We Have Been Given God In Our

We Are Enveloped In Peace, Whether Or Not We Feel Ourselves To Be At Peace. By That I Mean The Peace That Passes Understanding Is Not A Subjective Sensation Of Peace; If We Are In Christ, We Are In Peace Even When We Feel No Peace.

The Forgiveness Of God Is Gratuitous Liberation From Guilt. Paradoxically, The Conviction Of Personal Sinfulness Becomes The Occasion Of Encounter With The Merciful Love Of The Redeeming God. "there Will Be More Rejoicing In Heaven Over One Sinner Repenting..." (luke 15:7). In His Brokenness, The Repentant Prodigal Knew An Intimacy With His Father That His Sinless, Self-righteous Brother Would Never Know.

Do You Believe That The God Of Jesus Loves You Beyond Worthiness And Unworthiness, Beyond Fidelity And Infidelity—that He Loves You In The Morning Sun And In The Evening Rain—that He Loves You When Your Intellect Denies It, Your Emotions Refuse It, Your Whole Being Rejects It. Do You Believe That God Loves Without Condition Or Reservation And Loves You This Moment As You Are And Not As You Should Be.

When We Wallow In Guilt, Remorse, And Shame Over Real Or Imagined Sins Of The Past, We Are Disdaining God's Gift Of Grace.

The Anything-goes Passiveness Of The Religious And Political Left Is Matched By The Preachy Moralism Of The Religious And Political Right. The Person Who Uncritically Embraces Any Party Line Is Guilty Of An Idolatrous Surrender Of Her Core Identity As Abba's Child. Neither Liberal Fairy Dust Nor Conservative Hardball Addresses Our Ragged Human Dignity.