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“I feel so alone.
Shame survives by convincing me I am alone.
Whether my pain was caused by my bad decision or whether something tragic happened to me, shame is loud in my head.
All of God’s promises that I know do not quiet this shame.
Shame feels comforting when I feel so helpless.
Because it is easier to feel shame than it is to feel helpless.
Shame is something I think I have control over.
Except shame lies.”
― I Wish I Could Take Away Your Pain
Shame survives by convincing me I am alone.
Whether my pain was caused by my bad decision or whether something tragic happened to me, shame is loud in my head.
All of God’s promises that I know do not quiet this shame.
Shame feels comforting when I feel so helpless.
Because it is easier to feel shame than it is to feel helpless.
Shame is something I think I have control over.
Except shame lies.”
― I Wish I Could Take Away Your Pain
“By choosing me you are choosing to have a life that is a little less comfortable because of me.
This seems like something to be avoided.
To live vulnerably like this seems to be something to be avoided.”
― I Wish I Could Take Away Your Pain
This seems like something to be avoided.
To live vulnerably like this seems to be something to be avoided.”
― I Wish I Could Take Away Your Pain
“The difference between grace and love is: ‘Love is more a yearning and desperation of God to have us around. Grace is because of this desperation he allows us to stay around.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“Waiting is trusting that God has our larger story as you have trust issues.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“We often don’t have the patience to wait. We want some control over the outcome. We want to know the outcome. We believe deeply that if we could just know the outcome we will make it through. We treat God like a vending machine with an expected outcome after we put our something in. When we do this our relationship with God is transactional.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“How can you trust God who is not true to his word? Isn’t that what the Bible is?
Because God is larger than a platitude. A platitude is sweet, concise, and fits on a throw pillow. God is larger than that. With the sufferings in my life, I need more than a platitude. I need this Larger Story God I’ve come to know.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
Because God is larger than a platitude. A platitude is sweet, concise, and fits on a throw pillow. God is larger than that. With the sufferings in my life, I need more than a platitude. I need this Larger Story God I’ve come to know.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“Grace is a hard word to understand. We say it is by grace we are saved, but then we continue to strive to earn God’s love.
We are drawn more to karma because we do understand it. Karma is based on the principle of cause and effect—what you do, good or bad, determines what you receive in return, either in this life or future lives as in reincarnation. Karma focuses on personal responsibility and justice, where actions have consequences. Karma is you get what you deserve.
This is all transactional. You have some control in this. You also get trapped in the wondering of when you are good enough.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
We are drawn more to karma because we do understand it. Karma is based on the principle of cause and effect—what you do, good or bad, determines what you receive in return, either in this life or future lives as in reincarnation. Karma focuses on personal responsibility and justice, where actions have consequences. Karma is you get what you deserve.
This is all transactional. You have some control in this. You also get trapped in the wondering of when you are good enough.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“Complain to God, just don’t let him go. God is okay about us complaining to him. This is way better than just complaining about God. Do you see the difference?”
―
―
“Was the son recognizable in the condition he was in? How far down the road was he before he was recognized? Did the son return smelling of pig sty? Was he embraced and kissed smelling like pig?
A your worst, God runs to you, embraces you, kisses you. You are worthy of the pursuit even if you are covered in pig crap.
We so often use the excuse, I’ll turn to God after I clean up. God doesn’t want to wait for that. He just wants you to turn.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
A your worst, God runs to you, embraces you, kisses you. You are worthy of the pursuit even if you are covered in pig crap.
We so often use the excuse, I’ll turn to God after I clean up. God doesn’t want to wait for that. He just wants you to turn.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“The heart of the father is to bring his children home. As fathers and mothers feel, God would prefer to protect you from the dangers of your choices. As a suffering mom, I would prefer to keep you home, prevent you from leaving, prevent you from falling into that hole so you will not be hurt. But the father’s love is too great to do any of that.
Love cannot force, constrain, push, or pull. Love is not coerced. Love offers the freedom to reject that love or to love in return. God, our Creator, has chosen to be, first and foremost, a father. As a father, he wants his children to be free--free to love and free to lose everything.
The father’s heart knows all the pain that will come from that choice, but this love renders him unwilling to take our freedom away. He knows our deceitful tongues and disloyal hearts but he cannot make us love him without losing his true fatherhood.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
Love cannot force, constrain, push, or pull. Love is not coerced. Love offers the freedom to reject that love or to love in return. God, our Creator, has chosen to be, first and foremost, a father. As a father, he wants his children to be free--free to love and free to lose everything.
The father’s heart knows all the pain that will come from that choice, but this love renders him unwilling to take our freedom away. He knows our deceitful tongues and disloyal hearts but he cannot make us love him without losing his true fatherhood.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“Grace is not karma.
“With grace you realize you are not the most intelligent creature in the universe.
Grace is God’s unearned, undeserved love and mercy, given freely to humanity despite sin. Not based on human effort but on God’s kindness—especially seen in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for salvation. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Grace is out of our control because God has designed for him to do the work to remove our sins from us.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“With grace you realize you are not the most intelligent creature in the universe.
Grace is God’s unearned, undeserved love and mercy, given freely to humanity despite sin. Not based on human effort but on God’s kindness—especially seen in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for salvation. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Grace is out of our control because God has designed for him to do the work to remove our sins from us.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“Do you bother God with your persistent prayer? God wants you to bother him as it opens up a new view of God. This is what God wants. You see it as bothering, but God sees it as a relationship. So is God bothered?
How do your trust issues change when you realize that God wants to be bothered by you?”
―
How do your trust issues change when you realize that God wants to be bothered by you?”
―
“You wish you could go back to a time when God wasn’t confusing--when God and everything made sense.
Your questions matter. Your fears matter. Your confusion matters. Your anger matters. Embrace the vulnerability of them and find out who God is. Even your fears and doubts become opportunities for encountering God, if you let them draw us close to God.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
Your questions matter. Your fears matter. Your confusion matters. Your anger matters. Embrace the vulnerability of them and find out who God is. Even your fears and doubts become opportunities for encountering God, if you let them draw us close to God.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“Holy tension” is the discomfort of being stuck in between but knowing that if you can make a brave vulnerable decision something holy is going to happen.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“Maybe the issues of the gospel message aren’t debt, shame, penalties, or violations of the law. Maybe the issues of the gospel message are being restored to relationship.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“Waiting requires patience. There are three words in that sentence that nobody likes.
Patience is not passivity. To be patient doesn’t mean you get to be idle and wait for something to change. I don’t get to “let go and let God.” I can’t “easy button” this to God. As if I actually could. I must stay in the tension.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
Patience is not passivity. To be patient doesn’t mean you get to be idle and wait for something to change. I don’t get to “let go and let God.” I can’t “easy button” this to God. As if I actually could. I must stay in the tension.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“God is not the patriarch who stays home, doesn’t move, and expects his children to come to him, apologize for their bad behavior, beg for forgiveness, and promise to do better.
It’s the opposite.
He leaves the house, ignores his dignity by running toward them, pays no heed to apologies or smells and promises of change, and starts the party. God is always on the giving side, trying to repair the relationship.
God is a God who always says let’s start here.
You don’t have to get better for God. God doesn’t try to find you when you are good enough. No. God says, ‘You’re here—and I’ll meet you right where you are. From there, we’ll grow together.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
It’s the opposite.
He leaves the house, ignores his dignity by running toward them, pays no heed to apologies or smells and promises of change, and starts the party. God is always on the giving side, trying to repair the relationship.
God is a God who always says let’s start here.
You don’t have to get better for God. God doesn’t try to find you when you are good enough. No. God says, ‘You’re here—and I’ll meet you right where you are. From there, we’ll grow together.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“Grace is God refusing to abandon you and continuing to pursue you.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“Do you bother God with your persistent prayer?
God wants you to bother him as it opens up a new view of God. This is what God wants. You see it as bothering, but God sees it as a relationship. So is God bothered?
How do your trust issues change when you realize that God wants to be bothered by you?”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
God wants you to bother him as it opens up a new view of God. This is what God wants. You see it as bothering, but God sees it as a relationship. So is God bothered?
How do your trust issues change when you realize that God wants to be bothered by you?”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“A repentant spirit is part of belonging to God but it always happens after God makes the first move towards us. This is God’s faithful pursuit of us.
Before the son offers his transaction, the father speaks first, cleans him up and dresses him in finery, and throws a party. The robe and ring give the message the son didn’t believe--you’re still my son. Not a word is spoken about the lost money, the bad choices, or the shame. The father doesn’t seem to care. All he cares about is his son. The father is all about restoring relationships. God is on the giving side.”
―
Before the son offers his transaction, the father speaks first, cleans him up and dresses him in finery, and throws a party. The robe and ring give the message the son didn’t believe--you’re still my son. Not a word is spoken about the lost money, the bad choices, or the shame. The father doesn’t seem to care. All he cares about is his son. The father is all about restoring relationships. God is on the giving side.”
―
“In this Story of the Two Lost Sons, the heart of the father is his sons. The heart of God is us. Here, we meet a God who loves deeply, pursues relentlessly, longs for relationship, erases the debt of wrongs, runs to meet us in the field, and invites us to the table—at the Father’s cost. Jesus loves so greatly that he did go through the crucifixion. Jesus didn’t die on the cross to give us a second chance to get things right. Jesus did it because he knew we never would.
This is not the father you expected.
Maybe this parable should be called The Story of the Father Who Restores at His Cost.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
This is not the father you expected.
Maybe this parable should be called The Story of the Father Who Restores at His Cost.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“Your trust issues come from your hope being broken. You have learned it is safer not to hope. It is safer to beat vulnerability to the punch and strive to control your surroundings.
It is safer to treat hope as a wish. Hope then becomes something ethereal that you wish upon a star and then you continue on controlling your outcome. Or holding steadfast to hope–which really is your version of that “supposed-to” you want to see happen–as a symbol of your faith.
This is not hope. Hope involves more of you and your soul than wishing it up to God. (Look out vulnerability!) It is easier to believe you can “easy button” this to God but a life of hope involves your guttiness.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
It is safer to treat hope as a wish. Hope then becomes something ethereal that you wish upon a star and then you continue on controlling your outcome. Or holding steadfast to hope–which really is your version of that “supposed-to” you want to see happen–as a symbol of your faith.
This is not hope. Hope involves more of you and your soul than wishing it up to God. (Look out vulnerability!) It is easier to believe you can “easy button” this to God but a life of hope involves your guttiness.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“God loves to meet us in that messy middle of the tunnel. And at the end of the tunnel, as well as the beginning of the tunnel.
I’ve learned that it is in that messy middle that God becomes particularly “loud” in our lives.
God never tells me to get over my emotions and just get past them. God meets me there in my emotional mess. Sometimes I’m so emotional I believe God has abandoned me. Until I get through that tunnel and I realize how present God always was.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
I’ve learned that it is in that messy middle that God becomes particularly “loud” in our lives.
God never tells me to get over my emotions and just get past them. God meets me there in my emotional mess. Sometimes I’m so emotional I believe God has abandoned me. Until I get through that tunnel and I realize how present God always was.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“How can you trust God who is not true to his word? Isn’t that what the Bible is?
Because God is larger than a platitude. A platitude is sweet, concise, and fits on a throw pillow. God is larger than that. With the sufferings in my life, I need more than a platitude. I need this Larger Story God I’ve come to know.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
Because God is larger than a platitude. A platitude is sweet, concise, and fits on a throw pillow. God is larger than that. With the sufferings in my life, I need more than a platitude. I need this Larger Story God I’ve come to know.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“A repentant spirit is part of belonging to God but it always happens after God makes the first move towards us. This is God’s faithful pursuit of us.
Before the son offers his transaction, the father speaks first, cleans him up and dresses him in finery, and throws a party. The robe and ring give the message the son didn’t believe--you’re still my son. Not a word is spoken about the lost money, the bad choices, or the shame. The father doesn’t seem to care. All he cares about is his son. The father is all about restoring relationships. God is on the giving side.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
Before the son offers his transaction, the father speaks first, cleans him up and dresses him in finery, and throws a party. The robe and ring give the message the son didn’t believe--you’re still my son. Not a word is spoken about the lost money, the bad choices, or the shame. The father doesn’t seem to care. All he cares about is his son. The father is all about restoring relationships. God is on the giving side.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“Your trust issues come from your hope being broken. You have learned it is safer not to hope. It is safer to beat vulnerability to the punch and strive to control your surroundings.
It is safer to treat hope as a wish. Hope then becomes something ethereal that you wish upon a star and then you continue on controlling your outcome. Or holding steadfast to hope–which really is your version of that “supposed-to” you want to see happen–as a symbol of your faith.
This is not hope. Hope involves more of you and your soul than wishing it up to God. (Look out vulnerability!) It is easier to believe you can “easy button” this to God but a life of hope involves your guttiness.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
It is safer to treat hope as a wish. Hope then becomes something ethereal that you wish upon a star and then you continue on controlling your outcome. Or holding steadfast to hope–which really is your version of that “supposed-to” you want to see happen–as a symbol of your faith.
This is not hope. Hope involves more of you and your soul than wishing it up to God. (Look out vulnerability!) It is easier to believe you can “easy button” this to God but a life of hope involves your guttiness.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“Grace isn’t transactional. It can't be earned, predicted, or managed.”
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
― The Story of Two Lost Sons: Finding Grace and Restoration Through God’s Lavish Love
“God loves to meet us in that messy middle of the tunnel. And at the end of the tunnel, as well as the beginning of the tunnel.
I’ve learned that it is in that messy middle that God becomes particularly “loud” in our lives.
God never tells me to get over my emotions and just get past them. God meets me there in my emotional mess. Sometimes I’m so emotional I believe God has abandoned me. Until I get through that tunnel and I realize how present God always was.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
I’ve learned that it is in that messy middle that God becomes particularly “loud” in our lives.
God never tells me to get over my emotions and just get past them. God meets me there in my emotional mess. Sometimes I’m so emotional I believe God has abandoned me. Until I get through that tunnel and I realize how present God always was.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“Waiting requires patience. There are three words in that sentence that nobody likes.
Patience is not passivity. To be patient doesn’t mean you get to be idle and wait for something to change. I don’t get to “let go and let God.” I can’t “easy button” this to God. As if I actually could. I must stay in the tension.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
Patience is not passivity. To be patient doesn’t mean you get to be idle and wait for something to change. I don’t get to “let go and let God.” I can’t “easy button” this to God. As if I actually could. I must stay in the tension.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
“I define bravery as your decisions to actually trust God. That is full of vulnerability because with God there is not the guarantee of the controlled outcome you want.”
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
― Trust Issues With God: Because Life Is Unfair: Bible Study, With Video Access
