Megaphone

Lack of gratitude is a symptom

Of a greater problem;
Our attitude is a side effect
That creates a rejection of law and grace...

And that duplicity has been duplicated 
Reproduced in our DNA 
Until it's become 
All the rage...

All the bitterness.
All the lust.
All the fickleness.

The richness of our humanity
Is buried beneath mediocrity
And a downward slope towards Gomorrah
A corner office view of Sodom

Welcome to where the weather is always autumn
And the trees bear no fruit 
Because the roots are rotten
So they might as well stay there...

Dead and buried.

Ever receiving the blood of martyrs and prophets
While the profit for delivering their heads
Has skyrocketed most
To a more comfortable life...

The bride takes another husband 
And never thinks twice

A harlot's heart in a wedding gown

That's a sullied white

And while we cry for freedom from ISIS

The No. 1 killer of mankind is "niceness"

We have our cake and eat it too

And pay no attention to a missing tooth

(or two)

Regardless of what we've been through

It always comes back around again

The danse macabre of a tone def mob

Waltzing to cacophonous megaphone of pain

(cf. Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:10-12, 5:3, 8:35-39; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” - C.S. Lewis

Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Love Like Suicide: Our Hope In Christ

I've been there.

So I'm always saddened to hear stories like this one. It's hard to make sense of it all...

But I think that the pattern of depression and suicide within the entertainment industry has to do with the fact that they give and give without ever being able to take off the mask - or so they perceive. The cameras are always on them. So the profession becomes a coping mechanism. They become very good at being "on" all of the time (I also believe that this is a reason that some turn to drugs). In the struggle to find emotional, mental, and spiritual balance they still have to perform... "the show must go on". Eventually, it's only a matter of time before we (as well as they themselves) lose the person behind the carefully crafted persona.

It's yet another sobering reminder that we need to see people as human beings. The identity of being human goes much deeper than the masks that we all have a tendency to wear. There is a inherent God-given dignity bestowed on all of us - regardless of how fractured we may be - that is greater than any character or facade we create (Gen. 1:26; 5:2). We often love people for what they do...but that is always mutable. Therefore, let this tragedy be a catalyst for us to love the person for what is beneath the surface as well, if not more so (John 7:24).

We all need hope...
And there's only one place that we can turn to truly find it.

(cf.  Ps. 42:5; Is. 53:3-9; Matt. 5:4, 11:28-30; John 11:35; Rom. 12:15; 2 Cor. 1:8-10, 4:7-10; Heb. 4:15, 5:2)


"Looking back it is clear to me that a man is more than the sum of his deeds; and how you made good of this mess I've made is a profound mystery..." - Aaron Tate (Lead of Love)


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Welcome To Midnight

For many, this year will not end on a high note…

 

Right now, somewhere,

Someone is about to lose hope

Right now, somewhere,

Someone is just trying to cope

Making it to midnight’s been a struggle

And they’re at the end of the rope

Barely afloat –

Helplessly failing as the water gets higher

And the last 24 hours

Sets the soul on fire…

The losses, crosses, addictions, divorces;

Hearts heavy from the waiting

And the ominous voices

Telling you to “force quit”

Because a promising future

Does not compute

Just more of the same

Of what you won’t get

‘Cause obviously you were born to lose

Two thousand and thirteen:

Year of the Serpent –

And he’s hissing in your ears

Convincing you that you’re worthless

 

Take heart and know

That the enemy’s already been defeated

No matter what tomorrow brings

The blood of Christ has already succeeded

Don’t be afraid –

Say welcome to midnight with open arms

Because the Son was crushed

Rest assured that joy

Is gonna come in the morning

 

 

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

- Psalm 30:5 ESV

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

(And a Happy New Year!!)

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Heaven Underground

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." - 1 Peter 3:18-20 ESV

"For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does." - 1 Peter 4:6 ESV

 

Heaven didn’t just come down… 

It went underground 

We couldn’t go and get it 

It had to come and get us 

Because we were held hostage 

In the darkness…slaves to the dust 

A bunch of guilty as charged 

Criminals at large 

Conspiring since the beginning 

To assassinate God 

And if you find that statement offensive 

It’s understandable 

But you still have no defense against it  

And you know it –  

Your fingerprints are showin’ 

And herein lies the biggest problem 

Because even if you’re Robin Hood
You’re still a thief –
Because you’re robbin’
No sob story is good enough
To regain that trust
Our red-handed antics
Have left us stone cold busted

And in case you couldn’t tell
We’re disgusted with the outcome
But too prideful and bitter to ask for help
So we put our roots down firm
And build ziggurats wherever we dwell

But how we gonna reach the Kingdom
When we don’t even speak the same language amongst ourselves?
And when our stairway to Heaven was vanquished
It all came crashing down in an epic fail…

The most frightening attribute of God’s character
Is that He is good and a Just Judge
So He will always rule in favor of righteousness
Not based on what I think I am
Or who I thought I was

Truth is…
I’m a lying, cheating
Backsliding heathen
Full of murderous intent
And I’m stealing by just breathing
With no plan to give up the lifestyle
Anytime soon
So the mercy of the Court
Will have to be way more than prevenient
Because I’m already doomed…

Therefore grace has to intrude
As the Kingdom manifests the expanse
Of its territorial boundary
To dig us up out of our whitewashed tombs
And shut down all of the foundries
‘Cause the Devil’s melting down the metal
Turning plows and pruning hooks into swords

But the Kingdom of Heaven came among us
To suffer the violence
So Death can never have the Final Word


"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force."  - Matthew 11:12 ESV

Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Rose

She dreams of being treated like a queen

She wants to be known

Wants to be seen…as a human being

She longs to be treasured

Not measured on her features and appearance

She knows she’s meant to be more

Than an object of lust

For men who leer

It makes her flesh crawl

Every time they get near her

But the reality is

That it’s all she’s ever known

Papa was a rolling stone

And when he was home

He was a boulder of destruction

Tearin’ up the house in a drunken rage

And hittin’ her and mama in the face

For missing a simple instruction –

While he’s still cussin’, still fussin’

It was disgusting…

She had to get away

But in her haste to find safety

She started looking for love

In all of the wrong places

Many a days wasted

On suitors that shouldn’t suit her

Because all they wanted to do

Was use her up, then lose her

Sugar, spice and everything nice

Is replaced by sex, deceit, and deadly vices

To those who know her

She’s a rose of a different kind

Not altogether lovely

But fine enough for a good time

And her new man don’t mind sharin’

“‘Cause I bet those dudes will pay top dollar

As hard as they be starin’”

Now she’s out there as eye candy

As her reality sours

The breath of strange men heat up her neck

And she’s getting paid by the hour

She’s been rejected so long

That she resolves to accept it

Believing that it’s better

To play by her own rules

Than to go through life dejected

She says, “The situation is screwed up

And since no one else seems to give a f---

I’m gonna make the most

Out of my station in life;

Make some money and get high – bottoms up”

Truth is she’s feeling stuck

And her identity is in shambles

A rose that’s lost her petals

Instead of a lily among the brambles

Built for love and dominion

But worn down by others’ opinions

She fails to receive the mantle

For which she was attentively intended

New day, new city

While the nights all look the same

And she cries herself to sleep

Because the showers can’t remove the shame

My sister, you are more than the sum of your deeds

Don’t listen to the deceivers

You’re more than just a perverted history

Of a long line of leavers

You were created with dignity and purpose

For a lover who sticks closer than a brother

He wants nothin’ but the rose

And gave it all to show that you’re worth it

(cf. John 8:1-11)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Descending Man

Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations. All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!’ Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. - Isaiah 14:9-11 ESV

 

Sin sells while bells ring

Like dinner time in Hell…

The taste of forbidden fruit over time becomes telling

Rebellion against conventional wisdom

Led to decisions based on indifference

And humanity is left searching for its significance

Life now is nothing more than forensic

As gender is now gone into oblivion

And a mother’s womb 

Has become a tomb for a countless number of infants

Between assisted suicide, ethnic cleansing genocide

Peace through superior firepower

And religion cloaked in deceit 

Hiding behind a military façade

Wars and rumors of wars

As we beef about same sex, safe sex

“Who’s to blame for a tanking economy?”

Or “Who should America attack next?”

We take one step back

When it comes to human trafficking

Global warming burning us up like a sauna

Our souls have grown cold as we ready our beds

God truly must be gracious

Because for reasons unbeknownst to us

He didn’t just destroy all in a flood

And He hasn’t left us for dead…

 

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.  - 2 Peter 2:4-10 ESV

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Forecast

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

(Mark 4:35-41 ESV)

 

Why are you downcast, oh my soul?

Because there’s a dark cloud rolling in

And it's about to get cold

No matter where I turn

Just more of the same thing

As I sing, "It is well..."

I'm distracted with the trouble

I know tomorrow will bring

 

You told us to count it all joy

When we encounter these trials

But every step I take

Feels like another hundred miles

I'm not praying for a miracle

I'm just waiting for relief

I know you'd never leave me or forsake me

Lord, help my unbelief

 

Remind me that the struggle

Is what you so graciously give

To conform me to your will

For the benefit of your glory

Grant me the wisdom to be still

And know that the same Spirit

That enabled the Savior

To take beatings, thorns and nails

Is the same that now abides within me

A peace which no circumstance can assail

 

So when life is crashing down around me

And the flood waters start to get higher 

Let my fears be diminished

In the truth that, "It is finished"

And the Accuser is a liar...

 

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

 (Psalm 43:5 ESV)

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

 

 

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Zeros and Ones: Importance of the Resurrection (Week 3)

We continue our study and discussion on the implications of the resurrection of Christ...
This week as we go further up and in, we cover the significance of the Last Supper leading up to the resurrection and the validity of the eyewitness accounts. Also, how the resurrection serves as hope for us in our current lives when faced with trials and suffering and how this translates into the hope that we articulate in our evangelism.

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Tired

I’m tired…

Tired of dealing with all of the stress and strife

That comes along with dealing with these daily vices

I’m tired…

Tired of trying to live up to the expectations

And looking at the disappointed faces

Knowing that they’re still waiting

I’m tired…

Tired of the lies that the media’s selling

Salvation at bargain basement prices

Will always end up failing

 

I’m tired of you…

I’m tired of me…

I’m tired of “we”…

And all the times that we fight

About how it’s not supposed to be

 

I’m tired …

Tired of delayed justice

In a world where evil appears to get a free pass

And makes everything disgusting

I’m tired…

Tired of all the raping and the killing

Character assassinations, manipulation and bad feelings

I’m tired…

Tired of pretending that everything’s so copasetic

When my inner state of love and trust

Is absolutely pathetic

 

I’m tired of being alone…

I’m tired of being a drone…

I’m tired of sending out a call for help

And having no one answer the phone

 

I’m tired…

Tired of the unwelcomed favors

Like doing the maximum amount of work

And only receiving minimum wages

I’m tired…

Tired of always having to turn the other cheek

While the rich build empires

On the backs of the lower class

And the mighty devour the weak

I’m tired…

Tired of this illusion of autonomy

That I’m free to do what I want

And that someone out there

Has something they owe me

 

I’m tired of being vexed…

I’m tired of being over-sexed…

I’m tired of always trying to get better

But never giving my best

 

I’m so tired of hearing the best news ever heard

And not remembering what was said

I’m so tired of having all of the information

At my fingertips

But never a damned thing in my head

 

I’m so tired of being tired of everything

And it’s starting to make me sick

There’s only one thing left to hope for…

Maranatha! Lord, come quick!!

 

 

 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

- (Romans 8:18-30 ESV)

 

 

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

- (Revelation 22:20 ESV)

 

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

 

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Righteous Kill

Since before the days of the Coliseum

People have been locked up and beaten

Relentlessly persecuted for the faith

By being mocked, maimed, and eaten

But they went to the rack, singing

Bodies burned for just believing

In the only one True Messiah

Never paying homage to heathens

Or posturing to imposters

Never taking the mark of the Beast

Refused to render to Caesar what belonged to Jesus

And so became a part of the feast

Fed to lions with eyes still fixed on Zion

Followed their master into martyrdom

Even though painful death was certainly common

They took it all with a reckless abandon

Forsaking the world and everything in it

Knowing their sins had been forgiven

They faced the sword with no regard

Knowing in Christ, now their lives had been hidden

So as I hear the sirens coming

And I see the war at home

I’m reminded of the greater war

And exactly who’s side I’m on

Come what may, we’re here to stay

We’ll never be dismayed

The history’s already been written

We will not be made ashamed

Abashed and in awe the Devil stood

And saw what was so incredibly good

That it stoked the embers of envy in his heart

Now, he’d kill us if he could

But over the wood and nails

Our Surety prevails

So even if our blood is to be spilled

“He was bruised for our transgressions

And by His stripes, we are healed.”

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

                “For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

                we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- (Romans 8:31-39 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Dust To Glory: A Ghetto Love Story

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.   -  (Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV)

A king without a castle born to an unwed mother

All the while, rumors circulate that he was fathered by another

Homeless for a while, then raised in the ghetto

Along side the hoodlums, riff-raff, rebels and winos

But He went to synagogue

Because that’s how his mom and his step-dad raised him

He’d grow up to be famous

But who really knew that then?

Coming up poor ain’t a means to an end

It’s hated, it’s shameful and often equated with sin

But not Him…

He left the block for the wilderness to fulfill the call in His life:

“Hey, why don’t you slow down? Take it easy…maybe even get you a wife.

Word is your real father, man, is crazy rich.

You’d never have to work a day in your life if he broke you off a pinch.

But if not him, come with me…I got a grip you can hold.

You can have anything you want. I got it under control.”

“Hell, No.”

Home is where the heart is

So the hood was His home

And used His life to let the hood know

That they were never alone

He became the people’s champion

So they gathered around Him

Politicians start to panic

While His family starts to clown Him

Pharisees start hatin’

And they call Him a “Birther” :

“This dude is sayin’ he’s from heaven

But he ain’t nothin’ but an earthling.

Everybody here knows him from that Nazerene block

No good can come of that place, they’re some real bad stock.”

But He didn’t stop

So now they wanna stop Him

His friends start to worry

That somebody’s gonna pop Him

Cool by Him

Because He already knew the risk

His death was the outcome

For which he sought to exist:

“Don’t be scared, homies…

They’re comin’ to get me

But I’m takin’ all the heat

Because that’s why the Father has sent me

Dying for the lost

So that they could be found

So that the end of your life won’t be the end

But a crown of life eternal

Given because you’ve be down since the beginning

And you’ll carry on ‘til the finish

Because my Father gives you permission

And don’t begin to think you chose this life for a second

I chose you first so now we’re forever connected

Blessed be the one who hears the words that I speak

And doesn’t shrink away from danger in the face of the Beast

Because the Devil is a lion

He desires to eat you

He can feast all he wants

But He can never defeat you.”

So whatever happens below

Just remember He’s above it

So when you see the storms coming

Don’t worry…

Just love it

It was death by love

Love in humiliation

Stepped out of eternity

To become the promised seed of the nations

Subjecting Himself to the same perils and temptations as “we”

Because He cares for little men in really tall trees

And for prostitutes on the track who believe the lie that they’re stuck

And for the addicts who think they’ve had and they’re about to give up

Listen to what comes after…

He is still speaking

So put one ear to the floor and the other to the rafters

Feel the earth move and know for certain

If He ceased to speak, it won’t happen

In His hands, it is stable

No one can ever knock Him off course

Even when the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence

 And the violent take it by force

Solus Christus,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Broken Bone Hymns by Paul David Tripp

It’s a bit of a strange word picture, the kind that causes you to wonder and to feel just a bit uncomfortable. But it says volumes about what you need and about what it is that God is doing. If you’re confused about what God’s agenda is in your life, or if it doesn’t always seem like his promises are being fulfilled, then this strange little prayer from Psalm 51 is helpful and clarifying. In his psalm of repentance after his sin against God, Bathsheba, and Uriah, David writes this provocative little prayer, “Let the bones that you have broken rejoice.” What in the world is he talking about and how in the world can it give perspective and hope to you and me?

Let me begin to answer with a personal confession. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I have a low tolerance for difficulty. I confess that I am a project-oriented person. I tend to have a specific agenda for each day. I awake knowing exactly what I want to accomplish and what a successful day will look like. I don’t want to have to deal with interruptions or obstacles. I want the people, circumstances and locations to willingly submit to my sovereignty and participate in my plan. All of this means that it’s counterintuitive for me to view difficulty as something beneficial. I have little time or tolerance for “broken bones.”

But I have a problem. My Redeemer is the redeemer of broken bones. Now, maybe you're thinking, “Paul, what in the world are you talking about?” Well, here it is. “Broken bones” is a physical word picture for the pain of redemption.

In case you failed to notice, God’s work of delivering you and me from our addiction to self and sin and transforming us into his image isn’t always a comfortable process. There are times, in order to make our crooked and fickle hearts straight and loyal, God has to break some bones. I will again confess, I don’t like broken bones!

Now, you have to ask, “Why would a God of love ever bring pain into the lives of the people he says he loves?” The difficult things that you experience as God’s child that may seem like the result of God’s unfaithfulness and inattention or anger are actually acts of redemptive love. You see, in bringing these things into our lives God is actually fulfilling his covenantal commitment to satisfy the deepest needs of his people. And what is it that we need the most? The answer is simple and clear throughout all of Scripture: more than anything else we need him.

Yet this is exactly where the rub comes in. Although our greatest personal need is to live in a life-shaping relationship with the Lord, as sinners we have hearts that have a propensity to wander. We very quickly forget God and begin to put ourselves or some aspect of the creation in his place. We soon forget that he’s to be the center of everything we think, desire, say and do. We easily lose sight of the fact that our hearts were designed for him and that the deep sense of well-being which all of us seek can only be found in him.

We very rapidly forget or ignore the powerfully addicting dangers of sin and think we can step over God’s boundaries without personal and moral cost. We think we are stronger than we really are and wiser than we actually prove to be. We assess that we have character, discipline and strength that we don’t really have. So God, in the beauty of his redeeming love, will “break our bones.” He will bring us through difficulty, suffering, want, sadness, loss and grief in order to ensure that we are living in pursuit of the one thing that each of us desperately needs—him.

It’s time for each of us to embrace, teach, and encourage others with the broken-bone theology of uncomfortable grace. Because as long as each of us still has sin living in us, producing a propensity to forget and wander, God’s grace will come to us in uncomfortable forms. Perhaps you’ve been wondering where the grace of God is in your life at the very moment when you have been getting it. But it has not been the grace of comfortable relief or release; no, you have been receiving the uncomfortable grace of rescue, restoration, transformation and refinement.

So, if you are God’s child, if you’ve ever prayed that God would be near you and would do what he has promised in and for you, then resist the temptation to doubt his goodness in the middle of your moment of stress. It’s time for you and me to stop thinking that we are going through difficulty because Satan is winning or God is punishing us. If you are God’s child and you humbly recognize and admit that the battle with sin still rages in your heart, then tell yourself that those difficulties are the sure sign of his rescuing and redemptive love.

God hasn’t forgotten you. He hasn’t turned his back on you. He isn’t punishing you in anger. He surely isn’t withholding the grace that he has promised from you. No, you’re receiving grace, but it’s grace that is willing to break bones in order to capture and transform your heart. This grace is unrelenting. This grace has no intention of giving up. This grace will not be satisfied with the status quo. This grace does not get discouraged. It will never compromise. It will never become bitter or cynical. This is loving, patient, perseverant, powerful grace.

In those moments when you are tempted to wonder if God has forgotten you, may you preach to yourself of this relentless, transforming grace. May you remind yourself that you are being loved with real love and showered with real grace. And as you limp to his throne once more to thank him for his unyielding grace, may the bones that he has lovingly broken sing a hymn of praise to this One who alone blesses you with his amazing grace.

via desiringgod.org

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)