Grace + Power

My wife and daughter are sick of hearing me talk about it. Yesterday Micquette asked me "What are you?" I dodged the question. "well, what are you?" she continued. I had just finished making her a grilled cheese & Spam sandwich. I started singing the Spam song from Monty Python. "Spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam..." She looked at me like I had two heads. I am pretty sure she does not know about Zaphod Beeblebrox, so I took it to mean she doesn't get it. Before she can ask again, I YouTube the Spam Song to enlighten her. That is the problem with her being ten years younger than I am, she lacks the cultural upbringing my generation had.

"I have not forgotten the question. What are you?" She smiles, I smile, we smile. "I don't know", I finally reply. "I no longer know what to call myself. I have spent countless hours reading about beliefs, dogma, ideas, etc. I have been watching Christian television and listening to my own old sermons. Late at night, while the house is asleep, I am up reading the bible, Strongs Concordance, books by Dan Millman, Robin Sharma, Thomas Merton, William P. Young, Richard Bach and anyone else that may shed new light. Micquette and Kleigh have heard my wonderings and ramblings for years, but the last few months have been more intense, I NEED to break through to this new place, to see it come alive. A new idea is formed in my head. Maybe others have caught on well ahead of me, but it is new to me.

Grace
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." Titus 2:11

After years of thought, study and prayer, I believe that the Bible is correct when it says that Jesus was successful in paying the price for the sins of the world. It seams a simple enough statement for a Christian pastor to make. This idea of God being able to do what He says He does is simple, but not popular. The standard church position has shifted away from the Bible teaching that God is light and there is no darkness in Him. Our Heavenly Father has been replaced by something hideous and unspeakably cruel. Instead of unconditional love for all mankind, our God is reported from pulpits around the world to condemn the vast majority of our parents, sisters, brothers and neighbors to an unending torment of separation and pain. Make the wrong choice in the short blip of time we live in and spend eternity in agony. The God I love and the Bible I read have been misrepresented in a most sick way. All this emotional torture may be handy to build man made kingdoms, but it is a false God and a gross twisting of the most beautiful relationship we can have.

"You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free." If the above teaching is the truth, it makes us a mess of conflicting emotions, not free. My relationship with God is based on love, security, mercy, safety and grace.

Power
I seek to live like Jesus. The Jesus I read about in the New Testament healed the sick, made blind eyes see, walked on water, fed thousands of people from a small list of groceries, raised the dead, had conversation with God, lived a supernatural life. Jesus demonstrated the very power of God in everyday situations. I want THAT! I not only want that, but am tired of hearing all the well made arguments as to why I cannot have it. I have seen too many supernatural things in my life to except living a mediocre and spiritually limp faith. I have seen healing, seen miracles, talked to God, known things that only heaven knew. This has been my past and it will continue to be my future.

Grace + Power
All this brings me back to the question: what am I? I have never been in a church that embraced both grace fully and demonstrated the power of God in any real way. I cannot call myself this label or that label, because none of the available labels combine these two elements. If I have missed something in my search, forgive me and send me information. Help me on my journey. In the mean time, I have started a gathering of like minded people on Monday evenings to explore these ideas. If you would like to join me on this journey, I will post the information on my facebook page each week.

Blessings to you,

Mark