Parables for the Long Way Home - The Scandal of Generous Grace

To listen to the full unabridged message: The Scandal fo Generous Grace

As we begin the season of Lent, we enter a specific rhythm in the Christian calendar. It is a season of lament—a time to acknowledge that the world we inhabit is imperfect. It is often sad, hard, and weary. It is a world in desperate need of resurrection.

The beauty of Lent is that it points us toward Easter. We know that in a few weeks, we will celebrate the moment history was transformed by the resurrection of Christ. But we shouldn’t rush there. As Westerners, our culture encourages us to skip the “hard” and jump straight to the “fun.” But this season, we aren’t going to skip the hardness. We are going to work through it together by looking at the parables of Jesus.

Fun night out! Dinner ar Miller’s in Dearborn followed by hanging out at Calihan Hall to see our guy Tater-Tot.

Finished reading: The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson 📚

Such a fun read! It was great to see what happened with one of my favorite characters from Stormlight Archives.

Next up: The Strength of the Few, book 2 of the Hierarchy series.

Do you ever bump into a quote that just resonates for you? I bumped into this one by David Foster Wallace today and it did just that today:

“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day.” - David Foster Wallace

The pain of death is real. Ash Wednesday is a reminder of that truth.

I long for this day…

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”

Revelation 5 - Horses and Robes

Auto-generated description: An open book lies on rocky ground in front of a dramatic landscape, with clouds illuminated by sunlight and the text Beyond Sunday School: A Study of Revelation prominently displayed.

To listen to full unabridged audio listen here: Revelation 5 - Horses and the Multitude

We are moving into the “tricky stuff” today as we pick up in Revelation chapter 6. Up to this point, we’ve witnessed the glorious worship of the heavenly throne room. We’ve seen Jesus identified as the only one worthy to open the scroll—the representation of God’s will and His plan for the world. Now, we get to see that plan begin to unfurl.

You know you are from Michigan when 45° feels wonderfully warm and you choose to sit outside enjoying a good pipe in the sun!

I started reading: Fight Like Jesus by Jason Porterfield 📚

A friend is hosting a weekly discussion of this text. I can’t attend but, I am reading alongside. I think I will share some thoughts throughout Lent from this little book.

Tomorrow at Tap Room we are discussing nationalism, not just the Christian variant. This description of Christian nationalism by Tom Wright hits the nail on the head.