• Impact

    The Outrageous Nature of God’s Grace

    The contemporary cultural climate in the global north (as well throughout the majority world) has called for a long-overdue, renewed interest in the notion of "equity." After all, there is a legitimate concern for promoting fairness and justice, along with integrity and respect, among all people, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status (a point made recently by Professors Darrell Bock and Ramesh Richard in an opinion piece at the Washington Post religion blog).   On the one hand, it is important to champion the cause of people being treated unfairly. On the other hand, we can quickly find ourselves consumed with comparing our lives to others. In turn, Satan…

  • Engage

    Thanksgiving for Consequences?

    In my small group study this past week, the teacher introduced the phrase "the gift of consequences." I love that description because I have come to trust over the years that everything God gives us, including the consequences of our actions, is good even when it doesn't feel like it. How can the consequences of a bad choice be a gift?Certainly, Romans 8:28-29 states it as a truth, but it’s not easy to believe when life comes crashing down because of our poor choices. How can we view the negative results of our actions as a gift then? The key for me comes from two sources: my beliefs about God…