Photo above:Â Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the courtyard of Tegel Prison, summer 1944 ************************************** A reading from the modern classic The Cost of Discipleship (1937) by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). Â This is a great passage to apply to other people. Â We should also apply it to ourselves. Â Â Â Â Â Â Cheap grace is the mortal […]
3312) Cheap Grace Read More »
By John V. Halvorson, How Long, O Lord?, 1986, pages 32-3 (paraphrased) Â Â Â Pete was the best mechanic I ever knew. Â He had worked at the same garage for fifteen years. Â Business had grown to the point that an additional mechanic was needed. Â The owner of the company hired Fred, a much younger man
3256) The Power in Common Grace Read More »
           A while back I came across a nice little illustration of the grace of God. The writer referred to it as an old familiar illustration, but I had never heard it before, and maybe you haven’t either. (This is an illustration, not a joke… so don’t be waiting for the punch line). Here it
3199) Earning Points Read More »
One of the dictionary definitions of ragamuffin is a ragged, often disreputable person. Brennan Manning often used that word to describe himself. His life was a mess. After serving as a marine in Korea, he became a monk– and then he quit that life. He became a priest– and then he left the priesthood. He
3196) For All Ragamuffins Read More »
By Lee Strobel ———————————— “This is embarrassing,” my friend said to me over the phone. “That’s okay,” I assured him. “Go ahead. You can tell me.” He sighed. “Well, we found out our little girl shoplifted a book from the church bookstore. We were really surprised because she’s a good kid. Anyway, I was wondering whether
3115) A Lesson in Grace Read More »
   The Parable of the Wicked Tenants; Matthew 21:33-43    (…continued)  Knowing what we know about renting and owning, what can we say about that?  First of all we might want to ask, “What on earth could they have be thinking?”  Were those tenants insane?  Is that how it works: if you kill
3022) A Word of Warning (2/2) Read More »
   (Jesus said), “Listen to another parable:  There was a landowner who planted a vineyard.  He put a wall around it, dug a wine-press in it and built a watchtower.  Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went on a journey.  When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants
3021) A Word of Warning (1/2) Read More »
By Tim Challies, November 9, 2015 article at:  www.challies.com    How do you know that you really get the gospel, that you really understand and believe it?  Or perhaps better said, how do you know that the gospel has really gotten you, that it has taken hold of you and begun to permanently transform
2830) Do You Really Get It? Read More »
From The Clergy of America: Anecdotes, 1869, pages 169-170    A sermon illustration from a New England minister in the 1700’s. ————————–    A clergyman sitting in his study, saw some boys in his garden stealing melons.  He quietly arose, and walking into his garden, called out to them, “Boys, boys.”  They immediately fled
By Lutheran pastor David G. Johnson in The Road Once Traveled, 1991, pages 67-71 Â Â Â The three of us, Bob, John, and I, were so intent on following a turkey that we neglected to pay much attention to where we were going. Â The car was not far away and we thought we knew the
