Category: Grace
Practices That Keep Us Sane – Part 2
A few years ago I heard a surprising definition of the word, “circumstances”. Circumstances means “standing around”. Hmmmm. Interesting. The more I thought about it, the more I understood its meaning. Circumstances are those things that are standing so close to us they block our view of God. They crowd in until all you can ...
Invitations to Wholeness
I am meeting someone for coffee. I have never met her or perhaps I don't know her well. At some point earlier, however, she asked, “Can we go for coffee?” Every week (several times a week) I have the privilege of sitting at this table. Each person comes with her own story of brokenness. Brokenness ...
Lessons From the Gym #1
After a four-year semi-hiatus from the gym in order to pursue my doctoral degree, along with four gazillion other people in January, I returned to the gym. I knew going back would be difficult. It was worse had than I had imagined. I was out of breath, sweating, my were muscles shaking…and that was only ...
Coming to Grips With Perfectionism
“I’m not perfect, you know.” She squinted her eyes a bit with exasperation in your voice. As if I thought she should be. Often such a statement has to do with the mistaken belief that the spiritual life is a static state of moral and virtuous personal achievement. Claiming we are not perfect is a ...
The Unfinished Places of our Soul
Eugene Peterson observed, “You know, if there were one other word that could have been used for most translations of ‘salvation,’ it would have been ‘healing.’ ” Interestingly, most often in the New Testament when the Greek verb “sozo” occurs it is translated “saved.” It not only means being rescued from destruction, but also ...
A Grace Available
“I’m going in for a biopsy.” I could see the fear in her eyes and the concern on her husband’s face. The word “cancer” unspoken but hung thick in that corner of the café that day. No one signs up for this. “What if?” lurks under the surface of our hearts. The loss of a ...
God of All Grace
Someone said it again this week. In speaking of a trial they were going through, they said, “Well, God must want me to learn something.” For sure, tragedy has a way of adjusting our perspective. Someone has said, “Deep suffering makes theologians of us all.” I am more and more convinced, however, that it is ...
Grace in Weakness
“And so His people are still taught to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. When He strengthens them, it is not by taking away the sense of feebleness, and giving in its place the feeling of strength. By no means. But in a very wonderful way leaving and even ...
Gail Johnsen 